J. Trevino Kelley is here to tell us about Ashlight Dominion, Fear of Breath, post-apocalyptic science fiction - dystopian.
Read on for details...
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Post-Apocalyptic Science Fiction, Dystopian
Date Published: February 3, 2026
In a world where poisoned air has stolen breath itself, survival is no
longer a solitary act, it is a covenant. From the ashes of collapse rises New
Umoja, a fragile but unbroken community bound together by the Mesh, a living
network of memory and thought. At its heart is a struggle: who gets to
breathe, who belongs, and how hope endures when systems are built to
suffocate. Ashlight Dominion follows those who refuse to vanish, weaving
stories of resilience, betrayal, and rebirth into a tapestry of survival. This
debut novel by J. Trevino Kelley is both mythic and immediate, exploring how
history, power, and identity shape the fight to endure and remain true. With
prose that burns and breathes, it asks: What does it mean to rise from ash,
not untouched, but unbroken?
About the Author
J. Trevino Kelley is a writer and strategist with a lifelong interest in
systems, power, and human behavior. A husband and father of four, raised by a
single mother as one of seven children, he draws from lived experience,
leadership work, and a deep curiosity about how societies respond to
disruption. His speculative fiction explores survival, identity, and the
consequences of rebuilding the world after collapse. Ashlight Dominion is his
debut novel.
Janet Morris is here to tell us about The Golden Sword, The Silistra Quartet Book 2, dystopian epic SciFi fantasy romance.
There's also a great giveaway.
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Estri battles to regain her identity after being denied her
memories by her captor.
Will love find a way?
The Golden Sword
The Silistra Quartet Book 2
by Janet Morris
Genre: Dystopian Epic SciFi Fantasy Romance
Dystopia. Biology shapes reality. The further adventures of
the most beautiful courtesan in the galaxies of tomorrow.
She had the power to create planets. The sixty carved bones
of the Yris-tera foretold her ancient fate. Her heritage of power took her
beyond time and space and stole from her the one man she loved.
Enslaved on the planet Silistra tomorrow's most beautiful
courtesan unleashes the powers of the gods.
What readers
are saying:
“Pure
excellence…. A heroic quest of the highest calibre.” - Goodreads
“This is a book which makes one’s blood sing and one’s
mind ponder. I loved the first in the series and enjoyed this as much, perhaps
more. The ending leaves the reader desperate to know what happens to Estri next
– courtesan, slave, warrior, lover, rebel. What is next for our heroine?” –
Goodreads
“Call it what you like: science fiction, space opera,
sword and planet or erotic fantasy . . . The Golden Sword is all these things,
and so much more. A highly intelligent and sensual novel filled with ideas and
revelations, this is a gripping story that explores human sexuality and the
role it plays in politics. Although the memorable characters are bisexual, toss
away all your preconceived notions, for there is a humanity, a strength of will
and determination, a realism and depth of emotion to these characters that will
have you thinking twice about all you know and all you think you know. This is
a book for mature and discerning readers who like some meat on the bones of the
books they read. Janet Morris led the way for all the science fiction authors,
both male and female, who came after. “ – Joe Bonadonna, Goodreads
Iwonderedwhatitmeant,tobea“ten,”asthecrellkeep
chose a spot apparently like any other upon one chain and fastenedmetoitbymeansofheavymetalankletsthatwere spaced along its
length.
“I put you next to Aje. You will sleep
through the nights,” he informed me, as if I should be grateful for some
thoughtful service. Seeing me safely bound, the two jiasks turned and left the
chamber.
“Whatisyourname?”thecrellkeep asked.
I almost told him, but caught myself.
It took me a moment to remember the crell name Chayin had given me.
“Miheja,”Isaidfinally.
“Meh-he-ya,” the crellkeep corrected
me gently. “The Eastmost Star’s Daughter. Suits you. So you have the dharener
entranced, do you? A ten, indeed. Crell life is no burden to one so highly
numbered.” He stood up, rubbing his back, “I go to get Aje. You will like him.
They all do,” he said and patted my naked shoulder. Moments later I was aloneinthedesertedever-duskofthecrellpits.Asingletorch burnedatthechamber’sentry,throwinglifeintothefeature-
less rock walls.
Icrawledthelengthofmytether,andbylyingstretched out
could just get my fingers upon the central ring. I tested itsstrength,ashadcountlesscrellsbeforeme.Therewasno weakness in it. I had expected none. I
then examined each link of my chains with my fingers, to see if perhaps
somewheretherewasoneunsolderedamongthem.Therewasno error among the 387
links that bound me firmly to the centralring.Itstwinwassunkwherethecoldstonefloormetthe wall behind me. Perhaps there was a
weakness in that area, butIhadnotenoughtethertoexploreit.Ilaydownuponmy
left side and curled my knees against my chest. I could not think. I merely lay
there.
High Couch of
Silistra
The Silistra Quartet Book 1
Biology shapes reality...
One woman's mythic search for self-realization in a distant tomorrow...
Her sensuality was at the core of her world, her quest beyond the civilized
stars.
Aristocrat. Outcast. Picara. Slave. Ruler.
"Engrossing characters in a marvelous adventure." - Charles N. Brown,
Locus Magazine
"The amazing and erotic adventures of the most beautiful courtesan in
tomorrow's universe" - Frederik Pohl
"The best single example of prostitution used in fantasy is Janet Morris'
Silistra series... Estri's character is most like that of Ishtar who describes
herself as "'a prostitute compassionate am I'" because she
"symbolizes the creative submission to the demands of instinct, to the
chaos of nature ...the free woman, as opposed to the domesticated woman".
Linking Estri with these lunar and water symbols is not difficult because of
the moon's eternal virginity (the strength of integrity) links with her changeability
(the prostitute's switching of lovers). [...]
Morris strengthens the moon imagery by having Estri as a
well-keepress because wells, fountains, and the moon as the orb which controls
water have long been associated with fertility, [...] In a sense, she is like
the moon because she is apparently eternal, never waxing or waning except in
her pursuit of the quest; she is the prototypical wanderer like the moon and
Ishtar. She is the eternal night symbol of the moon in opposition to the
Day-Keepers [...]
At her majority (her
three hundredth birthday), she is given a silver-cubed hologram letter from her
mother, containing a videotape of her conception by the savage bronzed
barbarian god from another world. [...] If Estri's mother then acts as a bawd,
willing her lineage as Well-Keepress to her daughter, then Estri's
great-grandmother Astria as foundress of the Well becomes a further mother-bawd
figure when she offers her prophetic advice in her letter: "Guard Astria
for you may lose it, and more. Beware of one who is not as he seems. Stray not
in the port city of Baniev ...look well about you, for your father's daughter's
brother seeks you". Having no brother that she knows of does not stay
Estri from undertaking the heroic quest of finding her father."
- Anne K. Kaler, The
Picara: From Hera to Fantasy Heroine
I
am Estri Hadrath diet Estrazi, former Well-Keepress of Astria on the planet
Silistra. I have begun three times to tell this story, and three times I have
been interrupted. This, then, the fourth attempt, will surely prove successful.
Perhaps
you have heard of Silistra, the planet that was catalyst to the sexual
revolution in the year twenty-two thousand, seven hundred and four Bipedal
Federate Standard Time, or of the Silistran serums that lengthen life and
restore vitality in virtually any bipedal life form, or perhaps you have at
some time contracted the services of a Silistran telepath, or a precognitive,
or a deep reader. It is possible that you have in your own home the
scintillating, indestructible web-cloth woven by our domestic arachnids, or
have seen holograms of our golachits, those intelligent builder-beetles who
exude from their mouths a translucent, superhard substance called gol and
create from this gol, under the guidance of the chit-guards, the formidable and
resplendent structures in which we live and work.
And
perhaps you have seen no web-cloth, no gol, never been ill, and are not
interested in sex. If so, you may never have heard of Silistra.
I
carry Silistra in my mind’s eye, here under this alien sun. In my mind alone
can I look out the east window of my beloved exercise hall in Well Astria and
see the sun’s rising burst upon the jewel-like towers and keeps of the Inner
Well and a thousand rainbows arc and dance in the greening sky.
Best selling author Janet Morris began writing in 1976 and
published more than 30 novels, many co-authored with her husband Chris Morris
or others. She contributed short fiction to the shared universe fantasy series
Thieves World, in which she created the Sacred Band of Stepsons, a mythical
unit of ancient fighters modeled on the Sacred Band of Thebes. She created,
orchestrated, and edited the Bangsian fantasy series Heroes in Hell, writing
stories for the series as well as co-writing the related novel, The Little
Helliad, with Chris Morris. She wrote the bestselling Silistra Quartet in the
1970s, including High Couch of Silistra, The Golden Sword, Wind from the Abyss,
and The Carnelian Throne. This quartet had more than four million copies in
Bantam print alone, and was translated into German, French, Italian, Russian
and other languages. In the 1980s, Baen Books released a second edition of this
landmark series. The third edition is the Author's Cut edition, newly revised
by the author for Perseid Press. Most of her fiction work has been in the
fantasy and science fiction genres, although she has also written historical
and other novels. Morris has written, contributed to, or edited several
book-length works of non-fiction, as well as papers and articles on nonlethal
weapons, developmental military technology and other defense and national
security topics.
Janet said: 'People often ask what book to read first. I
recommend "I, the Sun" if you like ancient history; "The Sacred
Band," a novel, if you like heroic fantasy; "Lawyers in Hell" if
you like historical fantasy set in hell; "Outpassage" if you like
hard science fiction; "High Couch of Silistra" if you like far-future
dystopian or philosophical novels. I am most enthusiastic about the definitive
Perseid Press Author's Cut editions, which I revised and expanded.'
Kristen Zimmer is here to tell us about Reclamation, Dark Horse series #1, dystopian, NA, scifi.
There's also a great giveaway.
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Reclamation
Kristen Zimmer
(Dark Horse Series, #1)
Publication date: December 9th 2025
Genres: Adult, Dystopian, New Adult, Science Fiction
Kristen Zimmer, author of The Gravity Between Us, When Sparks Fly, and Forbidden Girl takes readers on an adrenaline-fueled dystopian journey into the future where a scrappy band of rebels rise up to bring down an unequal and unrelenting government.
This is your future.
The United States of America has been gone for over a century.
In its place, The Unified American Territories—a nation divided, the impoverished and the wealthy are separated by a looming steel wall. In the Northern Territories—The Vault, as it is known by its inhabitants—the government rules with an iron fist: All citizens are tested for intelligence and aptitude, thrust into compulsory higher education and saddled with insurmountable debt. All student loans are granted and controlled by a branch of the regime called The Federal Bureau of Education. Failure to repay their debt consigns borrowers to the Knowledge Reclamation Process, a mysterious government-sanctioned brainwashing program that strips them of their education with dire mental and physical side effects.
Fletcher Daniels is a recent college graduate struggling to stay ahead of her arrears. After a visit from Reclamation Agents, she knows her life is about to change for the worse. Enter Youth Opposed to Reclamation, a scrappy band of rebels who try in their own small way to bring some relief to the people of The Vault by smuggling as many potential Reclaimees to safety as possible. When Fletcher meets and falls for fellow female YOR member, Sparrow, her world is twisted away from the one she once knew even more radically. The group offers Fletcher a chance to escape her fate, but through them, she sees the promise of bringing real change to The Vault. History has taught her that even the smallest rebellions can trigger revolutions. It’s time for history to repeat itself.
FLETCHER HAD BEEN ENJOYING the luxury of her sole day off work, reading The Scarlet Letter. Happily. Quietly. Until some unknowable thing, a strange tug in her chest, made her look up. She shut down her antiquated digireader with a tap of the cracked screen and watched from her bedroom window as a sleek, silver sedan pulled to a stop at the curb outside of her dilapidated row house. Agents.
She couldn’t see them through the car’s blacked-out windows, but it was obvious. The simple fact that the vehicle had the shine of something new was enough to give the Agents away. Being from The Vault, or The Northern Territories, as Fletcher’s part of the country was known officially, she rarely saw any cars on the road at all; cars in such impeccable condition were all but complete anomalies. Why do they even bother plastering the Department of Reclamation’s seal on the doors? She wondered.
That hideous seal. Words failed to capture how much Fletcher both loathed and feared it. The great red and black per bend crest, showcasing a scroll of parchment in one half and a tasseled mortarboard in the other, had always been reviled by citizens of The Vault. It meant that someone hadn’t paid their dues, and The Department of Reclamation had come to collect.
The Department of Reclamation employed the Agents who did the strong-arming for The Federal Bureau of Education. While the BOE housed the bookkeepers, The Department of Reclamation’s Agents handled the unseemlier work… and their work was generally quite unseemly. The Governing Council of The Unified American Territories had long ago authorized Reclamation Agents to use brute force “in the event of necessity.” More often than not, visits from Agents did end in violence—if not on their first visit, when a potential Reclaimee received their Notification of Violation, then most definitely on their second visit, when the Agents returned to take the Reclaimee into custody. Reclaimees seldom initiated said violence, of course; Fletcher had heard that most cried or begged for just a few more moments with their loved ones. They would be flogged once or twice and give up or otherwise be knocked out with narcotics. Occasionally, a Reclaimee would try to escape. Those individuals had it much worse. Fletcher closed her eyes and, although it pained her to do it, allowed herself to envision the brutality Agents inflicted upon braver people: Arms twisted so violently that shoulders snapped out their sockets, fingers bent backward with such force that the metacarpals fractured, skulls cracked against living room floors. She shuddered as if her skin had been kissed by an icy wind.
Reclamation Agents were no strangers to The Vault, considering it was the part of the country reserved for the impoverished, the destitute and the disillusioned—those who needed “excessive assistance” from the Government. Those like Fletcher. She would need at least ten more fingers to be able to count the number of times she had seen Agents in her neighborhood in the last week alone. Watching these two men march toward her home, she couldn’t help but wonder if they had come for her this time.
“Fletcher,” her father’s voice boomed through the dimness of her room. “Can you come out here, please?”
“I’ll be right there.”
She peered into the tarnished mirror atop her bedside table. Using the remnants of daylight to aid her vision, she pulled her long blonde hair up into a ponytail. “Alright,” she sighed to herself, her sharp jawline clenching and her hazel eyes burning with angst. “If they are here for you, you’ll find out soon enough.”
Author Bio:
Kristen Zimmer is the author of The Gravity Between Us, which spent 12 weeks as the number one best-seller in both the Lesbian Fiction and Lesbian Romance genres on Amazon. It was listed as one of USA Today’s “10 Best books to read for Pride 2018” and in December 2021 was named one of Reader's Digest '50 Best Romance Novels of All Time'
That same year, her follow-up novel, When Sparks Fly, debuted as the best-seller in Lesbian Fiction and Lesbian romance, and clung to the spot for four weeks.
Her latest novel, Forbidden Girl, a dark mafia sapphic romance, is available now.
Kristen lives in Salem, Massachusetts— yes, where the witches were.
Sara Wright is here to tell us about Rising Ember, The Ember Crown book 1, YA dystopian fantasy.
There's also a great giveaway.
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A kingdom divided will burn
Rising Ember
The Ember Crown Book 1
by Sara Wright
Genre: YA Dystopian Fantasy
Dangerous games. Kill or be killed. Can she
survive a king's ruthless arena?
Clarissa craves an escape. An orphan forced
into criminal acts with other kids by their caretaker, she longs to break free
and become a healer. But when an archenemy provokes a deadly confrontation, the
seventeen-year-old awakens hidden powers in an explosive and fiery defense.
Seized by soldiers and taken to the capital
along with her only friend, Clarissa trains alongside other slaves to fight in
the royal army. But surrounded by mysterious strangers and running low on
trust, the desperate captive fears graduation day will be her last.
Is Clarissa destined to die in chains?
Rising Ember
is the thrilling first book in the Forbidden Chronicles YA dystopian fantasy
series. If you like strong-willed heroines, nail-biting drama, and clean
slow-burn romance, then you’ll love Sara Wright’s action-packed adventure.
Buy Rising Ember to ignite destiny
today!
**Get signed
& special editions with maps, bookmarks & sprayed edges at Sara’s Store!**
Sara Wright is
the author of The Progenitor Chronicles and Forbidden Chronicles,
a YA dystopian fantasy series packed with rebellion, elemental powers, and
clean slow-burn romance.
She currently
lives on Earth, her favorite vacation planet, with her husband and their very
opinionated fur baby. But most days, she’s off exploring shattered kingdoms,
star-spanning civilizations, and the occasional multiverse with her lifelong
companions: Imagination and Creativity.
Raised on bedtime
stories and fueled by a steady diet of fantasy, sci-fi, and a sweet topping of
romance, Sara now writes tales for readers who crave action, heart, and hope.
When she’s not writing, you’ll find her cycling, hiking, or singing dramatically
to songs she swears are soundtracks to her books.
A.E. Faulkner is here to tell us about Upheaval, The Divided States series book 1, YA Dystopian Fantasy.
There's also a great giveaway.
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Some secrets were never meant to be uncovered
Upheaval
The Divided States Series Book 1
by A.E. Faulkner
Genre: YA Dystopian Fantasy
The Divided States of America, 2121
A hundred years after the Great Infection Spread swept across countries and
continents, barriers rose and borders closed. Nations isolated themselves in
protective siloes as survivors faced starvation, disease and the daunting task
of rebuilding. The United States was carved into three Territories, each ruled
independently.
Today, the three Societal Order leaders ration everything – clothing, food,
energy – because demand drowns supply. To conserve resources, citizens are
declared either day dwellers or night dwellers, essentially limiting their
existence to 12 hours each day.
Where you’re born is where you
stay. Until now.
Everly Scott is preparing to graduate from her final year of schooling when
she’s chosen to serve on an inter-Territory delegation. As one of twelve
delegates, she will help assess and recommend updates to the Alliance
Agreement, which outlines trade and peace relations between the Territories.
Everly embarks on the journey of a lifetime – crossing the Xone walls to learn
about people and places that have always been well out of reach. It’s the
greatest opportunity she’s ever had. And also the most dangerous one.
Secrets lurk within each Territory and
Everly’s about to find out what happens to those who uncover them.
A. E. Faulkner was born and raised in Pennsylvania. When
she’s not lost in a book, she loves spending time with her husband and two
sons, especially while hiking, biking, or exploring nature. She loves almost
everything about nature—ticks excluded, and one of her biggest fears is the
repercussions we will face when nature can no longer tolerate human
destruction. As such, she never tires of reading dystopian-themed tales.
Stories about the end of the world absolutely fascinate her.
John Calia is here to tell us about Protopia, his dystopian thriller.
There's also a great giveaway.
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A dystopian thriller set in the
very near future.
Which side are YOU on?
Protopia
by John Calia
Genre: Dystopian Thriller
In a world ravaged by ideological war, can two lifelong friends, torn apart, find
their way back to each other, or will conflicting visions of a perfect society
destroy their relationship or, worse yet, prove fatal?
Olivia and Alexandra, inseparable since
childhood, stumble into the brutal conflict between Cygnus, a bastion of
ultra-libertarian ideals, and Elyria, a socialist commune that promises
equality and justice. As tensions escalate, the women are forced to make a
choice: which community to join.
Olivia, haunted by anxiety and self-doubt, is
drawn to the promise of security and equality in Elyria. Alexandra, ever the
adventurer, chooses the independence and freedom of Cygnus. As they settle into
their respective communities, Olivia and Alexandra encounter rigid ideologies
and corruption at the highest levels of government. They challenge the leaders
of their respective communities and realize their lives are under threat.
Olivia must confront her own demons and the
limitations they've imposed on her life. Growing in confidence and
self-awareness, she starts to envision a different future—one that balances
individual freedom with collective well-being. As the conflict between Cygnus
and Elyria reaches a boiling point, Olivia and Alexandra must navigate the
treacherous landscape of their own divided loyalties. Can they turn the
obstacles into opportunities, or will the divide between them prove
insurmountable—even deadly?
Protopia
is a heart-pumping, thought-provoking tale of politics, adventure, and loyalty
set in a dystopian world that eerily echoes our own.
Fans of Emily St. John Mandel and Matt Haig
will love this new adventure from the author of Parallel Lies and the
best-seller The Awakening of Artemis.
John Calia is a multifaceted
author, born in Brooklyn and formerly a naval officer, banker, entrepreneur,
and consultant. His debut business fable, The Reluctant CEO: Succeeding Without
Losing Your Soul, earned a five-star rating and sparked a passion for writing.
Calia's fascination with artificial intelligence and its societal implications
led him to craft The Awakening of Artemis, a near-future speculative fiction
novel that soared to #6 on the Amazon Science Fiction Adventure bestseller
list. His latest release, Parallel Lies (2023), is the highly anticipated
sequel to his bestseller.
