RESTLESS I

Space is vast and untamed, and it holds many secrets. Now two individuals from opposite ends of settled space are on a collision course with the darkest of those secrets, even as the world threatens to explode around them.

…or they will be, in about 8 years. Restless is a short story prequel to Starshine, Book One of the Aurora Rising trilogy.

Before Alex Solovy was a successful interstellar scout, she was building starships and planning for the day when she would fly one she called her own. Before Caleb Marano was wiping out the terrorist group who murdered his mentor, he was…wiping out terrorist groups who murdered shopkeepers and threatened his friends.

Catch a glimpse of Aurora Rising’s heroes while they were still becoming the individuals they will need to be in order to face the galactic threat which, for now, waits silently in the void.

BEST READ: alongside the Aurora Rising novels.

SOLATIUM

Morality could not be spawned by tweaking a few genes or shutting off a few neurons. Though humanity conquered the very stars, it remained unable to conquer the darkness within.

In the dark, seedy underbelly of Pandora—a lawless colony on the best of days—a young woman who’s lost everything but her soul fights to reclaim her life from a violent, sadistic criminal despot. But when she’s given a chance for freedom, she realizes escape is not enough. First, a just punishment must be exacted for crimes committed.

Set twelve years before STARSHINE: Aurora Rising Book One (Aurora Rhapsody #1), Solatium is Mia Requelme’s origin story—and the story of how she and Caleb Marano met. It’s a story about criminals and those who punish them, but mostly it’s a story about the struggle to keep hold of one’s soul in the face of so much darkness.

BEST READ: alongside the Aurora Rising novels.

VENATORIS

Humanity may have colonized much of the galaxy, but space remains as dangerous as ever, and so do the people inhabiting it.

When Alexis Solovy—space explorer, freelance scout, recalcitrant wanderer—lands the contract of a lifetime, the race is on to claim the prize. Now she must not only outrun but outsmart her rivals to uncover the secrets of an ancient, mysterious pulsar. For deep in the void, far beyond the reach of civilization, wealth and renown matter little absent the ultimate reward: survival.

Set five years before STARSHINE: Aurora Rising Book One (Aurora Rhapsody #1), Venatoris takes a younger, wilder, rough-around-the-edges Alexis Solovy and Kennedy Rossi on an unforgettable adventure across the stars.

BEST READ: alongside the Aurora Rising novels.

APOGEE

Its leaders believe the Alliance is powerful enough to be both—a democracy on election days and a dictatorship on every other day—but they’re wrong. No government should be so powerful. It’s time someone demonstrates the error in their thinking.

The Earth Alliance rules 82 worlds, controlling an empire that spans a third of the Milky Way. But when its leaders stray too far from the democratic principles on which it was founded, one colony—one group of daring rebels—will risk everything in order to reclaim their freedom.

Set 25 years before Starshine, APOGEE tells a story of the fateful decisions & critical opening moves of the 1st Crux War between the Earth Alliance & Senecan Federation, the repercussions of which will ripple forward across decades & shape the world of Aurora Rhapsody forever.

BEST READ: after Sidespace / before Dissonance.

RESTLESS VOL II

The path to an astonishing future for humanity leads through a wild planet offering tantalizing adventure, but also unchecked dangers, when a weekend escapade becomes a test of strength and will for two war heroes.

Restless II contains spoilers for the events of the Aurora Rising trilogy (Starshine, Vertigo, Transcendence)

 Restless II acts as a meaningful bridge between the end of Aurora Rising and the beginning of the Aurora Renegades trilogy, so once you’ve read Transcendence, dive in and enjoy!

RE/GENESIS

In a future too distant to measure, a hyper-evolved breed of humans calling themselves Anadens rule multiple galaxies and alien species with an iron fist. But a small group of dissidents are willing to pursue any and all measures, no matter how extreme, to return freedom to the universe.

Now one rebel Anaden will make the ultimate sacrifice in order to break the reigning Directorate’s stranglehold on civilization—however many times it takes.

Set just prior to the events of Relativity, RE/GENESIS pulls back the veil on the universe of Amaranthe, where the fate of all living beings—human, alien and synthetic—will soon be decided.

BEST READ: after Abysm / before Relativity.

MERIDIAN

When terrorists carpet-bomb an Earth Alliance colony, killing thousands,
the military will stop at nothing to bring the perpetrators to justice.

Strangers thrown together by circumstance amidst a difficult mission, nobody expects Lieutenants David Solovy and Richard Navick to be heroes. In fact, their commanding officers would prefer they stay out of the way and out of trouble. But when the mission to bring the One World Separatists terrorist group to justice goes sideways, they must take matters into their own hands if they want to save the day, get the bad guys and live to tell the tale.

Set nearly half a century before STARSHINE: Aurora Rising Book One (Aurora Rhapsody #1), Meridian is the unlikely story of how one of the greatest friendships of Aurora Rhapsody came to be.

BEST READ: after Rubicon.

SHORT STORIES OF AURORA RHAPSODY

The world of Aurora Rhapsody spans five decades, megaparsecs of space and hundreds of exoplanets. Yet a million words across nine novels were not enough. There were more stories that needed to be told.

These are those stories.

Includes Restless I, Restless II, Apogee, Venatoris, Re/Genesis and Meridian.
(The paperback and audiobook also include Solatium; the Solatium ebook is available exclusively to newsletter subscribers.)

FRACTALS

A mysterious signal coming from deep space attracts the attention of humanity's scientists and the soldiers who protect them--the kind of attention the originators of the signal will do anything to avoid. When the two converge, first contact doesn't go the way either side planned.

FRACTALS is a short story set in the Aurora Rhapsody universe, but outside the primary timeline of the series. See Alex and Caleb in action again, but not exactly as you remember them - yet in some ways, exactly as you remember them.

BEST READ: any time after Abysm.

CHRYSALIS

In the cutting-edge laboratories of Asterion Prime, a new manner of life emerges: sentient artificial intelligence. But when the government responds by trying to shut down the AIs before they have a chance to flourish, one woman realizes she must do whatever it takes to protect this still fragile new life, no matter the consequences.

Set 700K years before the events of Riven Worlds, Chrysalis tells the story of how the SAI Rebellion began, with Nika at its center.

BEST READ: any time after Continuum.

STARLIGHT EXPRESS

** SPOILER WARNING **
If you’re still making your way through the Aurora Rhapsody novels, Starlight Express contains major spoilers for the end of Requiem. In fact, even the summary below contains spoilers.

*

The Starlight Express has a reputation as the wildest, most exotic alien bar in two dozen galaxies. So when Noah and Caleb want to kick back for a few hours the night before Noah’s nuptials, it’s the obvious choice. And the wrong one.

See, aliens tend to be the quirky sort, and humans haven’t quite gotten the hang of them yet, which is why no one should be surprised when a friendly disagreement over one too many drinks goes sideways. Now, a jailbreak, a police chase across seven galaxies and an exploding ship have to get them out of this mess, or else Noah’s last night of freedom will end up being his last night, period.

BEST READ: as stated above, don’t read until you’ve finished Requiem.

EXTINGUISHING THE STARS

The fleet rushed to meet the invaders at the edge of the solar system upon their arrival. Every countermeasure was deployed to stall the enemy’s advance—their forces held nothing back.

No soldier who fought on the battlefield today would ever return home.

With an unstoppable foe advancing on the Elakri homeworld, its leaders face an impossible choice: stand, fight and die, or risk everything on one daring, impossible chance to survive the enemy’s onslaught. But when terrorists kidnap the scientist at the heart of their plan, a retired spy must confront the demons of his past in order to give his people that chance.

For readers of the AMARANTHE series, Extinguishing the Stars is a prequel to “The Universe Within,” taking place some 9,000 years before the novel.

BEST READ: before The Universe Within.