Dark Metal

I mentioned this a couple weeks back – now it’s out in the world and waiting to be read! Dark Metal, book 9 in the Dark Universe setting by yours truly. Dark Metal picks up a little while after Under the Dark ends. Mirabel and Challee are both part of Aden’s crew on board Aden and Sierra’s ship, the Sentinel, but that makes for a very full ship.

At the same time Captain Amber Hanes is struggling with her ship, the Uma. She’s a bit beyond struggling, to be honest, but Aden has a plan. Dark Metal is all about turning that plan into reality. The thing about plans is once the first punch is thrown (or shot fired), it all goes down the drain. There’s a lot of flushing in Dark Metal!

My goal in Dark Metal was to focus on more edge-of-your seat flow. I was going for a lot of suspense and thriller type activity. Even to the point where the chapters were arranged in mini-story arcs kind of like what might be seen in a television series. The overall plot and threat are always there though, hovering and waiting for the opportune time.

And that’s really about all I can say without giving away spoilers! So, rather than me do that, go and read it yourself! It’s a ton of fun, I promise! It should be available everywhere even on my new platform, Patreon. Check out the links below to find Dark Metal.

Amazon
Amazon UK
Everywhere Else

Now Patreon… I vomited words all over the screen about it recently so I’ll spare you that. I will say I really like it. I’ll also say it’s been almost a complete flop so far. I’m baffled – but I’m also patient and understanding. And I’m trying to build up a better reason. Case in point, in the last 10 days I wrote another book (which I discussed in my prior post). Early mornings and late night – 80,000 words and I released it chapter by chapter (one a day, pretty much), on Patreon for my readers. I’m on book 2 now – and already 3 chapters in to that one. I’ll share more about it as I go on, but I have to say I had a lot of fun with this character and book and so far I’m getting some great ratings and reviews on it!

But hey, this is about Dark Metal. Try it out, if you don’t love it I promise I’ll write another one and keep on writing until you do!

To learn more about Jason Halstead, join his Patreon page, visit his website to read about him, or sign up for his newsletter.

Happy Birthday For All!

What better way to celebrate my upcoming birthday than to release a new book? Vitalis: Miss Fortune, is out now!

That’s what I’ve been hard at work on for the past several weeks. A brand new sci fi novel that focuses on the life and story of a few people amidst the chaotic Vitalis universe. Unlike some of my previous Vitalis entries, this book doesn’t involve the movers and shakers, nor does it explore the possibilities of the planet Vitalis and the varied – and dangerous – creatures on it.

What Miss Fortune does do is show how the unfolding events are affecting the little people. The everyday people like you and I. The people that enjoy having a drink or two after work. The ones that have responsibilities to families and friends. The ones with loved ones who are sick or missing. The people who are so focused on their careers they forget to live a little, until they realize that maybe they missed the mark and living is more important.

I put all of those things into this book and I see them clearly, but I’m biased. It’s entirely possible that the average person might read this and just enjoy the action / adventure / thriller aspect of it. After all, there are cyborgs, genetically enhanced people, guns, martial arts, and even a couple of revealing dance scenes in a night club on the lower level of a space station.

There’s intrigue too, and enough background to move the entire Vitalis storyline along. After all, there’s a countdown to how much time humanity has left before the biggest threat they’ve ever faced arrives — and they aren’t coming to play nice. You can find it at the link below, including in print!

 

Amazon

Amazon UK

Print Version

Everyone Else

 

What’s next? Well, I’m hard at work on a fantasy novel called Goblin Queen. It takes placed in the world of Kroth (Blades of Leander, Order of the Dragon), and is going to officially be the third book in my Serpent’s War series. I hate to admit it, but I’m having more fun writing this book than I did the first two in this new series – it’s got a really fun new character AND I’m bringing back in more of the original characters from the earlier series (Garrick, Carson, Celos, and Aleena, to name just a few). Goblin Queen is also going to lead into another crossover between Voidhawk and the world of Kroth – but that will come later.

 

To learn more about Jason Halstead visit his website to read about him, sign up for his newsletter, or check out some free samples of his books at http://www.booksbyjason.com.

 

There’s Only So Many Rocks To Hide Behind When the Entire Galaxy Is Hunting You.

I haven’t blogged in a while. Not for lack of things to say, mostly for lack of time to do it. I’ve been focusing on writing and, in spite of a hiccup with some scheduling, I’ve gotten a lot done! That meant a missed month of publication, but on the plus side, I should have a couple of books coming out pretty quick here. Case in point, I’m here to announce a new book.

Dark Star has been released! This is book 4 in the Dark Universe series. If you remember the end of Chasing the Dark than you were anxiously wondering what happened to the scattered and injured characters. Dark Star answers that question and many more. Aden learns things about his past that leave him troubled, to say the least. Seph spends a lot of time arguing with herself and discovers there’s a lot more to life than what she allows herself – and then has to come to terms with the fact that maybe she waited too late for her personal revelation.

Niko and Neesha are there, as well as some other old friends. The fate of the Ampytheans is discovered and the far-reaching tyranny of the Kesari explored. Errant asteroids, Bounty hunters, determined Criknid soldiers, some new alien critters, and the ever-persistent mechanical problems in deep space abound in this action packed thrill ride. Through it all Twyf does her best to keep Aden distracted and restore his flagging spirits. I tried to pack as much excitement into a book as I could – but the end had to come sometime. And that’s why I’m working on book 5 in the series now.

Into the Dark (book 1)	Out of the Dark (book 2)	Chasing the Dark (book 3)
Amazon Amazon UK Barnes and Noble iTunes Kobo Scribd Page Foundry / Inktera Oyster	Amazon Amazon UK Barnes and Noble iTunes Kobo Scribd Page Foundry / Inktera Oyster	Amazon Amazon UK Barnes and Noble iTunes Kobo Scribd Page Foundry / Inktera Oyster
	Dark Star (book 4)
	Amazon Amazon UK Barnes and Noble iTunes Kobo Scribd Page Foundry / Inktera Oyster

Still waiting on Page Foundry / Inktera to publish Dark Star, but it should be soon. It’s available everywhere else – and it was out there yesterday but I was recovering from an all-nighter restoring the production server at my day job. Sorry for the late notice!

Coming very soon, early next month, will be Vitalis: Commandos. That marks my 8th Vitalis book! Don’t worry, the book is finished I’m just waiting on editing and cover art. Dark Universe #5 is my current project and I’m hoping I can have that out mid – late December, just in time to treat yourself to a Christmas present when you want to get away from all the crazy that goes on at the end of the year.

To learn more about Jason Halstead visit his website to read about him, sign up for his newsletter, or check out some free samples of his books at http://www.booksbyjason.com.

The Future is a Dark Place… and I Can’t Wait!

I’ve written science fiction for years now. Post-apocalyptic, near future, mid future, and futuristic. I’ve had aliens devastate the earth and I’ve had humans expand and conquer our solar system and others. It’s been a blast and I love it.

I’ve done the same thing with fantasy settings, minus the aliens. Creatures and monsters aplenty to make up for the missing aliens though. New worlds and magic and sweeping storylines that take characters from the brink of childhood to epic destinies. I love that too.

I’ve bridged the two, blending science fiction and fantasy into urban fantasy and paranormal storylines that take place now and in the near future. Putting two of my favorite genres together can only have one outcome – more love!

So with that out of the way, I’m announcing the next big thing. Dark Universe, my new futuristic science fiction and fantasy series. Into the Dark opens the series in a spectacular way and sets the stage for the unlimited and amazing things that have yet to come.

But why should you care enough to spend a couple of bucks on it? Well, it’s a story for everyone, from diehard sci-fi lovers to people who just enjoy great characters and a great story, no matter what the environment. The book doesn’t go overboard on technology, but it also keeps things realistic. There’s romance, action, adventure, and aliens. All kinds of aliens. Furry ones, chitinous ones. Blue skinned ones. Green skinned ones. Orange skinned ones. Aliens with tentacles. Aliens that walk on four legs instead of two. And good old fashioned Terrans. The humans are the newcomers to the space race, actually, and are trying real hard to play catch up.

The book really has something for everyone, from space fights and fancy things to go boom in the night to complicated relationships and the dynamic stress that brings. There’s humor, there’s emotion, and there’s even a little bit of bow-chikka-wow-wow.

Why did I write it? Why wasn’t Vitalis or Voidhawk good enough? Well they are, but this is different. This is a combination of Vitalis, Voidhawk, and a little bit of extra fun that was inspired, I admit, by watching Guardians of the Galaxy. Inspired by, but by no means a copy of.

Into the Dark takes science fiction to a new place and exposes it to Arthur C. Clark’s law that any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. That, my friends, is where the fantasy ties in. Give it a shot, I dare you to be disappointed!

 

Available now!

Amazon
Amazon UK
Barnes and Noble (coming soon!)
iTunes (coming soon!)
Kobo (coming soon!)
Scribd (coming soon!)
Page Foundry / Inktera (coming soon!)

 

To learn more about Jason Halstead visit his website to read about him, sign up for his newsletter, or check out some free samples of his books at http://www.booksbyjason.com.

Some Races Just Can’t Get Along

It’s a bold statement that flies in the face of the equality, legislation, and simple human decency we’ve been trying to establish. Unfortunately, in some situations, it just can’t be denied. No matter what happens, Tassarians are going to shoot first when they see a Criknid. And who’s to say they’re wrong, the insectoid Criknids have a history of raiding and capturing the soft skinned Tassarians. They are considered a delicacy on the worlds colonized by the Criknid hives.

Oh, wait— you want to know what the hell I’m talking about? Sorry. I forgot to mention, this is a quick intro into some of the alien races to be found in my new, and as yet unnamed, project. It’s futuristic science fiction with a whole lot of adventure, excitement, and fun! So without wasting any more time, here’s some of the known races in the universe and a note or two about them.

Humans / Terrans: Relative newcomers to the space race, thanks to first contact from aliens that didn’t try to overrun our world and instead shared some of their technology with us.

Kesari: Little is known about those strange looking aliens. They are secretive and somewhat disturbing to look at. They resemble an octopus, only with more tentacles. No suckers though, and they body / head is bulbous and green or grey. They are merchants that will sell anything, but are best known for being the only race able to produce the black box-like devices that allow faster than light travel between systems.

Tassarians: A race that favors humid and moist climates. They resemble amphibians from Earth in their genetic makeup, but they are humanoid given to varying levels of vanity. They can be asexual as well, of gender neutral in that they can change genders once or twice in their lives as needed. Their skin ranges in nearly all colors, including shades of blue, red, green, yellow, and brown. They are hairless and have webbed fingers and toes, making them excellent swimmers that are capable of holding their breath many times longer than a human could. Their perceived softness, natural beauty, and preference for negotiations over warfare makes some other races see them as weak. And, in the case of the Criknids, tasty.

Criknids: The Tassarian’s greatest threat. These six limbed chitin covered people have a hive structure of society, but they are highly evolved and are not the termites found on Earth. Far from it, even the lowest ranks of Criknid has a mind of their own and the free will to do as they wish. Their upbringing and instincts, however, lead them to be very martial and matter of fact in nature. Their sense of humor is underdeveloped, by human standards. Having two legs and four arms, as well as a natural exoskeleton and the ability to seal off a severed limb, make them very formidable opponents.

This is just a taste, I have many more sketched out that I’ll be sharing. The Tassarians, for example, have more to fear than just the Criknids. Even if the majority of the known universe is living in a relative sort of piece at the moment, tensions are high from one system to the next and almost everyone has something to gain from another race’s loss.

And that’s only the beginning of the setting. The story I’m working on will blend bits of it all together and span both races, worlds, and the universe as we know it. To over-simplify things, it’s gonna be cool!

 

To learn more about Jason Halstead visit his website to read about him, sign up for his newsletter, or check out some free samples of his books at http://www.booksbyjason.com.