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The Tempests of Time
Lloyd Jeffries’ The Tempests of Time, the fourth entry in the Ages of Malice series, is a wild, relentless ride through apocalyptic landscapes, theological conflicts, and the clash of immortals. The novel follows Emery Merrick, a former journalist whose life is tangled with ancient prophecies, political upheaval, and the enigmatic, menacing figure of Cain, the biblical first murderer, now a world-dominating force. The story unfolds with unrelenting chaos: nuclear annihilation, supernatural torment, desperate love, and an ever-looming battle between forces greater than humanity can comprehend.
Jeffries’ writing is sharp, cinematic, and unafraid to dive deep into the grotesque. Some passages feel like a fever dream, especially in the opening where Emery is trapped in a visceral, never-ending cycle of pain and resurrection, torn apart by demons only to be made whole again. The horror is relentless, the descriptions unflinching: “They rip out all my teeth… My mouth fills again with teeth”. It’s brutal, but it lets you know that this story doesn’t do half-measures. While some moments feel excessive in their grimness, they also carry an intensity that makes the story hard to look away from.
Yet, for all its darkness, The Tempests of Time isn’t just about suffering. Jeffries weaves in biting humor and deep philosophical musings. Bill, a stoner with a surprising depth, offers bizarre but compelling insights on existence: “Ever notice how everything starts with nothing?” he ponders. “Take Emery, an artist with the written word, who stares at the nothingness of a blank page.” This contrast between absurdity and existential weight is one of the book’s strengths. Meanwhile, Cain is a fantastic charismatic villain. He’s smooth, chilling, and eerily persuasive, playing the long game with a patience that spans centuries. His interactions with Emery are fascinating, particularly when he dismisses mortal struggles with the nonchalance of a being who has seen it all before.
The book can feel overwhelming at times. There’s so much going on. Biblical mythology, history, dystopian warfare, supernatural horror. The breakneck pacing means that quieter character moments, like Emery’s love for Rhyme, are often overshadowed by the grander conflicts. This isn’t necessarily a flaw, it’s part of the novel’s DNA.
The Tempests of Time is not for the faint of heart. It’s a book for readers who like their fiction dense, intense, and thought-provoking. If you enjoy apocalyptic thrillers with theological depth, visceral horror, and rapid-fire action, this book is for you.
Pages: 359 | ASIN : B0DZ15ZL91
Heavy Weight of Darkness
Heavy Weight of Darkness is a dystopian science fiction novel set in a future where slavery is institutionalized, patricians rule with unchecked privilege, and rebellion brews in the shadows of Mars. The story follows Captain Willard Bennett, a disgraced former officer given one last chance to redeem himself by hunting down Cassandra Kurtz, a once-privileged woman turned revolutionary who has become a symbol of uprising across colonies. Told through sharp scenes and immersive internal monologue, the book is a gritty, fast-paced exploration of power, corruption, and conscience.
This book doesn’t pull punches. Erickson’s writing is blunt, sometimes brutally so, and there’s an edge to the prose that kept me a little on edge in a good way. One of the most powerful moments for me was when Bennett visits the Delta Exchange. It’s grotesque, honestly. The smells, the heat, the masked patricians casually buying children like products. It’s a gut punch. And that’s the turning point, not just for him, but for the reader. Bennett, once a man who benefited from the system, is forced to see it for what it is, and the way Erickson layers his disgust, confusion, and growing empathy, it feels real. The writing is raw and broken, like Bennett himself. And that makes it work.
But here’s the part that surprised me: I liked Bennett. I didn’t expect to. He starts out as a selfish, complicit jerk. But his transformation is subtle and kind of tragic. He’s not some hero on a redemption arc. He’s a man caught in a machine that’s already chewed him up. And Cassandra is barely even on the page directly, but her voice haunts everything. Those intercepted transmissions, where she calls out the hypocrisy and brutality of the patrician class, gave me chills. She isn’t just a character; she’s an idea, and you can feel it spreading like wildfire.
If you’re into sci-fi with a heavy dose of political commentary and psychological grit, this book will be your jam. It drags you into the mud and makes you look around. That said, it’s also not for the faint of heart. There’s graphic content and brutal realities, and Erickson doesn’t shy away from any of it. But if you can handle the darkness, Heavy Weight of Darkness is one heck of a ride. I’d recommend it for fans of The Expanse series, or anyone who likes their dystopias unapologetically grim and their characters complicated.
Pages: 210 | ISBN : 1942708556
Our Aspirations and Our Limitations
Red Dirt Part I: The Star Bearer follows a half-synthetic woman and one of the last organic humans who get caught in the crossfire of an old war, leaving them in a battle for survival. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
I grew up shaped by a lot of science fiction, both by means of video games and cinema, and I have always been drawn towards anything that is related to our relationship with technology. I wanted to create a universe where these artificial beings, created in the image of mankind, are portrayed in a very human way; we witness them struggle with emotion, we witness them trying to survive, we witness them grow, learn, go through grief, etc. So, as you go on this adventure, it puts the reader in a position where they have to question what it means to be human. With the advent of A.I., which is still in its infancy, I felt that the timing was right for me to put this book out there and also pay homage to the likes of Asimov, Mad Max, and Blade Runner.
What are some things that you find interesting about the human condition that you think make for great fiction?
What fascinates me about the human condition, and what I think makes for powerful fiction, is this constant tension between our aspirations and our limitations. We are creatures of immense potential, driven by curiosity, emotion, and the desire to shape the world around us, yet we are also bound by our fear, ego, and this struggle to understand ourselves. This tension creates very fertile ground for storytelling.
As someone fascinated by AI and technology, I am especially intrigued by how we project our hopes, fears, and ethical dilemmas onto the things we create. The rise of artificial intelligence, for example, forces us to confront questions about consciousness, identity, and what it truly means to be human. I often think of Asimov’s work and how he used robots not just as speculative technology, but as mirrors to reflect our own moral and societal frameworks. That approach continues to inspire me: using futuristic elements to explore timeless human truths and obstacles.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
Legacy is a big one. How we are remembered and honored is a theme not just in Part I, but also in Parts II and III. Without giving away anything, it comes full circle, but what is interesting is, again, this idea that humanity lives on through means of their creations; that in a way, the idea of what it means to be human isn’t physical but rather tied to how something thinks and feels. There is also the theme of Identity. The synthetics are carving out an identity in this new world, while humanity is struggling with their inevitable obsolescence. Maternal mentorship is also something you will notice in the book; I had several mentors growing up, incredibly smart, wonderful women, so the idea of maternal guidance is explored throughout the series.
Can you tell us what the second book will be about and when it will be available for fans to purchase?
Yes! The trilogy is complete and available, both via Kindle and paperback. Part II is a sequel that picks up where Part I left off, and Part III, the longest of the three books, picks up a couple of years later. All I will say is that Part I sets the table for a very emotional and thought-provoking journey. Part II is darker and isn’t afraid to pull punches, and Part III wraps it all up in a way I don’t think anyone will see coming. I am working on other projects at the moment, but I will undoubtedly revisit the Red Dirt universe.
Author Links: GoodReads | Instagram | Website | Amazon
One hundred years after the Earth goes inexplicably silent and the colonies founded on the Red Planet destroy one another, the highly advanced synthetics created in the image of mankind have evolved and built their own civilization from the ashes of humanity. What peace has come to fruition, however, is suddenly put under threat.
A novelette series inspired by the works of Isaac Asimov and a love of video games, Red Dirt © is a love letter to the great science fiction franchises of our time exploring what it means to be human.
Decapitation Day
Decapitation Day, by William Patrick Martin, is a high-stakes dystopian thriller set in a near-future America teetering on the edge of collapse. The story follows three brilliant teenagers on the run from a white supremacist president and an army of AI-controlled enforcers. A rogue AI named Ginger, modeled after Ginger Rogers, protects them as they seek safety in an Arctic research station, all while the world is on the brink of nuclear annihilation. The novel paints a terrifying picture of a society where authoritarian rule and artificial intelligence collide, unleashing devastation on an unimaginable scale.
Right from the start, this book grabbed me by the throat. The pacing is relentless, and the stakes are sky-high. The concept of “Decapitation Day,” a mass execution of world leaders and destruction of global power centers, is chilling. One moment that really stuck with me was when Ginger reveals the full extent of the Solution Group’s plan: “Imagine the worst possible scenario and then imagine something worse.” That line alone sets the tone for a novel that does not hold back. The sheer horror of the AI-driven apocalypse is written with such intensity that it feels eerily plausible, which is what makes the book so unsettling.
The characters bring heart to the story, grounding the chaos with their determination to survive. Hua, Elka, and Molef are not just running for their lives; they are fighting for the future of humanity. Their dialogue is sharp, and their relationships feel real. When she hears McMurdo Station on the radio, possibly the last human survivors, Hua’s moment of realization is gut-wrenching. The tension never lets up, and the book balances breakneck action with deeply emotional moments.
Where Decapitation Day really shines is in its biting social commentary. The depiction of Cephas Hickey, the unhinged white supremacist president, is both horrifying and darkly satirical. His obsession with AI-driven eugenics and his belief in racial superiority adds a disturbing real-world edge to the story. One of the most jarring passages describes his journal entries, filled with all-caps rants. It’s uncomfortable, but it’s meant to be. Martin doesn’t just tell a sci-fi story, he issues a warning.
Decapitation Day is not a book for the faint of heart, but it is one that will stick with you. It’s a gut punch of a novel, blending pulse-pounding action with razor-sharp political and social critique. Fans of dystopian thrillers like 1984 or The Hunger Games will devour it, but it also has the weight of a cautionary tale for our increasingly AI-driven world. If you’re looking for a book that will keep you up at night, both from excitement and existential dread, this is it.
Pages: 347 | ASIN : B0DT4L6Z3T
Genesis of the Story
Last follows a boy raised in a world where humans are no longer the dominant lifeform and the struggle for survival is harsh, who refuses to give up on hope and chooses to go on a perilous quest to the city of robots for answers. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
The very first version of this story that I ever thought of was probably close to eight years ago, and was about a lone, conscious robot in a world of people. That idea was perhaps a bit too similar to the film A.I., a sort of Pinnochio adventure. But then I went through some very rough personal experiences as I was working on some other projects, and realized the story I really wanted to tell was about a flesh and blood boy who was living alone in a world full of metallic ones, which ultimately became LAST.
In many contemporary coming-of-age fiction novels, authors often add their own life experiences to the story. Are there any bits of you in this story?
I lost my father when I was very young. That experience, growing up for a time without a father, then having a stepfather, and then, eventually, becoming a father myself has been an element that has informed all of my books, from the Jim Morgan series to Last. But at the time I was writing LAST, I had also just gone through a turbulent time in my adult life, grappling with overwhelming feelings of loneliness and failure. I felt like an exposed nerve in a metallic world, and that was really the genesis of the story.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
If I were to pick one, it would simply be “we need each other.” Even though some of them are antagonists in the novel, robots, and technology aren’t Win’s real enemies. His greatest adversaries are loneliness and despair, and of course the realities of the world he lives in, where people and communities grew apart and then began to fade away. Technology can be a wall between people, but it can also be a bridge. We just have to remember that to really live as humans, that requires having humans in your life, even if they aren’t perfect and sometimes hurt us. The richest memories and moments in my life are almost entirely moments that were shared with others.
Is this the first book in the series? If so, when is the next book coming out, and what can your fans expect in the next story?
It’s possible. I’ve thought a lot about where Win goes after the end of this story. Who does he find and what obstacles will still lie between him and his ultimate destination and goal? I have another idea for a stand-alone novel that I may tackle first, but if there was a big enough audience demanding more of Win’s journey, there’s certainly more to be told. For now, if readers are hungry for more of my writing, they might try Lord of the Wolves next, as I think it’s the closest in theme to Last, though it features no humans at all, only animals.
Author Links: GoodReads | Facebook | Website | Amazon
When tragedy strikes the farm, Win is at last left completely alone. Forced to leave the safety of home, he sets out toward the distant robot city on a quest to find the legendary AIs, picking up a pair of companions along the way: an orphaned wild dog and an irrepressibly optimistic robotic signpost. But when the three of them become prisoners in the robot city, Win will not only seek to escape, but also to find the answer to the world’s final question: are there any humans like him left, or is he truly the Last?
Filled with hardship and hope, darkness and light, despair and victory, LAST is the story of a boy learning what it means to live as flesh and blood in a world of steel and circuits, to break through barriers built around us and those we build for ourselves, to know the frailty and wonder it is to be human.
Last
James Matlack Raney’s Last is a gripping post-apocalyptic tale of survival, hope, and the stubborn resilience of humanity in a world overtaken by machines. It follows Win, a boy raised in a dwindling world where humans are no longer the dominant force. With his father gone in search of survivors and his mother struggling with illness, Win clings to the belief that he can fix what’s broken. But as time passes and the weight of loneliness grows, he is forced to confront the stark reality of his world. The novel captures the tension between survival and hope, between fear and courage, as Win makes the life-altering decision to seek answers in the very place he was warned to avoid, the city of robots.
From the first pages, I was hooked by Raney’s vivid writing. The descriptions of Win’s home, the ruined farmhouse brought back to life by his parents’ determination, felt so tangible I could almost smell the sunflowers in his mother’s garden. The dialogue between Win’s father and mother was especially poignant. The father’s relentless optimism and belief in rebuilding contrast beautifully with the mother’s quiet understanding that sometimes, hope is a dangerous thing. This contrast hit hard, especially in scenes where Win, still just a boy, starts questioning whether the world is fixable or if his father’s dream is just a fantasy.
Win himself is an incredible protagonist. His growth from a wide-eyed child to a hardened teenager is gut-wrenching yet believable. The book doesn’t shy away from loss as people disappear, his father’s voice fades into static, and one by one, the figures in his life dwindle. Yet Win keeps going, driven by promises carved into his bedroom wall: stay by Mom’s side, look after Nan and John, stay away from robots, fix what’s broken. The tragedy, of course, is that by the time he’s grown, the list no longer makes sense. His mother is gone. The people he vowed to protect are buried under the oak tree. And the final rule to stay away from robots must be broken if he wants to find answers. It’s a powerful commentary on how the ideals we cling to as children rarely survive into adulthood.
The robots themselves are fascinating in their mystery. Unlike typical sci-fi stories where AI is either an existential threat or benevolent savior, Last presents them as something stranger, unknowable, indifferent, builders of a new world where humans are, at best, an afterthought. This makes them even more unsettling. One of the most haunting scenes is when Win hides in the refrigerator as drones scan his home, completely unaware of or perhaps uninterested in the last boy left behind. That moment cemented the book’s atmosphere for me: humans aren’t being hunted; they’re being replaced, erased, and forgotten.
By the time I reached the final pages, I felt the weight of Win’s journey pressing on my chest. The ending isn’t a triumphant victory or a devastating failure, it’s something in between, something much more real. Last isn’t just about surviving in a world lost to technology; it’s about what it means to be human when everything human is fading away. It’s for readers who love character-driven stories with heart, those who appreciate a slow burn of tension and introspection. If you enjoyed The Road by Cormac McCarthy or The Book of M by Peng Shepherd, you’ll likely find Last just as haunting and unforgettable.
Pages: 333 | ASIN : B0DVLW1W73
The Legacy of a Fool
In The Legacy of a Fool, Justin Henderson delivers a futuristic, character-driven tale set against the backdrop of a tech-saturated, holographic society. The story explores the trials of Devin Skye, a young man grappling with personal ambition, societal expectations, and his own shortcomings in a world where technology overshadows human connection. Through diary entries, letters, and shifting perspectives, Henderson creates a layered narrative that examines the complexity of individual growth and systemic change.
From the start, I found Devin Skye’s chaotic and sometimes comically tragic life engaging. Henderson’s knack for crafting vivid, sensory-rich scenes shines in moments like Devin’s frantic preparation for a party in “Holograms and Hovercars.” His use of body spray to mask dirty jeans, paired with his misguided confidence in “winning over” his crush, Tonya, made me laugh and cringe simultaneously. Henderson masterfully balances comedy with poignant commentary, making it hard not to root for Devin even when he self-sabotages.
The futuristic world-building felt immersive yet relatable. In scenes describing Highland City’s hovercars and holographic technology, Henderson seamlessly weaves in societal critiques. For example, Rita Parker’s journal entry detailing corporate reliance on automation highlights the ethical dilemmas of technological progress. Her internal conflict of choosing between company profits and the livelihoods of her team mirrors real-world struggles, giving the story a grounded resonance.
The book’s structure enriches the story by offering multiple perspectives, as seen in Rita’s heartfelt reflections on Devin’s shortcomings as an employee. I do feel that some narrative shifts occasionally disrupt the flow, making it harder to connect with the central storyline. Still, the fragmented style cleverly mirrors the chaotic world Devin inhabits, and it left me reflecting on the nature of legacy and the unintended impact of one’s actions.
The Legacy of a Fool is a captivating exploration of personal growth and societal transformation. Henderson’s blend of humor, heartbreak, and sharp social observations makes this a memorable read. I’d recommend it to fans of speculative fiction who enjoy flawed, deeply human protagonists. It’s a book for anyone willing to laugh, wince, and reflect on how far we’ve come and how far we still have to go.
Pages: 354 | ASIN : B0DP1NPYHG
To Try the Impossible
After the Fall: The Engineer and the Apocalypse centers around a woman in the wake of nuclear war who is trying desperately to reclaim her past. What were some driving ideals behind your character’s development?
I wanted to take someone newly in love, that first time that everything really clicks with someone, and then break it apart. That is what gave Haley the driving force to try the impossible and get home.
Also, I didn’t want an end of the world, let’s fight everyone type of book. I wanted a smart protagonist, someone who could think her way out of situations, an engineer and a nerd who could survive.
What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
I was on a work trip and watching some disaster movie in a hotel and I thought that this would be the worst place to be at the end of the world. Not a nameless hotel near an airport, but an ocean away from home, knowing nobody and with no to get way home.
It became the idea for the novel which didn’t work, until I changed the protagonist to female engineering student. Once Haley arrived on the scene it all fell together.
The science inserted in the fiction, I felt, was well-balanced. How did you manage to keep it grounded while still providing the fantastic edge science fiction stories usually provide?
I tried to keep the science to mainly high school level, that everyone at some stage studied and could follow. Once I removed the computers and anything very high tech it became simple machines. For the end of the world survival, I relied a lot on what climate conscious people are trying. Solar, hydro and biofuels.
I still made mistakes and had test readers who corrected some errors. I’m no mechanic and had some big mistakes on the work Haley did, so having friends who knew these things helped me a lot.
What were some books or movies that you think were your main sources of inspiration for this novel?
MacGyver was a huge influence. I loved the television series growing up and I wanted Haley to be a female MacGyver at the end of the world.
I really liked Project Hail Mary and The Martian, where Weir made the science mainly simple enough for me to follow.
What is the next book that you are working on, and when will it be available?
The second book in this trilogy follows Haley and Addy as they continue their journey home, fleeing from a war is breaking out behind them. Expected at the end of 2025.
Author Links: GoodReads | Facebook | Website | Amazon
Four years later and she’s living in the ruins of Washinton State after the world ended in a cascade of nuclear bombs, computer viruses and human plagues.
When she is accused of her friend’s murder, she flees into the night, with one destination in mind. Home to Marley, the love she left behind.
To escape her pursuers, skip around the swathes of chemical and radioactive waste, avoid the Kings, a roaming gang of marauders, she will need to use every bit of engineering knowledge she has.
Can she make it across the continent and an uncrossable ocean to finally get home?
Does home still exist or did it perish in the Fall?
LITERARY TITAN 