Joe Vasicek – författare

When all else is lost, the bonds of war become a cause all their own.It is the Outworld's darkest hour. Gulchina's betrayal has eliminated the Outworld Confederacy's only strategic advantage in their war for independence. As the full force of the Gaian Imperial Navy bears down on them, defeat is all but inevitable.Mara Soladze fully expected to lose the war. It is not her own life that she fears for, however, but the lives of her men. As world after world falls before the Imperial onslaught, those fears may soon be realized.No commander is ever fully prepared to watch their men make the ultimate sacrifice, but that may no longer be avoidable inSONS OF THE STARFARERSBOOK VI: PATRIOTS IN RETREAT

One last battle before the Outworlds are free.Edenia is under attack. The pirate queen Gulchina, together with all her forces, now threaten the main planet with utter destruction. Trapped on the surface, Reva knows they will stop at nothing to see her dead.Mara Soladze's frigate group is the only Outworld task force able to come to the planet's aid. But Gulchina's flagship, the Chinghis Khan, outguns all of their ships put together. Their only advantage lies in the telepathic bond of the collective and the rugged resourcefulness of the Deltana brothers.Reva is not powerless either. When she finds an unlikely ally, it proves to be a game changer inSONS OF THE STARFARERSBOOK IX: VICTORS IN LIBERTY

Only those who rise to their calling discover why they were chosen.A thousand years ago, an order of twelve magic swords kept the world at peace. Each sword had a personality, a mind, and a memory. Through the bonds they shared with their bearers, the wisdom and skill of generations was preserved.But the swords became corrupted. They turned on each other, shattering the order and plunging the world into war. The twelfth sword went into hiding until the day of prophecy, when the last sword bearer would free the world of men.That day has come, and the sword bearer of prophecy is a mere tavern girl.Tamuna Leladze never sought for this honor. Raised by her aunt Sopiko, her only knowledge of foreign lands came from the travelers who passed through her aunt's tavern. She always dreamed of adventure, but never thought she would answer its call.But when a wandering knight arrives at the end of the harvest season, all that begins to change. The old knight is the keeper of the sword Imeris, who has chosen her in the eleventh hour. For far to the north, a terrible empire has unleashed a reign of blood, fire, and steel. Led by an evil brotherhood more ancient than the sword itself, their darkness will soon sweep the land.As events carry Tamuna far from her village home, she cannot help but wonder if the sword has made a mistake.

Without redemption, there is no peace. Without forgiveness, there is no redemption.Reva never asked to be the queen of an alien-human hive mind, but she never shirked from it, either. Now, she and the survivors of Star's End share a telepathic bond that allows them to think and feel as one.But unity will not come easy. Isaac fears her growing power, and Tomas fears that if the others awake from cryo, their murderous natures will drag everyone down to their level of depravity.The only path back to civilization is held by the very same pirates who want them all dead. Gulchina commands them personally, and she has sworn to destroy all that Reva holds dear.Without trust, forgiveness, or healing, they will never be of one mind. That will mean the difference between survival and extinction inSONS OF THE STARFARERSBOOK VII: A QUEEN IN HIDING

Only those who stand united can bring peace from the chaos of war.The Outworld Confederacy has shattered—but the Gaian Empire is shattering faster. Treasonous elements in both seek to reshape the galaxy in their own image.With Isaac and Reva's telepathic abilities, only Mara is in a position to thwart the usurpers. But Reva opposes the weaponization of the collective, and Mara refuses to be open about the darkest parts of her past. Unless they can unite, the collective will shatter just as surely as the Outworlds and the Empire.In war as in peace, all things rise or fall on leadership inSONS OF THE STARFARERSBOOK VIII: AN EMPIRE IN DISARRAY

A kingdom is lost… and a legend is born.Lord Sarvesh has ridden far from his coastal city to find a legendary great-mage, carrying one desperate prayer: save my people before it is too late. What he finds is a humble mountain cottage, an aging man who already knows his name, and a promise far stranger than any he came to ask for. The old sorcerer demands only one thing before he will act. Not gold. Not blood. The loan of a sword.Before another day passes, word arrives that changes everything. The news is the worst Sarvesh could have imagined, and it calls into question every reason he made the journey. The great-mage is gone. The city is gone. And all the old man left behind is a circle of enchanted blades in a mountain chapel and a band of disciples without a leader.Stripped of his title and his purpose, Sarvesh must decide whether a broken man still has a duty to the living. The answer lies with the enchanted sword.

Ten brutally honest and politically incorrect stories for times such as these! This is the second volume of the collected short stories of Joe Vasicek. It contains: The Paradox of ChoiceIf post-birth abortions are legal, when does life actually begin? PaydayA near future sci-fi thriller about the perils of a universal basic income. Utahraptors at DawnWhen the meme wars are fought on the digital field of honor, no weapon is too ridiculous to be awesome. Sex, Life, and Love Under the AlgorithmsIn a world bound by algorithms and AI, the greatest liability is the human spirit. Welcome to CondescensionThe graying of fandom was never this much fun.(Space Squid, August 2018) A Less Than Perfect GameSometimes the only way to win is first to make a mistake. Take Up Your SwordA kingdom is lost… and a legend is born. The NumismatistEven for time travelers, some hobbies are truly timeless.(Never before published!) Elusive Eden (by J.M. Wight)When a time traveler's quest for the Garden of Eden goes sideways, will his faith go sideways too?(Never before published!) Worlds Without Number (by J.M. Wight)An age of peace, an artifact of war, and a visit three men will never forget.

The ultimate truth requires you to sacrifice your innocence.Sixteen years ago, Estee's parents abandoned their scientific mission to the planet Icaria and made the new world their home. They thought it would be decades before anyone else came to this rugged, edenic paradise. They were wrong.   Young, fearless, and free, the only other people Estee has ever known are her own immediate family. So when a military expedition arrives from Earth, she is innocently drawn to all the interesting new people, their large, noisy vehicles, and their strange weapons.   But her parents have a secret. There is a dark side to Estee's homeworld, whose distant past is linked to Earth's terrifying future. Now Estee is the guardian of those secrets, and she must do all in her power to keep them from falling into the wrong hands. As the marines begin to hunt her, Estee makes an unlikely friend in a young lieutenant. Together, they must unlock the secrets of Icaria's past to break the cycle of violence and restore their shattered worlds.

Your personal assistant knows what you want before you do. It orders your food, drives your car, manages your friends, and even votes for you. Life is perfectly optimized. Perfectly controlled. Perfectly empty.Skyler is an artist living a comfortable but hollow existence. His personal assistant Alexis handles his mundane decisions while he collects his UBI, scrolls through his personalized newsfeed, and works on his art: recycled-plastic sculptures. When he meets Kat, a writer who collects banned books, she introduces him to dangerous ideas from forbidden authors like Orwell, Huxley, and Bradbury.Their secret rebellion begins with literature and ends with love. As they discover which books the algorithms don't want them to read, they're forced to hide their conversations, disguise their meetings, and watch their social credit scores plummet. Every whispered word brings them closer together and pushes them further outside the system.But the algorithms are always watching. Always listening. Always calculating.In a world where information wants to be free but people are imprisoned by data, two rebels must find a way to escape the ultimate surveillance state—before the algorithms delete them permanently.

This is the first volume of the collected short stories by Joe Vasicek. It contains: The Gettysburg ParadoxThe greatest battle of all time, secretly fought by time travelers.(Gallery of Curiosities, June 2018; Bards and Sages Quarterly, July 2019) Killing Mister WilsonEvery time traveler wants to kill Hitler. Only one actually stopped him.(Uprising Review, September 2017; Unrealpolitik, November 2018) My Name Is For My FriendsWhen fellowship draws the line between life and death, trust must be proven.(Mirror Dance, September 2017) Memoirs of a SnowflakeThe life and times of a December snowflake. The Curse of the LifewalkerWhen all the world is afflicted by the plague, sometimes the greater curse is to be whole.(Sci Phi Journal, June 2016) Decision LZ1527A boy, a girl, and a whole crew of matchmakers.(Leading Edge, December 2009; Digital Fiction Quickfic, December 2016) Jane Carter of Earth and the Rescue that Never WasTo boldly go where no Earthfleet Academy Xenolinguistics major has gone before. Time and Space in Amish CountryWhat if the Amish are guarding a naturally occuring time portal in the Pennsylvania countryside? A Hill On Which To DieAs the witch-king impresses the mountain orcs into his eldritch army, Garak-Nur must lead the last of the free orcs into the wilderness to start a new clan.(The Great Tome of Fantastic and Wondrous Places, September 2016) The Open Source Time MachineJust like information, time wants to be free.(The New Accelerator, January 2019; Bards and Sages Quarterly, April 2020)

Ten optimistic and forward-looking space stories that show how we journey to the stars!This is the third volume of the collected short stories of Joe Vasicek. It includes:The Scales of the Space WhaleThe most dangerous creatures in the universe will kill you before they know you exist!In the BeginningParadise is not what—or where—it seems.(After Dinner Conversation, August 2020)From the Ice IncarnateThey say that going into cryo is the closest thing to death short of actually dying. I believe it.(1st place, 2009 Vera Hinckley Mayhew Contest BYU)When She AwakesTo pay her father's debt, she must offer herself as coin.The InfiltratorThe aliens are already among us, in a form we refuse to see.(Not Far From Roswell, December 2019)AbductorsAlways check your backblast before launching your UFO.(Never before published!)StarchildThe revolutions passed, and the stars spun silently underfoot.(Bards and Sages Quarterly, October 2019)L'enfer, c'est la SolitudeWar is not the only hell in the cold, empty void of space.(Perihelion, March 2016; The New Accelerator, August 2018)The Janus AnomalyWhat do you do when you're the only sane one and everyone else is crazy?(Kasma Magazine, May 2019; Twilight Tales, February 2021)Lizzie-99XTTo save humanity, she must become the machine.(Serial Magazine, August 2019)

They wander the stars in search of a home. Finding it will change them forever.The Outworlds: an endless frontier of uncharted systems and unexplored planets. A vast, unsettled stretch of space where generations can pass without outside contact. Torn from their homes by failure and famine, drawn to the stars by fortune and faith, a band of unlikely friends must navigate a universe of pirates, empires, and pioneers as they strive to build a future on the Outworld frontier.Star Wanderers is the first book in the Outworld Trilogy, an epic far-future space opera. If you love authors like Ursula K. Le Guin, C.J. Cherryh, and Orson Scott Card, you won't soon forget this uplifting tale of the human spirit. Buy this book and rediscover your love of science fiction today!

War brought them together, but only hope can unite them.War has come to the Outworlds. An Imperial expeditionary force has taken the frontier systems and threatens to strike at the heart of the New Pleiades. The only thing standing in their way is a ragtag flotilla of starfarers and merchanters, their motives as varied as the stars from which they hail.Aaron Deltana can barely speak the same language as his Outworld comrades, but he isn't about to let that stop him. Though he has no military training or combat experience, he's determined to prove his valor. Besides, the Imperials have taken something very dear to him—something that he has sworn to take back.He isn't the only one with a score to settle. Mara Soladze, the only other Deltan in the Flotilla, has vowed revenge on the Imperials for killing her father. Where Aaron hopes to prove himself, though, Mara fully expects to die—and her fate is tied to his.Aaron isn't prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice, but when the war turns against them, it looks as if he may not have a choice. Only one hope stands between him and death inSONS OF THE STARFARERSBOOK II: COMRADES IN HOPE

Fate has brought them across time and space, but war will drive them farther.For countless ages, Reva Starchild has slept in perfect cryostasis. Frozen in secret to escape a catastrophic death, she awakens only to find herself the sole survivor of a people whom history never remembered. Light-years from her homeworld, among a culture she finds both perverse and obscene, she must somehow build a new life for herself where misplacing her trust could be fatal.With nowhere safe to run, she finds refuge on a small starship with a mysterious young man who seems to be fleeing something as well. Where others have sought to enslave her, though, he treats her with unexpected kindness. As they slowly open up to each other, she learns that he too carries a burden—one she can barely comprehend.Isaac Deltana indeed carries a burden. The failure of his mission at Colkhia has brought untold calamity to the Outworld forces and almost certainly led to the death of his brother. Now, he flees from the Gaian Imperials to prevent them from obtaining the secret technology he carries—one that will change the face of interstellar war forever.Little does he know, the Imperials aren't the only ones hunting him inSONS OF THE STARFARERSBOOK III: STRANGERS IN FLIGHT

The only remaining path for the last free stars is paved in blood and glory.War is all Danica has ever known. As captain of her band of Tajji mercenaries, she's fought more than her share of hopeless battles against undefeated foes. War has been her way of life ever since their diaspora from their shattered homeworld.But when a runaway princess vanishes on the eve of war, the rescue mission quickly becomes more than just another payday. The last free stars are about to make their final stand against the Hameji Empire, and a young Hameji prince is determined to take the princess as his personal prize. With the high admiral of the federation assassinated by an unknown hand and their forces in disarray, the last free stars now stand on the brink of destruction.It's not in Danica's nature to give up easily, though. Not on a job, and certainly not on her crew. But as the bloody end of the war comes into sight, it soon becomes clear that she can't outrun fate forever.

Honor, love, and destiny clash in an interstellar empire that has forgotten its holiest legend: the story of Earth.He is sheikh's sole heir, a young man raised by desert tribesmen after falling from the stars. She is the sheikh's most beautiful daughter, promised his hand in marriage—but only if she can convince him to stay.Together, they must travel to a land where glass covers the sky and men traverse the stars as easily as tribesmen cross the desert. At the ancient temple dedicated to the memory of Earth, they hope to find the answers that will lead them home.But the call of the stars soon threatens to bring their budding romance to an end. And as the moment of decision draws near, the choices they must make will drive them toward a future that neither can foresee.

In a galaxy ravaged by war, a young man must decide how far he'll go—and what he's willing to become—to save his sister.James never imagined that when his older brother and sister departed on planetside leave, it would be the last he'd ever see them. But as soon as they're gone, a ruthless Hameji battle fleet invades their peaceful star system, transforming it into a war zone. Fleeing with his father on board the family starship, James can only watch in horror as the verdant planet below is reduced to molten slag.On the way home, James learns the devastating truth: his sister is alive but enslaved. To rescue her, he must make an impossible choice. He's no warrior—has never even held a gun, much less fired one. But to save his sister, he'll become whatever he needs to be—even if it means crossing a line he can never uncross.

Two brothers without a homeworld. A girl frozen in stasis. A galaxy on the verge of war.Deep in the Far Outworlds, a derelict space station holds the bones of a long-dead people—and a beautiful young woman locked in cryofreeze. When the star-wandering brothers Isaac and Aaron Deltana find the sleeping girl, they soon realize that they are her only hope for rescue. If they don't take her, then slavers certainly will.With no way to revive her, they set a course for the New Pleiades in hopes of finding someone who can help. But a storm is brewing over that region of space. After a series of brutal civil wars, the Gaian Empire has turned its sights outward. A frontier war is on the verge of breaking out, and the brothers are about to be caught in the middle of it.They both harbor a secret, though. Somewhere else in the Outworlds is another derelict station—one that they used to call home. That secret will either bind them together or draw them apart inSONS OF THE STARFARERSBOOK I: BROTHERS IN EXILE

The future of the Outworlds now lies in uncertain hands.The war for the Outworlds is on. The Imperials may have lost the first round, but they're back—and this time, a ragtag flotilla isn't going to stop them.When Aaron recieves a captain's commission in the new Outworld Confederacy, Mara is his natural choice for second in command. But Mara never expected to live past the first few battles. She only joined the resistance to avenge her father, and fears the monster she's starting to become. The only thing she has left to live for now is her friends.The Imperials aren't the only enemy in this war, though. The friends must face a threat from within inSONS OF THE STARFARERSBOOK IV: FRIENDS IN COMMAND

A love letter to the science fiction genre by a writer, author, and fan.What makes science fiction more than just stories about rockets and robots? Why do we keep coming back to tales of galactic empires, cryogenic sleepers, and faster-than-light travel? And what can the history of the genre teach us about where it's headed next?In Science Fiction from A to Z, author Joe Vasicek explores the building blocks of the genre that shaped his career as both a fan and an indie writer. From "e;A is for Audience"e; to "e;Z is for Zenith,"e; each chapter dives into a key concept, trope, or movement in science fiction—covering everything from golden age classics to the modern indie publishing boom. Along the way, Vasicek reflects on his own experiences writing dozens of novels and short stories, as well as the broader cultural shifts that have shaped fandom over the past decade.Whether you're a lifelong reader, a new fan just discovering the genre, or a writer looking to sharpen your craft, this book will give you a deeper appreciation for the rich legacy and boundless future of science fiction.Originally published online for the 2013 Blogging from A to Z Challenge and updated in 2022.

The ultimate voyage of discovery ends with the truth about yourself.Michael Anderson never thought he would set foot on an Earthlike world. Born on the farthest edge of the solar system, he studies planets from afar. But when his parents open a wormhole and discover signs of intelligent life on the other side, Michael is the only planetologist young enough to voyage to the alien star.He is not alone, but Terra, his sole mission partner, is no more of an adult than he is. Soon after their arrival, she begins keeping secrets from him. But she doesn't realize that her darkest secret is one that he already knows.Twenty light-years away from humanity, what they discover on the alien world forces them to question their deepest beliefs about the universe—and about what it means to be human.

Is this the hill on which you want to die?Garak-Nur should be dead by now. At thirty-five years old, the grizzled orc war chief has outlived most of his kind. His tusks are worn, his knee aches from old wounds, and younger warriors eye his position with hungry ambition.When a silver-tongued messenger arrives offering glory in service to the Witch-King of the North, Garak knows the promises are nothing more than gilded chains. Rather than watch his clan march into slavery, Garak makes an impossible choice. In the dead of night, he leads his most loyal warriors away from everything they've ever known, venturing into the wilderness to carve out a new home.But the exodus is only the beginning. Finding shelter in abandoned dwarven ruins built above a dragon's lair, the newly formed Black Pine Clan must fight to survive the coming winter, rival orc bands, and the simmering resentments within their own ranks. As challenges to his leadership mount and his own harems turn against him, Garak faces battle after battle, both with sword and with words. Each conflict forces him to ask the same crucial question: Is this the hill on which I want to die?In a world where strength is everything and weakness means death, one aging warrior must choose which battles are worth fighting and which are better left for another day.

The lone wolf must now lead his people across the stars.For five long years, James McCoy has watched the Hameji bleed his homeworld dry. Now, his only hope is to lead his people across the stars to a place where they can start over.But escape is only the beginning. Pirates, warlords, famine, and the ever-looming shadow of the Hameji all threaten to shatter everything he's built. The galaxy James once knew has fallen to fire and steel, and there is no place in it for the weak.James once gave everything to save his family. But the line between protector and tyrant grows thinner with every choice he makes. And in a galaxy full of predators, freedom may be the first dream to fall prey.

There is no escape beyond Star's End.The deadliest pirates in the galaxy have stolen the technology that will transform it. Now, on the edge of known space, they are poised to start an empire of their own.Isaac and Reva are running out of time. Neither of them knows the extent of Gulchina's plans, or whether the madwoman will keep them both alive after she achieves them.But an unexplored planet beyond the Far Outworlds holds an ancient alien secret that not even Gulchina has uncovered. That secret will tip the balance inSONS OF THE STARFARERSBOOK V: CAPTIVES IN OBSCURITY