Set in the twenty-sixth century, the story follows Captain Danny Stryker, who is framed for stealing a military weapon just as a centennial celebration begins. With peace in the galaxy threatened by a new artificial intelligence attacking the Empire, Stryker must flee Kennedy Prime to clear his name. As tensions rise and galactic war looms, he faces a choice: let the Teconeans destroy the Empire or ally with them against the true invaders. The fate of the galaxy hinges on Stryker solving a mystery buried on the moon of his home world.
In 1912, an alien ship crash lands in the Atlantic ocean, setting up a secret colony that remains undetected for centuries, allowing them to manipulate some of the most important events in human history -- from the sinking of the Titanic to the Bermuda triangle to global warming. Now, the technology of the 26th century has discovered the aliens' distress beacon, and it's a race against time as the Navy tries to stop a terrorist armed with a nuclear weapon from destroying the colony and triggering an all-out war as the mother-ship approaches. "Brad Aiken is the future of humane, thoughtful science fiction." -- Adam-Troy Castro "Zone of the Tenth Degree is the best Starscape novel of the bunch. There's action, adventure, time travel, aliens and incredible new medical technology. What more could a sci-fi geek ask for? I know - more Starscape stories, please!" - Melissa Minners, G-Pop A Starscape Novel
It is the year 2497, and Earth is about to come under attack by its former inhabitants. For nearly five centuries humans have peacefully coexisted with the Neanderthal descendants who they banished to the planet Teconea. But now, the Neanderthals want their home world back. They have amassed a vast armada, well concealed in the ion storms of the Orion system until Danny Stryker, a Federation trader, stumbles upon their secret.Humankind's best hope of survival against the powerful Teconean Empire, the Federation Defense System, is nearly complete. A potent new energy generator in the shape of an obelisk is the last key element needed to complete the FDS. Stryker discovers that the gilded obelisk is lost in time. The only hope for survival is to send someone back to nineteenth century California to retrieve it before the Teconean invasion is launched.An aficionado of the Old West, Stryker eagerly volunteers to make the trip. Fitting into the nineteenth century has its challenges, and to make matters worse, Teconean spies have infiltrated deep into the ranks of the Space Corps. The race through time and space is on.www.BradAiken.com
In a future where nanobots can repair the brain without surgery, a rogue NSA agent seeks to exploit this technology for mind control, creating lethal assassins. Special Agent Trace McKnight's plan to steal groundbreaking research from Dr. Sandi Fletcher puts him on a collision course with her and Baltimore detective Richie Kincade. As they navigate a dangerous web of espionage, they realize they are mere pawns in a larger game. This gripping sci-fi tale explores the dark potential of scientific advancements and the ethical dilemmas they pose.
Like many fields of science, the future of medicine is frequently predicted by the science fiction writers of today, very much as many of today's medical advances were presaged by science fiction stories of the past. In this book, physician and science fiction author Brad Aiken conveys his own speculations about our medical future through nine highly entertaining and thought-provoking short stories. Touching upon a great variety of themes, including but not limited to telemedicine and remote surgery, vaccination strategies against unknown deathly pathogens, nanomedicine to cure diseases and retard ageing, bionics, cloning and euthanasia, we get a glimpse of what might be awaiting humanity. Yet, in these stories it is always the protagonists, humans after all, who remain at the center stage, not the new technologies. This provides the fictional material with a unique blend of science fiction and social fantasy. It also warns us to be wary of the pitfalls of too much reliance on dehumanizing technology and to make sure it remains our helper, not our master. Last but not least, an extensive scientific essay investigates the interplay between science fiction and both past and current advances in medical sciences and technology, making the link to the fictional material in the book as well as to the relevant scientific literature
