Welcome to A Month of Rain and Reads, a celebration of self-published and indie SFF throughout the entire month of November. To find out how you can take part and view the whole list of content, visit our introduction post.
Today we’re hosting a recommendation of hidden indie SFF gems written by Nick Snape.
I love that title for this feature because it is succinct and describes exactly what we’re doing. There are roughly 11,000 books published everyday now. Think on that. Most are self-published, so how does an indie author, often with next to zero social credibility, get their book seen? For some, it’s building that credibility through YouTube, book blogging, and social media as a whole. For others, it’s by putting money into the best cover they can, often backed up by marketing campaigns that sink or sink. Sorry, some do swim. Some. But most are lost in the chaos and depths of Amazon book searches and the rise of AI slop.
So that leaves you with a huge list of potential gems, books that shine when you bring them out from under the pile and into the light. I have spent the last year reviewing indie books, searching those hidden depths to unearth books that surprise, grip you by the throat, and very likely would never have passed a literary agent’s scrutiny. Don’t get me wrong; you could well disagree with my choices. So, if you have your own special jewel of an indie book you feel everyone should read, share it. Tell people. Let them shine.
Science Fiction Gems
The Ezekiel Factor by Caroline Noe
Angry and scarred from her abusive past, detective Lauren Frost has always been notorious.
Her scientist father – hero or torturer, depending which side you’re on – invented Artificial Intelligence Clones to fight our wars, only to be murdered by his own traumatised creation.
Although hoping to rescue others from the gangs that blighted her youth, Lauren’s foul mouth gets her saddled with the lowly case of a missing A.I. on the eve of their rights negotiations.
Even worse, she’s forced to work alongside a far from dream team:
Her gorgeous partner who frankly isn’t interested
The veteran A.I. who hates her very name
A psychedelic technowiz A.I. with PTSD
And Ernie, the ankle biting Miniature Pinscher.
They’ve got nothing in common – except surprise, when the case escalates into the hunt for a serial killer, whose agenda might just be terrifyingly personal.
I went into The Ezekiel Factor with no expectations. I had never read any of the author’s books before. And then boom. A visceral, hard-hitting and poignant exploration of the ethics around—well—AI possibly, human cloning, human meddling in nature and genetics, the selfish society, the look the other way attitude, the lack of humanity in those who profess to defend it…the list goes on. Yet you would perhaps expect such things to be explored in a ‘slap you in your face’ this is the ‘way’. No, this is a superb action thriller, with genuine page-turning moments where you have to know what comes next. A mystery with twists and turns, where mistrust lies deep within both humans and AI hybrids, and the true hero of the piece is that raw need to be loved. You want horror, a thrill ride, mystery and even unexpected romance? They are all here, woven in a beautifully written novel that will sit with me for a long time.
Add The Ezekiel Factor to your Goodreads
Children of the Black/The Hound of Greyvor (Silver Sights Saga) by WJ Long III
A broken soldier and a lost psionic girl, both haunted by ruined histories, seek a powerful secret once capable of bringing solace to a desperate wartorn universe. But now, in a time of uneasy peace, it holds a more destructive power.
Uniquely qualified and entirely in over their heads, the two must embark on an adventure that contains not just the answers to their shattered pasts but perhaps the secret to saving humanity’s future as well.
Children of the Black grips you from the outset, leading you down the path of the main characters into a dangerous but profitable mission on a failing space station while building a depth and realism to their personalities. No mean feat in what starts out as an action military sci-fi that layers on the levels of mystery as the story builds in a fascinating and well-balanced universe where two factions have reached an unsteady truce after decades of war. With emotional warmth and surprising discoveries along the way, we are asked to question who the real enemies are in a world where people are tools to be wielded in an unending conflict. An exceptional read, highly recommended.
Sometimes you just have to hold your hands in the air and applaud a book, not only for its sheer scope but also for the quality of its execution. The Hound of Greyvor is that book, taking the premise devised within Children of the Black and adding a layer of intrigue and political machinations on top of the action. It’s a quality that raises the stakes while adding rich depth to the compelling universe Long has crafted. New characters enhance the reader experience, and while Vision and Claude retain the threads of the past, they weave a tale that draws you in and then hits you between the eyes – not only with the superbly written action scenes but also the long-term implications of each heinous act or moment of political sabotage. Simply superb.
Add Children of the Black to your Goodreads
Icebreaker (Interloper Trilogy) by Steven William Hannah
A frozen, psychedelic post-apocalyptic Scotland.
Shamanic science fiction, written in a unique voice, with a strong cast of memorable characters.
A trilogy-spanning mystery that answers every question it raises.
Cosmic horror, artificial intelligence, and questions of consciousness, perception and identity.
“Of the dozens of indie authors I’ve ever read, only two have left me genuinely hungry to read more from them. Steven William Hannah is one of those.” – O.R. Lea, author of the Bruised Moon Sequence
Inside their walls, the people are safe from exposure to the unnamed horror that broke the world long ago; but now Bear, the last scientist in Forgehead, takes a case that threatens to throw that safety into question. Someone has been terminally exposed to the phenomenon, despite never having ventured outside the walls. This has only happened once before – to Bear’s father.
With the safety of Forgehead in question, and an opportunity to finally discover what happened to his father, Bear must leave the safety of the walls to unravel the mysteries left behind by the pre-cataclysm world; a task that will require him to join the Interloper Initiative, the team who crew the gigantic Crawler landships, the only vehicles that can roam the world outside the walls in relative safety. “Icebreaker” is the first entry in the Interloper Trilogy, a tale of horror and science charting the last days of a dying world, and humanity’s endeavour to survive.
A rare mix of a dystopian future merged with shamanistic overtones, the first book, Icebreaker, drags you into a world of old science mixed with a living hell, where humanity may well have been rejected for its ills by the Earth itself. With undertones of personal desperation, the characterisation draws you slowly into a society on the very edge of extinction, fighting an unknown that they can’t risk seeing or hearing unless they too succumb. An excellent read, one I recommend for all lovers of sci-fi with a fantasy twist. But the series? I’ve read them all.
Hannah’s world is beautifully built; the shamanistic elements met in the first two books coming together in a jigsaw puzzle of realties and events in the third to make the global scope of the cataclysm that is destroying the world almost an ‘aha’ moment, hinted at but only fully realised towards the end. Where mathematics, runes and shamanism meet, the story unfolds into a bloody and battle-laden ending that has you on the edge of your seat.
Did I forget to mention just how much you care about these characters? After the three books, they have a richness that draws you in, a need to know more and a drive to know their fate. And no, they’re not all likeable, at least not when you first meet them, but damn, they have a history that makes you believe in them. Three-dimensional (four or five dimensional for Bear by the end) people you can’t help but root for.
A mixture of mystery, horror and science fiction, the Interloper Trilogy is about loss and redemption, the human will to survive, and the means by which we understand the strange world around us. It has DNA from detective novels, survivalist tales, psychological horror and shamanism.
You’ve read nothing like it. Superb.
Add Icebreaker to your Goodreads
The Hand of God (Dark Legacies Bk1) by Yuval Kordov
The world ended—twice. Only Esther, the Eternal One, saw it all happen. As head of the powerful Revenant Sisterhood, she shepherds humanity from Cathedral, the Last City. Except Cathedral isn’t the last city, and her sisterhood’s power is far from holy.
It’s the year 2500, give or take. The passage of time has become as blurry as the gray wastes that cover most of North America. No moon or stars light the night, and demonic hordes smash against the last outposts of civilization.
Two reborn nations vie for humanity’s future. In the west, Cathedral unleashes its God-engines—ancient walking war machines—in a final bid to cleanse the earth. In the east, the struggling city-state of Bastion turns to the last living AI for salvation. Between them, a tribe of technological scavengers unwittingly holds the balance of power.
Hell is on the horizon. Who will survive?
There’s dark sci-fi, and then there’s The Hand of God. This book sweeps you up into a world of pain that humanity brought upon itself, first via nuclear war, and then a second apocalypse as hell is unleashed on an already dying world. See – dark. There is hope, one illustrated by beautiful, deep prose in the first part of the book that sweeps you into Esther’s experience of the world. But as the book moves through the gears, it soon becomes clear that at the heart of all hope lies humankind’s dark legacy of savagery, even in the face of hell itself. Add to this the desire for the ancient technology that hastened the apocalypse, including war robots and symbiote battle machinery, and we have a world where humanity’s forces are far from aligned against the demonic hordes. There are multiple POVs, and these, for me, worked well, and the main characters are fleshed out, so you care enough about where their story is going. Need some dark, metaphysical sci-fi in your life? Reach for the Hand of God.
I haven’t read the rest of this series, but can highly recommend Kordov’s novella Order of Magnitude. Vatican space marines anyone?
Add The Hand of God to your Goodreads
Fantasy Black Diamonds:
Crimson Fire (Memories of Kenjir Book 1) by Abel Monterro
Gods walk among men, but the empire they have forged is on the brink of collapse.
As whispers of rebellion grow louder, Ensin Andik uncovers a sinister plot that threatens the very foundation of the divine reign. Every discovery pulls him deeper into a dangerous web, forcing him to confront truths that could shatter his unshakeable loyalty.
On the other side, Eshfen, a ruthless rebel with a cunning mind and a thirst for chaos, stokes the flames of dissent. He sows doubt in the hearts of the people, challenging the gods’ right to rule and sparking a dangerous game of shadows that could bring down empires.
Caught between loyalty and self-discovery, Shadi, a young noblewoman, grapples with the weight of family honor and the desire for independence. With her fiercely devoted bodyguard, Darjin, by her side, Shadi must navigate the treacherous waters of loyalty, love, and betrayal, where every choice could be their last.
As destinies intertwine and alliances shift, these four must face the gods themselves — or watch the world they know crumble to ashes.
In THE CRIMSON FIRE, loyalties will be tested, truths will be unmasked, and power will be up for grabs. Will the gods’ reign endure, or is the age of mortals ready to rise?
THE CRIMSON FIRE is a sweeping tale of rebellion, sacrifice, and the unrelenting clash between power and destiny. Packed with gripping political intrigue, high-stakes action, and unforgettable characters, it’s a saga that will ignite your imagination and keep you turning pages late into the night.
The Crimson Fire introduces us to the Memories of Kenjir series, then takes a well-deserved bow and milks the applause, before letting you know there is much more to come.
Montero throws you in at the deep end, with a heist that introduces us to some complex world-building and a POV we don’t get to see again until much later in the book. But that’s the crux, and a hint that this is not a conventional fantasy. For once this rip-roaring section is complete, we enter the world of Shadi and her Dagger, Darjin. From here we get a slow-burn storyline that drip feeds you the world and society that Shadi has to navigate, based around the omnipresent Masters, and the upcoming Trials. It is the complexity of these two characters, and their relationship, that draws you in, and you find yourself turning the pages, desperate to know where their entwined loyalties lead. It is their emotional journey that erupts in the last third of the book, and everything becomes clear as Montero pulls the threads of the complex plot together into a dramatic and action-packed conclusion.
The Crimson Fire is one of those fantasy books that creeps up on you, insinuating itself into your thoughts, until you realise that you are fully invested in the people created by the author. People with real emotions, who act consistently and true to their character until circumstance and life turn them away from such a path. And for that, Montero must be congratulated.
There is so much to love here, and a layer of intricacy that leaves you ready for the next in the series. I must also say that though English is Montero’s second language, I am jealous of his turn of phrase and the beauty of his descriptions. I leave you with two thoughts ‒ firstly, that once you meet a Tamer and their sparrowhawk, you will be dreaming of the possibilities. And finally, that the Dagger has one of the most brutal origin stories conceived.
Add The Crimson Fire to your Goodreads
Callus & Crow (The Wayward World Chronicles Book 1) by DB Rook
A genre hybrid of western meets grimdark post-apocalyptic fantasy.
Can a path of blood lead to redemption?Is redemption enough to amend a wayward world?
Morality and reality have shifted from their natural axis. Technology and ideology derive from the remnants of a world long dead and segregated by the monsters that now rule the seas.
Crow, a young ranch hand, is swept into an odyssey of redemption and revenge as he strives to hold back the ravages of fate and the urges born of a curse shared with his new mentor.
Callus, an exile struggling to find redemption whilst keeping his vampiric curse from tainting his new ward, pursues his prey across the sea.
The new world they discover reveals a tyrannical society fixated on their council’s ascension to godhood.
DB Rook is a teller of stories. To many, a book must be perfect, its prose shined to perfection and every nuanced phrase buffed until there is no life left in it. To others, the story is all-important and needs to grab hold of you and hook you in. This is what DB Rook has done with Callus & Crow—wrapping you in its tentacled pages while whispering in your ear. And those words drip with malice and love, redemption and pain as they take you on a journey constructed like no other. The vision of a post-apocalyptic world, riven with hate and misunderstanding and split by a sea beset with Lovecraftian monsters, is laid before you step by step. You learn as Crow learns, experience as the cursed Callus seeks redemption, and are drawn into a world where humans are the true monsters. Its genre defies description—a horror? A post-apocalyptic western fantasy? Or a steampunk homage to Lovecraft? All of these and more. Is it perfect? You will need to answer that, but it has an undeniable dark vitality that earns it my highest recommendation.
I have had the pleasure of reading a half-finished manuscript of the second book in this series. The prose drips with quality and is filled with beautiful malice. I can’t wait.
Add Callus & Crow to your Goodreads
The Hunter’s Lament by Steve Pannett
Infamous bounty hunter Bitter Sweet has led his crew of like-minded miscreants for nearly three decades. They can track and capture any man or woman in the known world…for a price. But Sweet is tired. Decades of pursuing the lowest reaches that humanity has to offer have taken their toll. The grime, the lies, the danger, the death. He’s sick of it all.
But it’s the only business he knows, and business is good in the aftermath of a long and bloody war. The unstoppable armies of the Vol Empire have conquered Pratia, obliterating all opposition and occupying the kingdom’s cities as they establish a brutal new order. The Pratian king is slain in the carnage, but his son—the Crown Prince and sole heir to the throne—has vanished.
Eager to tie up the loose ends, the new Vol rulers turn to those who know the land and its people the best. Bounty hunters.
Against his better instincts, Sweet accepts the contract and sets out in search of the fugitive Crown Prince. But his crew are not alone in the hunt. Danger rides with them every step of the way. Rival gangs, Vol soldiers, deadly trackers and dark magickers are all pursuing the heir to Pratia, too.
Soon Sweet and his crew have a choice to make, hunt or be hunted?
The Hunter’s Lament hooked me in and took me on the ride that I hoped for, but in such a way that the twists and turns of the ending were a real surprise. The inner monologue of Bitter Sweet, the leader of a band of bounty hunters in this grimdark tale, carries you along in a … well, a lament. In reality, this is a thorough, painful examination of a hunter’s life choices and the band, none of whom he could call friends until the very end. The author’s skill shines as you remain immersed in Bitter Sweet’s personal contemplations while the storyline unfolds amid double and counter-cross within a superbly built world. The basis of the story is a hunt for a crown prince for a huge bounty after the invasion of his realm, but Pannett weaves into this simple premise a multi-layered story that I heartily recommend. I have noted comments about pacing in other reviews – all I will say is that I read it in three sittings. It certainly suited me!
Add The Hunter’s Lament to your Goodreads
Renia (Luna Ruinam Book One) by Karl Forshaw
The Halls of Venn are the seat of both knowledge and power in the great continent of Luna Ruinam. Renia, a scribe with a tragic past, spends her days expertly copying books that do little to satiate her desire for knowledge.
When a fateful commission lands on her desk, she finds herself tasked with transcribing a book coveted by assassins from the southern continent. Its theft throws the scribing halls into chaos and threatens to destroy the fragile peace that exists between their nations.
Haunted by dreams of her past, Renia must learn to master her impulses and awaken her long dormant magical abilities if she is to prevent war.
Fate, it would seem, is eager to grant her wishes. Yet she must risk everything to pursue it, and pay the bloody price it demands.
Dark, complex, and filled with characters that will surprise, yet they sit with you for long afterwards. This is a book that makes you look at fantasy as a whole and evaluate the genre, for it adds layers where most don’t, and asks questions with the prose to make you think that much deeper. The world-building is progressive and considerate of the reader, so if you like your realms dumped on you, look elsewhere. However, the time spent is worthwhile as the plot development is that much richer for it. On the surface, the story is driven by entwined mysteries. Yet below that is the undercurrent of wanting even flawed characters to succeed. A reminder that this is dark fantasy, and yes, there are distinct moments that will make you uncomfortable and challenged, and I would urge you to check the triggers for this book. However, this is not about normalising such things – more about how our past can define us, and questions whether it has to constrain us. A superb read.
Other Indie Jewels of Note
I have avoided mentioning books by indie authors with whom I work closely, including within a soon to be published anthology, Neosynthesis. However, it would be remiss not to mention each of their works that drew me to them as a group of writers. These are hidden gems too.
- McMurdo Rift (series) by Bradley Lejeune is a lovingly crafted space opera that starts with a bang and then rebuilds with the reluctant hero being dragged back into a war. This is a space adventure with a capital A.
- The Dark Without by TK Toppin is a superb time-twist alien thriller that piles on the surprises. Filled with dark imaginings, it serves as a warning to us all.
- The Last Shadow by JD Robinson is a powerful twist on the urban fantasy genre with a great, thought-provoking depiction of a major character with autism.
- Cold Blooded by Rohan O’Duill is a military sci-fi with a strong moral edge and in Mint a superbly rounded character rarely seen in this genre.
- Accidental Intelligence by Bryan Chaffin is a sci-fi noir private detective thriller that depicts a future where AI is truly intelligent, and what lies behind the scenes is something to be feared. Believable and beautifully written.
- Cargo Hold 4 by Lonnie Busch is a truly terrifying space horror. Read the warnings!
About Nick Snape
Nick Snape blogs reviews for FanFiAddict and is an indie author himself, having written the Weapons of Choice, The Scorching and The Wrecking Squad science fiction series as well as the dark fantasy trilogy, Warriors of Spirit and Bone.
Nick has been steeped in science fiction and fantasy since his friends first dragged him from his schoolwork and stuck a book under his nose. Lost to the world of imagination, he became a teacher by accident, though he thoroughly enjoyed developing the joy of reading and writing in his pupils. Having retired after thirty years, he thought it was high time to practise what he preached.
Nick’s books feature everything from all-out, heart-pounding, fast-paced action to thoughtful, character-driven twists on the fantasy and sci-fi genres. Genetics to artificial intelligence, artifice dragons to soul-drinking vampires, nothing is off the menu.
He can be found at:
www.nicksnape.com or on Amazon and all the usual socials.
