Weekend Lounge ~ Internet Implosion

Welcome to the weekend! We're back!

We've been talking about the Dead Internet for awhile, and now we can perceive the form of our destructor. The end of the internet is in view. It might not be tomorrow, but it is coming, and probably sooner than you might think.

Today's subject is a multipart series to show exactly what is happening. ClownfishTV usually spends their time speaking of pop culture news and whatnot, but some of their videos have also been focusing on the growing trend of megacorps slowly strangling the digital space while everyone is busy focusing their time on other issues. The above video focuses on the largest 20 year old video website that basically defined the era of modern media we live in. We are, of course, talking about YouTube. The company that helped create an alternative to dying mass media is now attempting to dismantle it and run roughshod over what made the internet what it was to begin with.

They have become what the once claimed to offer an alternative to.

As is well documented, from the time YouTube was created, it quickly became the site that defined how the video medium would be presented for generations to come. Before the '00s were over, Blockbuster and Cable TV were already on the way out, soon to replaced on the site itself by a slew of different styles from documentaries to original songs to political debates to, eventually, even livestreams, and news. The old paradigm had been completely destroyed. By the 2020s, videos were defined by YouTube's format, and no one would argue with that.

But those dying news corpos, movie and TV studios, Hollywood, and just about every big party in the old media space has hated how instrumental sites like YouTube were in weaning the public off of the mainstream that had detested them for decades, and have been dying to squash alternatives and become top dog again. And as the video above has shown, they are working overtime to do just that. They want the terrible old paradigm back, and the  owners of the new spaces are letting it happen. These shambling dinosaurs (somehow) have lots of money behind them, after all.

It is not just YouTube, either. Make no mistake, they want the entire internet crippled, which will eventually destroy it. They are well on their way to getting it, too.

The second video I wanted to present is what is going on with Google, the world's largest search engine. But make no mistake, it is not just about Google. Every search engine is currently compromised and being demolished as you are reading this.

It did not start with YouTube! This is an issue that has been going on for some time, and does not appear to be stopping anytime soon.

Google Search was first casualty of their play, in the process breaking just about every search engine out there from selling your information to deliberately hobbling certain search terms. It has gone from being highly accurate two decades ago to being unusable today. This is the fate of what was once seen as the immortal internet.

The fall of Google and YouTube has been long documented, but what is gearing up to replace them? That is the main question. What is the purpose in all of this? If it was to gain control of the levers of power in the former Wild West space it is being done in the most incompetent way possible, and will eventually lead to the destruction of the very websites that form a large portion of how the online space worked. It's all going to be decimated.

While bots and studio plants have been a problem for a while, the advent of AI learning has made the issue explode all over in a more dramatic fashion. If anything, this has only accelerated the end of the internet that is obviously on the way.

But of course, it doesn't stop there. It has also spread to areas meant for discussion. Yes, even those have been neutered and rendered even more artificial.

For the final piece we are taking a look at, this one is on the meltdown of the last real news aggregate forum, Reddit, and how it has been infested with bots and glowies (unironically) in a last bid to finally break the system down. Reddit has always been a negative influence on online discussion and it has been made considerably worse.

This mirrors how many old BBS message boards would eventually get so flooded with spam that they would simply not be able to operate at all. The difference in the two is now they've learned to weaponize AI in a way that is trained on human behavior to blend it in better. The AI is now trained on the very behavior of the people they hope to fool.

In other words, the more you act like an NPC the more you become indistinguishable from the very bots themselves. Considering the climate of discussion we currently already have on social media sites, this makes them a prime tool to push for engagement. It is only going to make these site worse and more useless.

If you've used any social media in the past year, and you almost certainly have, you have seen this decline in usability first hand. It is not going to get better, and as the internet is flooded with more and more junk, and the human junk becomes just is as unrecognizable as the AI algorithm junk, people are going to begin turning away from the entire mess, simply because there is no other choice. Eventually there won't be any way to engage with humanity at all. We're nearing the end of the road for this once eternal space.

The internet is winding down, and it is a strange site to see. It is unknown how much time remains, it could even be longer than one might think even based on the above information, but it is definitely going to happen in our lifetimes. The internet is not forever, like was thought to be common knowledge even five years ago. The wild west we once marveled at is tamed and currently being broken in. The digital space is very much heading towards that cliff and its speed is only picking up, oblivious of what is coming ahead.

So what does all this mean? Not much, in the long run. It doesn't change what has to be done with what time we have left. Create, share, converse, and do it for the Good, for as long as you can. We have to break through Cultural Ground Zero before the rotting zombie of the 20th century attempts to drag us back into the grave once again.

The internet isn't forever, but that shouldn't stop us from doing what we need to do. We have to use every opportunity we have for as long as we have it. Do what you've have to do, same as always! Just be aware of what is lurking on the path ahead.

That's it for this week, and I will see you again soon. I've got some projects to get to. I promise they will be worth the wait!

Check out the summer issue of Cirsova! Out today!

The Big Summer Booksale!

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It's that time of year again!

Get yourself 300 books, each for either a buck or free for one week only! Have your choice of some of the best NewPub has to offer from writers you already enjoy or maybe new ones you've never stumbled across before. There is no limit to what you might find.

It's a bit overwhelming with choice these days, but with the mainstream offering little of value you have more than enough choice in the independent NewPub space. With over 300 to choose from, you won't be bored anytime soon.

For myself, you can find the Gemini Man series on sale and, for the first time ever, The Pulp Mindset! I would jump on that one if I were you, because this is a one time thing. Amazon's parameter's for sales are getting more obtuse, which makes the time to be able to even do sales in the first place bizarre. Heck, sometimes you can only choose specific regional stores to do it. So be sure to jump on it for one of the few times I can guarantee it'll be there at all.

Aside from myself, there is quite the selection. Let me highlight a few to jump on, if you have yet to do so yet. I'm going to try more obscure books that even I might have missed on previous posts like this one. I myself haven't read (most) of these, it's just a chance to highlight a work or author that might become lost in the shuffle. See for yourself if it's for you.

Legends of Atlameria: Harbinger of Worlds End

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There exists a fine line between truth and legend, in the heart of Atlameria.

Following an encounter in a deadly forest, two unlikely souls must join as one—or perish alone. Outcast shape-changer, called Ursakar by his people; Thorn struggles to understand the mysteries of his shadowed past while bearing the burden of an even more uncertain future. Meanwhile, the huntress tasked with the execution of his kind, Keira is forced to question the nature of her mission and whether those of her ruling order are as noble as they appear. Past and present soon collide with the discovery of a relic both ancient and prophetic in design.

Drums of war resound from the north, yet the two find themselves beset by a far greater threat near at hand—the same darkness that prompted the downfall of those who dwelt amongst these lands long ago. Against an enemy all but forgotten to the sands of time, even the unlikeliest of allies will prove better than none. A harbinger of the end approaches, but only those with the eyes to see can forestall its inevitability.

The Kings of Corona

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Mauregal wants to marry his girlfriend, run his brewery, and enjoy his friends in sixth-century Britain; but the valley of Palavel is ruled by a series of capricious tyrants whose every whim is enforced by the mysterious Corona. Then a knight and his squire visit with news of a king named Arthur of a different sort, and things begin to change--but the power of the Corona must still be reckoned with. This is a young-adult Arthurian fantasy mystery tale, with a sprinkling of libertarian and Christian themes.

A Case of Lycans

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The central city of Cathedral is tumultuous at the best of times. These are not the best of times for the troublesome big city. Murderers masquerading as werewolves terrorized Cathedral. Corrupt law enforcement masquerading as justice seekers handicaps the city. False falling crimes statistics masquerading as actual facts haunts Cathedral. Bad intentions masquerading as good intentions intensifies the woes of the mega metropolis.

It is difficult to be a police detective in the twisted city of Cathedral at the best of times. Again, these are not the best of times. Cathedral homicide detectives, Lt. Eddie Knighton and Detective Emily Oftenmarch, known as the mud tusslers, diligently work to solve the ongoing homicides in the city of Cathedral while encountering the wrongdoings of killers dressed as werewolves. Those killers cloaked as werewolves leave a trail of unsolved murders. It becomes the pair of detectives' duty to sort werewolf themed homicidal maniacs from everyday homicidal maniacs.

To make the mud tusslers' job more difficult, private law enforcement companies focused on profitability disguise themselves as institutions for serving and protecting the public. Cathedral police policy disguised as departmental improvements impedes their progress. Malicious misdeeds camouflaged as madness complicates their investigations. Criminals are not as they appear to be, crimes are not what they seem to be, and the crimes of the evil are shrouded by the crimes of the wicked.

What a tangled web the citizens and employees of Cathedral weave when they practice to deceive. Emily and Eddie battle to untangle the devious deceptions of lycans, liars, and lunatics. The more they sleuth the more the dastardly duplicity in Cathedral becomes complicated. Crime begets crime, skullduggery begets skullduggery, and the masquerading murders continue to befuddle the police. Sin never ceases in a city that never sleeps. The sum of all this deception and macabre crime is enough to drive a detective in the urban supercenter to insanity. Or are they insane?

Where will the werewolves strike next? What is their motive? Wait, was that a werewolf over there?

Holding the Line: Book One of The Long Watch

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𝐆𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐮𝐩 𝐰𝐚𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝟏𝟖-𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫-𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐃𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐲 𝐌𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫.

His mother had died so long ago, he could barely remember her. Now he lives with his alcoholic janitor father in the basement of the 150-year-old New Territorial Military Institute. Growing up at the prestigious, low-profile military academy, Danny had watched as the Territorial discretely provided a college education for the sons and daughters of politicians and royal families across the world, as well as the children of the rich and dysfunctional.

Beginning his freshman year at the Territorial on a “child of an employee” scholarship, Danny has a simple plan: graduate, leave behind his widowed drunk of a dad, and get the hell out of Wyoming.

That was before his home exploded. Before he met the sickly, spooky Tatiana who could See. Before the whispers in the night.

And that was before things got really weird.

Star Core: Wild Space

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In a war-ravaged solar system where Earth clings to the remnants of its fractured colonies, the only thing more dangerous than venturing into the unknown is what lies within it.

The elite Star Core have been tasked with an impossible mission: to infiltrate the uncharted territories beyond the Kuiper Belt—known as Wild Space—and neutralize a threat that could plunge the entire system into chaos. But Wild Space is no ordinary frontier. It’s a lawless expanse filled with rogue warlords, ruthless pirates, and remnants of humanity’s darkest secrets.

The Star Core’s mission will push them to their limits, testing their courage, loyalty, and their very humanity.

When the team uncovers the shocking truth about a legendary war criminal thought long dead, the stakes are raised higher than they ever imagined. With the fate of humanity hanging in the balance, the Core must navigate a deadly game of cat and mouse, where every decision could mean the difference between survival and oblivion.

Filled with heart-pounding action, relentless suspense, and deep space intrigue, Star Core: Into Wild Space is a thrilling ride that will leave you breathless. In the farthest reaches of space, where the lines between friend and foe blur, how far will they go to protect the future of mankind?

Prepare for a journey like no other, into the heart of darkness, and beyond.

The Arid Lands

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The Tyrhennians struggle to survive in the dried out basin of an ancient ocean. Inez knows no other world than this endless cycle of heat and brine, but listens to the stories of a distant land of great cities and endless seas.

She never believed them, until the day her brother is injured by a strange craft crossing the desolate plains. So she discovers that the stories are true. But as she tries to find her brother in a strange city she realises that she is not the only person from the salt plains here. Others from the Arid Lands have infiltrated the city - and they have a plan.

Coming to Power

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There’s another Earth, just a few steps away from ours, and it’s under siege by a dark, hungry god. It’s a planet where ancient enchantments still rule, where human society is built on the ruins of something greater. It’s calling for a hero.

An angelic guardian finds Jon on the run for killing his best friend’s murderer in defense. The spirit gives him a way out - travel to this other Earth and fight.

It brings him into the battle, praising him for being the first to answer the call in ages. Blessed with magic he could never have imagined, Jon begins his quest for the bloody shadow.

But the mad god knows he’s coming, and he’s got a legion of monsters ready and waiting.

The Mousetrap Murders

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A man wakes up in his car, unaware of how he got there...

Shaken by his loss of memory, he drives home, not knowing that in twenty-four hours he will be in jail, arrested for the kidnapping and murder of a missing college student. Though a mountain of evidence points to his guilt, this man, Julian Gutierrez, maintains his innocence. He is sentenced to Death Row, set to be executed for a crime he knows he did not commit, yet having no way of escaping his deadly and unjust fate.

That is, until the day a postcard arrives.

It claims to be from a witness that knows he is innocent. It is now up to Julian's sister and her husband to find out the truth before his time runs out. What they uncover is a mystery bigger than any of them could possibly imagine.

And in the shadows is a foe, calling himself The Fulcrum, waiting for the day that someone comes knocking, knocking at the door of the mousetrap he has constructed.

Shadow Hand Blues

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In 1954 budding blues virtuoso Waymon "Tornado" Fuller is executed for the murder of a North Carolina woman.

In 1994 nomadic hot-rodder, moonlighting private investigator and blues aficionado Deke Jones stumbles upon Fuller's guitar, triggering a mudslide of buried truths. Fuller's innocence is one revelation. Another is “Shadow Hand Blues”--the last song he recorded, which Jones has never heard of.

An impromptu search for the studio where the recording session took place leads Jones to a small hippie town seemingly still enjoying the Summer of Love, where the psychedelic atmosphere turns from surreal to hostile when he begins asking questions.

Vintage Fender Telecaster in one hand, steering wheel of his radical Cyclone Spoiler II in the other, Deke Jones launches a one-man crusade to exonerate the infamous musician and find the obscure recording. The blood trails are 40 years cold, but neither corrupt good ol' boy cops, sex industry sadists, nor fanatical pyramid-schemers can throw Deacon Jones off this case. This investigative pilgrimage propels Jones right into the bloodstained fingers of a clandestine power elite Tornado Fuller called the Shadow Hand.

Cayote Cal: Tales from the Weird West

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There's Trouble on the Range

In these thrilling tales from yesteryear, Coyote Cal and his trusty sidekick Big Yap encounter a wizard able to change his shape at will, a scheming witch, a confused zombie, la chupacabra grande, bloodthirsty vampyres, and other sordid fiends. Our heroes will have to rely on their wits, skills, and loads of hot lead to ensure justice prevails.

This volume collects all 9 weird western stories in the Coyote Cal Adventure Series, including:

"Fool's Gold" - Coyote Cal and Big Yap encounter their most challenging adversary yet: a Portuguese wizard able to change his shape at will. Our heroes will have to rely on their wits, skills, and loads of hot lead if they hope to foil this shape-shifter's evil schemes before he ends them, once and for all.

"Coyote Cal's Guide to the Weird, Wild West" - Coyote Cal must match wits with Donna "the Witch" Jamison, a master of the dark arts intent on planting him in the ground. Cal has stood toe to toe with his fair share of villains in the past--but this time, he's up against something altogether different in the form of a metal-mouthed gunslinger named Sleepy Rider and his dead brother, Easy.

"El Diablo de Paseo Grande" - Something's attacking the livestock outside the little town of Paseo Grande, and our heroes are hot on the monster's trail. But Coyote Cal, Big Yap, and Donna "the Witch" Jamison may have bitten off more than they can chew this time, and only one of them will be able to save the day -- or die trying.

"Harbinger of Arroyo Seco" - Like many heroes, Coyote Cal was once a boy... There's a storm brewing over the town of Arroyo Seco, and a sheriff with his uncanny eye on the future sees nothing but trouble for our hero-in-the-making. In love with an older woman and hunted by a gang of outlaws seeking retribution, young Calvin must walk a fine line between protecting the one he loves and becoming a ruthless killer.

The Rooster Rider

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On the borderlands of Wales, the newly knighted Sir Thomas of Barley Mill Cross, astride his mighty warhorse Rooster, recklessly challenges an evil Witch. Through her black arts, the Witch gets the better of Sir Thomas and Rooster. In the aftermath of the encounter, Rooster is an actual rooster, and Thomas is left size of a child’s doll. Torn from their own world and cast down among the small creatures of forest and farm, they are drawn into a savage conflict...the vicious weasel clans are conquering all the small creatures.

The small creatures need a hero. Desperately.

Thomas and Rooster’s only wish is to be restored, the witch magic broken, to return to their old lives. But Thomas is a knight who will live or die by his Oath, and he will not turn his back on those in need. Finding his way among the small creatures, knight and steed make friends willing to die by their side in battle, and make enemies willing to sacrifice themselves to send Thomas and Rooster to their doom.

In the chaos of war, Thomas and Rooster must find a way to stop the weasel clans and their wicked allies in time to have the spells binding them undone. This must happen before the witch is executed for her crimes. But will they make it? Or will they be forever cursed in their altered states, to follow the Oath along a path unlike any a knight has ever travelled?

Gods & Proxies

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WHEN THE GODS GO TO WAR, YOU HAD BETTER BE SURE THE ONE YOU SERVE WILL PREVAIL...

The invisible god, El Elyon, has promised the young nation of Yacov their own homeland. Trouble is, the land is full of giants, backed up by a pantheon of gods who would rather see Yacov slaughtered to a man.

And they are just men. The Yacovites are desert nomads without even enough swords for all their militia.

Salmon and Othniel are two of the young soldiers who must face the gigantic warriors in battle, starting at the fortress city of Bet-Yariq, with formidable walls that only giants empowered by gods could build.

Brave men's hearts melt with fear. The very planet reels to and fro as if ready to tear itself apart. But though El Elyon is outnumbered by the enemy gods, and his warriors are far outclassed, he has assured them that he himself will lead them into war, and together they will beat all the odds.

Living in Times of Dragons

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"...as with everything in my life, all this began with dreams..."

American ex-pat, father and widower, Roger Rommel, did not believe in dragons. Unfortunately, they did not return the sentiment.

After returning from a self-imposed exile to his adopted country of South Africa, Roger is confronted by these legendary fire-breathing reptiles who risked exposing their hidden world simply to hunt him. Gifted with the ability to create and enter dreams, as well as to see the future, he tries to survive and protect his son from enemies he does not understand. But the past is alive, and he finds himself linked to a conflict thousands of years old.

The world he knew is now stranger, more fantastic and terrifying than he truly knew, especially when everyone is out to get you.

That Axe Anciently Was Mine: Swords & Seventies

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What if the hero of a savage and ancient land returned from the deep mists of time?

Samuel Rider is a man out of time and place. A man with a destiny undreamed of.
Necromancers and demons, werewolves and the undead. The villains and monsters of legend lurk still in the night, unseen by most.

Samuel battles the strange, the deadly, and the unholy with a band of on-again-off-again allies in the Ancient Order of Chandlers.

Sword & Seventies – High adventure in the age of the birth of Heavy Metal!

Deathbringer

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Inga Alenir is a Swordbearer. She is the latest in a long line of women to inherit a magical weapon called Deathbringer. She's also dead, murdered on her wedding day by the ruthless and covetous noblewoman Yenda Avard, who steals the sword after killing Inga and her entire family.

And yet, some secrets won't stay buried. Deathbringer has a will and a consciousness of its own, and even has the power to raise Inga from the dead for a short time. It warns her that she has one week to find and retrieve the sword before death reclaims her—permanently. With each day bringing her doom and final demise ever closer, Inga will have to see just how far she's willing to go to achieve her vengeance.

DEATHBRINGER is a compositional mix between the violent, grisly hunt for revenge in the film THE NIGHTINGALE and the tale of Vasher and his talking sword Nightblood in Brandon Sanderson's WARBREAKER. Other inspiriations are Fred Saberhagen's BOOK OF SWORDS series and Michael Moorcock's ELRIC stories. Fans of dark fantasy, of tragic love stories and tales about seeking revenge against long odds will enjoy this debut novel by Blake Carpenter in the world of Agareth where a scorned, young widow fights back against the powerful elites that wronged her, and begins a journey that might turn the entire world against her.

Gun Magus

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Low on luck, but not ammo

The last thing Kenneth Jericho needed was a gunfight and car chase with human traffickers. What started as a bad morning only got worse.

A flash of light sends Ken to a strange world filled with magic, hideous monsters, beautiful women,
and seemingly unlimited ammo.

With pistol in hand, Ken is thrown into a race against time to stop a local ganglord's reign of terror. But is the thug the brains behind the violence, or is someone - or something - else pulling his strings?

Shoot the Devil 2: Dark Matter

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Welcome back to a world filled with horrors beyond count. A world where madmen fly across galaxies chasing forbidden power and ancient evil seeks to infect and eradicate all life. A world filled with heroes ready and willing to fight the darkness. To raise the crucifix and the blaster rifle to send the evil straight back to hell.

The Dragon Hand

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An ancient evil is returning to threaten the world—at least, that’s what one of voices in Serivak’s head is telling him.

As the only dragon in the kingdom and technically a prisoner of war, Serivak’s position as the King’s Hand via his friendship with the young king is precarious enough before the voice of one of his ancestors warned of the new threat. With the help of two young foreigners, Serivak endeavors to avert disaster—but as evidence of a conspiracy grows, his political enemies close to home may be even more dangerous.

Three Rivers Plague

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The unleashing of a biological weapon across the United States forces the government to begin rounding up high-profile individuals, in hopes of preserving American society. Famous rockstar Thomas Wylde, fresh off the catastrophe at his latest concert, is taken to a shelter in the sky. That is, until a member of his band falls victim to the weapon's infection, convincing him to escape into the post-apocalyptic city of Pittsburgh, now plagued by undead horrors, cults, cocaine junkies, and even the mafia. Their only hope is to find a cure to this disease before the transformation occurs. But not everyone is convinced of this new bioweapons' origins -- like Boston police detective Dick Kennedy.

It's up to Thomas and his band of survivors to discover the truth, not only about this new world, but about his government, his friends, and himself, all the while trying to carve out a slab of life for everyone and everything he cares about.

Stellar Stories: Volume 1

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Eight stories of rockets and robots, monsters and Martians, fistfights and beauties, wonders and awe...

A young man's blind date is kidnapped by Martians and he is drawn into her secrets. A brotherhood outside of time seeks to mend a Solar System devastated by lunatic machines. Men from a Plutonian research base confront metaphysical chaos on Charon. Two runaway sisters resolve to rescue the implanted helper-sentience of a deceased warrior. And more!

The Operators: Monster Makers

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The Department of SuperHuman Activities observes and polices the superpowered community in the United States. Though cooperation and open dialogue, the DSHA ensures the safety of superhumans and the public in general. Only during emergencies that regular law enforcement aren't equipped or trained to handle do they send in their emergency response team, the Operators. Led by Major Peter Hicks, the Hunter, and composed of superhumans from all over America, the Operators handle threats that others can't.

When people are killed in a series of strange animal attacks, the Operators are called to New Mexico to investigate. There, they discover a factory where monsters are made by an underground society of scientists and terrorists bent on world domination. The Operators are hard pressed to stop these monster makers in a war where safety is an illusion and not everyone will come out alive. Still, facing threats like this is their job, and it's time to get to work.

Chronologues: Tales on the Theme of Time

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“Time marches on...”

But in what direction? Whoever said that never clarified whether time had to always go forward, or backward, or in a straight line. In this collection, we invite you to delve into five tales that explore the beautiful, bendable, breakable nature of time itself.

“The Camera” by D.L. White
A haunting portrait of a young man who is stuck in his grief over the sudden loss of one of his best friends. A story of frozen moments in time, it is a supernatural snapshot of what happens when past regrets turn into an obsession.

“The Ladies Three” by Chad Olson
Want safe passage for your ship and crew? You can have it. The price the Ladies Three require is but an hour of one sailor’s time. An hour, and perhaps something more. But what happens when the sailor selected has plans of his own?

“The Annuity Squad” by James Kenneth Rogers
Divorced and down-on-his-luck, Ralph receives an unexpected windfall, and the promise of even more money in seven years’ time. Should he sign on the dotted line, or is it all too good to be true?

“The Theatrica Mechanica” by Eric Nilles
Discover a world of wizards, kingdoms and unusual beasts during a time of great upheaval. The peaceful and the wicked are destined to clash, a peace-loving king will discover he has been granted little time to prepare, and only by enlisting the most cunning members of his court does his kingdom have a chance to endure.

“What If?” by Debra Robic
Sylvia and Alan have lived long enough to be involuntarily housed in the State old folks’ home. Dispossessed and disempowered, they find a strange book that suggests the path out of this dystopian future might lie in changing the past — if they are brave enough.

Life Support: Secret Operations

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Father Tanner treats the sick and injured on a dusty backwater planet. Desperate for supplies, he takes a job to treat a visiting alien official, teaming up with Damien Rogers, an out-of-work smuggler, to get him there. The problem? They’re on the wrong side of enemy lines in the middle of a cold war.

Forced to hide their identities, Father Tanner and his team are stumped by the bizarre patient, whose condition steadily worsens. To make matters worse, the alien crew catches onto the ruse, and the missionary is forced to turn to kidnapping. Can they find the diagnosis before their only bargaining chip dies on the operating table?

Faith and Empire

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One Faith. One Galactic Empire. A Thousand Worlds To Convert!

In the 51st century, man has spread throughout a great swath of the galaxy without having found any sign of alien life or another habitable world. Instead, mankind has splintered into a score of bio-engineered sub-species spread out across more than a thousand terraformed worlds. The Holy Terran Empire rules over three hundred of these man-made planets. Earth, the One, True World is the Empire’s Capital. The One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church of Rome governs the Empire, hand-in-hand, with the Imperial Family.

Not everyone is pleased with this arrangement.

Zephyrinus Zapatas, a dutiful citizen of the Empire and loyal son of the Church is more than happy with the Co-Dominion of Emperor and Pope. At sixteen, Zeph leaves home, seeking a life of service to the two crowns, hoping to find his opportunity by earning an invitation to join the Emperor’s Own, the elite Corps of Imperial Marines.

The Corps’ training will be arduous; its moral code, exacting, but; Zeph looks forward to the trials and the strictures. The Corps will demand sacrifices. In return, the Imperial Marines offer its recruits little more than a career fraught with peril to life and limb. Zeph is eager to accept the life, however short it might prove to be, because it comes with the chance of achieving his greatest ambition: reaching the rank of Knight Defender of the Faith and Empire.

The Holy Terran Empire is a new space opera series for anyone who can't get enough sword & blaster action.

Spengler's Future: An Outline of the Next 7 Centuries of Western History

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This projection of the future into the 27th century uses a simple computer program and even simpler interpretations of the Oswald Spengler's Decline of the West and Arnold Toynbee's Study of History. No, this is not a serious exercise, but it does suggest what the future would look like if the modern age really is analogous to the Hellenistic Age. Important years include 2080, 2309, and 2603.

So there you have it, 25 books out of over 300 in this year's sale, all for a buck or free. Check them out for yourself to see if they are for your liking, or maybe you might find something else that strikes your fancy instead!

I tried to focus on works that fall short of the review threshold on amazon (20 reviews) and works that have descriptions a bit out of the ordinary, of that would interest myself and any readers that share my interests. There is a lot to go through, so enjoy yourself and make some author's day by giving them a shot.

Also, as a reminder both my Gemini Man books and The Pulp Mindset are both included! Now is the chance to grab them.

As a reminder, the sale runs through Tuesday next week, so be sure to check on it before it's too late! Find yourself a new favorite NewPub writer!

That's all for this week! Have yourself a fun summer, enjoy the upcoming holiday, and I will see you again soon.

Aside from the sale, as a reminder, the new anthology Rock and Roll Mercenaries is out! 15 tales of hard rock adventure celebrating a musical genre unlike any other. Get yourself a copy today!

Weekend Lounge ~ The Other Genre That Doesn't Exist

Welcome to the weekend!

It's been rather crazy recently, hasn't it? Not much time to just sit back and smell the roses, as it were. So lets just dive into it today.

We've talked a lot about how fake modern genres are, but we tend to focus on the 1940s when such things were starting to be solidified. That was when the eggheads seized control of the industry to give shape to artificial frames that no longer exist. In fact, as I wrote about in The Last Fanatics, by the 1970s it was already starting to die out in the wider culture even as said Fanatics tightened their grip on their then-dying sector. All of this stems from a game of definition dodgeball that has never truly been won, despite their claims otherwise. The game is long since over, and they lost long before the first ball was even thrown. It was never going to end any other way.

What we don't tend to mention too much is that there was just as much nonsense in the decades after the 1940s that helped warp definitions even further. While I tend to bring up the phrase Science Fiction Doesn't Exist in regards to the Futurian crowd, what I don't bring up enough is the other side of this non-existent coin they forged: so-called Fantasy Doesn't Exist either. In fact, the term itself is already meant to be disparaging, the lesser, nonsense-fueled half of the superior materialist fiction genre . . . even though its hinged on the frame of a philosophical worldview that is deader than disco. (Literally deader, disco has more influence on modern underground movements than "Golden Age" siffy has on its medium.)

For an example of what I mean, check out the above video that goes into how Lester Del Ray's marketing in the '60s and '70s not only created a trend, but then inadvertently birthed a "genre" that centered on then-common surface level clichés that were then flipped and then flipped again in the decades to come, all to create an endless string of subversion capping off at where said "genre" is today: dead.

Much like the "Science Half" of the "genre" it is built upon a division that is not relevant to today, just as it wasn't for the several thousand years of recorded civilization from before eggheads were given paper crowns and a seat at the table. It has no relevance to today, and the case could be made that it never actually did--we all just had to pretend otherwise as those in charge declared what their subjects had to think about certain subjects and where their limitations lay.

The fact of the matter is the reason so much of the old literary space and store shelves is cluttered with generic "genre" fare is because the Thor Power Tool Case from 1979 cleared out the backlog of stories from before 1980 and kept them out of print while the shelves were then filled with pumped out factory belt-line product to make up for the loss. It's how important and influential authors like A. Merritt and EE "Doc" Smith were memory-holed over night. What you went from having is timeless tales of myth and adventure at your fingertips, to having a shelf of product created to fill a quota of checkbox fiction to match advertising trends of the 1970s decades afterwards.

This is why the lack of new or fresh literary "trends" in the 1980s and 90s are non-existent. As a consequence to all of this, readership dwindled over time and those that remained were more interested in the tropes being fed to them over and over again instead the wonder or the creativity of the stories themselves. It was a massive dead end, and we all recognize it now.

By the 2000s, all we were left with was subversions of subversions and endless mashups of tired tropes originating from the 1960s because that was the only frame OldPub had left to work from. There was nothing exciting or new to come, just more of the same originating from those ancient advertising campaigns. And that is essentially why the industry hasn't had a breakout hit since Harry Potter took everyone by surprise back in the '90s. How could they have another one, when everything they produce has to follow a strict formula from over half a century ago to appeal to an audience that doesn't even exist anymore? That is why nothing is coming out of that system.

And that has lead them to where they are today: dead and irrelevant, just like their made up genre boxes that ran out of steam long ago. All that's left is the future: NewPub. The only place you'll get anything new is among those who have no cap on their imagination, no quota to fill, and no boxes to check. The only thing left is the story itself.

That is what the future holds.

Some have taken to calling Oldpub "Deadpub" instead, and it's easy to see why. The only question is how long has it actually been dead for, and when can we finally admit the corpse is stinking up the place? It's only a matter of time before the remains crumble away. In the meantime, Newpub has a lot of work to do to fill the hole. Here's hoping we can manage before it all collapses in on itself. It's gonna take some time.

In related news, I also just released a new podcast episode on the Patreon on this very topic! It's over an hour long and I talk about the future coming down the pike and how much things have changed since the Fanatics failed to see any of it coming. Listen now to learn just why Science Fiction Doesn't Exist in the first place! I bumped the preview to 10 minutes for this episode, so jump in and listen for yourself to see just what that means.

We're going to have to change our entire frame in order to find a new way forward. I think we can do it. The only question is when, not if, that will occur, because it's coming. Time to prepare accordingly!

That's all I've got for this week. Have yourself a good Father's Day and a comfortable start of summer coming up. Things are getting better, just not in the most obvious ways. It's especially difficult to se it these days, but it is happening. Just keep your head up and you'll eventually be able to see it coming.

Have a good weekend, and I'll see you soon!

Check out Rock and Roll Mercenaries and my story Spirit Rock! 15 Tales of Hard Rock adventure await inside!

Weekend Lounge ~ Boomer Blues

Welcome to the weekend!

I hope you've been having a good one. The weather is finally turning around, at least where I am. But enough about that. Let us get to today's topic.

This week I wanted to talk a bit more about the inevitable death of the 20th century and the legacy of the Baby Boomers. Instead of going over the usual points, I wanted to focus on what exactly is being left behind as they pass on. Turns out it won't be much.

It's no secret that as time passes, those of us who are a bit older, the ones who remember the Greatest Generation, as they were called, have noticed a clear difference between them and their children in regards to how they have aged. It's unavoidable, an elephant in the room that they are vastly different creatures, at the end of the day. In fact, it is almost night and day seeing how different the two are. Did they come from different planets?

Yes, obviously, but we already knew that.

When the Greats died, they did so confident in the fact that they did what they could in life (good or bad) and rightfully understood that their time was up and it was their children's turn for being in control and picking up the slack they were leaving behind. So how it always is, and has been through all of human history before this point. They grew old, accepted their time was near, and went into the deep night like we all eventually will, making sure to pass on their work when they were still cognoscente and used their final years to reflect and stand on the sidelines.

The Baby Boomers, however, are a very different story. As a generation, they have done none of this. Almost all political protests are attended by grey hair boomers. Almost all remaining watchers of TV (and news channels especially) are all Baby Boomers. The ones out in public proclaiming the death of all that is good and decent unless we repent of our 20th century sacrilege in ignoring said failed century, are all old people. They still think it's their goal to revolutionize the world. What this is all saying is that the boomers are not acting their age, and they are terrified of doing so. They are not capable of making that last move of acceptance. It's still the Me Generation, to the bitter end.

And boy howdy, what an end it has been! Politicians defecating themselves on stage, Alzheimer's patients being shuffled around to give speeches as if this were serious business, and crusty entertainers posing and pouting like they're still a fresh-faced twentysomething rebel. For something really embarrassing, look up videos of Madonna's recent performances. If that isn't the most embarrassing thing you've ever seen I would be surprised.

What all this is saying, is that it's over, and none of them want to accept it. They don't want to accept it because they have no mind for anything else. All they can do is play pretend at being their version of you. "80 is the new 30" is, unfortunately, not a slogan getting much use. Those old movies and TV shows of grandpa trying to be hip and relevant have nothing on what those "hip" kids from back then have aged into. It's just sad at this point.

But this is all they have. They never strove for anything else.

As the most materialistic generation of all time (and there is some steady competition!) they do not believe in legacy, hope, grace, or anything that isn't cold hard cash or property. They never grew out of the world as a toybox stage the TV taught them way back when it was still relevant. As a consequence, the thing they are most terrified of is not being the one dying with the most toys. They are running out the clock by tightening their geriatric grip on the control levers they were gifted nearly half a century ago, to prevent the 20th century from ending. They do this because they know as soon as they do let go (regardless of the age demo, religious beliefs, or political affiliation of the ones under them) everything they fought so hard to do will be undone overnight. Everyone knows it, and it is their worst nightmare to be forgotten.

Baby Boomers can't bear being alive to see that inevitability. Therefore they will hold fast to the failed ideas and structures of the previous failed century and force it in place, even as their dying corpses are dragged into the clockwork to jam it up to prevent anyone from even attempting to fix it. They'll be dead by then, their toys securely with them (or so they seem tot think) and damn whatever comes next. That is their highest aspiration as a generation.

The above video is a good example of that mentality. the other younger generations might blame each other for stuck culture and the inability to create something new, but the problem is how deliberately jammed all the machinery is right now, and things won't change until it is fixed. We're all still dealing with ghosts of a past that some of us alive today weren't even alive to see. It goes without saying, they will be gone sooner than later. No one will be around to do otherwise. That's just how the passage of time works.

The good and bad news, is that it won't be that way forever, and we are destined to move on in as little as a couple of decades from now. This is unavoidable. The question is--will we be prepared when this shift finally happens? And when it does occur, how will we be able to move on from the dead era that is long since passed? What vision of the future will we have untied from the failure of the previous century? We're going to have to ask ourselves hard questions and accept some truths we were told to avoid. It will not be easy. Prepare accordingly!

That's all for this week, folks. I hope you've picked up the Rock and Roll Mercenaries anthology, and if you didn't know, I also recently finished the Psycho Mission serial on the Patreon. I also put out another episode of the podcast, this one on endings. There is no shortage of fun to be had over there, if you want it! There's still more to come after this, so hold on tight.

Summer's almost here! It's gonna be great.

Check out Rock and Roll Mercenaries here!