We’re judges for this year’s SPSFC. Here’s the second batch of books we’ll be reviewing.

Singularity Dawn: In Other Worlds: Volume I by Dalton Roberts

At the beginning of the end, the world stands still.

Objects small and large around the globe go missing in an instant. Soon after, entire populations of towns go missing. As the world's population grapples with these mysterious events, and the lights in the sky that accompany them, Quinn Barlow and his neighbor, Kai, begin seeing a vision that offers hope for salvation.

With conditions deteriorating around them, the neighbors set out for Serpent Mound, an ancient site at the center of their vision. One misstep on their journey to safety and they could end up in another time, or another world.

Will they make it in time? And what awaits them if they make it to the coiled serpent they see in their minds?

Cultural Practices of the Heartland by Andy Crawford

Deep within the suburban jungle of Cincinnati, a monster has emerged, bursting out of the Rumpke Sanitary Landfill. Taking its name from its birthplace, Rumpke is a thousand feet tall, has revolting personal habits, and might be vaguely familiar to readers, considering his orange-tinged hair and proportionally tiny hands. What do Americans do when such a creature appears, lumbers around at random, and occasionally defiles a local landmark? For millions, the choice is obvious – worship it.

Yesterday Pill by Iain Benson

Hunted.
Disavowed.
Wade will risk the world to save Cassandra.
Anya knows Wade’s past and Cassandra’s future.

Paladin wants Cassandra dead and will go to any length to ensure that happens.
Cassandra has an uncanny ability to stay one step ahead.
And so does Wade. If only he can remember.

Anya abducts Wade and Cassandra at gunpoint from a restaurant, beginning a race around the Mediterranean and beyond. Realising Anya might hold the truth of his past before a seizure wiped his memory, Wade quickly learns more than he ever thought possible. Including a past he had with Anya. Finding why Paladin wants Cassandra dead, and how they keep finding them, will uncover a world-shattering secret.

Memoirs of a Synth: Gold Record by Leigh Saunders

Tour guide, emissary, diplomat, thief -- and a long-lived, genetically engineered Synth -- Brianna Rei travels the Hundred Worlds, hiding in plain sight. She knows her survival depends on staying one step ahead of the bounty hunters who have nearly exterminated her kind.

All that changes when she teams up with fellow-thief, Jerrold McKell, and he discovers Brianna's true identity. Now Brianna must choose between trust and survival, and what it means to be truly human.

Galaxy of Thorns: Rise of the Empress by Bogdan Tăbușcă

Divided between great wicked minds and cruel beings of unnatural power, the world of Artia has long been under the cycle of war and suffering. A child is born, conceived in an unholy union. A mighty empress to bring the world within her grasp, through mercy and kindness, through sword and fire. But will she be any better than the horrors that came before her? Or will she succumb to the vices of power and rule this world as its new dark master?

Falling Stars by Justin Lucero

There are those who fight for change, and others who'd rather suppress it. Outcasts come from all sides of the spectrum. Some—can be willful allies. In the end, 'What goes around, comes around'. The year is 2084, the future is bleak. Within a compound called Hangar sixty-eight, deep underneath an Arizona desert—problems have risen. Venturing through its many sub-levels, James, an escaped experiment is met with harsh realities and deadly encounters he's never endured; guided by two, mysterious characters to witness an underworld of total terror and knowledge of a threat that's almost unimaginable. As he fights on, so does his girlfriend, Alice. Who's led to battle through the realm of dreams. Journeying an outer land, she meets a few allies and enemies along the way. Take a ride into this sci-fi, action-packed horror and fantasy experience, as these two rebellious souls make their way through a dark and puzzling chain of events.

Secrets of PEACE by T. A. Hernandez

Open your eyes. See the truth. Make a choice. After a devastating global war left America in ruins, the authoritarian PEACE Project rose to power, providing safety and stability in exchange for absolute control over citizen’s lives. Raised in the Project since infancy, assassin Zira is proud of her role in protecting society from threats to their peace and stability. She has always worked better alone, but after making a careless mistake on an assignment, she’s forced to work with Jared, the best operative in her unit. What starts as a reluctant partnership soon becomes friendship and then a budding romance as they work together and learn to rely on each other. But when misinformation causes a mission to backfire, Zira’s deepest loyalties and strongest relationships are tested in a place where even a hint of doubt can be perceived as treason.

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EPIC INDIE’S SPSFC 3 BOOK BATCH PART 2