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<\/p>\nLet\u2019s take a quick look to see what\u2019s arrived in the mail here at the Geek Compound. <\/p>\n
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Catalyst<\/span><\/a> by Anne McCaffrey and Elizabeth Ann Scarborough<\/span><\/p>\n Promo copy:<\/span><\/p>\n Pilot, navigator, engineer, doctor, scientist\u2014ship’s cat? All are essential to the well-staffed space vessel. Since the early days of interstellar travel, when Tuxedo Thomas, a Maine coon cat, showed what a cat could do for a ship and its crew, the so-called Barque Cats have become highly prized crew members. Thomas’s carefully bred progeny, ably assisted by humans\u2014Cat Persons\u2014with whom they share a deep and loving bond, now travel the galaxy, responsible for keeping spacecraft free of vermin, for alerting human crews to potential environmental hazards, and for acting as morale officers.<\/p>\n Even among Barque Cats, Chessie is something special. Her pedigree, skills, and intelligence, as well as the close rapport she has with her human, Janina, make her the most valuable crew member aboard the Molly Daise. And the litter of kittens in her belly only adds to her value.<\/p>\n Then the unthinkable happens. Chessie is kidnapped\u2014er, catnapped\u2014from Dr. Jared Vlast’s vet clinic at Hood Station by a grizzled spacer named Carl Poindexter. But Chessie’s newborn kittens turn out to be even more extraordinary than their mother. For while Chessie’s connection to Janina is close and intuitive, the bond that the kitten Chester forms with Carl’s son, Jubal, is downright telepathic. And when Chester is sent into space to learn his trade, neither he nor Jubal will rest until they’re reunited.<\/p>\n But the announcement of a widespread epidemic affecting livestock on numerous planets throws their future into doubt. Suddenly the galactic government announces a plan to impound and possibly destroy all exposed animals. Not even the Barque Cats will be spared.<\/p>\n With the clock racing against them, Janina, Jubal, Dr. Vlast, and a handful of very special kittens will join forces with the mysterious Pshaw-Ra\u2014an alien-looking cat with a hidden agenda\u2014to save the Barque Cats, other animals, and quite possibly the universe as they know it from total destruction.<\/p>\n \n Unholy Ghosts<\/span><\/a> by Stacia Kane<\/span><\/p>\n Promo copy:<\/span><\/p>\n THE DEPARTED HAVE ARRIVED.<\/p>\n The world is not the way it was. The dead have risen, and the living are under attack. The powerful Church of Real Truth, in charge since the government fell, has sworn to reimburse citizens being harassed by the deceased.<\/p>\n Consequently, there are many false claims of hauntings from those hoping to profit. Enter Chess Putnam, a fully-tattooed witch, freewheeling Debunker, and ghost hunter. She\u2019s got a real talent for nailing human liars and banishing the wicked dead. But she\u2019s keeping a dark secret from the Church: a little drug problem that\u2019s landed her in hot and dangerous water.<\/p>\n Chess owes a lot of money to a murderous drug lord named Bump. And Bump wants immediate payback. All Chess has to do is dispatch a very nasty species of undead from an old airport. But the job involves black magic, human sacrifice, a nefarious demonic creature, and crossing swords with enough wicked energy to wipe out a city of souls. Toss in lust for a rival gang leader and a dangerous attraction to Bump\u2019s ruthless enforcer, and Chess begins to wonder if the rush is really worth it. Hell, yeah. <\/p>\n \n Spellbent<\/span><\/a> by Lucy A. Snyder<\/span><\/p>\n Promo copy:<\/span><\/p>\n In the heart of Ohio, Jessie Shimmer is caught up in hot, magic-drenched passion with her roguish lover, Cooper Marron, who is teaching her how to tap her supernatural powers. When they try to break a drought by calling down a rainstorm, a hellish portal opens and Cooper is ripped from this world, leaving Jessie fighting for her life against a vicious demon that’s been unleashed.<\/p>\n In the aftermath, Jessie, who knows so little about her own true nature, is branded an outlaw. She must survive by her wits and with the help of her familiar, a ferret named Palimpsest. Stalked by malevolent enemies, Jessie is determined to find out what happened to Cooper. But when she moves heaven and earth to find her man, she’ll be shocked by what she discovers\u2014and by what she must ultimately do to save them all.<\/p>\n \n Starfist: Double Jeopardy<\/span><\/a> by David Sherman and Dan Cragg<\/span><\/p>\n Promo copy:<\/span><\/p>\n The thrilling pace of the Starfist space epic quickens as the explosive series rockets to dazzling new heights, packed with the hell-for-leather action only two battle-hardened and decorated combat vets like David Sherman and Dan Cragg can provide.<\/p>\n The Confederation has finally disclosed the existence of Skinks, fierce aliens bent on wiping out humankind, and announced its plan to find and destroy their home world. While the rest of the universe grapples with the news, the Skink-savvy Marines of the Confederation’s Thirty-fourth Fleet Initial Strike Team (FIST) have their own take on the situation.<\/p>\n Though they’re no longer in danger of being exiled to a ghastly netherworld for spilling the beans about the deadly aliens, the men still can’t transfer out of the unit where they’ve been confined since they first laid eyes on the Skinks. The reason is obvious: Who else but the legendary Thirty-fourth FIST has the skills and experience to spearhead the invasion of the Skinks’ home world?<\/p>\n Morale isn’t improved by a report of Skinks on the uncolonized world of Ishtar near a mercenary force engaged in slave-driven mining operations there\u2014which means that FIST must turn around and head right back into the jaws of hell with no downtime. But none of that matters to Lieutenant Charlie Bass and the third platoon of Company L. They’re Marines, they’re the best, and they’ve got a job to do. <\/p>\n The Marines will find a planet ripped apart by all-out war, with enemies on all sides. The only certainty is that the fighting will rage red-hot and relentless, and Charlie Bass and his men will be right in the thick of the action.<\/p>\n \n Starfist: Wings of Hell<\/span><\/a> by David Sherman and Dan Cragg<\/span><\/p>\n Promo copy:<\/span><\/p>\n Planet Haulover has been invaded by Skinks. Until now, the aliens’ existence has been hushed up. But Force Recon’s shocking report leaves the Confederation no choice but to mount a military campaign against these alien predators bent on human destruction. Meanwhile, back home, the Confederation’s president is being denounced as a warmonger out to exterminate "harmless" aliens. If she loses the upcoming elections, the Confederation will have a lot more Skinks to worry about than the ones on Haulover.<\/p>\n Newly promoted Lieutenant Charlie Bass and his third platoon have more pressing concerns, such as staying alive. But what would be a suicide mission for most\u2014whether it’s raiding a hidden Skinks base or destroying the enemy’s most lethal weapons during a desperate firefight\u2014is just another job for the Thirty-fourth FIST.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Let\u2019s take a quick look to see what\u2019s arrived in the mail here at the Geek Compound. Catalyst by Anne McCaffrey and Elizabeth Ann Scarborough Promo copy: Pilot, navigator, engineer, doctor, scientist\u2014ship’s cat? All are essential to the well-staffed space … Continue reading ![](\"http:\/\/ecx.images-amazon.com\/images\/I\/51Jjwx-3wFL._SL500_AA240_.jpg\")
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