Recent releases: "The Ivory Tower" short story, new edition of Merry Christmas, Mister Wolf anthology.
SEE ALSO: Other WyrdStar Books | Related Non-WyrdStar Books | Coming Soon | Bookshops, Reviewers, Libraries
A kidnapped prince, a school band competition and an electric cat that eats everything in sight!
Here starts the tale of Ravana O’Brien, the intrepid teenage heroine of the series, a half-Australian, half-Indian trainee engineer who lives with her father in a forgotten asteroid colony ship drifting around Barnard’s Star. What began as a minor escapade to rescue her erratic electric cat soon becomes a fast-paced mystery of interstellar intrigue, taking Ravana and friends back into the civil war from which she and her father had fled. Hollow Moon is an incredible planet-hopping adventure into the shady world of politics, rebellion and school band competitions; a tale of mystery, humour and thrills!
The first novel from The Worlds Of Hollow Moon.
EBOOK recommended retail price: £0.99 / $0.99
PAPERBACK recommended retail price: £13.99 / $17.99
On the forbidding planet of Falsafah, archaeologists are on the verge of a discovery that will shake the five systems to the core.
Ravana O’Brien, the reluctant young heroine of Hollow Moon, finds herself on another wild adventure, this time in the company of two extra-terrestrial greys, a cake-obsessed secret agent and a mysterious little boy wanted by the alien-worshipping Dhusarian Church. A perilous quest across the deadly deserts of Falsafah brings them into conflict with cyberclone monks, homicidal giant spiders, a psychotic nurse and a god-like cat woman with secrets of her own. Back on Ascension, can detective Ostara and reporter Fornax uncover the truth? Paw-Prints Of The Gods is a space-opera mystery set around the discovery of ancient alien ruins on a desert planet; and a prophecy that may or may not be real...
The second novel from The Worlds Of Hollow Moon.
EBOOK recommended retail price: £1.99 / $2.99
PAPERBACK recommended retail price: £13.99 / $17.99
Raja Surya, young heir to the moon of Yuanshi, cannot stay out of trouble for long. Zotz Wak, intrepid boy inventor, decides Earth is the place to become a man.
The eponymous City Of Deceit is the dystopian 23rd-century London, ravaged by rising sea levels, social inequalities and terrible politics. The United Nations is deciding the fate of Surya’s world. The Que Qiao Corporation is using the threat of alien monsters to call for war. Ravana O’Brien, the heroine of previous adventures, is stricken with a mystery illness and her hollow moon home has problems of its own. With the first ever interstellar battleships making their appearance, the far-flung worlds of the five systems would never be the same again. Taranis, the dark priest of destiny, has returned!
The third novel from The Worlds Of Hollow Moon.
EBOOK recommended retail price: £1.99 / $2.99
PAPERBACK recommended retail price: £13.99 / $17.99
Ravana O'Brien is confronted by her past in more ways than one, none particularly welcome.
Secret agent Kedesh is back on the scene, seeking help to rescue Artorius from a shadowy American base on the moon of Avalon. Another ancient alien portal has been found, a mysterious machine that can twist space and time. Avalon is no ordinary world. The moon hosts the vicious celebrity show Gods of Avalon, where players fight to survive against robot beasts. The rejuvenated Priest Taranis, now with the might of the Federation at his disposal, has a new chosen one, a man called The Raven who seeks Ravana's doom. A rumour of hidden gold is sowing confusion. Artorius is the key to those who want the alien portal open. Not all interested parties are human...
The fourth novel from The Worlds Of Hollow Moon.
EBOOK recommended retail price: £1.99 / $2.99
It is the twenty-third century and scientists, dreamers, crooks and believers have bridged the vast cosmos, staking their claims where distant suns burn fierce in the sky. Yet for all of humankind’s technological marvels, life for many is far from a wondrous fairytale. It is supposed to be the season of goodwill!
An anthology of 'prequel' short stories from The Worlds Of Hollow Moon, featuring:
EBOOK recommended retail price: £1.99 / $2.99
It is the twenty-third century and scientists, dreamers, crooks and believers have bridged the vast cosmos, staking their claims where distant suns burn fierce in the sky. Yet for all of humankind’s technological marvels, life for many is far from a wondrous fairytale. It is supposed to be the season of goodwill!
'Main Sequence' seasonal short stories from The Worlds Of Hollow Moon, featuring:
EBOOK recommended retail price: £1.49 / $1.99
Can a poor, down-trodden kitchen slave find her prince in the shape of a young, dashing space captain? When the power fails when parents are out for the night, is it wise to be wandering the forest with vicious robot wolves on the loose? A man caught up in a war wonders if he can go on, but can a hologram hope to convince him by showing the greatest blunders of his life? It is supposed to be the season of goodwill!
A free introductory ebook anthology from The Worlds Of Hollow Moon, featuring:
EBOOK recommended retail price: FREE!
SEE ALSO: Hollow Moon Series | Related Non-WyrdStar Books | Coming Soon | Bookshops, Reviewers, Libraries
Susan Jones, a transgender woman struggling to get by in the economic woes of 1990s Britain, is under the care of psychiatrist Doctor Mordussen. He in turn is obsessed by her disturbing nightmares. But are her demons real?
An unexpected road trip to Ireland awakens traumas of the past. A seventeenth-century sorcerer, evil nurses, a castle reborn from the ashes and a bloodthirsty sheep do not making getting to the bottom of the mystery any easier. Can Susan's love of heavy metal, her battered Volkswagen camper van and two best friends save the day?
EBOOK recommended retail price: £2.99 / $3.99
Who really won the Battle of Hastings? Chicago teenager Jane Kennedy embarks on an adventure through multiple realities after fellow time travellers each realise they come from a future with a different past. Is there a rogue on the loose out to change history?
A romp through alternate time lines in England 1066 to mark the 950th anniversary of the invasion that shaped Britain and Europe today.
See also: Wyrd Worlds: Battlefield 1066
EBOOK recommended retail price: £0.99 / $0.99
The United Kingdom’s referendum on membership of the European Union in 2016 did not bring out the best in British politics. So it was that London poet Lallafa Jeltz, staunch socialist and proud Europhile, took the fight to the social-media soapbox that is Twitter through the medium of a topical haiku a day.
More than three years later, the dust has yet to settle. Brexit: A Haiku Diary is not just a collection of poetry, but also a succinct record of what was making press headlines at the time. Warning: contents may cause readers to despair at British politics all over again.
EBOOK recommended retail price: £0.99 / $0.99
A short collection of political verse by up-and-coming London poet Lallafa Jeltz:
"Democracy; oh! It seems she is dying... Her guardians weave the final black shroud."
EBOOK recommended retail price: £0.99 / $0.99
An anthology of science-fiction and fantasy short stories by indie authors brought together by the social network Goodreads.
The collection, which contains 14 stories from 12 writers from around the world, includes a wide range of speculative fiction, from slices of fantasy and time travel to steampunk and science-fiction. The tales vary widely, yet are all born from the same drive to create, share ideas and above all to entertain!
Includes the The Worlds Of Hollow Moon short story "In The Lap Of The Gods" (original text).
EBOOK recommended retail price: FREE!
An anthology featuring a bumper 19 short stories from 17 independent authors from around the world, encompassing a wide range of science fiction and fantasy.
Here lurks tales of the future, steampunk and time travel; of magical realms and fantastical deeds; and of things so weird they defy categorisation. The original Wyrd Worlds rode upon a new wave of indie collaborations; and now we're back!
Includes the The Worlds Of Hollow Moon short story "Rock Of Ages" (original text).
EBOOK recommended retail price: FREE!
SEE ALSO: Hollow Moon Series | Other WyrdStar Books | Coming Soon | Bookshops, Reviewers, Libraries
DIVE INTO A UNIVERSE OF SCI-FI WONDERS! This collection of sci-fi shorts features a variety of brainy young heroines - girls who engineer, tinker, experiment and more.
Proceeds from sales of Brave New Girls: Stories Of Girls Who Science And Scheme will be donated to a scholarship fund through the Society of Women Engineers. Let's show today's girls that they too can be tomorrow's inventors, programmers, scientists and more!
Included is "The Non-Existence Of Gravity", a tale from The Worlds Of Hollow Moon: "Fifteen-year-old Cethlenn was lucky to be working with her Aunt Morrigan, a crazy yet talented engineer with a workshop on the moon of Asgard, Alpha Centauri. That is until Luison, an undercover corporation agent, tricks Cethlenn into a dangerous scrapyard experiment aboard the derelict USS Goliath..."
SPACE OPERA GALORE! Tales from real planets and star systems as well as those of the imagination, hard SF and science fantasy, mystery and romance. Humans trying to meet aliens for the first time or trying to avoid them. Humans living with aliens in so-called harmony. Earth-based civilizations and alien humanoids. From Alpha Centauri to Epsilon Eridani and everything in between, the Milky Way in all its glory!
Stories in this anthology are:
"GENIE And The LAMP" is a tale from The Worlds Of Hollow Moon.
THE BATTLES OF HASTINGS (novella) by Stephanie M Bennion
Is there a rogue on the loose out to change history? A romp through alternate time lines in England 1066 to mark the 950th anniversary of the invasion that shaped Britain and Europe today.
THEY MARVEL AT THE STAR (short story) by L.J. Hick
Thomas of the Fyrd is recruited into Harold Godwinson's army to confront Duke William of Normandy. He is befriended by blond-haired Kauko, but what does he have planned for Thomas?
NORMAN BLOOD (novella) by Barbara G. Tarn
Nineteen-year-old Robert Malet followed William to England to claim the English throne. But Robert is a vampire in 12th century Europe, changing names when his mortal life is gone...
EADWEARD - A STORY OF 1066 (short story) by Victoria Zigler
King Harold is about to go in to battle against Duke William's invading Norman army. Among the ranks of the Saxons are two boys who shouldn't be there: Eadweard, and his best friend, Cerdic.
SORRY, THIS BUNDLE IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE.
People have long desired to know more about the galaxy we live in and those far beyond. In this bundle you will go on missions on spaceships, converse with aliens, and even live on a space station subjected to an alien dictatorship. Space is yours to explore in the Aliens, Battleships and Colonization bundle...
Stories by: Robert Jeschonek, Rebecca S.W. Bates, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, J.A. Marlow, Perry A. Wilson, Steph Bennion, Mark Fassett, Michael Kingswood, Blaze Ward, Debbie Mumford and Sabrina Chase.
SORRY, THIS BUNDLE IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE.
AN ELEVEN-EBOOK SCIENCE-FICTION BUNDLE!
Hop on this starship, destination universe... Buckle up and prepare to explore planets and galaxies in the near and far future. Get wrapped in this fun fever!
Stories by: Dean Wesley Smith, Russ Crossley, Rebecca M. Senese, Blaze Ward, Tracy Cooper-Posey, Steph Bennion, Michael Warren Lucas, Ubiquitous Bubba, Rebecca S.W. Bates, Barbara G.Tarn and Robert Jeschonek.
SEE ALSO: Hollow Moon Series | Other WyrdStar Books | Related Non-WyrdStar Books | Bookshops, Reviewers, Libraries
SHORT SUMMARY OF WORKS IN PROGRESS. Some are genuinely 'coming soon' (the definition of which is fairly fluid!), others are longer-term projects...
I fell somewhat behind what I planned to do in 2021... and 2022 was just the same; I confess, I was distracted by other (unplanned) projects. One was a local LGBTQ+ theatre company: myself and fellow scribe Aspen Golding were busy writing Dreamland, a new play about key LGBTQ+ figures from history, for the Re:Create performance group in Hastings / St.Leonards. A finished script was delivered in September 2022, which the group hope to rehearse and perform sometime soon. Secondly, I've been writing Aphroditus, a musical stage show. More on that below...
HOLLOW WORLDS (Hollow Moon #5)
The final novel in the Hollow Moon series! Ravana O'Brien, Detective Ostara Lee and young Artorius are marooned a very long way from home. Priest Taranis is reaping his twisted destiny with a new apprentice at his side. The watchers Athene and Ares are bringing their great game to a close. The incompetent mercenaries Namtar and Inari are being idiotic as always. Dyson trees, biological skyships, space dreadnoughts, alien greys: the five systems are not big enough to contain the plot...
To date (early October), I'm 95%+ through writing the first draft of Hollow Worlds with sixteen and a half chapters completed to date (162,000+ words) and just the final chapter and epilogue left to finish. This novel is somewhat of an epic finale to the series and markedly longer than previous books; wrapping up the various plot threads in the series needs more space (pun intended) to get right. So, it's taking much longer to complete a first draft than I envisaged! To be fair, I was sidetracked by various other matters, not least the website revamp (have you noticed?) and musical endeavours with Ditch the Demon (new album "Ain't Dead Yet" out soon!). A completed first draft of Hollow Worlds will hopefully be done by the end 2023, which means editing and publication now will not be until 2024. I've also a new Christmas short story to write...
Seasonal Short Story for December 2023
Though desperate to finish Hollow Worlds, I'm instead halfway through writing the first draft of this. Tentatively entitled "Snakes On A Spaceship", this will be a sci-fi retelling of a classic fairytale. Can you guess which one?
Paperback edition of THE AVALON JOB (Hollow Moon #4)
The Avalon Job, 136,000 words of mystery, adventure and tongue-in-cheek science-fiction weirdness is out now in ebook! A paperback edition will be released in due course, probably next year.
OMNIBUS EDITION OF HOLLOW MOON #1 to #3
I'm planning a Worlds of Hollow Moon: Vol.1 ebook omnibus edition containing Hollow Moon, Paw-Prints Of The Gods and City Of Deceit. A Vol.2 omnibus would eventually follow with The Avalon Job, Hollow Worlds and the two short-story anthologies To Dance Amongst The Stars and Merry Christmas, Mister Wolf. Watch this space!
Paperback edition of THE LUCK OF THE DEVIL
The Luck Of The Devil paperback was on my 'to do' list for 2019 but that obviously didn't happen. I will return to this at some point! Honest.
APHRODITUS: THE MUSICAL
Aphroditus is a side project I've been playing with for a while, to scratch the song-writing/performing itch which never really goes away. Working on Dreamland led to me being given a contact in the theatre business, one thing led to another and I was offered a chance to pitch Aphroditus for the BEAM 2023 Showcase, an initiative run by Mercury Musical Developments and the Musical Theatre Network to support new musical theatre. I didn't get offered a showcase slot (I really need to workshop the show first), but delving into the world of theatre was an interesting experience. Anyway, it kept me busy reworking the script, recording songs and preparing a pitch. And not, you know, finishing Hollow Worlds... Steph.
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SEE ALSO: Hollow Moon Series | Other WyrdStar Books | Related Non-WyrdStar Books | Coming Soon
Paperbacks are now available from BOOKBUSTERS, 39 Queens Road, Hastings (01424 539726). Readers can order WyrdStar paperbacks from bookshops elsewhere using the following details:
Bookshops should be able to order paperbacks via their usual trade supplier. Retailers in the UK can order paperbacks directly from WyrdStar (trade discounts up to 35% available depending on postage costs); see the website contact page for ways of getting in touch!
SEE ALSO: Hollow Moon Series | Other WyrdStar Books | Related Non-WyrdStar Books | Coming Soon
FREE COPIES of all WyrdStar ebooks can be obtained from Smashwords using the following coupon code: JV79T (valid to end of December 2023).
All I ask for in return is a few minutes of your time to write a review (a few lines is enough) on Goodreads, Smashwords or other ebook website. You get a free read, I get some (hopefully) nice reviews and no one goes near ebook piracy websites. This offer is not publicised anywhere else.
PAPERBACKS: Do you live in the UK and write book reviews for media periodicals, online or in print? Are you an avid reader with a book review blog? If you would like a paperback copy for review, please contact WyrdStar Books stating which periodical, website or blog you write for and which book - Hollow Moon, Paw-Prints Of The Gods and City Of Deceit - you are interested in reviewing. Please note that due to postage costs, I'm only offering this to reviewers in the UK.
See also About Wyrdstar for background information, author biography and so on. Thanks! Steph.
SEE ALSO: Hollow Moon Series | Other WyrdStar Books | Related Non-WyrdStar Books | Coming Soon
PAPERBACKS: The novels Hollow Moon, Paw-Prints Of The Gods and City Of Deceit are available in paperback. For enquiries relating to purchasing discounted paperbacks for schools, public libraries or bookshops, please contact WyrdStar Books.
EBOOKS: WyrdStar ebook novels and short stories published via Smashwords (see 'Reading age and content' below for titles) can be purchased at a discount by schools and public libraries (lending charges apply), from:
READING AGE AND CONTENT:
The science-fiction novels and short stories I publish under the name of Steph Bennion - that is, the books belonging to The Worlds Of Hollow Moon space-opera series - are aimed at young adults (and adults young at heart!), with a reading age of 12+. There is no sexual content or profane language.
The books released under the name of Stephanie M Bennion - The Luck Of The Devil and The Battles Of Hastings - are for an adult readership. The former has references to drug use; the latter, scenes of a mild sexual nature. There is no profane language! (Just to confuse matters, The Battles Of Hastings was originally published by 'Steph Bennion'.)
Wyrd Worlds and Wyrd Worlds II contain a broad mix of tales, aimed at the general science-fiction and fantasy readership, some of which may contain scenes of a mild sexual nature.
Thanks for reading! Steph.
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Ebook stores and Digital Rights Management (DRM) - Ebooks distributed from Smashwords are DRM-free, which means that once you have purchased a title, you can download it as many times as you like (and in whatever format you like) and make back-up copies if necessary (for personal use only!). WyrdStar's preferred sales outlet is Smashwords, not least because the author gets a larger slice of the list price there than anywhere else! WyrdStar ebooks downloaded from third-party partners (Amazon, Apple Books, etc.) are subject to the vendor's terms and conditions.