2025

Sword by D. Rebbitt

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The novel “Sword” by D. Rebbitt was published for the first time in 2020. It’s the fifth book in The Globur Incursion series and follows “Redoubt”.

Rear Admiral Jones has been assigned to patrol a vast area of ​​space spanning two systems populated by many millions of humans. No one knows where the next Globur attack will occur, but Jones has been authorized to take the initiative if he sees a situation in which he has an advantage over the enemy.

Meanwhile, Grand Admiral Medici finds himself in the awkward position of having to answer questions from senators regarding various initiatives taken to strengthen the Imperial fleet. Several senators are hostile, and intend to do everything possible to conceal the severity of what they officially call Globur incursions. Some of them just care for their own interests.

Fossil bones of coelacanths from the Mawsoniidae and Latimeriidae families

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An article published in the “Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology” reports the identification of coelacanth fossils that were previously attributed to very different animals, such as reptiles. A team of researchers led by Jacob Quinn of the British University of Bristol subjected a series of fossils to examinations such as X-rays and CT scans. The conclusion is that many fossils previously attributed to the reptile species Pachystropheus rhaeticus actually belong to coelacanths.

Some fossils have now been attributed to the family Latimeriidae, which includes the extant species, many of them have been assigned to the family Mawsoniidae, while others have an undetermined precise attribution. All of these fossils may include previously unknown coelacanth species. These fish are considered living fossils because they were thought to be extinct, but living species were discovered in the last century.

Mindswap by Robert Sheckley

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The novel “Mindswap” by Robert Sheckley was published for the first time in 1965 in the magazine “Galaxy” as a novella, later expanded into a novel published as a book in 1966.

Marvin Flynn reads a newspaper ad about a Martian willing to participate in a mind-swap with an Earthling. It seems like the perfect opportunity to escape his boring life, so he signs up to participate.

Everything seems to be going as planned, and Marvin Flynn finds himself on Mars, in the body of a native. He doesn’t even have time to adjust to his surroundings before he discovers he’s been the victim of a scammer who used mind-swapping to escape arrest. He’s ordered to return the Martian’s body, but his own body is still in the scammer’s possession, so he must quickly find another body or die.

The Driver by Mark Dawson

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The novel “The Driver” by Mark Dawson was published for the first time in 2014. It’s the third book in the John Milton series and follows “Saint Death”.

John Milton seems to have found a certain peace of mind working as a taxi driver in San Francisco. One evening, he takes Madison to a luxurious party and realizes she’s a prostitute. If he’s stopped by the police, he could face legal trouble, while he must keep a low profile. He doesn’t want to abandon the girl on the street, so he takes her to her destination.

While waiting for the party to end, John Milton hears screams and, when he enters the house, sees the girl in a clearly altered state. He tries to help her, but she’s paranoid and runs away. Someone in the neighborhood has called the police, and John wants to avoid being seen by the cops, but when Madison goes missing, he decides he must do something, along with her boyfriend. His resolve is strengthened by the discovery of other girls’ bodies.

SEED by Matthew G. Dick

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The novel “SEED” by Matthew G. Dick was published for the first time in 2020.

Nick Burke participates in a mission to Mars that aims to create a self-sustaining colony. This is the third attempt, but it’s fraught with problems that lead to its failure, exactly like the previous ones. The astronauts return to Earth, and Nick realizes that the path to colonization could be very different.

His father had involved Nick in an experiment to create a digital clone since his birth. When he manages to secure funding from billionaires in exchange for transporting embryos of their children or clones, Nick’s digital clone is loaded into a robotic body and launched to another star system. That project isn’t without its challenges.