Hello friends & fans!
This is a brief introduction to ‘Panic! Horror In Space‘, a series of science-fiction-horror stories featuring regular characters, with the occasional introduction of new characters or settings. The premise of the concept was to create a horror-sci-fi story in a series of connected short fiction installments. Reading is supposed to be fun, and if the writer enjoyed writing it, the reader will enjoy reading it. Panic is fun to work on, and the feedback I’ve had from my readers has been very positive!
“Panic! Horror In Space” is several different things at once: a sci-fi horror series, and also a parody or satire of all the horror movies and paranormal investigator TV shows you can think of, all scrambled together to make for very clever, entertaining reading! There are the obvious horror plot twists and plot devices, silly airheaded blond people whose hover-cars won’t start in the parking lot after midnight, or who try to run away from axe murderers on impossible high heel shoes, and the dashing brave young skeptics overdue for a date with the hungry entities in the basement of the abandoned mental hospital. Panic! has a whole universe of nasties at its disposal, as well as tangible tension and suspense!
Each volume contains a number of satirical horror misadventures in deep space with the crew of the starship Mercury – which, of all the starships in the elite Terran Space Fleet, is probably the unluckiest ship in history!ÂNot once, not twice, but many times over, the same hapless crew – give or take a couple of replacements – on a supposed voyage of deep-space exploration – give or take a few dozen casualties, stumble into the weird, wake the creepy and trip over the downright terrifying and possibly even supernatural.
This sci-fi horror parody is set in the Galaxii Series universe, using many of the same settings, references and background,while centering around an entirely separate cast of characters and settings.There are currently 3 titles in the series, with several more in the pipeline, so readers hoping for the release of new titles needn’t despair! These are available in eBook, paperback, and hardcover formats via Amazon. They’re also available on Audible in audiobook format, narrated by Darla Middlebrook!
Books in the series are available in eBook and print, with some already starting to appear in audiobook format! You can read more about the series here. Titles in the series are displayed below:
(Book 1) “Static“
Mercury Rising! Mercury Resurgent!
While on a routine deep-space mission to chart the frontier of unknown space, the starship Mercury stumbles across quite a mystery. How had the Kilgary – a cargo carrier last seen lightyears away forty years before, reached that part of space before the Mercury? Why couldn’t the cause of death of its crew be determined? What was in the deleted log entry of the Kilgary, and more importantly, why had it been deleted?
The last thing Captain Stuart Flane expected while working to solve the enigma of the Kilgary, was a day-long running battle with the undead! Their troubles didn’t end there though, because the Mercury – their only ride home, was also in trouble!
Of all the starships in the Terran Space Fleet, the I.S.S. Mercury is probably the unluckiest ship in history! Not once, not twice, but many times over, the same hapless crew – give or take a few dozen casualties, on a supposed voyage of deep space exploration, stumble into the weird, wake the creepy and trip over the downright terrifying and possibly even supernatural.
(Book 2) “Life Signs“
Aliens! Ghosts! Paperwork!
Charting the frontier of unknown space was a guaranteed humdrum, routine mission – which in the case of the starship Mercury, may or may not have been a subtle way to punish Captain Stuart Flane for recently losing 90% of his crew without a satisfactory explanation. It was hard to tell sometimes, when it came to discerning Admiral Tawney’s motives. The Old Man was like that – but at least he seemed to have a sense of humor.
Flane and the (replacement) crew of the starship Mercury persevere. They must continue to unflappably unravel whatever mysteries and challenges the universe deigns to throw their way – even those that might be, well… slightly paranormal by nature. In spite of his true feelings on the subject, Flane must submit honest and accurate mission reports – even if they make his reputation, and his sanity, look a little shaky. What else was he supposed to do? Lie?
Back at Space Fleet HQ, Flane and his ship had come to be viewed with suspicion by those to whom he answered. As a matter of fact, he’d become something of an open joke – peals of laughter echoed in the halls of power at H.Q. about the Space Fleet’s own “ghost busters”! Flane’s pride – and his career, seemed to be on life-support.
Even so, Captain Flane – once a dyed-in-the-wool skeptic of all things supernatural, remained hopeful that he could put the events that changed his mind behind him, and get back to the ordinary, scientific, no-nonsense business of charting and exploring space.
Unfortunately, Fate – and Admiral Tawney, appeared to have other ideas – with dire consequences.
(Book 3) “We All Fall Down“
…Ashes To Ashes…
Stuart Flane, Captain of the starship Mercury, and lately the butt-end of innumerable jokes doing the rounds at Space Fleet H.Q., is called upon once more – kicking and screaming – to investigate all manner of preternatural fuckery.
How would Flane’s skeptical superiors react to his next report – and above all, how would he word it? The word “carefully” always came to mind. Sooner or later, he worried, someone was going to turn up demanding answers – and it wasn’t too long before someone did.
Commodore Link, a heavy-handed disciplinarian, makes it his business to get to the bottom of Flane’s alleged fraud, and his investigation progressively turns the starship Captain’s life into a bit of a miserable hell. Then, as if by coincidence, the Mercury is redirected to a nearby industrial colony to investigate disturbances at what – much to Flane’s acute embarrassment, turns out to be one of the most haunted hotels in the outblack.
There are more stories yet to come in this series, but that’s all for today!
Cheers! 
