PRAISE
This solid sci-fi thriller [is] a well-balanced thrill ride... Fans of high-tech medical and military thrillers should check this out." PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
"... merging the best of apocalyptic fiction and science fiction... compelling."
LIBRARY JOURNAL |
|
"Cinematic, thought-provoking, and immersive, this is an option for fans of darker, grittier, and more science-focused dystopias in the manner
of the novels of Philip K. Dick." BOOKLIST |
"... One of the most original books I have read in a long time. I was completely transfixed. This book gets a perfect score."
FEATHERED QUILL AWARD JUDGES |
|
"Jones' well-designed future world and especially his driving, infectious storytelling may win over all but the most adamant skeptics." KIRKUS
|
BOOKS
The Zone: A Cyberpunk ThrillerONE WAY IN. NO WAY OUT
Blade Runner meets Judge Dread and The Running Man in this high-octane, no-holds-barred dystopic thriller from Dragon Award Nominee Stu Jones. In the super-city of Neo Terminus, millions of tech-addicted fans surround a walled-off inner-city wasteland to watch nano-boosted gladiators called Enforcers fight to the death in the Conglomerate-controlled event known as The Zone. Enforcers are promised wealth and celebrity—if they survive. Officer Chance Griffin fights to clean up the mean streets of Neo Terminus, and scrape together enough money for his infant son’s vital surgery. Driven by his family’s need, Chance signs on as an Enforcer for The Conglomerate. As Chance rises to the top of the Enforcer ranks, The Glom’s mysterious Founders coerce him into competing in the greatest Zone trial ever conceived. Chance knows he’s the favorite to win. He believes his family is safe. He believes his son will get the medical care he urgently needs. Chance is wrong. Too late, he uncovers a plot by The Glom to rig the trial and enslave the citizens of Neo Terminus, ensuring obedience—forever. Blinded by fame and fortune, and used as a pawn by the corporate machine, Chance resists. But he is about to discover that every deal with the devil has its price… |
Coming July 2023
|
*New Short Story Featuring Detective Westfield!*
FREE for a limited time when you sign up for the SJF Core Readers' Group.
The Slavers: A Detective Westfield StoryWho is Derrick Westfield? Why does he possess such an overdeveloped sense of justice? What about his toxic relationship with Lt. Alvin Corley? These questions and more are answered in The Slavers, the exciting crime-thriller prequel to S.H.R.E.D. Gorgon Rising.
Ten years before Detective Derrick Westfield was drawn into the twisted events of S.H.R.E.D. Gorgon Rising, he proves his mettle by taking on a degenerate criminal enterprise whose patrons range from the streets all the way to the upper echelons of Honolulu’s city government. When everyone else turns a blind eye, Westfield can’t - even when it threatens to torch his career. Because tolerating injustice isn’t the Westfield way. |
Looking for more Detective Westfield?
Check out his latest adventure below!
Check out his latest adventure below!
The pacing and steady stream of tension are sublime. The writing is first-rate. The plot twists are shocking… [S.H.R.E.D. Gorgon Rising] is a phenomenal book and I would give it a whole bucket full of stars if I could."
- READER'S FAVORITE
S.H.R.E.D. Gorgon RisingTHE GREATEST WEAPON KNOWN TO MANKIND ISN'T A MAN
Thrilling action and high-seas adventure take center stage in this superhero origin story that combines the excitement of Aquaman with the conspiracy and detective noir of Mel Gibson's Edge of Darkness. High above earth in a low orbit facility, an experimental clean energy project known as Erebos - which taps into the vacuum structure of space - destabilizes and is jettisoned into the planet's atmosphere. Far below, unaware of the danger rocketing toward her, nineteen-year-old Sasha Kino goes night surfing to clear her head after a fight with her father. When Erebos crashes into the ocean the device fuses her DNA with that of an orca and Sasha is altered beyond recognition. She is stronger, can hold her breath longer, and can swim deeper and faster than any creature on the planet - but her newfound abilities may come at the cost of her humanity. Captain Alric Jager, head of the U.S. Navy's Special Projects Division, is sent to clean up the Erebos situation. But when Jager learns of what the device did to Sasha he decides to steal them both. Driven by a dark and twisted dream, Jager is determined to create the ultimate super soldier - no matter the cost. Torn between the land and the sea, and ruthlessly hunted by Jager, Sasha must rediscover who she is and for what she is willing to fight. |
From start to finish, I was on the edge of my seat. S.H.R.E.D. is a fast-paced read that will have your pulse racing, with characters you'll hold close to your heart." - International bestselling, award-winning-author, Mary Ting
*Based on an original concept by renowned artist Michael David Ward.*
“With a memorable cast of characters, a plot that will keep you on the edge of your seat, and excellent writing, S.H.R.E.D. has everything adventure and conspiracy readers want.” - Bram Stoker Awards Nominee, Monique Snyman
This solid sci-fi thriller [is] a well-balanced thrill ride. Well-shaded characters keep the pages turning. Fans of high-tech medical and military thrillers should check this out." Publishers Weekly
THE GREATEST BATTLE IS WITHIN
Fantastic Voyage meets The Fugitive in this Explosive Medical Techno-thriller from the Multi-Award-Winning-Authors of It Takes Death To Reach A Star. EVAN WEYLAND, a brilliant research scientist tasked with developing new technologies to fight cancer, sees the world through the lens of someone on the Autism Spectrum. His guiding light is his wife, Marie—a globally recognized war correspondent. When she returns home from Syria deathly ill with an unknown disease, Evan believes his research may be the key to unlocking the cure. However, when his superiors refuse his request for help, Evan’s single-minded love for Marie drives him to take matters into his own hands. It is a decision with far greater consequences than he could possibly fathom. BILLY VICK, a Captain in the Army’s Criminal Investigation Command, is a combat veteran unable to leave the horrors of war behind. Only the love of his family and a sense of absolute justice keeps him grounded. When Billy’s unit becomes aware of a US-sanctioned airstrike on a civilian settlement in Syria and an eye-witness reporter comatose with an unknown illness, he fears the worst. An unethical military project thought mothballed has resurfaced, and a civilian, Evan Weyland, maybe about to inadvertently unleash it upon the world. It’s a mistake that could cost the lives of millions. Pitted against each other in a game of chess-like deception and intrigue, with time running out, both men must come to terms with the magnitude of what’s at stake—and what each is willing to sacrifice to win. |
Like Dark Matter by Blake Crouch, this book is revolutionary. Incredible.” Jonas Saul, Bestselling Author of the Sarah Roberts Series
Condition Black provides such an exceptional read. It's highly recommended for fans of technothrillers who want a firm marriage between psychological depth and unpredictable action..." Diane Donovan, Midwest Book Review.
The Star Duology
In development for TV/Film
It Takes Death To Reach A Star
Blade Runner Meets Elysium In This Adrenaline Laced Futuristic Thriller.
THE WORLD YOU KNOW IS DEAD. WE DID THIS TO OURSELVES. The epidemic struck at the end of the Third World War. Fighting over oil, power, and religion, governments ignored the rise of an anti-bacterial-resistant plague. In just five years, the Earth was annihilated. Only one city survived—Etyom—a frozen hell-hole in northern Siberia, engulfed in endless conflict. The year is 2251. Two groups emerged from the ashes of the old world. Within the walled city of Lower Etyom dwell the Robusts—descendants of the poor who were immune to the New Black Death. Above them, in a metropolis of pristine platforms called Lillipads, live the Graciles—the progeny of the super-rich, bio-engineered to resist the plague. Mila Solokoff is a Robust who trades information in a world where knowing too much can get you killed. Caught in a deal-gone-bad, she’s forced to take a high-risk job for a clandestine organization hell-bent on revolution. Demitri Stasevich is a Gracile with a dark secret—a sickness that, if discovered, will get him Ax’d. His only relief is an illegal narcotic produced by the Robusts, and his only means of obtaining it is a journey to the arctic hell far below New Etyom. Thrust together in the midst of a sinister plot that threatens all life above and below the cloud line, Mila and Demitri must master their demons and make a choice—one that will either salvage what’s left of the human race or doom it to extinction... |
To Learn More About the World of Etyom and the Depth of Research Behind the Book, Check Out http://www.ittakesdeathtoreachastar.com
|
In The Shadow Of A Valiant Moon (It Takes Death To Reach A Star #2)
Just When You Thought The Stakes Couldn't be Any Higher...
DESTINY HAS NO ALLEGIANCE. Four years have passed since the lillipads fell and Etyom slipped into darkness. The New Black Death has mutated again, spreading to near epidemic proportions. What little order existed in Earth's last city has disintegrated into chaos. Rippers roam the Vapid, robbing and leaving their victims butchered. The Robusts have spilled out of their broken enclaves and hide in any dark corner that will conceal them. Meanwhile, the elite Graciles, fallen from their pristine towers in the sky, have all mysteriously disappeared. Demitri is a prisoner in his own mind. His demon, Vedmak—now known as the Vardøger—is manipulating Demitri's body and knowledge to execute a secret plan far more disastrous than even the Gracile Leader dared. Mila, her status among the fractured resistance elevated to that of Paladyn—a protector of the people—leads the fight against zealots intent on destroying what little remains of Etyom. It is a responsibility she never wanted, a calling that prevents her from doing what she truly desires. Yet, Mila should be careful for what she longs. Caught between annihilation and loyalties that refuse to die, she must reconcile a single immutable truth: following your heart comes at a price. |
The Action of Purpose Trilogy
Through The Fury To The Dawn (Action of Purpose #1)
An Epic Post-Apocalyptic Action-Adventure, with Strong Themes of Faith, Purpose, and Redemption.
AN INCREDIBLE PURPOSE AWAKENS With no hope of receiving a vital heart transplant, police officer Kane Lorusso knows his days are numbered. He will never play ball with his young son or get to see his daughter married. Spiraling into a pit of depression, Kane believes his life is over. Little does he know that mysterious forces are at work in his life and in his heart. On a cool April morning, the civilized world crumbles in the wake of worldwide chemical attacks and nuclear destruction. Kane, a bitter agnostic, is torn to his foundation by the realization that the God of the universe has preserved him for a reason. Testing a newfound faith, he must forge alliances with the other chosen and vow to make a stand against the rising tide of darkness. Preyed upon by ghoulish, cannibalistic mutants and pursued by a merciless gang of bandits demented by an unimaginably sinister power, Kane finds that the road to redemption is paved equally with terror and hope as he struggles to fulfill his purpose and become the man both Heaven and Earth need him to be. |
Jones' well-designed future world and especially his driving, infectious storytelling may win over all but the most adamant skeptics. Fans of S. M. Stirling's Dies the Fire (2004) and its sequels are likely to see this as a fantastic new series to follow. An intriguing and well-done Christian-fiction twist on the post-apocalyptic novel." Kirkus
Into the Dark of the Day (Action of Purpose #2)
The Epic Saga that Began with Through The Fury to the Dawn, Continues in this Fearful Journey Into the Heart of Darkness.
Former police officer Kane Lorusso is desperate. Driven half mad by chronic sleep deprivation and constant dehydration, Kane finds himself endlessly haunted by memories of his lost family and the friend he allowed to die. He and his friends—an aging, professional athlete; a warrior boy and his wolfish beast; and a resiliently faithful woman—cling to hope as they try to lead and protect a ragtag group of survivors who have taken shelter at the Emergency Radio Control Station on the coast of South Carolina. As the group struggles to scavenge resources and food and collect what precious water remains, they continue to broadcast a message of hope to anyone who can hear it. But as tensions rise and tempers flare, Kane’s faith begins to slip. Indispensable comrades are forced to depart, and the fragile makeshift community trembles on the brink of oblivion as they are forced to fight for their lives against vicious mutants who by night try to breach the walls of the compound to taste their flesh. And if this weren’t enough, a terrible evil believed vanquished swells once again with hateful power as it waits for the perfect opportunity to strike, burning its cruel vengeance into the weary souls of all who would dare oppose it. |
"You will find yourself reading this book not realizing how much time has escaped in your evening." Terry Delaney, Christian Book Notes
Against the Fading of the Light (Action of Purpose #3)
The Thrilling Finale to the Action of Purpose Trilogy.
A Savage Evil Collides with Desperate Faith in a Battle for the Fate of All That Remains. Sinking deeper day by day into a mire of personal loss, self-loathing, and despair, former police officer Kane Lorusso is at a crossroads. After all the evil he has endured at the hands of the psychotic warlord, Malak, and his army of bandits, Kane struggles to physically and emotionally survive his own worst nightmare. While the forces of darkness continue to rise against Kane and his allies, their only hope lies in a faith that refuses to die, and a God who has spared them all for a singular purpose. As new allies join the fight and old enemies reemerge from the wasteland, Malak’s savage bandit army gathers in the West, preparing to unleash an unspeakable evil upon the whole of creation. Destinies intertwine in a timeless conflict as Kane and his friends come to the sobering realization that they are the last hope of a dying world. Will they lay down and be consumed as every last ember of hope is stamped out? Or will they stand one last time against the fading of the light? |
Get In Touch
Stu loves his readers and makes every effort to respond personally whenever possible. Drop him a line!
|