SCIENCE FICTION by JAMES PETER HADZESS
LITMUS
Jason Mann fetches up marooned on earth, a quarter rotation of the galactic plane distant from his civilization. Humanity's hypervigilance has degenerated into paranoia and a countdown to demolition is transpiring. The pilot is appalled and vows to set things right
DETOUR
Recovering from an overdose, Mark finds the world a changed place with almost all of the people gone and strange creatures prowling the streets. He recruits a team of aliens to set things right. And a pair of androids who have been on the run for a thousand years.
KNURL
Luke find himself in either a virtual reality or the distant future and must prevent WW4 reigniting in the smoldering ruins of WW3. With his buddy, Tarak the barbarian, his first quest is to free a high-powered business executive named Aria and win her trust.
CHRONIC
Ross is employed as a city worker in a dystopian future where any marginal person found on the streets is recycled as body parts or shipped off-planet to colonize a hostile world. The surplus population needs to be cleared for the restoration of earth to progress and the elites who control power are not fussy about the means employed.
QUANDARY
Desperate for money, Nick becomes a beta tester for a new virtual reality game. His buddy and their girlfriends must join them in the deed. But it turns out the virtual is real, and they are not in a game but in a junk-shop world packed with absurdities. This is a piece of political satire masquerading as a LIT-RPG novel.
RANT
The impoverished and orphaned Joe encounters Marlene in an alley fighting mega-rats with magic. Being a gentleman, he decides to assist. She importunes for more help destroying banshees that haunt the sewers. Before too long his monthly allotment is spent on a medieval samurai short sword and night vision goggles.