QSFer J. Warren has a new queer sci-fi book out (gay): Worldburner.
Awakening aboard a ship far from home, Akari Tatsuro finds himself missing his memories and surrounded by unfamiliar people. He must decide whether to trust them before they discover his secret: he is a telepath in an era when male telepaths are rare and considered a menace to the galaxy.
Does Akari’s forbidden ability hold the key to the lost power of an ancient relic? Guided by unexpected allies, he races against time to control his talents and uncover his past.
Can he harness his powers for good, or will he become the menace the galaxy fears—a worldburner threatening to unleash chaos?
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Excerpt
“Hello,” I say to The Captain in her head.
She steps back from the bed.
“This is what I can do,” I say to her in her head.
“What is it?” she asks out loud.
“What is what?” Eli asks.
“Stop. Now,” Salvadore says stepping back from the bed and wrapping his fingers around the handle of his gun.
I look from him back to The Captain. Her eyes are wide.
“Telepathy?” she asks.
I nod.
“But I thought only females…” Baldi says.
“He’s a telepath?” Eli asks.
Salvadore’s hand does not leave his gun.
“That would explain it, then,” Baldi says.“Telepathic waves moving along the electromagnetic spectrum. Still, though; you are a male, right?” I nod again. “Then that’s…that’s odd.”
“Explain,” The Captain says to him.
“Well, people are born with ESPer potential all the time. We all have bits of it. A sudden flash of insight, or knowing when someone is behind you, that kind of thing. Some people, one in a couple of million, have more than that. One in a couple of billion of those has something truly spectacular. One in a billion of those has enough juice to be really powerful. Thing is, when we find someone who is on that level, they are almost always female.”
“So you, what, you read the minds of the people flying the other ship?” Eli asks.
“I…confused them.” That’s the closest I can come in a way they would understand to tell them what happened.
“Tricked them.”
“At that kind of distance?!” Baldi slides his chair back from the bed and whistles.
I nod.
“What does the number 451 stand for?” The Captain asks.
“I’m sorry,“ I say.“I don’t know.”
“He says he didn’t even know he had the tattoo,” Baldi says.
“Sweet has looked all through the networks. No one knows anything about you, no one is looking for you…whatever was happening on that outpost where you were living, it was…secret,” The Captain says.
I don’t say anything because I don’t know what to say.
“She says that all of this is starting to add up to a pattern she says she’s seen before.”
I don’t say anything.
“She says it looks like they were doing something that was illegal if they were civilian scientists, or off-the-books top level secret if they were military. Which one sounds right to you?” The Captain asks.
“I don’t know,” I say.
“Captain, this could just be…” Eli starts to say.
The Captain raises her hand and holds up one finger in his direction.
He stops talking.
“Give me one good reason why I should trust that you won’t…confuse… us?” The Captain asks.
“I helped you get away from those people,” I say.
“That could be a trick to make us feel comfortable,” Salvadore says.
“You saved me,” I say.“I wouldn’t hurt you.”
The Captain nods.“We’re going to have to trust you,” she says.
“You can,” I say.
“Oh?” she asks, raising an eyebrow. “You don’t know anything about yourself from what you’ve said, so how do you know that I can trust you?”
“I just…know,” I say.
She looks into my eyes for a moment, then nods slowly. With that, she turns on her heel and walks out, Salvadore trailing behind her.
I get the feeling I just dodged a bullet.
Author Bio
J. Warren lives and teaches in Wyoming. You can find his books on Rebel Satori’s website or on his own, www.jwarrenbooks.com.
| Author Website | www.jwarrenbooks.com |
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