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Books by Doug Dandridge
Science Fiction
The Deep Dark Well Trilogy
The Deep Dark Well: An Adventure 40,000 years in the making. Pandora Latham was a Kuiper Belt Miner from Alabama. She’s used to landing on her feet, even when the next surface is through a wormhole, halfway across the Galaxy and 46,000 years in the Future. Pandora must discover the secret behind the end of civilization, and the enigma of the Immortal Watcher, the last survivor of the Empire that once ruled the stars. Her decisions will set the path for Galactic recovery, or a continuation down the roads of Barbarism.
To Well and Back: Pandora Latham is back, working Watcher’s plan to restore Galactic Civilization. But first she has to deal with the Xenophobes of the Nation of Humanity, back in the Supersystem with their sights set on making the Galaxy their own. Pandora is angry at the hyper religious Nation, and you don’t want to make a woman from Alabama angry.
The Exodus Series
Exodus: Empires at War: Book 1: The introduction to the Exodus Universe. Two thousand years prior mankind fled from the Predatory Ca’cadasans, traveling a thousand years and ten thousand light years to a new home. Now the greatest power of their sector of space, things seem to be going well for the New Terran Empire. Until the enemy appears once again at the gates. And the years have not softened the aliens’ stance toward Humanity.
Exodus: Empires at War: Book 2: The saga continues. The Ca’cadasans attack at the moment when the government of the Empire is at its most chaotic. There are other enemies as well, waiting for their chance to fall on the overwhelmed humans. And a young man with no ambition for power finds himself in the position he most dreads.
Other Scifi
Diamonds in the Sand: When a perfectly healthy scientist falls dead of an apparent heart attack, it is up to Sarasota Police Detective Lieutenant Gary Lariviere to find out what really happened. The scientist was working on Nanotechnology, a secret desired by everyone from the Government to the Mob. There are too many suspects, including the woman that Gary comes to love. The Army had made Gary better than human, but had they prepared him for the terrors that had been unleashed by the new technology?
The Scorpion: The Scorpion had been the world’s deadliest living terrorist. Kestral McMann had been in on the kill. Now The Scorpion is back as a mind upload, using clones to penetrate the tight security of an isolationist United States. McMann is the only man who can stop him. But can McMann survive the threat of his own side, and the insane President who leads the Nation, in time to stop The Scorpion from plunging the Great Satan back into the Stone Age.
The Shadows of the Multiverse: Something has been periodically wiping intelligence from our Universe through the ages. It’s back, and it’s up to three unlikely heroes, the Captain of a Battle Cruiser, a Physicist turned Archeologist, and a Child, to save the intelligence of the Universe from Monsters from another Dimension. Can they learn to use the powers of their unusual Quantum Minds to defeat creatures that have been playing the game for billions of years?
Afterlife: What if you didn’t believe in the afterlife of the World’s Religions? And what if science offered you the alternative, survival within the Virtual World of a computer, where your mental abilities are magnified and you can do anything you want? And what if the World decided that your way was wrong, and declared war on you, meaning to destroy your reality? What would you do? Afterlife, a tale of survival at all costs.
Fantasy
The Refuge Series
Refuge: The Arrival: Book 1: A nuclear war in Central Europe opens the gates between dimensions, sending millions of Earth Humans into a land of myth, archetypes and fantasy. The Evil Emperor of the Ellala Elves sees the humans as energy to fuel his transformation to immortality. But the humans have brought their own weapons with them, as well as a race of Demigods who will battle the fantastic armies of Refuge. The war is on, and only one side will ultimately survive.
Refuge: The Arrival: Book 2: The Ellala have a plan to destroy the human military and capture the civilians. And the humans find that their weapons will soon cease to function. So it’s use it or lose it for the Earth Humans, and they use it with a vengeance. Tanks against Mages, Attack Helicopters against Dragons, and Nuclear Weapons against Death Gods. And the other peoples of the planet come forth as allies to the humans that they see as the fulfillment an Ancient Prophecy. But will it be enough?
Refuge: Doppelganger: Set thousands of years after the arrival, Kurt von Mannerheim, the Immortal Emperor of the Imperium of Free Nations, must give up everything to save his Empress, the Elfin Princess Gwenara Elysius von Mannerheim. The world is at a crisis point as the Evil Tarakesh Empire, under its Immortal Emperor Heinrich Stuppleheim, prepares to overrun the world with its Nazi Ideology. And Kurt must face a creature of legend that may prove too much for even his physical and mental abilities.
Other Fantasy
The Hunger: Abused wife, drug addict, prostitute; Lucinda Taylor had been victimized by men all her adult life. Left for dead by her pimp, Lucinda was turned by a passing vampire. When he is destroyed she becomes a free agent, slaking her hunger for blood on the bottom dwellers of society, the type of men who once victimized her. The crime boss of Tampa is her next target, and the City by the Bay is about to become a bloodbath. But can Lucinda avoid those who are hunting for her; the Priest, the FBI man, and a pair of Vampires who would like nothing better than to send one Avenging Vampire forever into the dark?
Daemon: A Steampunk Fantasy. The world is dying, the victim of the magic used by society for the last three hundred years. Daemon Corporation thinks they have the answer, stealing the life from other worlds, bringing from other dimensions the intelligences that inhabit them for sacrifice on Earth. But something has come with them, a force that is killing the employees of Daemon Corp. It is up to Forensic Mage Detective Jude Parkinson to find a way to stop the unstoppable, while keeping the head of Daemon Corp from silencing him to keep the dark secrets of the company out of the public eye.
Aura: Triplets are born on a world where the magical Aura decides the fate of its owner. Ariel is a girl with more than double the normal Aura, destined to become a mighty Priest or Mage. Aiden has a less than normal Aura, and is destined to be a soldier or laborer. While Arlen has no Aura at all, and is seen as an abomination in the eyes of the Church of Baalra the Dragon God, which has no power over those with Negative Auras. Fate will rip the siblings apart, then bring them back together as they battle to defeat the Dragon God and leave the Evil Empire, before Ariel is taken as the Avatar of Baalra, his mortal vessel on Earth.
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Excerpt from Doppelganger
Jorri could hear the noise of booted feet running on the floor above. The crash of swords, the shouts of anger and agony. The forces of the enemy had penetrated into the house. And his meager forces could but
slow them.
“Close that door,” he ordered his escort, as he moved into the escape chamber. The man pulled the heavy metal door shut and shot the bolt.
“Make sure no one gets through the door,” the Dwarf ordered. “And I mean no one.”
“Aye, my Lord,” said the guard, positioning himself in front of the door with drawn blade.
The Dwarf moved from the vestibule room through another door of steel. Before him was the teleportal, occupying the center of the otherwise bare room. Jorri looked at the wavering mirror of the wormhole entrance. Wavering too much? Sunspot activity was still high, and it was a risk to go through such a portal. He hesitated, his innate cowardliness coming to the fore. Could he take the chance, when the passage could potentially blow his atoms apart, scattering him across the planet? Destroyed forever. The Dwarf stood there, staring at the portal, at war with himself.
* * *
The door crashed open, the Grand Marshal flinging himself after the broken wood into the landing. No one in sight. He moved down the stairs, holding his blade at the ready. The stairs ended in a large corridor, wide and with a high ceiling. Why so large, he wondered for a second, before the answer came striding into sight.
Trolls. Huge, ground shaking rock Trolls, fully armored and carrying huge maces and shields in their hands. Three meters tall and over a ton of bone and muscle. Four of them. Their red eyes glared at the Immortal under their heavy helms. Purple scales glinted under the dim globes lighting the hallway.
The first of the monsters opened its mouth to utter a roar, and then shut it in panic as the Immortal charged. Clearly the creatures had expected the mere sight of them to frighten the lone human before them.
The two-handed sword, glowing white as its enchantment increased to meet the threat, thrust through the armor and hard hide of the creature. Piercing the heart, one of the only ways beside fire to kill one. The Troll’s mouth opened wide again, its death scream echoing through the hall. It sunk to its knees as Paul wrenched his sword loose, leaping back from the falling body.
“Trolls,” yelled one of the Imperial troopers rushing into the hallway.
“Stay back,” he yelled to the gathering soldiers. He was sure his men could overwhelm the creatures, but the casualties would be high. The Grand Marshal brought up the rush of power, his body surging with strength and speed.
The next Troll stepped over the body of its dead compatriot, mace swinging toward the Immortal. Paul brought his sword up, catching the haft of the mace low on his blade. He was as strong as the Troll. But the creature had the advantage of bulk. Paul’s one hundred and forty kilos could not cling to the floor as the force of the blow went into his body. His feet left the ground as he was flung down the hall. A backward roll as he landed had him back to his feet, and he sprung toward the Troll.
His swift rush in caught the Troll by complete surprise, the triumph on the creature’s face turning to shock as the Immortal Prince leapt into the air. His blade rose up in an arc and sliced through its thick neck. The head went into the ceiling to bounce back to the floor, and the body fell backwards, thick purple blood pumping from the stump.
Paul didn’t even give the third Troll time to react, leaping the body of the fallen as he thrust his long blade forward like a spear. It skewered the beast through the abdomen, not a critical wound, but enough to keep the monster’s attention. The Troll screamed its agony and dropped its mace and shield, bringing its hands down to cover its ghastly wound.
The Immortal pulled his sword out, thrusting it back in with blinding speed. This time his aim was true, and the great heart of the beast burst as the enchanted blade sliced through. Paul dodged the body as he measured the last Troll.
This one appeared to be satisfied with staying on the defensive, shield held low, mace out. Paul moved in, staying low, his limbs blurring with motion. The Troll moved his mace as quick as he could. Not quick enough, if not for luck. Paul’s sword clanged into the mace, the combined force of their motions twisting the hilt from his hand. The sword clanged to the stones of the floor, and the Troll brought its mace up and around, a smile of triumph on its face.
Before it could complete its move Paul had slid under the shield and was back on his feet. His body pushed into the Troll, and his arms wrapped as far around its wide body as possible. A push of his legs as his arms clenched the creature to him, and it was off its feet. Paul flung it backwards, the creature falling heavily on its back to lie stunned.
Paul picked up his sword where it lay and approached the stunned creature. The Troll glared up at its executioner. Paul knew the creatures never asked for quarter. As they didn’t give it. He brought his sword up and down in a blur of steel. The blade clanged into the floor, sparks flying, and the head of the monster rolled across the hall.
“Come on,” yelled Paul, still on overdrive, running down the hall. His men poured into the hall and tried to follow on his heels.
* * *
Jorri was still standing looking at the portal when the big door to the outer room shuddered, under attack. Something hard and heavy was striking the door over and over at incredible speed. I have to go, he thought. Either take the plunge and the chance of death, or stay here and face certain extinction.
It was already primed to collapse after his passage. No one would be able to follow after the restabilization period had passed, because there would be no more passage.
Thunder sounded through the other room, and the Dwarf knew the outer door had been blown off its hinges. Mages were at work out there, and any magical boundaries between him and them would fall swiftly.
The clanging started on his door, heavy blows of inhuman power. The door bent under the assault. A hinge sprung. Then the other. The only thing holding the door was the heavy bolt, and it wouldn’t hold for long.
Jorri looked at the portal once again. Salvation or death? Which would it be? The door fell inward. The Dwarf caught one glance at the large man coming through and leapt into the mirrored surface.
* * *
The door fell inward as Paul struck with all of his might. The Dwarf, he saw, standing in front of a shimmering teleportal. The Immortal dropped his blade as he charged into the chamber, intent on catching this one alive. His hand reached out as he flung himself at the enemy agent, fingertips just touching the hem of the Dwarf’s shirt.
But the Dwarf moved too quickly, having less than a meter to cover to get to safety. As soon as his body touched the mirrored surface it was sucked into the portal. Too late. The surface bounced with destabilization, then exploded in a rainbow of energy. Paul flung his hands in front of his face, protecting his eyes from the fierce heat projected from the collapsing wormhole.
When he pulled his hands away from his face the mirrored surface was gone. The smell of ozone filled the air. His hands itched from the burns they had received, and the healing that his skin was undergoing.
“Can we trace it?” he yelled to the mages behind him, already knowing the answer. You had to have a connection in order to trace it. And no connection remained.
* * *
Jorri was pushed hard from the other end of the portal as the destabilization went critical. He fell onto the carpeted floor as the wormhole flared, feeling the heat on his back. The Dwarf looked up as the door opened and men walked into the chamber. He looked around in fright, until his mind cleared and he recognized the chamber in the Tarakeshian Embassy. He was safe. Safe at last.
“Welcome, Minister,” said Ambassador Harmon. “We’re glad you could make it.”
“I’m happy I could as well,” said Jorri, picking himself up and brushing himself off. The room smelled of home, even if it did exist in the territory of their enemy.
“Rest, Minister,” said the Ambassador. “You leave in the morning.”
“Home?” asked the Dwarf hopefully.
“I’m afraid not,” said Harmon. “Orders from the Emperor. You are to go to the meeting place of the Elves, where they hold the Empress.”
“Why?”
“He doesn’t quite trust them. He’s even having doubts about his own Elfin agent. So he wants you on the spot.”
Damn, thought Jorri. Union will have to wait. When the Emperor gave an order, it was to be obeyed, no matter the consequences. Because the consequences of disobeying were too awful to contemplate.
Excerpt from The Hunger
Jacob Padillas had his dad’s olive skin tone, and his mom’s striking blonde hair. He moved toward the bar of the Club Astropolis, feeling the eyes of the many women in the club follow him. With his rugged good looks and athletic body, he knew he would have no trouble finding a bed warmer this night, as he didn’t on any other night of the week.
Of course the Armani suit and the Rolex bought with daddy’s money doesn’t hurt either, he thought as he leaned over the bar and flashed Gregorio, the bartender, a smile.
“Your nose, Jake,” said the bartender as he approached Padillas.
Jake rubbed the underside of his nose, dislodging the coke that had stuck there. He licked his fingers, tasting the almost pure Columbian crystal.
“Gimme a scotch on the rocks,” he said the Gregorio.
“Yes sir,” agreed the bartender, pulling a bottle from under the counter. The good stuff, reserved for those who could afford it.
Jake took the offered drink and turned his back to the bar, leaning against the bar’s bumper as he let his eye roam around the club. He took in the dance floor, where a couple of dozen women danced with the losers who were trying to pick them up. He dismissed half the women out of hand. They did not meet his standards. Almost another dozen were past conquests. He would try for them again if he no luck otherwise. The rest were to his taste and strange, but he could see two of them would probably want nothing to do with him. Wearing expensive jewelry and original Paris dresses; his money wouldn’t impress those bitches. Maybe by his looks, but again, seeing the pretty boys they were dancing with, maybe not.
Refuge: The Arrival: Book 2 Page 36
