Hathor Legacy: Burn

Book Two of the Hathor Legacy Series. On the planet, Hathor, an old threat re-emerges that may destroy the fragile alliance between the Guardians and Novacorp. When Nadira is called to investigate a rash of fires throughout the city, she discovers the Deshtu, another group with PSI powers who have been purposely kept in the shadows. Working to uncover the source of the fires, Nadira learns the brutal truth about the origin of the Guardians. The Guardian Elders have plans to make Nadira more powerful, and she may be forced to sever her psychic connection to Jonathan Keel. When an unexpected ally gives Jonathan information about the Deshtu that connects them to the fires, he becomes a convenient scapegoat for the opposing factions. Nadira puts her life on the line to solve the crime, while the Elders make their move to remove Jonathan from her life forever. As time runs out, the Guardians prepare for a clash with Novacorp that could plunge the planet into chaos, and a final betrayal forces Nadira to risk everything to save herself and Hathor.

Hathor Legacy Burn (SF/Romance)

By Deborah A. Bailey

Bright Street Books www.brightstbooks.com

ISBN #978-0984292684

Price $17.97

484 Pages

Rating 5-Stars

“Wonderful Story Telling, with Great Plot and Characters.”

Someone is setting fires to Service Houses, killing the occupants. Sentry Guardian Nadira is called to help security investigate. She learns that the deaths involve Deshtu, people with some “special” PSI ability close to that of Guardians. A lone survivor tells her that they were brought from up North by Guardians to service clients. Once they arrive the Deshtus are raped or beaten and kept in line on threat of death. Could it be true? Is there a rogue group within the Guardians failing to follow the rules set by Novacorp? Or is the leadership of the Guardians itself pulling the strings? If so, this could be the beginning of a war between Guardians and Novacorp. To make matters worse, Dakar, the head Elder of the Guardians orders Nadira to break connection with Jonathan, which she refuses to do. Now she and Jonathan may also be in danger if she can’t uncover the mystery and bring the killers to justice.

This is the second novel in the Hathor Legacy series, and we learn a lot of unanswered questions about Novacorp and the Guardians, and how the power structure came about. There are two powerful entities, Novacorp with military and security power, and Guardians with special PSI powers. Together they form a strong team, but if they go to war, Hathor could be destroyed. The action never slows down, and the characters drive the plot towards the conclusion. This is science fiction at it’s best, with a small taste of romance to sweeten the tale. Readers will fall in love with the characters, and will not want the story to end. Highly recommended.

Tom Johnson

Author of PANGAEA: EDEN’S PLANET

Electric Dreams

Seven short stories of the future: a robot is abandoned by his human buyer when she has second thoughts, a frustrated employee has a rude awakening when his computer starts managing his career, the caretaker of a lonely space station gets a shock when a couple of unexpected visitors show up, and more!

Electric Dreams (SF)

Seven Futuristic Tales

By Deborah A. Bailey

Bright Street Books www.brightstbooks.com

Price $7.97

140 Pages

Rating 5-Stars

“A Feel of The Twilight Zone.”

This collection contains seven interesting tales of the future: 1) ON THE BEACH 2) BETWEEN THE MIRROR AND THE HEART 3) ELECTRIC SCHEMES 4) STRANGER IN TOWN 5) WHEN WORDS LEAVE OFF 6) ROOTS OF DECEPTION and 7) A PLACE IN THE WORLD.

ON THE BEACH features a lone woman on a space station, her only companions are computers, and they’re slowly taking over all systems. She thinks about the beach, and how nice it would be there among people, when she suddenly hears voices. Children’s laughter. She can only question the computer if she is going crazy.

BETWEEN THE MIRROR AND THE HEART was my favorite story. A human woman purchases a Companion, a male robot named Kyle. But problems arise when she discovers she is in love with him. Leaving him alone, she travels to another planet on her job, perhaps to put him behind her and find human companionship. While she’s away, Kyle meets another Companion, and when her human becomes ill, and she must leave, Kyle invites her to stay with him. Will this complicate things?

ELECTRIC SCHEMES  follows an office worker and his computer. He’s being taken advantage of by his boss, and the computer doesn’t like it.

STRANGER IN TOWN is more an Urban Fantasy, about a woman who lives in poverty until she meets a stranger who offers her marriage and a future. But he’s somewhere far off, and she’s waiting for his return, and the fulfillment of the promise. A good story.

WHEN WORDS LEAVE OFF is really part of the same universe that we find in the following two stories. Lt. Commander Tasha Grant and Benjamine Tragg are researching language encryption and it is time to present their study to the Commodore and visiting professors. They are on the ship Marlo above the planet Demeter, where Fleet Base Three is located. Meantime, Tasha is preparing for a concert, and time is pressing.  I really like what the author says in Tasha’s voice: “Even if I hadn’t won, it was worth it to have competed. It’s not about being judged, it’s about being confident in who you are and what you can do.”

ROOTS OF DECEPTION: Akida Shera, the Kuhani and Kasi (religious leader) of the planet Tulluran, must help her people rebuild their civilization after the Kellian occupation.  The Terrans have set up Fleet Base Three on Demeter, and offer protection against the Kellians or any other invaders, but things are not as simple as all that.

A PLACE IN THE WORLD still follows Sheras kuhani, the Kasi religious leader, as she must maintain control of her world, even if it means challenging the governing body and the Commodore on Demeter for power. There is much division between the people on the subject of the Terrans having power on their world.

These were all interesting yarns, with a touch of the Twilight Zone in a few, while the last three stories introduces us to the beginnings of the Hathor series. The planet Demeter will also be in that universe. But take each of the seven stories for their own brief read for what they are, science fiction from the mind of a fan. I think readers will enjoy them. I know I did. Highly recommended.

Tom Johnson

Author of THESE ALIEN SKIES

Hathor Legacy: Outcast

On the planet, Hathor, a powerful group called the Guardians serves as the security force for Novacorp, the corporation that runs Hathor with its ruthless monopoly. Nadira, as one of the most powerful Guardians, is expected to use her intuition and telekinetic powers to keep the capital city safe from thieves and intruders.

Jonathan Keel, son of a mine CEO on the nearby planet, Astarte, is wealthy, privileged and used to getting what he wants. When his father goes missing after a robbery and explosion at the mine, he defies the authorities and heads to Hathor to search for him and for the robbers.

Security is on high alert and Nadira is charged with protecting Jon. She rescues him from a vicious attack and discovers that the Guardians have another agenda that has nothing to do with solving the crime.

Jonathan finds evidence of his father's possible involvement, while his attraction to Nadira forces her to confront all she has known about being a Guardian, especially the rule to put duty before her personal feelings.

Struggling with their growing desires, and chased by company security, Jon and Nadira flee the city. But solving the crime leads them to endure betrayals from the people closest to them, as secrets are revealed that not only link their pasts but also threaten to destroy Jon's family and separate him from Nadira forever.

Hathor Legacy: Outcast (SF/Romance/Mystery)

By Deborah Bailey

Bright Street Books www.brightstbooks.com

ISBN #978-0984292653

Price $11.97

272 Pages

Rating 5-Stars

“A Fast-Paced Thrill Ride.”

Earth’s astronomers discovered Hathor in 2224, and soon after families settled on the new planet. Now, on Hathor, the Guardians are responsible for security of the planet. They are the descendants of the original settlers: the original seven families who were selected from the different lands on Earth. The descendants of the first settlers were discovered to have extra sensory perception and other abilities. When children with special powers are discovered they are taken and trained to be Guardians. They can kinetically throw powerful blasts of energy, as well as “read” people’s emotions – this perhaps through a form of telepathy.

Nadira was taken from her mother at age 8, to be trained by her mentor, Zina, her mother’s cousin. Now Nadira’s power is stronger than most of the others. Only Zina may be more powerful. A robbery at the Demeter Mines on Astarte occurs, and Brandon Keel, the CEO, disappears. His son Jonathan Keel comes to Hathor searching for him. Nadira is ordered to follow Jon in case he contacts another suspect, Ilana Travac. A simple case, perhaps, of just a robbery in a mine, with the usual suspects, but things quickly turn deadly for both Jonathan and Nadira. She is honor-bound to protect Jon, but that doesn’t mean falling in love with him. After all, Guardians are only supposed to connect with other Guardians, not other-worlders.

With Zina on their trail, Nadira searches for Ilana Travic, hoping to clear Jonathan of involvement in the robbery. And now she must even question the involvement of Zina. Does her mentor have something to hide?

This is advertised as a science fiction and interracial romance novel. However, the romance is light, and difference in race is hardly detectable – as it should be. It is pure science fiction, with lots of action and adventure. Although the plot at first seems simple, it eventually becomes more complicated. Yet, it is the characters that drive the plot. Nadira and Jonathan lead us on a fast-paced thrill ride from page one. The author’s voice is clear, and the prose is descriptive. As the below interchange between two main characters show:

He strolled over to take in the Nova City skyline, where silver, gold and jewel-tone spires glistened against the darkened sky.

“Overwhelming, isn’t it?”

The whole novel is overwhelming, to be precise. I fell in love with the characters immediately, and they never let me down. Oh, Jonathan does appear to be a spoiled brat at first, and women swoon over him, but Nadira brings out the best in him before the story concludes. If you like science fiction, action, and adventure, you will love HATHOR LEGACY. Highly recommended.

Tom Johnson

Author of WORLDS OF TOMORROW

The Hathor Legacy Universe by Deborah Bailey

The Hathor Legacy Universe

My idea for my Hathor Legacy series came from a few sources. First of all, I’ve always been drawn to science fiction and for years I binged on books, TV shows, movies with SF themes. I could honestly say I grew up watching Twilight Zone (the original), the Outer Limits and Star Trek. So for me, the best stories are the ones that ask, “what if?” That probably also explains why I’m drawn to technology and I was a computer programmer for over 10 years. 

In fact, for years I was an employee in major corporations, so a lot of my impressions of the corporate life were integrated into my description of Novacorp Gallactic, Inc., the corporation that runs Hathor and controls many other planets. 

The Idea

I came up with the idea for the Guardians from watching a PBS documentary on U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, believe it or not. After they went into the details of how FDR was infected by the virus that causes polio, I wondered what would happen if that disease was as prevalent in the US today?

That’s what gave me the idea of a virus that would fundamentally change the person who became infected. But instead of having the virus unleashed on Earth, I chose a settlement on another planet. A person who survived the infection would be left with PSI powers such as telepathy and telekinesis. For the most part, the Guardians have those types of powers.

The Guardians

According to the history, Hathor was (or will be!) discovered in the year 2234. After its discovery and subsequent terraforming, settlers from Earth were selected to colonize the planet. Unfortunately after their arrival, a disease spread through the population, ultimately giving rise to the Guardians.

The Guardians use their PSI abilities in service to the corporation They’re a sort of high level security force that assists the regular company security, but due to their powers, they are obviously more powerful than average humans. They were introduced in book one, Hathor Legacy: Outcast.

Nadira, the heroine of the story, is one of the most powerful Guardians. In her position in the corporation, she’s designated as a Sentry and she reports to the company senior managers. So this position puts her at the top of the Guardian hierarchy and also in the upper levels of the company hierarchy. In this way, she’s a connector between both groups.

The Corporation

Since Hathor has valuable resources, such as crystals and other precious gems (some of which are used as power sources) the planet wasn’t abandoned after the disease spread. But instead, other companies began arriving and staking their claims, Novacorp executives realized that they’d like to own all of the resources. In order to do that, they had to control the planet. This is what led to the Corporate Wars, (which is also referenced in Hathor Legacy: Burn).

The Conflict

In the Hathor Legacy universe, there is always tension between the all-powerful corporation and the powerful Guardians. That relationship impacts the lives of Nadira and Jonathan Keel (the hero).

Once their powers are identified, people with PSI abilities are taken from their homes and families, so that they can become part of the Guardian organization.  As with any group, there will be outliers, but with the Guardians, if too many of them push back against the established order, it could destroy them and completely rip apart the fabric that holds the society together.

Novacorp needs them to hold on to their control, and yet the Guardians are strong enough to overpower them. At the heart of the story, conflict and tension exists between two groups that need each other for survival, yet don’t trust each other. And ultimately this conflict directly impacts the relationship between Nadira and Jonathan. But that's what makes a good story!

Buy links:

Hathor Legacy: Outcast (book 1)

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FZ1MEX0

Hathor Legacy: Burn (book 2)

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00LW95G7K

About the Author

Deborah A Bailey is the author of the science fiction romance novels, Hathor Legacy: Outcast and Hathor Legacy: Burn, and a short story collection, Electric Dreams: Seven Futuristic Tales. Her short stories have won awards from the Philadelphia Writers' Conference and her work has been published in US1 Magazine and the Sun. In her "other" life, she's a freelance business writer, blogger and author of three non-fiction books.

Blog: http://www.BrightStreetBooks.com

Twitter: @AuthorDeborahB