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THE PIRATE QUEEN
Her name was Venatora
and she was the boss lady of the most formidable colony of pirates in the
Possnet Sector. The fact that the Himmenops had a human queen, rather than one
of their own, only added to her mystery.
She was also a keen gambler and would bet on just about anything, up to and including wagering on which head would hit the floor first in a double execution.
It didn’t matter that she was wanted everywhere for her crimes – which were legion. Venatora had bribed, or cowed, every police official in the region and was heavily protected by her fanatic followers.
She was also a keen gambler and would bet on just about anything, up to and including wagering on which head would hit the floor first in a double execution.
It didn’t matter that she was wanted everywhere for her crimes – which were legion. Venatora had bribed, or cowed, every police official in the region and was heavily protected by her fanatic followers.
Alex thrust the sopping
napkin at Sten. “Here, ye be,” he said. “Tak’ th’ mingin mess.”
Chuckling, Sten shook
his head. “Got a job for you sergeant,” he said. “A job that will require all
your stealthy Mantis skills.”
Alex frowned. Why was
his friend pulling rank on him? “What manner a loony business is goin’ on in
thae wee noggin?” he asked.
“I want you to slip over
to the cages,” Sten replied, “and while everyone is busy watching the fights,
feed the soy strips to the red Xypaca. I want it fat and happy by time the fight
is called.”
Alex was aghast. “Guid
clottin’ day, hae ye seenth’ size ay those burds?” he said, indicating
Venatora’s guardswomen. “They’ll rip mah heed aff an’ drakh in mah neck.”
“That was my thinking as
well,” Sten said. “My advice to you is don’t get caught.”
Grumbling, Alex headed
for the cages. Meanwhile, Sten slipped out of the tent to reclaim the
semi-quiet spot near the narcobeer fountain.
He got on the horn with
Ida. “Sten, you clottin’ clot,” she grumbled, “why are you bothering me? I’m on
vacation, remember? Drakh, we’re all on vacation! Go get laid or something.
Leave me the clot alone.”
“You making money?” Sten
asked.
Ida snorted. “What a
stupid question. Of course, I’m making money. What’s it to you?”
“I need borrow some of
it,” Sten said.
“Borrow? How much?”
“A hundred grand ought
to do it.”
Ida exploded. “A hundred
clottin’ grand? Are you nuts? Stoned? Kidnapped? What?”
“I need to lay a bet on
a Xypaca fight,” Sten said.
Ida was scornful. “What
the clot do you know about Xypacas?” she demanded.
“You’d be surprised,”
Sten said.
“Give me a clottin’
break,” Ida said. “They’re like chicken fights on steroids. Nobody, but nobody,
can figure the odds on those little scrotes. They’re too skitzy.”
“Nevertheless,” Sten
said. “I need to make this bet.”
“What if you’re wrong?”
Ida asked. “What if you lose? How are you going to pay me back?”
“It’s for a mission,”
Sten said. “A legitimate Mantis expense. They’ll be obligated to cover our
losses.”
“So, you have Mahoney’s
approval, do you?” Ida said.
“Not exactly,” Sten
said. “But he’s going to love us when he finds out. Maybe even let us off these
interminable baby-sitting tours.”
Silence. Ida was as
frustrated and bored as the rest of them. Maybe even more so. For a Rom to be
cut out of the main action for all these months was beyond maddening.
Finally, she said.
“Okay. I’ll transfer the credits to your account. But it’s against my better
judgment.”
“I understand,” Sten
said.
But before he could key
off, she asked, “Say, Sten? There wouldn’t be a woman involved in this, would
there?”
“That’s a clotting
insult,” Sten said. “How dare you suggest that I’m ruled by my gonads?”
“I knew it,” Ida said.
And then she was gone.
NEXT: THE XYPACA WITH THE HALF BLACK TALON
*****
*****
THE TIMURA TRILOGY: When The Gods Slept, Wolves Of The Gods and The Gods Awaken. This best selling fantasy series now available as trade paperbacks, e-books (in all varieties) and as audiobooks. Visit The Timura Trilogy page for links to all the editions.
NEWLY REVISED KINDLE EDITIONS OF THE TIMURA TRILOGY NOW AVAILABLE. (1) When The Gods Slept;(2) Wolves Of The Gods; (3) The Gods Awaken.
*****
MY HOLLYWOOD MISADVENTURES
Here's where you can buy it worldwide in both paperback and Kindle editions:
United Kingdom ...........................Spain
Also: NOOK BOOK. Plus ALL E-BOOK FLAVORS.
A NATION AT WAR WITH ITSELF: In Book Three Of The Shannon Trilogy, young Patrick Shannon is the heir-apparent to the Shannon fortune, but murder and betrayal at a family gathering send him fleeing into the American frontier, with only the last words of a wise old woman to arm him against what would come. And when the outbreak of the Civil War comes he finds himself fighting on the opposite side of those he loves the most. In The Wars Of The Shannons we see the conflict, both on the battlefield and the homefront, through the eyes of Patrick and the members of his extended Irish-American family as they struggle to survive the conflict that ripped the new nation apart, and yet, offered a dim beacon of hope.
A True Story About A Boy,
A Teacher, And Earthquake,
Some Terrorists And The CIA
LUCKY IN CYPRUS is a coming-of-age story set in the Middle East during the height of the Cold War. An American teenager – son of a CIA operative – is inspired by grand events and a Greek Cypriot teacher.
He witnesses earthquakes and riots and terrorist attacks, but in the end it is his teacher’s gentle lessons that keep him whole.
Here's where to get the paperback & Kindle editions worldwide:
Here's what readers say about Lucky In Cyprus:
- "Bravo, Allan! When I finished Lucky In Cyprus I wept." - Julie Mitchell, Hot Springs, Texas
- "Lucky In Cyprus brought back many memories... A wonderful book. So many shadows blown away!" - Freddy & Maureen Smart, Episkopi,Cyprus.
- "... (Reading) Lucky In Cyprus has been a humbling, haunting, sobering and enlightening experience..." - J.A. Locke, Bookloons.com
*****
NEW: THE AUDIOBOOK VERSION OF
THE HATE PARALLAX
THE HATE PARALLAX: What if the Cold War never ended -- but continued for a thousand years? Best-selling authors Allan Cole (an American) and Nick Perumov (a Russian) spin a mesmerizing "what if?" tale set a thousand years in the future, as an American and a Russian super-soldier -- together with a beautiful American detective working for the United Worlds Police -- must combine forces to defeat a secret cabal ... and prevent a galactic disaster! This is the first - and only - collaboration between American and Russian novelists. Narrated by John Hough. Click the title links below for the trade paperback and kindle editions. (Also available at iTunes.)
*****
THE SPYMASTER'S DAUGHTER:
A novel by Allan and his daughter, Susan
After laboring as a Doctors Without Borders physician in the teaming refugee camps and minefields of South Asia, Dr. Ann Donovan thought she'd seen Hell as close up as you can get. And as a fifth generation CIA brat, she thought she knew all there was to know about corruption and betrayal. But then her father - a legendary spymaster - shows up, with a ten-year-old boy in tow. A brother she never knew existed. Then in a few violent hours, her whole world is shattered, her father killed and she and her kid brother are one the run with hell hounds on their heels. They finally corner her in a clinic in Hawaii and then all the lies and treachery are revealed on one terrible, bloody storm ravaged night.
BASED ON THE CLASSIC STEN SERIES by Allan Cole & Chris Bunch: Fresh from their mission to pacify the Wolf Worlds, Sten and his Mantis Team encounter a mysterious ship that has been lost among the stars for thousands of years. At first, everyone aboard appears to be long dead. Then a strange Being beckons, pleading for help. More disturbing: the presence of AM2, a strategically vital fuel tightly controlled by their boss - The Eternal Emperor. They are ordered to retrieve the remaining AM2 "at all costs." But once Sten and his heavy worlder sidekick, Alex Kilgour, board the ship they must dare an out of control defense system that attacks without warning as they move through dark warrens filled with unimaginable horrors. When they reach their goal they find that in the midst of all that death are the "seeds" of a lost civilization.
*****
TALES OF THE BLUE MEANIE
NOW AN AUDIOBOOK!
 |
Venice Boardwalk Circa 1969
|
In the depths of the Sixties and The Days Of Rage, a young newsman, accompanied by his pregnant wife and orphaned teenage brother, creates a Paradise of sorts in a sprawling Venice Beach community of apartments, populated by students, artists, budding scientists and engineers lifeguards, poets, bikers with a few junkies thrown in for good measure. The inhabitants come to call the place “Pepperland,” after the Beatles movie, “Yellow Submarine.” Threatening this paradise is "The Blue Meanie," a crazy giant of a man so frightening that he eventually even scares himself.
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