J Alan Erwine

No one can say with any reasonable certainty when the United States of America began to fall apart. Many point to the presidential election of 2016, but most believe the breakup started long before this. Now, in the year 2110, the former United States is made up of 13 nation-states and The Wastelands. Some of the nation-states have prospered under self-rule, while others have declined. Some nation-states are very accepting of outsiders, while others trust no one...sometimes not even their fellow citizens. There is chaos in some places, and order in others...sometimes too much order.

The Martian Wave 2018 will take you to worlds you could never imagine, and introduce you to aliens you never thought possible. Join the explorers of the galaxy as they visit the planets of our solar system, and planets and star systems beyond.Featuring fiction from G.O. Clark, S.A. Dance, Eddie D. Moore, Benjamin Whitney Norris, Tyree Campbell, Glen R. Stripling, Eamonn Murphy, Lisa Timpf, Sara L. Uckelman, Francis W. Alexander, Russell Hemmell, and Nicholas Stillman, everyone is sure to find a story they love. And with poetry from Samson Stormcrow Hayes, David C. Kopaska-Merkel, Kendall Evans, Lisa Timpf, Greg Schwartz, WC Roberts, Benjamin Whitney Norris, and David Ralph Lewis, you're sure to have your senses overloaded with the beauty and terror of the universe.

The September issue of The Fifth Di... takes you to a myriad of worlds that you could never imagine. Go to a world where humans are struggling against the native plant life, and see just how far the children of the colonists will go to protect that plant life. Visit an interplanetary vessel like you've never seen before...even the inhabitants of the ship are surprised by what they find. In another world, a man dies...again, and again, and again. On Earth, a woman is visited by a being from another dimension, and he has something that might be amazing to offer to her. Also on Earth, a man struggles with not inheriting his father's future. Just how far will he go (in time) to try to get what he feels is his? And finally, visit another reality where the heroes you are familiar with have very different lives...

The June issue of The Fifth Di... brings you six stories that will excite and entice you.An artist that is nearing the end of his life, and must face the choices he has made; a man who has to make a decision between what is right and wrong, and must face the consequences of that choice; a man undergoes an experiment to have his consciousness transported into a cat in the past, and this too has unexpected consequences; a woman becomes pregnant to help the world government in a way she could never expect; Maksim Gorky visits a concentration camp, and the actions of the inmates, as well as his own actions could have massive ramifications on the future; and a prisoner who has undergone mind alteration returns to Earth, but can he ever escape his past?

The March issue of The Fifth Di... takes a walk on the dark side with Lachlan Walter, Robert N Stephenson, Rik Hunik, and Gustavo Bondoni bringing you stories of the darker side of humanity.You'll be taken to a bleak future where the poor are taken advantage of, a future where a branch of humanity comes back to Earth, but the encounter doesn't go anything like people might have expected, a future where immortality brings a terrible consequence, and an effort to explore the universe that is brutally sabotaged.If you like fiction that warns you about the dangers of the future, this is the issue for you.

America as a fascist state, soldiers driven to terrorism, insane computers, insane humans, insane aliens, these are just some of the things waiting for readers in the pages of this new collection from prize winning science fiction author J Alan Erwine.Seedlings on the Solar Winds contains sixteen stories that will have readers questioning what reality really is, and wondering what the future of humanity might be.

Taurin Tales is a shared world anthology featuring some of the top names in small press science fiction. The Taurins were created by science fiction writer, editor, and game designer J Alan Erwine. Once he had created them, he invited some of his favorite writers to play in the universe, and further flesh out these new aliens. Thus was born Taurin Tales.The stories in this collection cover a large aspect of Taurin life...grand space adventures, small character studies, the tackling of difficult social issues, the past and the future of the Taurins.Included in this collection, you'll find David Lee Summers, D. Moonfire, Ian Brazee-Cannon, Tyree Campbell, Anna Paradox, Laura Givens, and Rick Novy.

Imagine it's the 19th century, and the colonization/conquest of the Americas is underway yet again, only this time magic is real, and the Indians have a lot more of it than the colonists. This is the world of The Battle for Turtle Island: Buffalo Wars. The colonists may have the better weapons, but the Indians nearly double the magic of the colonists. Maybe this time the history of the Americas will be very, very different. The Battle for Turtle Island: Buffalo Wars is actually two books in one. It has the core rules for The Battle for Turtle Island RPG, which will be a series of books featuring the different parts of the Americas, and it also has the Buffalo Wars supplement which looks at the battles for the plains. You can choose to be a Cavalry Soldier, an Arapahoe Medicine Man, a Colonist Trapper, an Apache Warrior, or any number of other classes, and your character can choose to change classes as they advance. This book contains, the character classes, the special abilities for each Indian tribe, the goods, the spells, and much more. The only other thing you'll need to play is some dice and a vivid imagination.

The year is 2185. The human race has gone to the stars, and found that they're not alone. Local space is teeming with civilizations, some hostile, some friendly, and some indifferent. This is the universe of Ephemeris. Ephemeris is a game of galactic trade and galactic conquest; of inter-species conflict and cooperation. Ephemeris is a science fiction role playing game. Here you will be able to take on the role of your favorite alien species and your favorite class. You will be able to trade, fight, negotiate, conquer, whatever you'd like to do with your fellow players. You can play the role of an Althani Trader, or maybe an Arbonix Cyber Wizard, or maybe even a Human Nanist. You can create a party made up entirely of one species and set out to upset the trade routes of a rival species. Or maybe you want to create a party with a variety of species that preys upon the trading routes of the various civilizations. Or maybe you want to explore the ancient ruins on long dead planets, ruins that clearly show that there were other species roaming the spaceways in the past...but where are they now? You can fight in great wars, negotiate grand peace treaties, and explore sections of the galaxy that no sentient has ever explored. Or maybe your party has joined with one of the interplanetary corporations; corporations whose motives are never entirely clear. These are just some of the possibilities open to you. The universe of Ephemeris is yours to do with as you please. What you now hold in your hands are the basic guidelines for the games. Here you'll find the races, classes, abilities, skills, weapons, and ships that allow you to create your own Ephemeris universe. Now, step inside for the greatest science fiction adventure you've ever been on...

The December 2017 issue of The Fifth Di... brings you stories from Chris Dean, Karen Heslop, Kate Runnels, and G. W. Thomas.A serial killer is loose and it's up to a psi talent to catch them, but can she hold herself together long enough to succeed? A young girl is "chosen" to sacrifice herself for the good of her village, but nothing can prepare her for what this sacrifice means. A woman is determined to continue to explore the galaxy, but the chaos of Earth is threatening to destroy her dreams, and she's already had so many dreams destroyed. And finally, a man down on his luck finds that that luck is about to change in a way he could never expect.

Mental illness is very common in our society, but it's also very misunderstood. Many view those with mental illnesses as being weak, but there is a great deal of strength in those that must battle their own minds on a regular basis.Disharmony of the Spheres focuses on characters with mental illnesses that are still able to be successful. They may not completely overcome their illnesses, but they are able to beat them back and succeed.In this volume, you will find the fiction of Ian Brazee Cannon, Sharon Lee and Steve Miller, MH Bonham, David Lee Summers, Nicole Givens Kurtz, Kate Runnels, Michael Morgan, L.J. Bonham, Carol Hightshoe, Francis W. Alexander, and Terrie Leigh Relf.This book is dedicated to all of the science fiction fans and writers that must battle their own personal demons every day, and half of all of the profits from this book will go to The Yellow Ribbon Suicide Prevention Organization, a group that battles teen suicide.

The Martian Wave: 2017 brings you stories and poems that look at humanity's exploration and colonization of space, with a special emphasis on our solar system. You'll find fiction from Mike Adamson, Melanie Rees, Andrew Muff, Matthew Spence, Lisa Timpf, Tristan Fernie, Russell Hemmell, Alan Ira Gordon, Stephen S. Power, Eddie D. Moore, and Angus Cervantes. You'll also find poetry from Lee Clark Zumpe, John Grey, WC Roberts, Lisa Timpf, David Kopaska-Merkel, Samson Stormcrow Hayes, and William Shaw. Some of what you read will leave you optimistic about our futures, while other stories and poems may leave you doubting our future, but no matter what, The Martian Wave: 2017 will leave you convinced that our future lies out among the stars.

The September 2017 issue of The Fifth Di... brings you the story of a man caught in an experiment gone wrong...waking up to a different reality every day, and not sure if he will ever be able to get home. You can also read the story of a human that meets the Scorpii god, but there's something familiar about this god. Also, a woman who knows the way of magic is attacked on a train by a power that only she can see...or is there someone else. And finally, an old man has isolated himself and is ready to die, but the past won't let him be alone anymore.This issue features the fiction of Fredrick Obermeyer, Eamonn Murphy, Keith P. Graham, and Mike Murphy.

More than a decade ago, Sam's Dot Publishing released a small anthology titled Ecotastrophe that looked at the dangers posed by global climate change.Now, the planet seems in even greater peril, and maybe we are facing Ecotastrophe, but is there time to save ourselves.Ecotastrophe II features startling fiction from Tyree Campbell, Dan Rice, Melanie Rees, Robert J. Mendenhall, Gustavo Bondoni, and Mike Adamson.

The March 2017 issue of The Fifth Di... starts yet another year of wonderful science fiction and fantasy fiction.This issue brings you fiction from Daniel C. Smith, Melanie Rees, Kate Runnels, and Eamonn Murphy. These stories will have you questioning reality, questioning what's right and wrong in the world, and maybe even questioning what we should tolerate as the world changes around us.

The December 2016 issue of The Fifth Di... brings you fiction by Chris Dean, Samuel Van Pelt, Brian "flesheater" Stoneking, and Douglas Kolacki.In this issue, you'll find a doctor who manages to improve humanity by changing it, but is change always a good thing? A man whose sole purpose in life is to help people understand that they're being replaced by robots. A killing machine that's determined to spread destruction thoughout the galaxy. And a man who finds he might actually get a second chance...

The Martian Wave: 2016 brings you stories and poems that look at humanity's exploration and colonization of space, with a special emphasis on our solar system.You'll find fiction from E. M. Eastick, Samuel Van Pelt, Lars H. Hoffmann, Francis W. Alexander, Robert N. Stephenson, Guy Stewart, GC Rosenquist, and Benjamin Cooper. You'll also find poetry from David C. Kopaska-Merkel, Christina Sng, Shelly Bryant, Lisa Timpf, and M. C. Childs.Some of what you read will leave you optimistic about our futures, while other stories and poems may leave you doubting our future, but no matter what, The Martian Wave: 2016 will leave you convinced that our future lies beyond the Earth.

The September 2016 issue of The Fifth Di... features fiction from Robert N. Stephenson, G. O. Clark, Rik Hunik, and Rick Novy.A woman trapped on a conquered planet spends her days harvesting human blood for her alien conquerors, plotting her escape and eventual revenge. An astronaut goes back in time, and hopes to leave his mark on the future. An acid induced parlor trick leads to the creation of living origami goats that eat paper and become a menace...but not as big of a menace as the predator that's created to take care of the goats. And finally, a man becomes a butler for an eccentric rich man, but he has no idea just how eccentric the man really is, and then he must figure out how to stop him.