Wasteland Marshals: Volume One, by Gail Z. Martin & Larry N. Martin, is a collection of four related novellas: The Wasteland Marshals, Witch of the Woods, Ghost of the Past, and Shutdown Crew. The stories center around Shane Collins and Lucas Maddox, a pair of best buds who have known each other since they were kids. They’re also the last pair of US marshals still trying to do their job after the Events which left the world in ruin.
Ghosts, demons, ancient spirits, renegade AIs, and werewolves are only some of the troublemakers that Shane and Lucas have to deal with. All the things that go bump in the night have come out of the shadows now that there are fewer humans on earth, and it’s no small feat to handle them. The two battle all sorts of bad folks and learn to embrace their unusual abilities which have become stronger since the world fell apart. (Lucas sees ghosts and Shane hears earth spirits.)
Gail and Larry Martin have cleverly woven bits of nerdy pop culture and humor into this exciting post-apocalyptic world with two awesome kick-ass heroes. It has a nice mixture of magic and technology. I look forward to volume two.
If you haven’t had a chance, check out these stories:
Plagued by memories not her own, a young hummingbird struggles to decipher the visions and powers that set her apart from her fellow birds. But the road to awareness is fraught with danger that could doom her to repeat history.
One step toward understanding.
One stride toward survival.
One leap toward flying free from the past.
Sometimes it’s hard to be who you are meant to be.
Especially when your powers can get you killed.
Eighteen-year-old Tatiana is running from her past and her star-touched powers eight years after a meteor devastates earth’s population.
Her power to heal may be overshadowed by more destructive abilities. Fleeing the persecution of those like her, Tatiana seeks refuge in a small town she once visited. But this civil haven, in a world where society has broken down, is beginning to crumble.
Only by harnessing the very forces that haunt her can Tatiana save her friends…and herself.
A Hidden Past – A Deadly Secret
Gifted with the ability to wolf-talk, Kara has lived with the wolves since she lost her memories eight years ago. Now at sixteen, snippets of her past send her searching for answers.
But the warm welcome she receives in the human village hides more danger than life with the pack.
Gareth: A quiet lake teaming with fish and a small boat. I’d row out to the perfect spot, toss a line in and wait for a bite. Pure bliss with no worries.
Jesse: In the blackness of the night, my mind slipped beyond the confines of mortal planes. Knitted within nightmares and dreams, I found a land where I did not obey rules, I made them. I found a place where the unconventional can become standard; a spectacle beyond what eyes can behold, but not more than the mind can comprehend. May the worlds beyond be as influential and entertaining to you as they are to me, and may I be a worthy guide.
D.L. (Dee Leana) Carter was decanted from her incubation pod in the outback of Australia many decades ago. This terrifying event was closely followed by shrieks of “there, there it goes. Hit it with a brick!”
Steven Brust was born late in the Cenozoic Era at a place a mere 238,900 miles from the lonely, harsh desolation of the moon. From the moment of his birth, he launched a study of language, facial recognition, and tool using, while simultaneously beginning an intense regime of physical fitness. He fell into a life of crime under the influence of Tuli, the Evil Dog of Evilness, a life which continued for many years. At one point, aided by Captain Blondbeard the Space Pirate Kitty, he nearly succeeded in either taking over the world or destroying the universe, the record is unclear. The plot, which featured a machine (built by a mysterious parrot known only as “Doc”) that could predict the future, failed when the machine turned out to be only able to predict the plot of action movies. This led Brust to abandon his criminal activities and begin writing science fiction and fantasy novels. Only time will tell how much lower he’ll sink.
