A Collection of Science Fiction & Space Opera Short Stories

Tales from five different worlds…

The Legend of the Levi: Agent Serafina Derwynde of the Acquisitions Guild stumbles upon an ancient generation ship. Lured by the prospect of early retirement thanks to the commission such a find would bring her, she boards the old vessel. But she discovers a thriving community, and soon comes to realise that in order to save humanity, she must sacrifice herself.

Time Fracture: One man comes to realise that time is being stolen. In his quest to uncover the truth, he learns that he must destroy time and hide from its ever-watchful eyes.

The Garoneu Trial: Empress Amiqus Vossen of the Provincial Systems finds herself facing execution. Her failure to murder her husband prevented genocide, but ensured her own death. As she embarks on her final journey, she is forced to perform one last task, one born of desperation by someone who chose to face the ultimate act of evil.

Bengaria’s War: Maryn’s Oath (A prequel to Bengaria’s War): Deep in space, Ensign Sul Bengaria encounters a young woman, near death, in an escape pod. The woman is from the feared Nezu Colony, notorious for their ruthless pursuit of death and destruction. Disgraced and branded a traitor, her punishment is to live dirtside as an Outsider. Her oath is to protect the Nezu, by any means, until her death.

Raq: When aliens crash-land onto Lieutenant Raq’s homeworld, he faces his greatest challenge. These aliens prove the Hlad are not alone. There is life beyond the Great Abyss. Everything he believes and understands has changed forever.

★★★★★
It is rare to read a collection where each story is strong in its own right, even more so in a sci fi setting, yet Toppin has produced an intelligent, thought provoking and compelling grouping.

Amazon review

★★★★★
Skillfully crafted and expertly told, these tales breathe life into the genre and harken back to those masters that I so enjoyed as a teen. All too often nowadays, science fiction is synonymous with sexy aliens and is basically off-world love stories, yet this collection transcends that and dares to break the mould. Sophisticated and wonderfully written.

Amazon review

★★★★★
Excellent collection of sci-fi short stories. The author has a gift for creating characters and other worlds that are believable and which quickly wrap you into the storyline.

Amazon review