Reality Benders Series by Michael Atamanov

At long last, an extraterrestrial civilization reached out and made the First Contact. However, no one on Earth took their communique for the genuine article. In a similar vein, very few people appreciated just how little time our new suzerains had promised to keep our planet safe.Regardless, the end of their message showed humankind how to access a mysterious game. The objective of this game is unclear... moreAt long last, an extraterrestrial civilization reached out and made the First Contact. However, no one on Earth took their communique for the genuine article. In a similar vein, very few people appreciated just how little time our new suzerains had promised to keep our planet safe.Regardless, the end of their message showed humankind how to access a mysterious game. The objective of this game is unclear. No one can say where its servers are located, and its inner workings are beyond comprehension. But the game slowly gained momentum, pulling in more and more players. Soon enough, it became impossible to ignore the fact that things that happened in the game had a direct impact on our reality. And not only ours...But as people figure out this mysterious game, the countdown timer ticks away. And no one can say exactly what will happen when Earth’s safety is no longer guaranteed. less

The countdown timer continues to tick, but Earth is still not ready to repel an invasion from space. Gnat is on his voyage with the Shiamiru, all the while trying to find backup for humanity among the great spacefaring races. After all, based on what he’s already seen, he knows not to count on the good sense of his own kind. Even facing an external threat, the people of our Earth cannot see past their internal squabbles and come together to fight as one... moreThe countdown timer continues to tick, but Earth is still not ready to repel an invasion from space. Gnat is on his voyage with the Shiamiru, all the while trying to find backup for humanity among the great spacefaring races. After all, based on what he’s already seen, he knows not to count on the good sense of his own kind. Even facing an external threat, the people of our Earth cannot see past their internal squabbles and come together to fight as one. Gnat does not expect gratitude from his leaders for taking such matters into his own hands, but when have laws and rules ever stopped our intrepid hero before?! less

Our galaxy is at war! Great alien races have just clashed in desperate combat and its aftershocks are echoing even in our backwater. The Geckho - protectors and overlords of planet Earth - join the global conflict too. Is it a good thing for humanity? Hard to say. On one hand, the Geckho are too busy to defend our planet which doesn’t sound too good. On the other, it might be our chance to finally show what we're worth and claim our rightful place in big interstellar politics... moreOur galaxy is at war! Great alien races have just clashed in desperate combat and its aftershocks are echoing even in our backwater. The Geckho - protectors and overlords of planet Earth - join the global conflict too. Is it a good thing for humanity? Hard to say. On one hand, the Geckho are too busy to defend our planet which doesn’t sound too good. On the other, it might be our chance to finally show what we're worth and claim our rightful place in big interstellar politics.In the meantime, Gnat the Listener and his Shiamiru crewmates are fighting at the front line, throwing themselves into the very thick of this formidable space war... less

Ceasefires have one big downside: they eventually come to an end. And when they do, once again game nodes are set ablaze, and platoons of Dark Faction soldiers threaten our customary world with destruction. The enemy has grown stronger and more numerous. To make matters worse, they also got their hands on even deadlier weaponry. They have learned painful lessons from previous encounters and adjusted their tactics accordingly... moreCeasefires have one big downside: they eventually come to an end. And when they do, once again game nodes are set ablaze, and platoons of Dark Faction soldiers threaten our customary world with destruction. The enemy has grown stronger and more numerous. To make matters worse, they also got their hands on even deadlier weaponry. They have learned painful lessons from previous encounters and adjusted their tactics accordingly. What's more, the vast hordes of enemies are led by the greatest strategist of modern times, and his mage advisors can see all possible futures so they always know just what to do. How can our world possibly stand up against such an enemy? Our only hope is the bravery and tenacity of our best fighters, those who’d rather die than surrender. Well, that and a starship captained by one lone mage. less

We put an end to the war with the Dark Faction, but still humanity’s problems are far from over. More than half of the game’s promised tong of safety has elapsed, and yet humankind is no closer to forming a unified front. We've just begun building one of the twelve planetary shield generators necessary to give Earth complete protection, but we don't have enough construction materials, players or time... moreWe put an end to the war with the Dark Faction, but still humanity’s problems are far from over. More than half of the game’s promised tong of safety has elapsed, and yet humankind is no closer to forming a unified front. We've just begun building one of the twelve planetary shield generators necessary to give Earth complete protection, but we don't have enough construction materials, players or time. Should we ask the parallel magocratic world for help? After all, an invasion from outer space would hurt them just as bad. The mages, though, have plenty of problems of their own.What options does Gnat even have here? All he can truly count on are his own strength and his personal Relict faction. Should we put all our eggs in one basket and look for help in deep space? Might technology from ancient, long vanished races allow humanity to grow strong enough to turn back the onslaught before it's too late? less

To be on a starship that’s just sustained serious damage in a space battle including losing its thrusters and find yourself in a totally different galaxy... You might think that would be cause for panic or, at the very least, despondency, right? Not at all! Gnat maintains optimism, gradually gets his space frigate back in working order and even finds upsides to what happened... moreTo be on a starship that’s just sustained serious damage in a space battle including losing its thrusters and find yourself in a totally different galaxy... You might think that would be cause for panic or, at the very least, despondency, right? Not at all! Gnat maintains optimism, gradually gets his space frigate back in working order and even finds upsides to what happened.On top of that, there's never a dull moment – both in the virtual game and the real world Gnat finds himself at the very epicenter of the great space-faring races’ interests, though he does not understand why they’re paying him such close attention. And add to that the fact that humanity's Geckho suzerains are also in a tight spot and demanding all their vassals institute a military draft then send their assembled forces out to fight a distant space war.Will Gnat be able to play his part in this complicated diplomatic party with the future of the entire human race at stake? Find out in Book Six of Reality Benders! less

The Army of Earth is being sent on its first tour of duty. Its fifty thousand proud and valiant troopers are the best of the best, full of hope for brilliant victories and spoils of war that can help Earth's humanity along in its development.There's just one little problem though... moreThe Army of Earth is being sent on its first tour of duty. Its fifty thousand proud and valiant troopers are the best of the best, full of hope for brilliant victories and spoils of war that can help Earth's humanity along in its development.There's just one little problem though. The operation's Geckho commanders view their human vassals as mere cannon fodder, good only for plugging up holes in their defensive line and shipping out to the space war’s most punishing hotspots where the chance of surviving is practically nil.How should the Kung of Earth behave in this situation? Disobey the suzerains' orders, draw their ire and put his home planet under threat of complete annihilation? Or make a play for the freedom of humanity in a game of his own? less

The aggressive invaders from another galaxy cannot be stopped. The Composite keeps capturing system after system wiping out everything in its path, and there is no sign of a force capable of standing up to it.In the search for allies, Gnat embarks on a long journey aimed at uniting the various branches of the human race... moreThe aggressive invaders from another galaxy cannot be stopped. The Composite keeps capturing system after system wiping out everything in its path, and there is no sign of a force capable of standing up to it.In the search for allies, Gnat embarks on a long journey aimed at uniting the various branches of the human race. And though the potential for alliance is there, how can he convince them to set off to fight a suicidal war with such a disastrous balance of forces?Beyond that, things aren’t as easy as they initially seemed with the humans from the far-off Empire, and they have a compelling reason not to enter this war which does not concern them. There's also the status of sole ruler of humanity at stake, which is not the kind of achievement that can be shared.And that means one of the human leaders will have to back down. less