"T. Jackson King/Tom writes hard science fiction, anthropological scifi, dark fantasy/horror and contemporary fantasy/magic realism. He's worked as an archaeologist in the American Southwest and has traveled widely in Europe, Russia, Japan, Canada, Mexico and the United States. He began reading scifi in the fourth grade, but didn't write his first novel until age 38, and it was rejected. His publications include STAR VIGILANTE (2012), THE GAEAN ENCHANTMENT (2012), LITTLE BROTHER'S WORLD (2010s), JUDGMENT DAY AND OTHER DREAMS (2009), ANCESTOR’S WORLD (1996) and RETREAD SHOP (1988). Tom lives in Los Alamos, NM with his wife Cathy."
My links are:
author's home page link: http://www.sff.net/people/t-jackson-king
amazon author page link: http://www.amazon.com/author/tjacksonking
goodreads author page link: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/192115.T_Jackson_King
Book Description Publication Date: May 4, 2013 The Skrill have destroyed Earth and now pursue the last Humans. Sixteen survive. And Ephraim Halliday must find a reason for all of them to stay alive, to give birth to a new humanity in far-off Andromeda Galaxy. But will any of them survive the pursuing Skrill, who attack them on both physical and psychic levels? As they battle their pursuers, Ephraim will discover whether sensual love or raw power will lead the last Humans to a new tomorrow. In that battle he will be helped by the spirits of eight billion dead and the gods and goddesses of ancient Earth. For they too travel with the survivors, the living avatars of humanity.
From the Author T. Jackson King (Tom) is a professional archaeologist and journalist. He writes hard science fiction, anthropological scifi, dark fantasy/horror and contemporary fantasy/magic realism--and he never took a college creative writing class nor bowed and scraped to a literary opinion-maker. That said, Tom has long loved a good story. He works at sharing his best efforts in imaginative stories with reader worldwide. And for those who like to know where an author grew up or has lived as an adult, the answer is Lots Of Places! Some of them include Garden Grove, Calif.; Belmont, Calif.; Medford, Oregon; New Orleans, LA; Paris, France; Tokyo, Japan; Nashville, TN; Knoxville, TN; Silver City, New Mexico; Show Low, Arizona; Salt Lake City, Utah; Pinetop, AZ; Huntsville, Alabama; Tucson, AZ; Cortez, Colorado; Safford, AZ; and Riverside, Calif. More info on Tom's books, like Reviews and background, can be found at his website of sff.net/people/t-jackson-king. From the Inside Flap This hard sci-fi tale tells the story of Ephraim Halliday, leader of the last 16 Human survivors of a destroyed Earth who flee the Skrill attackers and head for Andromeda Galaxy in a sublight starship to find a safe home for humanity. The Aliens pursue them and attack on physical and psychic levels, but Humans and Gods will never allow the Skrill to kill the last Humans. More "Human versus Aliens in galactic combat" stories can be found in my Stellar Assassin, Star Vigilante and Retread Shop novels.
Star Vigilante
"Matt Dragoneaux is an interstellar hired gun who follows the Code of the Vigilante: track 'em, strike 'em, and be elsewhere when the Anarchate battleglobe shows up. Armed with the aid of the self-aware starship Mata Hari, he's been successful in bringing a small bit of justice to the alien star culture of the Anarchate. But then a crossbreed woman hires him to right a wrong being done to her planet by an alien commercial conglomerate that rules whole star clusters. Matt, aided by cyborg improvements that make him a deadly foe, sets out to do his job the best he can. Soon, he is on track to becoming the deadliest Vigilante in human history. But humanity's survival among the crowded stars might be the price for success in his job. This is a Robin Hood In Space type action-adventure story of 93,000 words. It tells of a time in the future when humans are The New Kids On The Block in an alien-run galaxy and there is no law or justice in the Anarchate galactic culture. Matt, with a history of pain from a prior relationship, does not seek romance with his Patron, one Eliana Antigone Themistocles. But stranger romances have happened throughout history, and what the two of them end up with will be more than either expected."
"Matt Dragoneaux is an interstellar hired gun who follows the Code of the Vigilante: track 'em, strike 'em, and be elsewhere when the Anarchate battleglobe shows up. Armed with the aid of the self-aware starship Mata Hari, he's been successful in bringing a small bit of justice to the alien star culture of the Anarchate. But then a crossbreed woman hires him to right a wrong being done to her planet by an alien commercial conglomerate that rules whole star clusters. Matt, aided by cyborg improvements that make him a deadly foe, sets out to do his job the best he can. Soon, he is on track to becoming the deadliest Vigilante in human history. But humanity's survival among the crowded stars might be the price for success in his job. This is a Robin Hood In Space type action-adventure story of 93,000 words. It tells of a time in the future when humans are The New Kids On The Block in an alien-run galaxy and there is no law or justice in the Anarchate galactic culture. Matt, with a history of pain from a prior relationship, does not seek romance with his Patron, one Eliana Antigone Themistocles. But stranger romances have happened throughout history, and what the two of them end up with will be more than either expected."
The Gaean Enchantment
"The world is going through a Time of Change where science has failed and Gaean earth magic is the new way in which life and survival now work. Oregon archaeologist Thomas and his mage wife Mary embark on a cross-country drive to Virginia to save his three children from the chaos of social breakdown, as national unity disintegrates and local NeoMob or drug Syndicate bosses take over. And Evil incarnate follows them, including a giant leaf monster full of evil from past human sacrifice. But ancient gods, goddesses, sacred mountains, magical groves and totem animals like the buffalo Black Mane are also awakening, and they will have much to say about the new shape of the world that humans thought they controlled. This is a great book for readers of apocalyptic futures, quest adventures, Gaean earth magic, Spirit World stories, Greek mythology, and romance--there are two love stories in this 125,000 word novel. And the Greek goddess Artemis appears as a major character."
Judgment Day And Other Dreams
"VISIT 16 EXOTIC AND ECLECTIC SHORT STORIES. Wonder at the choice presented to an Oregon jazz singer who is offered the greatest gig of her life--if only she will choose to sing for Judgment Day. Discover just what the attraction of Earth might be for Alien ship captains. Consider what America might have been like if concentration camps had been set up for HIV/AIDS sufferers. Experience the wonder of an America where science and technology are failing as Earth magic becomes real. Explore the horrific consequences of removing an ancient archaeological artifact and putting it on display in Berlin's Pergamum Museum. Marvel at the macabre suffering one couple hidden away in an ancient Swiss castle will endure for their art. Ponder whether cannibalism of another thinking species is a reasonable choice for survival. Find out what happens when people work as migrant laborers under distant stars and leave behind orphaned children. Experience the dangers of travel between the stars where gravity's tug brings with it the tides of fear. See how interstellar employment may come down to being a hired gun."
Little Brother's World
"Little Brother had survived as an orphan on the colony planet Mother's World by following two very firm rules in his scavenging through the Alor City trash dump: first, you grabbed anything edible before the valuables. Second, you never talked to the garbage. But then the Pube girl Sally talked to him--and he talked back, even though she was tied up "garbage" deposited in the dump. Little Brother soon discovered that, in rescuing Sally, he had begun a quest to learn why he alone had been born without the GeneCode tatoo that set one's status, job and destiny. That quest would lead him to a truth that some on his world will kill to keep secret--and the lives of two young people count for nothing in the Game of Power. But Little Brother has a Talent stronger than hatred or power, a Talent linked to his birth without a GeneCode tatoo. It is a talent that might help both of them survive."
Retread Shop
"An Alien-controlled galactic bazaar of unimaginable wealth, rigid caste systems, and ancient cutthroat rivalries. Young Billy McGuire, its only human, was unwanted, scorned and forced to steaL for his living. But now he has a patron, a mysterious alien trader and a new ambition: to become the Shop's first human Merchant no matter what the odds."
"An Alien-controlled galactic bazaar of unimaginable wealth, rigid caste systems, and ancient cutthroat rivalries. Young Billy McGuire, its only human, was unwanted, scorned and forced to steaL for his living. But now he has a patron, a mysterious alien trader and a new ambition: to become the Shop's first human Merchant no matter what the odds."
Ancestor's World
"An Archeologist Opens an Ancient Tomb. His Discovery Reveals A Secret. A Secret Some Will Kill to Keep Buried. On the planet Na-Dina, the tombs in the Ancestor’s Valley have lain undisturbed for six thousand years. A fully intact royal chamber promises treasures beyond reckoning, but no one expected ancient Mizari artifacts. When a member of the team is brutally murdered, Ambassador-at-Large Mahree Burroughs arrives, determined to find the killer…no matter the cost. What she discovers will change her life, the lives of the Na-Dina, and the lives of everyone in the Cooperative League of Systems."