Orphans In the Black

Sky Full of Stars

by Amy J. Murphy, C. Gockel (Editor/contributor), Lindsay Buroker

We’re all Orphans in the Black …

Strap yourself in for nineteen thrilling short stories of space pirates, time travelers, aliens, AI, and more! Meet determined heroes forging their own path through the universe, men and women who won’t go down without a fight. Be transported to fantastical new worlds by award winning and bestselling authors.

Download this exclusive collection today.

The Stories: A Simple Thing ~ by Amy J. Murphy
Note to Self ~ by Joseph Lallo
Gravitational Pull ~ by Christine Pope
Autoscopy ~ by Matt Verish
Fog of War ~ by Chris Reher
The Alien ~ by Kay McSpadden
No Eye in Emily ~ by Patty Jansen
Void Mage ~ by Chris Fox
Lost Souls and Other Anomalies ~ by Christopher Holliday
Spacer ~ by J.A. Sutherland
Murphy’s Star ~ by C. Gockel
Interference ~ by Michelle Diener

Stowaway ~ by Anthea Sharp
In the Clutch ~ by LJ Cohen
Iron Lazarus ~ by David Adams
Dreams in the Dust ~ by Richard Tongue
Freedom? ~ by M.R. Forbes
Combat Support ~ by Lindsay Buroker
The Last Astronaut ~ by Chris Dietzel

Genres: Science Fiction, Anthologies, Short Stories

722 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 25, 2017

About the author

Amy J. Murphy is not a Jedi. (Although she’s married to this Scottish guy that claims to be one.) Nor is she a powerful mutant with adamantium claws and super-fast healing, or leader of the human resistance battling to overthrow cyborg overlords.

But, she is a fantastic liar.

She discovered this power at an early age and chose to wield it for good instead of evil (even though the evil part remains highly tempting.) With this power, Amy writes books about space opera featuring kickass heroines. These books are sometimes confused for military science fiction which is an easy mistake to make. She’s ok with this as her debut novel, Allies and Enemies: Fallen, was a finalist for the 2016 Dragon Award for Best Military Science Fiction or Fantasy Novel. At some point, she infiltrated the ranks of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) and refuses to return the cool membership card they sent her when they figured things out.

When not geeking out at science fiction conventions, she’s hunkered down in an isolated farmhouse in the maple syrup guzzling state of Vermont with the aforementioned Scotsman/Jedi and two canines that possess the ability to speak. She gives away free books if you write her a nice message via her website www.amyjmurphy.com.

Reviews

[Paul Magis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book claims to be an "exclusive collection" of short stories, but while reading it I had more the feeling that I was reading a collection of Kindle e-book samples. As if there were not really nicely, trimmed short stories, but more teasers to get to know these authors, to introduce you to the main characters and worlds in their books and to seduce you into buying one of their books.

Nothing wrong with that and I indeed discovered some new authors whose storytelling style I liked and from whom I downloaded some samples, but then again samples are free, whereas this book one has to purchase.

I'm giving it four stars out of five, because few of the stories are stand-alone short stories.

[Barry Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really Enjoyed this book

Coincidently I have two favorite stories in this anthology. The first is by Amy J Murphy and the other is called "Murphy's Star' a coincidence I am sure but a fun one. I would highly recommend this anthology as an introduction to many great authors.

[Glenn Adams · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'll say up front, I bought this to read Amy J. Murphy's story "A Simple Thing," part of Amy's Allies and Enemies series. If you're a fan of that series, "A Simple Thing" is an excellent addition.

As for the rest? I haven't read yet, but plan too.

[Norma Mason · Rating 5 out of 5]

A keeper!

So many anthologies have only a few stories that are well-written. This one has extremely diverse stories, but all of them were worth reading!

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mostly good. Some of the stories had editing errors. One of them was FAR too abruptly eneded. Some of the stories made me want to investigate their authors' other works. Overall, a decent read.

[Saidah Gilbert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Orphans in the Black

A Simple Thing- story was a bit boring. I don't even remember what it was about and I don't want to check.

Note to Self- time travel shenanigans. I was expecting something so I read through the whole thing but then it ended.

Gravitational Pull- SF romance. supposedly. I thought it was horror at first based on the protagonist but it turned out to be romance in the end. Urgh. Disgusting. Also, the story was full of typos. Two characters had different first names including the supposed male lead.

Autoscopy- quite short. classic AI horror story when the AI gets an autonomous body.

Fog of War- Another AI story but I liked it. I wish it was longer. It had the same themes as the last story-an AI wanting freedom- but this time, nobody died. That's why it was OK.

The Alien- Huh.

No Eye in Emily- Hmm. Very nice.

Void Mage- Story was in 1st person POV but the person didn't introduce themself so I couldn't connect with the person at all. I ended up reading to the end waiting to find out who it was.

Lost Souls and Other Anomalies- I liked it. Very nice. I was interested in looking up other stories but apparently, he only published short stories. I don't really enjoy that format so I guess I'll have to put aside this author for now.

Spacer- The faux British setting was a bit melodramatic. Old- time school but in space. Old-time money but in space. However, I'm a bit curious of where this story will go so I will read to the end. (I also need to finish the book to get hard mode for Bingo). The author couldn't keep up the British facade. A bit of an Americanism came through in the narration.- So I read to the end. The juxtaposition of space and old time Britain was too jarring. It made it easy to keep track of the plot but space was almost irrelevant. It should've just been a sea story. I did like the ending, though and if it was a series, I would try to get the next books so I can continue it. Speaking of Britain and other countries in earlier centuries but in space, David Weber did it better. I guess I like space ships that look like space ships rather than sailing ships. I mean, how does that even make sense?

Murphy's Star- The synopsis raised my expectations. They were not met.

Interference- This is an author that I've read before. In fact, I collected a whole series by her because I was interested in the background story. I didn't know that this was supposed to be a romance until I googled the rest of the series that this novella was a part of. Apparently, it's a series of standalone romances but I was only interested in the world building so I'm not in a hurry to get any more of this series.

Stowaway- Same kind of settting as Spacer- British Empire in space. It feels and looks better though. I almost didn't catch the Britishness. It felt like a future.

In the Clutch- OK.

Iron Lazarus- Huh, it was interesting but I didn't like the ending.

Dreams in the Dust- I liked this one. It was actually clear and easy to follow.

Freedom?- Interesting though I didn't like the POV in the beginning, I got used to it.

Combat Support- This story is by an author that I like and it's even from a series that I already read so I was familiar with the characters.

The Last Astronaut- Too depressing. There are two extremes in this story. The protagonist wants to be away from every other human because his pet died and all the other humans are gathering together in one small place because reproduction no longer exists and humanity is going extinct. I find that too unbelievable. Well, the humans gathering. Anti-social hermits living away from all other humans is believable but everybody gathering in one place voluntarily- unbelievable. People used to live in villages with mere hundreds of people in remote spots. Why would that stop just because of no children? In fact, in places today with population decline, part of the problem is caring for elders in far-flung remote spots. Because despite their children moving to the cities, these elders refuse to move from their birth villages. So why would an extinction event cause whole cities to empty? Too unbelievable. The author also seems to think that animals would thrive when cities empty but ghost towns are usually empty of both humans and animals. Animals that live in cities are accustomed to living with humans. If the humans move, so would the animals. So now that everyone is gathering in as few spots are possible, how did they deal with the mass migration of vermin?


Was this anthology not edited? Many stories had typos and grammatical errors. It's almost like each author submitted their story and then it was put together and published just so. Well, I picked up this anthology because an author I liked was part of it. Their story did not disappoint unlike other stories in this anthology. I even discovered one or two authors that I might try out.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great anthology, Orphans in the Black is made up of a good number of stories, too many to summarize here, so I’ll say this: all of the stories were worth reading, some more than others, and several were outstanding, which I’ll mention below.

A Simple Thing - Amy J. Murphy: I loved this story, Luc was a conflicted and interesting character and the world building was fantastic. He was an elite soldier on an undercover mission, one that he didn’t really believe in. I liked the story so much I wanted to read more by this author so I picked up the first book in her Allies and Enemies series.

No Eye in Emily - Patty Jansen: Loved this story of “construct” human against “natural” human, Emlee was an awesome character and having her persevere for herself and other constructs was lovely.

Spacer - J.A. Sutherland: I really liked this novella - as the young man from a merchant family is cast adrift by the ruination of his family by a powerful rival merchant, his only thoughts are revenge. The mysterious man who offers him a way to achieve that revenge sends him on an adventure among his enemies.

Interference - Michelle Diener: A lovely novella with a young woman and her four wards who are survivors of a destroyed planet, visiting a historical moon that is going to be destroyed to prevent it from colliding with another world. Hijackers have a plan to steal the gravity generator that is providing the atmosphere for the moon. They are no match for the special forces team, led by Mak Carep, that will stop them and protect Nyha and her wards. I loved the resourceful Nyha and the heroic Mak, and their strong connection formed during the ordeal.

Combat Support - Lindsay Buroker: This story was set in the series A Sky Full of Stars and features Erick, the goofy, nerdy engineer and Masika, the enhanced experimental soldier. The two have an uneasy sort of friendship, since Masika is wary of men from previous experiences, but Erick is sort of like a friendly puppy, it’s hard not to like him. But Erick is a puppy with teeth when he uses his Starseer skills, which come in handy when they’re attacked by a group of combat armored men trying to capture Masika for her former employers. Love this series and it was fun to see things from Masika’s point of view.

[Diana in SC · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic Sci-fi; an awesome new series by Michelle Diener, too!

So far I have read two of the novellas in this collect wonderful collection. I will add to my review when I can read more of them. This boxed set has so many stories from so many excellent writers that I can't wait to read more.

I read "Interference" by Michelle Diener. I give it 4.5 stars. I am a big fan of Michelle Diener's "Class 5" trilogy, so I jumped at the chance to read this new space opera written by her. At first I found the story hard to get into because of the many place names that were thrown at the reader and because the initial situation seemed boring. The heroine Nyha and her five teen orphans whom she was watching over at first were in a seemingly boring and normal situation. Thankfully, suspense and action appeared about 1/3 of the way through, and I started to really enjoy it. I then got sucked in and started to care about all of the main characters. There is a bunch of really cool action like in the Star Trek movies. It seems like Michelle Diener is best at novel length science fiction. This was a good introduction to the new Verdant String series. By the middle of the story, I had a good grasp of the planets, cultures, and politics of the Verdant String planets. Nyha and Make worked well together and felt a spark of attraction for each other. Nyha is an intelligent woman that I liked. A relationship between them begins but it is left to be explored in future books, I predict. Nyha and Mac related to each other in a respectful and cozy way similar to the awesome couples in the Class 5 trilogy.

I also read Chris Dietzel's emotionally powerful novella "The Last Astronaut". I give it 5 stars. Beware: only read this if you are in the mood to cry. This story is profound. The author eloquently has so much to say about loss, love of a pet, and time. It is told from the perspective of a near future man who is the last astronaut ever to be sent out from Earth. I recommend this to anyone who loves the movie "Interstellar", which makes me cry as well.

I received a free advanced reading copy from one of the authors, and I voluntarily wrote this honest review.

[Lynn Latimer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This new space anthology is filled with lots of Sci Fi goodness. I have not yet read all of the stories; however, I very much enjoyed Michelle Diener’s INTERFERENCE. Orphaned as children, Dr. Nyha Bartali and her young charges were from a planet that not only self-destructed, but those who got away where ill-treated by smugglers as well as the planetary group who should have helped them sooner. Nyha is now with the four girls on a moon that is set for destruction called Cepi. They are taking a last chance to study some archaeological ruins that have historical significance to her remnant group of Halatians. Something goes very wrong and they are taken by an armed force to be used as hostages. She connects by a comm set with Mak, an Arkhoran special forces security leader who helps Nyha while trying to figure out who is behind the nefarious plans of a seemingly mercenary group linked to some higher ups on Mak’ s home planet, Arkor, where Nyha lives. I liked Nyha’s determination not to be a victim as she once was and her skills at fighting against those who would use her and her people. Mak risks himself to rescue this fascinating woman he forms a strong bond with as they work together. I look forward to more of their story in the future.

Anthologies are a great way to meet new authors and in this case, explore different and exciting worlds. Fans of Space Operas will enjoy the chance to read thrilling and exciting stories while finding new favorite authors. And this book is so well priced, you cannot really go wrong.

[Lene Blackthorn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review of No Eye in Emily by Patty Jansen

Short and quite enjoyable story of Emily and Emlee, two women on a mission sharing the same name and yet very different. Emlee is a construct, artificially created human implanted with tech knowledge and working as a pilot. Going on a mission to divert the trajectory of an asteroid, she picks Emily as her coworker. Emily is a natural born, from a prominent family, and she folows her own goals, or so she thinks. But her actions have consequences.
The story flew fast, with fair amount of tension and action, with hints of emotions and insight on humanity. I liked the twisted view of more human behavior and understanding in artificial creation and the weakness and possible corruption due to human nature. If given a chance, I would like to read more from this world.
I received advanced copy of the anthology and provide my honest opinion.

[Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this up after seeing it in a email from Michelle Diener. I love her Science Fiction books and was not disappointed in her story. Interference is one of the longer stories in the collection and is novella length. Her world building, back story and character development were first rate. I really hope she uses this in a novel length story. There are 19 stories in all and I saw several by author I already knew and liked. After I read Stowaway ~ by Anthea Sharp she went on my favorites list. There is something for everyone in this collection. While I have not read the entire collection I have yet to find a story I did not like.

[Bill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great collection and many new reading possibilities. My favorites selections were A Simple Thing (Murphy), Note to Self (Lallo), Gravitational Pull (Pope), Autoscopy (Verish), Fog of War (Reher), The Alien (McSpadden), No Eye in Emily (Jansen), Lost Souls and Other Anomalies (Holliday), Spacer (Sutherland), Murphy’s Star (Gockel), Interference (Diener), Combat Support (Lindsay Buroker), and The Last Astronaut (Dietzel).

[Nikki Brooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gravitational Pull ~ by Christine Pope

A great mix of action, adventure, intrigue and romance. When a trip to a distant planet takes a tragic turn, our heroine begins hearing voices telling her the crew are being taken over. But do the voices wish her to survive or fail? Can she rely on any of her crew to help her or will they all succumb to the alien manipulations?

Really enjoyed this short interlude. I love Ms Pope books generally so was glad to get my hands on this little nugget as a kind of Intro to the Gaia series.

Will update post as other books are read.

[Keith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok sampler

This collection is primarily short fiction from authors with existing series/universes and the short fiction is within those universes. As such this makes this collection a good way to sample writing from less popular and/or less skilled authors.

The stories themselves? The majority are previously unpublished or written for the collection. However there are no real standouts stories and some are, unfortunately, of lesser quality.

I think it is worth buying to find new authors or if you are a fan of the authors already but don't expect a stellar collection.

[David Brawley · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's rare that I enjoy a collection of short stories as much as this one, and if I do, it's usually all from one author. Interestingly, and somewhat annoyingly, each short story had an even shorter little into. This would have been useful in the table of contents, rather than directly in front of each story. It would make reviewing each story easier, rather than just being an extra page to flip past. I didn't read a single one after the first.

[stuart mckie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read

Readers should find something to meet their storyline preferences and will be introduced to new styles and the opportunity to develop new tastes to savour plus authors not previously discovered ... go to it!

[Alison · Rating 5 out of 5]

A solid selection!

A nice mix of various sci fi writing styles and subject matter. As in most box sets, some stories are more engrossing than others.

[Marti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good anthology with some super great stories! I especially like "Combat Support" by Lindsay Buroker and "Spacer" by J.A. Sutherland.

[Fiannawolf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty interesting anthology. Gives me more writers to look into.

[Kathryn Baron]

Murphy's Star *