Science Fiction Books Archives

Space Worms, Space Rock, and Orbital Chaos!

Free books by M. Pax

Looking for some science fiction with suspense, adventure, and a few laughs along the way? I’ve got two tales from my Space Squad 51 universe for you!

🐛 Space Worms is FREE everywhere!

Nikili Echols works the docks, living a quiet, predictable life until the freighter Red Dorry arrives late. When the ship opens, the crew is gone. Orbital Rescue Services Squad 51 arrives to investigate, but screams and roars erupt from inside, leaving a smear of blood at the hatch.

What follows involves black lights, boy band beats, and monstrous livestock. Because space has some very strange problems.

🚀 Want another adventure? Get Space Rock FREE!

Sign up for my M. Pax Dimension newsletter and receive Space Rock, a fan-exclusive Squad 51 novella available only to subscribers.

When communications across Orcus go dark, the consequences are catastrophic. Elevators stall, life-support systems falter, and ships collide and fall screaming through the atmosphere.

Nikili Echols and her squadmate Lucy Ashida launch into orbit to help avert disaster. Their investigation takes them beyond patrolled space, into territory ruled by smugglers and pirates, and toward the strangest asteroid any human has ever encountered.

Sometimes, a rock is not just a rock. Not when Nonstop Dance 3000 is involved.

Two stories. Suspense, spacefaring adventure, some laughs, and some seriously weird trouble.

Get Space Worms free wherever you buy books, and sign up for the M. Pax Dimension to receive Space Rock as your subscriber-exclusive tale.

Happy reading, spacefarers!

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Hum: A World That Feels Uncomfortably Close

Helen Phillips’ story of technology, AI, and the anxieties of a near future

From the first page, Hum by Helen Phillips hooked me. I was immediately curious, eager to understand the world she was building. The short chapters kept me turning the pages, my mind desperate for answers to the questions the story raised.

Set in a not-so-distant future, the world Phillips imagines feels unsettlingly possible. Through May and her family, the story explores global warming, the internet, pervasive advertising, and the omnipresence of technology. The Hums, AI robots designed to assist humanity, are central to this exploration. They help, but they also sell. While their assistance can be beneficial, their presence carries the potential for harm, and Phillips examines both sides with nuance.

The story also touches on how constantly being observed online shapes our lives. Our actions are judged by strangers, often in ways that feel inescapable and permanent. May, the main character, embodies this anxiety. She worries about the world around her, about her job being overtaken by AI, and about the impact of technology on her children. Technology itself becomes a source of tension, creating rifts in relationships that feel all too plausible.

Phillips balances the narrative beautifully. Some moments are light, even charming, while others carry weighty ideas about society, technology, and human connection. The ending is thought-provoking, inviting readers to reconsider the story and its implications long after the last page.

One thing I would change is the cover. It is bland and fails to reflect the jewel of a story inside. This is a book that deserves a cover as striking and thoughtful as the narrative it holds.

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When Free is More Than Free

Science Fiction Books / M Pax / October 13, 2026

Being an independent author means I wear a lot of hats. Writer. Editor. Publisher. Marketer. Website wrangler. Audio editor. Occasional technology rage monster. Show producer!

You don’t have to spend money to support my work. There are lots of free ways you can help me keep going. Especially while I’m in between day jobs.

Here are the big ones:

1. Read my books for free through your library

Many of my books are available through Hoopla, so you can borrow and read them for free through participating libraries.

You can find direct links for all my books on my website: All M. Pax Books

If you enjoy one, there’s an even better way to help…

2. Tell your friends

Seriously. Word of mouth is gold for an indie author.

If you’ve read one of my books and enjoyed it, tell somebody. Send them a link. Mention it to your sci-fi-loving friend. Tell your book club.

A personal recommendation can put my books in front of someone who might never find them otherwise.

3. Share my books

Give me a shoutout on your social media. You don’t have to write anything profound. A simple share gets my work in front of people who aren’t already following me. Every new reader starts somewhere.

4. Subscribe to M. Pax Tales on YouTube

This one is a biggie because I’m working toward my first major YouTube goal:

1,000 subscribers. M. Pax Tales is where I read my original short fiction, including some wonderfully spooky stories for Spooktober.

Subscribe to M. Pax Tales on YouTube

If you haven’t subscribed yet, I’d love to have you along for the ride.

5. Like, comment, and share my YouTube videos

A subscription isn’t the only way to help.

Watch. Like. Comment. Share.

Those little interactions help my videos get seen by more people. And more people discovering M. Pax Tales means more potential readers discovering my books. Plus, if you have something to say about a story, I actually want to hear it. That’s part of the fun.

6. Listen to M. Pax Tales on Spotify or your favorite podcast service

If podcasts are more your thing, you can listen to M. Pax Tales there, too.

Listen on Spotify

You can also find links to other podcast services on my website:

M. Pax Books & Listening Links

Following the show helps me build that audience.

7. Leave a review or rating

If you’ve read one of my books and enjoyed it, consider leaving a review or rating wherever you normally review books.

Reviews help other readers decide whether to give an unfamiliar indie author a try.

Thanks for joining me on this incredible, fun journey!

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Numbers, Naivety, and Nebulas

Book Review, Science Fiction Books / M Pax / October 9, 2026

A review of Trans Galactic Insurance by Andrew Moriarty

Lately I’ve been in the mood for the lighter side of space opera all about the adventure, the exploration, and especially the escape. This book delivered.

Trans Galactic Insurance offers a unique and refreshing perspective about life in space through the eyes of Jake Stewart, a big nerd and overachiever who keeps his head down and lives by one mantra: study, study, study. Raised on a struggling outer rim space station where resources and opportunities are scarce, Jake dreams of something bigger.

That dream takes shape when he earns a scholarship off-station. He throws himself into his studies, not only excelling academically but also helping his fellow classmates succeed. Jake is intelligent in a very specific way: he’s extremely book-smart, systems smart, learns quickly, and understands how to function as a citizen on a struggling station. But beyond that narrow lane, he’s inexperienced. Especially when it comes to people, relationships, and the wider, more unpredictable economy of the solar system.

That naivety becomes a problem. Jake finds himself caught in a situation he doesn’t know how to handle. He’s forced to navigate manipulation, grift, and the more ruthless sides of spacefaring life. Part of him remains innocent, but another part begins to adapt and grow as he learns how ruthless and selfish people can be.

The plot is a mix of the predictable and the surprising. Some turns I saw coming, others genuinely caught me off guard. But throughout, this story remains an engaging blend of action, humor, and—unexpectedly—accounting. Somehow, it all works, adding up to a thoroughly enjoyable space romp.

This is the start of a series, and I’m genuinely looking forward to seeing what mischief Jake Stewart falls into next.

Recommended for fans of light-hearted space opera and quirky interstellar adventures.

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Stopover at the Backworld’s Edge is Only 99¢!

Science Fiction Books / M Pax / September 29, 2026

Nothing sane travels the starway, and today, it brings a battleship that should no longer exist.

Craze is building a life on a dusty moon while nursing a decades-old grudge against his father. Then a ship from a war that ended two generations ago emerges from the interstellar portal, threatening to shatter the fragile truce.

One wrong move could restart the war and kill Craze and his friends.

Get Stopover at the Backworld’s Edge, Book 2 of the Backworlds series, for just 99¢ for a limited time!

STOPOVER

Stopover at the Backworld’s Edge is Only 99¢! Read More »

Book Review: Platform Decay by Martha Wells

Book Review, Science Fiction Books, Space Opera / M Pax / September 18, 2026

A Master Class in Character

Martha Wells is so in tune with Murderbot that it’s brilliant. She never breaks character and never lets us see the author behind the scenes. SecUnit feels completely real, from its dry observations to the way it processes the world around it.

As always, SecUnit is hilarious, deeply human, and someone I’m always rooting for. The way it views people and situations often cuts through pretense and exposes truths the rest of us would rather ignore. That unique perspective is one of the reasons this series continues to shine.

The plot is fun and pure Murderbot, with the added delight of newly rogue security units running around creating complications. There are plenty of twists, dangers, and moments of humor, but for me, the plot is almost secondary.

The real joy of these books is spending time with SecUnit. Watching how it navigates life, relationships, and increasingly complicated situations is what keeps me coming back. Every installment deepens my appreciation for the character and the world Wells has created.

My only complaint? The book ended.

Now I have to wait for the next installment.

Yes, more please.

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Science Fiction Books