This is the original, unedited version of Light as a Feather, Book #1. This book was the inspiration for the Hulu Original Series. The revised version is now available in bookstores throughout the USA & Canada from Simon Pulse. McKenna Brady thinks her junior year of high school is going to be the best ever when she's welcomed into the elite group of popular girls at Weeping Willow High School led by blonde, gorgeous Olivia Richmond. Prior to junior year, McKenna was known in her small town as the girl whose twin sister died in a tragic house fire, and she's overjoyed at the prospect of redefining her identity. She has a date to the Homecoming dance with Olivia's handsome older brother, and a good chance of being elected to student council. For the first time since McKenna's parents divorced, things are looking up. But everything changes the night of Olivia's Sweet Sixteen sleepover birthday party. Violet, the shy, mysterious new girl in town, suggests that the girls play a scary game called Light as a Feather, Stiff as a Board, during which Violet makes up elaborate stories about the future ways in which beautiful Olivia, brassy Candace, and athletic Mischa will die. The game unsettles McKenna because she's already escaped death once in her life, but she doesn't want to ruin her friends' fun. It's only a game, she reminds herself.

In the Empire of Isles, prisoners have a chance of regaining their freedom once a year: the Challenge. There, they fight to the death in various phases on a nationally televised channel, until only one is left remaining and named victor. An heir to the Empire is chosen during a contest known as the Praelium, where nobles and those sponsored by noble houses attempt to win over the people and prove they are honorable enough to wear the crown. Once there are only sixteen remaining, they then fight to the death in ritual combat. Only the strongest becomes the next Emperor or Empress. When her brother is arrested and forced to partake in the year's Challenge, Rei finds herself navigating the intricacies and scandals of the courtly life in order to get close enough to save him. This year is different: the country might be facing a war, and a betrothal to a prince of another land awaits the winner. As she progresses through the Praelium, Rei quickly learns no one can be an ally and that she must do things she is not proud of once again in order to save her brother. After all, if the only person you loved could die at any moment, what would you do to save them? What would you become?

A secret program in the United States seeks to replace human militaries with artificial intelligence-driven machines, but the machines aren't so willing to play along. *** Picture a world where humans no longer fight wars. No more families missing loved ones. No more veterans with lifelong mental and physical scars. No more conscription. For the super-secret End of War Project inside the United States government, such a reality is already here. The project models out how artificial intelligence can overcome dangerous and morally sensitive war scenarios with algorithms and automation. The centerpieces are "autonomous combat machines," or ACMs, that look like humans but function like supercomputers. After a string of brilliant successes in the field of combat, the End of War Project is preparing to reveal itself to the public, but something unusual stands in the way. Against their programming, the ACMs start exhibiting all-too-human signs of apprehension, guilt and compassion as they're pushed to perform ever more extreme tasks. The human leaders of the End of War Project race to find who "hacked" the ACMs, but what they find is even more startling--and revealing--than they could ever imagine. ***2019 Watty Award Winner - Science Fiction***

At the age of eighteen, everyone's blood changes colour. Whether it becomes blue, green or otherwise, the colour is either hereditary or a random, biological selection. However, when Pearl Damocles discovers that her blood is colourless - in a society where people are segregated by blood colour -, she travels to an institute for people like her with a handsome yet mysterious man named, Malik Ahmed. After months of training and planning - with a team of quirky, newfound friends and trained militants by her side - she decides begins to hatch a plan. One to bring everyone together, and abolish the inequality of the blood colours.

Times are rough and they only get rougher.

**CURRENTLY A FEATURED STORY** highest ranking: #11 in Science fiction ❝true happiness is only achieved without freedom. There is a girl who wakes to a world that she was supposed to protect. Instead, she fights it. There is a man who is cursed with the ability to dream. A glass city is their cage, a city filled to the brim with unanimity and order, a paradise on an earth laid to waste by an artificial snowstorm. Sunlight filters through the glass buildings and through glass walls, pierces glass floors. It illuminates the city square when it is strongest at noon, surrounded by a huddled mass of citizens, all as perfect as the city they inhabit. And they all think: everything is as it should be. And it is. Or, it was. -- long live perfection.❞ (c)sarahgaier2016 #diverselit | #LoveEqualsLove | #helpfightcliches | #freethelgbtq | #badassreads check out my Science Fiction novella, Sector-33, here! https://www.wattpad.com/story/62174094-sector-33

Now a digital pilot for SYFY The Society knows when we're going to die. They imprint it on our arms at birth. I was supposed to die yesterday. I'm the girl who's Expired. Winner of the 2020 Readers Choice Awards Cover by @Forcade