Cyberpunk

2017 IAN Book of the Year Finalist: A Dragon at the Gate

October 15, 2017 By Michael G. Munz Leave a Comment

I have more good news to report! 😀 A Dragon at the Gate, the third and final book in my post-cyberpunk series The New Aeneid Cycle, has just made Finalist in the 2017 Independent Author Network Book of the Year Awards!

To celebrate, and for a limited time, ebook versions of the first two books in the series will be on sale for just 99 cents!

Set in the urban violence of the mid-21st century in places ranging from the fictional city of Northgate, to a space station in Earth orbit, to a mysterious structure found buried on the Moon, The New Aeneid Cycle tells the tale of a handful of individuals struggling to save humanity from its own base instincts. With cybernetics, secret societies, and derelict alien secrets, The New Aeneid Cycle has a 4-star Amazon rating with over 150 reviews.

And now it’s got this, too!

Click here for the official award announcement and a list of the other winners…

Get A Shadow in the Flames FREE!

September 14, 2016 By Michael G. Munz

A Shadow in the Flames, the first book in my now complete cyberpunk series The New Aeneid Cycle, is now available for FREE on Kindle, Nook, iTunes, and Kobo! Start the series for free today! (Or tomorrow, or Friday. You know, whatever.) 😀

It’s already the #2 free cyberpunk genre book on Amazon!

As of 5:40pm PST on Sept 14th. Sights set on #1…

Now FREE!

Northgate is in turmoil. Decaying, violent, and corrupt, it is a common enough city in 2051, yet soon, discoveries beneath the Moon’s surface will mark the city with their first distant echoes.

New arrival Michael Flynn is jobless and down to his last few dollars, but he still dreams of making a positive difference of his own. He has no family, no friends—save for the freelancer known only as Diomedes—and tonight the apartment they share will burn to the ground.

When Diomedes becomes his mentor in a search for the arsonist responsible, Michael will get the chance to realize his dreams. Joining them is Felix, a wise-cracking “information bounty hunter” who claims that neither the arsonist nor the man Michael idolizes are quite what they appear.

Will Michael find the courage to pass through the flames unscathed, or will the violence that surrounds him incinerate all that he is? Those who search the Moon will be watching…

And now it’s free!

Review UPDATE! – Deus Ex: Mankind Divided – Wait, WHAT?

September 10, 2016 By Michael G. Munz Leave a Comment

Well, poop.

So I’ve now completed Deus Ex: Mankind Divided after my review post two days ago. Remember how I said that, judging by the story so far at that point, I guessed I was maybe a third of the way in? I guessed wrong, and everything is suddenly so unsatisfying.

My “probably one third in” point turned out to be three quarters in. My amazement at how much larger the game hubs were compared to Human Revolution based on what I’d seen in Prague? That’s because Prague is the ONLY hub. My judgment based on the developments of the story? That’s because the story just stops! [Read more…]

Game Review – Deus Ex: Mankind Divided

September 8, 2016 By Michael G. Munz Leave a Comment

Wait, it’s been FIVE YEARS since Human Revolution came out?! Damn it, time, stop moving so fast!

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, has been out for PC for two weeks now, and it’s more than time for my review…

If you know anything about my gaming tastes, you probably know that Deus Ex, released in 2000 by developer Ion Storm, is one of my favorites. With expensive environments, multiple gameplay styles, and character customization on top of a lengthy sci-fi plot that’s a conspiracy theorist’s dream, it won over 30 “best of” awards in 2001. Though the sequel was disappointing to say the least, 2011’s Deus Ex: Human Revolution–while not without flaws of its own–brought the series back to being worthy of players’ time. And now we’ve got Mankind Divided, taking place two years after the events of Human Revolution (which itself takes place 25 years before the original). [Read more…]

A Dragon at the Gate – RELEASE DAY!

August 17, 2016 By Michael G. Munz Leave a Comment

It’s finally here!

A Dragon at the Gate is now officially available! The saga of my cyberpunk series The New Aeneid Cycle is now complete! You can finally find out what’s going to happen with the timed nanopoison in a certain character’s heart, if another character’s fractured memory can be salvaged, and just what the heck is lurking in the unexplored parts of the crashed alien craft on the moon!

Plus, for a limited time, you can get the ebook versions of A Shadow in the Flames and A Memory in the Black (books 1 & 2) for just 99 cents!

Reviews from early readers are already starting to come in:

“A Dragon at the Gate was a perfect way to finish a creative and inventive series. If you are into dark, futuristic fiction with a great touch of humor, The New Aeneid Cycle is a fantastic series for you.” —2BookLoversReviews.com

“From the first page to the last, A Dragon At The Gate was packed cover to cover with action, mystery and those nagging little questions that keep you turning pages hours after you should have already been asleep.” —Kelly Upton, Amazon review

“For the first 150 pages, the adventure from the first two books in the series continues. There are some surprises, but I saw the novel as a nice, well-done continuation. And for the record, I was worried about recalling the events of the first two, but I shouldn’t have been. There are subtle reminders to jog your memory without seeming obtrusive or out of place. Then, wow, this goes places I could never have imagined.” —Matt Ward, Goodreads review

“Michael’s narrative style is fast paced, often sliding into a conversational tone, making the book a fun read. He never tells you what happens, he relates it, which is a hallmark of the great writers.” —Cain Latrani, author of Rise

I’m EXCITED!!
(Did I mention that?)

Right now, A Dragon at the Gate is in a limited release, available in both paperback and ebook on Amazon only. In November it will also be available on Nook, iTunes, and Kobo, but for the moment I’m taking advantage of an Amazon advertising program that’s only available if the book is exclusive to them. The better a book does in its first 30 days on Amazon, the more attention it gets for the rest of its life, so I’m doing all I can to boost it there.

So hey, why not grab the book right now? And then have some ice cream! You deserve it!

Chapter One of A Dragon at the Gate

August 12, 2016 By Michael G. Munz Leave a Comment

With less than a week before the August 17th release of A Dragon at the Gate (a.k.a. the third and final book in my cyberpunk series The New Aeneid Cycle), it’s time for a sneak peak at the first chapter. And don’t forget, for a limited time you can get the first two books for Kindle for just 99 cents!

Enjoy the sneak peak!

Chapter One

“THOSE ARE SIRENS.”

“Aye,” Caitlin said. “Ambulance, I’d wager. Horizon is right across from a hospital, ducks.”

Felix shook his head. “Wrong kind of sirens. And my memory’s not so bad that I don’t know where Horizon is. I also remember that it’s on the fifth through tenth floors of the Aria Building and that I once dropped my cheeseburger riding the elevator.”

Michael searched the taxi’s passenger side mirror for the source of the sirens. “Why were you eating a cheeseburger in an elevator?”

“Why wasn’t there bacon on it? That’s a better question.” [Read more…]

A Dragon at the Gate available for pre-order! Plus a 99 cent sale!

August 8, 2016 By Michael G. Munz Leave a Comment

As the August 17th release day hurtles toward us for A Dragon at the Gate, the final book in my cyberpunk adventure series The New Aeneid Cycle, I’m excited to announce that you can now pre-order the book!
What’s more, right now you can also get books 1 and 2 in the series for just 99 cents each!

Each book in the series has its own stand-alone narrative arc, so you can pick up any book and be okay, but of course all three together make up the complete story…

99 cents for a limited time!

A SHADOW IN THE FLAMES – 99 cent sale for Kindle

“A decaying city, a mysterious arson, and a secret below the moon’s surface drive the action of this engaging and thought-provoking sci-fi thriller. A Shadow in the Flames will keep you guessing to the very end.”

—Terry Persun, author of Revison 7: DNA

“Dark, violent, relentlessly intriguing and action-packed, A Shadow in the Flames excels at dystopian world building. A well-developed, multi-layered story that grabs the reader on page one and never lets go.”

—Kenneth G. Bennett, author of Exodus 2022

99 cents for a limited time!

A MEMORY IN THE BLACK – 99 cent sale for Kindle

“Munz skillfully interposes characters and events in a way that keeps one guessing, while ever hinting that the story—and the conspiracy behind it—is far vaster than one ever sees.”

—JM Guillen, author of On the Matter of the Red Hand

“A great story contrasting corporate greed and corruption with the hope to save humanity from itself. I love the darkness that is exposed in A Memory in the Black, the depths that people will stoop to just to serve their own purpose.”

—2BookLoversReviews.com

$3.99 Pre-Order, Releasing 8/17/16

A DRAGON AT THE GATE – Pre-order at $3.99 for Kindle

“Not a book to read before bed unless you aren’t planning on going to sleep until sometime next week. Munz has a way of developing female characters that are believably badass and likable. I especially fell in love with the cybernetic implant technology. Damn it, now I want some glowing hair.”

—Tiffany Pitts, author of Double Blind

“In a time where so many stories are re-hashed sequels and re-boots, Munz has created some truly spectacular science fiction. The entire series delivers what it promises, and so much more. Every time I believed I knew what came next, I found myself very pleasantly surprised.”

—JM Guillen, author of The Paean of Sundered Dreams

At the moment, the pre-order and sales are only available on the Kindle versions. A paperback version of A Dragon at the Gate will also be available starting on August 17th. I can’t wait for everyone to read it! I really feel the series just gets better with each successive book.