Books by Ed Charlton
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Hoyle Station
How to murder someone on a space station and get away with it.
Hoyle Station is a murder mystery with a cast of thousands, some of them human.
And there are many questions.
How has a member of Earth’s Historical Guild so completely vanished?
Are the Recorders who run the business of the station as helpful as they seem?
Who are the aliens watching from the dark of space?
But it all starts with one simple question: if an alien gives you a gift—a sealed cylinder—would you break it open to see what’s inside?
Ed says: I got carried away trying to create a short description of the novel. I ended up with this haiku.
One man’s history
Murder on a space station
Androids Love Secrets
Jim Able: Offworld
Kindle series
Jim Able: Offworld is for readers who enjoy quirky aliens, flawed humans, and heroes who work in outer space but must still submit expense reports back at the office. Join the adventure of discovering new worlds and perspectives, first contacts, and unexpected encounters.
Ed says: Think of the individual episodes as one episode of a TV series. Each set of episodes is a complete story. Go ahead. Binge!
Episodes 1 thru 4
To Do: Find alien, avoid starting war, submit expenses
Jim Able likes working offworld, especially since he doesn’t like his boss being constantly on his case. Not trusting Jim after an ill-fated mission, she gives him a new assignment with a warning, “Don’t start a war!”
Jim plunges into meeting an alien who doesn’t want to be found. He finds an ally in the Turcanian scientist, Madhar Nect, and she introduces him to the religious sect hiding his target.
Too intent on notching up a successful mission, Jim is one small lie away from starting the war he was warned to avoid.
Episodes #1 thru #4 reveal Jim’s accidental and dangerous first contact on Turcanis Major V-I.
Episodes 5 thru 9
To Do: Tail drone, destroy space fleet, submit expenses
Jim Able likes working offworld. His previous boss fired him but now he’s working for the chameleon-skinned alien, Tella. Their new assignment, to follow a mysterious drone. What could go wrong?
Jim is led to the environmentally damaged planet of Tanna Gul and its spiritual leader—the Gul Raeff. Jim, who barely manages to keep himself safe, feels responsible for the safety of a young monk traveling with him. When the monk dies, will Jim’s anger and guilt bring about more death and destruction?
Above all, are the monk’s superiors—secretive senders of the drone—working behind the scenes with Jim or against him?
Episodes #5 thru #9 unfold a mystery, a conflict between two neighboring planets, and the secret that ties them together.
Episodes 10 thru 13
Ed says: I’m writing them right now! Get updates by signing up for my newsletter.
Paperbacks
In paperback
Episodes 1 thru 4 all in one book, with some added bonus material.
In paperback
Episodes 5 thru 9 all in one book!
The Aleronde Trilogy
Available as Kindle and Paperbacks.
Three very different books. One epic sci-fi tale.
Visitors from Earth witness the shocking downfall of Aleronde. They share an unexpected role in this catastrophe with a mysterious figure from the past who unpicks the fabric of the Aleronden empire with that most dangerous thing: an idea.
Read Aleronde the Great and its two prequels, The Problem with Uncle Teddy’s Memoir and Saint John’s Ambulatory.
Book 1 The Problem with Uncle Teddy’s Memoir
The Problem with Uncle Teddy’s Memoir tells—through letters, emails, and Uncle Teddy’s own manuscript—a troubling tale of empire, slavery, and betrayal. Reading the memoir forces two friends to reexamine their childhood experiences of abduction.
Ed says: The trilogy started out as an experiment – an epistolary novella – a story told through letters, notes, e-mails, and manuscript pages. You will find the characters of The Problem with Uncle Teddy’s Memoir stay with you in a different way, because they are always writing in their own voices. I want this book to be a memorable read and a tactile and visual experience, complete with coffee stains. You know…like reading used to be! More here.
Book 2 Saint John’s Ambulatory
Saint John’s Ambulatory reads like a murder mystery, but there are aliens in every shadow. Only one man has evidence of extraterrestrials on Earth, but now, he’s dead.
Ed says: Sci-fi and a contemporary murder mystery – there’s a body by the end of the first page. But of course the aliens are in the shadows! Don’t be alarmed if this book contains no Uncle Teddy. The book may be the second in The Aleronde Trilogy, but it may be read on its own and is co-equal with The Problem with Uncle Teddy’s Memoir. More here.
Book 3 Aleronde the Great
In Aleronde the Great, the significance of Uncle Teddy’s memoir and the Ambulatory are revealed, and one small act of kindness unleashes trouble of galactic proportions.
Ed says: A tale of how the mighty fall. More aliens and colorful characters than you can shake a gre-tra at. More here.
When Visitors Come to Tea
A short story of Regency manners
Paperback and Kindle
The demur Cranford sisters meet a stranger, but who is in the greater danger?