From short stories to novellas to novels… See what adventures have sprung from the mind of author John Prescott.
Novels
Series
- NO ROAD HOME Book One: Echoes
- NO ROAD HOME Book Two: Hunter, Hunted
- NO ROAD HOME Book Three: Risen
- NO ROAD HOME Book Four: Cold Comfort
- NO ROAD HOME Book Five: Deliverance
Collections
OTHER
- THE ALTERNATIVE DICTIONARY: What These Words Really Mean
- Circuits and Sorcery: Exciting Tales of Science Fiction and Fantasy
- Ascension
AFTER
Alex’s biggest concern used to be whether to go to college. Perhaps he would follow in his father’s footsteps and join the military. After the bombs began to fall, his only concern was with survival.
Rushed to a secret facility, Alex and his father were placed into cryogenic stasis. The others tried to reassure him he was safe. His last thoughts were of his still-missing mother.
The next time he opened his eyes, he was alone. He stepped out onto a bloody floor, his chamber mates murdered in cold blood. His father was missing.
Now he steps out into a world he doesn’t know, unaware of how many years have passed without him. A wasteland out of time awaits him, full of dangers he does not understand. Even so, he vows to find his mother and father, no matter the cost.
Follow along as Alex faces a strange new world of mutated animals, futuristic technology, and an unfolding battle between factions bent on leading the country into a new era. Can this young man out of time survive in a world he barely recognizes?
AFTER: REQUIEM
It has been months since Alex Preston dealt a serious blow to the Militia with the earth-shattering nuclear explosion at Snowshoe Mountain.
Without meaningful direction, the Militia fractured. The United moved quickly to crush and disband what remained. The decimated warriors were reduced to little more than roving gangs of opportunistic raiders.
An unsettled peace descended on those under the United’s rule. The ragged remnants of the Militia had become a common, yet manageable thorn in the side of the United. Citizens, it seemed, could once again dream of a future free of fear.
Then something changed.
Las Vegas, a burgeoning community in New Mexico, suddenly cut contact with the United. Early reports indicated that the town had been overtaken by an organized military force claiming to be the Militia.
Now Alex must infiltrate the town in the hopes of freeing it from the clutches of the Militia. What he learns in the process will threaten not only the future of the United, but that of the entire country.
PRESERVATION PROTOCOL
In the future, robots and human-like Synthetics have become a part of everyday life for the citizens of New Wave City. Detective Max Kincaid’s okay with the robots, but the Synthetics? Not so much.
That becomes a problem after a meeting with Daryl Marston propels him into a murder conspiracy involving the artificial humans, something that shouldn’t be possible.
Max is forced to work with the machines he distrusts in a bid to keep Daryl from harm. Digging deeper into the world of artificial life, he discovers an ever-widening conspiracy that involves two warring factions of enhanced Synthetics and the company that created them.
His mind-blowing discoveries calls everything he’s learned, and everyone he knows, into question. Who is real, who is a Synthetic, and who is the next target? Max finds himself in a race to sort it all out before Daryl, and possibly humanity, runs out of time.
SOMETHING DEEPER
Simon Travers just died.
He didn’t even know it at first. There was no light to go into. There was nobody to hold his hand. There was only overwhelming pain and confusion.
Left to his own devices, Simon has to find his way in a world that is wholly familiar, yet completely alien to him. He soon learns that being a ghost has its perks. Though all he really cares about is finding his recently departed daughter, Lucy.
Unbeknownst to Simon, powerful forces are watching his every move. You see, there’s something deeper to the man. Something that could lead to the apocalypse.
The reality of his situation slowly comes into focus as the forces of Heaven and Hell vie for Simon’s favor. Only he can decide who will prevail. But what if there is a third choice?
The Other Side of Things
David Rayne never thought he needed anyone’s help. A bold and independent child, he deals with problems on his own. That’s how he ended up alone in the middle of nowhere, on the other side of things.
Pulled into another world, he has no choice now but to seek assistance. Luck hands him an unusual new friend in Vosh, whom vows to aid him in his journeys. They set out to discover how David ended up in the strange world of Terra, and how he may return home again.
It quickly becomes obvious that this fairyland is not like the ones he read about in grade school. Real dangers abound, and death hides in the brightest corners. The tendrils of the Dark Queen Tesora reach out from every shadow, eager and ready to bring a swift end to David’s quest for answers.
From the prolific author of After, Preservation Protocol, and Something Deeper comes an exciting new adventure in a strange new fantasyland on the other side of things. Explore a fantasy world full of wonderous creatures and delightful discovery, but with a sinister undertone that will keep you guessing until the very end.
NO ROAD HOME Book One: ECHOES
Sometimes ignorance isn’t bliss.
He woke up in the dirt, staring up into the eyes of two curious children. He was welcomed back to life by a menacing robot and its hot-headed owner. By the end of the day, he learned the world had ended. All this paled next to his most pressing issue.
He didn’t know who he was.
Judged for the clothing he wore, and who he might be, he is thrust into the desert to find his place in a world he can’t remember. Now he must use what instincts he has to survive in this new world while he struggles to remember the old one.
“Echoes” is the first in a planned five-part series following the adventurers of Raven, a soldier that time forgot. Will he find himself? Will he remember his place in the world? Are the people he encounters his friends, or his enemies? The road we follow rarely takes us where we expect it to. Will you follow Raven’s?
NO ROAD HOME Book Two: HUNTER, HUNTED
Raven has found his focus.
He pursues a target at the behest of the US Army, with the promise of a window into his past should his hunt prove successful. Lending him support is a branch of the Diamondback Coalition, led by none other than Jesse Walters.
Everyone has an angle.
Raven must walk a fine line drawn between two warring factions. The Army wants him to take his target prisoner. The DB simply wants his prey eliminated.
Raven only wants answers.
“Hunter, Hunted” is the second book in a multi-part series following the adventures of Raven, a soldier that time forgot. The man he seeks could unlock his past, but he has to find him first, and he has to keep him alive. Which faction will get its wish?
NO ROAD HOME Book Three: Risen
Raven did what was asked of him. The Army had their man. It wasn’t enough.
Denied the answers promised to him, Raven begins his journey anew. Another piece of his increasingly dark puzzle falls into place, thanks to an old friend. With it comes a renewed offer of information in exchange for the recovery of a vanished body.
Meanwhile, the fate of Langtry, Texas hangs in the balance. Once ignored by the military, it has become a strategic hotspot. Who ultimately controls this valuable asset may be decided by one dead man looking for another.
“Risen” is the third book in a multi-part series following the adventures of Raven, a soldier that time forgot. Saddled with more questions than answers, the weary soldier must pursue a prize he thought already won, stolen away by forces yet unknown. Will he be able to accept the truth of what he finds?
NO ROAD HOME Book Four: Cold Comfort
Raven played their game. Now they’re going to play his.
Not satisfied with the answers given to him, Raven sets out to find the truth at the bottom of his own grave. What he finds leaves him shocked and confused. Pushed to the edge of sanity by his discovery, he hunts down and kidnaps a onetime comrade in a final bid to uncover the ultimate truth.
Meanwhile the Army, once a possible ally, is stepping up efforts to quash the Diamondback Coalition once and for all. Smith’s robot militia continues to insert themselves into the matter even as Jesse vows to never accept their help. Disturbing recent events may yet force the general’s hand, however.
“Cold Comfort” is the fourth book in a multi-part series following the adventures of Raven, a soldier that time forgot. He’s armed with what surely must be the last piece to his puzzle. The question is, will he be able to hold onto his sanity once he deciphers it?
NO ROAD HOME Book Five: Deliverance
The smell of change is in the air.
Raven has taken refuge with John Smith. The one-time enemy swears he only has everyone’s best interest at heart. A new utopia is at hand, and he is to be the benefactor. He seems sincere in his overtures, but as with all things regarding Smith, Raven senses something else at work.
As does Raven’s old friend Jesse Walters. The general finds himself caught between two warring factions: the US Army, and Smith’s growing legion of robotic soldiers. He sits in the middle, a shrinking Diamondback Coalition at his uncertain command. It is a group, however, that may hold the fate of the US in its fragile hands.
“Deliverance” is the fifth book in a series following the adventures of Raven, a soldier that time forgot. Once a simple soldier, he now faces the choice of reigning beside an old enemy, or resigning his fate to the country he once served. Just who will Smith’s brave new world truly benefit? Raven is running out of time to find out.
Fat Mop Zoo Presents: The Short Story Compendium
It all started with an off-the-cuff story, titled “An Interlude”, published on the Fat Mop Zoo website on 14 January, 2018.
It was only the first of what would end up being 33 short stories and flash stories written for the website. This book collects all of them. Each was polished for this final, special Gold Edition of the compendium.
Take a final flight with the dragon Ezekiel in “Soulfire Point.” Chase down a super-powered alien criminal in “Casino Showdown.” Observe an encounter between a jet fighter and a UFO in “Close Encounter.” Consider an ancient robot culture in “Discontinued.”
The short-story format allows for a much more brightly painted picture that pulls you into these vivid, living worlds. Feel the emotions of the characters. Lose yourself in the action. Wonder what lies beyond the next turn…
It all adds up to more than 250 pages of adventure brought to you by the mind of writer John Prescott, author of thirteen books, including five novels and the “No Road Home” series.
THE ALTERNATIVE DICTIONARY: What these words really mean
Do you ever look at a word and pronounce it how it looks instead of how its intended to be pronounced? Do you then come up with an alternative definition for that word based on the new pronunciation? And then make a stupid drawing to go with it?
You’re normal, you say? And this is too many questions? I mean, probably. About the question thing. I don’t know you well enough to say whether you’re normal.
I, however, am NOT normal and in fact do all of the above. In fact, I’ve finally done it enough to fill an entire book! The Alternative Dictionary takes over 200 ordinary words, pronounces them differently, and gives them an all-new definition. There are more than 20 “professional” illustrations peppered throughout the first half of this book.
That’s right, this book has TWO HALVES! I know, right? Like, holy cow! What a bargain! I use the second half to begrudgingly reveal the true pronunciation and definition of all the words I defiled. Don’t think that I don’t put in my two cents on every word, though! We can’t have the second half of the book be a snooze fest, now can we?
So, if you like humor, and at least occasionally like words, this is the book for you! If not, you should buy it anyway. I have bills to pay, you know. Anyway, plus ultra!
*Professor Ima Eidolon is NOT a real person. In fact, eidolon means “a specter or phantom.”
**The Fatuus Mendacium Award is FAKE. Fatuus mendacium loosely translates from Latin as “foolish falsehood.”
CIRCUITS AND SORCERY: Exciting tales of science fiction and fantasy
Warriors and wizards. Androids and asteroids. Maybe a little of both, all at the same time?
Circuits and Sorcery offers up a fun exploration of the science fiction and fantasy genres for younger readers, while showing that the two can be combined for twice the excitement!
An Air Force pilot has a mid-air standoff with a UFO. A young journalist gets the scoop of the decade when she finds herself in the middle of an epic space battle. A boy makes an unexpected new friend when he agrees to be locked in a haunted house for the night. And much more!
Included are two stories that feature the worlds of Preservation Protocol and The Other Side of Things! Follow detective Max Kincaid on a high-speed chase to bring down a wanted felon in “Bot Pursuit”. Then you can explore an old laboratory holding dark secrets with David and Vosh in “Computer Bugs”.
Ten stories of science fiction and fantasy to excite and engage. Where will the colorful worlds of John Prescott take you today?
ASCENSION
Sometimes, angels don’t fly like they’re supposed to.
Lucas Moreno didn’t believe in angels, or God for that matter. He grew up poor, forgotten, killed by a so-called good Samaritan for the sin of stealing a purse. He’s walked the earth ever since, dead but alive, frozen in time, unable to end his suffering. With nothing better to do, he spends his nights wandering the city of Ascension to pass the endless time.
This particular night would find him playing good Samaritan. A woman, accosted by two men in an alley, and nobody willing or able to heed her screams. What happens next leaves a woman traumatized, a man dead, and Lucas questioning what little he knows of the afterlife.
Helped by friends both living and dead, he strives to understand what happened in that moment as he struggles to find his place in the city of Ascension.