The Phoenix Ascent by Melbourne-resident Nathan M. Farrugia (
ISFDB) is a prequel tie-in short to his Fifth Column series of sci-fi supersoldier military conspiracy adventure thrillers (of which the 1st in series is
currently still free), this installment involving an historical quasi-military heist mission, free courtesy of publisher Pan Macmillan Australia's Momentum imprint.
This is set some 800 years before the main series, but apparently slots best before the recently released #3,
The Phoenix Variant, in terms of leading in to the on-going plot.
Currently free @
Amazon (not available to Canadians but free in the
UK),
Kobo &
iTunes (both available to Canadians, and DRM-free at Kobo), and also
directly from the publisher's webstore (DRM-free ePub/Mobi bundle available worldwide).
Description
Centuries before the Fifth Column, an ancient empire discovers the power of the first Phoenix Variant.
Hordes of the Mongol Empire sweep across Northern Asia, crushing everything in their path. As plague ravages the continent and the heavens burn with meteors, the empire's greatest general will stop at nothing to possess the first Phoenix.
And when Kaifeng, the Chinese capital falls, the only thing standing in the path of total domination is one lone alchemist and a rogue assassin.
The Phoenix Ascent is a free short story. Check out The Phoenix Variant for the full story.