Books with author S.L. Carlson

THE PERFECT WEAPON HAS A MIND OF ITS OWN.Jarrod Hawkins, a security contractor with a troubled past, is ushered into an underground facility where a group of DARPA scientists use his body for biotechnological research. They use genetic editing, nanomachinery, neural rewriting, and next-generation armor to turn him into the most fearsome weapon on earth. But as they push the limits of human performance and lethality, the facility begins to experience unexpected power outages. There is evidence of sabotage, and the security team is plagued with sickening pranks. There is only one explanation—their creation has turned against them. As the experiment nears its completion, Jarrod struggles to understand his new abilities. His memories have been shattered, but his instincts scream at him to escape at any cost. On the outside, he has become a machine of war, but inside, the remnant of his former self fights for control. As a team of surgeons prepare for a final operation, Jarrod must make a choice: Will he let them take control of his mind, or will he use his enhancements to break free? Will he become a perfect soldier, or the most fearsome vigilante the world has ever known?

Aldric and his arch-enemy Thram have less than a month to discover if other unicorns exist before the unicorn war wish is needed to protect their country from the magician Alyse and the Spikonians. They travel further than any of their countrymen, to mythical City Brandt, where they hear of a dragon who might have the answers they seek. But knowledge of the dragon’s last location comes at a price: find the lost Brandt princess, or even news of her or forfeit their lives.Aldric, Thram, and the unicorn Neighbor find the dragon, but can they get the information they need from her—both about other unicorns and the missing princess?A unicorn, a dragon, and magicians, just as they’re found in J. R. R. Tolkien’s masterpieces, The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings, or C. S. Lewis’ Narnia tales.

A Colorado mountaintop has been transformed into a self-sustaining utopia by a man who claims to be the second son of God. He has built a perfect city—a sanctuary for his most devoted followers. Heaven on earth. Holy Mountain.But the children trapped inside the high walls of Holy Mountain know the truth: this isn’t heaven, it’s hell. Cameron Rollins, a fourteen-year-old boy who grew up in the arms of the cult, sneaks out at night, climbs the wall, and calls for help. When he is captured, he knows the punishment will be severe. It wasn’t his first offense, and it won’t be his last. But this time, someone has heard his cry.Eric Larson has been tasked with retrieving a young girl trapped inside Holy Mountain. And when he records a video of Cameron crying for help, he plans to use the evidence to stop the depraved cultists once and for all. But Holy Mountain’s dark influence extends farther than he thought possible, and his hopes are dashed by a corrupt judicial system. The law has failed to protect the children trapped inside Holy Mountain, so Eric decides to take matters into his own hands. He will enter the city and gather undeniable proof of the wickedness inside. And if he fails, he will call upon the most dangerous vigilante the world has ever seen—a genetically enhanced assassin known as “The Nightmare.”

Aldric is content working in his family’s apple orchard—or as content as a fourteen-year-old-boy can be doing chores and dreaming up new magic—when he digs up an antique ring and releases a rude spell-bound unicorn. She claims she belongs to the king, but after her long imprisonment, she can’t tell Aldric which king that might be. Aldric promises to take her to the capital, and suddenly a simple three-day trip becomes an adventure.War is building on his country’s borders, and even with the help of Aldric’s new friend Iggy, and Gwen, the general’s daughter, it’s going to take all the military sword training, courage, and magic Aldric has to find the unicorn’s rightful king. Promises will be made, the bonds of family and friendship will be tested, with a war which changes everything.Can an apple farmer and one rude war unicorn save the country from the approaching enemy?A unicorn, a dragon, and magicians, just as they’re found in J. R. R. Tolkien’s masterpieces, The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings, or C. S. Lewis’ Narnia tales.

15-year-old Ricky discovers from his companion, Thram, the Spikonians are invading their homeland. Transforming with the war unicorn, Neighbor, into one warrior-unicorn-man, they complete the two-week journey to the capital in just two days, only to discover it in ruins. Searching the rubble of his family’s home, Ricky reads part of a magic spell. As he speaks, the boy standing nearby sprouts a wing and collapses. Furious with Aldric’s irresponsible use of magic, Neighbor leaves him.Separated from the unicorn for the first time in over a year, Unicorn Keeper Ricky, refocuses and determines to set his family free, as well as all the captured citizens. However, Ricky’s plans change to urgency when he discovers the witch-magician Alyse seeks to kill his mother. He is only able to rescue a few family members, including his Spikonian brother-in-law, Drake. The clash between Ricky and Drake becomes more than about race, providing for emotionally packed dialogue with actions of love and hate, of family and singleness, of aloneness and belonging. The war unicorn rejoins them to add her counsel. Ricky and Neighbor mend their fragile relationship as they journey through wilderness encounters with nature and mythical creatures.In the meantime, castle-raised Lord Thram was given the responsibility of returning and protecting the dragon-raised Princess Celeste, missing for fourteen years. The feral princess is anything but civilized. But when the king’s consort, Lady Katrina, denies Thram palace entrance, he slips into his old habit of sneaking in the shadows where he discovers plots and deceptions.Can Ricky and Thram complete their goals to once more unite in fighting evil?

How can a 15-year-old magician expect to rescue his family and king when no one else is willing to? Aldric and the war unicorn Neighbor must find and rejoin the remnant of the Farhner army, but to reach them, they need to travel through enemy territory with their only companions a band of thieves.The Farhner general is more interested in self-preservation than in saving the king and other Farhnerians. He commands Rick to work on the Bottoms' wall where the other outcasts live. Aldric is not the only one frustrated with the general’s inaction to rescue. Desertion is out of the question, yet so is doing nothing to save their king and country.Are thieves and a handful of magicians enough to hide and heal a healing unicorn? And what about the ghosts King Segan told Rick to bring? Worst yet, Rick must confront his nemesis, the witch Alyse. Is there any hope for Farhner?

Author J. J. Carlson keeps up his trademark unrelenting pace with the next installment in the Jarrod Hawkins series, where science and technology give rise to a global conspiracy to change mankind forever.The Nightmare lives.He cannot be stopped,And he knows no mercy.Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the CongoJarrod Hawkins, a human weapon forged in a secret DARPA laboratory, returns to Africa seeking answers - and revenge. He leaves a trail of dead terrorists and human traffickers as he closes in on a powerful warlord. Then, Jarrod finds himself on a collision course with a pair of talented investigators - who happen to be two of his oldest friends. With the assistance of an anonymous benefactor, the investigators track their quarry, and they soon discover that the man they are hunting is more dangerous than they ever imagined. They consider abandoning the case and fleeing the country, but someone is secretly directing their every step, and they find themselves drawn toward an inevitable confrontation with The Nightmare. Meanwhile, Eugene Carver clashes with a secret organization behind a string of unprecedented terrorist attacks in the United States. As he and his teammates search for answers, they begin to realize exactly what they are up against: a global conspiracy decades in the making. Fear the Nightmare is a thrill-ride, following a dark hero in a disturbingly familiar world of human trafficking, conspiracy, and near-future technology. The hard science and breakneck pace will appeal to thriller, sci-fi, and suspense fans alike.

Aldric is content working in his family’s apple orchard—or as content as a fourteen-year-old-boy can be doing chores and dreaming up new magic—when he digs up an antique ring and releases a rude spell-bound unicorn. She claims she belongs to the king, but after her long imprisonment, she can’t tell Aldric which king that might be. Aldric promises to take her to the capital, and suddenly a simple three-day trip becomes an adventure. War is building on his country’s borders, and even with the help of Aldric’s new friend Iggy, and Gwen, the general’s daughter, it’s going to take all the military sword training, courage, and magic Aldric has to find the unicorn’s rightful king. Promises will be made, the bonds of family and friendship will be tested, with a war which changes everything. Can an apple farmer and one rude war unicorn save the country from the approaching enemy?

How can a 15-year-old magician expect to rescue his family and king when no one else is willing to? Aldric and the war unicorn Neighbor must find and rejoin the remnant of the Farhner army, but to reach them, they need to travel through enemy territory with their only companions a band of thieves.The Farhner general is more interested in self-preservation than in saving the king and other Farhnerians. He commands Rick to work on the Bottoms' wall where the other outcasts live. Aldric is not the only one frustrated with the general’s inaction to rescue. Desertion is out of the question, yet so is doing nothing to save their king and country.Are thieves and a handful of magicians enough to hide and heal a healing unicorn? And what about the ghosts King Segan told Rick to bring? Worst yet, Rick must confront his nemesis, the witch Alyse. Is there any hope for Farhner?

Aldric and his arch-enemy Thram have less than a month to discover if other unicorns exist before the unicorn war wish is needed to protect their country from the magician Alyse and the Spikonians. They travel further than any of their countrymen, to mythical City Brandt, where they hear of a dragon who might have the answers they seek. But knowledge of the dragon’s last location comes at a price: find the lost Brandt princess, or even news of her or forfeit their lives.Aldric, Thram, and the unicorn Neighbor find the dragon, but can they get the information they need from her—both about other unicorns and the missing princess?