Stephen B. Pearl

     In the early 21st century, Rowan is fighting a secret war against alien pirates bent on subjugating all of mankind.

     At least, that's what she thinks. In reality, it's a thousand years later, Earth has long been part of an interstellar and interspecies republic, and she's a character on Angel Black, an e-entertainment that allows viewers a complete sensory experience through her perspective. Who needs actors when you can clone famous performers and splice in some alien DNA? Since studio clones have no rights, their lives and experiences can be tailor-made for the program.

     It's just too bad the clones don't know that.

     Ryan Chandler was a decorated war hero until he was cloned to save his life. His career options died with his original body and the best job he can get is a technician on Angel Black. He's planning to escape to a newly colonized system when Rowan is scheduled to be killed off.

     With help from unexpected allies, Ryan stages Rowan's rescue, but getting her off the set is only the beginning. To succeed, they must evade a manhunt supported by the state that fears Rowan's liberation might be the triggering event of a clone rights movement that could cost the establishment billions and shake the foundations of human society.

     Can two clones find their freedom in a society that treats them as second-class citizens?

Cloning Freedom - free chapters.

Cloning Freedom audio book trailer read by Heidi Angell.

Available in paperback, dyslexic version paperback, and e-book.

Sequal Freedom's Law.

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Review

Life imitates art a little too closely in this frenetic space opera caper from Pearl (Havens in the Storm). Ryan Chandler, a veteran spaceship engineer, is cloned and forced to work as a technician on immersive entertainment programs, manipulating unaware casts of clones to create compelling reality show viewing for the wired-in audience. When Ryan learns that Rowan, one of the stars of the hit show Angel Black, is set to be killed off (literally), he forms a plan to extract Rowan and take off for alien space, outside of the United Earth Systems, where clones are treated as people, not property. He believes he has an ally in studio head Mike Strongbow—but Mike’s reasons for helping Ryan are not purely altruistic. And studio security chief Mildred Tallman is not about to let a pair of “fakeys” get away, even if stopping them starts an interstellar war. On their dash to freedom, Ryan and Rowan fall in love. Pearl plays a confident game with his multiple worlds-within-worlds, running parallel scenes from the entertainment programs and the bridge of Ryan’s restored spaceship to wryly comment on how, even when his characters think they are in charge, their strings are being pulled by others. Though the plot twists are at times too obvious, Ryan and Rowan’s flight and kindling romance is sure to draw in readers.

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY review.

"The world Pearl has created in Cloning Freedom is rich, original, and immersive, sometimes challengingly so. Readers who are up for the challenge of navigating both the massively complex alien society and the complicated, multilayered plot will be rewarded with an intriguing reading experience."

Book List review excerpt.

"This is a fast paced, satirical, sci-fi story about living vicariously through slaves... frenetic pace, gonzo humor, militaristic flavor and gentle landing."

Liminal Fiction.

     The switchboard station, the trade and diplomatic hub of the galaxy with sectors dedicated to all the republic species, where the FTL gates intersect, now holds Rowan’s only hope of survival.

     Liberated from the United Earth Systems, where she was a slave condemned to enacting e- entertainments, all senses plus emotion entertainments, and taken to Republic territory by retired, war hero Captain Ryan Chandler of the Star Hawk, Rowan is now a person under the law, so long as she never enters UES territory.

     It has been said that, ‘A hungry man is not a free man,’ how true to say, ‘A woman in need of medical care is not a free woman?’ Free to roam most of the Galaxy, Rowan needs treatment to compensate for the genetic alterations performed on her during her creation, and the only place she can get it is in the UES. Can Ryan and Rowan find a way to get her treated without handing her over to those who wish to kill her?

     To make matters worse, the Batzoid assassins, Croell and Zandra, are still in pursuit.

     The first sparks of rebellion have been sown amongst the clones on the set region. Michael, the head studio executive, sits back and pulls the puppets strings. How far beyond the set region does Michael’s influence reach, and what is his end game?

     Plots within plots, laws against laws, with two lovers caught in the middle of affairs of galactic import struggling to survive and forge lives of their own.

Freedom's Law - free chapters.

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Sequal Freedom's Myth.

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     Ryan and Rowan narrowly escaped United Earth Systems "justice" at the Switchboard Station. Together with their new crew, now they must take relief supplies and personnel to the place of Ryan's nightmares, Murack Five. While tensions run high and secrets abound with the crew and passengers, the entire operation is plagued with issues that seem like more than bureaucratic red tape, and could threaten their safety.

     Back in Sun Valley, Gunther continues recruiting cloned e-entertainers toward winning their freedom. The focus group for the show based on Ryan and Rowan's escape leaves the set region to find their lives turned upside down. When tragedy strikes, leader Medwin's pain and anger hardens into resolve, and he starts to think that playing within the system isn't as effective as taking out his vengeance personally.

     Decades of scheming have brought CEO Michael Strongbow's plans to fruition, but will it be enough to free clones and grant them equal rights?

     On two sides of the galaxy, the battle for freedom wages on. The freedom to love, to live, to know the truth, protect those close, and make one's own choices defines every moment of every life. Perhaps the only way anyone can be free is in stories.

Freedom's Myth - free chapters.

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Sequal Arming Freedom.

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     Ryan and Rowan and their new crew and passengers have reached the dreaded Murack system. The two alien races there are still vying for control of the system, even after the Murack Five disaster nearly caused the Galactic Republic to bomb them both to oblivion. Their techniques now are more underhanded, and they see Ryan and Rowan's relief supply mission as a means to progress their war.

     On Gaia, the cloned e-entertainers continue expanding their influence among their unsuspecting peers. Gunther has started recruiting their former alien pirate enemies while Medwin reaches out to inactive clones with other special abilities or connections. Their plans are coming together, but they're still entirely at the mercy of their controllers.

     The fight for freedom is nearing its tipping point, but are its soldiers ready to lay down their lives for what they believe in?

Arming Freedom - free chapters.

Available in paperback, dyslexic version paperback, and e-book.

Sequal Freedom's Plan.

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Dyslexia-formatted edition available from: Amazon on line booksellers - including Australia, Canada, UK

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