BLOG TOUR: The Zone by Stu Jones

Welcome to the Official Blog Tour for Dragon Award Nominee Stu Jones's The Zone, the first book in The Zone series! Today, on our tour stop, we have a review AND a tor-wide giveaway to share! So... Be sure to check it out and grab your copy TODAY! Follow the tour, HERE.

Genre:

Adult

Science Fiction/Cyberpunk Thriller

Series:

The Zone, #1

Publish Date:

July 11, 2023

Publisher:

Dropship Publishing

(Imprint of Vesuvian Books)

Synopsis:

Blade Runner meets Judge Dread and The Running Man in this no-holds-barred cyberpunk thriller from Dragon Award Nominee Stu Jones. Start this neon-soaked thrill ride today!

In a tech-addicted dystopia, a young cop struggling to survive is forced into a high-octane gladiatorial grudge match, where sinister corporate overlords pull the strings and humanity’s fate hangs in the balance.

ONE WAY IN. NO WAY OUT

In the super-city of Neo Terminus, millions of tech-addicted fans surround a walled-off inner-city wasteland to watch nano-boosted gladiators called Enforcers fight to the death in the Conglomerate-controlled event known as The Zone. Enforcers are promised wealth and celebrity—if they survive.

Officer Chance Griffin fights to clean up the mean streets of Neo Terminus, and scrape together enough money for his infant son’s vital surgery. Driven by his family’s need, Chance signs on as an Enforcer for The Conglomerate.

As Chance rises to the top of the Enforcer ranks, The Glom’s mysterious Founders coerce him into competing in the greatest Zone trial ever conceived. Chance knows he’s the favorite to win. He believes his family is safe. He believes his son will get the medical care he urgently needs.

Chance is wrong.

Too late, he uncovers a plot by The Glom to rig the trial and enslave the citizens of Neo Terminus, ensuring obedience—forever.

Blinded by fame and fortune, and used as a pawn by the corporate machine, Chance resists. But he is about to discover that every deal with the devil has its price…

      

   

***FREE on Kindle Unlimited***

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**About the Author**

Photo Content from Stu Jones

A veteran law enforcement officer, Stu Jones has served in patrol, narcotics, criminal investigations, as an instructor of firearms and police defensive tactics and as a team leader of a multi-jurisdictional SWAT team. He is trained and qualified as a law enforcement SWAT sniper, as well as in hostage rescue and high-risk entry tactics. Recently, Jones served for three years with a U.S. Marshal’s Regional Fugitive Task Force - hunting the worst of the worst.

A Dragon Award Nominee, Jones is the author of multiple sci-fi/action/thriller novels, including the multi-award-winning It Takes Death To Reach A Star duology and Condition Black, written with co-author Gareth Worthington (Children of the Fifth Sun, A Time for Monsters).

Known for his infectious storytelling and blistering action, Jones strives to create thought-provoking reading experiences that challenge the status quo. When he’s not chasing bad guys or writing epic stories, he can be found planning his next adventure to some remote or exotic place.

Jones is represented by Italia Gandolfo of Gandolfo Helin & Fountain literary. He lives in Alabama with his wife, two children, and a golden-doodle who thinks he's human.

Stay connected with Stu Jones

       

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*My Thoughts*

Note: This review contains NO spoilers

What an intense read!!! The Zone is dark and intense. This definitely did give off Blade Runner, The Running Man, and Judge Dredd vibes. In an apocalyptic world after the collapse of civilization, author Stu Jones creates a captivating and ruthless dystopian world of survivors struggling in the remaining remnants of humanity and society. A page turning story revealing the worst and the best in human nature.

Filled with action and emotion, The Zone dives deep into the underbelly of desperation and the complexity of these characters as they struggle to survive in an ominous world. By the end of the book, it was apparent that there is more to come in the lives of these characters. And... I am excited to see where the author takes these characters in their stories.

I don't usually read these genres very often, but when I do read a good one, like The Zone, it is definitely worth the read... and a read that I could not put down. 

My rating:

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***The Giveaway***

Giveaway Open Internationally | Must be 13+ to Enter

- ends July 31, 2023

Note: Not Responsible for Lost & Damaged Prizes in Your Mail Box

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Blog Tour Organized by

BOOK BLITZ: S.H.R.E.D.: Gorgon Rising by Stu Jones

Today, we have a Book Blitz to kick off celebrating the release of Award-winning Author Stu Jones's S.H.R.E.D.: Gorgon Rising. To celebrate this new release, we have an exclusive excerpt, a book trailer, AND a blitz-wide giveaway to share. So... Be sure to check it out and grab your copy now!

Genre:

New Adult

Action/Adventure

Publish Date:

May 10, 2022

Publisher:

Dropship Publishing

Synopsis:

THE MOST POWERFUL WEAPON KNOWN TO MANKIND ISN'T A MAN.

High above earth in a low orbit facility, an experimental clean energy project known as Erebos—which taps into the vacuum structure of space—destabilizes and is jettisoned into the planet's atmosphere.

Far below, unaware of the danger rocketing toward her, nineteen-year-old Sasha Kino goes night surfing to clear her head after a fight with her father. When Erebos crashes into the ocean the device fuses her DNA with that of an orca and Sasha is altered beyond recognition. She is stronger, can hold her breath longer, and can swim deeper and faster than any creature on the planet—but her newfound abilities may come at the cost of her humanity.

Captain Alric Jager, head of the U.S. Navy's Special Projects Division, is sent to clean up the Erebos situation. But when Jager learns of what the device did to Sasha he decides to steal them both. Driven by a dark and twisted legacy, Jager is determined to create the ultimate super soldier - no matter the cost.

Torn between the land and the sea, and ruthlessly hunted by Jager, Sasha must rediscover who she is and for what she is willing to fight.

      

    

*Excerpt*

With one last yank, Sasha tore the restraint collar, popping and fizzing in a shower of sparks from around her neck. In a single stride, she vaulted forward. Her body crashed through the dark glass of the observation room, slamming one of the two men inside against the far wall. In a bumbling fit of terror, the other fell to the floor, scrambled to all fours, then ran screaming for the hallway. As he did, he slapped a large red button on the wall labeled containment breach.

The screaming high-pitched wail of an emergency beacon filled the air, the walls around Sasha flickering with intermittent flashes of red. Instinct, strong and powerful, told her to run, but her higher brain held her fast: what they’d done here was illegal, and she needed evidence. She scanned the various consoles. There, a flash drive. No time to waste. Jager’s men must be on their way. Any data she could grab was no good if she couldn’t get it off the ship. 

Snatching the data stick from the console and looping the lanyard around her neck, Sasha gave one last look to the unconscious man slumped against the floor and turned for the door. She stepped into the strobe-lit flash of the corridor and hovered there, her heart beating fierce in her breast.

On either side of the corridor, two pairs of Strykers squared up, the dark brown tones of their flesh offset by midnight black BDUs. They tensed, the banded muscles of their arms taut. No one moved.

“I don’t want to fight,” Sasha said over the wail of the alarm, her heart still thrumming. “But I’m not staying locked up here anymore.”

“You don’t have a choice.” The one named Alvarez said through clenched teeth. “Get back in, or we’ll put you back in.”

Sasha knew she should be afraid of these men, but then she remembered about how easily, accidentally even, she’d killed the whalers. How moments ago, she’d torn a titanium collar from her neck and crashed through a seemingly impenetrable two-inch-thick layered sheet of armored glass. 

Sasha steeled herself as the four Strykers advanced on her from either side, their fists raised. “I don’t want to hurt you,” she said. 

The Strykers stopped, exchanging amused glances. One of them closest to her, a man with a cropped mohawk, let out a chuckle. “We’re not the ones who are about to get hurt, darlin’.” 

      Sasha’s skin flushed hot. Her eyes narrowed to slits as she flexed her clawed fingers. “That’s what you think.”

 

Praise for S.H.R.E.D.: Gorgon Rising

"The pacing and steady stream of tension are sublime. The writing is first-rate. The plot twists are shocking… [S.H.R.E.D. Gorgon Rising] is a phenomenal book and I would give it a whole bucket full of stars if I could." - Reader's Favorite 5 Star Review

"From start to finish, I was on the edge of my seat. S.H.R.E.D. is a fast-paced read that will have your pulse racing, with characters you'll hold close to your heart." - International Bestselling, Award-Winning Author, Mary Ting

“With a memorable cast of characters, a plot that will keep you on the edge of your seat, and excellent writing, S.H.R.E.D. has everything adventure and conspiracy readers want.” -Bram Stoker Awards Nominee, Monique Snyman

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**About the Author**

SWAT Sniper. Adventurer. Multi-Award-Winning Author of Epic Genre-Bending Thrillers.

A veteran law enforcement officer, Stu Jones has served in patrol, narcotics, criminal investigations, as an instructor of firearms and police defensive tactics and as a team leader of a multi-jurisdictional SWAT team. He is trained and qualified as a law enforcement SWAT sniper, as well as in hostage rescue and high-risk entry tactics. Recently, Stu served for three years with a U.S. Marshal’s Regional Fugitive Task Force - hunting the worst of the worst.

He is the author of multiple sci-fi/action/thriller novels, including the multi-award-winning It Takes Death To Reach A Star duology, written with co-author Gareth Worthington(Children of the Fifth Sun).

Known for his character-driven stories and blistering action sequences, Stu strives to create thought-provoking reading experiences that challenge the status quo. When he’s not chasing bad guys or writing epic stories, he can be found planning his next adventure to some remote or exotic place.

Stu is represented by Italia Gandolfo of Gandolfo-Helin-Fountain literary.

Stay connected with Stu Jones

      

~~~~~

***The Giveaway***

Giveaway Open Internationally

- ends May 19, 2022

Note: Not Responsible for Lost & Damaged Prizes in Your Mail Box

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Blitz Organized by