■ "...the many alien species are creatively imagined and the high-tech swashbuckling is suspenseful fun. An enjoyable coming-of-age SF action tale that builds to a satisfying conclusion."
- Kirkus Reviews - Full Review
■ "A richly imaginative and thought-provoking sci-fi epic, this novel masterfully blends high-tech adventure with a heartfelt coming-of-age journey. The vividly realized alien species and suspenseful interstellar drama keep readers captivated, while Milo's search for identity amid humanity's precarious future adds emotional depth. With its gripping premise and satisfying conclusion, this is a must-read for fans of intelligent, character-driven science fiction,"
- The International Review of Books.
The Foundry
The Foundry is a 3 Book Series + 1 Stand Alone by J. Fitzpatrick Mauldin
GENRE: Space Opera - First Contact - Harder End of Sci-Fi
POV: First Person (except for the stand alone)
TROPES: Found Family, Space Battles, High Technology, First Contact Gone Wrong
IF YOU ENJOY: Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky, The Expanse by James S.A. Corey, Revenger by Alastair Reynolds, and Exodus by Peter Hamilton.
■ Beware the helping hand. What it offers may not be what we expect.
Milo Hughes was five years old when his parents smuggled him onto humanity's first contact mission. Eighteen years later, he's stranded at the edge of the galaxy with a motley band of survivors, no way home, and no one coming to help.
To save his parents, his crew, and every soul on Earth, Milo does the unthinkable: he surrenders an arm, a leg, and a piece of his brain to become the pilot of an alien starship he now wears like a body.
That's when the cat shows up.
Its name is Proxy. And it speaks for something vast, unknowable, and very interested in what Milo just agreed to.
The Foundry promised to save humanity. Milo is only now understanding what that means.
Enter the Cosmic Spiral
The Cosmic Spiral is a planned 10-book LitRPG Space Opera series by J. Fitzpatrick Mauldin. Book 1 is available now for pre-order — out July 14th
GENRE: LitRPG - Game Lit -Space Opera - Adventure
POV: First Person
TROPES: Gaining Levels and Collecting Gear, Found Family, Space Battles, High Technology, Alien Encounters, Flawed Main Character
IF YOU ENJOY: Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman, Discount Dan by James A. Hunter, Expeditionary Force by Craig Allenson, The Bobiverse by Dennis E. Taylor
■ Mitch Prince is a software engineer, a chronic gamer, and a spectacular self-saboteur. He’s in the middle of ruining his relationships, his career, and his liver when an interdimensional portal drags him out of his favorite bar and into the worst situation imaginable: a galaxy-spanning RPG competition with the fate of humanity as the prize.
The rules are simple. Fight your way through the gates to the galactic core. Earn the respect of the ancient civilizations who live there. Win humanity's place among the stars or watch the Great Game's clock hit zero and take eight billion lives with it.
Mitch has godlike abilities he barely understands, a group of disillusioned friends at his side, and a giant axolotl who eats everything and anything. What he doesn't have is the ability to get out of his own way.
He's always been his own worst enemy. Now the universe is counting on him anyway.
Ground Control to Major Thomas
This is a stand alone novel set within the Foundry by J. Fitzpatrick Mauldin and can be enjoyed on its own!
GENRE: Near Future Hard Sci-Fi - Space Opera - Political Drama
POV: Third Person, Two Characters
TROPES: Motley Crew, Heist, Diverse Team, Romance, Political Drama That Hits Close to Home, Hard Sci-Fi (heavy engines, Newtonian physics), Space Mining
IF YOU ENJOY: Revenger by Alastair Reynolds, The Expanse by James S.A. Corey The Martian by Andy Weir, The Stars are Legion by Kameron Hurley
■ To do what is right, sometimes you’ve got to break the law.
Earth, 2095. War, overpopulation, and climate collapse have pushed the planet to the edge. The United Exploration Initiative is humanity’s last hope—one mission reaching toward alien contact, the other forging life across the solar system. Darnell and Lexi are Void-Striders on the front lines, mining metals from dead space to keep the dream alive.
Darnell is a faith-driven Texan with demolition skills. Lexi is a sharp-tongued pilot with a checkered past. Together they scrape by—until another crew captures 16-PSYCE, a golden asteroid worth trillions, and crashes the market. Broke, running out of time, and stuck on a dying ship, they’re offered a job too good to be true: steal a legendary electric car drifting through deep space. The payout? More than they’ve ever dreamed.
But nothing’s ever simple in the void. Corrupt governments, religious zealots, opportunistic pirates—they all want the prize. As chaos unfolds, Darnell, Lexi, and their ragtag crew must decide whether to play by the rules… or rewrite them. Because sometimes, doing what’s right means breaking everything.
Ground Control to Major Thomas is a stand-alone novel set in the backdrop of the Foundry universe, focusing less on the alien encounter and more on those left behind after the FICSE mission departed. Reading this book does not require you to have read the others in the series, though it is a great complement
■ “"The Foundry" is a fantastic book that I definitely recommend. Mauldin's story-telling is superb and he has a way of hinting and teasing at what is happening to create some mystery without leaving you lost. The characters are well developed and consistent, and the world-building is rich and deeply imagined. If you are wondering if taking the chance with your hard-earned dollars on this book is worth it, the answer is an emphatic "yes!"“. - JJ Clayborn, author of "The Fall", "Skin Deep", and "Starsong Chronicles"
■ “The world built in this book is so big and rich, and at the same time it's made so accessible that I can't wait to learn more about it! I found myself being pulled into Milo's adventure at every turn, wanting to know what was going to happen next. I'm excited for the sequel!” - Amazon Customer
■ As someone who has always loved getting lost in a story, The Transcendence by J. Fitzpatrick Mauldin delivered an experience that was far more than just a good read — it was an emotional journey. From the first chapter to the final page, the details pulled me into every scene, every decision, and every moment of tension. I found myself constantly teetering on the edge of my seat, breath held, wondering what would happen next… - JB
■ “I gave it 50 pages and the style and content is about what you might expect of a 5 year old. Complete waste of time.” - Amazon Customer
who am I?
📚 Author of character driven Sci-fi and LitRPG.
👾 Connector of Cosmic Travelers stuck within the human experience.
☕️ Coffee addicted.
J. Fitzpatrick Mauldin is a science fiction writer based in Atlanta, Georgia, best known for the hard science fiction first contact series The Foundry, which was featured in Kirkus Reviews. A technology expert and nationwide business leader by trade, he serves thousands of professionals in achieving their dreams while nurturing an insatiable passion for world-building and fiction. A father of two, husband, and lover of role-playing and strategy video games (though he’s terrible at Baldur’s Gate), he is also an amateur scientist with aspirations to pursue a PhD in an undefined, esoteric field. His fiction aims to offer readers immersive worlds to escape the noise of everyday life and inspire them to see the best in their fellow humans who ride alongside on this cosmic journey.
