Synopses & Reviews
Dave Crowell is a hero of the eight worlds of the Union, but he doesn’t want fame or fortune. These days he just wants to run his private detective business with his partner and forget about the Ultras, the insidious aliens that attacked the Union, then vanished. But a client turns up dead under mysterious circumstances, and Crowell knows the Ultras have not gone away. With the help of a beautiful alien, he uncovers fragments of memory that might lead to his missing father. When it becomes clear that Crowell’s past also contains the information he needs to save the Union, he is caught up in a conspiracy beyond his understanding and pulled into an underworld drug war on a hostile planet. With the crisis deepening, Crowell must learn the answer to the biggest question of all: Where are the Ultras?
Review
"The nightmare of the Ultras who threaten the Union of Worlds has returned...Private detective Dave Crowell and his partner are drawn into a convoluted underworld of the drug RuBy and its connection to the Ultras, and their lives are quickly put in jeopardy. If you enjoyed The Ultra Thin Man, you'll really like this one." James C. Glass author of The Viper of Portello and Shanji
Review
"Science-fiction mysteries are hardly new (Isaac Asimov was writing them years ago), nor are detective stories set in exotic earthly locales all that rare anymore either. But Patrick Swenson's interplanetary Ultra novels with their eight worlds, their alien Helks and Memors, and their vast cataclysmic stakes in the hands, here, of a fallible human-Helk duo raise the ante in the long SF mystery story in astonishing, fully satisfying ways. Pick up The Ultra Big Sleep and hold on to your molecules; they’re about to be shaken and stirred in ways you can never imagine: a light-speed, stand-alone noir follow-up to Swenson's admirable debut novel, The Ultra Thin Man." Michael Bishop, author of Brittle Innings
Review
"Swenson's thrilling sequel blends future sci-fi with the grit of a noir detective tale. Lost love, fine whiskey, quantum travel, alien conspiracies—The Ultra Big Sleep has it all." Beth Cato, author of The Clockwork Dagger series
Review
"The Ultra Big Sleep combines ultra big worldbuilding with an ultra fast plot. Sleep will be the last thing on your mind. An impressive sequel." Ted Kosmatka, author of The Flicker Men
Review
"Swenson’s future-noir story of alien invasion is deep, vast, and fast. Full of high stakes, unexpected twists, and a truly evil force or two, The Ultra Big Sleep is a great read." Brenda Cooper, author of Edge of Dark
About the Author
Patrick is a writer, publisher, editor, and teacher. His first novel is entitled The Ultra Thin Man, from Tor books, August 2014. The sequel, The Ultra Big Sleep, is forthcoming in 2016. He has sold stories to the anthology Like Water for Quarks, and magazines such as MZB’s Fantasy Magazine, Figment, and others.