Well, I’ve got another complete cover reboot for the Secret of the Crystal Series. Let me tell you, they absolutely pop!
I’m excited to share these new Secret of the Crystal covers. I put this work out 12 years ago, and now it’s back as a fresh reboot to catch your eyes.
The new versions keep the heart of the originals but bring brighter artwork and a cleaner, more modern feel—perfect for longtime fans and new readers alike.
What prompted me to reboot Secret of the Crystal was mainly because AI engines have gotten so good. I was able to simply type a prompt and it creates the image. After a few tweaks and adjustments, I got a finished final product, and the best part; it was free.
I hope you enjoy the refresh. Take a look and let me know what you think.
In a galaxy torn by thousand-year war, one man holds the key to ultimate power… or total destruction.
Jhahnahkan returns home with a mysterious crystal that grants extraordinary abilities—but something about it feels wrong.
Thrust back 1,000 years into the past, he races to uncover the Secret of the Crystal before his own brother seizes control and unleashes genocide on their enemies. Time is running out. The fate of worlds hangs in the balance.
Buckle up for non-stop action, time-bending twists, and an epic battle of brothers.
The Recon Chamber is the most sacred and dangerous artifact in Elysara. It is a colossal spherical monolith of living quantum crystal. This monolith is suspended at the exact center of the realm’s core. It is not a machine in the human sense. Instead, it serves as a living bridge between pure consciousness and physical form. This bridge was built during the First War against the Void Lords and refined over eons.
Physical Structure
Outer Shell: A perfect sphere approximately 300 meters in diameter. It is composed of a seamless quantum crystal. This crystal shifts between translucent and opaque states. When dormant, it looks like a solid obsidian orb pulsing with faint inner light. When activated, it unfurls like a cosmic blossom, six enormous crystalline petals peeling outward to reveal the interior.
Internal Configuration: The six translucent pods are arranged in a perfect hexagon around a central resonance core. Each pod is a vertical, egg-shaped chamber. It is lined with millions of living neural filaments. These filaments act as both conduits and stabilizers.
Power Source: The chamber draws directly from the Heart of Elysara — the convergence point of all Luminari energy streams. This makes it both incredibly powerful and extremely fragile; any major disruption to Elysara’s balance risks shattering the entire chamber.
The Transfer Process (RECON Protocol)
Preparation: The bio-forges are separate but linked facilities. They have already grown six fully adult human vessels years earlier. They seeded these vessels into Earth society with total false memories.
Consciousness Compression: Once the Luminari essence enters its pod, the neural filaments wrap around the being and start quantum compression. The immortal consciousness is transformed into pure data. The process feels like being torn apart. It also feels like being reassembled at the atomic level.
Dimensional Bridge: A micro-rift is opened through the veil. The compressed essence is fired through as a coherent energy stream and integrated into the waiting human vessel on Earth.
Memory Suppression: To prevent immediate psychological collapse, the Luminari memories are locked behind a mental barrier. Only instincts, echoes, and the Resonance Pendant stay active.
The Resonance Pendants (Shards) Each pendant is a surviving fragment of the original Luminari essence. It was left on Earth from earlier failed RECON missions.
They are tuned exclusively to one Luminari soul and acts as an anchor and a key.
When the human vessel dies, the pendant goes dark. It is then left behind and kept safe for a final respawn.
Respawn Mechanics (The One-Chance Rule)
The Elder’s warning is absolute: “Should any vessel fall, the bio-forges can grow one final replacement. But only one of the six will return. After that, the shards go dark forever.”
The Chamber can produce one collective respawn for the entire team. The new vessel is released before full maturation.
Growth continues on Earth over approximately five days until the body reaches its original adult form.
Once that single respawn is used, no further replacements are possible.
The Recon Chamber is thus not merely a device. It is the last lifeline of two dying realms. This is a one-time gamble that can never be repeated.
RECON: The Reincarnation of Joshua Scott – Coming soon…
Well, after several years of writing short stories, I’ve finally pulled the trigger on putting this out.
Strange Tales: A Collection of Short Stories.
I used Amazon’s Creative Studio for their ads platform. So many good things about this. It was free. It was done with perfection, and I can use it on any platform I choose. Of course, they want to use it on their ad platform. I’m still figuring all that out.
So, here’s the teaser for your watching enjoyment. And if you so dare, click on the link and download this today. It’s exclusive on Amazon. Find it here: Kindle, Paperback, Hardcover and Kindle Unlimited Start reading in 60 seconds — free with Kindle Unlimited.
And… here is the book teaser:
What if the mirror in your hallway wasn’t showing you? What if the man who looks exactly like you is trying to warn you… from tomorrow? What if catching a single butterfly could kill someone half a world away? What if the only way to save your dying son was to walk into the dark with Death itself?
Welcome to Strange Tales — 21 standalone short stories that twist the knife of ordinary life until something impossible bleeds through.
From a frozen mining crew fighting for one more sunrise on an alien world, to a grieving father bargaining with the Grim Reaper, to an undertaker whose nightmares refuse to stay buried… every story delivers a slow-burn of suspense, a gut-punch twist, and that lingering chill you can’t shake long after the last page.
Perfect for fans of Black Mirror, The Twilight Zone, Stephen King’s shorter works, and anyone who loves speculative fiction that leaves you questioning what’s real.
If you crave stories that start quiet, build dread, and end with a jolt you didn’t see coming… Strange Tales is your next late-night addiction.
21 stories. One collection. No sleep guaranteed.
Grab your copy now — before midnight strikes and something stares back.
Here’s an Op-Ed article that X’s Grok wrote for me and I edited. It really showcases who I am and my purpose in writing.
Have a read and let me know your thoughts.
In an era when science fiction often recycles the same tired tropes, Brian K. Larson stands out as a refreshing voice dedicated to sparking imaginations across time, space, and human possibility.
Brian’s career is built on perseverance and passion. He has authored an impressive body of work. His writings span multiple beloved series. His breakout success came with Time Squared. It is a time travel tale. The book soared to #1 on Amazon in both the Time Travel and First Contact categories. This achievement is a testament to his ability to capture readers’ hearts and minds with gripping, imaginative storytelling. But that’s just one highlight. His prolific catalog also includes the action-packed Salvage-5 series. There’s the epic Secret of the Crystal saga, where ancient crystals unlock extraordinary abilities amid interstellar conflict. There’s also time-bending intrigue. The swashbuckling Pirates of the Galactic Empire books are part of it too. And there’s even more. Each series showcases his knack for blending high-stakes adventure, futuristic worlds, and deeply human themes.
What truly sets Brian apart is his unwavering commitment to his craft despite personal challenges. Growing up with dyslexia—a condition that makes reading and writing more difficult for millions—never deterred him. Instead, it fueled his determination. Overcoming those hurdles to become a full-time author speaks volumes about his resilience, discipline, and sheer love for storytelling. As he often shares, he has always dreamed of filling hearts with joy. He wants to ignite wonder in readers worldwide, and he delivers on that promise book after book.
Brian’s creativity doesn’t stop at the page. He’s embraced modern tools like AI image generation (RunwayML). He uses these tools to refresh covers for classics like Salvage-5 and Warlords of Antares. This breathes new visual life into his universes while he experiments with trailers and cinematic concepts. This forward-thinking approach keeps his work vibrant and accessible in a rapidly evolving publishing landscape.
Family forms the quiet foundation of his success. Supported by his wife—who he credits for turning his dream into reality. Brian is surrounded by three children and nine grandchildren in the serene mountains of Granite Falls, Washington. He draws strength from a life rich in love. His life is full of connection. That grounded warmth shines through in his characters, who feel authentic and relatable even amid galaxy-spanning conflicts.
In a genre crowded with cynicism, Brian K. Larson offers optimism, wonder, and relentless imagination. He reminds us that stories can transport, inspire, and unite. For anyone seeking escapist adventures that still leave you thinking—and feeling—a little more alive, his books are a gift. Here’s to many more journeys from this talented, tenacious author who continues to prove that imagination knows no limits. #SparkingImaginations – indeed.
I’ve been experimenting with RunwayML, an AI image creation tool. Well, it does more than images. It also creates videos. Something I’m going to investigate more very soon.
In the meantime, I’ve created a new cover and description for Salvage-5: The First Mission.
This image has all the essential elements to it. The cloning tubes, the rail guns, Tucker’s cigar chomping at the corner of his mouth. I also like the cyborgs off in the distance. It was pointed out to me that the bloody cut on his head, adds a lot to the effect. Finally, it has the Salvage-5 ship front and center.
Colonel Tucker Petersen, is a cigar-chomping, whiskey-drinking, no-nonsense hero. He’s recalled to active duty by the United Territories of Land and Space.
He’s sent out on the Salvage-5 rescue mission with his crew. They head to asteroid 15 Eunomia. Their goal is to investigate why the CSMO mining dredge went silent. Upon arrival, they find an ancient alien complex that comes to life. It’s equipped with cyborg technology that clones humans from the mining team into half-human, half-cyborg machines.
Now it’s a fight for survival before they are taken captive and cloned for the alien’s use.
Join the Colonel on this intense and action-packed techno thriller.
It’s been about 12 years since I made a book trailer for the Salvage-5 franchise. So, I figured its about time. Here are two trailers I made. Once of them was yesterday and the second one, today. They each took me a couple of hours. Not bad. Not bad at all.
Enjoy these. Please leave a comment with feedback. Let me know which trailer you prefer. That would be awesome.
At long last, this two volume audiobook is published and available via Audible. This two-book work took a year and a half to finish.
This work includes ‘Realm of Revein’sev’ and ‘Return to Revein’sev’ and is just under eighteen hours of listening pleasure. This came together, perfectly. That’s because it’s chock-full of special sound effects, throughout. Background scores, loops and stems, which adds significantly to the story. On top of that, I have many diverse character voices, adding a unique storytelling style that both intriguing and memorable.
I’m positive you’ll not want to miss this one, so click the picture and follow the link to Audible.com and immerse yourself in intrigue as you discover the Realm of Revein’sev.
Well, we’re down to the final five chapters in Return to Revein’sev, book 6 in the Warlords series. This will be wrapped up in a couple of weeks. I can’t wait for you to listen to this exciting adventure into the Realm of Revein’sev.
Here’s the retail sample for your listening enjoyment.
Salvage-5: The First Mission audiobook reboot, is finished!!
It’s publishing on Spotify, Apple, Barns & Noble, Kobo and many other outlets.
The “go live” date is June 28th. Still, you can get this on preorder for a discount at $4.99 retail.
After go live, the price goes up to $6.99.
This production runs 4 hours, 47 minutes, and 47 seconds for your listening pleasure. (Don’t ask me how i did that, but it’s really cool.)
This is packed with different character voices. It includes special sound effects and music scores throughout. These elements bring this production to life.
I had such a blast doing this first book in the Salvage-5 franchise. I’m looking ahead to doing The Next Mission. I am also excited about Another Mission and Final Mission.
Stay tuned for the preorder link soon…
***BREAKING NEWS***
Here’s the teaser:
Retired Colonel Tucker Petersen is suddenly recalled to active duty and put in charge of the Salvage-5 mining/recovery mission.
Tucker travels with his crew to discover what went wrong with the CSMO mining dredge at 15 Eunomia.
What they find will change their lives forever.
Join the Colonel on this fun filled, and action packed techno thriller.
Been working on two audiobooks at this time. Salvage-5: The First Mission, is now halfway produced. The entire book is fully recorded. Now, it’s just editing and producing. I’m also approaching the halfway mark on Return to Revein’sev, book six in the Warlords franchise.
The new Salvage-5 audiobook will be released on June 28th. This is after the current audiobook contract expires with the original narrator.
In the meantime, here is a five minute retail sample for your listening enjoyment.
Author, Brian K. Larson 