Lagomorph Rampant Studios

Lord of Steel and Sky, book 3 in the War of the Gods series is now available for pre-order. Alicia Stripes finally gets a story arc all to herself. Here’s all the relevant information.

Book Description:

A horrifying firestorm of mayhem and carnage, is this how robots go to war?

Nearly sixty years have passed since the Conclave at Thestias. The Independent Rebel Alliance Confederacy has spread out to dozens of solar systems. Human colonies have been wiped out, and in desperation Earth Central Command has decided to take the battle to the Alliance.

Retired marine and army surgeon, Alicia Stripes is the only human being to have combat military experience and survived an encounter with a reliquary. She has been brought out of hibernation, reactivated, and stationed aboard the MegaAI Heracles S350 as the resident human where she must now serve alongside its completely mechanical crew. Her assignment is do what no mechanical can—to take the fight to the rebel leader, a primordial god, an ancient spirit being nearly as old as the universe itself.

On paper Alicia seems the perfect candidate to fight this war. However, she is burdened by the ghosts of the past and a deep-seated hatred of robots. For her to succeed, she must partner up with C-Yuri-89990, her android companion, to find a way to deal with her personal issues to do what no one has ever done—to vanquish a primordial god. And if she fails, all life on Earth will be exterminated.

Lord of Steel and Sky is the third book in the award-winning War of the Gods series and is a fast-paced and exciting space military adventure.

You can order the War of the Gods trilogy on Amazon (link) and other book retailers.

PRE-ORDER BONUS: If you pre-order before publication date (July 14/2026) and email a screenshot copy of your receipt to davidfalk@zoho.com, we will email you a copy of the NaCo32 truetype font with the NaCo32 Language Guide (ISBN 978-1-997854-05-0).

Reliquary of the Dead won the PenCraft Award for best Christian Fiction (General).

Here’s the official announcement.

This is the seventh award that Reliquary of the Dead has won since publication. Other awards the book has won include…

	Outstanding Creator Awards, 2025 Clash of Champions 2nd Place Award for Fiction Book for Fall and Winter 2025 Champions (Medal Granting) results.
	Outstanding Creator Awards, 2025 Clash of Champions 1st Place Award for Science Fiction.
	Outstanding Creator Awards, 2025 Clash of Champions Best World Building (Honorable Mention) “Pierre Gulet” for Best Character (Honorable Mention) “Alicia Stripes” for Best Supporting Character (Honorable Mention) “Terry Brandt” for Best Villain (Honorable Mention) “Maat” for Cutest Character (Honorable Mention)
	Independent Alliance Network 2025 Book Awards Finalist in Science Fiction.
	Halloween Book Festival Top Honor of the Book Festival.
	The BookFest Awards 2nd Place for Christian Fiction.
	The BookFest Awards 3rd Place for Science Fiction.

And if you haven’t read Reliquary of the Dead yet, and if you like fast-paced books that blend science-fiction, archaeology, and ancient myth, consider buying my novels on Amazon ( War of the Gods ) and other leading book retailers. And if you like my books, please leave a review.

Outstanding Creator Awards, 2025 Clash of Champions

December 20, 2025==

We are pleased to share that Reliquary of the Dead has picked up 2 more awards and 5 honorable mentions from the Outstanding Creator Awards, 2025 Clash of Champions.

The book was nominated back on Sept 30th, which is an honor all on its own, but now the results are in. The novel received:

• 2nd Place Award for Fiction Book for Fall and Winter 2025 Champions (Medal Granting) results.
• 1st Place Award for Science Fiction.

And Honorable Mentions in for the following:

• Best World Building
• “Pierre Gulet” for Best Character
• “Alicia Stripes” for Best Supporting Character
• “Terry Brandt” for Best Villain
• “Maat” for Cutest Character

With these last win, Reliquary of the Dead has earned a total of 6 awards and 5 honorable mentions. Indie Christian fiction doesn’t have to suck. We can make a difference in culture by writing compelling fiction that moves hearts and edifies minds.

And if you haven’t read Reliquary of the Dead yet, and if you like fast-paced award-winning books that blend archaeology combined with science-fiction and ancient myth, please consider purchasing these books through Amazon ( War of the Gods ) and other leading book retailers. The ebooks for Reliquary of the Dead and All the Stars as Angels will be on sale ($2.99) for the holiday season—that’s 50% off the regular retail price. And if you like my books, please leave a review.

We are pleased to announce that Reliquary of the Dead was a Finalist in the 2025 IAN Book of the Year Awards! When judging completed, Reliquary of the Dead was selected as a finalist in the “Science Fiction” Category.

Here is the URL for the formal announcement.

LOS ANGELES _ Reliquary of the Dead takes top honors at the 2025 Halloween Book Festival.

Reliquary of the Dead was chosen as the best book of the festival. The book was competing against children’s books, young adult, unconventional romance, general fiction, non-fiction, biographies, and horror. Horror and spooky-themed books normally win Halloween book festivals, so this is an incredible achievement.

Here is the official announcement: Halloween Book Festival

We want to again thank all our fans and readers who have made this a success and encouraged us along the way.

And if you haven’t read Reliquary of the Dead yet, and if you like fast-paced books that blend science-fiction, archaeology, and ancient myth, consider buying my novels on Amazon (War of the Gods ) and other leading book retailers. And if you like my books, please leave a review.

Reliquary of the Dead has won a couple of awards in Fall 2025’s The BookFest® awards. The book received 2nd place in the category of Christian Futuristic Fiction and 3rd place in the category of Science Fiction-Space Exploration.

The BookFest® is a secular book contest, even though it has a category for Christian fiction. Together we are making a cultural impact through edifying story-telling based upon a Christian worldview. A nation’s morality is determined by the stories that are told and the media that is consumed. Moral fiction can still make an impact, so this is important work. And we couldn’t have done this without you, our loyal readers!

Here is the official announcement. The Bookfest Awards Announcement

If you like fast-paced, well-written books that blend science-fiction, archaeology, and ancient myth, consider buying my novel Reliquary of the Dead, now on sale at Amazon ( Buy Reliquary of the Dead here ) and other leading book retailers. And if you like the book, please leave a review.

We are proud to announce that Reliquary of the Dead has been nominated for the 2025 Outstanding Creator Awards. Here is the review of the book from the editors of the contest.

Review of “Reliquary of the Dead” by David Falk

9/30/2025

Score: 94/100 (9.4 out of 10)

It’s Indiana Jones meets Prometheus!

Reliquary of the Dead by David Falk takes place in the 25th century and follows Dr. Pierre Gulet, an archaeologist pulled into an accelerated colonist program and shipped to the exoplanet Gliese 832 c, being told that there is a “problem with the planet.” Pierre is brilliant and stubborn. He quickly becomes the colony’s reluctant problem-solver.

Strangely enough, Pierre’s specialty is in prophetic utterances carved into Egyptian Middle Kingdom burials. This brings up one of the biggest questions of the book: for what reason is Pierre (of all people) being recruited on this futuristic space mission? What need would a futuristic space society have for someone with this archaic specialty?

However, Pierre’s background does prove vital when he and medic Alicia Stripes uncover a god-machine, the titular Reliquary, beneath Gliese’s sands. As Arish’s food fails and scatterbugs go missing, rival commander Terry Brandt makes his move and the orbiting MegaAI abandons them, forcing Pierre to weaponize the relic’s toxic breath to save the colony and setting the stage for a larger war featuring primordial gods.

One of the most fascinating aspects of this novel is the world-building. You really get a sense of how alien and different the time and setting(s) of this book are. Let’s set the stage. In the 2400s, a total of four World Wars have been fought. Each of them, as you might imagine, brought about dramatic change. World War III brought about the banning of nuclear weapons. World War IV banned androids and cybernetic augmentation outright. The Armistice didn’t just end a war, it reset civilization’s ethics and priorities.

By Pierre’s day, humanity has planted flags on 48 worlds, with orbital MegaAIs coordinating traffic, research, and scarce resources. Colonists are drafted through accelerated programs with strict social contracts, pair up and try to breed for children (“make a good faith effort”) or face exile. Out on Gliese 832 c, the air and dust try to kill you, scatterbug swarms struggle to terraform, and people live by lithium hydroxide rebreathers, ration cards, and “insta-caff” (which is kind of like coffee, but a lot less tasty and enjoyable). It feels both futuristic and feral: frontier hamlets under alien skies, governed as much by austerity and myth as by code and policy, until a primordial Reliquary under the sand wakes up and proves the oldest technology in the system isn’t human at all.

This book explores how many aspects of humanity never change regardless of technological advancements. In a sense, we’re just like cavemen with business suits and suitcases now. Even in the 2400s, there are still corrupt and power hungry people like Terry; there are still fanatical, cult-like groups of people, and people still need their caffeine (whether it’s palatable or not).

This book has a lot going for it. We will say that it seems to place an inordinate amount of focus on scatterbugs, the terraforming critters. Yes, they’re cool, cute (sometimes), and somewhat integral to the plot, but did we have to read about them constantly.

Pierre even adopts one as a pet and names it Maat.

It seems like every other page had to have something about the scatterbugs doing one thing or another. We almost felt like this book might as well have just been about the scatterbugs, starring the scatterbugs as the main characters. Cause, why not? They’re everywhere anyway!

The good news: once the Reliquary thread heats up, the book absolutely snaps into focus. Stakes spike. The colony politics tighten. Pierre and Alicia’s steady, brain-and-heart partnership shines. Terry’s ambition curdles into something dangerous. And the survival scenes—hazmat scrambles, ration worries, suit patches, desperate gambits—hit hard. By the final act, it’s tense, clever, and memorable, with imagery you won’t forget.

Check it out on Amazon!

Craziness
5.0 out of 5 stars. Reviewed in the United States on August 8, 2025
Verified Purchase

Spaceships, Microwaves, and Existential Dread.

All The Stars As Angels is an excellent sequel to the first book, Reliquary of The Dead. Like the first, this book was a real page-turner.

Exploration of new lands (or worlds) is not as prominent as in the previous novel. Instead, All The Stars As Angels takes place on a spaceship populated entirely by androids, a massive AI, and other such microwave—I MEAN UNITS! It was also a bit of an emotional roller coaster. There were intense debates, robots nicer than humans, close calls, and also heartbreak. Breaking of all kinds, actually. So much breaking. And tearing…

…Poor C-10415.

The ideas explored in this book are deep and thought-provoking. Can an AI ever truly be sentient? Can an AI ever be a person? Why can’t robots cook decent food? I’ve recently taken an interest in the AI sentience debate, so this was even more interesting to read. If one day, a super intelligent and human-like “Tesla Bot” android were to hit the market and I could afford one, How would I, or anyone, be able to tell if it is truly self aware? Is the underlying code just really good at making it seem that way? Does it secretly want to slice me with its kuroto blade? I started pondering questions of my own existence and conscious experience as well. Not a good thing to do at 2am.

Now, moving onto my favorite part of the book. I don’t want to spoil the story for anyone, so I won’t say much. It pains me to do this, because there is so much I want to say here. I LOVED chapter ten. I love when an author can craft such a vivid, atmospheric, and eerie scene in my head with mere words on a page. As Niva and the others explored the Sigma (poor Sigma), I started getting PTSD flashbacks of when I played Dead Space 2. Like a certain character in this book, I, too, have been attacked in my sleep. Never again.

All The Stars As Angels is a worthy sequel in the War of the Gods series. I enjoyed it almost as much as the first one, and I will forever remember reading “The Sigma Scene,” as I now call it.

So the wait for book 3 begins.

Poor C-10415.

—

Winter’s Emperor
5.0 out of 5 stars. Reviewed in the United States on August 2, 2025

If the first book intrigued you, the second will captivate you!

The story continues! Once again separated from the familiar, Pierre must use his keen intuition to quickly adapt to a new environment, new characters, and new challenges. However, he can’t get comfortable, as he soon discovers that what he thought he had left behind is much bigger, and much closer, than he could have imagined.

He is joined by an unlikely but delightful companion who wrestles with her own revelations, position, and place in a galaxy of humans, androids, and aliens. Together, they face a conflict that threatens to bring an end to all life in the universe.
Who are their allies? Who are the true enemies? And what are the first gods?

Dr. Falk delivers a page-turning masterpiece that will keep you on the edge of your seat and introduce characters that you’ll remember long after the final page.

—

Frog Paste
5.0 out of 5 stars. Reviewed August 2, 2025

The story continues! Once again separated from the familiar, Pierre must use his keen intuition to quickly adapt to a new environment, new characters, and new challenges. However, he can’t get comfortable, as he soon discovers that what he thought he had left behind is much bigger, and much closer, than he could have imagined.

—

The Badger
5.0 out of 5 stars. Reviewed in the United States on July 29, 2025
Verified Purchase

A sci-fi feast of discovery, mystery, and wonder!

All the Stars as Angels masterfully carries forward the momentum from the first novel. Ten years have passed and the colonies of Gliese 832 c are no closer to peace. Pierre Gulet finds himself alone as he contemplates the mysteries of the Reliquary and what it might mean for the settlements but, as per usual, another wrench is tossed into the mix.

The reader is introduced to a new character that shakes up the narrative and expands the stakes of the first book beyond the barren world. Elements that readers only got a taste of in the first book are now front and center and it turns out that, once again, Pierre is needed to help navigate a desperate situation.

Niva is a charming and relatable character that readers will come to love as much as—if not more than—Pierre. She is an android with a mission that turns out to be just as human as any of us. The door is opened for ethical questions that don’t merely arise in the reader’s mind, but ones that demand to be answered, especially in light of Pierre’s previous discovery.

Explore with Pierre the dynamic world of the androids and discover with him that dangers passed are not dangers averted—merely delayed.

Warning: You will not be able to put this book down until the last page and you’ll be demanding the third book before breakfast!

—

Gary Shawver
5.0 out of 5 stars. Reviewed in the United States on July 27, 2025
Verified Purchase

The best sci-fi in decades

This is an excellent continuation of the first book. I cannot recommend it enough. It’s the best sci-fi I’ve read in decades. I cannot wait until the next book!

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Rachel Schoenberger
5.0 out of 5 stars. Reviewed July 19, 2025

All the Stars as Angels is a fantastic second book in the War of the Gods science fiction series. It begins several years after the first book, with an android named Niva who serves as the story’s protagonist. She meets Pierre, the Egyptologist from book one, and there is some cool space travel stuff, as well as themes surrounding the subject of artificial intelligence. It was a highly engaging read with a few biblical references I picked up on, and just a great book in general.

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Alonzo
5.0 out of 5 stars. Reviewed in the United States on July 18, 2025

Pulled Past the Event Horizon of Imagination

Disclosure: I served as a beta reader and received a free copy of the book.

It’s rare for a book to grab me this hard and pull me directly into the world. Niva is the innocent sort of protagonist who is pulled into a world much larger than she ever imagined. Her character development is fascinating to watch. Pierre is brilliant and engaging exploring a place no human has ever been before and helping the MegaAI with their conclave.

Overall, this is the best sci‑fi novel I’ve read in years, and it feels almost custom‑tailored to my tastes. I would give it six out of five stars. If you love science fiction packed with bold ideas and rich character development, this book belongs on your shelf.

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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars. Reviewed in the United States on July 18, 2025

A Must-Buy Sequel

All the Stars as Angels is a phenomenal sequel to Reliquary of the Dead. Do not sleep on this book. I can’t explain how good it is. Refreshing, fresh, and genuine, all things we need in the over saturated sci-fi thriller genre. If you want an exciting, fun, deep page turner, definitely pick this one up.

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Cole W.
5.0 out of 5 stars. Reviewed in the United States on July 16, 2025

Engaging book with a unique blend of topics

I absolutely loved All the Stars as Angels and could not stop reading which made for one really rough morning. I highly recommend the series to anyone interested in sci-fi, archaeology (although more-so in book one), religion, or mythology. It covers a rare blend of topics that is unlike anything else I’m familiar with. I have more to say, but I’m trying to keep my review spoiler-free. Can’t wait for book three and the hopeful spin-off series, Sloppi’s Culinary Adventures.

Craziness
5.0 out of 5 stars. Reviewed in the United States on July 11, 2025
Verified Purchase

I want a scatterbug.

This book is really good.

I thoroughly enjoyed the story. Out of all of the books I have read so far, Reliquary of The Dead was one of the few that kept me reading well past my allotted reading time for the day. I might be alone in this, but I found that this book was really comfortable to read. I’m sick and tired of books that have text the size of what you’d see in the fine print of a legal document. No eye pain!

Also, I wish I could get my hands on a WORKING Scatterbug. The grass outside is dying and could use some maintenance. I would do it myself, but it’s, like, hard.

All in all, David Falk has managed to write a captivating story, with characters as deep and intriguing as the Mariana Trench. Five out of five! Can’t wait for the next book.

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Gary Shawver
5.0 out of 5 stars. Reviewed in the United States on June 28, 2025
Verified Purchase

Excellent and thought-provoking

Human treachery and betrayal worthy of the Game of Thrones series coupled with a genocidal, demonic artificial intelligence set in the far future combine to make this a gripping and entertaining story. This is quite readable and well constructed, not to mention innovative. I highly recommend this book.

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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars. Reviewed in the United States on May 28, 2025
Verified Purchase

A New Era in Fiction

RotD is a fantastic book! If you like sci-fi mystery thrillers, this is not a book to pass on. It is such a page turner and honestly addicting. The plot is so original and engrossing, it’s such a breath of fresh air in the current market where everything feels so samey. I’m not a sci-fi mystery thriller person (more so action adventure), which shows just how awesome this book is. RotD is also very well written. The author blends sci-fi with history and archaeology so well, you feel like you’re learning along with the protagonist. I don’t want to spoil anything, because I want you to experience the same roller coaster of fun and mystique that I did reading this book the first and now the second time. I even bought two extra copies, just so my coworkers could get in on the awesome. A must read!