Tower of Somnus Series 1-4 by Cale Plamann

Tower of Somnus Series

1. Foundations (2022)
2. Chiwaukee Nights (2022)
3. Starfall (2022)
4. Shareholder (2024)

1. Foundations (2022)
First contact gone wrong. Humanity judged and found wanting. Unlimited power up for grab.

The Galactic Consensus arrived on ships as large as skyscrapers, crafted from glittering alloys that no human scientist could even begin to understand. They followed the trail of century old television transmissions to welcome us into the galactic community… only to recoil in horror at what they found.

They concluded that humans were unfit to be trusted with the advanced technologies that member-states of the Consensus freely traded with each other, installing a relay to warn other ships that we were under embargo, but more importantly, allowing humans entrance into the Tower of Somnus, a multiplayer game of sorts that could be played in one’s sleep. The hope was that humanity would learn proper behavior from playing the game with our more civilized neighbors.

Katherine ‘Kat’ Debs, a hereditary employee of one of the megacorporations that ruled the world, eked out a meager existence in a massive arcology of glittering glass and chrome. She dreamt of one day earning enough money to buy her freedom, and was more than willing to break a law here or there in the process. When she is offered an opportunity to enter the Tower of Somnus free of corporate control, she jumps at the chance. After all, the 'game' was more than just a status symbol, players retained the fantastic powers they earned in the game in the waking world as well.

A perfect opportunity to take control of her destiny, or die trying.

2. Chiwaukee Nights (2022)
Success is more treacherous than failure, bringing dangerous attention, and potentially unbeatable foes.

Kat beat the bad guys and scored a pile of credits deep enough for her to fill a kiddy pool and go swimming in it. What she didn’t expect was for the mastermind of her plight to survive, as well as do her a favor: she removed her from the Arcology, and enrolled her in the GroCorp corporate college. She knows the Arcology, but this is a chance to earn enough credits to set her family up for life.

But people are disappearing, and betrayal lurks around every corner. Kat is out of her depth, and everyone is playing for keeps. Only by relying on every erg of power she’s managed to scavenge from the Tower of Somnus does Kat even begin to stand a chance.

What if the power she earns comes at a price that isn’t hers to pay?

3. Starfall (2022)
Conspiratorial conflicts boiling over. Allies pushed into the mix. The stars are spilling war onto Earth.

Kat revealed the Stallesp plot: the aliens never meant to abide by rules laid down by the Galactic Consensus, instead choosing to ask forgiveness rather than permission for interfering with Earth and its corporations. Now she is fighting a lonely war against the invasion as she tries to buy enough time for help to arrive.

Her allies are gone or preoccupied, forcing her and the few friends she’s made to try and root out the invaders without formal support. As her investigation heats up, revealing a situation worse than Kat ever could have expected, she needs to confront an unpleasant fact: not all of humanity's enemies are aliens.

Now Kat is racing against time, both in and out of the tower. Despite her skills, magic, and allies, her best may not be enough.

4. Shareholder
Kat achieved what she wanted. It put a target on her back. She can only hope to dodge the bullet.
Kat paid for her position with blood. Hers, and from those who stood in her way. Now, she has finally climbed to a spot where she has real power; she can improve things the way she thinks is necessary. But power isn't as simple as she thought it would be. It comes with complications and obligations that stop her from taking action and enemies that don't like to share their authority.
While Kat may be one of the strongest humans alive, physical and magical strength hasn't prepared her to deal with the politics and backstabbing that can end her life just as quickly as a knife in a back alley. With the tables turned, she has to fend off the same tactics she used to get into her position: infiltrators and samurai are gunning for Kat on the orders of her political rivals.
In a race against time, Kat must unmask her enemies before her friends and family pay the blood price.