Kagan Tumer attended seven schools in five cities in four countries, all before reaching high school. The constant upheaval taught him two things: observe the world and the people in it because you need to understand them, and don’t get too attached to any place or anyone because neither will be there next year. He’s better (a little) with people and places now but is still steadily moving west: Virginia to Texas to California to Oregon. And yes, Portland is west of San Francisco by a hair. Along the way, Tumer has worked as a cafeteria food server, a registrar’s office clerk, a print shop copier, a soccer referee, and a well logging engineer. He completed a PhD in computer engineering while in Austin and spent nine years in San Francisco working for NASA on autonomous robot coordination. When it finally dawned on him that NASA wasn’t going to build and send hundreds of robots to Mars so he could play with them, he decided to create his own reality in science fiction. He now lives in the Pacific Northwest and when not writing, he ponders AI ethics, teaches robotics, consults for TV/movie AI projects, and mentors future scientists.

Titles by Kagan Tumer

  • The Uregs Book 2

    Released: October 2021

    Genre: Science Fiction

    Mika has a new, near-indestructible body—a side effect of the Purge virus. Yet he broods in obscurity, pushing away everyone, including Amy, the one person who can lift his spirits. But when the Purge starts killing again, twenty years after it vanished, he accepts an open-ended mission and disappears.

    Thrust into power amid chaos, Amy struggles to rebuild a world ripped apart by the tension between those who carry the Purge and those who don’t. When a general exploits that rift to grab power, Amy makes a bold decision that antagonizes the leaders of two states.

    As victims with Purge symptoms multiply, Mika returns with frightening news about the virus’ variants and origins. With time running out, Amy must unite the bickering factions to stop the new outbreak from destroying their fragile society. But can she trust Mika again?

  • The Uregs Book 1

    Genre: Science Fiction

    “A rich science fiction story set in a brutal post-apocalyptic America—a tense and thrilling debut.”—Foreword Clarion Reviews

    “A chilling, gritty and realistic dystopian future.”—BlueInk Review

    Lori wants to restore order to a world ravaged by virus, violence, and dropping birthrates. But the rage that fueled her rise from hungry teenager to Special Forces colonel has left her with few allies. When a mortally-wounded soldier disappears from the hospital amid a cover up, Lori reaches beyond official channels to her only remaining friend, Mika.

    Orphaned at eight, Mika lives across a fortified border, away from the spotlight. But he could never say no to Lori, so he gets dragged into a world of secrets and deceit. Together, they uncover a conspiracy that assassinated two heads of state to start a war, all to hide the true nature of the virus that nearly destroyed the human race.

    With time running out, Lori has to disobey direct orders and embrace new allegiances. The problem is, the rage that powers her also distorts her moral compass—which hasn’t been reliable in the best of times.