#1 New Release: Unit 731: The Japanese Auschwitz by James & Lance Morcan - Free on Kindle March 14, 2026 (PST).

 Currently the #1 New Release in Amazon’s Biological & Chemical Warfare History category.

Free on Kindle March 14, 2026 (PST).

Available in audio courtesy of Amazon’s Audible Audiobooks initiative. Paperback edition coming soon.

 Synopsis:

In the aftermath of World War Two, and indeed all wars before and since, few names evoke as much horror as Unit 731, a Japanese death camp located in Northeast China.

Unit 731: The Japanese Auschwitz exposes one of the darkest and least acknowledged chapters of the 20th century—a secret biological warfare program whose atrocities rival those of Nazi Germany’s most infamous death camps.

In this meticulously researched volume, Book 9 in The Underground Knowledge Series, the veil is lifted on the origins, operations, and enduring legacy of Unit 731, the covert Japanese military complex where science, ambition, and cruelty fused into industrialized murder.

Purchase Link

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GRJ8LR8P

Snippet

Excerpt from the Introduction of our new release book, Unit 731: The Japanese Auschwitz – Book 9 in The Underground Knowledge Series – by James & Lance Morcan

…the name Unit 731 became synonymous with Auschwitz, that most infamous Nazi concentration camp. Hence, this book’s subtitle: The Japanese Auschwitz.

Although less widely reported than Mengele’s medical research at Auschwitz, many historians have compared the hideous medical experiments at Unit 731 to those conducted by the Nazis during the Holocaust.

Unit 731’s condemned endured unimaginable horrors. These included high-voltage electric shock experiments, cyanide poisoning, frostbite studies, and biological weapons testing involving the forced application of anthrax, heroin, and other drugs; some inmates were injected with bacteria from plague-infected fleas procured from mice; and slow, live dissections of subjects without the use of painkillers were commonplace.

The prisoners were referred to as “monkeys” in scientific papers, but it was common knowledge in Japanese military and political circles at least that the test subjects were in fact human beings.

The end result was tens of thousands of victims died at Unit 731 and its sister sites, keeping in mind the Pingfang complex was not an isolated entity. Similar units proliferated across Asia – all coordinated in accordance with Ishii’s vision of using biological warfare as a national instrument of modern science and medicine.

Other complexes, including Unit 1644 in Nanjing, Unit 9420 in Singapore, Unit 8604 in Guangzhou, and Unit 1855 in Beijing formed a strategic alliance programmed to support Japan logistically, militarily and politically. 

Casualty estimates vary, but our research shows that most historians agree between 10,000 and 12,000 people perished within Unit 731 alone while Japan’s broader biological warfare program killed as many as 250,000 (some say 300,000) people across China.

Unit 731 is a sobering reminder that science and medicine without ethics can evolve into weapons of unforeseen and almost unimaginable destruction.

In the following pages we document what led to the formation of Unit 731, the horrors its inmates endured, and the aftermath following destruction of the unit at war’s end. We also address the uncomfortable truth that most of the perpetrators walked free, their victims forgotten in the proverbial fog and mist of postwar politics.

Be warned: it’s not an easy read.

-James & Lance Morcan

 

James Morcan 

New Zealand–born actor, writer, and producer James Morcan is the co‑author of numerous bestselling novels and nonfiction works, many written with his father, Lance Morcan. His books span historical adventure, international thrillers, and investigative nonfiction, and have been translated into eight languages. Morcan is also a screenwriter and lead actor in several international film productions, including the post‑apocalyptic feature After Armageddon. Through Morcan Motion Pictures, he is developing adaptations of Silent Fear and The Underground Knowledge Series. Beyond publishing and film, he hosts the Underground Knowledge podcast and founded one of Goodreads’ most active global discussion groups.

 

Lance Morcan 

New Zealand novelist, screenwriter, and former journalist Lance Morcan is the author of more than 35 fiction and nonfiction titles, many co‑written with his son, James Morcan, and published through Sterling Gate Books. Their collaborations span historical adventure, international thrillers, and investigative nonfiction, including the bestselling White Spirit, Into the Americas, and The Underground Knowledge Series. Lance’s solo work includes the sweeping historical epic New Zealand: A Novel, a project five decades in the making. Several Morcan titles have been long‑running Amazon bestsellers, and their production company, Morcan Motion Pictures, is developing film adaptations of Silent Fear, Into the Americas, and White Spirit.

 Connect with the Authors

For inquiries, media requests, or additional information about James and Lance Morcan’s work, please contact their publisher:

Sterling Gate Books Ltd.

New Zealand Phone: +64 7 572 5526

Mobile: +64 27 576 5037

Email: sterlinggatebooks@gmail.com

 Explore more of their books and film projects:

https://morcanbooksandfilms.com/category/new-zealand-a-novel/

If you enjoy discovering new stories, you may also like The AnaRose Chronicles—a trilogy of award‑winning adventure novellas. https://books2read.com/u/4jzKAY

New Zealand: A Novel by Lance Morcan - Free Kindle Promotion January 12 and 13, 2025

 

Exciting News from Sterling Gate Books!

We're thrilled to announce a special Kindle promotion for the captivating novel, New Zealand: A Novel, by Lance Morcan. Mark your calendars for January 12 and 13, 2025, and don't miss this chance to grab your copy for free. Dive into an unforgettable adventure and experience the magic of New Zealand from the comfort of your home. Get your copy today and join the celebration!

***

New Zealand: A Novel by Lance Morcan

In 1768, medical student Nicholas Young is recruited as Surgeon’s Boy under Captain James Cook aboard the Endeavour. His journey takes him to uncharted lands, including New Zealand, discovered by Dutch explorer Abel Tasman. Nearly five centuries earlier, in 1301 AD, villagers from Hawaiki flee their homeland and discover Aotearoa, the land of the long, white cloud.

As Nicholas and his crewmates arrive in Tahiti, he becomes a man through trials and tribulations. He forms a bond with Tahiti’s queen, Obadia, and learns about the Maori people and their history. In 1769, Nicholas spots New Zealand, leading to the first encounter between Cook’s crew and the indigenous Maori, marked by conflict and cultural exchange.

The Endeavour’s circumnavigation of New Zealand challenges Nicholas and his crewmates, but they emerge stronger, ready to face the unknown.

What Readers Are Saying About New Zealand: A Novel by Lance Morcan

Riveting and Unputdownable: Readers are captivated by the blend of historical facts and well-crafted narratives, making the story of New Zealand's formation compelling and exciting.

 A Page-Turner: The novel spans centuries and continents, offering a fascinating fictionalized account of Captain Cook's voyages and the Maori's arrival in New Zealand. It's a must-read for lovers of adventure, exotic locales, and history.

 Amazing Storytelling: Lance Morcan's talent for vivid storytelling pulls readers into the struggles and triumphs of the Indigenous people and explorers, making it a fantastic and immersive read.

Fascinating Historical Journey: The novel brings New Zealand's history to life, blending fictional characters with real historical figures and offering a deep understanding of the land's development.

  Purchase Links:

https://www.amazon.com/New-Zealand-Novel-Lance-Morcan-ebook/dp/B0DPTJTDCQ

Book's Landing Page:

 https://morcanbooksandfilms.com/category/new-zealand-a-novel/   

New Zealand novelist and screenwriter Lance Morcan is a prolific author with more than 35 published fiction and non-fiction books to his credit as well as several screenplay adaptations of his work. A former journalist and newspaper editor, he regularly writes in collaboration with his son James Morcan, and their books are published by Sterling Gate Books.

The father-and-son team's published books include the new release horror Silent Fear (A novel inspired by true crimes) and the bestselling historical adventures White Spirit, Fiji: A Novel and Into the Americas. They also have several series including The Orphan Trilogy, an international thriller series, the globetrotting action-romance series The World Duology, and the controversial non-fiction franchise The Underground Knowledge Series, which includes Genius Intelligence and The Catcher in the Rye Enigma.

Several of their books have been regular visitors to Amazon's bestseller lists over the years.

An additional non-fiction title they're especially proud of is Debunking Holocaust Denial Theories, which was written in collaboration with Holocaust survivors to document the genocide.

Lance's first solo-authored novel, a historical adventure-romance titled New Zealand: A Novel, was published late 2024. Spanning almost 500 years, this novel covers the respective discoveries of New Zealand by Pacific Islanders and Europeans. From the outset the two stories are interposed. It starts in the 1300’s with the departure of Islanders from Hawaiki in search of land far to the south. Researching and writing this epic was literally half a century in the making for Lance who described the task as "A labour of love that spanned 50 years.”

The Morcans’ production entity, Morcan Motion Pictures, has a number of feature films in early development, including adaptations of Silent Fear, Into the Americas, and White Spirit.

 

New Release: New Zealand: A Novel by Lance Morcan - Free Kindle Promotion December 10 and December 14-15, 2024

 

We are excited to announce our first Kindle promotion. You can download it for free tomorrow, Tuesday, December 10th, and again this weekend, December 14th and 15th. Take advantage of this opportunity to get your copy!

***

It’s 1768. A chance meeting at London’s dockyards sees medical student Nicholas Young recruited as Surgeon’s Boy to serve under Captain James Cook aboard a bark called the Endeavour. Ahead of the handsome 17-year-old is a voyage that will test his mettle and take him to uncharted places at the bottom of the world. One of those places being a land Dutch explorer Abel Tasman discovered the previous century when he encountered its western shoreline. The land was occupied by tattooed, brown-skinned, warlike people. A land Tasman called Nieuw Zeeland.

Nearly five centuries earlier, in 1301 AD, huge, twin-hulled canoes depart the South Pacific Island nation of Hawaiki. Aboard each craft are 80 villagers hand-picked by their rangatira, the mighty Hotu. Raids by enemies from neighbouring islands prompted the decision to flee their homeland. Their destination is a land far to the south. Many weeks later, the survivors aboard Hotu’s canoe sight the eastern shoreline of a rugged land covered by cloud. They call it Aotearoa – land of the long, white cloud.

In 1769, eight months after departing England, Nicholas Young and his crewmates arrive in Tahiti aboard the Endeavour. The Surgeon’s Boy is quickly becoming a man; the journey out was a baptism of fire for him with mid-Atlantic storms resulting in injury and death. In Tahiti, Captain Cook puts his men to work, building an observation post from which he can observe the transit of Venus. Nicholas is excused from shore duties after a local priest, Tupaia, informs Cook that Tahiti’s beautiful queen, Obadia, has invited his Surgeon’s Boy to stay in the village as her guest. Tupaia didn’t mention he convinced the childless queen that Nicholas had been sent to her by the spirits of her ancestors and that he would give her a son. The beautiful queen seduces a surprised but delighted Nicholas, and in the weeks that follow they enjoy long days and nights of lovemaking.

It's 1501 AD and for the first time the hills of Aotearoa echo to the sounds of war. As the competition for food and land increases, so too does inter-tribal fighting between tribes of the brown-skinned people who now call themselves Maori. Apera, chief of the Te Arawa tribe, leads a war party down the east coast, attacking settlements along the way. Defeated warriors are either enslaved or eaten, for cannibalism is widely practised.

October 1769. It's springtime in Aotearoa. A Maori boy sits alone on a sandy beach, looking out across a sparkling bay. On his right is a headland that extends far out into the blue Pacific. Moki is the oldest son of the chief of the Ngati Porou tribe. He’s a proud descendant of Hotu whose battered canoe arrived on this same beach centuries earlier. Moki suddenly jumps to his feet when he sees a tall ship far out to sea. Mistaking its billowing sails for a giant seabird, he flees inland to his nearby pa, or fortified village, to alert the villagers to the approaching danger.

Aboard the Endeavour, Nicholas serves as lookout in the bark’s crow’s nest. Many long weeks have passed since leaving Tahiti. He spies land and shouts, “Land ahoy!” He’s looking at the very headland Moki was sitting alongside moments earlier. So delighted is Cook by the sighting, he names the landmark Young Nick’s Head after his keen-eyed lookout. The captain suspects it’s part of the eastern shoreline of the land Abel Tasman called Nieuw Zeeland. Translating the Dutch to English, Cook renames it New Zealand.

After anchoring in the bay, the captain dispatches a contingent of his marines ashore. From aboard ship, Nicholas and his crewmates look on as the marines are greeted by an impassioned haka, or war dance, performed by Ngati Porou warriors armed with clubs, spears and other Stone Age weapons. The chief’s brother is killed and several warriors wounded in the inevitable violence that follows. So disillusioned is Cook by the conflict, and by the apparent lack of fruit and game, he names the region Poverty Bay.

This first bloody encounter with New Zealand’s indigenous people is a sobering harbinger for what follows.

The Endeavour’s circumnavigation of the new land will be an experience that breaks some men. But not Nicholas. The Surgeon’s Boy is now as ready as any of his crewmates to face the many challenges that life will throw at him in the long weeks and months ahead.

 Purchase Links

Kindle link: 

https://www.amazon.com/New-Zealand-Novel-Lance-Morcan-ebook/dp/B0DPTJTDCQ/  

Paperback link: 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0473728524/ 

Book's landing page:

 https://morcanbooksandfilms.com/category/new-zealand-a-novel/  

New Zealand novelist and screenwriter Lance Morcan is a prolific author with more than 20 published fiction and non-fiction books to his credit as well as several screenplay adaptations of his work. A former journalist and newspaper editor, he regularly writes in collaboration with his son James Morcan, and their books are published by Sterling Gate Books.

The father-and-son team's published books include the new release horror Silent Fear (A novel inspired by true crimes) and the bestselling historical adventures White Spirit and Into the Americas. They also have several series on the market including The Orphan Trilogy, an international thriller series, the globetrotting action-romance series The World Duology, and the controversial non-fiction franchise The Underground Knowledge Series. An additional non-fiction title, Debunking Holocaust Denial Theories, was written in collaboration with Holocaust survivors to document the genocide.

The Morcans’ production company Morcan Motion Pictures has a number of feature films in early development, including adaptations of Silent Fear, Into the Americas and White Spirit. It is also developing Underground Knowledge into a TV series.

Lance is currently revising his solo-written novel New Zealand, an epic historical adventure spanning 500 years of South Pacific and Polynesian history. Including research, writing and life's distractions, this novel has been over a decade in the making.