As a 14 year old boy, he has the characteristics and personality of someone younger and older than his age would suggest. The novel actually opens up with an introduction to Jordi, who I presumed at the time to be the main character, and what he is going through until the two plot points meet up near the end of the story. There were definitely other elements that could be traced back to the show, but they were few and far between, and not something I dwelled upon. Malcolm Reynolds, but because he’s such likable character, you kind of just go with it. The character of Shepherd comes off too much like Capt. Much of the inspiration from this book seems to draw from the show, and it gets hard to separate the two at points. If you’ve ever seen the hit show Firefly and have read this book, you know what I’m talking about. In his debut novel, Lucas Bale tackles this popular topic in a way that is (almost) uniquely his. The genre of science fiction has been moving away from vampires and werewolves and the supernatural toward dystopian universes. Lucas Bale delivers in his exciting and brilliant debut that does justice to the Sci-fi genre. It seizes you right from the first word, and the chase scene at the climax of the story is some of the finest writing I’ve seen in the genre.Įve Seymour, author of The Last Exile and Resolution to KillĪn engrossing and tense post-apocalyptic adventure. Lucas Bale’s debut novel is gripping, suspenseful science fiction.

He is dragged into a fight he does not believe in and a desperate struggle to protect his ship, his way of life and the lives of the persecuted few who seek only freedom.Alex Roddie, author of The Atholl Expedition and The Only Genuine Jones Shepherd, a freighter-tramp and smuggler, is commissioned to deliver illicit medical supplies to a hostile border planet near the Wall.

He and a handful of survivors flee into the frozen, snow-covered forest to wait for the preacher who told them their way of life was based on lies. A 14-year-old boy, Jordi, sees armed men approaching and manages to wake his family. In the cold of a winter's night, a small village is the subject of a brutal attack. Yet there are those who preach a new religion and who want to be free. Humanity's true history survives only in whispers of a secret archive. Freedom, religion and self-determination are anachronisms. Every citizen is implanted with a device to monitor their location, health and emotions. The Magistratus controls interstellar travel, access to technology, even procreation. In return for its protection, citizens must concede their rights absolutely. Humanity's survivors are now dispersed among distant colonies, thousands of light years from the barren, frozen rock that was once their home.Īt a time when power means everything, the ultimate power, the imperium, rests with the Consulate Magistratus. Centuries have passed since life ended on the blue planet.

The Heretic by Lucas Bale