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Space Punks #3
Space Punks 3: Shadows of the Past
Where the Legion strikes, only scorched earth is left behind.
And they’re coming.
After their successful heist, the Space Punks have reunited on the rim of the Martian mega-canyon Valles Marineris. But the Legion hasn’t taken the break-in at their inner sanctum lightly. They’ve tracked down the people responsible, and now the full force of the Legion is approaching.
David, Aztec, and the others have no other choice than to take a stand against an overwhelmingly superior force. But all hope is not lost—and aid may come from the most unexpected place…
If being targeted by the Pentad’s most deadly special forces wasn’t bad enough, more trouble is looming. Lucien still can’t get over his defeat on Venus, but now he controls ARES and has also retrieved his Seraph-class ship. He’s out for blood.
Meanwhile, in the shadows and invisible to humans, an enemy is gaining more power every day. An enemy that wants nothing less than the extermination of the human race once and for all. Niemand will have to decide which side he wants to stand with.
And so will David.
Robots, cyborgs, mechs, and epic spaceship battles! The space opera adventure continues!
And they’re coming.
After their successful heist, the Space Punks have reunited on the rim of the Martian mega-canyon Valles Marineris. But the Legion hasn’t taken the break-in at their inner sanctum lightly. They’ve tracked down the people responsible, and now the full force of the Legion is approaching.
David, Aztec, and the others have no other choice than to take a stand against an overwhelmingly superior force. But all hope is not lost—and aid may come from the most unexpected place…
If being targeted by the Pentad’s most deadly special forces wasn’t bad enough, more trouble is looming. Lucien still can’t get over his defeat on Venus, but now he controls ARES and has also retrieved his Seraph-class ship. He’s out for blood.
Meanwhile, in the shadows and invisible to humans, an enemy is gaining more power every day. An enemy that wants nothing less than the extermination of the human race once and for all. Niemand will have to decide which side he wants to stand with.
And so will David.
Robots, cyborgs, mechs, and epic spaceship battles! The space opera adventure continues!
343 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 24, 2024
52 people are currently reading
16 people want to read
About the author
Anna Mocikat
57 books203 followersAnna Mocikat is a successful Cyberpunk and Space Opera author.
She was born in Warsaw, Poland, but spent most of her life in Germany where she attended film school, worked as a screenwriter and a game writer for several years.
Her "MUC" novels have been nominated for the most prestigious awards for Fantasy and science fiction in Germany.
In 2016 Anna moved to the USA where she continued her writing career.
"Shadow City" was her debut in English in 2019.
Since then she also published the "Behind Blue Eyes" series, the "Cyber Squad" series, the "Nephilim" series as well as "Space Punks" and "Neon Nights."
She was born in Warsaw, Poland, but spent most of her life in Germany where she attended film school, worked as a screenwriter and a game writer for several years.
Her "MUC" novels have been nominated for the most prestigious awards for Fantasy and science fiction in Germany.
In 2016 Anna moved to the USA where she continued her writing career.
"Shadow City" was her debut in English in 2019.
Since then she also published the "Behind Blue Eyes" series, the "Cyber Squad" series, the "Nephilim" series as well as "Space Punks" and "Neon Nights."
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
July 26, 2024
So this was the 3rd book in this action-packed, suspense-packed, and gripping sci-fi story.
If I didn't know better, I would have said I had a fever after finishing this exciting book.
In fact, I read at least half of the book with bated breath because it's so unbelievably exciting.
It's incredible what Anna Mocikat does with this one-of-a-kind story and how she wrote it.
I am always amazed at the details she puts into this story and how fluidly and incredibly interesting she does it.
Everyone who knows me knows that I don't read science fiction stories that often, but believe me when I tell you that when she writes a book, I don't wait at all, I read it straight away, even if it's a long series and I've to wait for the next book.
This book is so action-packed that I was sweating profusely and so incredibly exciting that I sat on the edge of my bed with all my fingernails torn off.
Did I mention that there is also a romance in this unique sci-fi, space opera?
Actually, not just one but two and maybe more, because there is material for more love stories 😉
And what unique love stories they're, because the people or the couples are not 100% human, or some not human at all 😉
Gosh! I love this series.
I don't know how I'll survive till the next book with this ending.
I recommend the first book in the series in the audiobook version, too.
It's a full cast audio, and it's phenomenal.
The 2nd and 3rd book will be on audio soon, too.
I can't wait 🤩
If I didn't know better, I would have said I had a fever after finishing this exciting book.
In fact, I read at least half of the book with bated breath because it's so unbelievably exciting.
It's incredible what Anna Mocikat does with this one-of-a-kind story and how she wrote it.
I am always amazed at the details she puts into this story and how fluidly and incredibly interesting she does it.
Everyone who knows me knows that I don't read science fiction stories that often, but believe me when I tell you that when she writes a book, I don't wait at all, I read it straight away, even if it's a long series and I've to wait for the next book.
This book is so action-packed that I was sweating profusely and so incredibly exciting that I sat on the edge of my bed with all my fingernails torn off.
Did I mention that there is also a romance in this unique sci-fi, space opera?
Actually, not just one but two and maybe more, because there is material for more love stories 😉
And what unique love stories they're, because the people or the couples are not 100% human, or some not human at all 😉
Gosh! I love this series.
I don't know how I'll survive till the next book with this ending.
I recommend the first book in the series in the audiobook version, too.
It's a full cast audio, and it's phenomenal.
The 2nd and 3rd book will be on audio soon, too.
I can't wait 🤩
October 28, 2025
It is rare for me lately to finish a book and need to jump into the next one immediately but that’s exactly what happened to me after finishing Space Punks 2.
Mocikat does a fantastic job of putting you into the story along with the Space Punks. The tension and fear and adrenaline they were experiencing all felt so real to me. I was so worried for our heroes (they really are having the worst luck lately).
This was a fast pace, exciting continuation to the series as they try to make it off Mars in one piece. The continued expansion of this world and the characters individual secrets and struggles was masterfully done. This series is a must read for any fans of sci-fi/space operas.
Mocikat does a fantastic job of putting you into the story along with the Space Punks. The tension and fear and adrenaline they were experiencing all felt so real to me. I was so worried for our heroes (they really are having the worst luck lately).
This was a fast pace, exciting continuation to the series as they try to make it off Mars in one piece. The continued expansion of this world and the characters individual secrets and struggles was masterfully done. This series is a must read for any fans of sci-fi/space operas.
October 8, 2024
SPACE PUNKS 3: SHADOWS OF THE PAST is the, appropriately enough, third volume of the Space Punks series by Anna Mocikat. It's very much like Cowboy Bebop meets Cyberpunk 2077. If that's an odd combination to imagine, just imagine a bunch of cyborg mercenaries in their cool spaceship going out and doing fantastic adventures. There's been a robot war akin to Terminator where humanity was almost wiped out by a bunch of androids that destroyed the Earth and has left humanity wandering around the solar system colonies (and a few wormhole granted ones) with a ruthless military dictatorship in charge.
If you're familiar with Anna Mocikat's BEHIND BLUE EYES series, you generally have an idea of how this book series goes. There's a lot of very sexy people, a lot of sexual induendo but little on the page, a lot of graphic violence, and some interesting philosophical points about humanity. For example, one of the main characters, Nightingale, has lived his entire life as a hedonistic killer but a near-death experience as well as his realization he wants to only be with his long-time girlfriend causes him to question the meaning of life--much to his girlfriend, Aztec,'s chagrin.
This volume follows up the events of the previous and sees our heroes trapped on Mars with the Legion chasing them down. We get a lot of insight into the military dictatorship in charge of humanity since the conflict with the robots and they're generally a complete bunch of scumbags. One particular triggering character (and I mean that in the non-pejorative, quite literal) sense is Lucien who keeps a woman prisoner with an explosive in her head so he can regularly sexually extort her. Yeah, it's that kind of book. It's very R-rated but everything happens offscreen so I'd say this is about 80s levels of R-rated.
The actual plot is less the point in Space Punks than the characterization. It's less about the protagonists of the Nephilim having any specific goal and more about traveling with them as we get into their mindsets. Space Punks really feels more like an ongoing serial than a chronicle. There is plot, don't get me wrong, but it is far more interested in world-building and understanding the thought processes of all these various badass cyborgs, both men as well as women. This is an ensemble piece and benefits from it.
In conclusion, if you liked the first two then you will probably like this. I do hope that Lucien's prisoner gets her own development and revenge, though I somewhat doubt that is what's planned. I like the characters and I like the world.
If you're familiar with Anna Mocikat's BEHIND BLUE EYES series, you generally have an idea of how this book series goes. There's a lot of very sexy people, a lot of sexual induendo but little on the page, a lot of graphic violence, and some interesting philosophical points about humanity. For example, one of the main characters, Nightingale, has lived his entire life as a hedonistic killer but a near-death experience as well as his realization he wants to only be with his long-time girlfriend causes him to question the meaning of life--much to his girlfriend, Aztec,'s chagrin.
This volume follows up the events of the previous and sees our heroes trapped on Mars with the Legion chasing them down. We get a lot of insight into the military dictatorship in charge of humanity since the conflict with the robots and they're generally a complete bunch of scumbags. One particular triggering character (and I mean that in the non-pejorative, quite literal) sense is Lucien who keeps a woman prisoner with an explosive in her head so he can regularly sexually extort her. Yeah, it's that kind of book. It's very R-rated but everything happens offscreen so I'd say this is about 80s levels of R-rated.
The actual plot is less the point in Space Punks than the characterization. It's less about the protagonists of the Nephilim having any specific goal and more about traveling with them as we get into their mindsets. Space Punks really feels more like an ongoing serial than a chronicle. There is plot, don't get me wrong, but it is far more interested in world-building and understanding the thought processes of all these various badass cyborgs, both men as well as women. This is an ensemble piece and benefits from it.
In conclusion, if you liked the first two then you will probably like this. I do hope that Lucien's prisoner gets her own development and revenge, though I somewhat doubt that is what's planned. I like the characters and I like the world.
August 25, 2025
This review was originally posted at https://tinyurl.com/2cfjfapr.
Following their successful heist Aztec, David, and the others have retreated to a Martian canyon. The Legion won't let them get away with this theft without a fight, however, and neither will Lucian. Decisions will need to be made and sides to be chosen.
I have read most of this author's books and they have never once disappointed. As always with her books this is not a stand-alone. You MUST read books 1 & 2 first or you will be completely lost. There is a bit of refresher information, but not enough to clue in someone who hasn't read the rest of the series.
A fast paced sci-fi that is low spice and non-stop action. There is still a bit of spice, but it is implied versus explicit. Not at all complaining. The author does a great job of jumping from one action filled scene to the next.
We go deeper into the synthetic machine aspect with Niemend and David as well as touch on Niemend's beliefs. It also 100% ends on a cliffhanger. Thankfully book 4 is already out because once you finish book 3 you will need the next.
I love all of the characters as much as in Book 1. You never know what exactly the future will hold...but I'm holding out hope for another machine vs human war.
Following their successful heist Aztec, David, and the others have retreated to a Martian canyon. The Legion won't let them get away with this theft without a fight, however, and neither will Lucian. Decisions will need to be made and sides to be chosen.
I have read most of this author's books and they have never once disappointed. As always with her books this is not a stand-alone. You MUST read books 1 & 2 first or you will be completely lost. There is a bit of refresher information, but not enough to clue in someone who hasn't read the rest of the series.
A fast paced sci-fi that is low spice and non-stop action. There is still a bit of spice, but it is implied versus explicit. Not at all complaining. The author does a great job of jumping from one action filled scene to the next.
We go deeper into the synthetic machine aspect with Niemend and David as well as touch on Niemend's beliefs. It also 100% ends on a cliffhanger. Thankfully book 4 is already out because once you finish book 3 you will need the next.
I love all of the characters as much as in Book 1. You never know what exactly the future will hold...but I'm holding out hope for another machine vs human war.
August 26, 2024
Another thrilling chapter in Space Punks.
Hidden in the shadows, a merciless new threat emerges, intent on annihilating humanity. Niemand faces a crucial choice about where his loyalty lies, and David must also decide where he stands in this escalating conflict.
After a successful heist, the Space Punks find themselves cornered on the edge of Valles Marineris as the Legion closes in. With no way to escape, they must prepare for an intense showdown against overwhelming odds.
Just as the Legion's elite forces bear down on them, unexpected aid might arrive from an unlikely source. Meanwhile, Lucien, nursing his defeat on Venus, now commands the formidable ARES and his Seraph-class ship, bent on vengeance.
Hidden in the shadows, a merciless new threat emerges, intent on annihilating humanity. Niemand faces a crucial choice about where his loyalty lies, and David must also decide where he stands in this escalating conflict.
After a successful heist, the Space Punks find themselves cornered on the edge of Valles Marineris as the Legion closes in. With no way to escape, they must prepare for an intense showdown against overwhelming odds.
Just as the Legion's elite forces bear down on them, unexpected aid might arrive from an unlikely source. Meanwhile, Lucien, nursing his defeat on Venus, now commands the formidable ARES and his Seraph-class ship, bent on vengeance.
July 28, 2024
Another winner
Anna has done it again, yet another thrill ride into the space punks universe!
Break neck pace, battles, and of course the space punk humour. Kudos Anna, yet again an outstanding book.
Anna has done it again, yet another thrill ride into the space punks universe!
Break neck pace, battles, and of course the space punk humour. Kudos Anna, yet again an outstanding book.
March 19, 2025
Fun
I have really enjoyed this series. The characters are engaging and the stories are pretty fast paced. I started reading this authors works with the Blue eyed devil series. Good sci-fi.
I have really enjoyed this series. The characters are engaging and the stories are pretty fast paced. I started reading this authors works with the Blue eyed devil series. Good sci-fi.
July 12, 2025
I’m really enjoying where this series is going. This is a thoroughly good space romp. Each book is exposing a bit more universe history and leaving more breadcrumbs for the future of the series. In the middle of this there’s also some very nice storytelling.
Now onto book 4
Now onto book 4
January 13, 2025
Another very good story full of nail biting action, with the addition of some new characters to the crew. I have already pre ordered the next one.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews