Terra Nullius

by Zachary Forbes

Two brothers...
Two empires...
And two definitions of what it means to be alive...

Slipp McMahon is a disgruntled veteran of the Terran Straits Republic, having retired from service when mechanical 'artificials' slowly took the place of his living, breathing compatriots. He is caught up doing private work in the outskirts of the known galaxy when a strange job falls into his lap. It involves a girl, an ancient oil deposit, and all the money he needs to retire his aging mother.

But his brother, Breth, who still works for the Republic, has sworn to uphold the law by any means necessary. A major promotion hangs in the balance, as well as the future of warfare across the galaxy.

361 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 1, 2024

About the author

Zachary Forbes is a Military Policeman in the United States Army, and a graduate from the University of Florida, where he studied History, Business, and Literary Fiction.

He writes thrillers and post-apocalyptic fiction with his brother, Joshua Forbes, who has published flash fiction works. Zachary likes to incorporate some elements of literary fiction into his genre work, just as his brother's experience with the brevity of flash fiction helps him tighten scenes. Together, they wrote Three Rivers Plague, the first book in the Continuum series.

Having a deep love for history, Zachary has spent a lot of time traveling to new places and studying different weapons, both past and present. He lets the 'lore of the real world' play a part in his works. Authors he takes inspiration from include Lee Child, Timothy Zahn, Michael Crichton, and Robert Kirkman.

You can find him on Twitter/X @ZachForbesBro

Reviews

[Stephen Gavin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book

This fast paced sci-fi thriller did an excellent job of building a universe that is both expansive and diverse. The characters were well written and the plot moves great throughout, with a few twists in there. Can’t wait for the sequel

[Jerry J. Adams · Rating 5 out of 5]

A space adventure!

Very enjoyable. Bloody, te hnical, adventuresome and exciting. A good central character and a surprise ending. Who could ask for more?

[Neil Thorne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zachary Forbes has presented us with a space-based drama filled with realistic characters that behave just as "people" should: They have faults, questionable morals, they make mistakes and struggle to fix them. Each character is fully fleshed out, whether they have flesh or not. I found this book entirely enjoyable to read and the pages flow one after the other. If I had a criticism, it is one that would be very difficult for the author to satisfy, and it is that I want to know more about the history of this book. We are given some of the galactic history and technological advances, but I found I wanted more. Given the length of this book already, it would have been difficult to put it all in, so I'll have to be satisfied with what I got and imagine the rest, which is fine, and the missing bits of back-story for the setting doesn't detract from the story overall. I really enjoyed this book and can't wait for the next one!.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Douglas Williamson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Our hero is a bit of a disgruntled veteran living on the edges of known space. When he gets a job offer with a very healthy payout, he is hard put to pass it up. Unfortunately, it will pit him against his own brother who has a very different viewpoint. This is going to be all kinds of trouble.

This is a science fiction action adventure story. The story is well written and easy to read with a well developed setting. Space is vast and so is the setting for this story. The characters are well done and definitely provide a bit of tension throughout the story. The plot moves at a good pace and involves plenty of action and mystery. Overall, this was a highly enjoyable story and I look forward to more from this author.

Highly recommended.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Scott Reece · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story was a nice take on the space opera genre. There is a 'cat and mouse' situation between the main character and his brother, who is an officer working for what I assume is some sort of intergalactic CIA. It has all the elements of an action thriller, but it jumps between planets in a space fantasy setting.

I do think some of the core plot twists have been done before, but this story does them just fine in its own way, adding some flare from its own unique roster of characters. I would be interested in seeing more adventures with Slipp and his companions.

I received an advanced reader copy of this book, and am leaving an honest, unbiased review by my own decision.