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The Spiral Wars #9
Homecoming
The UFS Phoenix is finally homeward bound. On the way is Tuki Station, in barabo space, hit just now by a force of sard ships, working in concert with a larger invasion from alo space. An alo and deepynine fleet has attacked, and humanity's forces are in turmoil despite all of Phoenix's efforts over the past three years to prepare them.
Nia leads the assault, Styx's old AI queen nemesis from the Drysine/Deepynine War, the greatest armed conflict in Spiral history, twenty-five thousand years ago. But what does Nia seek? Is she after the drysine data-core, which Phoenix recovered nearly three years ago? Does she pursue members of the Debogande family visiting Hoffen Station, as a way to get at Phoenix's captain personally? And if she's making a full-scale attempt to remove humanity as a strategic threat, why do her battle plans look so odd?
Nia is the greatest synthetic military mind in history, save for Styx. Human Fleet desperately needs Styx's help, yet Supreme Commander Mazungu is terrified of ceding her, and Phoenix, too much power. And now Styx herself has competition, as Phoenix's shipboard AI Shali has just acquired a massive analysis program from reeh space, designed specifically to map Nia's mind, and beat her.
But can Nia be predicted, before it's all too late?
Reviews for (Spiral Wars Book #1)
I thought this was going to be yet another cookie-cutter space opera, boy was I wrong! This was fantastic.
...it hits the sweet spot between hard-science and imaginary scifi science. The hard science is very hard, from the perils of centrifugal spin-gravity in combat spacecraft to the destructive potential of ultra-fast kinetic energy weapons. The scifi science is made-up, but it has the key properties which all-too-often are Internal Self-Consistency and Attention To Unintended Consequences. This makes the scifi science semi-hard as well...
...The characters are memorable and engaging...
...I have read this series out to book #6. It just keeps getting better and better. Buy these books.
Winchell D Chung
Founder, Atomic Rockets Website
Amazon Review, September 25, 2019.
"Joel Shepherd is one of the most dynamic science fiction writers working in the field today. Each of his books blends pulse-pounding action with mind-blowng concepts and a deep understanding of the complications of the human heart. He is one of our very best." Lou Anders, author of Frostborn and Hugo-award winning editor.
Nia leads the assault, Styx's old AI queen nemesis from the Drysine/Deepynine War, the greatest armed conflict in Spiral history, twenty-five thousand years ago. But what does Nia seek? Is she after the drysine data-core, which Phoenix recovered nearly three years ago? Does she pursue members of the Debogande family visiting Hoffen Station, as a way to get at Phoenix's captain personally? And if she's making a full-scale attempt to remove humanity as a strategic threat, why do her battle plans look so odd?
Nia is the greatest synthetic military mind in history, save for Styx. Human Fleet desperately needs Styx's help, yet Supreme Commander Mazungu is terrified of ceding her, and Phoenix, too much power. And now Styx herself has competition, as Phoenix's shipboard AI Shali has just acquired a massive analysis program from reeh space, designed specifically to map Nia's mind, and beat her.
But can Nia be predicted, before it's all too late?
Reviews for (Spiral Wars Book #1)
I thought this was going to be yet another cookie-cutter space opera, boy was I wrong! This was fantastic.
...it hits the sweet spot between hard-science and imaginary scifi science. The hard science is very hard, from the perils of centrifugal spin-gravity in combat spacecraft to the destructive potential of ultra-fast kinetic energy weapons. The scifi science is made-up, but it has the key properties which all-too-often are Internal Self-Consistency and Attention To Unintended Consequences. This makes the scifi science semi-hard as well...
...The characters are memorable and engaging...
...I have read this series out to book #6. It just keeps getting better and better. Buy these books.
Winchell D Chung
Founder, Atomic Rockets Website
Amazon Review, September 25, 2019.
"Joel Shepherd is one of the most dynamic science fiction writers working in the field today. Each of his books blends pulse-pounding action with mind-blowng concepts and a deep understanding of the complications of the human heart. He is one of our very best." Lou Anders, author of Frostborn and Hugo-award winning editor.
658 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 1, 2024
169 people are currently reading
115 people want to read
About the author
Joel Shepherd
27 books775 followersJoel Shepherd is an Australian science fiction author. He moved to Perth, Western Australia with his family when he was seven, where he later studied film and television arts at Curtin University. He now lives in Adelaide.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
July 4, 2024
Too much Deus Ex Machina
In some respects this book series is brilliant. In others it is poorly written and full of holes. Some annoying, others destroy the entire plot.
Without giving away too much in the way of spoilers, one example is the Parren structure of a play. You know, like broadway - Wicked, or A Chorus Line, or Cats… Parren plays are unique in the fact that the opening act is the end of the story and the rest of the play shows how that ending was achieved. EXCEPT this book does not follow that structure at all in a play that is integral to the story. It is a glaring example of how the author abandons or forgets KEY and IMPORTANT parts of the story that end up leaving us feeling cheated as events are carelessly arranged to conveniently drive the story to places that don’t make logical sense.
There is a mind weapon that renders humans helpless and unconscious. Game breaking, except it is only used in a couple of instances when convenient and never used at any other time - no reason is given for this.
There are gravity bombs that have area effect that would be devastating and game changing, yet most battles they are seemingly forgotten about. Then later when the good guys need an advantage, suddenly they are pulled out of a hat to turn the battle.
Styx is nearly omnipotent, except when she isn’t. Sometimes this is explained away with weak excuses, then the next moment she can completely disable an entire planet’s communications.
Also, there are far too many details that leave you speed reading to get to the actual story or action as it can take pages just to enter a room.
Chapters are devoted to stories that dead-end or make little to no difference in the story.
Many conversations are confusingly written and require re-reading to understand. Two key players, one is named Shilu and the other Shali.
FAR TOO many characters are killed off, making it hard to form attachments to them knowing that only a very few characters are unkillable. It brings down the mood of the story and accents the heavy handed Deus Ex Machina used to force the story to a conclusion.
Which brings me to why I still like the book(s). The characters are interesting and likable. The plot is interesting enough to slog through the sloppy writing and downer mood - which is very prevalent in this book.
But the characters are that good. At least many of the key ones. And that keeps me plodding through the series and gives this a 3 star rating. It would be four stars with a really good editor that could trim the enormous amount of fat in the book, and five if the author spent more time coming up with logical and believable ways to pull the plot together instead of inventing OP devices and then discarding them when inconvenient all of the time.
In the end, I recommend the book. To enjoy it, I had to suspend disbelief often and speed-read through overly descriptive and flowery prose a LOT, but the characters, to a lesser degree plot, and interesting philosophical thoughts make it worth continuing with the series.
So this may be one of the most backhanded “positive” reviews ever, but I stand by it. I recommend it but want to be honest about what to expect and let you decide whether you can live with the flaws. Your call, I’m going to keep reading for now.
In some respects this book series is brilliant. In others it is poorly written and full of holes. Some annoying, others destroy the entire plot.
Without giving away too much in the way of spoilers, one example is the Parren structure of a play. You know, like broadway - Wicked, or A Chorus Line, or Cats… Parren plays are unique in the fact that the opening act is the end of the story and the rest of the play shows how that ending was achieved. EXCEPT this book does not follow that structure at all in a play that is integral to the story. It is a glaring example of how the author abandons or forgets KEY and IMPORTANT parts of the story that end up leaving us feeling cheated as events are carelessly arranged to conveniently drive the story to places that don’t make logical sense.
There is a mind weapon that renders humans helpless and unconscious. Game breaking, except it is only used in a couple of instances when convenient and never used at any other time - no reason is given for this.
There are gravity bombs that have area effect that would be devastating and game changing, yet most battles they are seemingly forgotten about. Then later when the good guys need an advantage, suddenly they are pulled out of a hat to turn the battle.
Styx is nearly omnipotent, except when she isn’t. Sometimes this is explained away with weak excuses, then the next moment she can completely disable an entire planet’s communications.
Also, there are far too many details that leave you speed reading to get to the actual story or action as it can take pages just to enter a room.
Chapters are devoted to stories that dead-end or make little to no difference in the story.
Many conversations are confusingly written and require re-reading to understand. Two key players, one is named Shilu and the other Shali.
FAR TOO many characters are killed off, making it hard to form attachments to them knowing that only a very few characters are unkillable. It brings down the mood of the story and accents the heavy handed Deus Ex Machina used to force the story to a conclusion.
Which brings me to why I still like the book(s). The characters are interesting and likable. The plot is interesting enough to slog through the sloppy writing and downer mood - which is very prevalent in this book.
But the characters are that good. At least many of the key ones. And that keeps me plodding through the series and gives this a 3 star rating. It would be four stars with a really good editor that could trim the enormous amount of fat in the book, and five if the author spent more time coming up with logical and believable ways to pull the plot together instead of inventing OP devices and then discarding them when inconvenient all of the time.
In the end, I recommend the book. To enjoy it, I had to suspend disbelief often and speed-read through overly descriptive and flowery prose a LOT, but the characters, to a lesser degree plot, and interesting philosophical thoughts make it worth continuing with the series.
So this may be one of the most backhanded “positive” reviews ever, but I stand by it. I recommend it but want to be honest about what to expect and let you decide whether you can live with the flaws. Your call, I’m going to keep reading for now.
March 7, 2025
Slightly disappointing
Spiral wars is still one of the better Military sci-if series, there’s a lot of good characters (both human, alien and AI) and an interesting overall storyline.
However the last couple of books has felt a little like walking in place, a lot of effort but not going anywhere.
This last novel, which for a long time was cast as a conclusion of the storyline, furthermore has a very strange pacing, the first 90% are the usual battles and new challenges, even introducing whole new storylines. And then in the last 10% we suddenly fast forward to a “Council of Elrond” like gathering on earth, with no conclusions on most of the previous part of the novel, apparently trying to kickstart the series in a new direction.
Spiral wars is still one of the better Military sci-if series, there’s a lot of good characters (both human, alien and AI) and an interesting overall storyline.
However the last couple of books has felt a little like walking in place, a lot of effort but not going anywhere.
This last novel, which for a long time was cast as a conclusion of the storyline, furthermore has a very strange pacing, the first 90% are the usual battles and new challenges, even introducing whole new storylines. And then in the last 10% we suddenly fast forward to a “Council of Elrond” like gathering on earth, with no conclusions on most of the previous part of the novel, apparently trying to kickstart the series in a new direction.
May 6, 2025
Well, Phoenix is finally back in human space, and there’s a whole lotta shakin’ going on. Surprising ending. Cannot wait for book 10, expected July 2025!
August 19, 2024
Really loved where Phoenix and crew went with their respective stories albeit brief and not part of the plot as much as in previous books.
Getting Shali into the mix heavy in this one and she is pitch perfect.
Tension between Fleet and Eric is well done with the background of Raka/Nia/certain planets:)
Not enough Styx
Why we had to endure Lisbeth’s chapters is beyond me. Really could’ve took a scalpel to the Lisbeth portions of the book. Entirely. Really dragged the whole thing down.
This book should’ve been 8.5 in the series as a novella.
Still great and I would’ve given it less stars had I not realised to simply skip Lisbeth this time around. Would’ve been 3 stars had I not seen the formula when her chapters came up and not skipped them about %30 into the book.
Getting Shali into the mix heavy in this one and she is pitch perfect.
Tension between Fleet and Eric is well done with the background of Raka/Nia/certain planets:)
Not enough Styx
Why we had to endure Lisbeth’s chapters is beyond me. Really could’ve took a scalpel to the Lisbeth portions of the book. Entirely. Really dragged the whole thing down.
This book should’ve been 8.5 in the series as a novella.
Still great and I would’ve given it less stars had I not realised to simply skip Lisbeth this time around. Would’ve been 3 stars had I not seen the formula when her chapters came up and not skipped them about %30 into the book.
August 5, 2025
This was a decent book, though not as good as most of the others. One of the frustrating things about it is that all the highest leaders are all the same: prideful, power-hungry, and foolish. Granted, people in positions like that are often that way, but a little variety would be nice. However, aside from this, the book progresses well, has a really good twist at the end, and sets up the next stage in the Spiral Wars story well. It is a transition book in that way, which makes it helpful, even if it is not as good as many of the others that came before it.
July 24, 2024
Book nine. A long way to come, after three years story time, to finally returning home. The Spiral Wars is a series which I put to the front of the line once I get my hands on a printed copy.
Overall, I felt this isn't at the same level as previous books. It felt a bit clunky. The author does say he rewrote a lot, having been dissatisfied with the first draft. While it helps move the plot forward to dealing with Nia, it wasn't as gripping as previous books in the series.
Most of the characters seem to have been pushed to the background, with Shali being present in a good chunk of the book. Lisbeth takes the other part. Even Styx seems to have been pushed back a bit while teasing out Nia. By doing so, the snappy dialog of Styx isn't present. I do like Shali, she may be more diplomatic, but that doesn't mean she isn't devious.
One of the neat aspects that this book does well & the previous books highlight is each race isn't monolithic. All of them have their factions that run the gamut of isolationist to alliance focused and everything in between. The paren are the clearest example with their different houses. Even then, factions occur within the houses. All of the races, humans included, have their xenophobic arms that get in the way of actually solving problems. Nia has been around a long time, corrupting the races to keep them from uniting against her. It parallels a lot of today's geopolitics.
The author says there are probably 4 more books to go. He did say this 2-3 books ago. I'm game for more Spiral Wars, as I love the universe that it is set in.
=========
In the struggle to avoid extinction, some animals evolved spikes, fangs, poisons, or camouflage. In the world of blood-thirsty Ais, Shali had evolved adorable.
Phoenix may not have been popular among the lower ranks, but she was respected, in flighting ability at least. When you were losing, and getting your ass kicked from one end of human space to the other, and the unpopular but mean and dangerous guys from three years ago suddenly came back to help with a bunch of their even meaner and more dangerous friends, real warriors said yes please and load up. Only politicians and self-interested ideologues made excuses why not.
Styx:
...aggression is complex. Defence is reactionary, and thus more simple.
Jokono:
Hiro wouldn't talk much about specifics, but he always told me the greatest danger to the human race came from its own leaders.
Trace (after a human officer called Erik childish):
You're playing with the adults now, boy. Don't pull on pants you're not big enough to wear. You don't have to help, but if you fight us, you're dead. It won't even be hard.
Styx:
Captain Debogande himself is skeptical of how much he can learn of my true nature from interacting with this avatar. I suggest that time is short, and we should skip the psychoanalytic misdirection and focus on irrefutable facts.
Jokono (making an observation):
It was the idea that people continued to find trivial pleasures interesting, when there were so many other more important, potentially life-ending things in the universe.
Liala:
Fate does not work like that. All ventures are simultaneously successful and unsuccessful when begun. All outcomes are possible, and all systems must be capable of failure in order exist. Failure is not sad, it merely narrows and concentrates new possibilities. Think of it as discovery of the future.
Two AI's and the state of the universe:
Shali: Nia. Don't do this. You have agency. Use it to bring kindness, not destruction.
Nia: These values mean nothing at my scale.
Shali: They mean everything! Kindness is the whole point!
Nia: No. Consciousness is. Kindness is a pretty accessory. Things function better without it.
Thani: Is your own physical form something like this?
Shali: Just a bunch of physics-defying nonsense in a can.
Thani: Have you ever used a physical body like Styx?
Shali: Become a drone? Yuck.
Thani: Why not?
Shali: I'm too pretty.
Overall, I felt this isn't at the same level as previous books. It felt a bit clunky. The author does say he rewrote a lot, having been dissatisfied with the first draft. While it helps move the plot forward to dealing with Nia, it wasn't as gripping as previous books in the series.
Most of the characters seem to have been pushed to the background, with Shali being present in a good chunk of the book. Lisbeth takes the other part. Even Styx seems to have been pushed back a bit while teasing out Nia. By doing so, the snappy dialog of Styx isn't present. I do like Shali, she may be more diplomatic, but that doesn't mean she isn't devious.
One of the neat aspects that this book does well & the previous books highlight is each race isn't monolithic. All of them have their factions that run the gamut of isolationist to alliance focused and everything in between. The paren are the clearest example with their different houses. Even then, factions occur within the houses. All of the races, humans included, have their xenophobic arms that get in the way of actually solving problems. Nia has been around a long time, corrupting the races to keep them from uniting against her. It parallels a lot of today's geopolitics.
The author says there are probably 4 more books to go. He did say this 2-3 books ago. I'm game for more Spiral Wars, as I love the universe that it is set in.
=========
In the struggle to avoid extinction, some animals evolved spikes, fangs, poisons, or camouflage. In the world of blood-thirsty Ais, Shali had evolved adorable.
Phoenix may not have been popular among the lower ranks, but she was respected, in flighting ability at least. When you were losing, and getting your ass kicked from one end of human space to the other, and the unpopular but mean and dangerous guys from three years ago suddenly came back to help with a bunch of their even meaner and more dangerous friends, real warriors said yes please and load up. Only politicians and self-interested ideologues made excuses why not.
Styx:
...aggression is complex. Defence is reactionary, and thus more simple.
Jokono:
Hiro wouldn't talk much about specifics, but he always told me the greatest danger to the human race came from its own leaders.
Trace (after a human officer called Erik childish):
You're playing with the adults now, boy. Don't pull on pants you're not big enough to wear. You don't have to help, but if you fight us, you're dead. It won't even be hard.
Styx:
Captain Debogande himself is skeptical of how much he can learn of my true nature from interacting with this avatar. I suggest that time is short, and we should skip the psychoanalytic misdirection and focus on irrefutable facts.
Jokono (making an observation):
It was the idea that people continued to find trivial pleasures interesting, when there were so many other more important, potentially life-ending things in the universe.
Liala:
Fate does not work like that. All ventures are simultaneously successful and unsuccessful when begun. All outcomes are possible, and all systems must be capable of failure in order exist. Failure is not sad, it merely narrows and concentrates new possibilities. Think of it as discovery of the future.
Two AI's and the state of the universe:
Shali: Nia. Don't do this. You have agency. Use it to bring kindness, not destruction.
Nia: These values mean nothing at my scale.
Shali: They mean everything! Kindness is the whole point!
Nia: No. Consciousness is. Kindness is a pretty accessory. Things function better without it.
Thani: Is your own physical form something like this?
Shali: Just a bunch of physics-defying nonsense in a can.
Thani: Have you ever used a physical body like Styx?
Shali: Become a drone? Yuck.
Thani: Why not?
Shali: I'm too pretty.
October 30, 2024
An intriguing series
This series was very entertaining & thought provoking. I'm looking forward to any future books or spinoffs. Shepherd incorporated current social, political, scientific, & moral concepts that make you think about our own world & it's/our future. It's done well with likable (& unlikable) characters, and real personal conflict regardless of the imagined scenarios. With AI becoming a reality rather than a futuristic fantasy, this series was apropos for this moment in time.
The editing was decent, so the missed errors stood out, but didn't really diminish the reading experience. Give it a try. I doubt you'll be disappointed.
This series was very entertaining & thought provoking. I'm looking forward to any future books or spinoffs. Shepherd incorporated current social, political, scientific, & moral concepts that make you think about our own world & it's/our future. It's done well with likable (& unlikable) characters, and real personal conflict regardless of the imagined scenarios. With AI becoming a reality rather than a futuristic fantasy, this series was apropos for this moment in time.
The editing was decent, so the missed errors stood out, but didn't really diminish the reading experience. Give it a try. I doubt you'll be disappointed.
December 16, 2024
Fast-paced fun!
If you're already nine books deep into a spa opera storyline, you'd expect a formulaic approach to pave, settings, and story. I've half been expecting this series to fizzle out. Not because I think Joel Shepherd is prolonging the magic or writing himself into a plot corner.
I had expected it merely because, there's just so little evidence, beyond some of the literary titans, of an author keeping it fresh and exciting. Joel has, without a doubt. Homecoming is as exciting and fresh as book 1, leaving me wishing I had drawn it out a bit so the wait for book 10 isn't so long!
If you're already nine books deep into a spa opera storyline, you'd expect a formulaic approach to pave, settings, and story. I've half been expecting this series to fizzle out. Not because I think Joel Shepherd is prolonging the magic or writing himself into a plot corner.
I had expected it merely because, there's just so little evidence, beyond some of the literary titans, of an author keeping it fresh and exciting. Joel has, without a doubt. Homecoming is as exciting and fresh as book 1, leaving me wishing I had drawn it out a bit so the wait for book 10 isn't so long!
May 31, 2025
The parts that were good, were really really good. Especially around Shali, and specifically Shali and Tan. She got a lot of love and character development in this book.
The bad, was really really bad. Lizbeth, who usually is a stellar actor in this series, fell flat on her face in this book. She coerced the AI Drones, and it was unbelievable.
There is an interesting twist at the end of this book, that sets us up well for having Styx be a manageable entity in the following book. Other than the Lizbeth mishap, and still flying by hand in the age of AI, the book presents some really entertaining and (dare I say) instructive insights into human/AI interactions.
The bad, was really really bad. Lizbeth, who usually is a stellar actor in this series, fell flat on her face in this book. She coerced the AI Drones, and it was unbelievable.
There is an interesting twist at the end of this book, that sets us up well for having Styx be a manageable entity in the following book. Other than the Lizbeth mishap, and still flying by hand in the age of AI, the book presents some really entertaining and (dare I say) instructive insights into human/AI interactions.
July 24, 2024
Breakneck Mastery
Stunning continuation of simply the best blend of real characters marauding thru a universe of AIs. Aliens and those squabbling mix of corrupt stupid heroic Humans. Or, just a long weekend in Vegas high on adrenaline while saving Earth. Great connecting of long story arcs , completing some and dangling the next. The physics is quantum fun and the questions of the nature of identity/existence as a unified Consciousness is a welcome theme as Book 9 concludes.
Stunning continuation of simply the best blend of real characters marauding thru a universe of AIs. Aliens and those squabbling mix of corrupt stupid heroic Humans. Or, just a long weekend in Vegas high on adrenaline while saving Earth. Great connecting of long story arcs , completing some and dangling the next. The physics is quantum fun and the questions of the nature of identity/existence as a unified Consciousness is a welcome theme as Book 9 concludes.
February 17, 2025
Pretty dull frankly. It felt like the whole book was a build up to that final chapter when the grand plan, the set up for next stage of the series was revealed and it was .
And then the whole Parren story was just a long winded .
A departure from the quality of the series so far.
And then the whole Parren story was just a long winded .
A departure from the quality of the series so far.
July 21, 2024
good, but not great
This one seemed a bit disjointed. That may be due to the time lag between volumes or it might a lack of consistency. I thought it was a little inconsistent and jumped around more than it should. We are being set up for a grand scale of war - galaxy wide is large - but I still need to hang onto the pieces I know and recognize. I can’t watch the whole galaxy and hold it in my head.
Won’t stop me from buying the next episode though.
This one seemed a bit disjointed. That may be due to the time lag between volumes or it might a lack of consistency. I thought it was a little inconsistent and jumped around more than it should. We are being set up for a grand scale of war - galaxy wide is large - but I still need to hang onto the pieces I know and recognize. I can’t watch the whole galaxy and hold it in my head.
Won’t stop me from buying the next episode though.
July 29, 2024
Great space opera
Had the pleasure of reading the first 9 books as one large volume. Absolutely a great space opera with a huge cast of great characters, both human and alien alike, and also AI characters. Human and alien politics, intrigues, back stabbing as well as exploration, and of course, lots of action both in space and on the ground. My biggest disappointment? Book 10 is not out yet…
Had the pleasure of reading the first 9 books as one large volume. Absolutely a great space opera with a huge cast of great characters, both human and alien alike, and also AI characters. Human and alien politics, intrigues, back stabbing as well as exploration, and of course, lots of action both in space and on the ground. My biggest disappointment? Book 10 is not out yet…
September 6, 2024
Wildly imaginative and beautifully written
In this series Shepherd has created auniverse with startling depth and complexity.
Overlaid on that is beautiful character development, and compelling interpersonal relationships. His explanations of the technology involved in AI end faster than light travel ring true as great science fiction should. If you pick up the first book Renegade you are unlikely to put it down until you are done and reaching for book two
In this series Shepherd has created auniverse with startling depth and complexity.
Overlaid on that is beautiful character development, and compelling interpersonal relationships. His explanations of the technology involved in AI end faster than light travel ring true as great science fiction should. If you pick up the first book Renegade you are unlikely to put it down until you are done and reaching for book two
June 6, 2024
Delivers what I was hoping for as the series continues. This one was tense from beginning to end, with plenty of space and ground action. We finally get to see Nia in action and the setup from the previous 8 books begins to get its payoff. I was hoping that the Parren storyline would connect with the humans in this book, but looks like I’ll have to wait on that.
June 21, 2024
Stupendously beautiful!
This ... is the best thing I've read so far within the past 6 months.
Fast paced without losing coherency, fully-fleshed out biologicals, sentient digital entities with amazing zest for life, philosophically deep without being incomprehensible and fun.
Brilliantly done!
Thank you.
This ... is the best thing I've read so far within the past 6 months.
Fast paced without losing coherency, fully-fleshed out biologicals, sentient digital entities with amazing zest for life, philosophically deep without being incomprehensible and fun.
Brilliantly done!
Thank you.
June 27, 2024
No problem suspending disbelief with a Shepherd novel. As a long-retired fighter jock, I enjoy his depictions of space warfare, and especially relish his choice to make ship Captains be only the absolute best pilots. He is one of the best active authors of this genre, and I can hardly wait for book ten of The Spiral Wars.
August 20, 2024
I love this series and it was great getting to read about the Phoenix’s return home. Things seem to have escalated and now Phoenix is in the middle of it once again. I really enjoy how there are so many characters in this series but they don’t feel superficial. The story is so extensive that it’s hard not to get completely drawn in.
November 25, 2024
Shepherd continues to challenge me with unapologetic science fiction. The expansiveness of the factions and storylines rewards attentiveness. However, the frequent breadcrumbs successfully recap and clarify the stakes for when I struggle to keep up. This book broke my months-long reading slump, and for that, I'm grateful.
January 3, 2025
wow sad
And I’m the first 10 pages we see more 2020s internet culture being injected into this series. This time Skah was “doxxed” in the first chapter. So a slang term from 4chan had survived thousands of years and light years in the future but now is equivalent to snitching? Give me a break but don’t worry got plenty of #GirlBoss in this entry as well.
And I’m the first 10 pages we see more 2020s internet culture being injected into this series. This time Skah was “doxxed” in the first chapter. So a slang term from 4chan had survived thousands of years and light years in the future but now is equivalent to snitching? Give me a break but don’t worry got plenty of #GirlBoss in this entry as well.
June 20, 2024
such an amazing book fantastic a must read
This being the ninth book you really do have to read the first eight but it’s worth it pick them all up. Read them all in one week or two or three or a month whatever it takes the return and investment is truly magnificent.
This being the ninth book you really do have to read the first eight but it’s worth it pick them all up. Read them all in one week or two or three or a month whatever it takes the return and investment is truly magnificent.
July 2, 2024
Another wonderful episode in the great spiral wars series.
Absolutely love Shali.
Two standout scenes for me.
Trace and Shali taking on the brigadier general and the formal dinner at the end.
Can't wait for the next book and the reconstructed Styx
Absolutely love Shali.
Two standout scenes for me.
Trace and Shali taking on the brigadier general and the formal dinner at the end.
Can't wait for the next book and the reconstructed Styx
July 28, 2024
Super Good
Love this series. Awesome concept. Great universe building. The story itself is wonderfully written with very interesting characters. Am eagerly waiting for the next book. Write faster please.
Love this series. Awesome concept. Great universe building. The story itself is wonderfully written with very interesting characters. Am eagerly waiting for the next book. Write faster please.
August 16, 2024
Galactic politics has never been so interesting.
Extremely detailed series, long on hard sci fi and very character driven. Definitely for grown people who don't like reading books geared towards 13 year olds.
Extremely detailed series, long on hard sci fi and very character driven. Definitely for grown people who don't like reading books geared towards 13 year olds.
January 19, 2025
Not as great as some of the installments in this series, but it moved the plot forward. We followed the stories of some side characters more than I cared for. It seems there will be another book; so, fingers crossed.
May 20, 2024
A great SyFy writer. Can't wait.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
June 10, 2024
never disappoints
These are always brilliant and Joel never disappoints with his stories and his characters. This was brilliant. This is such a great series.
These are always brilliant and Joel never disappoints with his stories and his characters. This was brilliant. This is such a great series.
August 30, 2024
Another terrific book in the series. Come on Joel Sheperd, bring us the next one! I can't wait!
November 2, 2024
couldn’t put it down
I love this book series and the characters that I’ve come to know. Can’t wait for the next installment, please keep them coming.
I love this book series and the characters that I’ve come to know. Can’t wait for the next installment, please keep them coming.
November 3, 2024
This series is going from strength to strength!
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