What do you think?
Rate this book
The Presence Malign
In a desperate fight for humanity's survival, Captain Saef Sinclair-Maru must lead the powerful private warship Salahdiin and an unlikely alliance against genocidal forces, balancing the demands of shareholders with the heart of a rebellion.
Piracy, War, and Humanity's Last Stand
The heavy cruiser Salahdiin is the most powerful private warship in the history of the Myriad Worlds, and bears a Letter of Marque, the Imperial charter for legalized piracy. As the most successful fighting captain of the Imperial Fleet, Saef Sinclair-Maru is the ideal choice to command the privateer, but exchanging egotistical admirals for demanding shareholders carries its own unique challenges, particularly when the fate of humanity lies in the balance.
While war rages within the Imperium, few comprehend the inhuman instigators at the heart of the conflict or their genocidal ambitions, but Saef and his counterpart, Inga, draw a surprising coterie of allies to their campaign of desperate resistance, including spy master Winter Yung, former Molo Ranger Kyle Whiteside, and even Erik Sturmsohn, a Thorsworld war chieftain sworn to overthrow the emperor.
Together, in the face of approaching annihilation, they each must Obedience to the edicts of their leaders, or loyalty to a deeper motivation that defines the very heart of humanity.
At the publisher's request, this title is sold without DRM (Digital Rights Management).
Praise for The Deep
“In his first novel, The Deep Man, Mersault combines themes from Dune, Hornblower, and the Aubrey/Maturin books by the late Patrick O’ Brian, to create a space adventure tale . . . Recommended to fans of Honor Harrington, Eric Flint, and Patrick O’Brian.” —Cirsova Magazine
Although born in the northwestern United States, Michael Mersault spent his formative years in a series of magical locales, including expat communities in the Middle East, a secretive air base in the Arizona desert, and an Alaskan fishing village. These endless hours of travel prompted an enduring love for books that continues unabated.
At times in his adult years, he has dabbled in kickboxing, competitive marksmanship, and international business ventures. He now lives as a semi-recluse back in the northwest, where he fluctuates between the paths of a confirmed technophile and a neo-Luddite.
Piracy, War, and Humanity's Last Stand
The heavy cruiser Salahdiin is the most powerful private warship in the history of the Myriad Worlds, and bears a Letter of Marque, the Imperial charter for legalized piracy. As the most successful fighting captain of the Imperial Fleet, Saef Sinclair-Maru is the ideal choice to command the privateer, but exchanging egotistical admirals for demanding shareholders carries its own unique challenges, particularly when the fate of humanity lies in the balance.
While war rages within the Imperium, few comprehend the inhuman instigators at the heart of the conflict or their genocidal ambitions, but Saef and his counterpart, Inga, draw a surprising coterie of allies to their campaign of desperate resistance, including spy master Winter Yung, former Molo Ranger Kyle Whiteside, and even Erik Sturmsohn, a Thorsworld war chieftain sworn to overthrow the emperor.
Together, in the face of approaching annihilation, they each must Obedience to the edicts of their leaders, or loyalty to a deeper motivation that defines the very heart of humanity.
At the publisher's request, this title is sold without DRM (Digital Rights Management).
Praise for The Deep
“In his first novel, The Deep Man, Mersault combines themes from Dune, Hornblower, and the Aubrey/Maturin books by the late Patrick O’ Brian, to create a space adventure tale . . . Recommended to fans of Honor Harrington, Eric Flint, and Patrick O’Brian.” —Cirsova Magazine
Although born in the northwestern United States, Michael Mersault spent his formative years in a series of magical locales, including expat communities in the Middle East, a secretive air base in the Arizona desert, and an Alaskan fishing village. These endless hours of travel prompted an enduring love for books that continues unabated.
At times in his adult years, he has dabbled in kickboxing, competitive marksmanship, and international business ventures. He now lives as a semi-recluse back in the northwest, where he fluctuates between the paths of a confirmed technophile and a neo-Luddite.
- GenresScience Fiction
464 pages, Hardcover
Published July 1, 2025
5 people are currently reading
8 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 18, 2025
The Presence Malign finishes the Deep Man Trilogy with a satisfying bang. While the society of this series is very libertarian leaning, a favorite political-structure choice for military science fiction writers, the flows of this type of society are exploited by invading aliens - the cracks opening up a lethal weakness for the aliens to insert the killing blade. Can the "supermen" from previous books - the "Deep Man" Saef Sinclair-Maru, a paladin of a military leader; the "Silent Hand" Inga, a waif turned into a nanobot-enhanced killing tool; and the Imperial spy master Winter Yung survive with their lives, loves, and honor intact?
Loki, the crazed ship intelligence is a favorite character for me, may he always get his fish.
The book has great pacing, switching between space battles and the political maneuvers on the capital planet as seen through multiple points-of-view. Mr. Mersault has created an immersive world with layers of weight; from the Shaper technology and the horrors of the enemy, everything connects for a solid, believable world-base.
Other reviewers (quoted on the book cover) compare this series to Dune and Honor Harrington and they are not wrong, other than woeful fact this series is ONLY a trilogy. The ending didn't pull together enough loose ends to satisfy me. I want more of this universe, and I hope Mr. Mersault revisits the Myriad Worlds.
Read the book in two days.
Loki, the crazed ship intelligence is a favorite character for me, may he always get his fish.
The book has great pacing, switching between space battles and the political maneuvers on the capital planet as seen through multiple points-of-view. Mr. Mersault has created an immersive world with layers of weight; from the Shaper technology and the horrors of the enemy, everything connects for a solid, believable world-base.
Other reviewers (quoted on the book cover) compare this series to Dune and Honor Harrington and they are not wrong, other than woeful fact this series is ONLY a trilogy. The ending didn't pull together enough loose ends to satisfy me. I want more of this universe, and I hope Mr. Mersault revisits the Myriad Worlds.
Read the book in two days.
September 2, 2025
Michael Mersault’s third tale in his Deep man trilogy opens up a galaxy level of intrigue. The empire of humanity was built on high tech gifts from the shapers, and the Emperor was chosen from the family with contact information. The Presence Malign (hard from Baen) is working within to change that, and taking over human minds to do so. Captain Saef Sinclair-Maru has been very successful, so he is relieved of duty and set up for assassination. When he survives, he quits the Navy to be captain of the newly built Privateer ship Salahdiin. But plots; including revolution on the capital planet and attacks on his family, reveal an attempt of regime change, and aliens with a deeper meaning. I’ve really enjoyed this series so far.
August 12, 2025
nice, but again, it ends suggesting a sequel ..
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews