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Shadows of Retribution
One man must endure Hell itself to save his son—and the galaxy.
The Akaki Empire's reign of terror knows no bounds, and Major Ethan Irons is about to pay the ultimate price for defying it. Trapped in an alien hellscape and haunted by the memory of his son Jamie, Ethan must endure unimaginable pain while clinging to the faint hope of escape.
Meanwhile, his allies Jarred and Xornaa race against time to uncover the secrets of the Akaki's sinister plans—plans that threaten not just their galaxy but the fabric of reality itself.
From deadly AI revolts to galactic showdowns, the stakes have never been higher. Can the remnants of humanity and their allies turn the tide, or will they become another casualty in the Akaki's relentless conquest?
Bursting with epic space battles, gripping twists, and razor-sharp humor, Shadows of Retribution propels The Voidwalker Chronicles into a new dimension of thrills. Grab your copy and immerse yourself in a sci-fi saga where survival hinges on courage, cunning, and a relentless determination to defy the odds.
The Akaki Empire's reign of terror knows no bounds, and Major Ethan Irons is about to pay the ultimate price for defying it. Trapped in an alien hellscape and haunted by the memory of his son Jamie, Ethan must endure unimaginable pain while clinging to the faint hope of escape.
Meanwhile, his allies Jarred and Xornaa race against time to uncover the secrets of the Akaki's sinister plans—plans that threaten not just their galaxy but the fabric of reality itself.
From deadly AI revolts to galactic showdowns, the stakes have never been higher. Can the remnants of humanity and their allies turn the tide, or will they become another casualty in the Akaki's relentless conquest?
Bursting with epic space battles, gripping twists, and razor-sharp humor, Shadows of Retribution propels The Voidwalker Chronicles into a new dimension of thrills. Grab your copy and immerse yourself in a sci-fi saga where survival hinges on courage, cunning, and a relentless determination to defy the odds.
250 pages, Paperback
Published April 15, 2025
27 people are currently reading
2 people want to read
About the author
Sean Robins
101 books62 followers"Who am I? I am Spider-Man."
Well, not really, but this should tell you all you need to know about me and my writing style.
I'm a huge Marvel (plus Game of Thrones, Star Trek AND Star Wars) fan, which shows since my novel is loaded with pop culture references. If you are a sci-fi fan (I assume that you are, otherwise what are you doing here?) you will enjoy them tremendously. I even went full Deadpool in my first draft and broke the fourth wall multiple times, until my editor told it was distracting and kept taking her out of the moment. Shame. Those fourth-wall breaks were hilarious. Still, I can guarantee a few laugh-out-loud moments. Case in point: The "good" aliens in my novel are a race of pranksters, whose main goal in life is pulling other people's legs (They have four legs, hence the slight change in the idiom). My favorite author is Jim Butcher (The Dresden Files), which is probably how I ended up writing in a first-person POV with the same light-hearted, funny tone as he does. The fact that my MC's name is Jim is purely coincidental though.
I am a university/college level English teacher, and including Canada, I have lived and worked in five different countries. I have met people from all around the world. Plus, my parents are from a different background, and so is my wife. As a result, diversity has become a major theme in my novel. My characters look like the bridge crew from Star Trek. One of my female characters even impersonated Uhura once, albeit posthumously.
Well, not really, but this should tell you all you need to know about me and my writing style.
I'm a huge Marvel (plus Game of Thrones, Star Trek AND Star Wars) fan, which shows since my novel is loaded with pop culture references. If you are a sci-fi fan (I assume that you are, otherwise what are you doing here?) you will enjoy them tremendously. I even went full Deadpool in my first draft and broke the fourth wall multiple times, until my editor told it was distracting and kept taking her out of the moment. Shame. Those fourth-wall breaks were hilarious. Still, I can guarantee a few laugh-out-loud moments. Case in point: The "good" aliens in my novel are a race of pranksters, whose main goal in life is pulling other people's legs (They have four legs, hence the slight change in the idiom). My favorite author is Jim Butcher (The Dresden Files), which is probably how I ended up writing in a first-person POV with the same light-hearted, funny tone as he does. The fact that my MC's name is Jim is purely coincidental though.
I am a university/college level English teacher, and including Canada, I have lived and worked in five different countries. I have met people from all around the world. Plus, my parents are from a different background, and so is my wife. As a result, diversity has become a major theme in my novel. My characters look like the bridge crew from Star Trek. One of my female characters even impersonated Uhura once, albeit posthumously.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
March 31, 2025
The chaos that ensures, the intricate weave of deception and the tragedy that befalls is one of the many things that makes this series outstanding. Sean Robins is a brilliant storyteller, with fantastic world buildings, and a great cast of alien characters. His stories are intense, fast moving, action packed and explore the psychological side of human suffering.
I absolutely love science fiction, but oftentimes, these novels are dark and a bit overwhelming. This author balances the dark with humor - his perfectly timed insertion of famous, humorous, science fiction one-liners, was what the emotional intense scenes needed.
How do I know when a series is great? First, it keeps me so engaged that I don’t want to put the book down. Second, the book has suspense, intrigue, and surprises, with twists I never see coming! Third, no fluff or filler. Fourth, when I finish, I want more! Sean has fulfilled all of those criteria and more. This series is a science fiction psychological thriller with more twists and turns than your favorite rollercoaster! All books are available now!
I absolutely love science fiction, but oftentimes, these novels are dark and a bit overwhelming. This author balances the dark with humor - his perfectly timed insertion of famous, humorous, science fiction one-liners, was what the emotional intense scenes needed.
How do I know when a series is great? First, it keeps me so engaged that I don’t want to put the book down. Second, the book has suspense, intrigue, and surprises, with twists I never see coming! Third, no fluff or filler. Fourth, when I finish, I want more! Sean has fulfilled all of those criteria and more. This series is a science fiction psychological thriller with more twists and turns than your favorite rollercoaster! All books are available now!
October 12, 2025
Ok, how does somebody survive almost a year of unadulterated torture at the hands of his worst enemy? Really doesn’t seem possible unless you happen to be Ethan Irons, formerly of Earth! If you’ll remember at the end of book 2, Ethan had traded himself for his Son who had been captured by the evil Akakie Serapis. (Oh, before I forget, this alien civilization called Akakie is some kind of joke name thought up by the author. I sure would hate be saying that out loud in an audio book!) So, Serapis has Ethan somewhere on a ship in the depths of space constantly torturing him mentally if not physically. If he had been tortured physically, there wouldn’t have been much of Ethan left for the rest of this book. I think Serapis was mentally trying to break Ethan, but Ethan was a Marine and he wasn’t going to be easy to break.
Meanwhile, a few other things were going on in the galaxy. General Maada and Colonel Xornaa had spent the last year desperately trying to find Ethan. They weren’t having much luck and now realized they might have to move on to other things. This really pissed off Jarred, Ethan’s best friend and also a Marine. He didn’t understand how they could just give up on Ethan after all they had been through together. But, it is what it is. Serapis didn’t want to be found so he wasn’t. And there was actually something else happening in the galaxy that was going to involve everyone far beyond just those looking for Ethan.
A huge black starship aptly named the “Leviathan” had just arrived in orbit over Aerthos. A booming voice came from the huge ship over every communication system on the planet. This voice stated that this was “Ultima” and he had come to seek retribution on this planet and its civilization. It seems as though a long time ago, this planet’s military had been involved in the destruction of an artificial intelligence civilization that had become hostile to others in the galaxy. These living beings deemed this AI civilization should die so they destroyed its world or so they thought.
Now Ultima was back with a ship far, far more advanced than anyone could imagine or equal. He told the people of Aerthos that they were doomed and he began systematically destroying every city, town and village on the planet. He eventually cracked the planet into ensuring this civilization would never have a place to call home. But, Ultima wasn’t just satisfied with only destroying the Aerthosians. He had decided that all living beings needed to be wiped from the galaxy and he had the means to do so.
It wasn’t long before General Maada heard about the destruction of Aerthos and unfortunately, several more planets and their civilizations. He knew that his home world would soon be on the list to be destroyed but even gathering all the military assets of all the remaining civilizations, he didn’t know if they had enough to defeat Ultima. Then the thought of the unthinkable! He was going to offer Serapis an opportunity to join forces with those he had tried to destroy in order to save everyone!
As hard to swallow as this deal was going to be, it was alleviated by the return of Ethan Irons! Yes, he showed up at the home of Xornaa who was taking care of his son Jamie. Ethan was surprisingly more physically fit than he had ever been. While his mind was being tortured, his body was actually kept in great shape by Serapis. But, he was back and he was going to help in the fight against Ultima.
So, that’s their new enemy. Seems like they can’t have much rest in this galaxy. If it isn’t Serapis destroying worlds then now you’ve got Ultima doing the same thing. How are they going to defeat him and will Serapis actually work with those he had previously tried to destroy? It’s going to be a strange ride and nothing should be surprising.
While it almost sounds like this could be the end of the series, it’s not. The next book, “Fury of Temporal War”, is available on Amazon and probably brings another enemy into the picture (or book!).
==[Note: As of 12/03/2023, this will not be published on Amazon since I have been banned from posting reviews for some unknown reason. Once the ban is lifted, assuming it does get lifted, I’ll go back and post this to Amazon.]==
Meanwhile, a few other things were going on in the galaxy. General Maada and Colonel Xornaa had spent the last year desperately trying to find Ethan. They weren’t having much luck and now realized they might have to move on to other things. This really pissed off Jarred, Ethan’s best friend and also a Marine. He didn’t understand how they could just give up on Ethan after all they had been through together. But, it is what it is. Serapis didn’t want to be found so he wasn’t. And there was actually something else happening in the galaxy that was going to involve everyone far beyond just those looking for Ethan.
A huge black starship aptly named the “Leviathan” had just arrived in orbit over Aerthos. A booming voice came from the huge ship over every communication system on the planet. This voice stated that this was “Ultima” and he had come to seek retribution on this planet and its civilization. It seems as though a long time ago, this planet’s military had been involved in the destruction of an artificial intelligence civilization that had become hostile to others in the galaxy. These living beings deemed this AI civilization should die so they destroyed its world or so they thought.
Now Ultima was back with a ship far, far more advanced than anyone could imagine or equal. He told the people of Aerthos that they were doomed and he began systematically destroying every city, town and village on the planet. He eventually cracked the planet into ensuring this civilization would never have a place to call home. But, Ultima wasn’t just satisfied with only destroying the Aerthosians. He had decided that all living beings needed to be wiped from the galaxy and he had the means to do so.
It wasn’t long before General Maada heard about the destruction of Aerthos and unfortunately, several more planets and their civilizations. He knew that his home world would soon be on the list to be destroyed but even gathering all the military assets of all the remaining civilizations, he didn’t know if they had enough to defeat Ultima. Then the thought of the unthinkable! He was going to offer Serapis an opportunity to join forces with those he had tried to destroy in order to save everyone!
As hard to swallow as this deal was going to be, it was alleviated by the return of Ethan Irons! Yes, he showed up at the home of Xornaa who was taking care of his son Jamie. Ethan was surprisingly more physically fit than he had ever been. While his mind was being tortured, his body was actually kept in great shape by Serapis. But, he was back and he was going to help in the fight against Ultima.
So, that’s their new enemy. Seems like they can’t have much rest in this galaxy. If it isn’t Serapis destroying worlds then now you’ve got Ultima doing the same thing. How are they going to defeat him and will Serapis actually work with those he had previously tried to destroy? It’s going to be a strange ride and nothing should be surprising.
While it almost sounds like this could be the end of the series, it’s not. The next book, “Fury of Temporal War”, is available on Amazon and probably brings another enemy into the picture (or book!).
==[Note: As of 12/03/2023, this will not be published on Amazon since I have been banned from posting reviews for some unknown reason. Once the ban is lifted, assuming it does get lifted, I’ll go back and post this to Amazon.]==
August 8, 2025
I dig this crew and their high stakes yet frequently funny adventure at the edge of the galaxy. The aliens and enemies are all interesting and entertaining. Sometimes the metaphors and pop culture are hilarious and once in awhile it feels overdone. Book three ends like it could go on for awhile. The narrator is also doing a great.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews