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Bastion
Alistella Pareides Caliday sacrificed her home to save it.
Ten years after the devastating Solar Gulf War, former Bastion soldier Alis has built a new home on the utopic post-war, post-capitalist Earth with refugee runner and fellow survivor Toristani Arcay Orius. But that home, too, is on the verge of slipping away.
Together, they ended the war, but not without defecting from Bastion and ejecting from her Aegis mech caused Alis’ state-installed mindjack to malfunction. Now, when Earth aligns with Mars, the Wolf emerges. And where the Wolf walks, death follows.
When a mission to finally cure the Wolf ends in blood and betrayal, Alis and Toris are thrust back into a fight they thought was over. If Toris hopes to save Alis, and if she hopes to save herself, they must finally confront the consequences of the war they ended—and the ghosts that chase them—before the cycles of history turn again and snag them in its jaws.
From grappling with fifty-foot mechs above Mars to slicing through the last capitalist stronghold on Earth, Bastion is a gripping solarpunk science-fiction epic about identity, resistance, and the courage it takes to build something better from what’s broken.
Ten years after the devastating Solar Gulf War, former Bastion soldier Alis has built a new home on the utopic post-war, post-capitalist Earth with refugee runner and fellow survivor Toristani Arcay Orius. But that home, too, is on the verge of slipping away.
Together, they ended the war, but not without defecting from Bastion and ejecting from her Aegis mech caused Alis’ state-installed mindjack to malfunction. Now, when Earth aligns with Mars, the Wolf emerges. And where the Wolf walks, death follows.
When a mission to finally cure the Wolf ends in blood and betrayal, Alis and Toris are thrust back into a fight they thought was over. If Toris hopes to save Alis, and if she hopes to save herself, they must finally confront the consequences of the war they ended—and the ghosts that chase them—before the cycles of history turn again and snag them in its jaws.
From grappling with fifty-foot mechs above Mars to slicing through the last capitalist stronghold on Earth, Bastion is a gripping solarpunk science-fiction epic about identity, resistance, and the courage it takes to build something better from what’s broken.
370 pages, Paperback
Published September 16, 2025
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14 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
September 16, 2025
Highly recommend!
September 18, 2025
Loved the book! Loved the characters and plot.
October 1, 2025
Fantastic. Solar punk, hoverboards, space battles, giant robot suits and mind control tech with compelling characters.
January 9, 2026
what an amazing story! perspectives changing from chapter to chapter had me on my toes woth anticipation. great work Micheal!
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February 16, 2026Read for SPSFC. Detailed review to comeThis is my first read for SPSFC which I'm judging this year as the team lead for Team ZAPS aka Team Zombies and Pirates in Space . The views herein are my own and not the team's.
Bastion is a futuristic novel set in a future where Mars has been colonised by the earth corporations, who has left a dying earth behind. Bastion is the name of the colony which is basically unchecked capitalism. Meanwhile on earth, the remaining population has banded together to form collectives, turning their back on capitalism.
The story revolves around Toristani Arcay Orius, earth pilot and refugee runner, and Alis, the woman he's in love with who's also a former Bastion soldier. Ten years ago, Toris and Alis ended the Solar Gulf War between earth and Bastion. But Alis had to forcibly unplug herself from her state installed mindjack, which has caused it to malfunction. Now, whenever earth and Mars align, Alis turns into a killer, who Toris has dubbed the wolf.
When the chance of repairing Alis' mindjack comes with a refugee who's also a bioengineer, Toris and Alis finally have hopes of a new future. But everything is shattered when the wolf awakens in the night to kill the engineer and runs off into the night.
Now, Toris has to find a way to save the woman he loves and to force their community to accept her, but to do that he has to confront his own past and the ghosts he left behind.
Bastion is an extremely well written piece of sci fi, and I enjoyed it a lot. The dangers of unchecked capitalism is something we all know and scream about, but Bastion shows a future which is nothing short of a nightmare if things are allowed to continue as they are. The interspersing of Alis' past with the present and the slow reveal of how the war ended were all very well done.
Both Alis and Toris are sympathetic characters one can get behind, and there's a smattering of diversity in the cast as well.
If you love dystopian sci fi with well rounded characters, you will love this book.
Bastion is a futuristic novel set in a future where Mars has been colonised by the earth corporations, who has left a dying earth behind. Bastion is the name of the colony which is basically unchecked capitalism. Meanwhile on earth, the remaining population has banded together to form collectives, turning their back on capitalism.
The story revolves around Toristani Arcay Orius, earth pilot and refugee runner, and Alis, the woman he's in love with who's also a former Bastion soldier. Ten years ago, Toris and Alis ended the Solar Gulf War between earth and Bastion. But Alis had to forcibly unplug herself from her state installed mindjack, which has caused it to malfunction. Now, whenever earth and Mars align, Alis turns into a killer, who Toris has dubbed the wolf.
When the chance of repairing Alis' mindjack comes with a refugee who's also a bioengineer, Toris and Alis finally have hopes of a new future. But everything is shattered when the wolf awakens in the night to kill the engineer and runs off into the night.
Now, Toris has to find a way to save the woman he loves and to force their community to accept her, but to do that he has to confront his own past and the ghosts he left behind.
Bastion is an extremely well written piece of sci fi, and I enjoyed it a lot. The dangers of unchecked capitalism is something we all know and scream about, but Bastion shows a future which is nothing short of a nightmare if things are allowed to continue as they are. The interspersing of Alis' past with the present and the slow reveal of how the war ended were all very well done.
Both Alis and Toris are sympathetic characters one can get behind, and there's a smattering of diversity in the cast as well.
If you love dystopian sci fi with well rounded characters, you will love this book.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews