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Traitor to the Pact
A game with planetary pieces has begun. Four lives are being drawn toward those pulling the strings.
The year is 2012. For seventy years, Earth has shared the galaxy with other human worlds, remnants of an ancient civilization that once seeded the stars.
On the distant planet of Sirus, disillusioned prince Selk Sirdarmin is sent to hunt a rebel long presumed dead, a man who may have rediscovered a secret from the Ancients’ time.
Meanwhile, his political strategist Adelon fights a brutal campaign of propaganda, betrayal, and loss in Sirus's decaying democracy on the brink of civil war. She doesn’t stop when she discovers hidden powers at work within the halls of government.
Her path crosses with Tatyana Lebedev, an aging power broker and refugee from Earth's first contact era. She steals a device inscribed with a strange language, an artifact tied to hidden forces already in motion.
Within months, those forces reach Earth itself. In the wake of planetary-scale destruction, Shoreh Guèye, an astronaut stranded aboard a Moorian ship, sets out in search of survivors or meaning, while something vast and unknown stirs beyond the edge of known space.
Across collapsing order and forgotten pasts, their stories intertwine in a mystery that spans human history itself, where the line between creation and destruction, salvation and extinction, grows terrifyingly thin.
Traitor to the Pact is a political mystery thriller with the scope of a space opera, drawing on the shared humanity and political depth of the Hainish Cycle, with the realism and intrigue of The Expanse.
The year is 2012. For seventy years, Earth has shared the galaxy with other human worlds, remnants of an ancient civilization that once seeded the stars.
On the distant planet of Sirus, disillusioned prince Selk Sirdarmin is sent to hunt a rebel long presumed dead, a man who may have rediscovered a secret from the Ancients’ time.
Meanwhile, his political strategist Adelon fights a brutal campaign of propaganda, betrayal, and loss in Sirus's decaying democracy on the brink of civil war. She doesn’t stop when she discovers hidden powers at work within the halls of government.
Her path crosses with Tatyana Lebedev, an aging power broker and refugee from Earth's first contact era. She steals a device inscribed with a strange language, an artifact tied to hidden forces already in motion.
Within months, those forces reach Earth itself. In the wake of planetary-scale destruction, Shoreh Guèye, an astronaut stranded aboard a Moorian ship, sets out in search of survivors or meaning, while something vast and unknown stirs beyond the edge of known space.
Across collapsing order and forgotten pasts, their stories intertwine in a mystery that spans human history itself, where the line between creation and destruction, salvation and extinction, grows terrifyingly thin.
Traitor to the Pact is a political mystery thriller with the scope of a space opera, drawing on the shared humanity and political depth of the Hainish Cycle, with the realism and intrigue of The Expanse.
343 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 11, 2026
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December 18, 2025Traitor to the Pact
Genre: Political Mystery Thriller / Space Opera
A web of characters, intrigue, and mysterious artifacts weaved into a fast paced thriller. Set in a fascinating alternate 2012 where Earth has been part of a galactic community for seventy years, this novel manages to balance high-concept sci-fi with the visceral tension of a near-future technothriller.
A Tapestry of Lives
What makes this story truly shine is how masterfully the narrative weaves together a disparate and compelling cast. The author resists the urge to dump these characters into the same room immediately; instead, we are treated to distinct, rich storylines that slowly and satisfyingly constrict around a central mystery.
* The Politics: On the decaying world of Sirus, we see the macro-level stakes through Selk, a disillusioned prince hunting a ghost from the past, and Adelon, a strategist fighting a losing battle against civil war. Their chapters are rife with the claustrophobia of collapsing democracy.
* The Mystery: Then there is Tatyana, an aging refugee whose theft of an ancient artifact injects a classic noir mystery into the space opera setting.
* The Survival: Perhaps most gripping is Shoreh, an astronaut stranded in the wake of Earth’s devastation. Her struggle adds a grounding, human survival element that raises the emotional stakes.
Watching these threads—political betrayal, ancient artifacts, and planetary destruction—intertwine was the highlight of the reading experience.
Building the Suspense
The pacing here is relentless. What starts as a political drama on Sirus builds toward a crescendo of solid intrigue and suspense that feels earned rather than forced. The transition from local political squabbles to a threat involving "planetary-scale destruction" and vast, unknown forces is handled with precision. By the time the hidden powers at work are revealed, the reader is already trapped in the book's gravity.
The Verdict
Traitor to the Pact is a dense, rewarding read for those who love their space opera served with a side of realism and complex sociology. It successfully blurs the line between creation and destruction, leaving you thinking about the ending long after you turn the final page.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Genre: Political Mystery Thriller / Space Opera
A web of characters, intrigue, and mysterious artifacts weaved into a fast paced thriller. Set in a fascinating alternate 2012 where Earth has been part of a galactic community for seventy years, this novel manages to balance high-concept sci-fi with the visceral tension of a near-future technothriller.
A Tapestry of Lives
What makes this story truly shine is how masterfully the narrative weaves together a disparate and compelling cast. The author resists the urge to dump these characters into the same room immediately; instead, we are treated to distinct, rich storylines that slowly and satisfyingly constrict around a central mystery.
* The Politics: On the decaying world of Sirus, we see the macro-level stakes through Selk, a disillusioned prince hunting a ghost from the past, and Adelon, a strategist fighting a losing battle against civil war. Their chapters are rife with the claustrophobia of collapsing democracy.
* The Mystery: Then there is Tatyana, an aging refugee whose theft of an ancient artifact injects a classic noir mystery into the space opera setting.
* The Survival: Perhaps most gripping is Shoreh, an astronaut stranded in the wake of Earth’s devastation. Her struggle adds a grounding, human survival element that raises the emotional stakes.
Watching these threads—political betrayal, ancient artifacts, and planetary destruction—intertwine was the highlight of the reading experience.
Building the Suspense
The pacing here is relentless. What starts as a political drama on Sirus builds toward a crescendo of solid intrigue and suspense that feels earned rather than forced. The transition from local political squabbles to a threat involving "planetary-scale destruction" and vast, unknown forces is handled with precision. By the time the hidden powers at work are revealed, the reader is already trapped in the book's gravity.
The Verdict
Traitor to the Pact is a dense, rewarding read for those who love their space opera served with a side of realism and complex sociology. It successfully blurs the line between creation and destruction, leaving you thinking about the ending long after you turn the final page.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
January 24, 2026
Traitor to the Pact is a fun sci-fi ride that focuses on political intrigue across an alternate history version of the 2010s in which human aliens arrived decades ago, and now Earth is part of a collective of planets ruled by monarchal empire. The story primarily follows Selk, a royal with a party boy reputation, Adelon, Selk’s assistant left in charge of his affairs, and a few other characters who get less screen time, but play into the overall narrative. Their tales twist and intertwine as nefarious plots play out against them.
There is a lot to like about Traitor to the Pact. The world is interesting and the world building is slow dripped, which leave you wondering. The characters all feel pretty human and flawed. The prose is clear and concise. The political maneuvering I found really well done and really moved the plot along. The cast is diverse as well.
As a debut and self published novel, I did find a few minor issues with the book, but nothing that would keep me from reading on when the sequel comes out. It probably could have used another round of editing. I did find a couple typos and missing commas, but not a big deal. I find these in traditionally published works as well. I think the book could have benefited from a little more world building. I have a bunch of questions about how everything came together and what lead up to this point we start at. These may be a read and find out thing so I’m not holding it against the book, but I would have liked a little more in this one. Many of the pov characters were clearly shades of grey, which I like, but most were hard to root for. I’m still not entirely clear on which factions want what and why, as a lot of that seemed to be in the background.
Overall, I enjoyed this book and would definitely read the rest of the trilogy.
There is a lot to like about Traitor to the Pact. The world is interesting and the world building is slow dripped, which leave you wondering. The characters all feel pretty human and flawed. The prose is clear and concise. The political maneuvering I found really well done and really moved the plot along. The cast is diverse as well.
As a debut and self published novel, I did find a few minor issues with the book, but nothing that would keep me from reading on when the sequel comes out. It probably could have used another round of editing. I did find a couple typos and missing commas, but not a big deal. I find these in traditionally published works as well. I think the book could have benefited from a little more world building. I have a bunch of questions about how everything came together and what lead up to this point we start at. These may be a read and find out thing so I’m not holding it against the book, but I would have liked a little more in this one. Many of the pov characters were clearly shades of grey, which I like, but most were hard to root for. I’m still not entirely clear on which factions want what and why, as a lot of that seemed to be in the background.
Overall, I enjoyed this book and would definitely read the rest of the trilogy.
January 13, 2026
Traitor to the Pact by B.D. Sun
A gritty political sci-fi space opera. Humans have been co-existing with alien civilisations for some time and have treaties and trade throughout known space.
The Moorian spacecraft Ketharit is in Earth’s orbit when it receives an emergency warning of hostile action; a massive black sphere (initially thought to be a black hole) appears nearby and the Earth is destroyed.
Ragor, a Moorian and Shoreh and Alfie, Human survivors on the Ketharit struggle with failing systems, hull breaches, a failing ships drive, starvation and dwindling oxygen.
This is a complex space opera full of action and political intrigue and personal dramas across multiple locations and timelines. The story does go back and forth in time, which takes a little bit getting used to. But this also enriches the story, adding depth and details. The story entwines around quite a few significant characters.
This is a great read, and has so much going on, it will be interesting to see where the next book takes us.
A gritty political sci-fi space opera. Humans have been co-existing with alien civilisations for some time and have treaties and trade throughout known space.
The Moorian spacecraft Ketharit is in Earth’s orbit when it receives an emergency warning of hostile action; a massive black sphere (initially thought to be a black hole) appears nearby and the Earth is destroyed.
Ragor, a Moorian and Shoreh and Alfie, Human survivors on the Ketharit struggle with failing systems, hull breaches, a failing ships drive, starvation and dwindling oxygen.
This is a complex space opera full of action and political intrigue and personal dramas across multiple locations and timelines. The story does go back and forth in time, which takes a little bit getting used to. But this also enriches the story, adding depth and details. The story entwines around quite a few significant characters.
This is a great read, and has so much going on, it will be interesting to see where the next book takes us.
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