Shadows Over Earth: Book One of the Shadows Over Earth Saga

by Scott Ellis

What if God gave you people to protect—and no power to save them?

When a galactic empire invades Earth, Jake Maddox discovers he can't do the one thing that matters most: protect the people he loves.

So he gives God a challenge:

Let me die…

…or don't hold back.

God answers—with power and a choice that could alter the fate of the galaxy.

Now Jake stands at the center of a war for Earth, fighting alongside a woman whose loyalty could cost him everything, an outlaw with nowhere left to run, and an assassin searching for redemption.

Together, they must rally humanity's last line of defense: elite special operations forces and the towering war machines built to stand against an empire.

But nothing about this war is what it seems.

The greatest threat may not be the empire descending from the stars.

It may be what Jake is willing to become to stop it.

Christian space opera. No profanity or explicit content. The cost of evil is real—and hope rises to meet it.

Genres: Christian Fiction, Science Fiction, Christian

566 pages, Kindle Edition

Expected publication December 1, 2026

About the author

Scott Ellis is a physician and storyteller who believes the best science fiction wrestles with trust, power, faith, and the cost of protecting the people you love.

He works in exam rooms and writes in star systems.

He lives in Georgia with his wife, five daughters, and the beautiful chaos that inspires it all.

Reviews

[Rebekah Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

People of many fandoms will enjoy Shadows Over Earth, as it has something for everyone - complex characters with backstories and growth, tech, creatures, and a well-paced plot. The overall feel of the narrative is gritty and masculine. It will appeal to action-lovers and hard/military scifi readers. There are lots of hat-tips to well-loved tropes - in a saturated market that's unavoidable. Ellis combines and differentiates them enough to make them 'his'.

I enjoyed the way the characters wrestled with issues and navigated their way through conspiracies and alliances. There were plenty of 'Wait. What?' moments to keep me on my toes.

The spiritual component of the story was well-handled and not too trite. I liked the way the conundrums forced the protagonist to examine how and why he was doing things. It had depth to it. (There are also separate character backstories on the author's website, with distinct voices and motivations.) Change was gradual rather than too easy or too quick.

Because the protagonist was not a believer, his worldview was all about protection, soldiering, and patriotism. There is a distinct American military/superhero/SF-movie vibe, and I had to take breaks from this as the US marine thing isn't something I personally relate to as a non-American. The narrative pulled me back each time, though.

Overall this is a series I want to continue reading as it emerges. I have to know what happens next!

[Lizzy B. · Rating 4.5 out of 5]

Summary: An invasion like no other, a conspiracy as deep as the stars, and one man determined to protect earth.

Notes: (I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review. This book will be out December 1st) Whew! What an adventure. So many allusions to Star Wars, Transformers, Jurassic Park, Doctor Who, and a whole bunch I didn't catch. (Apparently, there's over 130!) There are other planets, but it is never resolved whether the sentient aliens have souls. One of the characters, a Christian, says that he doesn't know, but he knows that God is good, loving, and just. That was well done because it's true. There is mention of swearing, but none written out. (There are a lot of side stories...I'd read Shadows Over Earth first, to prevent any spoilers!) There are four central characters, and they each have a well-thought-out character arc. Jake is the Main Character, and so the book is mostly told from his point of view. (My favorite character isn't Jake. It's...oh, I can't say. it'd be a spoiler!) In the book, humans created a sentient life form: robots that can transform. I don't believe humans can create sentient life forms. We could create something that a sentience could use. Will this dilemma be resolved in the second book? Maybe. (Good point for discussion, though.) One character's parents say, "It would be wrong not to follow your instincts. Your heart." Um...what? Sorry, don't follow your heart. Follow God.

Age of Main Character: Twenty-something

Violence: We see several characters at the brink of death, from burns, blood loss, et cetera. One character was an assassin and mentions a few of her missions, another character was in a crime syndicate. Lots of fighting, explosions. One character (not the MC) killed his sister because she asked him to because she thought that it would be better than the enemies taking and torturing her. (Again, good discussion point.)

Romance: Yes. Kissing briefly described...but the characters are too busy saving the world for much else. One woman had a child out of wedlock and put the girl up for adoption. Regrets it later.

Scary Themes: One character tried to drink herself to death, but regained hope. There are hostages, death, and betrayal. Evil scientists who use humans for experiments, including body parts for integration into robotics. (Described briefly) The villains are experts at using psychological attacks, targeting the character's family and friends, sometimes rather than attacking him directly. The villain is really twisted. Also, the main character struggles with resisting the Void, the "Dark Side."

Genre: Space Opera

For more reviews of clean books, visit https://lizzyandcrown.wixsite.com/books.

[Kenneth Bliss · Rating 4.5 out of 5]

Shadows Over Earth by Scott Ellis starts off running and doesn’t stop, which is impressive since this book clocks in at 566 pages. It’s part space opera, part alien invasion, part chosen one, throw in some comic relief and a little bit of romance.

Jake Maddox is not happy with his life. Due to events in his past, he has troubles believing anyone can help him but himself. Not even God. When an alien invasion threatens his family, he challenges God and Jake is imbued with incredible powers.
This catches the attention of both factions of a galactic war between the Dominion and the Republic. You see, Jake is a Nova, and a special one to boot. There’s a prophecy, an opposite to Jake, and both factions want Jake to be on their side. Which side will he choose? Not going to spoil it.

Shadows is a great story, but I do have one criticism. The cast of characters is mammoth. At times, it’s difficult to keep track of who’s speaking and which character has which plotline. Ellis does add a scorecard at the end of the book.

Shadows Over Earth is the first of a series. Scott Ellis has a lot of prequel-ish stories in the same universe and one-shots about specific characters. He has developed quite the universe of stories. Well worth the read.

[Kara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such depth; so many details; action-packed fighting; characters learning about themselves and their decisions that matter along with learning about God, which is suttle throughout. It is a book that will pull in the sci-fi fans. I enjoyed reading about the characters and rooting for their success. I was given an ARC copy and this is my voluntary review. I give it a 5 star because it had so much going on; there was no lack of suspense and it is well written with an unexpected plot twist. A heads up, there is a lot of killing as it is a war.

[Laurie Robertson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was glad I had read the prequels before the main event as it gave me a good perspective on who the characters were and some background knowledge. This is definitely a sci-fi fantasy series with an overarching theme. Earth is caught up in a battle for the control of the galaxy though who the bad guys are seems to change as the tale progresses, expect plenty of twists. A cliff-hanger ending so I’m looking forward to the follow up.

[Lee Brothers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jake was immuned with great power. Now, the aliens want him to work for them. You have to make a choice do you lose everyone you love to keep yourself or do you sell yourself to keep everyone else alive? This book covers a lot of issues, has a lot of depth and is very thought-provoking.

[Curtis Cooke · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished reading an advance copy. I could not put it down. First book I have read by Scott Ellis. I will be reading a lot more of his books in the future.