Rebel

by Collin Irish

The empire made him invisible. The rebellion made him a legend.

He's the rumor that won't die. The "half-casting" the Galathian Empire calls trash. The legend riding a black warhorse who raids supply wagons and vanishes into the Frontier mist.

Jay knows the he's also Jados Justinkeel, last heir to a conquered kingdom, with no army, no fortune, and no idea how to become the king his people need. All he has is a stolen identity, a reckless ally known as the Mad Captain, and a desperate plan to turn whispers into rebellion.

What Jay doesn't know is that his world—and his blood—matter to forces far beyond the Frontier. Outside the reach of empires and kingdoms, older powers are watching, and the fate of his rebellion may be tied to a secret no one on his planet has ever imagined.

The Galathians took his home. Now he's coming to take it back.


Part frontier rebellion, part galaxy-spanning conspiracy—perfect for fans of Pierce Brown's Red Rising and the genre-blending scope of Star Wars .

466 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 27, 2026

About the author

Collin Irish is an engineer-storyteller. Both halves of his brain get a workout each day. With over twenty-five years of experience as a mechanical engineer, he can believably explore the breadth of science fiction from preindustrial to fantastical technology. He volunteers as a storyteller for youth mentoring groups using mythological imagery for emotional development. He lives in Lakewood, CO, where his wife and two children claim the third half of his brain, and his whole heart.

Featured in The Colorado Sun

Featured on the KUNC podcast In the NoCo

2025 Colorado Authors League Award Winner

2019 Winner of the RMFW Colorado Gold Rush Literary Contest

Member of Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers

Member of Colorado Authors League

Reviews

[Missy · Rating 4.5 out of 5]

This is such a unique sci-fi read, with lots of movement through different timelines and storylines. There is a lot of continued world building through this series, which is really nice because you can honestly read them out of order and still figure out what is going on. I read Inventor first and was lucky enough to get a pre read of Rebel, but went back and read the other two books in the series, and it just felt like a prequel. It’s nice to have a world that builds off of each book, but can still be read in different orders and make sense as its own book. The timeline is a little confusing the first half of the book, but around the 40-50% mark I was so invested and could not put the book down! I did find myself keeping notes of who was who, and by the time you get to the end, all the paths start coming together. I can’t wait to see what happens next!

[Riann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another exciting, suspenseful, and engaging book in the Violet Sky Series! So much happened in this story! The vivid descriptions of the battles made me feel as if I was part of the action. I can't wait for the next book in this wonderful series!