What do you think?
Rate this book
Spyridon: Spyridon Saga Book One
"A riveting origins story...pulls readers into a wondrous universe brimming with fascinating characters." -Kirkus Reviews "A vivid and emotional depiction of human nature, flawlessly blended into an intricate science fiction epic." -Striking13 There's something wrong with Jane. She doesn't just make other people uncomfortable—she terrifies them, and she has no idea why. All she knows is she has to keep to herself, even when impossible things start to happen. Then she meets Mikhél, a rebel from the planet Spyridon, and she learns that there’s nothing wrong with her at all. She’s just not human. She was never supposed to grow up on Earth alone, and Mikhél has come to take her home. But this isn’t an ordinary homecoming. Spyridon is controlled by a vicious warlord, and Mikhél wants Jane to join the fight for freedom. As she secretly trains for battle on a ship filled with enemy spies and slaves who would turn her in to save themselves, she can’t help but wonder—can she really fight for a world that wants her dead? She’d better decide quickly, because the enemy won’t wait until she reaches Spyridon to strike. Mystery, romance, and suspense mingle in the debut novel from Lillian James. Spyridon is the first installment in a riveting science fiction trilogy about how one woman’s journey home sparks a revolution millennia in the making.
338 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 1, 2016
7 people are currently reading
18 people want to read
About the author
Lillian James
11 books13 followersLillian James lives in Atlanta, GA with her husband and daughters. They serve as her inspiration as she writes about characters who challenge themselves, take risks, and care about others. She is a former school psychologist living her dream of writing the books she'd want to read.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
February 4, 2017
I found myself attached to the characters and the world, picturing everything in my mind as I read along. An amazing read and I cannot wait for the next book to be released. I would, and will, highly recommend this to everyone, even if you aren't normally a fan of science fiction! The story just pulls you in and you will have trouble putting it down.
December 6, 2016
This is the story of Spyridon, an ancient and advanced alien planet, both technologically and culturally. At least, until they are tragically conquered and enslaved. Spyridon’s only hope is the last remaining heir, a woman who grew up on Earth: isolated, misunderstood and without knowledge of her true origin.
Jane Doe is the unlikeliest of heroines, and that is what makes her story perfect. Her struggle is authentic, her reality all too familiar – at least while she’s on Earth. We follow her heartfelt struggle, from suicidal depression to finding her place among her people, and then to become the leader that they need her to be.
Full review of Spyridon by Lillian James here
Jane Doe is the unlikeliest of heroines, and that is what makes her story perfect. Her struggle is authentic, her reality all too familiar – at least while she’s on Earth. We follow her heartfelt struggle, from suicidal depression to finding her place among her people, and then to become the leader that they need her to be.
Full review of Spyridon by Lillian James here
August 28, 2018
Although I enjoy SF films, I’ve read comparatively little in the genre, and therefore expected this first volume of a trilogy to be well written, but perhaps just a little formulaic. I couldn’t have been more wrong: this gripping work is as wide-ranging and multi-layered as the ramshackle old starship Dhόchas herself.
The familiar fantasy motifs are there – a dark dystopia, the quest to save a world from evil, the chosen one – but they scaffold a rich tale where good and evil, light and dark may seem clear enough, but truth must be sought in the shadows thrown up between.
There are big human themes here, in the background. Destiny, that much abused fantasy get-out, is thoroughly picked apart by the author with the quiet but profound insight into human nature that other reviewers have commented on. Is Destiny a blind force, or a precious soul focus? Do we really have free will, or are we bound by the conditioning of nature/nurture? How does survival ‒ being a survivor – affect our emotional core? And, in common with Philip K. Dick’s ‘Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep’ (aka‘Blade Runner’), what defines humanity – are we more than the sum of our memories?
Characters are vivid and complex, each carrying a sensed backstory that gives them a disquietingly edgy feel. We never quite know where we are, or who we are with. The world-building is masterful, implied rather than over-painted – a welcome lightness of touch that lets the reader’s own imagination in, drawing us even more into an epic voyage where scale and distance and dimension are so well-realised that at times I almost reeled with vertigo, and at others felt I could reach out and touch the approaching stars.
I so much look forward to embarking on the next leg of the Spyridon journey.
The familiar fantasy motifs are there – a dark dystopia, the quest to save a world from evil, the chosen one – but they scaffold a rich tale where good and evil, light and dark may seem clear enough, but truth must be sought in the shadows thrown up between.
There are big human themes here, in the background. Destiny, that much abused fantasy get-out, is thoroughly picked apart by the author with the quiet but profound insight into human nature that other reviewers have commented on. Is Destiny a blind force, or a precious soul focus? Do we really have free will, or are we bound by the conditioning of nature/nurture? How does survival ‒ being a survivor – affect our emotional core? And, in common with Philip K. Dick’s ‘Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep’ (aka‘Blade Runner’), what defines humanity – are we more than the sum of our memories?
Characters are vivid and complex, each carrying a sensed backstory that gives them a disquietingly edgy feel. We never quite know where we are, or who we are with. The world-building is masterful, implied rather than over-painted – a welcome lightness of touch that lets the reader’s own imagination in, drawing us even more into an epic voyage where scale and distance and dimension are so well-realised that at times I almost reeled with vertigo, and at others felt I could reach out and touch the approaching stars.
I so much look forward to embarking on the next leg of the Spyridon journey.
May 20, 2021
3.5 stars overall.
There's a lot of good ideas in this book, from the story of a hidden child to an oppressed society to a rising revolution, but it was very hard for me to get into it. There is a very developed alien culture featured, but many terms are not translated or explained until more than ten chapters in, making it hard to follow some of the interactions. The beginning especially, takes a while to get anywhere, and I think the whole story could probably be edited down significantly.
There's a good story in here, but it takes a little patience to get to it.
There's a lot of good ideas in this book, from the story of a hidden child to an oppressed society to a rising revolution, but it was very hard for me to get into it. There is a very developed alien culture featured, but many terms are not translated or explained until more than ten chapters in, making it hard to follow some of the interactions. The beginning especially, takes a while to get anywhere, and I think the whole story could probably be edited down significantly.
There's a good story in here, but it takes a little patience to get to it.
June 30, 2025
This book is absolutely a must read! I will say the beginning is a little confusing, but it is definitely worth pushing through! I love the way the story is paced out, it really keeps me wanting to turn the page. Also, the story itself is amazing, the characters, the drama, the romance!! It’s everything you want in a book, now onto the next one❤️❤️
April 27, 2022
Amazing book.
You've great a great new world that I want to continue to explore!! Very interested to see how the journey continues.
You've great a great new world that I want to continue to explore!! Very interested to see how the journey continues.
April 23, 2024
Still one of my all time favorites. Recommend it to people every time we talk books
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews