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Supremacy's Shadow

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"Half Han Solo, half Deadpool, Hayden Cross tries to stop an interplanetary war while relentlessly mocking everyone involved."

All books in the Dueling Planets series are standalone novels. You need not read them in order.

A new "grimsnark" science fiction thriller set on two planets in a barycentric orbit in the far future.

From the Back Cover
For Hayden Cross, a military investigator in the far future, whether his wife faked her death is the question that is probably going to get him killed. Having lost the only job that kept him sane, he has few resources and fewer leads. Oh, and a sadistic crime lord really wants to kill him.

As he fights through an underworld of fanatical rebels, callous bounty hunters, and corrupt cops, each step takes him closer to the truth about his wife’s fate and the oppressive government he once loyally served. On the way he may even liberate a planet and stop a war ... but only if he betrays everyone he loves.

Praise? for Supremacy's Shadow
"Hayden Cross covers his inner turmoil with the kind of devil-may-care banter that we're accustomed to hearing from the mouths of Humphrey Bogart, Harrison Ford, or Bruce Willis ... If you're looking for an old-school snarky hero in an up-to-date SF book, this is the story for you." - Don Sakers, Analog Science Fiction and Fact

"A refreshing break from all those moody, thinky, burdensome award-winners, this book shoots first and asks questions later." - David Chang, editor at Space Squid

"The snark of Deadpool and the sci-fi realism of The Expanse , left on your door step and set aflame." - A.Z. Anthony, author of Servant of Rage

"...a bit of Die Hard (in the future) fun." - Lilyn G, reviewer at Scifi and Scary

"...reads like Harrison Ford's voiceover for Blade Runner 2079 before the director's cut." - Tom Doyle, author of the American Craft series.

“If you liked that scene where Han Solo talks to the Imperial guy in the detention center, that’s basically this book.” - Mike Kern, author of Dark Winter

“Poor choices, bad jokes, and mouthing off to the very worst people at the wrong time, this book has it all.” - Cameron Johnson, author of The Traitor God

“A gritty, fast-paced thriller like James S.A. Corey’s The Expanse , except the bullets are smarter than the people.” - Rosemary Claire Smith, author of T-Rex Time Machine

"Suspiciously reminiscent of Firefly , only with more dysfunctional characters." - T. C. Weber, author of Sleep State Interrupt

“It feels like a reboot of my favorite sci-fi movies, but it didn’t ruin my childhood once.” - David Vaughn, author of “The Captain in Yellow” in The Cackle of Cthulhu anthology.

“A litany of thrilling failure and rotten luck ... or as Hayden Cross would call it, Tuesday.” - Sherri Cook Woosley, author of Walking Through Fire

"The best Star Wars rip-off since The Force Awakens ." - T. Eric Bakutis, author of Tales of the Five Provinces

317 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 9, 2018

9 people are currently reading
31 people want to read

About the author

T. Eric Bakutis

13 books24 followers
T. Eric Bakutis is an award-winning author and game designer. His first fantasy trilogy, Tales of the Five Provinces , is complete, and Analog Science Fiction and Fact actually liked his grimsnark scifi thriller, Supremacy’s Shadow , which he happily admits is filled with violently explosive nonsense. You can also check out his cyberpunk police procedural, Loose Circuit , if you enjoy reading about homicidal professional gamers, waifu parlors, and the Russian mob.

You can find more information about Eric's books, read sample chapters, and find some cool art at his author website, www.tebakutis.com. When not writing, he is probably in Skyrim VR.

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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
Profile Image for Cameron Johnston.
Author 21 books594 followers
February 6, 2018
There are many wonderfully serious military scifi and cyberpunk books out there, but this is not one of them!

Supremacy's Shadow does not take itself too seriously, spending more time on the adventure and 'grimsnark' than on brooding anti-heroes and long considerations of philosophy and the nature of humanity. Don't get me wrong, there are still dark and dangerous scenes that will make you wince - the best way to describe it is the book equivalent of an excellent 80's action movie. It hits the ground running and does not stop...until the last page, obviously.
Profile Image for Mary Fan.
Author 59 books370 followers
April 21, 2018
In the far future, ordinary "natural born" humans are in conflict with the genetically enhanced "Advanced" in a star system with two inhabited planets. The Advanced are tightening their control over the natural born in an oppressive state, but a group of fanatics is fighting back using terrorist tactics. Living in this mess is Hayden Cross, a military investigator and natural born whose pregnant wife was murdered by the fanatics thirteen years ago. He's made it his mission to eliminate those who killed her... but his world is thrown into disarray when he receives a mysterious message saying she might still be alive.

What starts out as a personal mission winds up embroiling Hayden in a complex power struggle where, it seems, no one's the good guy. A sadistic crime lord, corrupt official, fanatical rebels, bounty hunters... poor guy really can't catch a break. The plot twists and turns its way through a story that starts out as one man's quest for his wife but winds up an epic of world-shattering proportions. Each time you think you know what's going to happen, it veers of into another direction for some truly surprising twists.

Yet the story never loses sight of the people at its core, which is what makes it work so well. The characters are well developed and feel like people, not just chess pieces in service to the plot. While this isn't the kind of book to expect a happily-ever-after from, the ending is plenty satisfying.

One of the book's blurbs compares Hayden Cross to Deadpool. I'd say that's a pretty accurate comparison for the book as a whole - it's a gritty tale of oppressors and terrorists with lots of blood and some disturbing torture scenes, and the characters snark their way through it all, using dark humor to offset the horrors they face.

If you're looking for an exciting, fast-paced read with interesting characters, rich world building, dark humor, and a complex plot, then these are the droids you're looking for.
199 reviews8 followers
May 7, 2018
They say you can't judge a book by its cover. And that's kinda right. The cover of Supremacy's Shadow is cool, but futuristic guy holding a nice rifle while the wind sweeps through the hair of his photogenic badass female companion could be anything. Everyone wants a piece of that action. Give it 10 years and that's how they'll market YA romance, except they'll make them both sparkly vampires.

But nobody said anything about the blurb so that's fair game for judgement, right? And the blurb here says this is Grimsnark - half Han Solo, half Deadpool. That's the clearest mission statement since Rowdy Roddy Piper informed us he'd run out of bubblegum.

Which leaves just two questions - is this what it says it is?

And what sort of conceited tool would even try to claim to meld two such examples of God's perfection?

The answer to that is T. Eric Bakutis. So far he's written some decent fantasy, an interesting Cyberpunk noir, but seems to have really found his ideal medium here in portraying big mouthed douchecanoes.

As for the first question, mostly. This is more Han Solo than Deadpool, more snark than grim. The barycentric planets swinging round the centre of this novel aren't a nice place and every side has creepy sadsacks with a control fixation, but one side has a lot more and a lot of places aren't very nice. Its not rubbed in your face and no one jokes about the inadvisability of pressuring a superhero into prom sex. This isn't a bad thing. Just one of those caveat emptor things. I'd say its more like the Operative from Firefly flipped teams and turned into Han Solo as a result, with a standard "Where are they" action plot.

The pacing and structure of the plot is the single strongest part of Supremacy's Shadow. It twists and turns like a career politician playing Twister in a College dorm, except there's something approaching a happy ending here. Throw in some action scenes that have a good mix of breathless lizard brain thinking and fox like cunning, and you've got a story that reads a lot like Hollywood would have shot it, except for the bit where the plot is actually good.

The characters are big brash stereotypes with decent backstories. Part of me thinks they could have been fleshed out more, but for the most part I think they need peg legs and eyepatches. Partly - okay mainly - because pirates are awesome, but also because there's a lot of characters out them in the wide wicked world and I think that immediate hook would serve them better than any amount of humanity. That stuff's only good for Vampire The Masquerade games, and we know that vampires are only good for YA romance, not Grimwhatever.

Cheap shots aside, I do think that little bit of extra X for the characters would have really pushed this book over the top. I was entertained but, I wasn't always feeling their feelings. There's a couple of emotional moments though - one's a humdinger - and it does give the book the all round heft it needs. Its easy for big cynical action stories to have all the heart of a crime family accountant. This doesn't. Its got a little bit of everything and a whole lot of fun. And that I think was the intended affect. This should be a good book for anyone looking for an action thriller balancing light-hearted entertainment and grit.

And douchecanoes.
Profile Image for Liz (Quirky Cat).
4,986 reviews87 followers
July 21, 2021
Han Solo meets Deadpool in Supremacy's Shadow, written by T. Eric Bakutis. That advert right there was all it took to get me interested in reading this one!

Hayden Cross is a military investigator. Or rather, he was. He lost his wife and his job in sort order, and one of those left behind a mystery that might just get him killed. Now Cross is fighting his way through the underworld, trying to find answers and, more importantly – stay alive.

Supremacy's Shadow is an action-packed and thrilling read. If you love a heavy dose of action with your science fiction, then I think it's safe to say you'll enjoy T. Eric Bakutis' work here. Trust me.

I think the thing I enjoyed the most, personally, was the main character. Hayden Cross is essentially the science fiction version of John McClane, and I found that to be absolutely delightful. He's confident, competent, and okay, a little bit of a smart ass. But that just made me like him all the more. And really, I was expecting that side of his character – you can't promise me Deadpool and then not deliver!

Another highlight for this reader had to be the variety among the villains. While some of them were stereotypically evil (they exist, even in the future), others really made you think or otherwise feel unexpected ways about the situation at hand. I loved that little added bit of complexity!

Overall I would say that Supremacy's Shadow is a novel worth reading, especially for fans of the genre. It was a bright and entertaining part of my week, and for that, I am very grateful.

Thanks to SF Productions and #NetGalley for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Read more reviews over at Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks
Profile Image for R.K. Emery.
1,260 reviews56 followers
April 12, 2018
This novel is unlike anything I have read. I think that it is a great testament to the imagination of a writer that I can say that. This novel really kept me on my toes as far as expecting the unexpected.

There is a lot going on and a lot to understand since you are diving into a new world. I think that T. Eric Bakutis really managed to keep his readers up to speed by giving them just enough along the way without making them feel lost or bogged down with information. It really shined light on to the characters and world in general.

This was a sci-fi novel that really made me think on a deeper level than most Sci-Fi/Fantasy novels.
Profile Image for Patricia.
614 reviews1 follower
September 20, 2018
I received this free from NetGalley and the publisher for an honest review.
This is the first in a series by T. Eric Bakutis, it is also the first time that I have read any of this authors books. This is a story that is hard to pigeon-hole in a genre, but basically it's sci-fi. It has touches of humor and grim sadness. And I loved it. The characters you come to love and care for. The villains are pretty nasty, but nothing is black and white. So you can't really assume anything. I was left flabbergasted by the twist, which I so did not see coming. I can't wait to read the next in the series.
Profile Image for Alex Knight.
Author 12 books97 followers
August 6, 2019
This was a hilarity-filled, action packed, absolute joy of a sci-fi romp. From geriatric car chases to merciless insults – even in the worst of situations – Supremacy’s Shadow will make you laugh and cry (though the crying will likely be due to how hard you’re laughing). Add in a fair mix of action and you’ve a cocktail of sci-fi awesome. I’m a notoriously picky reader, but this book was a true joy to read. Give it a try, you won’t be disappointed.

**Full disclaimer: I received an advanced reader copy of this novel, and freely chose to review it.**
Profile Image for C. Gonzales.
1,149 reviews57 followers
March 26, 2018
This was a sci-fi novel that really made me think on a deeper level than most Sci-Fi novels.

I really enjoyed the pacing and how it was steady throughout. It is fast paced and doesn't let up and didn't have moments that dragged. It made for a fast and furious read.

The plot is full of exciting twists along the way and quite easy to follow.

The world that Bakutis has created is vivid and fun to become absorbed in.
86 reviews1 follower
September 18, 2018
I am definitely NOT a fan of "Book 1" stories, but this one is excellent. It could easily be called finished, but NO. I will need to buy a new seat belt for my recliner before I start whatever comes next.
Profile Image for Bender.
455 reviews46 followers
September 6, 2019
Awesome space action novel. Starts with a interesting premise and then picks up packed like a downhill truck without brakes complete with a smashing climax. John McClane meets Master Chief. Highly recommended.
Profile Image for Allyn Nichols.
376 reviews7 followers
October 28, 2019
Fantastic sci-fi!

An excellent novel from start to finish. Great characters, solid plot and a wonderful new universe to explore. Highly recommended to all fans of science fiction. I already have the next book queued up! Excellent work
Profile Image for Joedarris.
44 reviews
October 31, 2018
Explosive action, flawed characters, corrupt world. What's not to like?
Profile Image for The Book Badger.
154 reviews4 followers
October 18, 2018
Originally posted at ragdollreads.co.uk

Ragdoll Rating: 4/5 Buttons

Recommended For: Fans of Sci-fi and action

About the Book…

Life sucks for Hayden Cross. His wife is dead, he’s just been fired and now someone is trying to kill him! But Cross soon comes across evidence that his wife faked her own death – solving this mystery will take Cross and his associates into the middle of a war, filled with terrorists, political machinations, espionage and betrayal!

What I thought…

I think probably the best thing I can say about this book is that it is fun. It goes to some serious places, but it doesn’t take itself to seriously, and that’s exactly what I was hoping for.

The plot is a bit complicated in places, the writing style is a little strange at times and some of the names are a bit cheesy (The Terrorist leader is called Xealot, and the biologically advanced ruling class is called ‘The Supremacy’) but that’s about as far as my criticism is gonna go. More importantly the book is action-packed, with likable (and not-so-likable) characters, and a whole load of violent explosive nonsense going on.

The book starts with a terrorist being crushed to death as a car runs through the wall of Hayden’s home, and ends with a full-scale assault on a top-secret military base, it’s that kind of story.

Final Thoughts…

If you like a good space-warfare action read, then this is definitely the book for you. Bring on book 2.

___________________________________________
Please Note: I received a copy of this book via netgalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions contained within are my own and have not been influenced by any external entity!
Profile Image for The Book Badger.
154 reviews4 followers
September 24, 2018
Ragdoll Rating: 4/5 Buttons

Recommended For: Fans of Sci-fi and action

About the Book...

Life sucks for Hayden Cross. His wife is dead, he's just been fired and now someone is trying to kill him! But Cross soon comes across evidence that his wife faked her own death - solving this mystery will take Cross and his associates into the middle of a war, filled with terrorists, political machinations, espionage and betrayal!

What I thought...

I think probably the best thing I can say about this book is that it is fun. It goes to some serious places, but it doesn't take itself to seriously, and that's exactly what I was hoping for.

The plot is a bit complicated in places, the writing style is a little strange at times and some of the names are a bit cheesy (The Terrorist leader is called Xealot, and the biologically advanced ruling class is called 'The Supremacy') but that's about as far as my criticism is gonna go. More importantly the book is action-packed, with likable (and not-so-likable) characters, and a whole load of violent explosive nonsense going on.

The book starts with a terrorist being crushed to death as a car runs through the wall of Hayden's home, and ends with a full-scale assault on a top-secret military base, it's that kind of story.

Final Thoughts...

If you like a good space-warfare action read, then this is definitely the book for you. Bring on book 2.

___________________________________________
Please Note: I received a copy of this book via netgalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions contained within are my own and have not been influenced by any external entity!
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews

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