The Taran Empire is fighting a secret interdimensional war... and they're losing.
When High Dynasty heir Wil Sietinen comes face-to-face with the Bakzen, a mysterious race skilled in advanced telekinesis, he's forced to confront his destiny. A secret war is being waged within a hidden dimensional rift, and his unique gifts can help win the fight.
As the dire nature of the conflict and the truth about his own abilities unfolds, Wil realizes he's at the center of a galactic conspiracy. And enemies are not who they seem.
With the future of the entire Taran Empire hanging in the balance, Wil holds the key to victory—but saving his people may come at the ultimate price.
The Cadicle series is a sweeping epic that will grab you from the first page, offering a rich blend of adventure, intrigue, and the intersection of technology with mental powers. Join multiple generations of one noble family in their battles against unimagined foes to change the course of an empire. This series is an entry point into the award-winning Cadicle Universe.
The Fractured Empire boxset contains the complete Cadicle series: -- Volume 1: Architects of Destiny -- Volume 2: Veil of Reality -- Volume 3: Bonds of Resolve -- Volume 4: Web of Truth -- Volume 5: Crossroads of Fate -- Volume 6: Path of Justice -- Volume 7: Scions of Change
A.K. (Amy) DuBoff has always loved science fiction in all its forms, including books, movies, shows, and games. If it involves outer space, even better!
She is an award-winning and USA Today bestselling indie author specializing in space-based science fiction and fantasy. Dubbed the modern “Queen of Space Opera” by her readers, she is most known for her acclaimed Cadicle Universe. Amy’s short fiction has been published by NewCon Press, Seventh Seal Press, and in numerous indie publications.
When she's not writing, she enjoys travel, wine tasting, binge-watching TV series, and playing epic strategy board games.
Sep 27, 2021 Architects of Destiny (book 1 of Fractured Empire - The complete Cadicle series of 7)
2021 Grade B+
True space opera or adventure - Kind of nice. This is actually a prequel that takes place about 20 years before the first regular novel. Reading it is, of course, optional but it is rather good. The prose is smooth flowing, easy to read, and fun. It is a classic story of the boy who leaves home and takes a job on a freighter plying the space routes. It kept reminding me of the early youth oriented Asimov and Heinlein novels.
It was thoroughly enjoyable and is recommended.
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = Oct 5, 2021 Veil of Reality (book 2 of Fractured Empire - The complete Cadicle series of 7)
2021 Grade B
This is the actual first novel in the series. The protagonist is a family man who works as an agent for a semi-military psychic-powers organization. At least he thought it was semi-military until his teen son is kidnapped by an enemy in a hidden centuries long war. That's when the deceit is exposed. The son is the other main protagonist.
The book is not quite as entertaining as the prequel, mainly because it seemed a little padded, it is needlessly introspective, and the conclusion is a little too open ended for my tastes (but not bad for a serialized story). Or maybe I just read it too soon after the prequel. The introspection bits are short and italicized so were easy to skip over when I felt like it. I also speed read some of the interrogation and battles when they got too long. But don't let that put you off, I always do that - they are actually quite exciting in places and very well written.
Recommended with reservations.
= = = = = = = = = = = = Nov 15, 2021 Bonds of Resolve (book 3 of Fractured Empire - The complete Cadicle series of 7)
2021 Grade B
This book started out so great, grade A level. An apparently new protagonist starts the story. She is a teen from earth who has been recruited into the Taranan Selective Service - a military psychic-powers organization. She was apparently an outsider on earth and has low self-esteem. Her character development is incredibly interesting as is the world building of the training. But, just as she starts to have self confidence about 2/3 of the way through, the story switches to the young protagonist from the last book.
He is a sort of introspective superhero and is quite boring. She, of course, "bonds" with him and by the end of the book has as little story as a simple girl friend. The reader never even gets to see the end of her training. Maybe it will be in the next book, maybe not. I'm sure she has a part to play in later installments, but, in this case, the last third of the book is grade C.
There are also interruptions throughout the main storyline to follow an even more boring villain. I speed read all of those and I think many, if not all, of the middle segments could have been skipped completely. Only the first and last are necessary to the series. Those were grade D.
Recommended with reservations. The author's female leads are much more interesting than the males.
= = = = = = = = = = = = Apr 30, 2022 Web of Truth (book 4 of Fractured Empire - The complete Cadicle series of 7) by A.K. DuBoff
2022 Grade D
This story has three parts. I don't remember what is in part one. Part two is almost pure melodrama. Probably only part three (short) contains material necessary for the long story arc. I had to do massive speed reading on part two including skipping whole chapters. I suspect the whole book can be skipped. I have abandoned the series at this point. Not recommended.
= = = = = = = = = = = =
Overall. It turns out there is also a 5 book set. Book one of this set was a prequel and it was best so far. The grades have been going down progressively leading me to abandon the series.
Fractured Empire (Complete Cadicle Series Box set)
• Volume 1: Architects of Destiny • Volume 2: Veil of Reality • Volume 3: Bonds of Resolve • Volume 4: Web of Truth • Volume 5: Crossroads of Fate • Volume 6: Path of Justice • Volume 7: Scions of Change
Good read. Would give it 4 out of 5 stars
The intro says average reading time was around 44 hours and I have to agree. I've pretty much been reading this non-stop since downloading. I know (from the author's notes) that this wasn't written in 40 days and 40 nights, but the consistency of the convoluted interwoven plots and characters is amazing. I do not know what rock the author was hiding under before, but I feel blessed that she has chosen to share her talents with the world, instead of staying silent.
This is a military Sci-fi genre and space opera that threads multi generations of the primary characters, over around 60 years of action and development of the main story line. It placed a secret military base on the back side of Earth's moon, and a universe wide filled with a civilization of around 6 trillion citizens. Somehow, the author manages to keep track of everything, bringing threads together as needed to advance the main story line.
If you love sci-fi and want a binge read for days on end, this series is for you, but you must read in sequence.
It was a good long read (the entire box-set) but at times felt like it was drifting into some sort of mashup of Ender's Game and Dune: selective breeding over many generations to produce an offspring with specific traits or 'powers'; High Dynasty families controlling critical infrastructure; secret/mythical orders pulling strings behind the scenes; abstract training of someone very young to win a war against an unseen enemy; a focus on approaching problems from new and unexpected ways; debilitating remorse for unavoidable decisions taken in a battle situation. If you have read the Dune saga and the Enders Game series of books, a lot of this Cadicle series will seem a bit too familiar. Having said that, I did enjoy it. It generally has a feelgood style in that the outcomes are what you would like to have seen in the end. Some of the plot lines are utterly transparent - i.e. as soon as they start you can see what's coming from miles away - so you don't really get any nasty surprises. It keeps moving at a reasonable pace for such a long story, so you don't (or at least I didn't) get bored in the middle. Would recommend it? Yes, as a light hearted long read - maybe take it on holiday. Would I read it again? Probably not. (To be honest, I wouldn't read the Ender's Game series again either, whereas I keep re-reading the Foundation, Dune, and Lord Of The Rings series' every few years.) Some stories have the breadth and depth to pull you back in again and again, others not so much.
This seven book series is an exceptionally well written sci-fi series. I had read some of Amy's other books so I opted for the complete series on kindle. This story focuses on three generations of the primary dynastic family in the Taran Empire as they fight to bring balance back to the galaxy. There is political intrigue, military action and as many twists and turns as you can imagine. Will the good guys win? A very good question. Another question might be who are the good guys. The series kept my interest throughout the entire saga. I enjoy guessing how the author will develop the plot given the previous events in the story. There were only a few times when I actually guessed correctly. That makes me want to keep reading. Fortunately, I'm retired and didn't have to be concerned about getting up to go to work the next day. I found myself as entranced with this series as I was with Asimov''s Foundation series 50 yrs ago. I'm looking forward to any follow on books the she may add to the adventure.
OK, I'm dating myself, but this was sort of like 'Star Trek' meets "The 10 Commandments" with a nod to Mayberry. Weirdly peppered with socio-political declarations and New Age mysticism, it is the story of three generations of one family at the crux of revolution in a galactic empire. I binge-read all seven volumes, because the story is quite compelling and the characters do engender sympathy. The political, philosophical, and sociological underpinnings are interesting, despite being rather broadly sketched. I'm sure there's a dearth of hard science here, but the lack is simply not germane to this story, so who cares? It's a really good series, a great binge-read, and the ending is satisfying, if not absolutely final.
This set of books is a real gem. Once I started, I really couldn’t put it down. It’s not without its flaws, and many would find its rags to riches and romance subplots too much fairytale-like. Yet after seeing the power of disinformation and the dissemination of lies as truth in the most recent past US president’s (and his supporters’) armamentarium, I can see how the holders of power in this story attained and held that power. It’s a sobering reminder that we ALL need to keep our moral compasses well-calibrated.
I'm not normally a fan of telepathy in sci-fi, but Amy Duboff gets it right in every way. Furthermore, her characters are genuine--one passage in the 6th book of the series almost brought me to years with it's poignancy, and not in a sappy way. Add to that a deeply interwoven story, and you have a classic. I'm looking forward with great anticipation to her next series.
The author writes a tale I was compelled to read straight to completion to discover how the gate of the family involved would fare against wall their trials.
Descriptions of worlds by the author and places made me feel like I was really see what it looks like, the people are believable and relatable. I look forward to reading more from the author and noting additional books in this series extending the storyline I plan to read more.
An ending of an arc, but so much is left of the unknown future. I was left more with a job well done than with a warm fuzzy feeling. Still and all it was a delightful series to read; classic old time science fiction. Ms Duboff, I am waiting.......for the rest of course!!
Generations of galactic peoples live under the rule of a corrupted priesthood. One young man leaves home ,being against the political kingdom of his family and learns how the commoners live before finding his one true path. His life changes the entire galaxy .
I was totally involved in reading from the get go!!! It was totally fascinating such characters and plots were never ending!!!😉😉 So much intriguing things throughout!!! I would recommend it to you and all my friends to read!!!😄😄😄 The 5 star rating was the only way to go!!!!😉😉😉
Amazing stories filled with true human interactions and family dynamics! I'm so glad I read the box set because I couldn't put it down. Lucky me, we were without electricity due to a snowstorm for nearly 24 hours. I had the perfect excuse to simply sit down and read. Who knew over 2200 pages would go by so fast!
Some of the books in the series were great and others less so but, overall, this collection is a great introduction to a new universe that could, like Star Wars, with a little polishing become a major TV or movie franchise. It does seem odd to me but I’m looking forward to reading the next enormous tome about these worlds.
This was a story of how a family overcame their cultural, religious, as well as their bioengineered enemies across three generations. As is typical with Duboff's books, the characters are filled out and are relatable. I loved these books!
Old school sci-fi without a lot of sorcerers and trolls
For those that like a story that builds a world on a few assumptions about what would be possible if telekinesis were possible and uses character development and plot twists in a scientific whodunit, this series of books is for you.
This set of seven books were a masterpiece of imagination, following the lives of the heirs of Setinen and others. I can only say that you have to read the books and you will find that just when you think things will settle for a while, new information comes to light and your read becomes yet another roller coaster! Excellent series and I highly recommend it!
A lot of series book is own story and they're all great. We'll worth the time and money. If you like sci tend to repeat similar story lines from book to book but this series made each book feel like it's own part of a larger whole. We'll worth the time and money. If you like reading good sci-fi, don't hesitate and give this series a shit. You won't regret it!
I found this on Facebook with an intriguing offer, so I did. OMG! Did I enjoy this read? Oh Yes. Characters, plots and twists galore. I stayed up way too late all last week reading this one. I absolutely recommend this set and will be reading some more of Amy DuBoff.
I have just finished reading the box set of Fractured Empire couldn't stop reading on the bus,on the train,before going to sleep loved it looking forward to the next installment.
I really got involved in this series and felt like I was in a real place. The character development was excellent and I was rooting for their success. I read all 7 books in two weeks. I really like the battle scenes.
What can manipulation, intrigue and science accomplish in human capabilities? In several tests, various groups attempt to answer that series of questions. What side would you gravitate to?
Read all seven books. Great characters that flow from book to book with new ones added. Really a story about a guy not liking his life and made a drastic change. His stand changed his family and civilizations courses. Fantastic reads. Big D
Over 2000 pages of questionable writing…don’t really get to know the characters in any but a surface level. Good Sci Fi is hard to find…and this isn’t good sci fi. Sorry. Spoiler alert:the good guys win😎
Loved this epic tale of Galactic intrigue. Glad that I could get the first part of the Cadicle series 1-7. I look forward to seeing happens next in future generations.
Stretching the story of fractured empire over several books allowed for a detailed character development. Having several generations, helped to develop the story in one cohesive piece.
Great series! I will read the sequel series next. Lots of action & sitting on the edge of your seat. Familial investment s are awesome, working seamlessly together. My first time reading this author, Ime sure to keep him in my favorites! Thanks
This is my third time reading the Fractured Empire series, and I still enjoyed it! Great plot, characters and the ability to keep the reader engaged. Any time I come across book series that I know I can pick up and reread at any time I really treasure them!