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Oblivion's Galaxy #1
Oblivion's Cloak
First Lieutenant Shaara was dead this morning.
Her captain is furious at her. She wasted company resources getting herself killed, and it’s coming out of her paycheck. Now, she’s sitting across from the first other human being she’s seen in six years. His name is Adnan. He claims to come from Earth—but that’s impossible. Earth died a long time ago. If Adnan’s telling the truth, he and the decaying ship the captain pulled him off are nearly a thousand years old.
Wherever he’s from, he’s Shaara’s responsibility now. Which is the last thing she needs. But it’s either that, or the captain sells Adnan into slavery. Shaara knows what that would mean. Most humans do. And something inside her won’t let her abandon Adnan to it: revenant memories, stabbed awake by the look in his eyes.
Facing those memories won’t be easy. It’d be far easier to ignore the feeling driving her forward. Far easier to let it all go to hell, and drift back to sleep.
Until a shadowy new faction starts stoking the fires of war. They’re looking for Adnan; Earth’s last survivor holds the key to unleash a terrible, indiscriminate vengeance on the galaxy that wronged them. Who they are is a mystery—to everyone but Shaara. Hard as she’s tried to forget, she knows them all too well. Which means she’s the only one who can stop them.
The question is: does she want to? Maybe the galaxy’s earned a little vengeance.
Her captain is furious at her. She wasted company resources getting herself killed, and it’s coming out of her paycheck. Now, she’s sitting across from the first other human being she’s seen in six years. His name is Adnan. He claims to come from Earth—but that’s impossible. Earth died a long time ago. If Adnan’s telling the truth, he and the decaying ship the captain pulled him off are nearly a thousand years old.
Wherever he’s from, he’s Shaara’s responsibility now. Which is the last thing she needs. But it’s either that, or the captain sells Adnan into slavery. Shaara knows what that would mean. Most humans do. And something inside her won’t let her abandon Adnan to it: revenant memories, stabbed awake by the look in his eyes.
Facing those memories won’t be easy. It’d be far easier to ignore the feeling driving her forward. Far easier to let it all go to hell, and drift back to sleep.
Until a shadowy new faction starts stoking the fires of war. They’re looking for Adnan; Earth’s last survivor holds the key to unleash a terrible, indiscriminate vengeance on the galaxy that wronged them. Who they are is a mystery—to everyone but Shaara. Hard as she’s tried to forget, she knows them all too well. Which means she’s the only one who can stop them.
The question is: does she want to? Maybe the galaxy’s earned a little vengeance.
- GenresScience Fiction
615 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 2, 2022
135 people are currently reading
100 people want to read
About the author
Dylan McFadyen
4 books5 followersDylan has been writing science fiction stories since he was old enough to write. He’s been writing original science fiction stories—discounting admittedly awesome fully illustrated Star Trek and Star Wars fan fiction—since he was twelve.
Other than sci-fi and storytelling, Dylan loves history (which is just another form of storytelling, if you think about it). He has a master’s degree in international relations and conflict, and to this day spends as much time reading history as anything else.
When not reading or writing, Dylan enjoys spending time with his lovely wife, Victoria, particularly watching yet more stories, from brilliant favorites like Battlestar Galactica and The Expanse, to joyously terrible films like Miami Connection and Samurai Cop. He also enjoys long walks with their dog, El Doggo, who is the fabled Goodest Boy.
Finally, Dylan enjoys shooting sports, and like all good children of the 90s, video games. He’s played more hours of modded XCOM 2 than some babies have been alive.
He also has a Lord of the Rings tattoo, which in a way tells you everything else you need to know.
Other than sci-fi and storytelling, Dylan loves history (which is just another form of storytelling, if you think about it). He has a master’s degree in international relations and conflict, and to this day spends as much time reading history as anything else.
When not reading or writing, Dylan enjoys spending time with his lovely wife, Victoria, particularly watching yet more stories, from brilliant favorites like Battlestar Galactica and The Expanse, to joyously terrible films like Miami Connection and Samurai Cop. He also enjoys long walks with their dog, El Doggo, who is the fabled Goodest Boy.
Finally, Dylan enjoys shooting sports, and like all good children of the 90s, video games. He’s played more hours of modded XCOM 2 than some babies have been alive.
He also has a Lord of the Rings tattoo, which in a way tells you everything else you need to know.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
January 9, 2023
SHAARA WAS DEAD. Tell me that a story that starts out this way doesn't cause a little bit of curiosity? I've read many books that have great first paragraphs, then devolve into nonsensical banter. This is NOT one of those books. Dylan's book is one where I tell myself I'll just read to the next break and then go to sleep. I say that to myself six or eight times.
Shaara is a human, however, in contrast to our typical earthly superiority complex, humans are considered borderline useless rock-rats and only valued as low-quality slaves by most of the races in the universe. Shaara was born into slavery but managed to improve her situation somewhat by joining with a team of mercenaries.
While Shaara was in a regen pod recovering from her death, the captain of the mercenary ship, “Warden”, found a ship that just arrived in system. Not being sure what the ship was, they boarded and found only one survivor in a cryo-pod. When Shaara awakens, her first task assigned is to interrogate this human and find out what he knows.
This human, Adnan, is from Earth. This is disturbing to Shaara, as Earth is almost a myth surrounded by dozens of stories about its demise. When Adnan says that they expected to be traveling for almost a thousand years before reaching their destination, the numbers fit and Shaara believes him. When Adnan finds out that he is the sole survivor of the crew, it has a severe impact on him.
Since the two main options are, as Shaara sees it, is to have Adnan become part of the crew, or be sold into slavery, she works hard to have him become a medic. She’s barely successful in convincing the captain of this. Being a mercenary vessel, they immediately are thrown into a conflict where Shaara and Adnan are in a constant life-threatening situation. Their bond grows as they continually work together, however, there is a constant lack of trust on Adnan’s part, as he can never seem to reconcile Shaara’s actions with that of a friend or compatriot.
The mercenaries take on a contract that turns out to be much more brutal and difficult than the initially expected. This is where I learned that Shaara will do anything to win, which she’s very good at. I also saw the deep compassion that she has inside but is not in a position to act on.
The story takes several twists that devolves into Shaara finding out about a plot a leader of a human pseudo-religious group has to destroy all non-human sentient beings in the universe. Should Shaara allow this plan to go through with the possibility of releasing all humans from the bondage of slavery? It might be tempting, but at the cost of the deaths of trillions of beings.
This is the first book in a trilogy. In reading it, I feel like it’s a trilogy in itself. If you only have time to read one Sci-Fi book this year, this is the one you should choose.
Shaara is a human, however, in contrast to our typical earthly superiority complex, humans are considered borderline useless rock-rats and only valued as low-quality slaves by most of the races in the universe. Shaara was born into slavery but managed to improve her situation somewhat by joining with a team of mercenaries.
While Shaara was in a regen pod recovering from her death, the captain of the mercenary ship, “Warden”, found a ship that just arrived in system. Not being sure what the ship was, they boarded and found only one survivor in a cryo-pod. When Shaara awakens, her first task assigned is to interrogate this human and find out what he knows.
This human, Adnan, is from Earth. This is disturbing to Shaara, as Earth is almost a myth surrounded by dozens of stories about its demise. When Adnan says that they expected to be traveling for almost a thousand years before reaching their destination, the numbers fit and Shaara believes him. When Adnan finds out that he is the sole survivor of the crew, it has a severe impact on him.
Since the two main options are, as Shaara sees it, is to have Adnan become part of the crew, or be sold into slavery, she works hard to have him become a medic. She’s barely successful in convincing the captain of this. Being a mercenary vessel, they immediately are thrown into a conflict where Shaara and Adnan are in a constant life-threatening situation. Their bond grows as they continually work together, however, there is a constant lack of trust on Adnan’s part, as he can never seem to reconcile Shaara’s actions with that of a friend or compatriot.
The mercenaries take on a contract that turns out to be much more brutal and difficult than the initially expected. This is where I learned that Shaara will do anything to win, which she’s very good at. I also saw the deep compassion that she has inside but is not in a position to act on.
The story takes several twists that devolves into Shaara finding out about a plot a leader of a human pseudo-religious group has to destroy all non-human sentient beings in the universe. Should Shaara allow this plan to go through with the possibility of releasing all humans from the bondage of slavery? It might be tempting, but at the cost of the deaths of trillions of beings.
This is the first book in a trilogy. In reading it, I feel like it’s a trilogy in itself. If you only have time to read one Sci-Fi book this year, this is the one you should choose.
March 15, 2023
Oblivion's Cloak
A great Galactic (space) saga and adventure. The nine plus hours it took me to read it ( in one sitting) was a wonderful time with an interesting, engrossing and truly delightful time with the writing of Dylan McFadyen. I loved it!!!!
A great Galactic (space) saga and adventure. The nine plus hours it took me to read it ( in one sitting) was a wonderful time with an interesting, engrossing and truly delightful time with the writing of Dylan McFadyen. I loved it!!!!
February 16, 2023
This has been my favorite book of 2023 so far. It's beautifully written and at times heartbreaking. I enjoyed everything from the scope, pacing, character dialogue and world building. McFadden hit it out of the park with Oblivion's Cloak, and I can't wait for the next installment.
If you are a fan of books like The Expanse, The Murderbot Diaries, Ancillary Justice, A Memory Called Empire or Hyperion I think you will very much enjoy this book.
If you are a fan of books like The Expanse, The Murderbot Diaries, Ancillary Justice, A Memory Called Empire or Hyperion I think you will very much enjoy this book.
January 27, 2024
I love Oblivion’s Cloak.
Background: I often pick up novels on Amazon that sound vaguely interesting. I put down many of them as they turn out to be uninspired memes of a genre or have weak dialogues and plots. I don’t write reviews unless I like it and it warrants adding my thoughts to the list of other equally valuable opinions. As an author, I know the extreme efforts and long hours of rewriting that go into writing a novel.
Why I think Oblivion’s Cloak is superb is not straightforward. Maybe it is that it took me by surprise. The characters have flaws, but not in a grimdark way where you would think they should be shot out of mercy. The main female character is tough (and damaged) without being the standard 2D, “make her basically a man with breasts” trope. Her decisions are not easy ones, and they have consequences and weight.
The aliens and their cultures are distinct. They do not look like us. Not many are bipedal. You learn about them and the universe as it unfolds through the eyes of a character.
I am impressed with his judicious use of details. Enough to paint the scene, but there is no deluge of pointless details that do not drive the plot.
Mr. McFadyen has crafted engaging battles in space and on planets that don’t feel like 2020’s technologies or tactics dressed up with futuristic names. In the future, we are not manually flying spaceships. He gets this.
There are surprises, action, and twists. I like how he crafts environments. They feel gritty and lived in, similar to how Star Wars feels.
I appreciate good writers who have their own voice. Too often, they do not get the love they deserve. Five stars.
I wish him great success.
Background: I often pick up novels on Amazon that sound vaguely interesting. I put down many of them as they turn out to be uninspired memes of a genre or have weak dialogues and plots. I don’t write reviews unless I like it and it warrants adding my thoughts to the list of other equally valuable opinions. As an author, I know the extreme efforts and long hours of rewriting that go into writing a novel.
Why I think Oblivion’s Cloak is superb is not straightforward. Maybe it is that it took me by surprise. The characters have flaws, but not in a grimdark way where you would think they should be shot out of mercy. The main female character is tough (and damaged) without being the standard 2D, “make her basically a man with breasts” trope. Her decisions are not easy ones, and they have consequences and weight.
The aliens and their cultures are distinct. They do not look like us. Not many are bipedal. You learn about them and the universe as it unfolds through the eyes of a character.
I am impressed with his judicious use of details. Enough to paint the scene, but there is no deluge of pointless details that do not drive the plot.
Mr. McFadyen has crafted engaging battles in space and on planets that don’t feel like 2020’s technologies or tactics dressed up with futuristic names. In the future, we are not manually flying spaceships. He gets this.
There are surprises, action, and twists. I like how he crafts environments. They feel gritty and lived in, similar to how Star Wars feels.
I appreciate good writers who have their own voice. Too often, they do not get the love they deserve. Five stars.
I wish him great success.
July 1, 2023
This was a very long saga that had me glued to the pages for the entire novel. Oblivion's Cloak has engaging, relatable characters (most alien, not human) that fight together as part of a mercenary battle cruiser. Their ship, Warden, has capabilities that outshine and outperform anything it encounters, as it possesses the ultimate in artificial intelligence. The main character, Shaara, leads the crew in battle and is the only human aboard until a survivor from an Earth ship, 1000 years old, is recovered. The author does a great job in making the reader feel part of a setting where the majority of the descendants of Earth were enslaved after the planet's self-destruction and the galaxy has evolved into a diverse variety of non-human intelligent species. While the story is largely space-opera, underlying the plot is a theme that illustrates slavery, treatment of freed slaves and those indentured by unpaid debts. Shaara and her crew face nail-biting challenges every few pages and the reader can't help but continue turning them. A first class start on series that should be very successful. Highly recommended.
November 14, 2023
From salvage to mercenary battle to underground revolution to galaxy wide threat - this was a very ambitious book that threw together several huge concepts and used them all masterfully to tell a surprisingly intimate, and cohesive story. Sharra is an interesting character. Pulled and shaped by so many forces. Respected by her crew, pariah to her race. It is a complex story that builds through parts and takes a bit to take shape, but totally worth the wild ride.
Space opera with a heavy (and sometimes graphic) military sci-fi slant including a mysterious AI. This leans more towards cultural anthropology than hard science. There is a comprehensive glossary in the back which is very helpful for keeping all the races and characters straight and gives some additional depth. Very well thought out universe with a lot of thought given to historical ramifications and cultural influences.
This is the first book in Oblivion's Galaxy series, and does end with a teaser for where the story is going next, but this book can be read a very satisfying standalone. From a technical standpoint one of the most beautifully composed books I have read this year.
Space opera with a heavy (and sometimes graphic) military sci-fi slant including a mysterious AI. This leans more towards cultural anthropology than hard science. There is a comprehensive glossary in the back which is very helpful for keeping all the races and characters straight and gives some additional depth. Very well thought out universe with a lot of thought given to historical ramifications and cultural influences.
This is the first book in Oblivion's Galaxy series, and does end with a teaser for where the story is going next, but this book can be read a very satisfying standalone. From a technical standpoint one of the most beautifully composed books I have read this year.
June 20, 2023
I have to be careful with "hard" science fiction because there's just so much math for distances, travel times, and on and on. Fortunately for me and for everyone else, Dylan has found a remarkable, elegant, and creative way to address those things without a nickel of math. The story is clean, tight, and nuanced. We get more and more layers and details as we read. The editing is thorough (thank you).
I thoroughly enjoyed this adventure. Races are believable, the history is compelling and entirely plausible, characters make you care about them.
In short, read this book. Science fiction fans will be glad you did. When you finish, go read the next one.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I thoroughly enjoyed this adventure. Races are believable, the history is compelling and entirely plausible, characters make you care about them.
In short, read this book. Science fiction fans will be glad you did. When you finish, go read the next one.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
May 27, 2023
Set in the future, Adnan is a human found on a floating in space ship from the past that Shaara a fellow human's captain finds. She does what she must to saave Adnan and drags him into the life of a mercenary. This seems to start a crazy story that kept me reading to the end to figure out what was going. Odd things happen and Shaara is sucked into a wild story where these two unlikely normal humans seem to be in the middle of it all as poor Shaara stumbles into a crazy plot and must make choices. Crazy, lots of action, danger and adventure to be had by all.
January 27, 2024
3 stars. Well written, with lots of action, but ultimately just so-so for me. The primary characters simply had too many secrets (kept from the readers as well as other characters). Add to that the mental anguish of the primary characters, caused by many different events/experiences, that fills many pages and paragraphs, that I generally don't find appealing. I might return to this series, but I doubt it.
May 13, 2023
Shaara is second in command of a mercenary company and the only human aboard. That is until another is rescued. The new addition to the company makes Shaara remember dark memories and events happen to change her attitude to life. A dark and gritty space tale. It makes you think 'What if...' Recommended reading.
August 9, 2024
This is a long and intricate book, which I didn't expect when I snagged it during a freebie promo, but it's enthralling and kept me reading - sometimes to the exception of everything else I was supposed to be doing. There are harsh bits in it, but they fit. The characters are hard people living hard lives, but the author still managed to make them sympathetic. Plus, in the end, good guys win and bad guys die. And you cheer for both events.
June 10, 2025
Possible future, relevant history
Very few grammatical errors. The author does a good job in telling this story. The only changes I would make would be a little more background on who is who and what is what. That way the reader is not going in somewhat blind. Good transitions and an outstanding story. This author definitely has what it takes. Awesome job.
Very few grammatical errors. The author does a good job in telling this story. The only changes I would make would be a little more background on who is who and what is what. That way the reader is not going in somewhat blind. Good transitions and an outstanding story. This author definitely has what it takes. Awesome job.
February 6, 2024
Thoroughly enjoyed it.
August 13, 2025
Oblivion's Cloak
Amazing scifi. There are so many characters and so many conflicts . It was hard to keep up with it all. I am in awe of this author's incredible creativity.
Amazing scifi. There are so many characters and so many conflicts . It was hard to keep up with it all. I am in awe of this author's incredible creativity.
June 12, 2023
I found this book a little hard to read. It may have to do with the characters disposition on life in general. The world and way humans have been enslaved was really bringing me down. The action sequences were well written.
May 8, 2023
💚📡🌌An incredible sci-fi adventure!
Lieutenant Corax had just brought Shaara back to the "Warden" ship.
She had been dead for ten minutes, killed by a thermal mortar.
Corax dropped her into the regeneration pod.
When Shaara awoke with a confused mind, she was personally greeted by Gethi the captain of the ship "Warden"...
-----------------
I really liked the plot of this science fiction novel with an extraordinary universe and original characters.
I would have dreamed of seeing the movie, if it had existed.
The characters of Shaara and Adnan are very successful. The secondary characters are varied and very alien.
The story is action packed and thought provoking.
And you, what would you have done in Adnan's place?
I recommend this incredible sci-fi adventure!
A very nice discovery.
💚📡🌌
Lieutenant Corax had just brought Shaara back to the "Warden" ship.
She had been dead for ten minutes, killed by a thermal mortar.
Corax dropped her into the regeneration pod.
When Shaara awoke with a confused mind, she was personally greeted by Gethi the captain of the ship "Warden"...
-----------------
I really liked the plot of this science fiction novel with an extraordinary universe and original characters.
I would have dreamed of seeing the movie, if it had existed.
The characters of Shaara and Adnan are very successful. The secondary characters are varied and very alien.
The story is action packed and thought provoking.
And you, what would you have done in Adnan's place?
I recommend this incredible sci-fi adventure!
A very nice discovery.
💚📡🌌
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews