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Soldier of Empire
Silver Medal winner Global Books Awards 2024.
Highly commended Giant Leap SF competition 2018.
Praise for Dodecahedral series :
★★★★★ “Think Dune meets Classic Star Wars—and yet entirely its own beast. A thrilling ride from start to finish.” – Reader’s Favorite
★★★★★ “A masterful debut that delivers a gripping story, rich characters, and dazzling world-building. Fans of Red Rising will love this!” – Amazon Reviewer
★★★★★ “A spellbinding space opera that grabs you by the throat and never lets go. Dodecahedral is the next big thing in science fiction.” – The Book Review Directory
When their Imperial dragonship is attacked, Guy Erma, bodyguard to the King, survives. However Teodor of Earth is missing and feared dead. Why? How? Did Guy abandon his King and save himself first?
Now Guy has to find his friend and his King to clear his name. But where is he? Guy pushed his King into a VIP pod, which should have been the safest escape, but instead has disappeared somewhere on Sas Darona, a vast unexplored and under developed planet. No maps, no comms, no civilisation, to find any clues, Guy has to steal into the pirate Scavengii base deep within the broken moon - what will he find? And what next?
Meanwhile King Teodor survived but has been sold into slavery in a crystal mine. He's lost without his title, his wealth and his army and forced to work with his bare hands to bring valuable ores to the surface. Driven by a desperate need to escape back to the life he knew he befriends a group of native tribesboys, seasonal workers in the same mine. They are friendly, but how or why will they help him escape? Even if he escapes, Teodor is a world away fom his military bases to the North, how long before he comes home?
If you love complex, multi-layered science fiction action adventure as in Classic Star Wars or the detailed world building and political machinations of Frank Herbert's Dune this new award winning series is for you.
Highly commended Giant Leap SF competition 2018.
Praise for Dodecahedral series :
★★★★★ “Think Dune meets Classic Star Wars—and yet entirely its own beast. A thrilling ride from start to finish.” – Reader’s Favorite
★★★★★ “A masterful debut that delivers a gripping story, rich characters, and dazzling world-building. Fans of Red Rising will love this!” – Amazon Reviewer
★★★★★ “A spellbinding space opera that grabs you by the throat and never lets go. Dodecahedral is the next big thing in science fiction.” – The Book Review Directory
When their Imperial dragonship is attacked, Guy Erma, bodyguard to the King, survives. However Teodor of Earth is missing and feared dead. Why? How? Did Guy abandon his King and save himself first?
Now Guy has to find his friend and his King to clear his name. But where is he? Guy pushed his King into a VIP pod, which should have been the safest escape, but instead has disappeared somewhere on Sas Darona, a vast unexplored and under developed planet. No maps, no comms, no civilisation, to find any clues, Guy has to steal into the pirate Scavengii base deep within the broken moon - what will he find? And what next?
Meanwhile King Teodor survived but has been sold into slavery in a crystal mine. He's lost without his title, his wealth and his army and forced to work with his bare hands to bring valuable ores to the surface. Driven by a desperate need to escape back to the life he knew he befriends a group of native tribesboys, seasonal workers in the same mine. They are friendly, but how or why will they help him escape? Even if he escapes, Teodor is a world away fom his military bases to the North, how long before he comes home?
If you love complex, multi-layered science fiction action adventure as in Classic Star Wars or the detailed world building and political machinations of Frank Herbert's Dune this new award winning series is for you.
365 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 24, 2023
22 people are currently reading
8 people want to read
About the author
Sally Ann Melia
27 books124 followersSally Ann Melia is life-long Science Fiction fan. She was Star Wars as a child and has loved Space Opera fiction and tales of huge Galactic Empires such as Frank Herbert’s Dune series and Iain M. Banks Culture.
Born in Wallasey, Sally Ann Melia moved to the South of France and the cosmopolitan city-state of Monaco, where she spent her teenage years. As the lone English student in a French school, Sally spent her time writing stories while her classmates learned English. This sparked a lifelong passion for writing, leading her to pen novels, scripts, stories, and articles.
Born in Wallasey, Sally Ann Melia moved to the South of France and the cosmopolitan city-state of Monaco, where she spent her teenage years. As the lone English student in a French school, Sally spent her time writing stories while her classmates learned English. This sparked a lifelong passion for writing, leading her to pen novels, scripts, stories, and articles.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
August 23, 2025
Great new cover.
The opening sets the stakes. We need a rare mineral for London to survive an engineered plague. This is a space opera series where tech is like magic with court intrigue, reminiscent of Simon Green or William Dietz. A fun high-stakes YA action/adventure reminiscent of the Edgar Rice Burroughs Mars series. I really appreciated that Guy was saved from a life of slavery because of hormonal boy mistakes. Spider surgery was quite clever. Unfortunately, the story doesn’t conclude in any way, and we still don’t know who the main characters really are. But it was free!
Much as I tried to go with the flow, though, every chapter brought logic questions and missing key information. Examples:
Pitch: How could this book win a 2018 award when it wasn’t published until October 2023?
Ch1: Why didn’t the soldier gas or burn the new nest as it formed to stop the spread?
Ch2: If the flies don’t breed in cold weather, why not chill the London dome instead of forcing everyone to leave Earth?
Ch3: Who is Marline, and how did she get there ahead of them when Teo was on the Emperor’s personal yacht under orders to hurry?
Ch4: How did the king drastically change clothing sizes in suspended animation?
Ch14: Guy had no weapons left when boarding the escape craft, but his dagger from the lost ship appears again here?
Many spelling and grammar mistakes, especially in dialog format.
Many dashes should be an emdash. Too many emdashes that should be periods or commas. Thoughts should be italicized as should ship names. Colons should be commas. Semicolons and ellipses overused.
Proof(comma)” Patrice replied.
The King should not be capitalized.
Marker(delete comma) before asking
No-one has no dash.
Wondered Guy should be lowercase.
Two(comma)” Teodor told him.
Teodor replied(comma) “
Then asked(comma, no new para) “How
Ceasefire is one word, not two.
Complained(comma. No new para) “Why
Well met(comma) Teodor
Heart(comma) Teo(period)
The is not capitalized for The Baron.
Need different paragraphs for different speakers.
Ball should not be capitalized.
I was(period) I am
I don’t know(comma) Guy(period)
[I stopped recording them at the ten percent mark]
The opening sets the stakes. We need a rare mineral for London to survive an engineered plague. This is a space opera series where tech is like magic with court intrigue, reminiscent of Simon Green or William Dietz. A fun high-stakes YA action/adventure reminiscent of the Edgar Rice Burroughs Mars series. I really appreciated that Guy was saved from a life of slavery because of hormonal boy mistakes. Spider surgery was quite clever. Unfortunately, the story doesn’t conclude in any way, and we still don’t know who the main characters really are. But it was free!
Much as I tried to go with the flow, though, every chapter brought logic questions and missing key information. Examples:
Pitch: How could this book win a 2018 award when it wasn’t published until October 2023?
Ch1: Why didn’t the soldier gas or burn the new nest as it formed to stop the spread?
Ch2: If the flies don’t breed in cold weather, why not chill the London dome instead of forcing everyone to leave Earth?
Ch3: Who is Marline, and how did she get there ahead of them when Teo was on the Emperor’s personal yacht under orders to hurry?
Ch4: How did the king drastically change clothing sizes in suspended animation?
Ch14: Guy had no weapons left when boarding the escape craft, but his dagger from the lost ship appears again here?
Many spelling and grammar mistakes, especially in dialog format.
Many dashes should be an emdash. Too many emdashes that should be periods or commas. Thoughts should be italicized as should ship names. Colons should be commas. Semicolons and ellipses overused.
Proof(comma)” Patrice replied.
The King should not be capitalized.
Marker(delete comma) before asking
No-one has no dash.
Wondered Guy should be lowercase.
Two(comma)” Teodor told him.
Teodor replied(comma) “
Then asked(comma, no new para) “How
Ceasefire is one word, not two.
Complained(comma. No new para) “Why
Well met(comma) Teodor
Heart(comma) Teo(period)
The is not capitalized for The Baron.
Need different paragraphs for different speakers.
Ball should not be capitalized.
I was(period) I am
I don’t know(comma) Guy(period)
[I stopped recording them at the ten percent mark]
September 16, 2025
Soldier of Empire by Sally Ann Melia was a really exciting book for me. I liked how it told two stories at the same time, one about Guy Erma and the other about King Teodor.
I enjoyed Guy’s part the most because it was full of action and tension. He had to prove his loyalty while people doubted him, and he still fought against pirates without giving up. That part really connected with me because I’ve also had moments in life when people didn’t trust me at first, and I had to work hard to show who I really was. Like Guy, I learned that trust doesn’t come easy, but when you earn it, it makes you stronger.
King Teodor’s story touched me in a different way. Seeing him lose everything and end up as a slave in the mines reminded me of times when I felt like I had lost control of my own situation. He had to depend on others, like the tribes' boys, and I thought about how my friends and family helped me when life felt too heavy.
I enjoyed Guy’s part the most because it was full of action and tension. He had to prove his loyalty while people doubted him, and he still fought against pirates without giving up. That part really connected with me because I’ve also had moments in life when people didn’t trust me at first, and I had to work hard to show who I really was. Like Guy, I learned that trust doesn’t come easy, but when you earn it, it makes you stronger.
King Teodor’s story touched me in a different way. Seeing him lose everything and end up as a slave in the mines reminded me of times when I felt like I had lost control of my own situation. He had to depend on others, like the tribes' boys, and I thought about how my friends and family helped me when life felt too heavy.
September 17, 2025
Loyalty put to the test
This book captured my attention from the very beginning. The story of the main character felt exciting and, at the same time, very human. Although it is a science fiction novel, the themes it explores such as loyalty, betrayal, and the fear of losing everything, feel very real. I liked how the protagonist struggles to find his place in an empire where everything seems to be against him. It also made me think about how we react when we are blamed for something unfairly. The action scenes are well written, but what impacted me the most was the emotional growth of the main character. It is a book that combines adventure with reflection, and I found that very valuable. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys intense stories with a human touch.
This book captured my attention from the very beginning. The story of the main character felt exciting and, at the same time, very human. Although it is a science fiction novel, the themes it explores such as loyalty, betrayal, and the fear of losing everything, feel very real. I liked how the protagonist struggles to find his place in an empire where everything seems to be against him. It also made me think about how we react when we are blamed for something unfairly. The action scenes are well written, but what impacted me the most was the emotional growth of the main character. It is a book that combines adventure with reflection, and I found that very valuable. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys intense stories with a human touch.
September 17, 2025
Soldier of Empire by Sally Ann Melia was a read that surprised me from the first page. The story blends action, political intrigue, and epic science fiction in a way that reminded me of classics, but with a unique twist. I was deeply captivated by the pace of the plot. It's one of those books you can't stop reading to find out what will happen next. I can say that what I enjoyed most about reading was the world the author builds: unexplored planets, pirate bases, harsh societies, and settings that feel alive and full of danger. Without a doubt, this book is a journey that those of us who love science fiction will enjoy. Recommended.
September 17, 2025
Great Book
This book immediately caught my attention, and I find it perfect for disconnecting from the routine of everyday life. Thanks to the descriptive language used by the author, the reader can clearly picture all the settings portrayed in the story. What feels truly unique to me is the way the author blends science fiction with action, and even with suspense. As a reader, you do not only imagine the journey, but you also live the adventure alongside each of the characters. I found this book fascinating, easy to read, and ideal for escaping the demands of daily life. Highly recommended for all fans of adventure and for anyone who loves a truly good book.
This book immediately caught my attention, and I find it perfect for disconnecting from the routine of everyday life. Thanks to the descriptive language used by the author, the reader can clearly picture all the settings portrayed in the story. What feels truly unique to me is the way the author blends science fiction with action, and even with suspense. As a reader, you do not only imagine the journey, but you also live the adventure alongside each of the characters. I found this book fascinating, easy to read, and ideal for escaping the demands of daily life. Highly recommended for all fans of adventure and for anyone who loves a truly good book.
May 14, 2024
In this the third of the series the action moves from a disease ravaged earth to a distant planet. It gives us a unique imaginative take on a hostile world, inhabited by lawless tribes, and nightmarish creatures. What part will the aliens play and what of our young heroes, can they even survive? The whole universe is beautifully crafted and presented, the action is non-stop. Bring on the next volume in the series. A great read for anyone ten to any age. Star Wars meets Dune with Giant spiders
April 1, 2024
An excellent continuation of this series
More intrigue among royal houses. The plague plays an even greater role in this story as it constraints the actions of almost all the characters.
More intrigue among royal houses. The plague plays an even greater role in this story as it constraints the actions of almost all the characters.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews