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Empire of Dust

(Psi-Tech #1)

Jacey Bedford (Goodreads Author)

3.61 · Rating details · 334 ratings · 62 reviews

Mega corporations, more powerful than any one planetary government, use their agents to race each other for resources across the galaxy. The agents, or psi-techs, are implanted with telepath technology. The psi-techs are bound to the mega-corps -- that is, if they want to retain their sanity.

Cara Carlinni is an impossible thing – a runaway psi-tech. She knows Alphacorp ca ...more

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Paperback, 532 pages

Published November 4th 2014 by DAW

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Oct 31, 2014 Sherwood Smith added it

Shelves: sf, space-opera

Here are the basic elements that appeal to me in space opera:

* Interesting aliens, weird cultures and larger than life characters, which must include interesting women.

* Space ships in action

* Emotional complexity

* Big ideas—including glimpses of the numinous—without anything being dogmatic

* Layered or polysemous surprises

*An interesting blend of real science and the handwavium that allows for FTL and Psi, but examines the consequences of both.

Any combination of these, with complex characters, i ...more

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Sep 27, 2015 Sarah rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This was probably one of the funnest Space Operas I've read. Cara is on the run from Ari, who is trying to squash her like a bug from his (figurative) throne. She manages to persuade Ben to help her and before you know it, they're on a colony planet with a charismatic cult leader and a group of people who want to go back to the basics and live a no-tech, farming lifestyle. Cara and Ben and the team members with them are Psi-techs, which are tech enhanced psychics. There are some very interesting ...more

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Nov 10, 2014 Grace rated it it was ok

I come away from this one with a very bland feeling. The characters are very one-dimensional, and their dialogue is very on-the-nose in a way that feels blocked and unnatural. The pacing is weird as well - basically, it's as though the dialogue was written to service a very specific goal in the scene, and then characters shuffle onstage just in time to say their line. That results in characters being very fortuitously present to say exactly what moves the thought along, even if they have absolut I come away from this one with a very bland feeling. The characters are very one-dimensional, and their dialogue is very on-the-nose in a way that feels blocked and unnatural. The pacing is weird as well - basically, it's as though the dialogue was written to service a very specific goal in the scene, and then characters shuffle onstage just in time to say their line. That results in characters being very fortuitously present to say exactly what moves the thought along, even if they have absolutely no business being in that area. "Where the hell did you come from?!" was a frequent thought as I reread paragraphs, and one with no good answer. It feels very unformed and amateur.

And then there are the sex scenes, and the sexual violence scenes. These are similarly written in a very surface, tell-don't-show way that actually led me to skim over some of them because I just found them embarrassing to read. Not because the acts themselves scandalize me, but because it was like reading bad porn. And by that I mean taking a scene from a low-budget porn film, then faithfully describing it in text. Unpleasant, especially when these are characters you'd actually like to see make a connection. The writing style in general had little finesse, so maybe it's just this area where it was most needed and I found it most lacking.

There's also a huge missed opportunity that I'm going to throw under the header of Spoilers: (view spoiler)

This book was very long and not at all complex. Everyone showed up, did their thing and barely changed at all. The main antagonist was slightly more interesting than everyone else, but - look, there's just nothing there with most of these characters. They're shallow and even their thoughts are just rehashing the obvious. The plot is too linear to carry such flat characters, and the writing not complex enough to add depth. Skip it. ...more

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Sep 27, 2015 Lindsay rated it really liked it

Highly enjoyable science fiction adventure with romantic elements. In fact, compulsively readable.

Cara is a Psi-1 telepath (interstellar range at that level) who is on the run from her former lover Ari. Ari is a corrupt official of one of the enormous corporate entities that seem to have all the power in this future. She comes across Rakesh Benjamin, a Psi-1 navigator who rescues her from a nasty situation. In an effort to lay low they are signed up to spend a year on a colony planet with a larg Highly enjoyable science fiction adventure with romantic elements. In fact, compulsively readable.

Cara is a Psi-1 telepath (interstellar range at that level) who is on the run from her former lover Ari. Ari is a corrupt official of one of the enormous corporate entities that seem to have all the power in this future. She comes across Rakesh Benjamin, a Psi-1 navigator who rescues her from a nasty situation. In an effort to lay low they are signed up to spend a year on a colony planet with a large group of psi-hating luddites. That's dangerous enough, but the colony leader is an unbalanced incredibly charismatic man with paranoid tendencies.

There's a large cast of supporting characters and there's some nuance there. The colony leader is one of the putative villains, but he's a bit more complex than that. The supporting cast of Benjamin's Psi-Tech team are excellent as well, as is the young and stupid colonist Max Constant who is one of the point of view characters. Cara herself is an interesting character as she struggles with tampering in her brain from her time with Ari, something that's well written here. Also the world-building, both in the FPA worlds and on the colony world is quite excellent. Lots of crunchy little details and it all seems to be well thought out, from the basic gist of the platinum economy to the differing social mores across the different locale.

The book also resolves itself well while leaving plenty of meat for a sequel. (view spoiler)

So that's all that's great with the book. It has two main problems though, the first of which is that it's very long for what it is. And there's stuff that could obviously come out. The tendency for UK SF though is towards huge self-indulgent tomes as in Peter F. Hamilton or Gary Gibson (both of which are good comparisons for this book) so I don't expect it's out of place. The other more serious flaw, is the central coincidence of Cara and Benjamin meeting. It would be a massive spoiler to explain that coincidence, but it's probably not too much to say that they have similar and slightly overlapping histories.

Ultimately, I forgive those things, because it's a cracking good book and I'm really looking forward to the sequel.
...more

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Aug 30, 2016 Scott Roberts rated it it was amazing

The book cover looks medieval and very nice. I give this book 5 stars.

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Aug 06, 2017 Linda Robinson rated it really liked it

Engaging planet hopping read. There is a lot to love in this first book in the series: the gates, Folded Space, the concept of psychically prone people being enhanced and used by the Bigs to further their nefarious profiteering ends. Cara is a good shero, Ben is a good sidekick. The villains are too familiar. We could use a new method of depicting evil without it being a grinning deviant who likes to hurt things. The secondary characters are superb. The Lorients et al, Ronan, Gen, Max Constant. ...more

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Nov 02, 2017 Timothy Boyd rated it liked it

Really nice SiFi story. Good story line and characters. Interesting universe the story is set in. This would be a great book for a new SiFi reader starting to read SiFi stories or a younger reader. Recommended

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Dec 31, 2014 Joshua Palmatier rated it really liked it

This is the debut novel of Jacey Bedford. I always try to read debut novels ASAP, since I've been there and know what it's like to have a new book go out into the harsh, harsh world. This is the first of the Psi-Tech novels, and I'm looking forward to the next one.

The premise: Cara Carlinni is a psi-tech who's running from the Alphacorp corporation who technically owns her, since it funded the Telepath technology implanted in her head. Escaping is supposed to be impossible, but she's managed to This is the debut novel of Jacey Bedford. I always try to read debut novels ASAP, since I've been there and know what it's like to have a new book go out into the harsh, harsh world. This is the first of the Psi-Tech novels, and I'm looking forward to the next one.

The premise: Cara Carlinni is a psi-tech who's running from the Alphacorp corporation who technically owns her, since it funded the Telepath technology implanted in her head. Escaping is supposed to be impossible, but she's managed to elude those hunting her and keep the secrets she's stolen from Alphacorp safe . . . and to herself. But they've finally caught up to her, and only the intervention and help of Ben Benjamin, another psi-tech, a Navigator, who takes her to a new colony that supposed to go tech-free . . . and perfect place to hide. Or so they both think.

The main premise is great, and the idea of a future in which there are no governments, only megacorporations running everything, is shockingly easy to believe. And also heartbreaking. The world--or should I say universe?--is well thought out and the characters are engaging. In particular, I liked the world in which they run to in order to hide, and the backwater waystation that they use to get there. Perhaps that's because I like the darker, grittier underside of everything, and that's exactly what the waystation is, but I also like the idea of the complete unknown, like the new planet they are helping to colonize. Cara and Ben are interesting and they're relationship isn't the standard relationship you'd expect. It starts out with lies on both sides--since they both have something to hide--and awkward sex. It has to recover from both of those before it can grow into something else, and the stress of running, hiding, and the new colony and its rather fractious settlers may not give it the chance to grow.

So, a slightly new take on the relationship makes it interesting. Also the universe in which it's set, and the characters themselves, outside of the their own tumultuous affair. The science is cool and can be played with and used in many different ways, although it does have its limits, which create their own problems. The only real issue I had with the book is that the beginning is a little rough and perhaps a touch too long. I can't see any easy way to take what's there and cut it down without adversely affecting everything that comes after, but the book doesn't really kick into high gear until the two characters reach the waystation and then the new planet. But I think if you trust me and bear with the book at the beginning, you'll really enjoy what follows.

In any case, as I said, I'm looking forward to the second book coming out later this year called Crossways. This is definitely a book that I'd suggest sci-fi lovers take a look at. ...more

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Dec 29, 2016 astaliegurec rated it it was ok · review of another edition

My brain came close to liquefying and dripping out of my ears, but I managed to force my way through Jacey Bedford's "Empire of Dust" (the first of the two books in her "Psi-Tech" series). The first half of the book is very well-written and interesting, though it's definitely slow (and the sex scenes sure aren't appreciated (though they're mercifully short)). But, the second half just devolves into a horrible soap opera of drivel. Why an author would spend so much time and effort writing a book ...more

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Oct 04, 2014 Sarah rated it liked it

Shelves: scifi, arc-or-review-copy, social-issues, daw, read-in-2014

http://www.bookwormblues.net/2014/11/... ...more

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Mar 02, 2020 Ursula Sadiq rated it did not like it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Dec 03, 2017 ferocious hippo rated it did not like it

Shelves: too-pompous, too-naive, sciencefiction

quite superficial novel: noticeable imbalance of the technology level in the different parts of the pictured world, the psi-tech main idea is pretty good, but very weak in depth, way too simple characters and dialogs, incoherent behaviour/thought of characters - one moment they are hard as rock, next one they are full of tears. and the worst - large part of plot revolves around Ben and Cara feelings to each other and their digging in it (ацтоїщє).
oh, and the happy-end is like cheap hollywood mov ...more

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Mar 29, 2017 Randall rated it liked it

I gave this a 3. With just a little more effort (or cleverness) it could have been a four, whereas the ending yanked it almost down to a two.

I did enjoy this book for the most part. The basic plot is this: in the future there are people with implants that give them various degrees and types of PSI abilities, and these people are basically owned by the megacorps and do work on their behalf including providing services new planetary colonies. Cara, our heroine, has escaped (with the help of hunky I gave this a 3. With just a little more effort (or cleverness) it could have been a four, whereas the ending yanked it almost down to a two.

I did enjoy this book for the most part. The basic plot is this: in the future there are people with implants that give them various degrees and types of PSI abilities, and these people are basically owned by the megacorps and do work on their behalf including providing services new planetary colonies. Cara, our heroine, has escaped (with the help of hunky PSI navigator Ben) from an evil megacorp exec who did terrible things to her including messing with her mind and memories. They wind up on one of these colony missions under an assumed identity, with a PSI-tech team that's helping a group of "normals" who are prejudiced against PSIs but nevertheless need their help to get set up on their new planet.

It's pretty well paced though a bit uneven, with plenty of fun space opera material -- from the big politics of world and empire-building to the nitty gritty of how to get things done on the ground on a new planet. Underlying it all is the ambiguous relationship between Ben and Cara -- how exactly do they feel about each other, and will they ever work out and express those feelings?

So all that was pretty interesting, but I wish Bedford had put as much effort into the logical continuity of the story as she did with the relationship part, because unfortunately there were a lot of logical flaws. For example, Cara's nemesis has this terrible secret and will go to any lengths to keep it from getting out. (view spoiler) Similarly, the tension between the PSIs and the colonists is compelling, but the extent to which it goes bad is kind of hard to swallow. (view spoiler) Sure, this stuff drives the plot. But there need to be reasons why people don't do the most obvious things.

In spite of those flaws, the book kept my interest and I enjoyed the read -- until about the last 20 pages or so, when it fell apart into a horrible icky mishmash. (view spoiler) ...more

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Nov 19, 2014 Jaine Fenn rated it it was amazing

Space Opera isn't dead; instead, delightfully, it has grown up. Empire of Dust, the debut novel from Jacey Bedford, published by DAW, is a fine example of a novel which has its roots in the sub-genre, but grows beyond it.

Cara Carlini is a woman with a past, and she's running away from it as fast as she can. She'll take whatever help she can get, though always with her eyes open. She's also a psi-tech, one of the significant minority in Bedford's universe whose innate psionic talents have been en Space Opera isn't dead; instead, delightfully, it has grown up. Empire of Dust, the debut novel from Jacey Bedford, published by DAW, is a fine example of a novel which has its roots in the sub-genre, but grows beyond it.

Cara Carlini is a woman with a past, and she's running away from it as fast as she can. She'll take whatever help she can get, though always with her eyes open. She's also a psi-tech, one of the significant minority in Bedford's universe whose innate psionic talents have been enhanced with technology to make them indispensable to the corporate and criminal organisations who call the shots. Cara throws her lot in with Ben Benjamin because he's in the right place at the right time, but this turns out to be a life-changing decision for them both.

The skill of this book lies in Bedford's ability to seamlessly combine intrigue-heavy, multi-viewpoint plotting with human stories featuring characters you care about - a rare feat in this genre. The main 'love' triangle is handled particularly well. Note the quotation marks – this is anything but a standard romance, because we're dealing with people who can alter memories and plant compulsions.

As well as the central relationships, and the questions they raise about free will, trust and loyalty, the book deals with themes of prejudice, and idealism vs pragmatism. Cara and Ben find themselves thrust into the close company of the anti-psi-tech Ecolibrians whose utopian dreams are set to come into conflict with the market forces in this highly capitalist future. Bedford is carefully non-judgemental in her handling of moral issues – even her antagonists are given their say – and the book has a pleasing weight and balance as a result.

Bedford's punchy, readable style propels the reader easily through the complexities of the well-paced plot, and her world-building, whilst utilising some tropes, also displays interesting and original touches which bode well for future novels.

The book is not without flaws – the opening is somewhat loaded with backstory, and there are a couple of coincidences driving parts of the plot – but these are small and forgivable, especially bearing in mind this is a first novel. It'll be interesting to see where the story goes next. ...more

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Oct 17, 2017 S.J. Higbee rated it it was amazing

I really loved Cara – she is desperate and frightened when we first meet her. Clearly used to dealing with the sleazier side of life, she doesn’t hesitate to sleep with Ben, the pilot who offers to take her off-planet, thinking it’s part of the deal. But over the length of the book, which includes chases, murders and helping establish a colony on a new world, Cara begins to find herself again. Bedford effectively depicts a woman struggling to put an abusive past behind her and build a new life f I really loved Cara – she is desperate and frightened when we first meet her. Clearly used to dealing with the sleazier side of life, she doesn’t hesitate to sleep with Ben, the pilot who offers to take her off-planet, thinking it’s part of the deal. But over the length of the book, which includes chases, murders and helping establish a colony on a new world, Cara begins to find herself again. Bedford effectively depicts a woman struggling to put an abusive past behind her and build a new life for herself – and I really enjoyed the fact that it certainly isn’t all plain sailing just because she finds someone who cares for her.

I’m aware I may have given the impression this book is all about the romance, and while it is an element, it certainly isn’t the driving force or main theme of the book, which is far more mainstream epic space opera – that of corruption and the ruthlessness of big corporations. Once again, we have a future where it is huge capitalist corporations driving colonisation of planets. Inevitably, it comes down to profit – and you won’t be surprised to learn that when eye-watering sums of money are involved, the people running those corporations regard those in the way as expendable. It doesn’t help that they are a poorly regarded, eccentric cult with relatively few resources…

I loved the growing friction between the team of experts all with brain implants to boost their telepathic, empathetic and healing talents and the colonists who wish to establish an agrarian idyll where technology is replaced by horse and bullock power and industry is severely restricted. Bedford is very good at keeping the pace going with a series of adventures that keep the narrative ticking along at a fair clip, all the while steadily ramping up the stakes. While I love this genre, all too often I find the characterisation suffers in the middle of establishing all the world-spanning action – but it is the characters and what happens to them that is firmly at the heart of this one, which leads to an action-packed finale.

All in all, this is a cracking read and I shall be looking out for the next one in the series, just as soon as I manage to find some space on my bulging book shelves. Highly recommended for fans of entertaining epic space opera.
9/10 ...more

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Aug 29, 2016 Hanzel rated it really liked it

Starting this one, it quickly caught my attention, I really like science fiction that goes in a linear path, one that doesn't try to explain all the nuances of that universes' technology and etc. i.e a particular engine how it runs, how it is built, who built it and etc.

Story, story, story............ok as simple as it is, this universes' foundation rest solely on individual having the psi ability whether it is psi tech/mech/engineer and all forms of ability and profession....it further classify ...more

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May 11, 2015 SFReader rated it really liked it

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Nov 29, 2014 Caroline Mersey rated it liked it

Shelves: readwomen, review-copies

Jacey Bedford's promising debut novel is a pacey thriller about colonisation and corruption. The world-building is strong: the economics of space exploration and colonisation mesh well with large corporations (who else could afford to bankroll these expeditions?) and the lack of regulation permits corruption to develop. And the idea of particular groups wanting to step outside society to live consistently with their beliefs is worth exploring.

But the novel is very clearly a first novel. The plo ...more

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Apr 07, 2016 David Sarsfield rated it it was ok

When I first read the back-cover blurb for 'Empire of Dust', I looked forward to reading as it appeared to tick a lot of boxes: cyberpunk-ish space opera with a definite thrilleristic edge. And indeed, during the first few chapters, the plot seemed to deliver on this promise. The main issue I had was that the book transformed into something very different: a complex look at the often antagonistic relationship between psi-tech and settler on a new colony planet. In itself, there wasn't anything o ...more

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Apr 09, 2015 James rated it liked it

Shelves: fiction, sf

A good first novel, the romance bit seemed a bit forced but it wasn't a large part of the story. Other than that , most of the character conceptions are decent. The discrimination theme is done well, it wasn't just a collection of good and evil characters. The evil corporation bit was over the top, since this universe has FTL communications, it's hard for me to believe some of the acts left unpunished. I have that problem with modern news nowadays, so perhaps it's more credible than it feels. I ...more

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Jan 02, 2015 Sheila rated it liked it

Shelves: sci-fi

3.5 rating. Decent story that got me hooked early on! I liked all of the characters except for Max Constant, who was a selfish, boring prick. The writing could have been much tighter, an issue that was highlighted by the fact the author found it necessary to repeat basic facts throughout the story. I'm not an idiot! Don't treat me like one!

I even liked the romantic sub-plot! It was cute, & Ben is adorable. I think I'll stick with this series. ...more

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Jan 20, 2016 Claire H rated it it was ok

Shelves: sci-fi

Incredibly intriguing premise aside, I should have known better than to break my nearly inviolate never-read-books-rated-less-than-4-stars rule. This had a very strong first act - quick pacing, inventive premise, deft method of bringing the main characters together. That was followed by a reasonable but weaker and slower paced second act, and then a third act that was so boring I barely finished the book. A waste of a good novel. Don't read. ...more

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Jul 06, 2016 D.F. Haley rated it liked it

I like the meme of badass tough heroine fighting back against the system. This one was pretty well done, but the denouement was disappointing. In particular, the characters appeared to start acting in ways that were inconsistent with how they had been established. They did not ring true. It spoiled the book for me. The end was much less triumphant than it might have been, as the protagonists got goofy while the antagonists started acting stupid. Blech!

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Jun 13, 2014 Susan rated it it was amazing

I loved this book. The world building was engaging and believable. I particularly liked the big picture politics of the mega corporations, and the existence of the equally powerful Crossways criminal conglomerate. But best of all was the developing relationship between the two main characters, Ben and Cara, as they struggle to save both themselves and the colony.

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Dec 04, 2014 Robert rated it really liked it

Good, old-fashioned SF. I thought the psi might put me off, but it was like putting on an old shoe. It’s all here: psi, wormholes, evil megacorps, raving religious loonies, treachery, sadism, heroism, heroine-ism and romance. A ripping good yarn! I can’t wait for the sequel.

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Jul 07, 2016 Thomas rated it liked it

Otherwise well-written novel in an interesting world is dragged down by a one-dimensional Gary Stu hero who is never really punished for his naivete or poor leadership. Seriously, he shouldn't be in charge of a lemonade stand. ...more

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Dec 30, 2016 Veronica rated it liked it

I really enjoyed this novel although it was a bit too long. The plot moves quite quickly and the characters are all interesting. Lots of thought has gone into the novel - setting up a planet with settlers and encountering difficulties both from man and nature. Lots of good SF concepts.

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Nov 23, 2014 Richard Plummer rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Sloooooooow

You just keep waiting and waiting for action. I have exorcised some bit of bad karma by suffering through. Not an amateur but not worth a Sunday.

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Apr 26, 2015 Em rated it it was ok

Shelves: sci-fi-fantasy

space opera. some interesting ideas but a little bit predictable and characters were fairly unidimensional. will still try the next book in this series.

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Oct 03, 2016 Linda rated it liked it

Decent book. Pacing sucked. Plot was good. Characters were developed well. Somewhat predictable though, only somewhat.

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About Jacey Bedford

Jacey Bedford

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Jacey Bedford is an English writer who is published by DAW in the USA. She lives and works behind a desk in Pennine Yorkshire. She's had stories published on both sides of the Atlantic. She has six novels out now and is currently working on three more. Empire of Dust, Crossways, and Nimbus are science fiction (space opera) which make up the Psi-Tech trilogy. Winterwood, a historical fantasy, is se ...more

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Quotes from Empire of Dust

“He should be building a wall between them if he didn’t want to get hurt, but walls sometimes kept in the bad and kept out the good. You couldn’t live your life behind walls. It wasn’t living.” — 0 likes

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