Anti-State

by Allen Stroud

A standalone story set in The Fractal series world, which began with the much lauded Fearless and Resilient, hard-sf masterpieces which Analog called "Rigorous hard SF with a powerful but flawed protagonist."

“Stroud raises fascinating questions about the politics of space exploration.”– Publisher’s Weekly

2121 AD. Three years after the first Mars conflict and the colony is still struggling to recover. Corporations fight to hold on to their investments. Old secrets resurface and new faces appear.

Magnus Sirocco should never have been allowed to come here. He is a vigilante turned revolutionary who has been given a cause. He doesn’t lose. Ever. Peter Iskander leads a new religious mission to deliver the promised land to their people. And after being investigated, exonerated and promoted, Commodore Ellisa Shann returns, but when a ship is stolen, she is drawn into another deadly duel.

FLAME TREE PRESS is the new fiction imprint of Flame Tree Publishing. Launched in 2018 the list brings together brilliant new authors and the more established; the award winners, and exciting, original voices.

400 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication May 19, 2026

About the author

I am Assistant Professor (Research) Defence and Security Futures in the Centre for Peace and Security at Coventry University.

I was Chair of the British Science Fiction Association between 2019 and 2025.

In 2017, I completed my Ph. D. in "Worldbuilding Techniques and Writing Structures in Science Fiction and Fantasy".

My Official Elite: Dangerous novel, Elite: Lave Revolution was published in May 2014. I am also the official novelist for Julian Gollop's new game 'Chaos Reborn', released in 2016. I also wrote 'The Last Tank Commander', which was first published by Newcon Press and went on to be included in 'The Year's Best Military SF and Adventure Stories 2016' by Baen Books.

In 2017, Luna Press published my novel, 'The Forever Man', a weird fiction/urban fantasy. In 2018, I was featured in the Clarke Award/Newcon Press anthology celebrating 100 years since the birth of Arthur C. Clarke.

I was also the co-lead writer for the computer game, Phoenix Point which was published in 2019. You can find a collection of the short stories here - https://phoenixpoint.info/archives/

In 2020, Flame Tree Press published my Science Fiction novel, Fearless.

“Stroud raises fascinating questions about the politics of space exploration.”- Publisher’s Weekly

“Rigorous hard SF with a powerful but flawed protagonist and a fascinating historical background, Fearless is a treat for just about any Analog reader.” AnalogSF

“Fast-paced, gripping hard SF with death in hard vacuum waiting at every turn.” Adrian Tchaikovsky

After Fearless, we have the sequel, Resilient (2022) then the episodes: Europa (2023), Ceres (2023) Lagrange Point (2023), Terra (2023), Luna (2024) and Jezero (2024). Also, the third novel, Vigilance came out in 2024.

Reviews

[Shawnee · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Anti-State" is an interesting book that weaves intrigue throughout the space colonization/exploration storyline. The author really explores some of the grey areas around political groups and factions - each have their own idea of what Mars and space colonization should look like - but does that mean any of them are wrong, per se? They all had their pros and cons. Who do you cheer for? Are the events that unravel the right answer for the colony of Mars?? Only time (and more books!) will tell!

This is a spin-off from the author's original series, which I have not read. While the description states it is a standalone novel, I struggled at times to understand what was happening when past events from the previous series were mentioned. There was not much, if any, context given in this book to bring readers up to speed. Also, this book does not end with all loose ends tied neatly in a bow, so it seems the author may be using this novel as a launching pad for a new series.

The flow of the book feels slow at first, as the author is setting up the action later in the book. You are also jumping between 4 different POVs, so that adds a little to the slow feeling.

Overall, a solid sci-fi book that I would recommend to someone looking for a deeper, thoughtful look at space exploration!

[Fatguyreading · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anti-State is a spin off from the author’s Fractal series, but is a standalone, so you don't need to have read the books in the series, but I'd certainly recommend you do for lots of great back story.

Set on Mars in the year 2121 in which we follow a Martian colony struggling to recover following a previous conflict, it's a well rounded Sci-fi tale of politics, intrigue and belligerent factions.

I must admit, I did find the pace a little slow in parts, but in the main, the pace moved swiftly and held my attention.

4 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 's from me.