Bolted to the Bone

by Bart Carroll

Infusing Celtic legend into science fantasy... Despite being mortal enemies, a saint and her disgraced former commander must solve the mystery of a failing sky and find the missing children of their shattered world.

A panel of the artificial sky has fallen; a market town below suddenly destroyed. And while everyone on the Emerald—this small garden world of Shattered Earth—wishes to celebrate Yuletide, nobody knows if their entire sky is now about to fail.



Saint Alexandra, devout judge-errant, has been deployed to investigate. Find the true cause, and she’ll keep the lives of her people safe, including that of her custodial squire.



Scrounger, disgraced former commander, has been assigned to salvage the ruined town. While secretly looting instead, he discovers three of its boys are still missing. Find them, and he may be able to restore some semblance of lost honor.



Resolve the failing sky. Find the lost children. Challenging tasks for both, as they must navigate lab-brewed monsters, enemy saints, and all manner of thieves and mercenaries gathered at this year’s Yuletide festival… all while harboring resentment for past crimes inflicted upon one another.

Genres: Fantasy, Science Fiction

493 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 18, 2025

About the author

Bart Carroll has spent the past 20+ years writing, editing, and producing content for digital and tabletop gaming. In this time, he’s managed the Dungeons & Dragons website, published Dragon+ digital magazine, and worked on brands including Magic: the Gathering, Star Wars, and G.I. Joe. He’s also proud to have written several adventures in support of Extra Life, benefiting Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. He is still afraid of the dark after watching Poltergeist as a child, and once struck out in Little League while simultaneously getting hit by a pitch.

Reviews

[Shannon K G · Rating 4 out of 5]

This took me a little bit to get into, but once I did I was all in. The world building is well done and unique and I liked how fleshed out the characters are. This is definitely a book I would revisit later.

[Carter · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven’t read a long epic fantasy novel in a while – this was a great choice with which to return. I will be telling every friend I have that enjoys sci-fi/fantasy to put Bolted to the Bone on their list. Big thanks to Bart Carroll for the advanced reader copy!

I’m going to avoid much plot synopsis, because personally I found the “reveals” even early on to be satisfying and I’m glad I didn’t know any of them going in. Just the explanation of what “bolted to the bone” refers to (immediately in the first chapter) felt like a little mystery solved right off the bat.

However, for some very brief context: We initially meet Alexandra, a saint, and her squire Dawkins, off to investigate the disaster site of a panel of artificial sky that has fallen and destroyed a town. Then we meet Scrounger, Alexandra’s former commander who has been stripped of his sainthood and reduced to cleanup of that very site. He has his own mystery – three children of the ruined town are not among the dead. The two investigations progress in tandem.

The worldbuilding unfolds gently from the beginning, evocative and intriguing without long, overwhelming expository sections. Character development, plot, and worldbuilding are woven together such that learning about the setting feels character-driven and natural. The experience of reading is one of mystery after mystery married with discovery after discovery.

Carroll gets us invested in Alexandra and Scrounger immediately – the enmity between them is palpable from the start even as we know so little about its source. I could feel Alexandra’s horror and fear at seeing him again, even as I felt a little defensive of him because he’d already grown on me. Their plotlines are interwoven beautifully and balanced well – Scrounger’s is more action packed to meet Alexandra’s more conversation-based investigation.

I would recommend Bolted to the Bone to any science fantasy fan, but you would enjoy it particularly if you:
- Like intricate worldbuilding, discovered gradually alongside the characters à la N.K. Jemisin or Tamsyn Muir
- Liked Tamora Pierce’s Tortall books as a child. I felt the spirit of Alana in Alexandra, and you experience the relationship between saint/knight and squire from the adult’s perspective.

[Maureen Madray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow - just wow. This was an unexpected journey and I loved all of it. If you were to take Excalibur (the 1980s fantasy film), and mash it with Blade Runner (probably Blade Runner 2049 would be the best fit) and then sprinkle the Witcher on top….this book is what you would get.

Tuck in to your next epic fantasy with ‘Bolted to the Bone’ which I would say is best approached with a readiness for rich setting and high concept driven plot. This is not a quick cozy fantasy read - this is an epic adventure that you will want to fall into for a while.

This book is science fantasy interwoven with monster hunting being held together by a Celtic knot.

✨Spoiler Free Synopsis✨

Alexandra, a saintly judge-errant and her former (now disgraced) commander, Scrounger, are thrust into mutual cooperation despite deep personal animosities. Their world has fractured: an ‘artificial sky-panel’ over their portion of the “Shattered Earth” has collapsed, destroying the town of Ros Cré and leaving missing children in its wake. Alexandra is sent by her religious order to investigate. Meanwhile Scrounger tries to redeem himself by finding the missing boys and regaining lost honor. Dual character arcs, mysterious druidic scientists, a devouring hydra-serpent, and threats of further sky-failures in the middle of Yuletide come together to weave this intricate and compelling tale.

✨Why this was not a 5 star read for me: ✨
My only criticism would be the flow of the story, but considering all that the author tried to fit into this story it was well done. I felt the some of the story arc transitions could have been smoother. I will definitely be looking forward to future books by B. Carroll!

This is my honest review that I am leaving voluntarily after receiving an advance reader copy of this book.

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dark, high fantasy, rich character-driven plot and intricate worldbuilding, Bolted to the Bone was a twisted, dystopian treat from start to finish. Thank you to Bart Carroll for the Advanced Reader copy.

We follow Alexandra, a saint, and her squire, Dawkins, investigating the destruction of a small town after a panel fell from the artificial sky of the Emerald, a world of Shattered Earth. Her story is joined by Scrounger, a former commander who has been disgraced and assigned to corpse cleaning, who discovers that three boys are missing from the ruined town.

The worldbuilding and plot are evocative and build tension very effectively, leaving you second-guessing every plot point and motivation of the characters you meet along the way. The stories of our two main characters - their heated old animosity towards each other and their own mysteries to be unravelled - were interwoven seamlessly. I loved stoic Alexandra and curious Dawkins, but I had a soft spot for Scrounger. The lab-brewed monsters and enemy saints added to the intrigue, and I was a big fan of the little luchormen!

I think this is one of those rare cases where the book could have been longer! There was so much lore to pack into just over 300 pages, but Carroll did this without losing out on any of the worldbuilding. If you're a fan of N.K. Jemison, or The Shadow of the Leviathan series by Robert Jackson Bennett, I highly recommend Bolted to the Bone.

[Singer_of_Stories · Rating 4 out of 5]

I get curious easily when it comes to books. I see unusual covers, strange blurbs, and unknown authors and I think, "I bet this is a hidden gem." Sometimes I'm right. Other times my friends deal with the consequences of my curiosity by being subjected to hours-long rants about everything that frustrated or annoyed me in the story. This book was one of my curiosity-induced ARC requests, and I went in basically blind. I was immediately captivated as I followed the story. I don't want to say too much about what captivated and held me because frankly a big part of the reason that I personally enjoyed the story so much was because I went in blind. Every twist and turn was unexpected, and I loved it. There were some truly masterful moments in the story, and it's one I'd be interested to read again and see how some of those moments were set up now that I'm comfortable in the world and the story.

If you do pick this book up, do be warned. The world it portrays isn't quite grimdark, but it does get grim and dark at times with violence and death both normal aspects of life. At times, it was on the edge of what I normally tolerate and appreciate, but I also have a pretty low tolerance and so people more comfortable with grimdark literature probably won't find this as grim or dark as they're used to.

I received an advance review copy from BookSirens for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Sally · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to BookSirens and the author for the ARC!

This is a wonderously crafted work of epic fantasy fused with scifi elements with some serious worldbuilding in play. I was hooked from the start when it’s revealed that the saint’s (their function being both judge, jury, and executioner, as well as general errands) armour is bolted through their limbs to be a permanent part of them. The contrast of Alexandra (current Saint) and Scrounger (former Saint) was such a good narrative contrast, especially with the slow trickle of details about their shared backstory shown first in hinted conversations and then in full flashbacks.

They’re both deeply driven characters, Alexandra focusing on her duty to the investigation, but also to her squire, and Scrounger to first his haul, but then to finding three lost boys to the exclusion of everything else.

The narrative is an interesting one, two conjoined mysteries running throughout, but also including pieces of previous quests to fight “oll-beasts”, manufactured creatures similar to those from mythology. There’s a distinctive scifi element as well, the world is a sealed fragment of a larger whole kept encased by a sky made up of panels, one of which has fallen.

I’d love to read more in this universe and just more from this author in general.

[Alexis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Bolted to the Bone by Bart Carroll pulled me through 470 pages like it was nothing. I would label it as a sci-fi dystopian with fantasy elements. This book is Celtic mythos meets the tech of Warhammar: 40k meets Chicken Little (the movie) in the best way I can imagine.

If you are craving deep and unique world-building I would give this book a try.

There are a few typos and formatting issues, but they are few and far between. A tolerable amount. There was only one piece of worldbuilding I felt fell short. It is non-critical to the plot as a whole, and by no means was it done poorly at all. I was just excited about the initial concept of this mechanic, but when it came time to play out on page it was just an "Okay, cool" kind of feeling. There are several different directions I think they could've gone with it. I'm not upset about the final product, I just ended up more excited about the build up to it than the actual results.

Overall, please give Bolted to the Bone a try, and I look forward to reading more from Bart Carroll in the future.

[Kelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bolted to the Bone by Bart Carroll is an imaginative fusion of Celtic myth and science fantasy that builds a strikingly original world teetering on the edge of collapse. The story’s tension is immediate a fragment of the artificial sky crashes down, igniting mystery, fear, and the desperate hope of a fading civilization.

Saint Alexandra’s devotion and Scrounger’s wounded honor make for a fascinating pairing enemies bound by duty and guilt, forced to confront not only a failing world but also their shared past. Carroll’s prose is rich with atmosphere, his world-building meticulous, and his pacing sharp. The combination of sacred duty, corruption, and redemption against a backdrop of Yuletide despair creates a mood that lingers long after the final page.

An absorbing, character-driven tale that blends myth, morality, and machine with striking depth.

[Samwise Gamgee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was recommended to me by a friend who told me to go in completely blind. No genre, no synopsis, nothing. And honestly, that was such a great idea. Starting it without any expectations made the whole experience more fun and surprising.

I absolutely loved the setting and how quickly the book pulled me in. The writing was so easy to read that I ended up breezing through big chunks of it without even noticing the time. I was intrigued right from the very first page, and that sense of curiosity stayed with me throughout most of the story.

There were a few chapters in the middle that felt a bit slow and dragged on more than necessary, but it didn’t take away from the overall enjoyment. The world, the characters, and the tone were strong enough to keep me invested. In the end, it was a really solid, engaging read that I’m glad I picked up.

[Elliot · Rating 5 out of 5]

this was exciting, heartbreaking and an overall amazing read!

it was fast paced and kept me trying to guess what would happen right until the very end.
I really enjoyed the world building as well as the mythology placed throughout, the concept of an artificial sky is AMAZING it was really interesting to see the fallout and now the characters dealt with it.
it was really interesting to see each characters perspective and how they view each other. I never expected what would come of some of these characters, I had such mixed emotions about some of them!!

I am really looking forward to seeing where this goes (if there's a second book (please??)) and where they all end up.

I received an advance review copy for free (thanks BookSirens) and I am leaving this review voluntarily

[Juls · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had so much potential - a mysterious plot and a great world-building. But the last 15% were way too rushed confusing and messy and I’m still not sure what made sense or not. Or maybe I’m just too stupid to comprehend this ending.
Again, the world-building and the magic system are very unique with a mix of fantasy and sci-fi. The setting is complex and deserves to be explored within a series (a standalone is too short to truly enjoy it… there was so many things to process and so few pages… I think that’s why it was confusing).
The story and the characters have strong bones and unfortunately the ending didn’t make them justice (in my opinion - I think some readers will truly enjoy the ending because it’s so unconventional.)

[Jennifer Loschiavo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one thick book, but if you are willing to put in the time, it is 100% worth it. This is true epic fantasy at its finest. The way these extremely odd characters come together even with their past problems and how it all comes together, leads to a very interesting and complicated adventure. If you like traditional old-school fantasy, and if you like D&D vibes, this is gonna be for you all the way. It has very good banter. The creatures are very creative and you just feel very in touch with the whole book. You feel like you’re on the adventure with them, which is what I love the most about reading fantasy books, especially if they are going to be this long. Very well done.

[AsherMaximum · Rating 4 out of 5]

At the start of this book, I really thought it was gonna end up being a 2 or 3 star, but wow, about 20% in it just really came together, and started making sense.

It's refreshing to see an entirely new concept for a sci-fi/fantasy book (and I would classify this as both sci-fi and fantasy, btw).

The world building was great, the slow revealing of the history was great. It just could have used some help in that first 20% to make the chapter preambles make more sense. Later on, they really did, but early on they seemed very out of place.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Luca VanDie · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s been awhile since I finished a book, and man this book pulled me through way to the end. It’s a nice mix between sci-fi and fantasy, which I don’t think I’ve read before. The characters were super good as well as the relationships between them. Scrounger ended up as my favorite after his story was expanded. Alexandra and Dawkins had a lot of fun dynamics between them. The mysteries and little details between them felt super solid and kept me wondering more. The way everything pulled together at the end was so satisfying. I don’t reread books, but I’ll probably reread this one. I loved all the interconnecting stories,
.

[Kelly Xan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an advance copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I was a little intimidated cracking this one open, but intimidation went out the window by the end of the first chapter. I was hooked. I can best describe this as classic fantasy, but turned up to 1000: intriguing characters, excellent dialogue, a plot dripping with mystery and adventure. But I just LOVED the characters. You could have put Alexandra, Dawkins and Scrounger in an elevator for 500 pages and it would have still been an amazing ride! I would have missed the incredible lore and world-building, which Carroll is really gifted at. Would highly recommend - fairytale with a twist!

[Tess Grandison · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book surprised me—in a good way. It’s gritty, weird, and full of heart. Think Celtic myth meets sci-fi apocalypse, but with actual emotional stakes. The tension between Saint Alexandra and Scrounger? Electric. And the whole failing-sky mystery layered over a missing children subplot? That’s what kept me turning pages.

It’s not light reading—there’s a lot going on—but if you’re into deep worldbuilding and character-driven storytelling with a mythological twist, this is your jam. One star off because it took a few chapters to orient myself, but once I did, I was in. Definitely a bold debut.

[Keely Kovacevic · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bolted to the Bone started off as an original fantasy with elements of Celtic mythology and merged into a sci fi thriller with more twists than a labyrinth.

While the first 30% of the book was difficult to get into as you navigated a new world and new language, the last 70% was an action packed fun time, even if the book ended and I still had questions!

Overall, A highly enjoyable, original story. Looking forward to reading more set in this world (or off it!)

[Travis Butler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bolted to the Bone
By Bart Carroll

This book has an old school fantasy adventure feel mixed with sci-fi elements. If I'm not mistaken this is a debut novel making it that much more impressive.
I enjoyed this book. It's dark, gritty and fun.
Thank you to NetGalley and the author for giving me the opportunity to read this book early in return for my honest review.