The Fated Sky

Transgressor Trilogy #1

by E.M. Swift-Hook

Librarian note: Older cover of B01FKY8EBM.

One man's fight against fate shapes the destiny of an entire world.

Caer's breath hissed between his teeth. For some reason he had assumed that offworlders would be frail, with weak, puny bodies. From all he had heard they were feeble, using machines they had invented to do the work of their muscles. But this one was strong and his body was built like any ordinary man. His flesh carried several old scars and his muscles were clean and compact beneath the skin. The thought struck him that this man would fetch a fortune in the Alfor slave pens. The castellans would be scrambling over each other to purchase something so rare and exotic as a genuine offworlder.
“See, he is a fighter, Captain. This and this - they were made by blades,” Zarul said, pointing at the scars. Caer nodded.
“Well, if he lives, perhaps we shall find out what kind of fighter he is, this man from the stars.”

Temsevar is an insignificant Periphery world on the very fringes of galactic civilisation. Settled long before the rise of faster-than-light technologies and left isolated for hundreds of years, its population have degenerated into the barbarism of a medieval culture. This primitive world has nothing the wealthy planets of the Coalition could want, until it becomes unwitting host to one of their most dangerous enemies - Avilon Revid.

From the moment he wakes up in the caravan of the merchant-princess Alexa the Fair, Avilon has to fight simply to survive in a world where he is seen as alien and dangerous. It is a battle to obtain his freedom,that pushes his skills and resources to the limit,so he can find a way off-planet before his enemies in the Coalition track him down.

But Temsevar has its own brutal conflicts being played out against the backdrop of its harsh and unforgiving climate. The society is dominated by a ruthless Warlord, intent on subduing the entire continent to his will and whose brilliant general - Jariq Zarengor - has earned a reputation for callous bloodshed. And then there is the enigmatic Durban Chola, trading information to whoever pays him for it, while playing his own, highly dangerous, game with fate.

The Fated Sky is the first volume in a new series of character driven books, which combine the action and space opera of science-fiction classics with the intrigue and political duplicity of the fantasy and historical genres. If 'Game of Thrones' met 'Star Wars' - this is what their progeny might look like.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction

388 pages, ebook

First published May 11, 2016

About the author

E.M. Swift-Hook is the author of the Fortune's Fools dark space opera series and co-author of the alternate history whodunits the Dai and Julia Mysteries.
In the words that Robert Heinlein put into the mouth of Lazarus Long: 'Writing is not necessarily something to be ashamed of, but do it in private and wash your hands afterwards.'
Having tried a number of different careers, before settling in the North-East of England with family, three dogs, cats and a small flock of rescued chickens, she now spends a lot of time in private and has very clean hands.

Reviews

[Stjepan Cobets · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first part of the trilogy The Fated Sky (Transgressor Trilogy # 1) book is well written and with pleasure, I read it. Author E.M. Swift-Hook with an excellent story captures the imaginary world of planet Temsevar. The writer has created the world that survives on the edge of a familiar universe in which not yet fired fingers of the Coalition. But this world is all that perfect, ruled by the rulers of the desirable power, slaves are a normal thing, and life is worth less than the grain of dust. Caravans transport goods between cities, and through wasteland are led by dangerous Zoukai warriors. Karavanes Alexa the Fair is the owner of goods that are transported over the wasteland and provides her with a unique opportunity to enrich because it is near her caravan, the spacecraft crashed. Alexa the Fair sends its leased Zoukai warriors to explore the place of the fall and pick up all the values they find. But Zoukai finds one survivor of the crew members. Alexa the Fair is superstitious of the find of goods because it guarantees the wealth, and the new slave is worth the same amount of money. She orders the slave to cure to achieve the best price. But what Alexa Fair does not know is the man she has rescued, no less than the most controversial anti-Coalition fighter, Avilon Revid. The world of Temsevar will surely change inevitably with Avilon's arrival. I have to admit I enjoyed the book and would gladly recommend it to all Sci-Fi lovers and book fantasies because both types of writing are interwoven through the story.
"I received a free copy from the author without an obligation to review."

[Werner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Note, Dec. 3, 2016: I've just edited this to correct a couple of minor typos.

At present, none of the books of my Goodreads friend E. M. Swift-Hook's Transgressor Trilogy are available in paper format (though the author's intention is that they eventually will be). Ordinarily, I don't read e-books; but I got this one when it was temporarily offered for free on Kindle (an offer that's since expired), in the hopes of liking it enough to support a friend's work with a review and to put it on my list of books to eventually buy as a paper copy. As my review indicates, those hopes were abundantly fulfilled!

This tale is set in a far-future, human-colonized galaxy, dominated (but not universally occupied and ruled) by a self-serving, oligarchic empire, the Coalition. The more immediate setting is Temsevar, a backward non-Coalition world circling a red sun, settled millennia ago by colonists before the days of FTL space travel, who've had little contact with the rest of the galaxy since then and have regressed (technologically and socially) to a medieval-like culture with a stratified, slavery-based socio-economic system, not much high technology, and an ingrained "might-makes-right," "dog-eat-dog" ethos. Swift-Hook uses a variety of viewpoint characters to tell her story (and those she starts off with won't actually be the main characters --though I'm guessing they'll play important roles in later books of the trilogy). Our protagonist (I think) is Avilon Revid, a high officer in the armed resistance movement against the Coalition, whose spaceship, damaged in battle, crashes on Temsevar; he's the only survivor. When he's found by the locals, injured and helpless, he's promptly enslaved. But intrigue is afoot in this world, where a brutal warlord who uses mass murder as an instrument of policy has set out to conquer a continent; and Avilon doesn't intend to give up on finding his way off-world and re-joining his revolution.

Some of the basic premises here have been used before in the genre; but Swift-Hook essentially re-vitalizes them and makes them her own. There are affinities to Edgar Rice Burrough's Barsoom novels; but the author's prose stylistic skills are a considerable cut above his, and her world-building both vastly more detailed and vastly more plausible. Her characterizations are top-notch --vivid, three-dimensional, and believable. While she doesn't offer incessant action, there's a fair amount of it, and she handles those scenes well. SF of this type --incorporating action, and with "space opera" characteristics-- is readily dismissed by snob critics as shallow and lacking in really serious thought content. Like other tales of its ilk, though, it doesn't truly lack serious thought content; it just thinks seriously about topics snob critics prefer to ignore: kindness vs. cruelty, loyalty vs. treachery, concern for others vs. sole concern for self, honor vs. self-serving expediency. And the look at a very unhealthy kind of society necessarily prompts readers to think about what a healthy one would look like, and what kinds of attitudes would engender one. Plotting and pacing here are also very good; this is a compulsive page-turner. (The nearly two and a half months I took to read it was solely do to the format, which doesn't lend itself to reading on the stationary bike where I do my main, regular reading. In paper format, I'd have blazed through it pretty quickly.)

While the major characters (Avilon, nobleman Jariq Zarengor, and secretive information broker Durban Chola) are well-drawn and complex, and evoked genuine interest in their well-being and safety on my part, I can't actually say I liked any one of them. All three are flawed to one degree or another; though they also have very real good qualities, some of the things they're willing to do can be quite off-putting (and even chilling at times). Surprisingly for a female writer, Swift-Hook's important characters are almost all male (of course, Temsevar is a very sexist, male-ruled society). None of the characters here display any scruples about using members of the other gender as playthings for sexual gratification, and even Avilon thinks nothing of using slave women for that purpose. Granted, he doesn't violently rape them --though raping their social "inferiors" seems to be a pretty standard practice for the planet's not-very-noble "nobility"-- but in a situation of slavery, constricted options and cultural brainwashing, their "consent" isn't worth very much. (On the plus side, however, there's no explicit sexual content, and no bad language.) This also isn't a work of great spiritual insight; Christianity is totally forgotten on this world, what passes for religion is a vague polytheism, and Avilon and Jariq both view life from a standpoint of atheistic skepticism.

Although I've had to read this (at least for the moment) as pretty much a stand-alone, that isn't really the optimum way to read it. There are a lot of secrets and unanswered questions here about the characters' real motives and agendas; some of these questions will be answered, but not all --and the answers to other questions may simply give rise to new ones. And readers should be aware that this trilogy opener ends in a total cliff-hanger (though no spoilers here about what it is!). This and some of the factors mentioned above knocked a star off my personal rating (they may not bother other readers); but nevertheless, I really liked the book overall. That's a testimony to how genuinely well written it is!

Memo to the author: the paper version, when it's published, could really use a map of Temsevar's Western Continent. The verbal geographical clues in the text provide a basic spatial orientation, but for me they're no substitute for a map. (Of course, I fell in love with world and U.S. maps as a kid, and felt that they grounded me and helped me to relate myself to my environment; maybe not all readers bring that kind of map-happy mindset to the table!)

[S. Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let me start by saying the writing is good! This is something I scrutinize since I do a bit of critiquing and self-editing. At least three times I had been so swept away with the prose that I had to set my Kindle Paper-white down and make the statement. Not that people in a car dealership waiting room cared! My wife seemed mildly interested, but only reads the fiction I write. That smarty pants…

There is a fair amount of political maneuvering and mental chess going on with a couple key characters, namely Jariq and Duran. Orson Scott-Card and Frank Hebert employ the same method, but I have grown impatient with both sci fi legends because I’m an action guy and though their books are well written, they are written about people who just sit around and plot ten steps ahead because they are strategic masterminds. Swift-Hook avoided Alvin Maker’s fate on my digital book shelf. There was a good mix of action and much of the deep scheming came from people with the life experiences that would enable them to benefit. This was not a book about smart people spacing out with their twenty steps to victory planning. This was action packed political intrigue. I used to think I was averse to the POV of scheming so and so, but Swift-Hook has renewed my faith in the architype. I love the Ender’s Game and Dune books, by the way, but tolerated the scheming in the doing, then enough was enough.

Don’t try to figure out the storyline and set up before chapter 14. Just enjoy the ride through an exotic and dangerous desert backwater world of a space empire. I wasn’t even sure who the book was really about until the mid-point, but every person we meet gives us a unique glimpse that no other could, and I wouldn’t recommend editing any of them out.

I received a free copy in exchange for a review. Any review. That fact that it’s a good one is because the book is good. Which has nothing to do with how awesome I am. You’ll have to find that out for yourself @S_Shane_Thomas on Twitter.

Do buy this book, but know that the story spans all three parts of the trilogy and part 1 ends without the mandatory- hero gives it a fourth desperate/ unexpected/ ballsy/ beyond imagination try, manages to vanquish ultimate evil, then we spend 5-15 pages seeing that all’s well that ends well. It cliff hangs, leaving me in a lurch and desperate for volume two and the precious time to read it! That said, just buy them all. Go on, I’m done ranting.

[Florian Armas · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Fated Sky is an intelligent and wonderfully convoluted fantasy novel, enchanting the reader on a well-built far away world through the thoughts, emotions and memories of two triangles of characters. The settings are extensive enough to create a plausible world and background for the story. There is an inherent complexity in the characters’ interactions as none of them is entirely good or bad, and there are many hidden implications that the reader is incensed to discover.
We start with a triangle that figures:
Alexa the Fair, an intelligent and beautiful woman and a Caravan's leader, struggling to survive in a man’s world by trying to be tougher than most.
Caer, a young Zoukai considered too inexperienced to be a Caravan’s captain.
Avilon, the kashlihk, whose spaceship crashed on the planet. Captured and enslaved, he tries to find his way to liberty.
With the flow of action, we move into the second triangle:
Avilon, again.
Durban Chola, the riddle inside a mystery, the character that the reader must try hard to understand, and whose actions will still be shrouded in mystery at the end of the book.
Jariq, a knight with a grudge, a certain blunt cynicism, a questioning of his own sense of self, and shade of romantic behavior, learning what friendship can be.
Over all rule Qabal, a warlord bent on dominating the world, cruel and ruthless but having an interesting mind, a subtle politician.
The Fated Sky is a well written mix of fantasy and science fiction, a parable with a high degree of uncertainty and hidden connotations that subtly absorbs the reader in a long journey

[L.N. Denison · Rating 4 out of 5]

The fated Sky is a well conceived, well written Space Opera, left on a bit of a cliffhanger, or so I thought. The story follows Avilon, an offworlder, who crash lands on what I would call, a primitive planet, backward in technology. He is captured by a Zoukai Captain, by the name of Caer, who takes him back to the caravan he is guarding.

As the story progresses, more characters begin to want a piece of Avilon, mainly, Durban Chola, who takes an interest in 'Kashlihk', the name that Avilon has been given by Caer, as he arrives with the caravan who has taken him prisoner at the yearly market, if that's what would like to call it. Where the caravansi try to make as much money as they can from the items they have acquired on their journey's.

Avilon is sold to a warlord, and Caer is hired by him to become his new right hand man. And this is where the story really kicks off. I won't elaborate for fear of giving away spoilers. I have a really bad habit of doing that.

I found the writing of this story to be sound, with very few mistakes. The dialogue was well written and the story flowed well. It was a nice, easy read, full of adventure, and some really dark scenes, which I love. There was only one draw back with the whole story, and that was the slowing of pace in some areas. Apart from that, everything else about was good. A fantastic read that I would recommend to anyone. Well done! I can't wait to see where this story goes, as it left at such a place, that you would find yourself begging for the next segment.

[Jeanette · Rating 4 out of 5]

E. M. Swift-Hook's Fated Sky is a gritty Space Opera set in a far-flung periphery of the galaxy in the distant future. After being ambushed by Coalition forces, Avilon Revid's space ship crashes on the technological regressive, almost forgotten planet of Temsevar. Badly injured, he is captured by a Carvanensi and sold into slavery to a powerful warlord. He needs to escape and get to the planet's only spaceport on the other side of the world. Not an easy task as Avilon finds himself embroiled in the local politics and the hidden agendas of both possible friends and foes.

I loved Swift-Hook's world building through the point of view of a range of characters - Avilon; the young Zoukai captain Caer; the Carvanasi Alexa the Fair; the dealer in information Durban Chola; the War Lord's right-hand man, Jariq Zarenga; and Aisah, leader of the troop of acrobats. With each change of pov, I found myself immersed in the character and their goals, conflicts and challenges. It certainly added to the understanding of the world, especially as Avilon spends the first part of the story drugged and or chained up in a wagon. The distances travelled by foot and horse are realistic on a planetary scale and so there are long sections of travel though there is also plenty of action and high stakes as well.

The writing was strong, the characters well drawn and complex and memorable, the plot and set-up interesting. There were a number of minor typos and stylistic glitches but not enough to spoil my enjoyment of the story.

It was a bit of a let-down to find this first book not only ends on a cliff-hanger - but also, it glides over what could have been a climatic event, as it happens while one major character is drugged and we only hear about in hearsay and not from Avilon’s pov, followed by an abrupt finish only tempered by the fact that I'm reading the boxed set and have the second book at my finger-tips :)

I think the biggest issue for me, the one that made this 4 1/2 stars rather than 5, is that I would be settling into a character, enjoying the nuances, sympathizing with their difficulties, only to realise that yet again this character was a cold-blooded killer (with or without some pangs of conscience) and, often as not, treated sexual encounters as little more than scratching an itch. I realise that this is in part how their circumstances had made them, and that there is no doubt greater depths to at least some of the major characters, but it did find myself struggling to know who I should barrack for. Perhaps this was added to by the fact that Avilon, who I'd imagined as the main character, gets little air time and is so totally self-contained even when he does - so that he is almost as much an enigma at the finish of Fated Sky as he is at the start. I want to care about Avilon and Durban, but I don't as their real motives are hidden too deep. I want to care for Jariq despite his past loyalty to the cold and calculating Warlord - but am reserving judgment.

That said, Fated Sky was an enjoyable read and I'm looking forward to some answers in the rest of the trilogy.

[Rafael · Rating 4 out of 5]

When at its start a story needs only who and what to submerge a reader into the immediacy of its world, a powerful writer has you in her grip.

The Fated Sky introduces a novelist whose storytelling skills, at once masterful and wondrous, create a world of magnificent scope and vivid imagery. Avilon Revid has crash landed on a human world centuries behind the FTL civilization hunting him. Now he must reach the planet's other side to its only spaceport if he hopes to escape. And the adventure begins.

Ms. Swift-Hook invites you to travel across this world in the company of the trade caravans criss-crossing it. You will be a party to their internal rivalries and machinations as they vie for power and status. And when the caravans arrive in the grand city of Alfor, she places you not just in the midst of its reality but at the heart of the factional maneuvering sharpening the coming conflicts.

All the while Avilon, captured by one caravan as a slave destined for the gladiatorial arena, must use every bit of guile and cunning he can muster to pick his way through this alien minefield. A task made more difficult when the author, in another twist that keeps the plot unpredictable, places him within the clutches of the Black Vavasor.

Indeed, Ms. Swift-Hook's storytelling brings surprise, dismay, frustration, anxiety, anticipation, anger, satisfaction, rage. She binds you within emotional chains that permit no escape. And that is to her credit.

And yet, The Fated Sky is not a flawless novel. Not the flaws of structure, scene, and character. Ms. Swift-Hook's instincts and natural skills have those well in hand. But the faults of style expected of any first-time novelist. While not impeding clarity, flow, or the sharp, detailed scenery she paints for the mind's eye, it does not have the depth and maturity awaiting this very talented writer.

Nonetheless, it is a singular read that displays a coming novelist's grand vision and sets the stage for the two successive stories serving as coda. I deducted a star for the reasons stated above and did so without doubt or reservation 5-star wonders will form Ms. Swift-Hook's future. The Fated Sky is not just the story of a galactic warrior but the unveiling of a phenomenal novelist.

[P.S. Meraux · Rating 4 out of 5]

A merchant-class, horse-drawn, wagon caravan salvages what it can from a space ship that crashed on the primitive planet. They also found and saved the life of an offworlder from the ship not for any altruistic reason mind you, they’re profit minded and plan to sell the captive into slavery. But that seems to be only one worry as Avilon could just as easily end up in the gladiator arena fighting for his life. It’s against this backdrop that the story of The Fated Sky unfolds.
It’s well written and full of intrigue. Friendships are made and broken with astonishing regularity. All this back and forth aids in the development and understanding of each character. The chapters alternate with shifting points of view, much like the cast of characters change alliances.
It begins with a caravan Captain, Caer, who’s young and naive but learns quickly. The question raised is whether he is clever enough to battle wits with Avilon. The offworlder is more skilled at deception than the caravan operators realize. He’s like a chess player running his best game using the people he solicits to help him like pawns. And some of those folks have their own agendas. Characters like Durban Chola, a master manipulator and lay intelligence operative, his plan to aid Avilon looks legit until it’s in action then as a reader I wasn’t so sure.
The pace slows as the activity moves from one place to another on the trail, it becomes a bit of a race to see who will outwit whom first.
It’s an enjoyable story that I could recommend for teens and older.
The ending is rather abrupt. Given the skill E.M. Swift-Hook exhibited in the beginning and the middle of the story, there’s obviously talent and know-how which is why I think I was caught off guard. It definitely makes the reader hunger for the next installment to see what happens.

[Jennifer Withers · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thoroughly enjoyable read. Although out of my scope of my usual genre, I was swept up and became engrossed in the meticulously laid-out world Swift-Hook so deftly described. Featuring a cast of characters from differing worlds and backgrounds, I enjoyed the pace of the story, and the jump from one viewpoint to the other.
I particularly enjoyed the way the characters were drawn – Jariq, for instance, has a terrifying legacy of indiscriminate killing of innocents like women and children, and yet, he doesn’t seem to own this legacy, which made me think it was either untrue, or vastly exaggerated. I liked how, through each meeting of other characters, and at the turn of every event, you can make out the change in the point of view character, the way each one is being shaped as the story went on.
The story itself, while moving at a good pace, was, at times, puzzling. I couldn’t quite make out at times where the author was going with the plot, or why certain events happened at all. I know this book is a part of a trilogy, so perhaps the finer details of why will come to light later on in the story.
Swift-Hook is a deft and talented writer, with a gift for creating worlds, while so different from our own, seem entirely plausible and real. An interesting and imaginative read. I would especially recommend it for Sci-Fi fans.

[Matt Parker · Rating 3 out of 5]

From the offset, I liked the premise of this book; a periphery back-world, tenuously linked to the wider universe, with a fairly primitive civilisation and, of course, the most brutal sociopaths holding all the power. Though it is largely a hand to hand, horseback riding kind of world, there are certain aspects of high technology in circulation, which definitely makes this my kind of book in terms of being an interesting genre mix. Having said that, most of the tech we see in this book takes the form of weapons (high tech laser pistols, and lower tech multi chamber ones) and I’d like to have had a little bit more variety, and seen more on how the tech is viewed in the differing levels of society. That’s just a personal thing on my part though, and although it is something worthy of deeper exploration, the weapon tech is probably more key in this story, as the main characters spend a good portion of the book running away from people who want them dead.

Which brings me onto the main gist of the book. The story is really one of two halves. The first part acts as an introduction to the world and the characters. It is an interesting world, well thought out, with a clear depth to it, and this depth is reflected in the characters. The book is very much character driven, and in the first half we get many POV switches. This was okay, as the changing perspectives served to introduce a lot of much needed detail about the world and the characters, but some of the character building did not always help to move the story forward. Indeed, some of the characters introduced don’t feature in the second half of the story, although this is the first book in a trilogy, so I’m assuming they will be reappearing in later books. That being the case, I couldn’t help thinking that some of these details could have been held for later stories, when these characters would play a bigger role.

This first half of the book also involves a lot of diplomatic/personal intrigue, with various power plays, machiavellian manipulations and the like, many of them centred around, or rather, instigated by, one of the main characters, Durban Chola. Chola is indeed one of the story’s strongest characters, because the reader is kept in the dark about his motives, and his personal morals are somewhat dubious. That being said, I did feel that some scenes involving him, especially those towards the middle of the book, were overly long. At one point he has a conversation, hints at some political intrigue or other, and you think, that’s interesting; something to mull over. But then, at what feels like the end of a scene, he enters into another conversation with someone else, and yet more intrigue is piled on. Fans of this kind of thing will doubtless love it, but it did have the effect of slowing the pace down in places, and I felt that some of these revelations could have been better spaced.

The second half focusses on the characters of Avilon and Jariq Zarengor, and their growing relationship of respect/friendship. Avilon is an off-world freedom fighter, stranded on the planet after his ship crashes, having just escaped a near deadly mission where many of his squad, and presumably his friends, have been killed. He suspects that the mission was somehow compromised, and his driving goal is to get off planet and uncover the traitor responsible. Not an easy task when you’ve been made a fighting slave by one of the planets most dangerous warlords, Qabal Vyazin.

At the start of the story, Jariq Zarengor is that deadly Warlord’s right hand man, loyal to the extent that he has been tarnished with the mantle of being a callous murderer of women and children. Though the full facts are not revealed in this book, there is more than a hint that his ill repute is not wholly justified. I’ll not go into detail regarding the events that lead him his estrangement from Qabal Vyazin, but I will say that the build up to it, and the growing tension between the two men was very well done. A little bit frustrating maybe, that they could not just have sat down and talked it out, but where would the fun have been in that?

As I said before, the book is very much character driven, and there is a lot of internalisation in this second half, as the author explores these two characters, and their relationship. I would say that this second half loses some focus regarding the overall plot. The character’s aim is still to escape the clutches of Vyasin, but the threats they face come from a different quarter, in the form of a petty warlord’s drunken son, and some chance bandits. From the way the story ends, I can see why the author did this, but I’d like to have seen something more grand at its high point, where some sort of threat from their pursuers was faced. Without a big climax at the end, and with the other issues I’ve mentioned regarding the introduction of characters at the beginning, this book does feel very much like one section of a bigger story. That’s okay, to an extent, because of its part in the trilogy, but I would like to have seen it work better as a single story; a story that makes the reader go on and read the second one. As is stands, I still want to read on to see how the story pans out, but it’s more of a brief pause for breath before turning the page, rather than a feeling of ‘wow, that was epic, what’s next?’

[Frank Palumbo · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Fated Sky: The Transgressor Trilogy Book One, by E.M. Swift, E.M. Swift –Hook; 1 edition (May 11, 2016) 408 pages. Reviewed by Frank Julius Palumbo.
The Fated Sky introduces us to a primitive world, Tamsevar, lying on the outskirts of a galaxy, where rebel forces have launched a coup attempt against the current rulers, the Coalition. Offworld affairs are a mystery and items from other planets and salvaged bounty falling from the sky in the form of crashed ships is highly prized. Caravans, crossing a vast wasteland on their way to the market, need career soldiers for protection from marauding vagrants and other caravans. Alexa the Fair, a beautiful young woman, who inherited the small caravan from her father, rules the procession of slaves, and Zoukai, the protecting soldiers. Alexa’s Zoukai are composed of the old and inexperienced men, because of Alexa’s meager funds, and commanded by a young, untested Captain, Caer.
Close to the journey’s end, a ship crash-lands nearby. Anxious to retrieve the bounty and sell the goods at the market, which would make Alexa wealthy, she sends Caer and his men to investigate. There, Caer finds numerous items to sell as well as the lone survivor, Avilon. After recuperating from his injuries, Avilon shows his offworld skills as a mercenary for the Legacy Freedom Fighters, and battles to the death with a fighting slave from another caravan. Winning the bout and saving Caer’s honor, Avilon is branded a fighting slave, yet is set to be sold at the market.
The author follows Avilon in his quest to reach a city across the continent that harbors the only spaceport, in his effort to return to his prior life. Interesting and believable characters, such as the Qabal Vyazin, the Warlord and current ruler of half the planet, and Durban Chola, a devious and untrustworthy information dealer, make for an intensely pleasurable read. Additionally, an interaction between Avilon, and Jariq Zarengor, Commander of the Warlords army with a dark and violent wartime past, evolves that kept me turning the pages. These two men, both veterans from different wars, share an unrealized brotherly bond.
The author’s writing style reminded me of J.R.R Tolkien or George R, R, Martin creating another world filled with characters that you will hate and love. The dialog is intriguing and carefully crafted, sometimes leaving the reading wondering what is happening, only to have your questions answered a few pages later. I truly did enjoy the book. Cheers.

[Ducky · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Fated Sky, book 1 of the Transgressor Trilogy was exactly the kind of book I enjoy reading best. It is epic in scope and takes the reader on a long journey across a foreign world. During that journey Swift-Hook weaves an intricate tapestry rich in color and depth. Each pass of the shuttle through the warp of this primitive world reveals more about the world and the characters inhabiting it.

Temsevar is a world not so very different from our own, settled by space faring humans then forgotten by the "powers that be" to the point that they do not even exploit its natural resources. The people have devolved back into a very primitive way of life including warlords, old style caravans, and slavery. However, they are aware of "off worlders" who fly in rarely to trade goods. Into this world, crashes an off worlder who is mysterious, battle scarred, and desperate to return home. Of course, it can't be that easy. He can't just hop on the first flight out. The only place with a spaceport is on the other side of the planet across an ocean on a world that uses ponies and sailing ships for transport.

This story reminds me of The Fellowship of the Ring. It is the beginning of the journey. There are some tense moments and some fight for your life moments, but most of the story is taken up with getting to know the characters who drive the story. One thing I particularly like is the characters getting to know one another. The story is real and carried me along with Avilon and the Black Vavasor. Swift-Hook skillfully reveals aspects of their personalities and backgrounds without a lot of info dumping. It feels very much like these are real men learning to trust each other in a life and death struggle that isn't instantly resolved. One of my favorite authors is David Eddings and this book feels very much like the beginning of the Belgariad. However, it is not fantasy and in that respect it reads more like the Pern books from Anne McCaffrey.

My only negative comment is the typos and missing words. There were quite a few, but nothing a good proofread wouldn't fix.

Overall, this is a wonderful adventure and I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series. This one will go in my library of to be read again books.

[Patricia Hamill · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Fated Sky is the first installment of the Transgressor Trilogy. I’m not exactly sure why it claims to be part of yet another series, Fortunes Fools. It’s all a bit confusing to me.

But the story itself is gripping and exciting. Lots of action and intrigue and plenty of interesting characters, not all of whom are likeable. When told from their perspective, the story provides a glimpse of personal history, inner struggles, and overarching goals. But the perspectives shift, so interesting details emerge from a variety of sources: a casual observation, a personal encounter, or even an offhand rumor. It was one of my favorite aspects of the story.

And here’s another thing I liked. Temsevar feels like a fantasy world, but it’s set in a science fiction backdrop. Unsophisticated and driven by slave labor and warlike tendencies, Temsevar is just one of the worlds humans have settled and is of little note in the grander scheme of things, nothing more than a trade stop. But there’s a threat that simmers behind the scenes, a threat that the Coalition will take a greater interest in the world, and I think it hinges on whether Avilon makes it off world.

The story is complex, particularly at first, but everything makes sense, and once it settles onto a few main characters, it’s much easier to follow, though not too easy. It does leave off on quite a steep cliffhanger, definitely not a standalone, so you can expect to want to read the rest of the books.

Anyhow, I loved the book. Folks who love immersive fantasy and science fiction on an epic scale will likely enjoy this book. It’s meaty and complex, full of action and intrigue.

I picked up my copy of this book on Amazon while it was on a free promotion.

[Bryan Pentelow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review of The Fated Sky by E.M. Swift-Hook
A faster than light space ship crashes on a backward planet and only one man survives to be taken as a slave by the barbaric inhabitants.
The story follows the intertwined threads of the only female caravan head, her captain of the caravan guards, the off world slave, a warlord and his best general, These protagonists are pushed and pulled often against their wills and against their natures by a smilingly dishonest gatherer and trader in information and rumor. The author has created a totally believable backwater of intergalactic space peopled with characters which are carefully drawn and true to their culture and the society they live in. There is plenty of action and gripping intrigue as life for the players twists and turns at fates whim. These are not instantly lovable people they have faults, tempers and political loyalties which govern their actions, but as the story progressed I found myself wanting to know more about them and a developing interest in what would happen to them.
This is a world and culture spanning fantasy and a page turning adventure. I was sorry when I reached the last page but reassured to find that there are another two books in the series. I am now off to buy the next one.

[S.K. Wee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Danger Around Every Bend

You just never know what may fall from the sky. After a spacecraft is found crashed along their caravans route, Cael, the young captain finds a survivor among the debris. The world that Avilon now finds himself is barbaric. He is captured and branded as a slave. The world of Temsevar has the feel of the Roman Empire meets the wild west. As Avilon goes from one owner to another we are introduced to many new players, all have their own agenda. We meet Jariq Zarengor, the Black Vavasor, feared throughout the land for his brutal history. But what is truth and what is rumor has yet to be determined.
We also meet the great puppet master, Durban Chola. Here's a character that is quite likable and totally untrustworthy. I really loved the dynamic between Durban and Jariq. E.M. Swift-Hook feeds us small morsels making sure we crave even more. The backstory slowly unfolds as we go through the many twists and turns never really knowing who we can trust. I loved getting immersed within this well drawn world and happy that the next installment is available. Great world building and awesome characters make this highly recommended.

[Aaron Hodges · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Fated Sky was a surprising interesting novel, exploring a rather original take on the traditional space opera scifi novel. The primitive, almost old west world on which the story begins reminds me of the setting in Pern (Anne McCaffrey), another scifi series that begins in a more primitive world (due to the colony being 'forgotten'). However, the similarities end there, when an 'off-worlder' is dumped onto the planet, setting in motion the main course of the novel. Since that offworlder happens to be wanted by the 'coalition', it makes for some interesting storytelling. Swift-Hook's particularly excels at the action sequences throughout the story, in which she paints a vivid picture of the characters actions and reactions during the fights.

My one criticism would be that, while the characters are mostly well developed and explored throughout the book, some of the passages come off a quite 'telling', rather than showing the reader what gives a character a certain trait.

Other than that, this was an excellent book and I thoroughly enjoyed the adventure!
My one criticism is that, while the characters were very intriguing, I do think maybe a bit too much

[Gloria Piper · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chola Durbin is a puckish joker, a weaver of intrigue, a master manipulator. Many would enjoy killing him, but they need him for one reason or another, as he deals in information and favors. In a way, he is the bright spot in this dystopian tale.

Avilon Revid, freedom fighter, crashes his space ship on the continent of Temsevar on a backward planet where slaves, nobles, and peasants are considered erroneously to be distinct species. He awakens as a slave.

We first see Chola as he appears in the camp of a caravan to speak to Avilon, who is known only by a derogatory term or as the slave. I'm sure the two know each other in a previous book, but here they appear as strangers.

Chola keeps popping up with increasing frequency throughout the novel, subtly tilting checks and balances so tiny changes create vast results, For example the great warlord, Qabal, who plans to take over the entire continent of Temsevar, loses his most trusted man. And Avilon flees captivity.

There are multiple points of view, and so many characters dip in and out of the story, that I can only assume Avilon is the main character. Or is it Chola, who is a puzzle to everyone, including the reader? Chola is fascinating, as are Avilon and a man known as the Black Vavasor. The story doesn't begin with these three, however. It begins with some cold individuals I could never care about. Perhaps the purpose is to introduce us to the ways of Temsevar, as well as act as a bridge to the main characters.

The writing is uneven, at times gorgeous in its detail and at other times awkward and confusingly punctuated.

Because the characters tend to lack warmth and not much happens with most of them, I feel the story is plot driven. Nevertheless, though the pace is reasonable, the plot only slowly takes form as we follow the fate of three men. When at last they grow into sympathetic characters and I can care for them, the plot plunges us onto a cliff and hangs there. End of story. To be continued.
Arrrgh! Even if a story must continue in the next book of a series, each book should have enough resolution to satisfy the reader. There is no resolution in Fated Sky. Neither minor nor major. And I feel betrayed, used, my time wasted.

Granted, some people enjoy cliff hangers and avidly put out money for the next book. This is assuming the story and its characters have captivated them enough to do so. And granted, there are some fascinating individuals in this tale.

[A · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Fated Sky


This is a really good first novel. I loved it. It is wonderfully written. The characters are people you want to know more about and the setting is familiar enough to be straightforward to get into and different enough to be interesting.

For most of the book the action and politics is a real page turner. When the pace is a bit slower now and then, that is when the author is putting in depth of detail and character building at those points the story carries you along as you want to know how it will turn out.

The story begins with Avilon Revid, a wanted man being stranded on Temsevar, which is said to be the most primitive planet in inhabited space. He finds himself effectively a prisoner on the world and can only find a way out with the help of others. The cast of characters includes:

Alexa the Fair - the clever and beautiful owner of a trade caravan.
Caer the Zoukai - the captain of Alexa's caravan guard.
Jariq Zarengor - a nobleman with a dodgy reputation for massacres.
Qabal Vyazin - the warlord who plans to rule the whole world
Durban Chola - a sort of freelance spy who has something really strange and possibly supernatural going on in his life as well.

We get to see events through the eyes of most of these people in turn.

This is clearly the opening of a grand saga (the author page says there are three trilogies planned) and as a fan of long series, I am really looking forward to seeing how the story unfolds in those future books.

[Melonie Purcell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book!

The story is captivating. The world is rich and well built. The characters are wonderfully diverse and well developed. And, as if that weren’t enough, the writing is solid.
The Fated Sky tells the story of periphery planet with few technological advancements in a galaxy ruled by wealth and prestige. An alien who is part of a secret organization that fights the ruling powers crash lands on this backwards little world and is ensnared in its archaic ways as he tries to rejoin his people offworld.
What makes this story so much fun is that this alien, Avilon, finds himself pulled into the plot of another group of people, who are themselves part of a fringe organization working to overthrow the planets current ruling class.
This author does an excellent job of drawing the reader in and doesn’t waste any opportunity for story development. The characters are introduced slowly and with purpose, so they are easy to integrate into the story even if they are not so easily figured out. The plot twists and turns and connects in a well-constructed web that will keep you reading way past your bedtime.

[Anthony Stancomb · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have hardly read any science fiction books, so I’m not sure that my judgement counts for much, but this was a rattling read – a real page turner.
It was extremely well written, the imagery was vibrant, the sense of place was skillfully instilled, and the action revolved round the characters rather than the other way round. The narrative was also well handled, with constant developments and new characters introduced throughout the book.
The main characters were easy to engage with, but for me, they were slightly one sided,even though one certainly got to grips with them. Then science fiction is not the land of Flaubert or Elena Ferrantes, and perhaps this is the norm.
The action is placed in a kind of futuristic/medieval setting in which primitive conditions and modern space age elements are combined, but for me, this didn’t jar, and it certainly didn’t slow the pace.
however, I do have to say that ending a book with such a cliff-hanger left me frustrated. I feel more at home with a good Shakespearean finale, but then as this genre seems to favour the series format, I suupose it’s par for the course (and I actually found myself thinking of ordering the sequel!).

[Jane Jago · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish there was a way of giving four and a half stars.

This is a bit of a slow burner, though none the worse for that. The world building is such that it draws you in, and you believe in the society and the story is complex enough to have you wondering what will happen next.

The pace of the narrative is a bit patchy, but that is possibly necessary to allow time to build the characters and allow us to see their motivation and complexities.

The author pulls no punches and there are some truly gut-wrenching moments, which are handled cleverly and with some panache.

EM can write, and write well.

The only thing that pulls this book back from five stars for me is that I found it difficult to like any of the protagonists. I'm a bit of a sucker for a hero.

[Daphne Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

E.M. Swift-Hook kicks off this series with a story filled with rich landscapes and even richer characters. This story travels across the country side of a planet practically forgotten by civilization and left me wanting more.

[Andrew Mowere · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I received a free copy
*3.5

This story is well written, with a clear plot twisted by a reasonably simple amount of intrigue. Many of the characters are constantly plotting against one another in some way. The action is deliberate and to the point, as is most of our author's chosen outlets of romance. On some level, its characters roam diverse enough (more on that below). Some interesting debates ensue, as well as clashes of ideology, and the language is drawn to ruler, with a wonderful mix of senses thrown into descriptions. I view all of these positives as an outsider.

So many of my wrong buttons were pushed that I am forced to give an objective opinion whilst extracting myself out of its portrait, much like Avilon's tales of his past did. The book trivializes (or perhaps liberalizes) a person's sexuality (almost all examples), applies many double standards (Avilon's aversion to rape but willingness to engage with ordered slaves), and essentially presents each character as a blank set of canvas to be painted on by whatever upbringing they've had (Alexa and Qabal, Jariq and Aisha, Avilon and Chlola). The author uses mean-spirited pettiness as authority (Alexa, Aisha, Jariq essentially but for talking to one soldier once), and so we are forced to sit through bullish arguments between characters. People deceive each other the whole time in quickly thinning dialogues, plot points are conveniently inserted for a desired effect (Why would Jariq do that at the end?) and I ultimately found no character likable enough to care about the general idea of a gray humanity where good and evil are subjective enough to warrant cruelty. The twists did not land for me. Diction or visual motifs are often overused in my opinion, but that also lends clarity to imagery.

That is where the rift gapes, really. Every single negative I can think of here would be a positive to another big chunk of readers. I believe this book is well worth the read, if you are the right kind of person. If you think of humanity as competing vines on a wall of sex, murder and trickery by characters who ultimately have their reasons, then I think you might love it.

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading the author's description confirmed my thoughts about The Fated Sky - it's a proper sci-fi fantasy mash-up. You've got spaceships with FTL crash landing on a planet with limited tech, nomadic caravanasi and a greedy overlord. At first, I thought this was Caer's story, then Avilon's, then Durban's, then Jariq's which left me feeling a little confused as to who I was meant to be paying attention to. I also know that this is the first book in a 9 book series so the planting of multi-protagonist storylines makes sense. There is a lot of rich worldbuilding here with well thought out cultures and how they interact and we move through Temesevar taking a peek into recognisable tropes such as the nomadic horse tribe, the cruel yet clever warlord and his court and the peace-loving gypsies/entertainers. These well known and much-loved fantasy aspects make you feel like you are reading an old friend despite the characters being new to me. I will definitely read the next book, I want to see how the introduction of the sci-fi elements are handled and explored. Plus I know things about much later on in this series and at the moment, I cannot see how the reader gets from here to there and that is a compelling itch I must scratch.

[E.K. Frances · Rating 5 out of 5]

Engaging, well-written fantasy / sci-fi read

The Fated Sky tells the story of Avilon Revid who is taken into slavery after his spaceship crash lands onto the planet Temsevar.

The novel has great, descriptive world building, with fleshed-out factions with their own customs such as the Zouhai warriors and the warlords. There are a set of well-developed, original, but shady characters, that thread through the story: Avilon, Durban Chola who trades in secrets, the powerful Jariq Zarengo, Alexa the Fair and the young Zouhai Caer. The scenes with Alexa are excellent, I would have liked to have seen more of her. Also I would have liked to have understood Caer’s journey a bit more. I found myself rooting for Jariq and Avilon despite their very obvious flaws.

The pacing is generally good, but it did get a little slow in the last fifth – there wasn’t much action, possibly in preparation for the next book. The novel ends on a cliff-hanger. The content is dark, but not particularly graphic. There are lots of political games going on that keep you guessing who is playing who.

Overall a great read. GoT fans and general sci-fi / fantasy readers who like a lot of quality world-building, with strong characters should enjoy this book.

[Ann Birdgenaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

Author E.M. Swift-Hook is a wonderful storyteller who weaves a complex fantasy that you can really sink your teeth into. Set on Planet Temsevar, a world that has gone through the cycles of human civilization and industrialization to cycle back to a primitive yet familiar culture. A myriad of well-fleshed out characters populate the story but none are very likable. This is a tough existence with vivid details and the characters who fight the Coalition are harsh and non-sympathetic. Avilon Revid, one of these rebels, crash-lands on Temsevar, and is taken into slavery. Avilon hooks up with some unsavory characters to escape and takeup the rebellion against a Putinesque warlord who wants to take over a continent. GOT fans will enjoy this medieval fantasy/science fiction saga. Highly recommend this first book in the Transgressor series.

[Arriah Kiprujistho · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting world setting with amazing characters, rich narration and great dialogues. With the first few chapters that are mostly narration, I found myself juggling with the storyline but as the story caught the pace, I was completely hooked. With each page turn came something different, something new and something big, and one can feel that there is too much going on in the story, but hats off to the author because the way E.M. Swift-Hook managed to put everything together was simply mind blowing. My favorite character turned out to be Durban Chola. I loved the mystery that kept revolving around him. He was such a puzzle. I look forward to reading what’s next in this trilogy.

[Matthew Newnham · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Fated Sky was an enjoyable read albeit a little confusing at times. The first half of the book is well paced and had me totally gripped with detailed characters and a fully believable world and a superb storyline. With hints of fantasy worked into a science fiction Temesvar was strangely and convincingly real, I was absorbed into the world that made the book read very much like watching a movie – this is something that I personally really enjoyed.
There is some complexity at the start of the book that provides a superb backdrop, the pace is set fairly early but from the second half of the book it drops just enough to be felt. This drop is pace, although something I would prefer not to have happened didn’t break the enjoyment that can often so easily happen and was just fast enough to keep the pages turning.
The book draws to a close, not a really dramatic close but a close that makes the reader think a little and because the world created is so real and the characters so believable one cannot help but want to read the next installment.
Overall a superb read and really recommended, at times a little confusing due to the complexity but very much a book that once picked up you will struggle to put down.

[Dan Gillis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fated Sky is a clever mix of fantasy and sci-fi. I enjoyed the take on a culturally and technologically advanced character and placing them in a world of relatively low-tech, where knowledge of humanity in the reaches of space are largely unknown. New tech that comes to the world is hoarded and sought for with great interest. Temsevar is well thought out, politically and geographically. The author takes the time to build the key details into the narrative without detracting from the flow of events.

Overall, I appreciated the characters. At first, I felt they were a little larger than life, but I was pleasantly surprised to see the author reveal character flaws and make things hard for them. None of the characters are truly foils, but convey a sense of rationale for each action taken; diabolical and altruistic. The dynamic nature of these characters have the reader wondering about their motivations until the author can reveal their thoughts in the rotating point of view in each chapter.

The fantasy element was not connected to an obvious system of magic, deferring rather to the overarching sci-fi elements of the story that lurked in the background. There is a deeper story arc that is in its fledgling stages, with characters abilities outside of the norm, and whether these abilities can be attributed to tech or magic remains to be told.

The only drawback I had for the story was that it lacked a point of escalation that highlights the conclusion of most stories. I appreciate having a major plot point build to an inevitable conclusion with certain degrees of conflict. I found the end of the story did not achieve this to expected levels. The overall storytelling is excellent, I just found it lacking that critical piece that takes me with the characters on a journey to conclude the events of the novel. I was expecting a direct confrontation with Qabal and the characters, but rather it turned out to be the subversive removal of a character from the story in almost a casual way. I was ready for the big event!

Either way, there is no denying the skill and flow of the narrative here. I was hooked and enjoyed the ride through Temsevar. I am rating this as such that there is clearly more to come in the series where I may get that moment I was searching for. I recommend this book to Sci-fi and fantasy enthusiasts who are ready to sink their teeth into a well fleshed out universe and exciting character development.

[Joe Turk · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had two distinct reactions to “The Fated Sky”. For the first half of the book, I was fully engaged and excited. The detailed world-building, the subterfuge, the struggle for power and position, the quasi-medieval setting—it reminded me, in a good way, of Game of Thrones (with an ‘off-world’ element). I was addicted and turning pages like crazy. The second half of the book, with its protracted journey across a continent where characters mostly talk about themselves between small events, reminded me of Robert Jordan’s series, the Wheel of Time. The pace slows and the overall story arc doesn’t always feel like its progressing. ‘The Fated Sky’s concluding chapter drops quite a bit of exposition on the reader and ends is a way that makes the 407 page book feel like the prologue of a much, much longer story.

Right from the start, the reader gets a sense that this will be a highly detailed novel. The author takes the time to build up the world, from the embroidering on a dress, to the role of each character within their fictional culture. The characters are the focus here. We are first introduced to Caer, a warrior captain initially under the aegis of Alexa, a young leader who inherited her traveling fiefdom. After they explore the ruins of an alien crash, we are introduced to Avilon, a wanted galactic rogue. Soon after, we meet the continent’s ruthless warlord leader, Qabal Vyazin and his right arm, Jariq the warrior/baby killer who might not have killed any babies and might be completely misunderstood. And finally, we meet the catalyst of much of the action, Durban Chola, the conniving (and possibly haunted) manipulator and information trader whose motives are known only to himself.

This is a well written book. The diction is easy to read with a few well-placed flourishes. The characters are developed and interesting. The action is plentiful and the world is engaging most of the time. It’s potentially epic length will scare some away, but attract others. I’d recommend this book for readers looking for ‘The Wheel of Time’ type pacing and detailed world building. Though, you’ll have to be patient, as only the first book of the series is currently available for reading. 3.7 stars.