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The Common #3
Wolfskin
Vakov Fukasawa is trapped.
Captured by his ruthless and cruel enemies, the House of Suns, he has been broken in body and mind, tormented until he is something less than human. And yet, Vakov and his brother Artyom are the Common's last hope.
The war against the Suns has grown to swallow the galaxy. Entire systems rattle with violence. Planets are burning. Species are hunted to extinction. And now that the genocidal alien Shenoi have been successfully summoned, billions of lives are staring into the abyss.
To save his friends and his home, Vakov will need to work with his brother to build a great intergalactic army. He will need to become the hero, the legend, his people believe him to be. He will need to draw on his every last ounce of courage to gain the loyalty and fury required to survive. He will need to become The Black Wolf.
But is Vakov willing to pay the price that victory demands?
Captured by his ruthless and cruel enemies, the House of Suns, he has been broken in body and mind, tormented until he is something less than human. And yet, Vakov and his brother Artyom are the Common's last hope.
The war against the Suns has grown to swallow the galaxy. Entire systems rattle with violence. Planets are burning. Species are hunted to extinction. And now that the genocidal alien Shenoi have been successfully summoned, billions of lives are staring into the abyss.
To save his friends and his home, Vakov will need to work with his brother to build a great intergalactic army. He will need to become the hero, the legend, his people believe him to be. He will need to draw on his every last ounce of courage to gain the loyalty and fury required to survive. He will need to become The Black Wolf.
But is Vakov willing to pay the price that victory demands?
- GenresScience Fiction
659 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 26, 2026
About the author
Jeremy Szal
37 books306 followersJeremy Szal was born in 1995 and was raised by wild dingoes, which should explain a lot. He spent his childhood exploring beaches, bookstores, and the limits of people’s patience. He’s the author of the Common trilogy from Gollancz, a space opera trilogy, which includes STORMBLOOD, BLINDSPACE, and WOLFSKIN, about a drug harvested from alien DNA that makes users permanently addicted to adrenaline and aggression. He likes writing about broken heroes looking for hope in dark worlds, found families, aliens, outcasts, and morally-grey heroes who don't always do the right thing, even when they want to.
He’s the author of over fifty science-fiction short stories, translated into six languages, published in many anthologies and podcasts. He was the fiction editor for Hugo-winning podcast StarShipSofa until 2020, where he has worked as audio producer with George R. R. Martin, William Gibson, Harlan Ellison and others.
He holds a rather useless BA in Film Studies and Creative Writing from the University of N.S.W. He carves out a living in Sydney, Australia where he drinks too much gin, watches too many weird films and makes too many dark jokes.
Find him at @jeremyszal or https://jeremyszal.substack.com/ . Join his bookclub to get a FREE novella set in the world of the Common.
He’s the author of over fifty science-fiction short stories, translated into six languages, published in many anthologies and podcasts. He was the fiction editor for Hugo-winning podcast StarShipSofa until 2020, where he has worked as audio producer with George R. R. Martin, William Gibson, Harlan Ellison and others.
He holds a rather useless BA in Film Studies and Creative Writing from the University of N.S.W. He carves out a living in Sydney, Australia where he drinks too much gin, watches too many weird films and makes too many dark jokes.
Find him at @jeremyszal or https://jeremyszal.substack.com/ . Join his bookclub to get a FREE novella set in the world of the Common.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
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June 7, 2023Readers: Jeremy, what is in the box?
Me: Pain.
Me: Pain.
April 16, 2026
Szal never disappoints. This isn’t a story about a hero rising cleanly to the occasion; it’s about someone already worn down, forced to keep going anyway. The opening makes that clear: Vakov isn’t at his strongest or most defiant. He’s a captive and stripped back to an extremely dangerous state. And that sense of damage doesn’t just disappear once the plot gets moving. It lingers, shaping Vakov’s relationships, how he leads and fights, and how he understands himself.
There’s no shortage of large-scale conflicts in the form of epic battles, the twisted horror of the alien race Shenoi and the cult House of Suns, and the sense that everything is spiralling toward something irreversible. Even when he’s close to death, Vakov doesn’t lose his humour (“Dow was a bastard, hard as a rusted nail and as ugly as incest.”) But what makes those moments land is how personal they feel. Even when the war expands beyond what one person could realistically witness, the story remains firmly anchored around Vakov.
The relationship between Vakov and his once estranged brother Artyom carries a tremendous amount of emotional weight. It rarely settles into something neat, which feels right given everything they’ve been through. For those who've read "Stormblood" and "Blindspace," the payoff here runs deep.
The central antagonist, Jackal, too, works not just as an enemy to defeat, but as a reflection of where Vakov might have ended up under slightly different circumstances. Their conflict and the resolution lean into brutality without over-dramatising it.
What I came away with wasn’t just the spectacle of the finale, but the idea that survival and transformation don’t necessarily make someone whole again. "Wolfskin" doesn’t try to convince you otherwise, and it’s stronger for that.
There’s no shortage of large-scale conflicts in the form of epic battles, the twisted horror of the alien race Shenoi and the cult House of Suns, and the sense that everything is spiralling toward something irreversible. Even when he’s close to death, Vakov doesn’t lose his humour (“Dow was a bastard, hard as a rusted nail and as ugly as incest.”) But what makes those moments land is how personal they feel. Even when the war expands beyond what one person could realistically witness, the story remains firmly anchored around Vakov.
The relationship between Vakov and his once estranged brother Artyom carries a tremendous amount of emotional weight. It rarely settles into something neat, which feels right given everything they’ve been through. For those who've read "Stormblood" and "Blindspace," the payoff here runs deep.
The central antagonist, Jackal, too, works not just as an enemy to defeat, but as a reflection of where Vakov might have ended up under slightly different circumstances. Their conflict and the resolution lean into brutality without over-dramatising it.
What I came away with wasn’t just the spectacle of the finale, but the idea that survival and transformation don’t necessarily make someone whole again. "Wolfskin" doesn’t try to convince you otherwise, and it’s stronger for that.
April 10, 2026
A stunning conclusion to a series with so much heart. Szal writes immensely human characters (even the alien ones) that will stay with you long after you've finished the book. WOLFSKIN is more than a space opera, it's an important story in the current climate where our humanity is the thing we must fight for above all else, for the good of ourselves and for the good of everyone around us.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Ah but what a wait it has been for the final instalment of Szal's Sci Fi trilogy The Common. Full disclosure: I received an advance copy from the author in exchange for an honest review but I'd previously read books 1 and 2 off my own back.
On that note, Stormblood and Blindspace were two breath-taking Sci Fi smash 'em ups, told at a frenetic pace and with all the bone splintering, angry, violent stuff that was just so good. So, what I'm trying to say is that I'm a fan of the series. As a fan, was there anything I wanted in particular from Wolfskin? Well, yes ...
See, our main man in this series, Vakov, couldn't be in a worse place by the end of the second book, Blindspace. Wolfskin picks up from there and makes everything so much worse. Vak finds himself at the mercy of a sadistic cult leader. Bound, broken and alone. You'd be fairly stupid to start the series at book three as it won't hold your hand. This is brutal.
And it sets the tone for the ultimate catharsis that is The Common series. Vakov vs his arch enemy the Jackal. As the book unfurls into an intergalactic war against the insidious Shenoi (think cyberspace Zerg mixed with Hellraiser) it never forgets that this is all about either Vak and the Jak comes out on top. You just have to keep on reading because you just. Need. Vakov. To. Kick. This. Guy's. Ass.
This is the book where characters let things go. The war is bloody and it's unforgiving. Former favourites meet their makers and others find new purposes to why they fight. Even the baddies get some moments to exhibit their scenery-chewing malevolence. Shout out here to "Black Kriv", like a Krogan with roid rage.
Alright it's not all endless slogging meatgrinder violence. There's plenty else going on while amassing forces to defeat the Jackal and his House of Suns. Szal gives us some ample Mass Effect 3: Citadel DLC moments too with characters we've grown fond of over three books. These range from the touching brotherly moments between Vakov and mid-redemption arc brother Artyom, to the hilarious "I bought the whole bloody store Katherine".
All in all the third book doesn't cower in the shadows of its strong predecessors. Szal does plenty to cement The Common as a supremely solid Sci Fi series that doesn't hold back. I can happily put this story to bed after all this time and feel satisfied with how it all turned out. Go start with Stormblood and by the time you've finished that and Blindspace, you'll be ready for Wolfskin.
On that note, Stormblood and Blindspace were two breath-taking Sci Fi smash 'em ups, told at a frenetic pace and with all the bone splintering, angry, violent stuff that was just so good. So, what I'm trying to say is that I'm a fan of the series. As a fan, was there anything I wanted in particular from Wolfskin? Well, yes ...
See, our main man in this series, Vakov, couldn't be in a worse place by the end of the second book, Blindspace. Wolfskin picks up from there and makes everything so much worse. Vak finds himself at the mercy of a sadistic cult leader. Bound, broken and alone. You'd be fairly stupid to start the series at book three as it won't hold your hand. This is brutal.
And it sets the tone for the ultimate catharsis that is The Common series. Vakov vs his arch enemy the Jackal. As the book unfurls into an intergalactic war against the insidious Shenoi (think cyberspace Zerg mixed with Hellraiser) it never forgets that this is all about either Vak and the Jak comes out on top. You just have to keep on reading because you just. Need. Vakov. To. Kick. This. Guy's. Ass.
This is the book where characters let things go. The war is bloody and it's unforgiving. Former favourites meet their makers and others find new purposes to why they fight. Even the baddies get some moments to exhibit their scenery-chewing malevolence. Shout out here to "Black Kriv", like a Krogan with roid rage.
Alright it's not all endless slogging meatgrinder violence. There's plenty else going on while amassing forces to defeat the Jackal and his House of Suns. Szal gives us some ample Mass Effect 3: Citadel DLC moments too with characters we've grown fond of over three books. These range from the touching brotherly moments between Vakov and mid-redemption arc brother Artyom, to the hilarious "I bought the whole bloody store Katherine".
All in all the third book doesn't cower in the shadows of its strong predecessors. Szal does plenty to cement The Common as a supremely solid Sci Fi series that doesn't hold back. I can happily put this story to bed after all this time and feel satisfied with how it all turned out. Go start with Stormblood and by the time you've finished that and Blindspace, you'll be ready for Wolfskin.
June 3, 2026
Wolfskin is the third book in a trilogy. I was previously unfamiliar with Jeremy Szal's series. Fortunately, there is a handy introduction to this book that got me up to speed (although I wish I had read the first two beforehand). And wow, what a talented author! This isn't usually my type of book, and yet, somehow I was drawn in. This world was described in such a way that I could see it in my mind. It was brutal. It was beautiful. It was long. The main character was complex, having gone through many challenges and traumas. The action was on point, at times overwhelming in its savagery. Overall, I enjoyed the book and its ending, and I look forward to reading more from this author. Thank you to LibraryThing and the author for the review copy. All opinions are my own.
July 19, 2026
4.5 stars!
I loved this one, it had me gripped throughout and all of the character development was amazing, I loved seeing everyone’s bonds grow further and Vakov is a brilliant main character who isn’t perfect but does his best for those he loves.
It wqs action packed and I couldn’t put it down! The ending was also a perfect finale for the series and I’ll definitely miss reading it! There were times my heart broke and got put back together, the quotes in these books are also beautiful!
I loved this one, it had me gripped throughout and all of the character development was amazing, I loved seeing everyone’s bonds grow further and Vakov is a brilliant main character who isn’t perfect but does his best for those he loves.
It wqs action packed and I couldn’t put it down! The ending was also a perfect finale for the series and I’ll definitely miss reading it! There were times my heart broke and got put back together, the quotes in these books are also beautiful!
Review of advance copy received from Author
This was the best of the three! Well and truly worth the wait.
Everything gets bigger and badder. The action is pushed to new heights. And yet the story remains grounded and focused on the same character, the same journey, the same struggle. This really was an ideal culmination of everything that had been set up before.
Everything gets bigger and badder. The action is pushed to new heights. And yet the story remains grounded and focused on the same character, the same journey, the same struggle. This really was an ideal culmination of everything that had been set up before.
June 2, 2026
I loved the characters and world building but there were a few too many action scenes for my taste.
Review of advance copy received from Author
An action packed finale to a great series placing characters into turmoil from the first page. Big, epic and very war focused a fine ending
Full review - https://www.runalongtheshelves.net/bl...
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews