Forsaken Skies (Silence Trilogy #1)

by D. Nolan Clark

Overview

A small band of pilots fight against a seemingly unstoppable alien empire in this thrilling space opera.

Commander Lanoe's skills made him a hero of the interplanetary civil war, but he was left with nothing except battle scars and painful memories.

But now he faces the greatest threat mankind has ever known.

Once again, Lanoe must go to war -- but he does not go alone. A ragtag band of criminal and outcast pilots stand with him. Some are old friends, one an old enemy, and despite their own battle scars, they are the only ones willing to fight back.

Sometimes the few must stand against the many, but the best these aces can do might not be good enough.

This explosive first novel from D. Nolan Clark is an epic tale of a fight against the odds -- and the terror of realizing that we're no longer alone in the cold vacuum of space.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780316355704
Publisher:	Orbit
Publication date:	09/06/2016
Series:	Silence Trilogy , #1
Sold by:	Hachette Digital, Inc.
Format:	eBook
Sales rank:	388,796
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

D. Nolan Clark is a pseudonym for an acclaimed author who has previously published several novels in different genres.

Editorial Reviews

10/24/2016
Horror author David Wellington's first book under the Clark pseudonym is an entertaining military space adventure tale that's got just enough new twists to keep readers interested, even when they think they know where it's going. Tannis Valk is an injured war veteran who's working on a space station, where the low gravity won't aggravate his burns. Thanks to a series of events triggered by a nearby space battle, he meets up with legendary pilot (and former foe) Aleister Lanoe, and the two of them are in turn drawn into an alien invasion of a distant agricultural planet. Clark throws a lot of characters into the mix, including the stowaway "elders" from the planet, an AWOL con artist soldier, and the patricidal son of a rich man who was created solely as an organ donor. The invaders are interesting and threatening, and though their eventual big revelation isn't a shocking one, they still make for solid antagonists. The thorough world-building (including an interesting political system) makes this is a solid series launch, and readers allergic to cliffhangers will be delighted by the firm ending. Agent: Russell Galen, Scovil Chichak Galen Literary. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

"Unforgettable characters and is jam-packed with action [and] adventure... one readers will not want to miss."—Booklist

"About as exciting an action story set in space as any this reviewer has seen in print in quite some time. It is worth the read... a terrific and thrilling novel."—SciFi Magazine

"Gripping writing, a brilliantly realised future culture and sympathetic characters . . . an entertaining and compelling read."—SFX Magazine

From the Publisher

2016-08-01
First, juiceless, installment of a space opera trilogy from Clark, a pseudonym for David Wellington (The Cyclops Initiative, 2015, etc.), author of zombie, vampire, werewolf, and action thriller series.Star Wars meets The Seven Samurai in this far-future galaxy where only Earth maintains a space navy and the space lanes are riven by wars between interstellar corporations, or “polys”—none of which have any interest in the barely habitable, backwater planet Niraya. So when it’s brutally attacked by insensate machines from who knows where, the religious, contemplative inhabitants send representatives Roan and Elder McRae to the Hexus space station to plead for help. Luckily, 300-year-old ex–space navy pilot Aleister Lanoe has pursued his quarry, the young murderer Thom, there. Lanoe rescues the naïve Nirayans from the clutches of treacherous ex-navy conman Auster Maggs and agrees to help their cause. Both Thom (extenuating, if not exonerating, circumstances) and Maggs (no choice—he’s a deserter) sign up. Also joining the venture will be Lanoe’s ex-shipmates Caroline Ehta (her guilty secret is she has PTSD and can’t fly), Bettina Zhang (Lanoe’s wannabe flame), and legendary hero Tannis Valk, severely injured fighting on the opposite side to Lanoe in the last corporate conflict and now working space traffic control. The usual complications, heroics, and surprises ensue, all professionally packaged and produced and entirely unmemorable. Does anyone need to read this? No. Will anyone want to? Shrug. Maybe on the beach.

Kirkus Review