Set two generations after THE LAST SKINWEAVER, the saga follows the same bloodline.

The Flash severed Earth from its Martian colonies. Cut off and abandoned, the colonists harden, shaping themselves into something different, something ruthless. They call themselves Marinthians and live by a stark martial creed that believes in a holy war against their home world.

When they return after six centuries, it is not as prodigal children but as exterminators. Their Purge Ships first destroy the floating castles that guard American settlements in the Transylvanian Mountains and the tribal lands of the allied Vosgiens.

But conquest gives way to occupation when they discover long-abandoned, highly coveted antigravity factories buried beneath Earth’s surface. A handful of realms are spared as vassals to provide a constant supply of slave laborers to work and die at the excavation sites.

But rebellion smolders. From a hidden castle, a salt-veined mine and the shadows of Islambol, an insurgency takes shape, igniting a war between twin worlds with irreconcilable destinies.

The E-edition can be purchased from Amazon, Apple Books, the Nook and other E-sellers. The paperback can be bought through my website at https://www.wghladkyauthor.com/shop/.

 Essien Asian wrote about the book:

W.G. Hladky’s The Red Occupation is the sixth book in The Book of Ruin series. The detailed list of characters, maps, places, and a beautifully written prologue that flows like poetry make it easy for readers to grasp the larger plot of the series, or to enjoy this installment as a standalone. Although the dialogue mostly has a cloak-and-dagger tone, Hladky seamlessly includes segments of thought-provoking drama, as shown when Kagan reminisces about the decisions that led her to become a RangerKnight. A rapidly shifting narrative perspective gives relatively equal attention to human and Marthinian activities, pulling readers into the action to align with whichever factions appeal to them. A masterpiece in a class of its own.

Iron John wrote about the book:

Okay, so even if you haven’t read the earlier books, you can jump into The Red Occupation. W.G. Hladky throws you straight into a wild ride…The action is nonstop, the politics are messy in a fun way, and the characters? You actually care about what happens to them… It’s the kind of book where you keep thinking, “Just one more chapter…” and suddenly it’s 2 a.m. If you love sci-fi that’s adventurous, a little intense, and just plain fun, this one’s a solid pick, even as a standalone.

Jamie Michele wrote about the book:

The Red Occupation by W.G. Hladky presents a superbly executed vision of a fragmented geopolitical future shaped by faith, fractured alliances, and historical divisions…The book’s strength lies in how it makes a fractured world feel operable, with every region and faction defined by its own functional logic. The result is a sustained sense of cohesion that holds through shifting alliances, military operations, and the embedded presence of belief and history. Very highly recommended.

If you like the book, give it five stars on Amazon and Goodreads.

PS: Years after publication, readers are still discovering my books!

The Last Skinweaver — #21 in Alien Invasion Sci-Fi, #23 in Alternative History on Kindle’s free book listings.

The Flashfall Sword — #6 in Military Fantasy, #24 in Alternative History on Kindle’s free book listings.

RangerKnights — #8 in Military Fantasy, #26 in Alternative History on Kindle’s free book listings.

The Book of Ruin — #34 in Alternative History of Kindle’s free book listings on Kindle’s free book listings.

Thank you to everyone keeping these stories alive!

The post THE RED OCCUPATION: SIXTH NOVEL IN THE BOOK OF RUIN SERIES IS OUT. first appeared on W.G. Hladky Author.

But once there, she discovers South Florida has become a dystopian cityscape of prey and predator. A drug called Wisht runs rampant, distorting minds and morphing bodies. Violent cults called Malforms relentlessly battle each other and hunt Goodfolk in competition with genetically engineered cat-size Komo Spiders, a dangerous EPA failure. And solar storms keep striking Earth, slowly pushing Florida into a new version of the Middle Ages.

Abagail’s only hope of survival is a group of Miami-Dade sheriff’s deputies who save her during a shootout between two cults. The problem is her half-sister got left behind in the rescue – and finding her is not the deputies’ top priority. Searching for a mysterious Father Benoit is, and they won’t divulge why. In the meantime, she becomes entangled in government conspiracies, religious zealots and a surprising new passion: aiding the deputies in protecting those who can’t defend themselves.

K.C. Finn, a multi-award-winning author, wrote this in her review of the novel.

“(The novel) an atmospheric, detailed, and immersive experience in a post-apocalyptic world that is like nothing I’ve seen this year. The narrative is a smoothly-written blend of dystopia, survival, and conspiracy that keeps the fast-paced plot rolling on through different trials and tribulations, making it a gripping read with lots of action but also a thought-provoking exploration of humanity’s downfall.”

Rabia Tanveer, in her review, said, “W.G. Hladky weaved magic with his words and crafted a believable world that was full of surprises…(The heroine’s) growth was remarkable…I loved how the environment shaped her into a larger-than-life character who was toughened by the world around her. The fast-paced narrative was phenomenal, and the overall feel of the story was incredible.”

The novel’s e-edition is available on Amazon, Apple, Barnes and Noble, and most other platforms. The paperback can be purchased through Amazon.

If you like the book, give it 5-stars on Amazon and Goodreads.

The post In the Time of the Flash: 5th novel in The Book of Ruin series is out first appeared on W.G. Hladky Author.

The novel is about Roge Callan, who to escape his father’s despotic claw, changes his name to serve as a sergeant under a banished RangerKnight. They live among former enemies, the Skinweavers, who seek help to find a path out of their barbaric tribal past.

But the benevolent Widow Witches and their sentient Yetis have gone missing, and only someone with Widow Witch blood can find and rescue them. Unbeknownst to Roge, he has the blood and is the League of American Castles’ only option. In a hobbled and sabotaged swiftship called the Drunken Stork, Roge pulls together a small crew of misfits and travels from Mitteleuropa to Russia to the Middle Kingdom. They confront along the way ambushers, pestilence, vicious chimeric predators and titanic storms.

However, Roge is not the only one with problems.

Thousands of dead Han soldiers keep disappearing after battling brutal steppe invaders. Plus, alien-looking outlanders are stalking the Middle Kingdom in powerful skyships no one can match. All the while, court intrigue, well-guarded secrets and backstabbing keep Luminous Emperor Zhong Ren from learning the meaning of his diviner’s mysterious predictions.

The novel includes pictures of the Drunken Stork, maps and a Weir family tree that covers all the generations.

This is what editorial reviewers are saying about THE LAST SKINWEAVER:

The world-building here is intricately done, well thought-out, and believable, with multiple cultures interacting according to their own particular views and needs…The story is full of action, with excitement and danger at every turn, and the main plot unfolds as a series of little events whose relevance and relation to larger events is revealed, bit by bit, as the story goes on. In the end, mysteries that have been hidden since the beginning of the series are revealed, and the epic drama comes full circle and finds a solid and satisfying resolution. — Catherine Langrehr for IndieReader.

Over the course of the novel, Hladky offers prose that’s measured and assured, and his action-packed narrative enhances the story’s enjoyable mix of court intrigue, dirty politics, well-guarded secrets, and backstabbing. Although the story echoes many other dystopian tales (including the almost middle-earth-ish settings), Hladky manages to carve out new territory for himself, constructing a story that is able to stand on its own. His knack for blending the fast-paced lingo of paramilitary thrillers with the intriguing worldbuilding of sci-fi and fantasy keeps the pages flying. Throw in the sharply drawn characters, atmospheric setting, and the roller-coaster pacing, and you’ve got a winner. Readers will be enthralled. – The Prairies Book Review.

The post THE LAST SKINWEAVER — 4th novel in The Book of Ruin series is out first appeared on W.G. Hladky Author.