Splinter

Another World. No Way Back. (Splintered World, Book 1)

De: Brian Moyer

Narrado por: Luke Daniels

Ama is two days from her graduate program at Montana State when she pulls off a Wyoming highway to rest her eyes. She wakes on bare earth beneath unfamiliar stars. Her car is gone. The highway is gone. The world she's fallen into looks like Wyoming—the Red Desert, the Great Divide Basin, sage and sandstone—but it runs on different rules. People here develop capabilities: the ability to move water, heat stone, push air in ways physics back home can't explain. Those without capabilities survive on skill, trade, and instincts about who to trust. Esah arrived the same way.

A young man from Wamsutter who woke one morning to find his world replaced, he's further into the Basin's economy of survival than Ama—and deeper into its dangers. What neither of them understands is why people keep arriving. Or what happens to the ones who don't adapt. Splinter is a science-fantasy portal novel set in an alternate Wyoming where elemental magic functions like physics and survival depends on knowledge as much as power.

For listeners of N. K. Jemisin, Hugh Howey, and Andy Weir. Splinter is the first of six completed books in the Splintered World series, with Books 7 and beyond already in the works. Each book launches in ebook, print and audiobook simultaneously, performed throughout by Luke Daniels—Audie Award winner, narrator of The Three-Body Problem and the Iron Druid Chronicles.

©2026 Unbound Books (P)2026 Unbound Books

5 out of 5 Stars – A Fresh Take on Science Fiction with Outstanding Characters

Splinter by Brian Moyer is one of the most original science fiction novels I’ve read in quite a while. It introduces some genuinely novel ideas that kept me thinking long after I finished each chapter. Rather than relying on familiar tropes, Moyer builds a fascinating world with concepts that feel fresh and imaginative.

What really elevates the book, though, is the character development. Esah and Ama are wonderfully written, and watching their relationship grow over the course of the story is every bit as compelling as the larger plot. They feel like real people, and I found myself genuinely invested in what happened to them.

Luke Daniels’ narration is absolutely first-rate. As always, he brings each character to life with distinct voices, great pacing, and just the right amount of personality. His performances are consistently entertaining, and Splinter is no exception—it’s simply a joy to listen to.

If you’re looking for a science fiction novel with fresh ideas, memorable characters, and exceptional narration, I highly recommend Splinter. This is an easy 5 out of 5 stars, and I’ll definitely be looking for more from Brian Moyer.

Science fiction and fantasy but based in reality.

I've just finished the 1st book and now craving the second. My imagination was captured immediately and as the author introduced the different characters, I felt myself instantly and emotionally drawn in. This book isn't about magic. It isn't about another world. It's about what any human being would do when they discover they may have an ability to manipulate ”The four main elements" in a harsh world that rarely gives second chances. As a naturalist, this book drew me in like a super magnet on a plate of steel.

At any point in this story, the Splinter World stays anchored in reality that I understand and appreciate. I know it's categorized as a science fiction fantasy book but I feel like I'm learning about the science of the real world I live in now. I enjoy the fact the author mentions and describes real locations that exist right now in this reality. It made me feel much more connected than if it was for example, on another unfamiliar planet.
I can't wait for book two to drop. I'm all in!