The Shattered Skies

By: John Birmingham

Narrated by: Morgan Hallett

Humanity’s last surviving heroes must protect a shattered civilization from an all-conquering enemy in this thrilling sequel to The Cruel Stars.

“[The Shattered Skies] is a delightful military space adventure that runs at full tilt.”—Booklist

The Sturm, an empire of “species purists,” have returned from the farthest reaches of Dark Space to wage a war against what they call mutants and borgs: any human being with genetic or neural engineering. In a sneak attack, they overwhelmed almost all of humanity’s defenses, blasting vicious malware across galaxy-spanning networks, dark code that transformed anyone connected to the system into a mindless psychotic killer. The Sturm’s victory seemed complete, their final triumph inevitable, until one small band of intrepid, unlikely heroes struck back.

Commander Lucinda Hardy and Admiral Frazer McLennan used the Armadalen Navy’s final surviving warship to fend off the Sturm, destroying the massed power of an entire Attack Fleet. With brilliant tactics—and support from drunken, grief-ravaged pirate Sephina L’trel and treasonous battle-rig operator Booker—this ragtag crew sent the Sturm running, managing to save Princess Alessia, the sole surviving heir to the gigantic Montanblanc ul Haq Corporation and perhaps Earth’s only remaining senator.

Now left with the remains of a fallen civilization, they must work together to rebuild what was lost and root out the numberless enemies of Earth. The Sturm invaders remain vastly more powerful—and they may not be the only threat lurking in the darkness of space.

Critic reviews

Praise for The Shattered Skies

“This is action-packed space opera at its most breathless.”—At Boundary’s Edge

“The Shattered Skies is brilliant, entertaining, and fast-moving. I’d give this six stars, but that’ll break the meter.”—Interstellar Valley

“Birmingham follows The Cruel Stars with more heart-pounding, breakneck action in the fight for survival between factions with differing views on humanity. Fans of epic, military space opera with lots of last minute reversals will gobble this up.”—Publishers Weekly

“[The Shattered Skies] is a delightful military space adventure that runs at full tilt.”—Booklist


Praise for Book One of the Trilogy, The Cruel Stars

“Gripping . . . Birmingham alternates between gut punches and laugh-out-loud humor. . . . Plenty of twists, sharp turns, and fateful encounters will keep readers guessing and turning pages. This jarring, engrossing story of a species-wide fight for survival is recommended for all science fiction readers.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“[The Cruel Stars] has everything going for it: interesting characters, immersive world building, a believable backstory, high-stakes conflict, visceral action, and credible villains. . . . This is what military space opera should be.”—Booklist

“For readers who loved the frenetic pacing of the first few episodes of Battlestar Galactica or the gritty realism of A Song of Ice and Fire, The Cruel Stars needs to make its way to the top of summer reading lists.”—BookPage

“Frenetic action viewed in a black fun-house mirror.”—Kirkus Reviews

Great listen, so many splosions

Love the story, the action, the accents and the colorful characters. The talent really brings them all to life.

The absolutely terrific Scottish cursing

What’s not to like this guy is a master at friends and enemies. Thanks again.

Intriguing Plot and Great Characters

Enjoyed this 2nd installment of this series immensely. Even better than the 1st book and can't wait for the next book.

Birmingham rocks again!

John Birmingham is a master wordsmith. He keeps the action moving quickly. Weaves the disparate threads into a logical whole. He brings delightful humor into disparate danger. Best of all, he excels in character development. You find heroes who suffer from impostor syndrome and evil villains who act from what seem reasonable imperatives by their own standards. Birmingham gives you enough insight to love and/or hate these children of his imagination. He provides you with the opportunity to slip inside the skin of his characters to try to imagine how you would act when faced with impossible choices. Well done, JB!

A Fantastic Sequel

The way this fantastic story has unfolded makes me want to never leave this world. I cannot wait for the third installment. This book is a must-read!!