A Hymn for the Dying – J.L. Doty 


 

At sixteen years of age, Mathius’s life is focused on scrounging bits of food in the midst of a five-way civil war on the planet Novalis III. Two government factions and three rebel factions are all hell-bent on killing one another, and the civilian population is caught in the middle. If Mathius doesn’t find food, he and his father, mother and sister will go hungry for the day, a not unusual occurrence. Mathius must also avoid the rebel factions, who frequently kidnap young boys and force them to become soldiers.

Will the Commonwealth of Allied Systems intervene? And what of the Blacksword Regiment, the elite soldiers of the Commonwealth Security Corps? Will they sweep in and make everything right?

And the Kelk Supremacy, a race of strange humans with blood-red eyes, and pale bluish-white skin? They're perfectly human, and yet they are not. Why does Mathius keep seeing signs that the Kelk are somehow involved in the unrest?

SPSFC Year 2021

Subgenres: Adventure, Galactic Empire / Colonization, Hard SF, Military, Space Exploration, Space Opera

Date first published:  July 1, 2020

On Kindle Unlimited: Yes

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Author Information

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Website: https://www.jldoty.com/

Biography: Jim is a full-time SF&F writer, scientist (Ph.D. Electrical Engineering, specialty laser physics), and former running-dog-lackey for the bourgeois capitalist establishment. With 15 published books, he writes hard science fiction, epic fantasy and urban fantasy, frequently with strong, young-adult themes. His first success came through self-publishing, which led to contracts with traditional publishers like Open Road Media and Harper Collins Voyager, and his books are now a mix of traditional and self-published. His new hard SF series, The Blacksword Regiment, was released in July 2020, and the first book in his new fantasy series, The Deck of Chaos, came out in July 2021. It's a tale of seduction, betrayal, and dark magic. He lives in Tucson, AZ with his wife Karen, and two little beings who claim to be cats: Julia and Natasha. But Jim is certain they're really extra-terrestrial aliens in disguise.

Other information

Cover artist name: Jim Doty

Cover artist website: https://www.jldoty.com/

Editor/Formatter’s name: Jim Doty

Editor/Formatter’s website: https://www.jldoty.com/