City Threads - Shop now
Kindle Unlimited
Unlimited reading. Over 4 million titles. Learn more
Read for Free
OR
$4.99 with 67 percent savings
Print List Price: $14.99

Promotions apply when you purchase

These promotions will be applied to this item:

Some promotions may be combined; others are not eligible to be combined with other offers. For details, please see the Terms & Conditions associated with these promotions.

Sold by Amazon.com Services LLC.
Read with our free app
You've subscribed to ! We will preorder your items within 24 hours of when they become available. When new books are released, we'll charge your default payment method for the lowest price available during the pre-order period.
Update your device or payment method, cancel individual pre-orders or your subscription at
Your Memberships & Subscriptions
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

S.A. Tholin
Follow
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

Iron Truth (Primaterre Book 1) Kindle Edition

by S.A. Tholin (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.4 out of 5 stars 308 ratings

Winner of the inaugural SPSFC (2021/2022)

Fresh and surprising on every level, IRON TRUTH is an epic science fiction adventure with a twist of cosmic horror, bursting with staggering world-building, unremitting action and memorable characters.

When miners on a remote colony dig too deep, the golden age of space exploration comes to a bloody end. A corruption springs from Xanthe's alien soil, possessing every mind it touches.

Embroiled in civil war, the galactic community spirals into panic, and the Primaterre Protectorate seizes control. In order to preserve Earth, its surface is quarantined, and all further deep space colonisation is outlawed.

Aboard one of the last colony ships, junior botanist Joy Somerset slumbers in cryostasis, unaware of war and corruption. Expecting the clear skies of a garden colony, she instead wakes stranded on Cato - a planet whose menacing sands seem to share a hunger with the crazed locals - and Joy faces mortal peril at every turn.

Commander Cassimer, troubled by a past of epic proportions, is a Primaterre veteran dedicated to fighting the corruption. Now he leads Scathach Banneret Company's elite strike team on a mission to recover a clandestine starship lost on Cato. On this storm-lashed world, surrounded by shadow and ruin, Cassimer faces not only failure, but the loss of what little sanity he has.

Joy and Cassimer must trust each other long enough to uncover Cato's dark secret and work together to survive deranged cultists, terrorist rebels, and the IRON TRUTH.

Read more
Previous slide of product details
  1. Book 1 of 4
    Primaterre
  2. Print length
    585 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Accessibility
    Learn more
  5. Publication date
    March 17, 2018
  6. File size
    1.1 MB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
Next slide of product details
Unwell Hydration from Alex Cooper
Hydrate & focus with every sip Shop now

Shop this series

 See full series
There are 4 books in this series.

Customers also bought or read

Page 1 of 1Start overPage 1 of 1
Previous page
  1. Daros
    Kindle Edition
    $3.99
  4. The Blackout (UK Dark Book 1)
    Kindle Edition
    $2.99
  6. The Fire of Winter
    Kindle Edition
    $6.99
  18. The Avant Champion ~Rising~
    Kindle Edition
    $2.99
  26. The Shieldmaiden's Daughter
    Kindle Edition
    $0.99
Next page
Loading...

Editorial Reviews

Review

A powerful adventure braided together from elements of military sf, horror, romance, and space opera. --Mike Glyer, File 770.

Iron Truth is a bold, expansive science fiction adventure packed full of strong characters, breathless action and looming cosmic horror, all within a beautifully crafted and believable setting. --Michael Dodd, Track of Words.

Self-published science fiction done right. Adventure and mystery and horror and characters that make it all matter. Read this one. --Dan, Elitist Book Reviews.

A perfect blend of far-future science fiction and existential dread in the form of cosmic horror. If there's anything such as 'GrimDark SciFi,' this is it. A truly remarkable job by the author! --Khalid Muhammad Abdul-Mumin, Littafi.

An incredible page-turner. --L.L. McRae, author of The Iron Crown, SPFBO 7 finalist.

Truly epic sci-fi from beginning to end. A great read. --V.E. Patton, author of Ochre Dragon.

A whole lot of fun and I thoroughly recommend it. --Andrew Hindle, author of Eejit.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07BJNM59W
  • Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ March 17, 2018
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1.1 MB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 585 pages
  • Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Book 1 of 4 ‏ : ‎ Primaterre
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 out of 5 stars 308 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
S.A. Tholin

S.A. Tholin

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

S.A Tholin is an award-winning Swedish author. Following multiple honorary mentions for her short stories, and a Fantastiknovelltävlingen victory in 2002, she moved to the UK to study English at Cambridge. Currently, she lives and writes from her home in the Skåne countryside.

Book One of the Primaterre series, Iron Truth, won first place in the 2021-2022 SPSFC (Self-Published Science Fiction Competition).

Follow @Tholin on twitter or satholin.wordpress.com for updates and news about future releases.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
308 global ratings

Review this product

Share your thoughts with other customers
Write a customer review

Customers say

Customers find the book's storyline engaging with its epic sci-fi elements and lots of action, with one review noting it's told from two points of view. They appreciate the compelling characters and excellent world-building. Customers consider the book well worth the read.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Select to learn more

15 customers mention "Storyline"15 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the storyline of this epic sci-fi book, which features lots of action and an intriguing plot, with one customer noting it is told from two points of view.

"Although I felt the story line was good, the ending could have been reached much sooner...." Read more

"This novel has a very intriguing plot, nonstop action and very interesting characters. Joy is a very engaging character that you’ll come to love...." Read more

"Well I loved every moment of this read. Highly recommend the tale. Character development is great and the plot believable for the most part...." Read more

"Cool universe, I liked the horror and sf elements, but was not a fan of the romance what so ever...." Read more

11 customers mention "Character development"11 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the character development in the book, with one mentioning that the main two viewpoints are likable.

"...Character Development: The character development was just as strong as the other two categories. There are a lot of characters in book one...." Read more

"...Joy is a very engaging character that you’ll come to love. Commander Cassmire is one of the most complex protagonists I’ve come across in some time...." Read more

"...Highly recommend the tale. Character development is great and the plot believable for the most part. Well done SA!" Read more

"...alien intelligence trying to take over the galaxy, and good, old-fashioned heroes. A good read." Read more

10 customers mention "Value for money"10 positive0 negative

Customers find the book enjoyable and worth the purchase.

"...this read, please don't let that discourage you as I feel it's well worth the read. Scoring: Pacing 5.0 / 5.0..." Read more

"...This read is well worth your time." Read more

"Great book." Read more

"...alien intelligence trying to take over the galaxy, and good, old-fashioned heroes. A good read." Read more

6 customers mention "World building"6 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the world building in the book.

"...The world building was also top notch in my opinion. I loved the world put together by Tholin in this first book...." Read more

"...Well done SA!" Read more

"...Those looking for a big sci-fi world with tons of great worldbuilding and good characters should check it out." Read more

"...I found this to be an enjoyable scifi novel of broad scope with rich world building and it is clear the author has plans for the characters." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Chad Barnard
    5.0 out of 5 stars In the running for my favorite read of 2025!
    Reviewed in the United States on May 15, 2025
    Verified Purchase
    Opening:
    Iron Truth by S.A. Tholin has been on my radar for years now. I honestly didn't know much about it when I first added it to my want to read list on Goodreads. I just remember there was quite a bit of buzz for it.

    Fast forward a couple of years and our Buddy Read group selected it as our March read. As I worked on lining up my monthly TBR to accommodate, I realized Iron Truth was actually the inaugural winner of the SPSFC competition. That should have gotten me excited to read it, but I honestly don't have the best track record with competition winning books.

    Pacing:
    The pacing with Iron Truth was really good. I will admit that even though this book comes in just under 600 pages, it was a bit of a marathon read. It never felt like I was slogging through the book but I'm constantly watching the percentage read indicator on my Kindle and this read goes of very slowly.

    I thought about that a bit more trying to figure out how to describe that and I came up with this. The fact is many of my visual reads have numerous pages with shorter sentences and paragraphs on them which helps that number go up fairly quickly. Iron Truth is dense. Meaning most pages are packed full. I still found a way to get this done in just about two weeks.

    World Building:
    The world building was also top notch in my opinion. I loved the world put together by Tholin in this first book. Early on I was vibing with this read as it felt like a Warhammer 40,000 story but with more meaningful and rich character relationships. I think this is mostly because of the planet this story takes place on as well as how the soldier armors are described. I couldn't help but visualize space marine and terminator type armors.

    Beyond that, the various aspects such as the planet, the tech, the politics and the characters are given in just the right amount of detail for me to utterly click with this read. I'm not a big fan of authors that give what can be an overly abundant amount of details where I just find myself getting lost in what is happening. I never felt that way with Iron Truth. I often find myself getting lost in the story and feeling like I am there. Whether it's on a ship, in duct work, a field habitat or a dark creepy underground rail line, I was there for it all.

    Character Development:
    The character development was just as strong as the other two categories. There are a lot of characters in book one. Luckily that number does narrow considerably when thinking of just our main or core characters. That allows us to see growth from each of those characters as well as how they interact with some of the other supporting characters along the way.

    As I said the main crew of Joy, Cassimer, Hopewell and Lucklaw are get a lot of spotlight and growth. But beyond that even the environment as a character was something to see materialize throughout this story. I made some observations early on and voiced my hopes on where somethings may go and I'm happy to see even if not exactly what I thought, it did become very important to the story.

    Closing:
    In closing, it should be clear that I really loved this read. I've already scoped out the series and see there are some more dense reads ahead of me. I might have to split some of the larger ones in half and read over two months. It will just depend what other reading obligations I have month to month this year. But rest assured I will be continuing to read the Primaterre series.

    As far as recommendations go, I would certainly add this to any reading fan of Science Fiction especially those that like their stories on the darker side where hope is just a sparkle on the horizon. Even though I talk about the density of this read, please don't let that discourage you as I feel it's well worth the read.

    Scoring:
    Pacing 5.0 / 5.0
    World Building 5.0 / 5.0
    Character Development 5.0 / 5.0
    Helpful
     Report
  • Kindle Customer
    4.0 out of 5 stars WEll
    Reviewed in the United States on April 23, 2025
    Verified Purchase
    Although I felt the story line was good, the ending could have been reached much sooner. The excessive amount of description and verbage was not conducive enjoyable reading.
    Helpful
     Report
  • Doug McGonegal
    5.0 out of 5 stars A truly amazing read
    Reviewed in the United States on May 15, 2025
    Verified Purchase
    This novel has a very intriguing plot, nonstop action and very interesting characters. Joy is a very engaging character that you’ll come to love. Commander Cassmire is one of the most complex protagonists I’ve come across in some time. This read is well worth your time.
    Helpful
     Report
  • Dan O
    5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome space saga
    Reviewed in the United States on May 20, 2025
    Verified Purchase
    Well I loved every moment of this read. Highly recommend the tale. Character development is great and the plot believable for the most part. Well done SA!
    Helpful
     Report
  • C.B.
    3.0 out of 5 stars 2.5 bumped up to 3
    Reviewed in the United States on November 27, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    Cool universe, I liked the horror and sf elements, but was not a fan of the romance what so ever. It also could have used a bit of trimming down and tightening up, but that's often the case with self published sf, so I'm not going to knock it too hard for that.
    2 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • Matthew Isham
    4.0 out of 5 stars long book but keeps you interested through the whole thing. def worth the buy.
    Reviewed in the United States on April 8, 2025
    Verified Purchase
    Great book.
    Helpful
     Report
  • Thomas Brown
    5.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyed the action, discovery, growth. classic SciFi
    Reviewed in the United States on April 29, 2025
    Verified Purchase
    I found it to be classic SciFi, no excessively detailed tech descriptions, but lots of action, some love interest (but not overt sex), alien intelligence trying to take over the galaxy, and good, old-fashioned heroes. A good read.
    Helpful
     Report
  • Patrick Earley
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
    Reviewed in the United States on May 6, 2025
    Verified Purchase
    Definitely worth a reaf, feels like a more grounded 40k and cant wait for whats next in the series! Word
    Helpful
     Report

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English
  • Tonto Kowalski
    5.0 out of 5 stars Long, dense, brilliant (sort of military) Science Fiction
    Reviewed in Germany on April 12, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    The book is mainly told from the third person point of view of two main characters:
    1. Joy Somerset, a young woman in cryo-sleep on a colonisation ship, who gets woken up more than a century after her ship crashed on the hostile planet on Cato. She is a lively, positive character, who desperately tries to keep her humanity in a hostile environment and tries to wake up her brother who travelled on the same ship. I rarely really liked a character as quickly as her, after just a few pages.
    2. Commander Cassimer, the leader of a Primaterre special unit sent to the planet of Cato to find a ship that recently vanished on the same planet, Cato. It takes a bit to get to know him since he is a more surly, withdrawn character who (literally) has some demons in his past. All this changes quite a bit after he meets Joy.

    The characters are well developed, not only the two mentioned above but also all the minor characters of Cassimer's unit and some of the locals.

    During reading I noticed on the one hand a kind of romance developing between two characters in the book. At first it seemed to me distracting and also put on. But during the course of the novel it weirdly became more and more important and an integral part of the plot and also of character development. The other thing I noticed is the Primaterre itself, its history, society and military. And also its concept of Purity/Impurity and the demons. Purity is very important and there has been some "purification" of planets which gave rise to factions like the RebEarthers. It is very interesting how all this is explained and how the whole of the Primaterre is put into a completely different light during the uncovering of the mystery of Cato.

    The genre of this book is partly military science fiction with a few elements of psychological horror. I am not a fan of horror but here it really fits the narrative very well. So the big question is now: Is this book for you? I never had that much of a problem recommending a book I really love to every SF fan. If you like dialogue driven, fast military SF (like the Empire Rising series, The Last Hunter series and also maybe the 4 Horseman Universe) this may not be for you. This book is not driven by dialogue and fast action (although there are quite a few battles in this book), but this book is rather driven by introspection and you witnessing a character thinking through a problem and arriving at a solution. This may sound boring, but although the book is long and dense (often in plot and sometimes in prose), it never once became boring for me. I always wanted to read on and on to find out what happens to the cast and how and if the problems facing the group get solved. Sometimes it is over the top but in a great way. If you like the Spiral Wars series, you probably will like this also, although this book has a bit less action as some Spiral Wars books. But the density in plot and characters is there as well.

    To put the length of the novel in perspective, it is 580 pages on my Kindle. Normally, if I read a novel of equal length of any of the three quick military SF series mentioned above, I take about 12-14 hours to finish it (I am not an English native speaker). This book took me 20 hours to read and I enjoyed every second of it, and was never bored. Simply brilliant, looking very much forward to the next novel (even if it is even a bit longer).
    Report
  • Lauren
    5.0 out of 5 stars Sensational sci-fi!
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 2, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    Oh wow, I've now officially read my first sci-fi book! I think overall rating is 4.5 stars (I really wasn't a fan of the romance), but rounded up due to just how much this book had me in its hooks!

    I only read fantasy. And I only read physical books or audiobooks. Iron Truth changed this - my first sci-fi and my first eBook. I'd not heard of this until the SPFSC winner was announced, and curious, I checked out the Look Inside on Amazon.

    I was SO hooked and so desperate to keep reading, that ordering (and waiting for) the paperback was simply not a possibility. So I bought the eBook and continued reading on my phone's Kindle app immediately.

    Iron Truth follows two main characters (although there are a smattering of other POVs in the final quarter of the book): Joy and Cassimer. I preferred Joy - her POV is much more accessible and engaging. A botanist given an amazing opportunity, she is unfortunately thrown into a horrific situation after things go wrong, and surviving is suddenly a high-stake issue she has to deal with for every hour of every day.

    Cassimer is a soldier, relying on augments and stims, which makes him far less human than Joy. When their paths cross, they work together to help each other survive and unlock the secrets of the planet they find themeslves on. With Cassimer is his team - all of whom were great side characters, made up of a patchwork of grey. I particularly liked Lucklaw.

    This story was a lot darker and more brutal than I realised it would be. It's almost grimdark in some aspects, with overwhelming levels of bleak hopelessness, ruthless people, violence, and brutality. It comes in short, sharp bursts, though, which makes them very effective.

    The augments Cassimer and his team have manage to keep them alive long past the point they should be dead (shattered spines and ruptured internal organs are minor annoyances rather than life-changing), but the descriptions of how these wounds come to be can be a bit much at times. I definitely flinched at a few scenes.

    There are plenty of tech descriptions, from comms and hacking, to human experimentation, Cascades, and folding (a chunk of that went over my head), and there's a level of sinister deception wrapping around the whole plot. It was beyond fascinating, and so well-written that I simple needed more.

    Despite the super human elements, there is a very real, very human story here. It's the driving force of everything, which when coupled with an intriguing mystery (that seems to become more complicated with every passing chapter), made Iron Truth an incredible page-turner.

    I found myself sneaking in a page or two at every opportunity I had! A definite recommend and worthy win!
    Report
  • marina
    4.0 out of 5 stars Rauwe sf met een horrorlaagje.
    Reviewed in the Netherlands on January 28, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    Wat een avontuur om dit boek te lezen. Het begint als een militaire sf en je denkt de bijna 600 pagina's niet nodig te hebben om hier een verhaal van te maken. Integendeel, het plot is goed uitgedacht, verrassend en hoofdpersonen krijgen de tijd om uitgediept te worden. Je wordt steeds op het verkeerde been gezet wie nu de vijand is en wie wil helpen, waarbij psychologische oorlogsvoering het geheel een horrosfeer geeft. Voor een ieder die houdt van een goed verhaal, militaire sf en wat stof tot nadenken tijdens het lezen.
    Report
  • Trent Baker
    5.0 out of 5 stars Space opera in fine form.
    Reviewed in Australia on October 28, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    When I was only 50% the way through this book I was comfortable with giving it four stars, now that I have finished it I can say it deserves five. The prose is refreshing, the characters interesting and the world-building is fascinating without getting bogged down in exposition. It is no great world-shaking science fiction, but that's ok because it is some great space opera and I love it for that.
    If you are a fan of Warhammer 40, 000 and Black Library alums like Dan Abnett and Aaron Dembski-Bowden then I believe you will enjoy this as well.
    Report
  • Lord rascal
    5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent book to read
    Reviewed in India on December 26, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    Loved the chemistry, the tension, the plot. Loved how the relationships between the characters progressed. Especially the lead character commander cassimer.
    Report

Report an issue


Does this item contain inappropriate content?
Report
Do you believe that this item violates a copyright?
Report
Does this item contain quality or formatting issues?
Report