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Empire of Light (Shoal Sequence Book 3) On Demand Edition, Kindle Edition

4.2 out of 5 stars 343 ratings

The nova war spreads across the galaxy, as the Emissaries wage a fierce and reckless campaign. They’ve already reached human-occupied space and forced the alien Shoal into a desperate retreat. And when Dakota leaves to pursue a lead, Corso’s luck turns bad. Now commanding a fleet of human-piloted Magi ships, his authority crumbles before assassination attempts and politically motivated sabotage. Their best hope lies with Ty Whitecloud, currently light years beyond Consortium borders. Only Ty can decipher messages left behind by ancient star travellers – which could be crucial to their cause.

But Whitecloud is imprisoned onboard a dying coreship, awaiting execution for war crimes against Corso’s own people. For humanity’s very survival, Corso must get to Whitecloud and keep him alive. If Dakota doesn’t kill him first.

‘A sharp, distinctive piece of Sci-Fi, and Gibson has certainly proved himself a name to watch out for’

SFX

‘Amazing energy … establishes Gary Gibson as a leading light of modern SF’
FantasyBookCritic blog

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 See full series
There are 4 books in this series.

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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Gary Gibson is the author of The Shoal Sequence, The Final Days series, and the two stand-alone novels Angel Stations and Against Gravity.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B003X27L2W
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Tor
  • Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ July 24, 2010
  • Edition ‏ : ‎ On Demand
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1.1 MB
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 577 pages
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0230753723
  • Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Book 3 of 4 ‏ : ‎ Shoal Sequence
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 16 years and up
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 out of 5 stars 343 ratings

About the author

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Gary Gibson
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Described by The Guardian as "a master of core sf" and "one of our best exponents of hardcore SF adventure" by the Daily Mail, Gary Gibson's career stretches over fifteen years and nearly twenty books.

His work has been translated and published around the world, including Russia, Brazil, Germany, and France. A long-time resident of Glasgow, Scotland, he relocated a few years ago to Taipei in the Far East and splits his time between editing and working on his own material.

His latest book is a collection of previously published and unpublished short stories and novellas, Butterfly Box and Other Stories, released on 15 November 2024 in ebook, paperback and hardback.

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
343 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book well worth reading. The plot receives mixed reactions, with one customer describing it as fast-paced while another finds it somewhat predictable.

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5 customers mention "Readability"5 positive0 negative

Customers find the book well worth reading, with one customer noting it's the best in the trilogy.

"The last book in the Shoal series, and clearly the best...." Read more

"Very intriguing plot and book series, enjoyed it but at times too difficult to follow the motivations of main people..." Read more

"The best of the trilogy, with a very satisfying, if not somewhat cryptic ending...." Read more

"...Well worth a read for the attention grabber that it is." Read more

6 customers mention "Plot"3 positive3 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the plot of the book, with some finding it intriguing and fast-paced, while others note it is somewhat predictable.

"Very intriguing plot and book series, enjoyed it but at times too difficult to follow the motivations of main people..." Read more

"A little predictable. The ending seemed a little hurried. But still not a bad read" Read more

"...Where it lacks creativity it definitely makes up for in an overall fast-paced story that will probably get upcycled into a solid Hollywood franchise..." Read more

"...A few weak points in the storyline, but they were fixed with explanations later in the book." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on October 8, 2014
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    The last book in the Shoal series, and clearly the best. But you have to read the first two before you can understand the politics and circumstances that lead up to this excellent read. Highly suggested.
  • Reviewed in the United States on November 7, 2013
    Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
    Very intriguing plot and book series, enjoyed it but at times too difficult to follow the motivations of main people...
  • Reviewed in the United States on June 11, 2014
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    3.5 stars. Gibson is clearly influenced by the same SF I read and watch. Basically this trilogy slides right in between Star Wars, Revelation Space, and a bit of the Culture for good measure. Where it lacks creativity it definitely makes up for in an overall fast-paced story that will probably get upcycled into a solid Hollywood franchise, vis-a-vis somewhat generic aliens, galactic problems, anti-hero antics, and obvious next tech. It's fun, but not amazing.
  • Reviewed in the United States on February 25, 2022
  • Reviewed in the United States on December 2, 2014
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    A little predictable. The ending seemed a little hurried. But still not a bad read
  • Reviewed in the United States on July 17, 2016
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Great follow on, a different focus to the previous books. A few weak points in the storyline, but they were fixed with explanations later in the book.
  • Reviewed in the United States on October 20, 2011
    Format: Kindle
    I have to say, I was a bit let down by this book after book 2, The Nova War, showed so much promise. This suffered a little bit from what I like to refer to as "The Peter Hamilton Effect". This is whereby when a character gets himself into a situation that there is no obvious way out, something "miraculous" happens. New technology is found. New abilities arise. New plot elements that were not there before suddenly appear and save the day. Frankly, that sucks. I won't go into details, but you'll know the part(s) when you come across them in the book. All in all, a good book, that should have been a great book, but for some sloppy plot points. Easy for me to criticize, but I'm sure that the author worked hard, because otherwise it is an excellent story and well worth a read.
    5 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on October 15, 2015
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    The best of the trilogy, with a very satisfying, if not somewhat cryptic ending. The Shoal Sequence firmly cements Gibson with his peers in hard science fiction space opera.

Top reviews from other countries

  • Gar Mac Leman
    5.0 out of 5 stars Another good read from Gary Gibson
    Reviewed in Australia on October 8, 2024
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    Book 3 of the series certainly didn't disappoint
  • Matthew Carl Schwarz
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in Canada on August 7, 2014
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Good book, read the entirety of the series though, I'm not sure how it'd stand as a stand-alone book.
  • ACS
    5.0 out of 5 stars A good read
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 17, 2012
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    This was one of my first Kindle books. I believe the first one was a free book. Book two was well worth the money. The story continues to widen and bring in new characters and some very interesting civilisations to say the least as well as expanding the story line. Its probably fair to say it is space Opera, with the writing not of the high standard expected by some. But then it is an excellent casual read of science fiction for the money.
  • Susan W
    4.0 out of 5 stars A not-so-good ending to a great series
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 28, 2011
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    I have to say, I was a bit let down by this book after book 2, The Nova War, showed so much promise. This suffered a little bit from what I like to refer to as "The Peter Hamilton Effect". This is whereby when a character gets himself into a situation that there is no obvious way out, something "miraculous" happens. New technology is found. New abilities arise. New plot elements that were not there before suddenly appear and save the day. Frankly, that sucks. I won't go into details, but you'll know the part(s) when you come across them in the book. All in all, a good book, that should have been a great book, but for some sloppy plot points. Easy for me to criticize, but I'm sure that the author worked hard, because otherwise it is an excellent story and well worth a read.
  • J Harrington
    5.0 out of 5 stars Shoal Trilogy
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 6, 2012
    Having finally finished reading all three books I can happily say that it was well worth the read. Although I found the story line became patchy in places the overall storyline made it a difficult book to put down. The main thing I found annoying was the number of spelling mistakes through out all three books (not that my spelling is any better) but I guess when proof reading 600 page books a few are going to slip the net. Over all a very good read and I'll be looking out for more books written by Gary Gibson in the future

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