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D.M. Pruden
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Kaine's Sanction (Shattered Empire Book 1) Kindle Edition

by D.M. Pruden (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.2 out of 5 stars 839 ratings

Undisturbed for aeons, something has been awakened...

When the UEF Scimitar is dispatched to retrieve an archaeologist from an isolated and abandoned Terran colony, young officer Hayden Kaine thinks it is a routine mission. But when a mysterious accident traps the ship in the quarantined star system, survival soon becomes everyone's only concern.

Attacked by an unknown alien species, the ship is damaged and half of the crew is killed or injured, including the captain. The only surviving bridge officer, Kaine is thrust into the command seat; a role for which he is neither experienced nor prepared, and which most of the surviving crew do not easily accept.

While the enemy amasses an overwhelming invasion fleet capable of overwhelming the unsuspecting confederation, Kaine must stave off a mutiny long enough to find a way to warn Earth of the danger. If he fails, the empire which has survived for five hundred years will fall and humanity will be doomed to extinction by a foe whose existence seems to defy the laws of physics.

If you love the science fiction works of Heinlein, Clarke or Asimov, try D.M. Pruden's rousing military space opera adventure, Kaine's Sanction, the first book in the Shattered Empire series.

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  1. Book 1 of 5
    Shattered Empire
  2. Print length
    251 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publication date
    February 15, 2019
  5. File size
    3.7 MB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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  1. Everyone dies. It is a part of the journey. Mourn, yes, but do not let sorrow shape your life. Dead is dead, and there is no amount of tears or wishing that can change that. Have your cry, say your goodbyes, and move on, keeping happy memories of your time with them.
    Highlighted by 30 Kindle readers
  2. “Do you believe in fate, Lieutenant?” He was surprised by the question. “No, I don’t. I think our responses to chance events determine our outcome.”
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From the Publisher

Shattered Empire Headline 1
Golden age of sci-fi

An unprepared officer. A crumbling ship. A battle for survival.

Lurking at the fringes of human-occupied space, a malevolent alien species prepares for an invasion that will overwhelm the unsuspecting Grand Terran Confederation.

Hayden Kaine is a young officer on his first deep space mission aboard the UEF Scimitar. When the ship becomes trapped in a quarantined star system, Kaine and the crew become the only ones to warn the Confederation. But first, they must survive an encounter with creatures whose very existence defies the laws of physics.

So begins the saga which chronicles the fall of the Grand Terran Confederation, an empire that has lasted for five hundred years, and the chaos that rises to replace it.

"A thrilling space opera ride!"

Shattered Empire Series 2024

Shattered Empire Series Reading Order

  1. Kaine's Sanction
  2. Kaine's Retribution
  3. Kaine's Reparation
  4. Kaine's Rebellion
  5. Kaine's Regret

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

D.M.(Doug) Pruden is a professional geophysicist who worked for 35 years in the petroleum industry. For most of his life he has been plagued with stories banging around inside his head that demanded to be let out into the world. He currently spends his time as an empty nester in Calgary, Alberta, Canada with his long suffering wife of 34 years, Colleen. When he isn't writing science fiction stories, he likes to spend his time playing with his granddaughters and working on improving his golf handicap. He will also do geophysical work when requested.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07NCGSTRC
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Fuzzy Slipper Publishing (February 15, 2019)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ February 15, 2019
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 3.7 MB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 251 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 out of 5 stars 839 ratings

About the author

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D.M. Pruden

D.M. Pruden

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D.M.(Doug) Pruden worked for 35 years in the petroleum industry as a geophysicist. For most of his life he has been plagued with stories banging around inside his head that demanded to be let out into the world. He currently spends his time as an empty nester in Calgary, Alberta, Canada with his long suffering wife of 34 years. When he isn’t writing science fiction stories, he likes to spend his time playing with his granddaughters and working on improving his golf handicap. Go to www.prudenauthor.com and sign up to the Reader's Group. You will receive a free collection of short stories containing a never before published story about Mel Destin’s early life on Terra. Group members will receive early publication notice of upcoming books, blog posts and other goodies from time to time.

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
839 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book's story exciting and complete as a standalone narrative, with one review noting it hums along at a fast clip. Moreover, the book receives positive feedback for its readability, with one customer mentioning they finished it in two days, and customers appreciate the well-developed characters.

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16 customers mention "Story quality"14 positive2 negative

Customers find the book's story exciting and complete as a standalone narrative, with one customer noting that it hums along at a pretty fast clip.

"The book was immediately interesting. I wanted to finish it before I finished the first chapter. The writing was from an obviously veteran author...." Read more

"...characters, however the book moved smartly along and was complete as a story on its own. The follow on story should be equally satisfying!" Read more

"A pleasant twist from the usual Scifi selections. The story line plays well and the characters were easy to associate with...." Read more

"Enjoyed the story with the building of a series plot. Easy and interesting story in this first book in the series." Read more

11 customers mention "Readability"11 positive0 negative

Customers find the book easy to read, with one mentioning they finished it in two days, and another noting it's a good series for summer reading.

"Not a bad book, just some inconsistencies I noticed...." Read more

"This unputdownable novel features an Officer cadet, Hayden Kaine, who is close to graduating...." Read more

"...Makes you want to read the whole series." Read more

"Good read in 2 day with kindle assit nice plot and could be a good series for tv not a film" Read more

8 customers mention "Writing quality"6 positive2 negative

Customers praise the writing quality of the book, with one noting it's from a veteran author and another highlighting the excellent line-editing.

"...The writing was from an obviously veteran author. Plus the story was excellent and fun. I'll be buying more." Read more

"...This book needs work. I think there is a decent to near-excellent line-editing and copy-editing, and I don't see any spelling or grammatical mistakes..." Read more

"I like how the author writes. He draws you in. The characters seem so real. The bad guys got what they deserved." Read more

"...Compact and well written" Read more

7 customers mention "Character development"7 positive0 negative

Customers love the characters in the book, with one specifically mentioning the interesting crew mates.

"...The story line plays well and the characters were easy to associate with...." Read more

"...relationship that develops too easily and rapidly, a set of interesting crew mates (female engineer reminds me of Firefly character), there’s a set..." Read more

"...There is a lot of action, stimulating characters and a very interesting take on alien species far advanced from humans." Read more

"...I found the story to be exciting. The characters were well drawn and credible. I enjoyed the book well enough that I purchased volume 2 of the series." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • D. Sanders
    5.0 out of 5 stars excellent read, mature writing
    Reviewed in the United States on May 24, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    The book was immediately interesting. I wanted to finish it before I finished the first chapter. The writing was from an obviously veteran author. Plus the story was excellent and fun. I'll be buying more.
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  • William Reger
    4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting Finding Yourself Story.
    Reviewed in the United States on June 16, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    Kaine's Sanction is an interesting take on a person having to find a new path when their planned life is thrown out of control. While set in a fictional future, it responds with enough human perspective to be useful. I prefer slightly more developed characters, however the book moved smartly along and was complete as a story on its own. The follow on story should be equally satisfying!
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  • Dana
    5.0 out of 5 stars Well written, captured my interest quickly.
    Reviewed in the United States on March 9, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    A pleasant twist from the usual Scifi selections. The story line plays well and the characters were easy to associate with. Book one ended with the close of the story while offering a new adventure with the primary characters in book two; not just a collection of chapters.
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  • Dan J.
    3.0 out of 5 stars Not quite 4 stars
    Reviewed in the United States on February 17, 2025
    Verified Purchase
    Not a bad book, just some inconsistencies I noticed. The crew talks about the incident on the planet being a seismic event and then immediately switch to it being the result of an attack with no transition from one to the other. Also, Stella describes the feel of sand beneath her feet while walking on a beach, yet earlier she states she's only ever lived on starships. There are other minor continuity issues in the story, but those stand out the most.
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  • WyoGal
    4.0 out of 5 stars Humans vs aliens with a fast plot
    Reviewed in the United States on July 13, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    The story hums along at a pretty fast clip. The basic elements are introduced and then the space battles kick in. This book has elements that are similar to other stories: A young wanna be officer with an arrogant personality screws up and gets sent to a remote corner of space, ends up battling alien spaceships and must figure out a way to survive and to warn other humans of their possible doom. There is a PG romantic relationship that develops too easily and rapidly, a set of interesting crew mates (female engineer reminds me of Firefly character), there’s a set of soldiers with robot parts, and lots of typical sci-fi weaponry is used and along with FTL travel. There are a few typos, and two chapters seem out of order, but otherwise this is a brisk adventure requiring only light mental effort to enjoy.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • David E.
    5.0 out of 5 stars A Rollercoaster of a first contact ride
    Reviewed in the United States on February 17, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    This unputdownable novel features an Officer cadet, Hayden Kaine, who is close to graduating. Kaine already has a family plan to enter the Diplomatic Core and beyond. However The Admiral graduates him early and assigns him as 2nd lieutenant to an old delapidated ship on a secret mission. The mission involves retrieving a scientist from an abandoned outpost and the events that transpire lead Kaine to mature as an Officer and find some meaning and a little romance. "First contact" is made with highly advanced races resulting in potential (and real) conflict....
    The open-ended ending leaves the reader wanting to know what happens next and i for one can't wait for the next book.
    If you are a fan of Mel Destin and the Mars Ascendant series from Doug Pruden, then you will love this story too - which I essentially read in one sitting. I'd throughly recommend this book.
    14 people found this helpful
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  • Kindle Customer
    4.0 out of 5 stars Good story to read
    Reviewed in the United States on March 20, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    Enjoyed the story with the building of a series plot. Easy and interesting story in this first book in the series.
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  • Thomas La Roche
    5.0 out of 5 stars A shot in the dark?
    Reviewed in the United States on October 9, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    Kaine’s Sanction (Shattered Empire Book 1) by D.M. Pruden was an absolute shot in the dark for me. I read some of the reviews, and decided to take a chance on a new author (to me) in the science fiction genre. It was one of the best gambles i have taken in quite some time. It was packed full of danger, adventure, action, and even some romance. Kaine was a spoiled young man of privilege, who finally grew up in space.
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Gazza22
    5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Story
    Reviewed in Australia on May 22, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    Well done for having the ability to write a story that was believable. With great characters it was a pleasure to read.
    Report
  • carolann a.
    5.0 out of 5 stars very good
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 12, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    very good story, good interesting characters.
    Report
  • Sam964
    5.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable read
    Reviewed in Canada on May 3, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    Great characters coming to grips with rapidly changing circumstances. The intriguing alien cultures left me wanting to learn about their motivations and fears. No doubt more will be revealed as the series progresses. If you like Sci-fi where humanity is an underdog with an unexpected edge, you’ll enjoy this.
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  • Kindle Customer Baz
    4.0 out of 5 stars Surprising
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 25, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    This first in the series has good characters who develop as the story progresses, first contact with two alien races one friendly and the other aggressive bent I destroying every life form in the galaxy makes this a page-turning read. Although it's a little slow at the beginning of the story it quickly develops into an unputdownable adventure, worth a look, Baz
    Report
  • Peter Eerden
    4.0 out of 5 stars an interesting start to a series
    Reviewed in Australia on April 6, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    Shattered Empire book one is both intriguing and well thought through as the author takes us to galaxy’s far far away. Plenty of alien protagonists, heroes and events to keep the mind engaged. Just a few narrative errors to be annoying for me but if that does not worry you unduly then you have a five star rated read here. Go for it. You will not be disappointed.
    Report

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