Shadow of Utopia (Vol. 3 - The Invasion): Shadow of Utopia, #3

By Luke Shephard

Volume 3 of the Shadow of Utopia series!

Once, long ago, the world was a happier place. It was beautiful and rich with life. There was music and laughter, pictures that could move, objects that could sing. When a life was born, people celebrated and hosted parties. When a life was taken, people were overcome with grief. There was light everywhere, and hope could always be found in the darkest of times.

That world was called Earth. Earth is no more.

Now, Cora is living in the colonies, where she keeps hearing talks of the mysterious 'Utopia'. Everything is fine...until one day, Cora is tasked with an important job.

A job so important that the lives of countless Mutants and Utopians rest upon Cora's decision.

Will she survive the strangers, the creatures, the...unknown that is waiting for her? Will she do the right thing?

Praise for Shadow of Utopia:
"The plot of this story is a very interesting twist on the apocalypse and mutant development."

"This is the story of one of the earth's survivors (Cora). She not only has an interesting background but is also hopeful for the future. Most of the earth's people have lost all hope. The quick-claws and the sharp-tooths are forces to be reckoned with by members of the village."

"The three book set provides an alternative future that is just as current today. Well written and realistic options are provided."

• Language: English
• Publisher: Our Pack Press
• Release date: Jan 19, 2016
• ISBN: 9781497760080

Book preview

~Volume Three: The Invasion~

For weeks now they had lived comfortably underground amongst the others who inhabited the colonies. Life, Cora found, was unbelievably quiet and mundane since they moved below the surface. She was not saying that she did not like it, or that she wished for more danger or unpredictable occurrences, but she was still not quite used to the way things ran.

The very first week, Cora had awoken each day with the intense desire to go hunting or foraging outside, though quickly realizing that food could be obtained easily with the tokens she had been given. They were simple to use: just give a token to the person responsible at the food centre that day, claim your share of food, and then retrieve the token later that night.

No hunting. No danger. No wandering around on your own up top.

Then came the sense of danger upon waking up too late and wondering where she was and what she was doing at that time of day. It quickly settled away, dissolving into familiarity. There were no enemies, no danger, in the colonies, and Cora often had to remind herself of that when she wandered out of her room.

There was no sun underground. That was one thing Cora thoroughly enjoyed. No more hiding away while the sun was up. No more shielding her eyes and suffering. Not only that, but being away from the sunlight seemed to be improving her vision. She felt she could see things more clearly, could see farther and notice details she couldn’t before.

Every so often, Khaol dropped by their room with books filled with pictures and words written underneath. After Cora had agreed to go with Lyle to the upcoming battle (if Utopia was indeed going to fall), the soldier started bringing items to further their knowledge of the world they would soon see. Cora learned a great deal of things over the past few weeks, including how machines in the old days worked, how fire could be controlled, how electricity powered things, what lights and computers and stoves and sports and weddings were, and – most importantly – what weapons the Utopians used. She now knew all about the Utopian guns and flying ships. Aircrafts, Khaol had named them, and both she and Lyle listened intently to their lessons upon the floating city.

History was strange. Cora didn’t understand most of it. All she knew was of her little village and now that was gone, too, just like the stories Khaol told them of places across the sea (which apparently was a wide basin of water) and aircrafts that could travel to other planets (what other planets?). Clearly there was a lot they didn’t know about the world. Cora couldn’t believe that it had once been good. She couldn’t believe that all the nice places she had seen in the books had been once real.

So ... humans built towers and statues ... like this one? Cora had asked, pointing to an extremely tall, stone figure of a woman holding a torch. Why?

Khaol had shrugged. To honour people, to remember people. Something like that, I guess.

Must’ve been pretty important, mumbled Lyle, eyeing the size of the statue compared to the tiny specks standing below that were no doubt people.

Often they came across strange things like that. Houses that were as large as villages that only contained a single family, people who were worshipped as though they were as precious as the air you breathed, creatures dressed in clothing, medicine that could make you prettier ...

It was all very confusing and Cora tried to stay away from those topics, wandering back to the pictures of flowers, trees, clear water, colourful fish, butterflies, long-winged birds, rainbows, sunshine. The sun was beautiful in these books, though in the real world it was ugly to her.