"Calling 'The Heretic' a Post-Apocalyptic novel doesn't do this justice. Plot and character driven, Bale doesn't neglect the world-building necessary to turn regular fiction into compelling Sci Fi. We're not surprised that we couldn't find a single bad review of this excellent debut."



SciFi365 Book of the Week, October 2nd, 2014





"World building is one of Bale's strengths and he has created something which draw readers in and hooks them for the next instalment. It's the easy familiarity of several other genre favourites, ranging from A Song of Ice and Fire to Farscape and Star Wars, alongside a wonderful Firefly vibe, and coupled with Bale's unique and ambitious take, that makes The Heretic an enjoyable and compelling read."



Michael Patrick Hicks, author of Convergence and Consumption





“Lucas Bale’s debut novel is gripping, suspenseful science fiction. It seizes you right from the first word, and the chase scene at the climax of the story is some of the finest writing I’ve seen in the genre.”



Alex Roddie, Pinnacle Editorial





“One to watch.”



Eve Seymour, author of The Last Exile and Resolution to Kill





"A gem of a story. A fine science fiction adventure and a strong debut from a new author, may there be more to come from him."



Michael Brookes, author of Sun Dragon and The Cult of Me





“An engrossing and tense post-apocalyptic adventure. Lucas Bale delivers in his exciting and brilliant debut that does justice to the Sci-fi genre.”



Nadine Matheson, author of The Sisters







Earth is gone.



Centuries have passed since life ended on the blue planet. Humanity's survivors are now dispersed among distant colonies, thousands of light years from the barren, frozen rock that was once their home.



At a time when power means everything, the ultimate power, the imperium, rests with the Consulate Magistratus. In return for its protection, citizens must concede their rights absolutely. The Magistratus controls interstellar travel, access to technology, even procreation. Every citizen is implanted with a device to monitor their location, health and emotions. Freedom, religion and self-determination are anachronisms. Humanity's true history survives only in whispers of a secret archive.



Yet there are those who preach a new religion and who want to be free.



In the cold of a winter's night, a small village is the subject of a brutal attack. A fourteen-year-old boy, Jordi, sees armed men approaching and manages to wake his family. He and a handful of survivors flee into the frozen, snow-covered forest to wait for the preacher who told them their way of life was based on lies.



Shepherd, a freighter-tramp and smuggler, is commissioned to deliver illicit medical supplies to a hostile border planet near the Wall. He is dragged into a fight he does not believe in and a desperate struggle to protect his ship, his way of life and the lives of the persecuted few who seek only freedom.



A revolution is coming…



The Heretic is the bestselling first book in a longer tale spanning four volumes. The award-winning Beyond the Wall series is gripping, epic space opera, written as hard science-fiction. It is the story of humanity's future and the discovery of the truth of its past.