Belt Three

Worldbreakers do not think, do not feel and cannot be stopped.

Captain Gabriel Reinhardt’s latest mining mission has been brought to a halt by the arrival of a Worldbreaker, one of the vast alien machines that destroyed Earth and its solar system long ago. As he and his crew flee they are kidnapped by a pirate to be mind-wiped and sold into slavery, a fate worse than death in this shattered universe.

But Captain Reinhardt is hiding a secret. The real Gabriel Reinhardt died six years ago, and in his place is Jonas, one of the millions of clones produced for menial labour by the last descendants of Earth.

Forced to aid the pirate Keldra’s obsessive campaign against the Worldbreakers in exchange for his life, Jonas discovers that humanity’s last hope might just be found in the very machines that have destroyed it.

Reviews

‘A solid mix of character-driven intrigue and adventure’ SFX

‘Read this book. It’s got one of the best characters in years, and you’d be crazy to miss out on her’ Rob Boffard, author of TRACER

‘Belt Three is an intriguing and intense sci-fi novel … Worth reading if you’re looking for a post-apocalyptic science fiction universe, with some great character relationships, and some interesting musings on what makes us human, and how far we’re willing to go, both for ourselves and for others’ SciFi and Fantasy Reviews

‘An enjoyable first instalment with a good ending. We have a decent plot, savage baddies and an evil scheming snake in the grass living amidst them all. I would say it has a YA feel and is a good start to an action/adventure/hero type story’ Lynn’s Books

About the author

John Ayliff lives in Vancouver, Canada. He honed his writing skills while working in the computer games industry, and still sometimes calls his protagonist the 'player character' by mistake. Outside of writing, his hobbies include tabletop roleplaying games and going to the opera. He can be found on Twitter @johnayliff