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Shawn Speakman
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The Tempered Steel of Antiquity Grey Kindle Edition

by Shawn Speakman (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 62 ratings
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"It's a perfect post-apocalyptic mech-filled SF adventure―like Pierce Brown's Red Rising meets Robotech.“ ―Aidan Moher, Hugo Award Winner

Forever shamed for family actions a century earlier, Antiquity Grey is a young woman living in a far-future city of Erth. It is a life of danger and hardship, dragons and advanced technology.

But when she discovers an outlawed and operational mech buried in the sands of her planet, she realizes its secrets hold the power to reverse her family’s dishonor while challenging the Imperium’s off-world oppressive might. The Imperium is not so willing to loosen its grip, needing Erth’s valuable titanium resources at a time when war spreads among the stars. In response, the Governor of Erth sends Star Sentinel―his mightiest mech, which nothing can stand against―after Antiquity.

As she flees into the wilderness in a desperate attempt to uncover the secrets of her past and free an entire planet, Antiquity learns friendship can mean more than family, even the hardest heart of an enemy can soften, and adventure is not what she thought it would be.
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  1. Print length
    313 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publication date
    September 7, 2021
  5. File size
    6864 KB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  9. See all details
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From the Publisher

"Speakman is a writer on the rise..."-Terry Brooks

"The rich world packed with fascinating history" -PW

Robin Hobb endorsement

Editorial Reviews

Review

"An engaging set of protagonists, hidden knowledge, and lost technology regained, in a story that unreels like a SF TV series you would binge in one night!" ―Robin Hobb

"Thrilling, unputdownable, bursting with sense of wonder... The Tempered Steel of Antiquity Grey is a marvel. Teenaged-me would have went absolutely apeshit for this book, and actually adult-me kind of did too." ―John Joseph Adams

"Speakman is a writer on the rise and Antiquity Grey is his best creation yet. Do yourself a favor. Read this book. It is terrific." ―Terry Brooks

"The Tempered Steel of Antiquity Grey kicks off a fierce fight for freedom on an Erth ground under the heel of its star-faring oppressors, action packed as Star Wars, wielding tech as muscular as Iron Man, but centering on a young girl and her diverse circle of friends. What's not to love?" ―Janny Wurts

"A wild ride on a horse that's part Star Wars, part Avatar." ―Mark Lawrence

"It’s a perfect post-apocalyptic mech-filled SF adventure―like Pierce Brown’s Red Rising meets Robotech.“ ―Aidan Moher



"The rich world packed with fascinating history and cool technology, combined with thrilling action... leads to an astounding close." —Publishers Weekly

About the Author

Shawn Speakman is the award-winning editor of Unfettered, Unbound, Unfettered II, Unfettered III, and the author of The Dark Thorn, an urban fantasy novel Terry Brooks called “a fine tale by a talented writer.” An avid fan of SF&F, he owns The Signed Page and Grim Oak Press. He currently lives in Seattle, WA with his wife and two sons.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0926LYCRQ
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Grim Oak Press (September 7, 2021)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 7, 2021
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 6864 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 313 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 62 ratings

About the author

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Shawn Speakman

Shawn Speakman

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Shawn Speakman grew up in the beautiful wilds of Washington State near Mt. St. Helens. After moving to Seattle to attend the University of Washington, he befriended New York Times bestselling fantasy author Terry Brooks and became his webmaster. It has led to a life filled with magic and words.

He was a manager at one of the largest Barnes & Noble Booksellers in the country for many years but now owns the online bookstore The Signed Page, manages the websites for authors Terry Brooks and Naomi Novik, and freelance writes for Random House at Suvudu.com.

Shawn currently lives in Seattle, Washington.

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
62 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars I really enjoyed this adventure story
Reviewed in the United States on May 28, 2023
Verified Purchase
I really enjoyed this adventure story. This was a page turner. Nice world building. Interesting characters. Good backstory. Way to go Shawn.
One person found this helpful
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Marta Cox
4.0 out of 5 stars YA with a difference
Reviewed in the United States on September 7, 2021
This book is part sci fi, part dystopian with a futuristic " Erth " as its setting. Antiquity comes from a long reviled family who are forbidden from using their rightful name and are instead considered Grey shamed. Her ancestor apparently disappeared during a war with the Celestrials and now Erth has been conquered. When Antiquity finds a lost Mech she unknowingly sets in motion a journey of many challenges but also one of great loss !
Ok I've read the reviews for this and there are several glowing endorsements from highly respected authors but for me personally this certainly whilst good was not perfect. I enjoyed the beginning with Antiquity thinking for herself but thought there were far too many characters sending her hither and yon whilst admitting to her that they were withholding secrets ! I found this meant I viewed Antiquity as weak and easily led at times by a very annoying supporting cast.
The ensemble cast includes a nasty bully suddenly turned ally , a mystic whose abilities were not really explained, two persecuted girls and perhaps most fun to read about a small mechanical bot that resembled a football ! Oh and of course the giant Mech that the cover hints at although it wasn't sentient so is it really a character ?
I've seen comparisons to Pacific Rim , Godzilla and even Star Wars but to my mind this downtrodden society felt more like Mad Max with lawless scavengers and every man seemingly for himself. What was a hugely welcome surprise was the fact that somehow oddly the author managed to include Dragons ! This is sci fi so obviously I suspend belief to a point but there's certainly a lot thrown in here and you won't guess what type of entity Antiquity decides to save as the ends nears !
Bottom line is I did enjoy this in spite of being frustrated by Antiquity being sent on a journey without being told exactly what she was looking for. I adored that she took a strong stance at the end and think anyone looking for a new YA read with a difference should certainly give this new to me author a go.
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair
2 people found this helpful
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bobbie kaald
5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic
Reviewed in the United States on September 4, 2022
Verified Purchase
Stay up late to read book. Fast paced with love, hate, growth, victory with a price. A great read but I sadly must wait for book two.
One person found this helpful
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Sara F
3.0 out of 5 stars Action with sci fi fantasy mix
Reviewed in the United States on September 7, 2021
Family secrets sometimes surprise even those who are involved in them. Because of secrets revealed to her, a young teen receives pressure to succeed and the drive to save her whole town in The Tempered Steel of Antiquity Grey by Shawn Speakman. The heroine finds a gigantic robot buried in the sand near her home, which causes her grandmother to tell her the story of her destiny. What follows is a pilgrimage to find answers which may save her threatened village. Antiquity enlists her best friends and also picks up some oddballs along the way. This group comes together to learn the skills needed in the exotic lands that they visit. Be aware that there is a glossary in the back of the book that can aid in grasping the science fiction and fantasy terms specific to this novel. I appreciated the pace of this story, seldom slowing down for descriptions of the world in which the group was traveling. Consequently, the characters had little grieving or discussion of how they were handling all the changes in their lives which was somewhat unrealistic to me. However, I believe there is plenty of room for sequels and plenty of folks in the characters’ family trees for a prequel. Think of it as a cross between Arabian Nights and Transformers, but with a lot more female characters. I enjoyed this book and look forward to others in the world, and am thankful for an ecopy from NetGalley which I received for an honest review.
2 people found this helpful
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Ron T
4.0 out of 5 stars An Easy to Read Blend of Science Fiction and Fantasy
Reviewed in the United States on September 9, 2021
This first book in a new series follows the current world-building trend of blending science fiction (giant mech fighters piloted by humans) and fantasy (fire-breathing dragons.) If you’re willing to buy into the premise, this is a fairly easy to read quest tale that follows Antiquity “Grey-shamed” Angelus, great-granddaughter of Laurellyn Angelus—the greatest mech pilot who ever was!

When Antiquity finds her great-grandmother’s mech buried in the desert sands, it starts her on a quest to overthrow the evil off-world Imperium, who have taken over Erth (sic) in order to steal all of the precious planetary resources. Crossing deserts, forests, mountain ranges and other towns with a variety of heritages finally leads Antiquity back to where she started (thanks to those fire-breathing dragons) for the final showdown with the hated Ricariol Wit, the Celestial who murdered her grandmother.

Book two promises to continue the story of Antiquity’s war against the Imperium.
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RM
5.0 out of 5 stars Speakman’s best yet
Reviewed in the United States on March 5, 2022
Verified Purchase
The Tempered Steel of Antiquity Grey was a thoroughly engrossing novel. Wonderful world and characters. I was able to lose myself in this book and I cannot wait for the next installment! Shawn Speakman’s best work so far IMHO!
One person found this helpful
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