Emerging from the Dome: S.A. Melia and the Future of Science Fiction

Guy Erma, hero Born of Empire by S A Melia

They say the best stories are whispered in the shadows. I know nothing of the day. But I would agree.

In known space, what did the name mean? Where does the word come from? Those are secrets for me. Those are whispered by the shadows. It's in the light and shadows of the Dome that the best stories are set

I came across Sally Ann Melia's debut, "Born of Empire", just as the night city spun on into the day, and had to read it again. Her voice is a fresh wind through the well-worn corridors of cyberpunk.

"Born of Empire" isn't just another tale of high tech and low lives and so it had to be told again. It's a story of what we inherit. It is the story to share. And of how we choose to defy or embody it. It's where the light and shadows of what's known begin to be known.

This time in '26, mark my words, you'll be hearing her name again and in another place.

So, who is this S.A. Melia? A Domeside whisperer, it seems. She's built a city that’s both a glittering promise and a suffocating cage, with its own strange kind of beauty. You just look and she appears and you understand the name again.

Guy Erma's plight is one we all recognise in the story of today - the struggle to find your place, to break free from the chains of circumstance, to define your own destiny in a society that wants to define you. This isn’t just a YA tale as it might seem - this is a very human struggle.

Of course, it’s not just about gritty realism. Melia weaves a tapestry of alien intrigue, hints of faster-than-light travel, and the mysteries of long-lost empires. I caught myself imagining Sas Darona, and all of what I have called home again and what it has not yet been.

"Loyal to Empire, Fear only God?" The tagline of the Dome Militant is a seed that Melia plants early, and watches take root in her story. Who will make the sacrifices to ensure loyalty? Can they be justified? And what happens when faith itself is tested? Such questions hang heavy after you have moved from the tale.

I can already glimpse what this means in "Son of Empire," book two - a new face to add to the galaxy. In this case for her: and, like all the great voices, there’s a touch of something else entirely for Melia on her path - something almost dangerous.

There's a storm coming. You just keep waiting for her: here, now.

If, like me, you value character and the art of a fantastic story, add to how you see them. Then: welcome S.A. Melia. Keep your blade sharp. The city waits for them. It is waiting. It calls for that change.

S.A. Melia, author of Born of Empire, a new science fiction novel"

Born of Empire

Secrets are built into the foundations of the Dome. Loyalty comes at a price. But rebellion has a price of its own. Unravel the mysteries of power and sacrifice in #BornOfEmpire. Available from Amazon as Kindle ebook, and all good bookshops as a paperback