In AMERICUS: EXSCENDENT, TS Vale drops us into a fragmented, alternative United States divided and crippled by internal and external conflict, introducing us to super soldiers gone rogue and struggling with matters of family, loyalty and conscience. Her brisk, fast-paced voice and honest tone lends reality and depth to the characters and the world they struggle in, setting us up for more entries in what will prove to be a solid and engaging SF saga.

– Ken Scholes, award winning author of the The Psalms of Isaak series

AMERICUS: EXSCENDENT, by TS Vale, is an alternate history novel living inside one of the better-realized dystopian worlds I’ve ever encountered. Its main characters, who are all really well fleshed out and three-dimensional, make up part of a fascinating caste of genetically-modified people called operationals or “ops” who live among (and are mainly feared and despised by) ordinary humans, or “regulars.” The world has tastes of Blade Runner for the outcast element of the main characters, but it has a totally different flavor, overall, one that has a much heavier military vibe and really gets into the realities of a fractured, post-apocalyptic world.

It also has a bit of the Serenity / Firefly / wild west feel of the newer brand of steampunk, where segments of civilization reset back into a more tribal and brutal culture that consists of small bands of humans with more or less their own rules.

I was completely hooked once I got a taste. … I don’t want to give away too much on this, because you just need to read it. Amazing world that will completely stay with you once you’ve finished the last page. It’s the kind of world you dream about, half-thinking it’s real out there, somewhere.

JC Andrijeski, USA Today bestselling author of the Allie’s War, Gate Shifter, Quentin Black, and Alien Apocalypse series

TS Vale is one of the most amazing word wizards I know. This first installment in her new post-apocalyptic AMERICUS series is no exception. It draws the reader into a densely written alternate America and the conflicts of the characters who populate this dark future world.

If you like smart dystopian fiction that entertains AND makes you think, this is a must-read.

Ruth Nestvold, international award winning science fiction and fantasy author and Nebula, Tiptree, and Sturgeon nominee