In Sekhmet's Wake (Not All Heroes)

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

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A pacifist haunted by visions of the apocalypse must choose between love, justice, and the fate of humanity in this super-heroic combination of WATCHMEN and NEON GENESIS EVANGELION.

The year is 2061 and the world is ending. In the city of Geneva, Sabra Kasembe, one-time savior of the world, prepares for her prophesied apocalypse, unsure whether her dreams paint her as a humane champion of the oppressed or a blood-soaked harbinger of the end. When an explosion rips through the city center, Sabra’s pursuit of the truth brings her face to face with none other than her former nemesis: Jack Harper.

But Jack comes with a warning--that is, if Sabra can trust him. There’s a darkness in the heart of Geneva, a web of corporate interests, vicious paramilitaries, and superheroes both living and dead, and Jack doesn’t know who he can trust. But he knows the bomber was no lone wolf, and deadlier agents are waiting for their signal.

As Sabra chases her premonitions through Geneva and beyond, attempting to find the link between her present and her fate, she suspects that the conspiracy is aimed at the heart of her lover, the super-powered robot Revenant, and that letting it come to pass may be Sabra’s final chance at averting her greater cataclysm.

To defy her own prophecies, Sabra must hone her soul against the line between slaughter and justice, where flinching risks bloodshed in the streets of Geneva, the betrayal of her ideals, and the death of her lover. Because she must save Revenant’s life, no matter the cost, or Sabra fears she’ll light her a funeral pyre that will consume not just Geneva, but the rest of the Functioning World...

IN SEKHMET'S WAKE is an in-progress post-superhero sci-fi thriller, and the second in a trilogy (the first novel, IN SEKHMET'S SHADOW, is also available on this page.) It is intended for mature audiences and features violence, swearing, and ideas that may be considered traumatic or provocative. But remember this: everyone finds love in the end.

Cover art by the phenomenal Tommy Arnold. No Patreon, no Discord -- please show support by following, favoriting, and rating. This is a story for those who want to answer the big questions: can superheroes reconcile the contradictions within capital and themselves,doespower corrupt, and is it gay if you're a woman and she's a goth-rock robot?

Is it easier to end the world than end capitalism?

#5 Trending Overall-- 31/05 (wtf)

Information

Status: Ongoing
Year: 2023
Author: JD Rhodes

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.7/ 5.0
Followers: 403
Views: 27,247

Chapters(10 total)

Reviews

No reviews yet. Be the first to share your thoughts!

Community Reviews(10)

AutumnmuteRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I first encountered the author's work on their Wordpress blog a few years ago when it was titled "Not All Heroes." However, "In Sekhmet's Shadow" surpasses the original version in every way, even only eight chapters in. Rhodes' writing skills are exceptional, and I'm delighted to see them return and share their story once again.
Stylistically, "Shadow" stands out with its strong prose. Rhodes' writing is remarkably clear and distinct, surpassing the typical quality one finds online. They have previously mentioned the effort they put into getting this story published, and it is evident in the polished style and grammar throughout.
I'm writing this review early on because the true strength of "Shadow," which sets it apart from its predecessor, lies in its captivating story and well-developed characters. The narrative follows a young woman's quest for justice and her pursuit of a conflicted mercenary, while someone involved in the case suspects that there is more going on behind the scenes than anyone suspects. The pacing is consistently steady, and having read the first edition, I found the foreshadowing and subtle hints of what is to come to be tantalizing. The changes made to the story are significant enough that it feels like an entirely new and distinct experience.
Rhodes has always excelled at creating compelling characters, and "Shadow" takes that talent to new heights. The three protagonists, Sabra, Leopard, and Fisher, are driven by their flaws as much as their goals, even if they are unaware of it. With the plot being more straightforward and the worldbuilding more explicit, Rhodes can delve deeper into the characters and explore what drives them. The supporting characters are also well fleshed out, with particular priase toward Sabra's mother and Leopard's criminal associate, Tiger. However, the most intriguing aspect lies in the "modifications" made to a character who was previously closely connected to Sabra. No pun intended. The glimpses of the world beyo
mundanethingsRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Found this series just the other day after thinking it was lost in the big wide web. Brilliant series that I loved when I read it by another name. Already up to chapter 8, loving the characters, the prose. It's one of the best superhero series out there.
Can't recommend enough!
murraybloomsRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I just finished this story, the first in a trilogy, and was shocked to see how little a following it has. In Sekhmet’s Shadow is fantastic, with some of the best writing on this site. It has incredible world building and character work, but be prepared for a story that goes into some dark places (without being depressing or edgy.) While it is only the first in a trilogy, the story ends at a perfect point and feels complete with a great pause point.
This is a very unique superhero story. It is like three stories in one, but each character develops across the whole narrative. Each and every character feels terribly human, with positive qualities and negative ones. By the end of it, they’re all heroes just in very different ways.
The prose is stellar with straightforward energy and quick pacing. Light on exposition but heavy on world building and character development. Grammar is perfect. There is so much depth and it all develops in a sensible manner.
The action is great and the story explores some heavy topics and ideas. And where else are you going to find a romance between a girl who might end the world and a robot who might have to stop her? Five stars across the board, read it now!
regikRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
For starters, the first book is finished (and ends in a perfect spot), so if you're the kind of person who only wants to read stories that end you're in luck.
In Sekhmet's Shadow seems like it could be fairly standard superhero fare that you'd expect to find elsewhere on this site, but in fact eschews a lot of the expected story beats (like some sort of academy arc or a system through which they can gain power in concrete increments) with characters that genuinely have to struggle for growth. On top of that, it does so with hard-hitting prose that keeps the story moving along at a good pace (when necessary) while keeping the world deep and interesting.
You start off thinking that the (perhaps epynomous) Sabra is the main character of the story, but much of the plot hinges off other characters and their own motivations, wants and needs. The scope of the story expands in an organic way (along many of the characters) which builds nicely towards the climax of the book.
All of the main characters (Sabra, Pavel, Revenant and the core Animals) feel like real people and act like real people. They make mistakes, do stupid shit and often have to pay for it. I do feel that certain developments in Pavel and Taurine's arcs may have been a little rushed, but this is just me trying to nitpick for the sake of finding something to criticise.
(The grammar is faultless (by this site's standards))
It's unfortunate that this story doesn't quite have the statistics I feel it deserves (just based on quality of writing alone), but the content of the story is on the grittier side at times which is not quite what the average person on this site wants. Give it a go, you won't regret it.
shookworm420Royal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
If you find that Marvel movies have main characters wittily quip with the same voice and the plot tends to be vanilla, fret not - In Sekhmet's Shadow is very different. This is a series that doesn't dumb anything down for readers which is rare in this day and age. I am not really into superhero stories in general but what kept me interested were the main characters that showcase the human condition and all of its flaws. This author writes dialogue well, with succinct prose (a lot happens in every chapter) and good character development that I can't fault.
I am looking forward to the sequel!
xcaliburnRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
In Sekhmet's Shadow is the most interesting superhero story I've yet read, if only because it feels strange calling it a superhero story. The general vibe and atmosphere of this story is closer to a Jack Reacher novel, just one complicated by the fact that the world has ended, or is in the process of ending, and there are superhumans running around.
As mentioned, the story opens with what seems like a standard thriller opening: on a dark night, a mercenary who goes by Leopard runs a heist to steal a top secret item for a mysterious employer. But it doesn't go to plan and he shoots an old man who tries to play hero, and the fuse is lit.
In this case, the fuse is the old man's daughter, Sabra, who finds him in hospital and swears vengeance on whoever was responsible. She has a suit of jury-rigged power armor, a vague sense of prophecy, and a personality that struggles to reconcile pacifism with bloodlust. Meanwhile, ex-superhero Pavel Fisher is given a pity job to 'solve' the heist... and ends up stumbling on a greater conspiracy. Or is Fisher, old and grieving for his dead partner, only seeing something he wants to see?
Despite the well-paced thriller-esque plot of revenge and intrigue, Shadow focuses so sharply on its characters to an extent that I'm not sure whether I'd call it a plot-based adventure or a character-based story. The three protagonists are each very pro-active in pursuing their goals and doing what they think is right, setting up a collision between all three. But Shadow also commits wholly to immersing you in the perspective of each character, flaws and biases and all, using the rotating viewpoints to give the reader a better view of the world than any of the three have themselves. I also appreciate how the restriction of perspectives to those three makes some supporting characters more enigmatic, such as Leopard's wily brother-in-arms Monkey and Sabra's sardonic nemesis-turned-ally Revenant.
The worldbuilding is what surprised me most of all. Expos
Freud's Coke AddictionRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
A great read. While I can see why others have compared it to "The Boys" and "The expanse", this superhero caper is played with a more straight bat. It doesn't have the gross over the top moments or satirize the genre the way Boys does. It feels far more grounded. The relationships across the story arc grow more realistically than the wise cracking crew of the Rocinante.
A solid recommend from me.
PoemdexterRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Overall
In Sekhmet's Shadow is an intriguing account of heroism and antiheroism in a world of the verge of ending. The author utilizes a straightforward style to present an energetic, mayhem-infused plot with threads of conspiratorial complexity and multifaceted characters, illustrating a complex story which will appeal to those looking for something that rewards the attentive reader.
Style
The author's style is fairly straightforward and conventional like you'd expect to find in a typical novel but occasionally verging into an unearthly and dreamlike tone as the story gets into weirder territory. Despite the easy readability of the story, characters can sometimes make plot-relevant decisions based on elements of world building and internal developments that hinge on brief sentences or subtle mentions. While this creates a strong sense of a lived-in world which the characters know better than we do, and while nothing is strictly concealed from the reader or presented without setup, it may make one wish for more straight-cut exposition. 4.5/5
Story
The story is... hard to describe. It feels like what you'd get if Michael Bay and Hideaki Anno collaborated on a superhero story while indulging themselves on psychotropics. The bacis plot is that of a young woman looking for revenge and ending up on the trail of a bad guy but with a mentor, a love interest, and an unlikely ally. Only the mentor has a death wish, the love interest is a gloomy robot, the unlikely ally barely qualifies as one of convenience, and she might be a harbinger of the apocalypse. Complex and unconventional, there is also a clear sense of things not being what they appear and of powerful forces working behind the scenes, which is an aspect of the story... but not one the core narrative is focused on, which may frustrate readers who are more interested in what lurks in the periphery. 4.5/5.
Grammar
Grammar is perfect, as is spelling and overall presentation. 5/5.
Character
The characters are the major
derlakernlinsRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I devoured this.
An incredible work about the tension between pacifism and necessary violence, between godhood and humanity, and between choice and destiny. The pacing is so quick and clean between chapters, the character work so distinct that I never questioned whose pov I was reading.
Pick this up, its worth it. I'm looking forward to the novel releases and to book 3!
TheredsheepRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
First, a note on the stars. I tend to think one star is a book so bad it makes me angry, two is just ordinary bad, three is pleasant but unremarkable, four is genuinely good and five is a bloody masterpiece. I'd rate ISS a solid four at this point in the story, and I'm rounding up a bit because this is Royal Road and anything much less than five stars is about as good as punching the author in the groin where the algorithm is concerned.
With that out of the way: this is a post-apocalyptic superhero story told from three perspectives. The main one is our heroine Sabra, a well-intentioned vigilante from the bottom of the social heap. Joining her are Pavel, a frustrated and washed-up ex-hero, and Leopard, a member of a gang of small-time mercenary goons with delusions of grandeur. The story bounces between the three perspectives evenly, and each perspective brings something valuable to the story. Pacing is consistently, superbly brisk and the plot has yet to bog down after fifty-plus chapters. Characterization is almost without exception rock-solid consistent. The one exception is admittedly an important one:
Sabra really shouldn't agree to work with Leopard as readily as she does. I realize that the alternative would be several sloggy chapters of tedious trust issues, but it is a problem that she is ready to partner at all with a man who set the plot in motion by trying to waste her dad.
My favorite perspective thus far is Leopard, though he started out as my least favorite of the three. He and his mercenary gang of "Animals" lead a bafflingly charmed existence, surviving mostly because the real powers-that-be can't react to their never-ending cascade of bad calls fast enough to catch up with them. They respond to every setback by simply shooting whatever happens to be in the way, then shooting whatever problem that causes, and so on until they run out of ammo. They reliably propel the plot by increasing the entropy of every situation, no matter how contro