Joel Shepherd Books In Order

Publication Order of Cassandra Kresnov Books

Publication Order of A Trial of Blood and Steel Books

Publication Order of The Spiral Wars Books

Joel Shepherd is an Australian author that writes science fiction and fantasy novels. Joel was a successful author in Australia for quite a while before he finally made the leap to the United States and the UK.

+Biography

Joel Shepherd was born in 1974 in Adelaide, which is in the South of Australia, though most of the author’s earliest memories are from Perth in Western Australia where the family moved when Joel was seven.

At a young age, it was clear that Joel had a passion for the arts. It wasn’t the biggest surprise when the author decided to pursue film and television at Curtin University. Joel eventually realized that, while film and television had their merits, he was more likely to find satisfaction in telling stories the old fashioned way.

And the author was definitely off to a good start, with the manuscript for his first book being shortlisted for the George Turner Prize. Interestingly enough, even though Joel Shepherd’s manuscript received recognition from the 1998 prize, the author has seen fit to hide it, refusing to allow the story to see the light of day as a novel.

Joel thinks the manuscript would embarrass him, considering just how terrible it is. Though, the author hasn’t ruled out the possibility of the manuscript undergoing changes and being released at some future date. Sufficing to say, many of Joel’s fans are pretty curious about his first ever book.

Joel used the momentum the George Turner Prize gave him to build his literary career in Australia. The author has since become commonplace on the publishing scene in Australia, and his renown is such that the author’s books have also found a market in America and the United Kingdom.

Joel’s life doesn’t revolve around writing. Joel Shepherd’s mother sells books to International schools outside Australia. When the opportunity arises, Joel helps Kate Shepherd run the business. Joel admits that he appreciates the opportunity the business has given him to travel to parts of the world he might have never seen.

+Literary Career

Joel Shepherd loved science fiction as a child. His favorite author was CJ Cherryh. Joel thought the author brought an intelligent spark to the science fiction arena that he had never encountered in other literary works.

CJ Cherryh showed Joel that science fiction could be intelligent and highbrow even while delivering the entertaining thrills for which mainstream entertainment is best known.

Joel also experimented with the works of authors in different genres, this including nonfiction. While CJ was his favorite author as a child, George Orwell wasn’t too far behind. Joel Shepherd basically gravitated towards books that challenged his perception of the world. Most of the time, such books were categorized as science fiction.

With his love for books cemented so early in life, it wasn’t that surprising when Joel decided that he would pursue writing as a career. Like any child his age, Joel’s passions initially drove him to seek excitement and adventure.

To be more specific, Joel wanted to be a fighter pilot. It sounded like the most logical career in the world. However, as he grew older, Joel realized that his dream was unlikely to ever materialize.

Writing seemed like the next best thing. The author realized that as a storyteller, he could be anything he wanted, be it a fighter pilot or even an astronaut. Film and television initially drew the author away from his writing ambitions.

But Joel eventually returned to his calling. And he believes that his time in film did wonders for him because he learned to inject as much information as possible in the simplest and shortest scenes even while avoiding tiresome information dumps.

Joel Shepherd has definitely become a better writer because of all the detours he took in life. And he was fortunate to find so much support for his work when he first attempted to get his stories published.

Not that the author’s journey was smooth sailing. Joel’s biggest challenge was that big publishers did not know how to classify his books. Because publishing is a business, the big names Joel approached all seemed a little too concerned with investing in what was already working.

And Joel had worked so hard to break the mold and subvert science fiction clichés that his manuscripts failed to strike that tried and trusted note big publishers were sure guaranteed success. Even when he found a suitable publisher, Joel had to persevere to get his voice heard.

Joel Shepherd hasn’t been shy about criticizing big publishers for growing complacent and being so determined to only invest in what has worked before. Joel believes that such attitudes are not only averse to risk but they fail to give brilliant aspiring authors the opportunities they desperately need to bring their stories to the public.

Joel Shepherd has been praised for his affinity for writing female protagonists. Joel prefers to write about female protagonists because they allow him to inject drama into his stories.

Joel has also been commended for his ability to deliver wonderfully written action scenes.

+Sasha

The Country of Lenayin has never had a princess quite like Sasha. She could have lived lavishly as the princess of a rich kingdom. Sasha chose to trust her future to the great warrior Kessligh, becoming an unrivaled master of the sword under his tutelage.

Though her skills are inscrutable, Sasha lacks the battle experience that has made Kessligh such a great warrior. And Sasha’s bad temper does little to improve the situation in her land.

Lenayin is split between two faiths. And try as she might, Sasha cannot escape her heritage. A time of testing is coming, one that will force Sasha to determine whether or not she has what it takes to lead.

+Crossover

Cassandra Kresnov was created by the League to aid them in the fight against the Federation. An Android, Cassandra was supposed to be more intelligent than her predecessors. However, her experimental design caused her to question the morality of her purpose, this driving her to abandon her creators and to disappear into obscurity.

Cassandra chose the world of Callay as her home because it was far from the turmoil of the League and the Federation. However, it doesn’t take Cassandra long to realize that she cannot escape the ideological conflict driving the war.

As society as a whole begins to question her right to exist, Cassandra’s decision to use her skills to protect a former enemy thrusts her into the limelight.

One Response to “Joel Shepherd”

1. alistair fraser: 2 years ago

   Magnificent stories, love all of your books. Thank you. I can only hope you write many more.

   Reply