New to The Shadows Series? Short Answers to Plain Questions

If you've landed here from a post about SI agents, or from a link on X, and you're wondering what the books are, this page is for you.

Short questions. Short answers. Everything here matches what's on the site today. Where I don't have an answer, I'll say so.

What is The Shadows Series?

It's a five-book dystopian series about memory, identity, and the price of rebellion. The site calls it hard dystopian science fiction about memory, identity, and the people who refuse to disappear.

The world is run by Techno-Synth, a company that owns the city and sells itself with three words: unity, safety, order.

Where do I start?

With Book One, Shadows of the Forgotten.

The series page says it plainly: the series is built to be read in order, beginning with Shadows of the Forgotten. Start anywhere else and you'll be walking into the middle of something.

What is Book One about?

Here's the short version from the book page.

Allen Mercer wakes with no memory in a city owned by Techno-Synth. A chance meeting with rebel hacker Mia Turner pulls him into a war he may have started, and forgotten.

That's as far as I'll go here. The rest is better found on the page than in a summary.

Who are the main characters?

The book page lists three key figures.

Allen Mercer. A man with no past, and a former Techno-Synth security officer.

Mia Turner. A rebel hacker and fighter who knows the city's blind spots.

Knox. A seasoned tactician and the leader of the Outlanders.

You'll meet others, but those three are the ones the page puts up front.

What kind of book is it?

Dark, and meant to be. The book page lists its themes as erased memory, AI totalitarianism, resistance and rebellion, identity after occupation, and found family.

If you like your science fiction hard and your characters carrying real damage, it's likely in your lane. If you want a light read for a beach chair, it probably isn't. Both are fine answers.

Can I try it before I buy it?

Yes. The first three chapters of Shadows of the Forgotten are free on the site.

Here's how it works. You enter your email on the free chapters page. You get a confirmation email. You click the link in it, and the chapters unlock on the site.

The site is plain about one thing: sending a message through the contact form doesn't unlock the chapters. Only the sign-up form does.

What formats is Book One in?

The book page has buy links for:

• Kindle
• Paperback
• Hardcover
• Audible

There's also a Barnes & Noble link. All of them sit on the book page, so you don't have to hunt for the right edition.

When did it come out?

Shadows of the Forgotten was published on January 7, 2025.

Is the whole series out?

No. Book One is out now. The other four books are on the series page, listed as in progress or planned.

There are no release dates on the site, and I'm not going to post one here that I don't have. When there's real news, I'll share it.

How long is the series?

Five books. The series page lists all five titles in order, starting with Shadows of the Forgotten and ending with Out of the Shadows.

Why does this blog have posts about SI and agents?

Because I write about both.

The novels are about a world run by a powerful intelligence. Separately, I write practical pieces about how SI works today: how agents should be set up, how to test them, what they really cost to run.

The shorter pieces land here on the blog, next to notes on the books. The longer essays go out on X as Articles, and each one is listed on the Articles page with a short summary and a link.

You don't need to read one kind to enjoy the other. Some readers will want both. Some will want one. Either way works.

Why do some pages say AI and others say SI?

SI stands for Super Intelligence. It's the term I use now when I write about where this technology is going. Older pages, and the published book itself, say AI. I've left those as they are rather than rewrite them. Company names stay as they are too.

How do I keep up with new posts?

A few ways, all on the site:

• The blog, where every post is listed newest first.
• The blog's feed at johndclay.com/feed.xml, if you use a feed reader.
• The Articles page, for the longer SI essays.
• X, where I post as @JohnDClayAuthor.

Is this the official site?

Yes. johndclay.com is the official home of the series. The about page puts it this way: not a storefront rented from someone else. The books, the free chapters, the blog, and the Articles page all live here.

How do I reach you?

Use the contact page. It's a form. There's no public email address on the site.

The about page invites it plainly: if you want to talk shop, rights, reviews, or just tell me which character you'd trust with a rifle, the contact page is the way in.

Where can I leave a review?

If you've read the book, you can rate or review it on Amazon or on Goodreads. The book page links to both. Honest reviews, good or bad, help other readers decide if the book is for them.

Is there anything you won't tell me here?

Yes. I won't spoil Book One, and I won't go past what the series page already says about the later books. This page is for getting started, not for getting ahead.

So where should I actually click?

If you want to feel the book first, start with the free chapters: https://johndclay.com/free-chapters

If you'd rather see the whole series laid out, all five books are on one page: https://johndclay.com/books