Why am I passionate about this?

I always felt torn between the future and the past. I've been fascinated with space, aliens, and technology since I could remember. When I was too young to write, I could spend long hours drawing alien worlds, plants, and creatures. These hobbies from my childhood shaped my current passion for futuristic subjects, but the events from ancient and modern history still remain an important inspiration for my books. My country, Poland, experienced many wars, and history is a necessary subject at school. Historical books and documentaries let me discover and analyse how our society evolved and what mistakes did it make, so I can use this knowledge in my military sci-fi novels. 


I wrote

The Vanquisher of Kings I

By Dagmar Rokita,

Book cover of The Vanquisher of Kings I

What is my book about?

After a bloody revolution, a royal warrior named Erilaz and his companions are exiled from their kingdom. They subsequently choose…

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of Helsreach

Dagmar Rokita Why did I love this book?

I love books that make me bite my nails and shake like a leaf.

Helsreach was so intense that I could read it in about two days. Every page is filled with action and suspense, what doesn’t downgrade the character development. These two things made this book perfect in my eyes.

Following the characters who struggled to fight an inhuman enemy was fascinating in itself, but discovering their complicated relationships let me get completely involved in this story. They all had a different way of thinking, but the common enemy united them. I want to avoid spoilers, so I will just say that the ending was mind-blowing.

By Aaron Dembski-Bowden,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Helsreach as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

When the world of Armageddon is attacked by orks, the Black Templars Space Marine Chapter are amongst those sent to liberate it. Chaplain Grimaldus and a band of Black Templars are charged with the defence of Hive Helsreach from the xenos invaders in one of the many battlezones. But as the orks numbers grow and the Space Marines dwindle, Grimaldus faces a desperate last stand in an Imperial temple. Determined to sell their lives dearly, will the Black Templars hold on long enough to be reinforced, or will their sacrifice ultimately be in vain.


Book cover of Alien: The Cold Forge

Dagmar Rokita Why did I love this book?

This book isn’t about the war itself; the core focus here is the military technology and its consequences.

As a big fan of the Alien series, I understood the risk of any human-alien encounter... and here I was confronted with the idea of weaponising the aliens. I knew from the very beginning that everything will go wrong, so my fundamental question was, “How exactly would it go wrong?”

If aliens weren’t enough, some members of the space station crew had pretty unfriendly intentions too. That was my favourite aspect of this book – yes, you should fear aliens, but you can’t be sure that your co-worker isn’t planning something sinister.

By Alex White,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Alien as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

With the failure of Hadley's Hope, Weyland-Yutani has suffered a devastating setback-the loss of the Aliens they aggressively sought to exploit. Yet there's a reason the Company has risen to the top of the food chain. True to form, they have a redundancy already in place... the facility known as The Cold Forge.

Remote station RB-232 has become their greatest asset in weaponizing the Xenomorphs. However, when Dorian Sudler is sent to RB-232 to assess their progress, he discovers that there's a spy aboard-someone who doesn't necessarily act in the company's best interests. For Dorian, this is the most unforgivable…


Book cover of Twilight Company

Dagmar Rokita Why did I love this book?

I always treated Star Wars as a fun series to watch. Lasers, spaceships, some cool droids, but that’s all.

I felt that some element is missing here: the “wars” in "Star Wars” were usually too clean, and the warriors were just some heroes going for some fun adventures. My view was violently changed by two things: Rogue One (movie) and Twilight Company (book). These two things presented wars from a completely different perspective.

Twilight Company tells a story of common soldiers, whose whole purpose is to die and become forgotten, while the famous heroes collect all the glory. This book shows that every epic victory has its ugly side.

By Alexander Freed,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Twilight Company as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The bravest soldiers. The toughest warriors. The ultimate survivors.

Among the stars and across the vast expanses of space, the Galactic Civil War rages. On the battlefields of multiple worlds in the Mid Rim, legions of ruthless stormtroopers-bent on crushing resistance to the Empire wherever it arises-are waging close and brutal combat against an armada of freedom fighters. In the streets and alleys of ravaged cities, the front-line forces of the Rebel Alliance are taking the fight to the enemy, pushing deeper into Imperial territory and grappling with the savage flesh-and-blood realities of war on the ground.

Leading the charge…


Book cover of Contact Harvest

Dagmar Rokita Why did I love this book?

I’m too clumsy to play games, so I explored the Halo universe through books and animated series. Fans’ opinions on this book are quite divided, but I found it really interesting.

The characters have a deeper development here, and that lets me get personally involved in this story. All sides of the conflict have something to say here. I would recommend this novel to everyone who wants to explore the Halo universe because it really helped me understand the essential aspects of it: alien races, the basic conflicts and technology.

By Joseph Staten,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Contact Harvest as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The New York Times bestseller—part of the expanded universe based on the award-winning video game series Halo!

2524. Harvest is a peaceful, prosperous farming colony on the very edge of human-controlled space. But humanity has unknowingly trespassed on holy ground—straying into the path of the aggressive, theocratic empire known as the Covenant. What begins as a chance encounter between an alien privateer and a human freighter soon catapults all of mankind into a struggle for its very existence.

But humanity is also currently locked in a bitter civil war of its own: the Insurrection. With resources strained to the breaking…


Book cover of Fulgrim

Dagmar Rokita Why did I love this book?

This book has a special place in my heart because I couldn’t find more relatable characters.

Do you know that feeling when you always try to be the best, then you make a little mistake, and the consequences of this mistake lead you to nothing but even more failures? I felt like the author could read my mind, because every important character had a common trait with me. I also enjoyed the trope of “the mad artists”... and I really hope I won’t end up like one of them.

By Graham McNeill,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Fulgrim as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

It is the 31st millennium, and humanity is at the peak of its powers. As the Great Crusade, led by Warmaster Horus, continues to conquer the galaxy, Fulgrim, Primarch of the Emperor's Children, leads his warriors into battle against a vile alien foe. From the blood of this campaign are sown the seeds that will lead this proud Legion to treachery, taking them down the darkest of paths of corruption. Leading up to the carnage of the Dropsite Massacre on Isstvan V, this is the tale of Fulgrim's tragic fall from grace.


Explore my book 😀

The Vanquisher of Kings I

By Dagmar Rokita,

Book cover of The Vanquisher of Kings I

What is my book about?

After a bloody revolution, a royal warrior named Erilaz and his companions are exiled from their kingdom. They subsequently choose to hide on a distant planet, where they risk their lives every day. There are only three things that give him hope to carry on: his loyal friends, love for his land, and the legend of a mysterious warrior and a clever strategist: The Chromed Emperor. One day he will return.

Meanwhile, the king of his planet makes a single mistake that calls into question all his plans and hopes, leading him to become increasingly paranoid. His concerns are justified; however, there is a much worse danger than a band of local rebels.

Book cover of Helsreach
Book cover of Alien: The Cold Forge
Book cover of Twilight Company

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Book cover of Edge of the Known World

Sheri T. Joseph Author Of Edge of the Known World

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Why am I passionate about this?

Author

Sheri's 3 favorite reads in 2024

What is my book about?

Edge of the Known World is a near-future love and adventure story about a brilliant young refugee caught in era when genetic screening tests like 23AndMe make it impossible to hide a secret identity. The novel is distributed by Simon & Schuster. It is a USA Today Bestseller and 2024 American Fiction Awards Winner in multiple categories, including Best New Fiction, Political Thriller, and Science Fiction: General.

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Why should I read it?

1 author picked Edge of the Known World as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Fans of Margaret Atwood’s Oryx and Crake will be swept away by this riveting speculative fiction adventure and love story about family, genetic privacy, and the onrushing future of surveillance technology.

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