nathaniel jungheim
In Savages of the Bulk, Nathaniel Jungheim elevates the space opera genre to the next level. A stunning blend of political intrigue, mystique, and action, this is epic science fiction the way it should be told.
The Bulk is humanity’s only way to the stars. Entry is denied unless the Commonwealth calls for war.
In the works
Chased through the solar system, only a group of renegades can stop the deadliest attack on humanity ever.
About the author
Nathaniel Jungheim, is the author of the science fiction novel Savages of the Bulk. He has worked as a cybersecurity manager for the past decade while splitting his time in the Army National Guard. During which, he spent his nights and weekends working on his passion project: The Lightborn Series. As a devoted sci fi and history nerd, he dreamed up his first novel "Savages of the Bulk" during his deployment as an Army captain in Iraq. Nate lives in Chicago with his wife, Devin, and 3 dogs: Clementine, Duckie, and Bones.
Influences
Nathaniel Jungheim writes military science fiction and space opera novels that explore galactic empires, alien invasion, cybernetic soldiers, and interstellar warfare. His stories blend the political realism of the Dune series (Frank Herbert), the hard science fiction of The Expanse (James S.A. Corey), the corporate dystopian neo-noir of Blade Runner, and the transhuman cyberpunk edge of Altered Carbon (Richard K. Morgan). Nathaniel includes the psychological trauma and moral injury of space marine and space fleet battles set in vast science fiction future war settings. However, he also mixes in humor with pop culture references like Ready Player One (Ernest Cline).
Nathaniel's books feature first contact scenarios, the massive displacement caused by artificial intelligence, the eventuality of augmented humans, and the human and economic cost of empire in space. Readers who enjoy epic sci-fi universes, military sci-fi books, space war novels, and character-driven drama will find familiar themes alongside original worlds and modern storytelling.
If you’re looking for MILSIFI novels about humanity facing alien powers, advanced technology, drone warfare, and galactic politics, his work sits at the crossroads of classic and contemporary science fiction. Nathaniel is inspired by authors of large-scale space operas like Robert A. Heinlein (Starship Troopers), Dennis E. Taylor (Bobiverse), Joe Haldeman (Forever War), John Scalzi (Old Man's War) and J. Michael Straczynski (Babylon 5).
savages of the bulk
For centuries the mysterious Saar Commonwealth has denied Earth access to the Bulk, an extradimensional gateway to the stars. In the absence of faster than light travel, the solar system has been conquered, but society grows restless in its isolation. Only when the Commonwealth calls humankind to war are its armies allowed to leave. Until now, on the other side of the galaxy, a hostile alien world resists control. With no choice left, they order humanity on a diplomatic mission to maintain the peace. Tasked with the deep space assignment, a young diplomat, Miguel Castal, must work with a black ops’ agent on the run, a statesman with unclear loyalties, and a rookie pilot flying a state-of-the-art warship.
If they fail, then Lieutenant Jake Dawes will have to fight another war. However, he has no choice. When caught in the crossfire of a covert operation his body is ripped to shreds, the ultimatum is clear: become a cybernetically enhanced soldier or be tossed to the streets. As he prepares for battle, Jake is plagued by strange voices. Is it a faulty code in his systems? A bad link with his snippy combat droid? Or is there something bigger at play, something that can finally challenge the Commonwealth’s domination of humanity.
Reviewed by Asher Syed for Readers’ FavoriteIn Nathaniel Jungheim's Savages of the Bulk, the year is 2286, and Jacob Dawes prepares to join the Terran Joint Expeditionary Forces after graduating in Chicago alongside classmates Miguel Castal, Priya Patel, and Milla Sefira. During their final night together, a violent rooftop attack destroys Jacob’s body, leading the government to rebuild him with cybernetic limbs in exchange for joining a classified drone infantry program. While Jacob trains to command combat machines through neural implants, Secretary of Defense James VonBrink investigates an ancient starship discovered near Madagascar. It contains records of a lost human civilization and weapons capable of altering the balance of power among interstellar nations. When a diplomatic mission to the alien Szczari empire ends in assassination, humanity enters a system-wide war that takes Jacob from military training into combat on a distant world.In Savages of the Bulk, Nathaniel Jungheim offers a masterclass in world-building, with political organizations across several worlds that mold everyday life. Earth governments cooperate with the Saar Commonwealth, while the Szczari empire binds rival kingdoms through arranged royal marriages, designed to produce an emperor who will unite their civilization under a single imperial throne. There are many moving pieces, but the author does a great job of putting them all into place. Jake is an excellent lead with a huge arc and a lot to work through. Priya Patel, piloting the Emma Faith, has control and composure by the bucketload. Kin’Mamani is a brilliantly worthy opposition to political authority, and a rare female baddie in a genre dominated by men. I could read a whole prequel on her alone. Well written and completely immersive, readers hungry for intelligent, large-scale science fiction will devour this book. I'm looking forward to seeing where book two in The Lightborn series takes us.
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