Substack Summer: THE SHIELDBREAKER Book 2
The Shieldbreaker, Book Two: Holiest of Cities by Tom Schecter
SUBSTACK SUMMER 2 HAS ARRIVED!
This is part of Substack Summer for Summer 2026. You can read more about the original Substack Summer here. 2026 is the second year of the Vinny Reads Substack Summer.
Substack Summer Overview
What is this? - Each Summer I try to devote a good portion of my reading to books by Substack authors. Each review is broken down as follows:
Just the Facts - all the basic info about the book/novel/story
Pump the Tires1 - this is my bias disclaimer where I lay out what relationship I have, if any, with the Substack writer whose work I’m discussing. It works on a 1-4 scale; 1 being I barely know this person and 4 being you cannot trust a word I say.
Overview - this is my “review” of the work in question, including any:
Stick-taps - positive aspects I really enjoyed
Chirps - anything about the work that didn’t work for me
Overtime - miscellaneous thoughts and an update on the overall progress of the Substack Summer project.
Just the Facts
Title: The Shieldbreaker, Book Two: Holiest of Cities
Author: Tom Schecter
Format: eBook. Paperback. Serialized on Substack. (Read via paperback)
Genre: Dark, low “fantasy”
Substack: THE SHIELDBREAKER SAGA
Length: 248 paper-pages.
Vinny’s Blurb: Schecter inverts the ratio of violence and politics from Book One to create a slower-burn, time bomb of a story. Holiest of Cities maintains the close focus on character and conflict but focuses on political machinations over battlefield maneuvers. The result is a deeper look at the characters and the world of The Shieldbreaker without losing any of the pacing or immediacy of its predecessor.
Pump the Tires
🫥🙂😀🥰 4/4
Tom Schecter is one of the nicest people I’ve met on Substack, a great writer, and I consider him a friend. Therefore, you cannot trust a single word of this review. In seriousness, I attempt to highlight the pros and cons of this story but I don’t want to give the perception that I am an impartial observer.
Overview
Spoiler Note: Since Holiest of Cities is the second book in the Shieldbreaker Saga, it is impossible to discuss without spoilers for the first book, The Last of the Etela. While I will try not to spoil Book Two, there will be spoilers for Book One.
Holiest of Cities picks up immediately where Last of the Etela left us off, helped along by a tight but fulsome summary to start off the book; a sort of “previously on” equivalent. This was particularly helpful for me because I usually don’t read serializations that I know are going to have a completed book-form down the line.
We join the defeated Hodrir on their march back to Ikune, the titular “holiest of cities” and setting for most of Book Two. Ikune is a sort of Jerusalem, war-torn over centuries and almost indefensible by design. Its strategic importance lies both in its central location as well as its symbolic significance more than any tactical advantage. It is a powder keg and Schecter’s character each carry a lit match.
Minor characters from Book One are elevated here as the story moves from the battlefield to the political arena. Both within the Hodrir and within the conquering Pohyor, characters are jockeying for a greater piece of the command of their people. And against this backdrop is the ticking time-bomb: when will Kareva and Hodrir learn of the fate of their women and children? Kareva’s capitulation to the warlord Ersev was based on their presumed safety, but as we learn in Book One: that is not the case. Kareva dispatches a lieutenant to learn of their fate as the man responsible for their slaughter — Regez, Ersev’s right-hand — waits in Ikune for the returning warband.
Much like the city of Ikune itself, control of situation is impossible for any of the parties to maintain for too long. The truth cannot remain hidden, hands are forced, and everyone ends off the worse for it. Schecter deftly transition from action-thriller to political-thriller and expands the interior lives of his characters beyond the glimpses on Book One. The Hodrir are not the interchangeable 300 Spartans and the Pohyor are not the unstoppable Persian Empire; Schecter expands his world — and his craft — delving into more experimental prose and interesting dynamics. Holiest of Cities is a worthy successor (in my opinion, better than Last of the Etela) and sets up a whole new set of problems for these more fully realized characters to combat.
Stick-taps
Underlaying this story of political intrigue are several smaller stories of grief and loss. While Kareva, Ersev, Miruz and Alakuz attempt to manage their people, the rest of the characters battle internally with their new place in the world. For the Hodrir, there is a lot of survivor’s guilt; they were supposed to die in Book One… what do they do now in Book Two?
I mentioned above that Schecter works to expand his craft in Holiest of Cities, and this is most evident in the continuing madness of Kareva. There are some great sequences where we are invited into the madness, and these are set against scenes of Kareva at a remove, as observed by others. The seeds of legend, for good and ill, being planted.
For a book full of political machinations, none seem overly cumbersome or complicated. They are simply decisions with trade-offs and potential outcomes. Anyone thinking too far ahead gets caught with their pants down. These are snap decisions with no right answers; this makes for a propulsive, believable story with logical outcomes that are no less fun or interesting to read.
Chirps
Schecter makes the decision to forgo “old-timey” parlance and verbiage in favor of a more modern and streamlined dialog. Depending on your taste, or the closeness of your reading, this can be hit or miss. For example, the term “down payment” is used in a pivotal moment. It is a bad-ass line in an interesting and emotional scene, but my brain immediately went: “wait, are their mortgage payments in this world?” Overall, the modern approach works for me, with a few awkward moments but your mileage may vary.
Another decision that Schecter makes is in the length of these books. After reading Book One, I felt hungry for more (which is a good thing). After reading Book Two, I feel… hungry for more. While both books reach logical stopping points, there is an underlying sense that the story is just getting started.
Overtime
In case you were living under a rock, Tom Schecter and I discussed Book Two on Substack Live a little over a week ago:
We go into a little more depth on the things I touched on above, and as I mention above and in the interview: I enjoyed Book Two a lot, thought it was a fun and fast read, superior to Book One, and I’m impressed (and proud) of how Tom continues to grow and thrive as an author.
Also worth noting is that today (Monday June 8th) is Pub Day for Holiest of Cities! Because the man hisself is traveling today, I had to go hunt and peck to find a link for you all to give him money.
You can order the paperback of Holiest of Cities here!
If/when Tom has a better link to share I will update this accordingly.
My thanks again to Tom Schecter for the ARC, the interview, and of course the amazing Shieldbreaker story.
Now… when’s Book Three coming?
If you are unfamiliar with this phrase, watch the first ten seconds on this video.
Literally bought my copy the instant I got the text it was live.