In New Albion, Forgetting Is Survival
Discover the Secrets of Shimmer
Welcome to The Shimmerfall Trilogy – a near-future emotionally immersive dystopian series shaped by memory, control, grief, and survival.
In New Albion, forgetting has become a way of life. People soften fear, hunger, and loss with shimmer – while the systems around them quietly tighten their grip.
These are stories about the people who still remember.
The Shimmerfall Trilogy explores memory, identity, grief, and survival within a fractured near-future society shaped by control, forgetting, and quiet resistance.
These are intimate stories about what remains of people when fear, dependency, and silence become ordinary parts of everyday life.
Book Two – Synthetic State – is out this Autumn.
Novels
Book Two
Synthetic State
Book Three
The Quiet Directive
Trailer
What readers say...
"It shows that through small acts of kindness—and even through courageous acts of
defiance—hope can still shine in the darkest of places. I found this book emotionally
moving and thought-provoking." Readers' Favorite Review
"The story is told at a masterful pace... each revelation about the true nature of the world hits like a gut punch... Tender humanity and hope bloom amid the bleakest, most desperate dystopia." Reedsy Discovery Review
"A philosophical work of speculative fiction exploring the consequences of a secretive institution capable of harvesting and manipulating human memory and in turn, challenges the sense of autonomy." IndieReader Review
“We believed there was still time"
Some memories should survive.
Creating the Shimmerfall Trilogy
Crafting the Stories
Themes
What survives inside broken systems?
In a fractured future, what remains of the human spirit?
These stories explore what happens when survival depends on forgetting.
Across New Albion, people learn to live with silence, dependency, fear, and loss – while small acts of connection and resistance continue to survive beneath the surface.
They are stories about people who endure systems designed to erode memory, identity, and hope.
Community
Join our World
Enter New Albion
Become part of the Shimmerfall community and experience exclusive previews, behind-the-scenes insights, and discussions on the intricate layers of the novels' narratives.
Connect with readers drawn to psychologically immersive speculative fiction, atmospheric dystopian worlds, and stories shaped by memory, survival, and emotional truth.
Stay connected through joining the mailing list or join the discussion group. We would love to hear from you.
Author's Vision
Inspirations Revealed
Rooted in social psychology, driven by human history and experience.
Drawing from a background in social psychology, the author infuses The Shimmerfall Trilogy with a deep understanding of human behavior, social dynamics, and the fragile threads that bind society together.
The trilogy draws heavily from social psychology, emotional realism, and the fragile ways people adapt to systems built around fear, dependency, and control.
With empathy at its core, the series challenges readers to confront the darkness while holding onto hope, urging us to imagine a future shaped by connection, resilience, and the enduring strength of the human spirit.
Impact
Stirring Emotions
Quietly unsettling. Emotionally enduring.
The Shimmerfall Trilogy explores memory, loss, resilience, and the fragile ways people endure inside systems shaped by fear, dependency, and forgetting.
Blending literary speculative fiction with psychological realism, the series focuses less on spectacle than on the emotional cost of survival – asking what remains of people when silence becomes ordinary and memory begins to fade.
These are stories shaped by grief, connection, identity, and the quiet acts of resistance that survive even in collapsing worlds.
Stories shaped by psychological realism and emotional truth.
Meet Some of the Characters
About the Author
My name is Russell Luyt
I grew up in South Africa before moving to the United Kingdom, where I built a career in social psychology and academic writing. Now based in Paris, I've swapped lecture halls for quiet cafés, bringing my long-standing interest in human behaviour, memory, and social systems into fiction. Having written academic literature for many years, I now enjoy exploring stories that speak to both the heart and the mind.
