A reader’s guide
Ukraine War Fiction: The Maksym Kovalenko Series in Order
The Maksym Kovalenko series begins in Ukraine with a young person who understands how to make things. War gives that ability consequences he never expected. Across five connected novels, invention, love and the difficult work of peace remain closely bound together.
Reading order: 1. The Unbroken Sky; 2. The Second Horizon; 3. The Silent Horizon; 4. The Common Sky; 5. The Quiet Centre.
The Unbroken Sky
A young Ukrainian inventor begins turning the fragments of war into a vision of protection, as courage, love and conscience shape what he builds.
Explore the book Author’s forewordThe Second Horizon
Kateryna's story explores the experiences that shape her courage, her relationship with Maksym, and the difficult human work of protecting peace.
Explore the book Author’s forewordThe Silent Horizon
A winter power disaster in Germany draws Maksym and Kateryna into a race to test the evidence before suspicion becomes war. The third Maksym Kovalenko novel.
Explore the book Author’s forewordThe Common Sky
As Russia rebuilds after civil war, Maksym Kovalenko uncovers a struggle for control behind the promises of reconstruction. A political thriller about diplomacy, accountability and the possibility of a shared future.
Explore the bookThe Quiet Centre
Threats against his family take Maksym to Mongolia, where Wing Chun and a slow reading of Sun Tzu test his resolve to protect the people he loves without abandoning love itself.
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These books combine character-led war fiction with speculative technology and an imagined political future. They follow Maksym and Kateryna as the question changes from how to survive a conflict to how to keep another one from beginning.
Book 1: The Unbroken Sky
At fourteen, Maksym is at home among wires, circuit boards and model aircraft. War interrupts the future he expects, separating him from home and family. The machines around him become both the wreckage of destruction and the material from which he might build something protective.
Kateryna is a sniper who understands the distance between seeing clearly and knowing enough to act. Their relationship grows through the practical, often ordinary ways people learn to rely on one another under extraordinary pressure.
The Unbroken Sky is the place to begin. It introduces the people and questions that carry through the series. A free opening sample is available on the book page.
Book 2: The Second Horizon
The Second Horizon gives Kateryna’s story more room. Her childhood, the care of her grandmother and her experiences of war shape the woman readers meet alongside Maksym.
A decision made through a rifle scope can take an instant. The habits of attention, fear and judgment behind it may have taken a lifetime to form. This second novel explores those layers while continuing the relationship between Kateryna and Maksym.
As the possibility of peace grows, their responsibilities change. Survival leaves unfinished questions about trust, power, family and the choices people must keep making after an immediate danger has passed.
Book 3: The Silent Horizon
In The Silent Horizon, a catastrophic failure at a German electricity transmission site leaves communities facing the winter cold. Accusations travel quickly. Access to the evidence becomes harder.
The story is set in early 2031, when Maksym and Kateryna are also learning to care for their newborn daughter. Their public responsibilities now carry a new, intimate weight.
As they investigate, a troubling possibility emerges: apparently separate assessments may depend on the same concealed source. Preventing another conflict means asking whether agreement is evidence of truth—or simply evidence that a claim has travelled widely.
This third book moves into political and technological suspense. PDF and EPUB editions are available from the book page.
Book 4: The Common Sky
The Common Sky follows Russia’s reconstruction after civil war. Maksym investigates the interests behind an offer of renewal, as diplomacy and intelligence work test who gets to shape the peace. The fourth novel looks toward a hopeful future without letting go of accountability.
Book 5: The Quiet Centre
In The Quiet Centre, threats against his family lead Maksym and Kateryna to Mongolia. Under an elderly Wing Chun master, they learn to listen, stand steadily and act with restraint. As Maksym studies Sun Tzu, the family must decide how to protect one another without abandoning love. The fifth novel turns the responsibilities of peace into an intimate test of integrity.
Should the books be read in order?
Yes. Begin with The Unbroken Sky, continue with The Second Horizon, then read The Silent Horizon, The Common Sky and The Quiet Centre. That sequence follows the development of Maksym and Kateryna’s relationship and the consequences of their earlier decisions.
Readers looking for Ukraine war novels will find that the series expands beyond its initial wartime setting. The later stories explore an imagined international future and the continuing responsibilities of peace.
What is real, and what belongs to the novels?
Ukraine and the other countries provide recognisable settings, but these books are fiction. The characters, narrative events, speculative inventions and imagined political developments should not be treated as documentary accounts or predictions.
My interest is in what people do with intelligence and power, especially when they believe they are helping. An invention may change the choices available. Someone still has to answer for the choice that is made.
Begin with The Unbroken Sky and use the discussion questions in this guide to explore the decisions that stay with you.
A few things to know
Which book should I read first?
Begin with The Unbroken Sky, which introduces Maksym and his relationship with Kateryna. Continue with The Second Horizon, The Silent Horizon, The Common Sky and The Quiet Centre.
What is the third book?
The Silent Horizon is the third Maksym Kovalenko novel and is available on Apple Books. Set in winter 2031, it follows a German power disaster, contested evidence and the danger of a new war. Check the selected Apple Books store for availability.
Are these accounts of real events?
They are works of fiction. Real places provide context, but characters, narrative events, speculative technologies and imagined political developments should not be read as documentary claims.
What connects the novels?
All five explore the human responsibilities behind invention and public decisions, and the courage required to build trust, sustain love and protect peace.
For yourself or your book club
Questions to take into the conversation
- How does making or repairing something change Maksym’s sense of agency?
- What is the difference between precision and certainty in Kateryna’s decisions?
- When does an invention move responsibility rather than remove it?
- Which ordinary acts make trust possible between the characters?
- What work remains for people even when a machine can prevent harm?
- When several assessments repeat the same source, what would make their conclusions trustworthy?
- How should Maksym and Kateryna balance public responsibilities with the work of caring for their family?
- When protecting someone we love, how can we recognise the point at which necessary action becomes revenge?
Discuss these after reading; answers may reveal parts of the story.