The Shining Smith Series in Order

About the Shining Smith series

Series Premise

The core premise follows Shining Smith, a battle-hardened veteran haunted by her past, who has carved out a solitary existence in a sprawling junkyard in rural West Virginia. Surrounded by salvaged tech, rusted vehicles, and her fiercely protective cats, Shining hides from enemies who would exploit her extraordinary abilities—abilities tied to advanced tech, military secrets, and perhaps something more anomalous. When threats invade her isolated sanctuary—old comrades in distress, ruthless paramilitary forces, or shadowy organizations hunting enhanced individuals—Shining is forced out of seclusion. She assembles an unlikely crew of misfits, leverages her junkyard arsenal, and unleashes her skills to protect those she cares about, uncover conspiracies, and fight for a fragile new equilibrium in a broken world. The stories blend high-stakes action with personal stakes, exploring survival in a dystopian landscape, the cost of war on body and soul, loyalty to found family, the ethics of power (technological or otherwise), and the slow rebuilding of trust and community amid chaos.

Main Characters

Shining Smith anchors the series as a compelling, multifaceted protagonist: a former soldier scarred by combat and betrayal, fiercely independent yet deeply protective, with exceptional skills in combat, engineering, and strategy. Her cats—genetically enhanced or otherwise extraordinary felines—serve as loyal companions, scouts, and fierce defenders, adding both peril and levity. Her growing crew includes a ragtag band of allies: old military contacts with their own baggage, skilled mechanics and fighters drawn to her cause, and outsiders who become family. Recurring figures encompass antagonists from paramilitary motorcycle gangs like the Dark Riders, shadowy government remnants or corporate hunters, and a network of survivors whose fates intertwine with Shining's. These characters create a dynamic ensemble where loyalty is earned through fire and bonds forged in shared danger.

Setting

The setting is a ravaged near-future America in the aftermath of devastating global wars that collapsed societies and left technology both advanced and scavenged. Shining's junkyard compound in the Appalachian hills of West Virginia serves as her fortified haven: mountains of rusted cars, salvaged military hardware, hidden bunkers, and makeshift defenses amid overgrown wilderness. The landscape features remote rural roads, abandoned towns, crumbling infrastructure, and pockets of desperate survivors. Action spills into biker roadhouses, paramilitary strongholds, and contested territories where factions vie for resources, tech, and control. The world feels hardscrabble and dangerous—scarce supplies, EMP-scarred tech, roaming threats—but also alive with ingenuity, as people cobble together new lives from the wreckage.

Tone & Themes

The tone is gritty, intense, and adrenaline-charged, laced with dark humor, snappy dialogue, and moments of quiet vulnerability. Hunter maintains a fast-paced, action-oriented style grounded in realistic military and survival details, balanced by the warmth of found-family bonds and Shining's dry wit. Themes emphasize resilience after trauma, the redemptive power of loyalty and chosen family, the dangers of unchecked power in a post-war world, healing through purpose and connection, and the stubborn human drive to protect what's left worth saving. There's a sense of defiant hope amid ruin—survival isn't just enduring but reclaiming agency and building something better.

In the end, Faith Hunter’s Shining Smith series is a riveting, high-octane ride through a shattered world where one woman's junkyard fortress becomes the frontline against oblivion. It grips with relentless action, razor-sharp survival instincts, and the quiet power of found family rising from the ashes. For readers craving dystopian sci-fi with a tough-as-nails heroine, loyal cats, and the thrill of outsmarting doom, these stories deliver an addictive blend of grit and heart—proving that even in the ruins, a sharp mind, fierce allies, and unyielding will can carve out hope and home. Shining Smith doesn't just survive; she rebuilds, one salvaged part and one hard-won bond at a time.