How to Read the Cyborg Shifters Series
Naomi Lucas's Cyborg Shifters is a science fiction and paranormal romance series that blends action, survival, steamy romance, and occasional elements of body horror. The books are written as interconnected standalones, meaning each novel features a different couple and a self-contained romantic arc. However, because the overarching lore, world-building, and faction politics develop across the timeline, the best way to read the series is in publication order.
Recommended Reading Order
To experience the evolution of the universe and the history of the cyborg divisions, readers should follow the order in which the books were released:
- Cyborg Pool Boy (Book 0.5, 2018) – A prequel novella that introduces the general concept of beastly cyborg hunters.
- Wild Blood (Book 1, 2017) – The official series starter, featuring a spider-shifting cyborg.
- Storm Surge (Book 2, 2017) – A survival romance featuring a snake-shifting cyborg.
- Shark Bite (Book 3, 2017) – An underwater mystery featuring a bull shark-shifting cyborg.
- Mutt (Book 4, 2018) – A redemption-focused story featuring a canine-shifting cyborg.
- Ashes and Metal (Book 5, 2018) – A gritty prison escape featuring a jackal-shifting cyborg.
- Chaos Croc (Book 6, 2019) – A space abduction story featuring a crocodile-shifting cyborg.
- Ursa Major (Book 7, 2020) – A gaming-inspired survival hunt featuring a bear-shifting cyborg.
- Dark Hysteria (Book 8, 2021) – A spaceship revenge plot featuring a poison-skinned frog-shifting cyborg.
- Wings and Teeth (Book 9, 2022) – The final series entry, featuring a hawk-shifting cyborg.
Cyborg Shifters Universe and Lore
Before jumping in, it is helpful to understand the setting. The series takes place in a far-future galaxy populated by human colonies, space stations, and harsh alien planets. Decades before the start of the books, a devastating galactic war was fought using bio-engineered soldiers created by combining human hosts, cybernetic machinery, and predatory animal DNA. These hybrid soldiers are known as Cyborg Shifters.
Most cyborgs in this universe serve under the Earthian Planetary Exploration Division (EPED) or work as independent monster hunters for private contractors like Nightheart. They are feared by civil society, viewed as unstable biological weapons, and forced to grapple with their violent animalistic instincts. An ongoing mystery throughout the series involves the history of these cyborgs; sixty years prior to the events of the books, the memories of the shifter class were wiped, leaving many of them unaware of their original human identities or the exact nature of their creation.
Book-by-Book Breakdown
Cyborg Pool Boy (Book 0.5)
Serving as a short, low-stakes introduction to the series, this prequel novella centers on a wealthy human heiress living on a luxurious estate. When an invasive alien creature takes up residence in her private pool, she hires a rugged Cyborg Monster Hunter to clear it out. However, she quickly discovers that the hunter she brought onto her property is far more dangerous, bestial, and possessive than the beast he was hired to kill.
Wild Blood (Book 1)
The first full-length novel follows Dommik, an alpha spider-shifting cyborg hunter who is feared for his predatory efficiency. He crosses paths with Katalina, a human woman facing execution on a dangerous jungle planet. Desperate to survive, Katalina bargains for Dommik's protection by helping him on a perilous quest to harvest a rare flower. Their journey is marked by harsh environments, mutual distrust, and intense, physical chemistry.
Storm Surge (Book 2)
Set on a hostile planet ravaged by toxic, torrential storms, this installment pairs Stryker, a cold snake-shifting cyborg, with Norah Lee, a human scientist stranded in a collapsing research facility. Stryker is sent to rescue her, but as the environmental hazards escalate, the two must rely on each other to survive, forcing Stryker to confront his colder reptile instincts in order to protect Norah.
Shark Bite (Book 3)
Blending romance with an underwater mystery, this book introduces Netto, a bull shark-shifting cyborg who thrives in deep waters. He meets Rylie, a socially anxious gem farmer living on an ocean world. When mysterious disturbances threaten her family's underwater agricultural lots, Rylie must team up with Netto to solve the planetary conspiracy, navigating her own anxieties alongside his overwhelming predatory drive.
Mutt (Book 4)
Offering a shift in tone toward a softer, slower-burn romance, this story focuses on Reid Canis, a canine-shifting cyborg who has isolated himself on a remote space station. His quiet life is disrupted by the arrival of Clara, a human woman searching for a sense of belonging and family. Reid, who views himself as a broken "mutt" unworthy of love, is gradually won over by Clara's warmth and persistence in this redemption-themed romance.
Ashes and Metal (Book 5)
Set in a gritty prison environment, this novel features Gunner, a jackal-shifting cyborg outlaw known across the galaxy as "The Jackal." When a group of space pirates hijacks a transport ship, they throw Gunner into a cell adjacent to Elodie (Ely), a young woman who has disguised herself as a boy to stay safe while traveling with her father. Gunner quickly deduces Ely's secret, leading to a high-tension, forced-proximity escape attempt.
Chaos Croc (Book 6)
Zeph is a bright neon-green crocodile-shifting cyborg who hides severe psychological instability beneath a charming, charismatic facade. Sent to assist an influential family on an ocean planet with their failing agricultural lots, Zeph crosses paths with Janet, a confident woman who intends to use her seduction skills to discover his secrets. Janet finds herself out of her depth when Zeph becomes obsessively attached to her, culminating in him abducting her into deep space.
Ursa Major (Book 7)
This entry features Vee Miles, an ambitious gamer who wants to compete in the high-stakes virtual reality colonization game *Terraform Zero*. To fund her entry fee, she agrees to a sponsorship deal with the EPED, which requires her to pose as a fictional bear-shifting cyborg avatar named "Cypher." Unknown to Vee, the EPED is using her as bait to draw out the real Cypher, a scarred and muscular bear-shifting cyborg living in self-imposed exile.
Dark Hysteria (Book 8)
Alexa is a highly educated space systems technician driven by a single-minded goal: to assassinate Hysterian, the poison-skinned frog-shifting cyborg she blames for her father's death. She infiltrates his ship crew, planning to strike once she earns his trust. However, the forced proximity of deep space complicates her plans as Hysterian becomes an obsessive presence in her life, forcing her to choose between revenge and her growing attraction.
Wings and Teeth (Book 9)
In the final installment of the main series, Keir is a hawk-shifting cyborg hunter working for the EPED. He is sent to Volun, a remote moon, to investigate rumors of secrets regarding the origin of the shifter class. There he meets Echo, a survivalist human woman who manages tech and hunting duties for a small colony of elderly settlers. Echo carries secrets of her own that are directly tied to the history of the cyborg war, testing their trust as they fight to protect the colony.
Spin-offs and Connected Works
While the Cyborg Shifters novels constitute a complete narrative arc regarding the shifter divisions, the series is set within a broader science fiction universe created by Naomi Lucas. Readers interested in exploring more of this universe can transition to her Stranded in the Stars series. This companion series is set in the same shared universe and consists of three books: Last Call, Collector of Souls, and Deep Space (originally titled Star Navigator). While these books feature different types of characters and sci-fi tropes, they share the same gritty world-building, technology, and space-faring factions.
Practical Reading Advice
- Can they be read as standalones? Yes. Every book features a different couple and resolves its main romantic plot by the end. However, reading them out of order may spoil minor background mysteries regarding the EPED, the history of the cyborg memory wipes, and the fates of characters from previous books.
- Best Starting Point: Beginners should start with Wild Blood to get a proper introduction to the series' tone, setting, and the nature of the cyborg-shifter hybrids. Alternatively, Cyborg Pool Boy can be read first as a short, low-stakes introduction to the author's writing style.
- Tone and Content Warning: The series is written for mature audiences. It contains explicit romantic content, graphic violence, elements of survival horror, and dark themes. The cyborgs are often depicted as monster-like, and their animal instincts play a heavy role in the relationship dynamics.