War. The word spreads throughout the Confederation…the long-expected Union invasion has come. The enemy is strong, their fleets larger and more powerful than intelligence reports had predicted. They have broken through the forward defenses, sent the Confederation’s proud fleets into an ignominious retreat.

Captain Tyler Barron and the crew of the battleship Dauntless are lightyears from the front lines, at Archellia, waiting for their damaged battleship to be repaired. They are still grieving for the losses they suffered fighting the Alliance’s flagship, and they remain understrength, their ship only operational. But there is no time. The Confederation forces need every reinforcement they can get, and Barron and his survivors board their vessel…and rush to the battle lines.

When they get there they encounter nothing but fleeing ships and shattered fleets. The Confederation is losing the war, falling back steadily, yielding system after system to the invaders. On a dozen worlds, Confederation Marines dig in, determined to hold on, without space support, without resupply. And Dauntless finds herself trapped, cut off from the rest of the fleet along with three other stranded Confed ships…deep behind the rapidly moving front lines.

Barron must make a choice. Pull back, try to find a way to get around the enemy and rejoin the fleet. Or press on, strike deep behind the enemy advance, an almost suicidal thrust toward the Union’s main logistical supply base…and the one way Tyler Barron can think of to buy the fleet the time it needs to regroup. To survive.

This author has been on my radar for a while now and I’d just never gotten around to reading any of his work. But not any more. You can expect a review of the first book in this series, Duel in the Dark, this Friday……which happens to be the day this book is released.

Robert

Links

• Jay Allan’s Blog
• CrimsonWorlds.com