Mercenary troops book series in reading order

by Andrew Vachss

Clive Cussler

104 books• 9 series

Clive Cussler (July 15, 1931 – February 24, 2020) was an American adventure novelist and underwater explorer. Cussler founded and chaired the National Underwater and Marine Agency (NUMA), which has located more than 60 shipwreck sites. Cussler's thrillers, many of them featuring Dirk Pitt, reached The New York Times fiction best-seller list more than 20 times. The catalogue lists 105 books under Cussler's name, beginning with The Mediterranean Caper (1973), with The Serpent's Eye due in 2027. Robin Burcell shares credit on 6 of them, Jack Du Brul on 5 and Grant Blackwood on 3. Series include Dirk Pitt, NUMA Files, Oregon Files and Sea Hunters.

Donald Eugene Pendleton (December 12, 1927 to October 23, 1995) was an American author of fiction and non-fiction who created Mack Bolan, a character with hundreds of millions of copies sold since a 1969 debut. From 1980, other authors wrote the Bolan books under the Pendleton name, at first with Pendleton's editorial guidance. Pendleton also wrote six Joe Copp, Private Eye novels and six Ashton Ford, Psychic Detective novels. Early titles include The Insatiables (1967), War Against the Mafia (1969) and Miami Massacre (1970).

Lee Child

78 books• 15 series

Lee Child is the pen name of James Dover Grant, a British thriller writer born on 29 October 1954. The Jack Reacher novels follow a former American military policeman who drifts across the United States. Killing Floor (1997), the first novel, won the Anthony Award and the 1998 Barry Award for Best First Novel, and Die Trying (1998) and Tripwire (1999) came next. The catalogue runs to Chain Reaction (2026), with Zero Margin listed for 2027. Andrew Child shares credit on a line of Jack Reacher short stories and novellas, and a Frances Neagley line also appears. Subjects include military police, ex-police officers, private investigators and murder.

Contemporary romance and romantic suspense are the two fields Canadian author Elle Kennedy works in. Born on 19 January 1982, Kennedy has won a RITA Award from the Romance Writers of America. The catalogue credits 78 books to Kennedy, starting with Bad Moon Rising (Short Story) in 2007 and reaching Bad Idea, due in 2027. Kennedy's series include Killer Instincts, Off-Campus, Briar U, Campus Diaries, Avalon Bay, Outlaws, Prep and Small Town Scandals. Subjects tagged on the books include hockey and sports romance.

Lori Foster

146 books• 33 series

Lori Foster is an American romance novelist who also publishes urban fantasy as L.L. Foster, and has appeared on the USA Today, Publishers Weekly and New York Times bestseller lists. Foster is currently published by Harlequin. The catalogue holds 146 books from Impetuous (1995) to The Lake House (2026), with the 2000s the busiest decade; one book also credits Christie Ridgway. Series include Buckhorn Brothers, SBC Fighters, Body Armor, Ultimate and Love Undercover, and mixed martial arts shows up among the subjects.

Timothy Zahn

98 books• 26 series

Timothy Zahn, born September 1, 1951, is an American writer of science fiction and fantasy who grew up in Lombard, Illinois. The Star Wars books, above all the Thrawn trilogy, are the core of Zahn's reputation, and those novels are credited with reviving interest in the franchise. Original series include Cobra, Blackcollar, Dragonback, Quadrail, Conquerors Saga, Icarus and Sibyl's War. The catalogue lists 99 books by Zahn, starting with The Blackcollar (1983); Trap Line appeared in 2025 and A Call to Deception is due in 2027.

Andrew Vachss

47 books• 10 series

Andrew Vachss (Andrew Henry Vachss, October 19, 1942 to November 23, 2021) was an American crime fiction author, a child protection consultant and an attorney who represented only children and youths. Burke is the recurring character, and private investigators, New York and hard-boiled mystery appear in the subjects. The catalogue runs from The Life Style Violent Juvenile (1979) through Flood (1985) and Strega (1987) to Blood Line (2022), and also lists the Cross and Aftershock series, graphic novels with Geof Darrow and non-fiction.

Ann Aguirre, born on 27 August 1970, is an American writer of speculative fiction across urban fantasy, romantic science fiction and post-apocalyptic dystopian young adult fiction. Apocalyptic paranormal romance appears under the shared name Ellen Connor with Carrie Lofty, and paranormal romantic suspense under the name Ava Gray. The catalogue lists 160 books, from Grimspace (2008) and Wanderlust (2008) to The Hocus Pocus Handbook (2026). Series include Sirantha Jax, Razorland, Corine Solomon and Ars Numina, plus Ava Gray series such as Alpha Billionaire and Valkov Bratva. Subjects include interstellar travel and women astronauts.

Chris Ryan

76 books• 16 series

Chris Ryan is the pen name of Colin Armstrong, a British author, television presenter and security consultant born in 1961 who served as a sergeant in the Special Air Service. After fellow patrol member Andy McNab published Bravo Two Zero in 1993, Ryan told the story of that mission in The One That Got Away (1995). Strike Back became a Sky 1 television series, and Ryan co-created the ITV action series Ultimate Force. The catalogue lists 76 Ryan books up to Traitor (2024), including Stand By, Stand by (1996) and The Kremlin Device (1998). Series include Danny Black, Agent 21, Geordie Sharp, Matt Browning and Special Forces Cadets.

Steve Perry writes science fiction and fantasy, and the catalogue holds 62 books from The Tularemia Gambit (1981) to Kill Switch (2026). The listing includes Conan the Fearless (1986) and Conan the Defiant (1987). Series include Matador, Cutter's Wars, Void, Venture Silk, Stellar Ranger and Medstar, plus tie-in work for Aliens Vs. Predator and Star Wars. Michael Reaves shares credit on 2 books.

Tom Kratman, born in 1956, is an American military science fiction author and a retired United States Army officer. A Desert Called Peace is the central series, starting in 2007 and taking in Carnifex, The Lotus Eaters, The Amazon Legion and Come and Take Them; the Countdown books form a second. Soldiers, mercenaries, terrorism and imagined wars are the subjects, and the novels are long at around 524 pages. Kratman wrote three books with John Ringo in the Legacy of the Aldenata series, and his work carries right-wing politics openly. Twenty titles are catalogued, reaching For the Eternal Glory of Rome in 2026.

John Dalmas was the pen name of John Robert Jones (1926-2017), who wrote science fiction on military and governmental themes. The Yngling, serialised from 1969 and catalogued as a 1971 book, opens a run of 30 titles ending with Soldiers! Volume 2 in 2013. Seven series divide it, including the Regiment, Yngling, Fanglith, Lion of Farside and Chronicle from the 31st Century. Mercenary troops, soldiers, time travel and life on other planets recur as subjects, at a median 368 pages.

Shannon K. Butcher trained and worked as an industrial engineer before writing fiction, and is married to the fantasy and science fiction author Jim Butcher. Butcher's 22 books, from 2007 to 2019, cover romantic suspense and paranormal romance. No Regrets (2007), No Control (2008) and No Escape (2008) open the list. Sentinel Wars is Butcher's series, and subjects across the catalogue include vampires, magic and good and evil. Saving Daylight (2019) is the last title.

Wilbur Smith was a British-South African novelist born in Northern Rhodesia. Smith's historical fiction covers four centuries of international involvement in Southern Africa. The catalogue lists 66 books, from When the Lion Feeds (1964) to Flashpoint (2026). Series include Courtney, Jack Courtney, Ancient Egypt, Hector Cross and Prey Zone. Recurring character listings include the Courtney family, Ballantyne and Hector Cross. David Churchill and Tom Harper each share the credit on 1 book. Subjects include Africa, Egypt, revenge, espionage and terrorism.

Diana Palmer is the pen name of Susan Kyle, born Susan Spaeth on December 11, 1946, an American novelist publishing romance since 1979. Kyle spent sixteen years as a journalist under the name Susan Spaeth before turning to fiction, and has also written as Diana Blayne, Katy Currie and Susan Kyle, with a science fiction novel as Susan S. Kyle. The catalogue lists 199 books from 1979 to 2026, opening with titles such as Dream's End and Sweet Enemy and reaching Blaze of Glory (2026). Wyoming Men, Soldiers of Fortune, Men of Medicine Ridge and Morcai Battalion are among the series, and Long, Tall Texans is a listed grouping. Diamond Girl became a 1998 television film. Subjects name ranchers, cowboys, Texas, Wyoming and western romance.

William Wallace Johnstone, October 28, 1938 to February 8, 2004, was an American author of westerns, horror and survivalist fiction. The Devil's Kiss opened the run in 1981, followed by The Last of the Dog Team (1981), Out of the Ashes (1983) and Anarchy in the Ashes (1984). Series filed under the name include Ashes, First Mountain Man, Smoke Jensen, Last Gunfighter, Blood Bond and Duff MacCallister, and subjects include outlaws, frontier and pioneer life, revenge and Texas. The catalogue carries 544 titles under the Johnstone name dated 1981 to 2026, well past the 2004 death date, and 400 of them carry a William W. Johnstone credit.

Monica McCarty writes historical romance set in Scotland. Her 26 books appeared between 2007 and 2019, beginning with Highlander Untamed (2007) and ending with Highland Crossfire (2019). Five sequences divide the run: the Highland Guard, the Campbell Trilogy, the MacLeods of Skye Trilogy, Lost Platoon and Rake. Clans, warriors, imaginary wars, revenge and romantic suspense are the recurring subjects. Nothing has been added to the catalogue since 2019.

Nicholas Eames writes epic fantasy, and the subject records add mercenary troops, women soldiers and adventure stories. Kings of the Wyld (2017) is the earliest catalogued title, followed by Bloody Rose (2018) and Wrong Kind of Righteous (2023). Band is the listed series, and Nicholas Eames is still publishing.

Peter Telep is an American author, screenwriter and teacher, born in 1965, who has written more than 50 books and collaborated with Tom Clancy. Military fiction is the main strand: the United States Marine Corps, terrorism, search and rescue, and men's adventure recur as subjects, and Ghost Recon and Splinter Cell appear among the character entries. This catalogue holds 34 titles published between 1995 and 2017, from Space: Above and Beyond (1995) to Doc Harrison and the Prophecy of Halsparr (2017). Force 5 Recon, Armored Corps, the Squire Trilogy, Scott St. Andrew, Night Angel 9, Special Forces Afghanistan, Secret Corps and Doc Harrison are the listed series. Telep teaches at the University of Central Florida.

Michael Z. Williamson

24 books• 4 series

Michael Z. Williamson, born in 1967, writes military science fiction and military fiction. The libertarian-themed Freehold series, published by Baen Books, is Williamson's best-known work: eight Freehold novels appeared between 2004 and 2016, followed by the anthologies Forged in Blood (2017) and Freehold: Resistance (2019), which gather short stories set in that universe by Williamson and by other writers, among them Larry Correia, Tony Daniel, Tom Kratman and Brad R. Torgersen. The catalogue holds 24 books dated 2003 to 2021, opening with Freehold (2003), with space warfare, refugees, snipers and terrorism among the recorded subjects.

Violette Malan

8 books• 3 series

Violette Malan is a Canadian fantasy writer and editor, with a doctorate in 18th-century English literature, and past work as a teacher and as a book reviewer. The 8 catalogued novels span 2006 to 2023, opening with The Mirror Prince (2006) and reaching The Court War (2023), across the Dhulyn and Parno, Mirror Prince and Godstone series. Subjects record mercenary troops, exile, memory, princes, orphans and magic. The Sleeping God (2007), The Soldier King (2008), The Storm Witch (2009), Path of the Sun (2010) and Shadowlands (2012) fill the middle of the run, and measured volumes reach about 348 pages.