There is one chance to avert war.Read the first book in Jay Allan’s blockbuster Blood on the Stars series.A duel, in the deepest darks, a savage fight between two veteran warriors, two captains, two heroes. An epic battle that only one can survive. A fight to determine if there is peace, or a bloody war where billions will die.The Confederation battleship Dauntless has spent ten months patrolling … Dauntless has spent ten months patrolling the border, alone, watching for an attack from the enemy Union. The crew is exhausted, and the aging vessel needs repairs.
The fleet is mobilized, ready for the war it knows is coming. The forward bases are overloaded beyond capacity, and Dauntless is sent clear across the Confederation, to a base along the peaceful and sleepy sector known as the Far Rim.
But the quiet frontier isn’t quite what it seems, and a distress call from a mining colony at the edge of Confederation space, sends Captain Tyler Barron and his ship forward into the unknown.
Barron and his crew have their ship—and each other—but they can expect no reinforcements. His superiors believe that Union deceit is at play, that the attack is merely a diversion, intended to draw Confederation forces from the disputed border. Their orders are clear: no ships will be transferred from the main front. Stopping whatever is happening on the Far Rim is Barron’s responsibility, and his alone.
Barron is the grandson of the Confederation’s greatest hero, and his name has always carried great privilege, along with crushing responsibility. Now he must prove that he has inherited more than just a name from his famous ancestor.
He must face the enemy, and win the victory.
Before the Confederation is caught between two enemies and destroyed.
“Allan strikes gold with his first novel in the Blood on the Stars series. Marines fighting on the ground and spacers slugging it out in the inky blackness of deep space, it doesn’t get much more exciting.” – Amazon Review
Start the series readers are calling, “a complicated, detailed, and compelling story,” and “a rich and satisfying experience.”
All the Blood in the Stars Series are available on Amazon and in Kindle Unlimited.
Book 1: Duel in the Dark
Book 2: Call to Arms
Book 3: Ruins of Empire
Book 4: Echoes of Glory
Book 5: Crucible of Fire
Book 6: Dauntless
Book 7: The White Fleet
Book 8: Black Dawn
Book 9: Invasion
Book 10: Nightfall
Book 11: The Grand Alliance
Book 12: The Colossus
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One of the better space fleet military sci-fi series out there
I listened to the audio version. It built slow but once the action started, the two characters who were the main characters became believable and I could relate to them. I was especially intrigued by the outline of the three different cultures of the empires. It reminded me of the Spartans vs. Athenians.
GREAT story. Extremely well developed characters. Very realistic and impressive space battle. You get to intimately know the players on both sides of the battle, and cannot pick sides. No “good guy bad guy”, all of the characters are on the right side of their own cause. A great story, I look forward to reading the entire series.
Jumps around to much to really be interesting
Pretty good sci-fi about two star destroyer captains and how they handle their battle against each other. Compares two political viewpoints.
Wow. I was pleasantly surprised by this book, not to mention Jay Allen as an author. His treatment of opposing forces and the worlds they inhabit was as complete a picture that I’ve read since Dune. Without giving anything away about the narrative itself, just know it’s a refreshingly mature voice that guides the reader through the book, page by page, with distinctively separate chapters that culminate into a complete sci-fi military adventure. Be careful. You’ll get hooked.
Why four stars, not five? Technique. The book would benefit greatly from an editor’s eye. But in terms of story, character, prose, mood and pace …. yeah—this one’s a winner.
This is not my typical genre but I found it intriguing and action packed. It was a fun read.
Exciting start to the series.
Duel in the Dark was a surprising twist for me. You really did not know who was going to come through till the end. I loved it.
Duel in the Dark is a story about the battle between champions from two star systems. Tyler Barron is the commander of the Confederation space battleship Dauntless. Katrine Regellis is the commander of the Alliance battleship Invictus, their system’s largest and most advanced interstellar warship. The Confederation is a republic while the Alliance is a warrior society that looks to constant conquest against lesser neighbors as a means to ensure that they are never again enslaved. Alliance warriors believe their Spartan-like training make them superior to warriors from other societies.
Commander Regellis attacks a mining colony deep in Confederation space as a prelude to a full invasion. Commander Barron’s Dauntless is called from a maintenance dock to defend Confederation territory while the rest of the fleet is on the other side of their territory poised to fend off an attack from the Union, a third star system. Both commanders come from legendary families, the grandchildren of their societies’ greatest heroes. Both commanders are honorable leaders in accordance with their society’s norm. Barron and Regellis are also skilled tacticians, who attack and counter attack like a chess game between equals. The outcome is not decided until the end of the story.
Excellent story of the Dauntless and her brave crew
Excellent kickoff to the series. Characters are believable and space battle scenes well done. I bought the other 6 in the series after reading this, all around 350 pages!
Just okay — a bit tedious for me.
Great Start to this new series. Believable characters. It is a page turner. Over the series, the main characters and minor ones, too, grow. Well worth reading. The events in this book are referred to in later ones. I’m now reading #4.
The theme has been done much better by other authors. Still in all, a good read.
Great science fiction. Really enjoyed this one!
I love this series by Jay Allan.
Good character development. A little wordy at times. A Good Read.
I loved this book. It was well written and had tension. Had all the elements of a great sci-fi book. I read it in a day.
Outstanding character development, I didn’t know which side to pull for.