Operation Resolute

The Obsidian Sector #1

by Reece Landon

They exiled him to the backwaters of space. Now he must rally a failing crew to face an enemy no one saw coming.

Commander Owen Shaw was cleared of all charges in his mutiny trial, but his new assignment aboard the CSS Resolute feels more like punishment than a fresh start. Guarding the backwater Obsidian Sector, the massive battleship is plagued by an undisciplined crew, a drunk engineer, and a complacent captain who’d rather coast than lead.
Shaw is determined to whip the Resolute back into shape, even if it feels like a lost cause.
Because something is going on in the Obsidian Sector: a mysterious explosion at a space station, a colony that’s gone silent, and strange reports of an unknown battleship flying without colors.
With the threat of an unknown enemy looming, Shaw must step up, rally the crew, and face a deadly battle that could determine the fate of the Obsidian Sector—and the Confederation itself.

Genres: Science Fiction

352 pages, Hardcover

Published June 24, 2025

About the author

Hi, my name is Reece Landon, author of fast-paced military science fiction novels. I fell in love with the genre at age 12 when I discovered my father's large collection of Robert Heinlein books. Since then I have devoured every type of Science Fiction I could get my hands on, from the greats of the past to the indie authors writing kickass sci-fi today.

By day, I work in the medical field. By night, I channel my love of epic space adventures into crafting my own stories. If you're a fan of Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica or The Expanse, my books might be for you.

Reviews

[Gabrielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Operation Resolute is an action-packed adventure full of political intrigue and conflict amongst crew members. The multi-POV gives readers a look into every part of the plot, from Commander Shaw on the bridge of the ship, to Lt Casey whose personal history adds a layer to her character, to Noah, a fighter pilot trying to prove himself.

While the plot was predictable, it doesn't take away from you wanting to know what will happen next.

Without spoilers, I also have a theory about who the main enemies are, based on what I know from the prequel Operation Starfall. I'll have to see if I'm right in the next book, Operation Icarus.

[Lori Peterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Received as a review copy from Booksirens, this is an honest review. Surviving a trial for mutiny... with many believing Commander Owen Shaw in his service within the Space Guard had betrayed his former captain by questioning the man's action that could have had harrowing consequences. All Owen wants now is he can still serve the ideals of the Confederation that Owen believes in. Gifted with being within an assignment aboard the CSS Resolute in the Obsidian Sector; Owen Shaw finds himself thrown in a shark tank as the senior members aboard the Resolute have allowed things... to rather become colorful that cannot be ignored- even if it means becoming an enemy of many onboard. As Shaw tries to turn a lackadaisical crew into something much more fitting for the Confederation; the Obsidian Sector turns white-hot than no one expected, testing everyone to their limits as a fiery battle upends the quiet sector of space and turning it into a wild frontier of survival. With beautifully penned POVs of various officers to witness their roles and experiences aboard the CSS Resolute... Operation Resolute is sure a hell a great way to begin this series.


For fans of Eric Warren's Infinity's End series.


Highly recommended.

[Sonja · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a solid and classic sci-fi book. I grew up loving Star Trek and I also adored this book. I like the idea that the ships move around through Stargate type devices as well. I didn’t entirely understand why Noah was a character we had a POV from, he didn’t feel like a necessary character to the story. Someone like Charlie might’ve been a better choice.

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an interesting book although it kind of follows an expected sting of events. We start off with a court-martial! Yes, our main character, Commander Owen Shaw, is on trial for Mutiny! Well, that’s a pretty serious charge. We don’t get to go through all of the trial, we’re just waiting for Judges of the Confederation Space Guard to announce their verdict. Of course, if Commander Shaw is found guilty, then his career is over. In fact, he’ll be starting a new career as a prisoner in some military prison which might not make for a very good story.

How did we get here. Well, he did something that no officer of any rank wants to do, he relieved his commanding officer during the middle of a wartime engagement. Now, of course, according to Shaw, he had ample reason to do what he did. Even though the ship he was serving on as the Executive Officer (XO) was engaged in a war with the Dominion. You’ll eventually get all the details during the story, but this is not the way you want to start a new book, but it’s been done before.

Now of course Commander Owen Shaw was found “not guilty”. What he did was prevent his Captain from committing a certain criminal act of war which would have led to the death of thousands of civilians. So our story continues as does the career of Commander Shaw. But, just what kind of career is he going to have. He soon finds out that he’s been assigned to a new ship and surprisingly, it’s a big ship, a battleship! He’s back to being the XO but now he’ll serve on the *CSS Resolution*. Of course, this isn’t all good news.

His new posting puts him as far away as possible from Confederation HQ and Earth as possible. His former commander, Captain Turner had a lot of friends in high places and while he couldn’t avoid the court-martial he received, he was pulling strings to make sure Command Shaw paid for what Captain Turner definitely thought was mutiny. Commander Shaw realized that the *CSS Resolute* was stationed in the Obsidian Sector, the farthest reach of space that humanity had gone that bordered on the Pendragon Empire. That sector had been quiet for a long time. Nothing of significance ever went on in that sector of space so it was kind of a dumping grounds for officers and crew that were not considered cream of the crop. He figured this was about as good assignment as he’d ever get, but it was going to probably come with a lot of discipline problems.

So, he joins his new ship which is docked at Confederation Starbase Morrigon (a.k.a. Morrigon Station). He soon finds out that the battleship, *CSS Resolute* has been docked at the station for quite some time. Then he meets his new Captain, Captain Margot Torres, and the initial meeting didn’t go very well. She basically met him as he was coming aboard and while welcoming him to his new ship, her ship, she made it clear that his presence was not welcomed! But, Commander Shaw kind of expected that kind of welcome. Still, he didn’t know how the rest of the crew was going to welcome him, but he was soon to find out.

What he finds is a Captain that has become very relaxed in everything she does. She’s enjoying being the Captain of a battleship that never goes into battle. Captain Torres wants to be friends with all her crew not their commanding officer. This has lead to a very noticeable in the lack of discipline across the entire ship. Even the Tactical Officer, Lieutenant Commander Petrea, seemed to hold a grudge against Cmdr Shaw. She was definitely not pleased to see him on the bridge. So, Owen Shaw has a job to do and that is whip this crew back into fighting shape, if the Captain will even let him. She grudgingly allowed Owen to run a battlestations drill which went off terribly bad as Shaw had expected. It seemed that most of the crew just didn’t care and would prefer to be on the Station rather than on this ship.

And Captain Torres warned Owen that he wasn’t about to take command of this ship under no circumstances. She was going to watch him to make sure and if she felt he was getting out of line and not following her orders to the letter, she would willingly throw him in the brig! And that’s how the rest of this book goes, except things are going to change in the Obsidian Sector.

Something or someone is encroaching on the Obsidian Sector. Things are happening in the “neutral zone” and those things are going to spread into the Obsidian Sector very soon. Will the *CSS Resolute* be ready! Read to find out.

More will come in the second book, “Operation Icarus”, now available on Amazon.

==[Note: As of 12/03/2023, this will not be published on Amazon since I have been banned from posting reviews for some unknown reason. Once the ban is lifted, assuming it does get lifted, I’ll go back and post this to Amazon.]==

[Joe McGowan · Rating 1 out of 5]

a lot to unpack

Originally, I gave this tale three stars, I dropped it down two stars, then I read the blurbs for the coming books and it went to one star. I have no intention of reading any of the following books. I have no military training, but any organization that allowed this crew to staff a battleship is basically criminal. This review is a rant of how bad it all is. It’s like the day after watching the latest Jurassic Park movie, which I also believe I gave one star. I only saw the movie for Scarlett Johansson. I hope the paycheck was worth it.

For the spoilers -Main supporting characters- from the top, the captain could not captain the good ship lollipop, she is lazy, she is narrow minded, and by the end of the book, a coward. The chief engineer is an alcoholic to the extreme, honestly, anyone that depended on him to keep them alive and deep space should just walked out of the airlock. The crew is undisciplined, often engage in what could be considered criminal behavior, from the previous XO and crewmembers selling supplies to pirates, illegal fight clubs, bullying, and intimidation of fellow crew members, the amount of alcohol consumed by the crew makes you wonder how they could even function. The fact that crewman Fitzgerald?, Is not in the brig, and stripped of rank is laughable. It also shows the failures of the command staff, but considering the captain, it’s not unbelievable. He has been accused of ruling the illegal fight club, harassing and beating on other crew members. And at the end of the book, he has arrest, arrested and tortured the XO, with zero oversight, and after being critically injured has recovered and stolen a shuttle and got off the ship really

The central main character, XO Owen, has recently been cleared of charges of mutiny, as punishment he is sent to this faraway section of the confederation. His goal is to whip this crew into shape. The previously mentioned captain is not quite on board with his disciplinary procedures. He is very by the book, but ultimately, I found him to be uninspired.

The technology - the year is 2750 something I believe, TV is still used, along with watching soap operas. I’m impressed that the descendent of the iPad is still being used 700 years in the future.

And I know this is only my opinion, but after reading some of the glowing five star reviews that people have posted about this book, I’m trying to wonder what book they read because it’s not the book I read.

I would suggest that the author stick to whatever day job they have and spare anyone that has followed into the trap of reading this book .

[Randowne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid 4. The story is well-written, well-structured, and overall quite polished. It is told from the perspective of multiple protagonists in a continuous manner, which ensures steady plot progression. The characters whose viewpoints we follow are well-developed. However, some of the other characters tend to fall into certain clichés.

Despite its strengths, I had the feeling that I had read this type of story dozens of times before: a main character who is extremely righteous and just, altruistic and incorruptible—even though the author makes some effort to show occasional hesitation (which is VERY good, as it adds a touch of humanity). By sheer coincidence, he always happens to be in the right place at the right time, in a setting where nothing had happened for decades. The author somewhat counterbalances this by avoiding an overly obvious storyline… but still.

I also have a few concerns about the story’s background:

The Empire, which had both technological superiority and the element of surprise, simply COULD NOT lose. In space warfare, the movement of fleets and forces is the key factor. Losing despite such an advantage seems unrealistic.

I believe that a monarchy would have greater means to recover quickly compared to a confederation, and the decades of peace feel hard to justify.

The timing of the main character’s actions is just too absurd, which is unfortunate. A better approach might have been for him to be contacted by the admiral a few weeks after his arrival to offer his assistance, and then have the major events unfold afterward. It would have cost nothing and avoided the implausibility.

Overall, it’s a strong start, even if some elements feel a bit familiar. In book 2 or 3, Reece Landon will need to stand out from the rest and prove that he deserves a place in the 4+ rating. Given the release dates, those books are already finished, and I wish him excellent proofreaders!
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[scifi_gregorio · Rating 5 out of 5]

Operation Resolute (The Obsidian Sector Book 1)
Author: Reece Landon

348 pages, Paperback
Published March 24, 2025

Genres: Science Fiction, Military Fiction
Sub-genres: Military Science Fiction

Operation Resolution is the first book of a planned series by Reece Landon. The book centers on Commander Owen Shaw and his journey to reclaim his dignity and respect in the Space Guard after a career-ending deployment in a remote outpost in the galaxy.

I’ve read many military fiction books and the majority of them have the prerequisite mix of over the top battles, plasma torpedoes, laser battlements, carnage and of course venting atmosphere and frozen bodies in space. Operation Resolution is refreshing as it builds battle suspense throughout the story. This is my genre and the installment did not disappoint me.

The story telling is multidimensional and rich, with an underlying tone of duty and commitment. I personally enjoyed the level of depth, detail and background Mr. Landon give all his primary characters. The way their individual stories merged and connected was also appealing.

I give this book a 5-star rating. Honestly, I pay little attention whether a novel follows the traditional blueprint and contains all the technical elements. My litmus test is simple. Can a book hold my interest and keep me turning the pages, even though it’s late at night? Operation Resolution is one of those books.

Reviewed by @SCIFI_GREGORIO (Greg)
• https://www.instagram.com/scifi_gregorio
• I will do ARC Reviews.

[Sally Mander · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars, A Grand Adventure

OPERATION RESOLUTE (OBSIDIAN SECTOR BOOK 1)

by Reece Landon

Commander Owen Shaw has scruples. He is not afraid to stand up for them. He believes that a federation officer has certain traits that they have to live by. That is not saying that if a higher officer disagrees with you, you will not be punished. He narrowly escapes prison time for a perceived mutiny. Then he finds himself banished to the outer areas, that are more likened to the ancient Wild West in space.

He stands behind his scruples, but he is more hesitant to stick his neck out in the future.

He begins his next journey as XO for a captain on the Resolute battleship. The captain has let things slide, since nothing exciting ever happens out on the frontier.

The Resolute's story is told by different officers aboard. It seemed to have an abrupt ending.

I liked the story, it kept my attention and I binged right through it. Then a week later, I binged it again. I liked most of the characters, especially Lieutenant Octavia Casey and Ensign Noah Jordan. I didn't care for Lieutenant Fitzgerald, he was a terrible officer and one who had no business in charge of anything except the head.

Highly recommend if you like military science fiction or adventure.

I received a complimentary copy of #OperationResolute from #ReeceLandon #BookSirens I was not obligated to post a review.

#bingedbook #scifi #sciencefiction #militarysciencefiction #adventure #freedom #theobsidiansectorseries

[Peter Schmidt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Operation Resolute is a well written and plotted, and character rich, military science fiction adventure. If is a fitting opening salvo in what promises to be an interesting series. This first broadside neatly sets the scene for an intriguing high stakes adventure in the Obsidian Sector and beyond.

The story keeps you guessing and, while it feels like you can see things coming at times, it is by no means predictable, and the drama and peril of the characters has a genuineness to it.

There is also a generous feeling of realism (I can't believe I just wrote that give this book is out of this world).

Having said all that, in many respects the plot and characters are true to the heritage of past naval/duty-based military science fiction epics of the past. I frequently found myself comparing it to Honor Harrington series by David Weber (which is great company to be in) and finding that it held up well.

Whether this moves to 5 stars for me will probably depend on how the next book(s) unfolds.

I received a review copy for free, and I am leaving this honest review voluntarily.

[Gary · Rating 3 out of 5]

An XO of a space battleship was court martialed for stopping his captain from nuking a huge civilian space station to get some bad guys and instead sending in an assault team to get stomped. He is acquitted but a number of service members are mad at him so he is sent to be XO of the low ranked battleship in a backwater, with only a single wormhole link to the rest of the government.

The book is actually well written technically, and has vivid writing. It is even well plotted. Multiple viewpoints, but the MC is the XO.

The problem is that everyone who is not the XO and a pet character Lt, are childishly bratty, staggeringly stupid, or secretly evil. You can't do a more limited version of Star Trek where most officers and crew are halfwits, bullying 8 year olds who drank a liter of Jolt Cola, or voldemort.

Plus there is a moment of self sacrifice for the pet Lt, which read like the world's most silly set up, but it was firmly established she would die a horrible death. Spoiler, she didn't.

[Lynn Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a terrific book! If you're in the mood for a good old-fashioned military space opera, this is the book. A bit of Star Trek, a lot of Battlestar Galactica, and just a touch of The Expanse. I fell right into the story at the beginning and enjoyed it all the way to the end. The cliffhanger ending left me screaming for the next book. ("Wait a minute, were just getting into the good part!")

The writing is solid, the characters are interesting, and the plot unfolds slowly but in a satisfying way. If I have any quibbles at all, it is that the dialog can veer perilously close to clichés at times, but that really is picking nits.

Full disclosure: I received an advance review copy of this book for free. I am leaving this review voluntarily, and all opinions expressed here are my own.

[Liviu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good mil-space opera set in an interesting universe and with great potential - expected a little more but the book while keeping my interest and having me turn the pages until the tbc ending, reads like an extended introduction and lacks narrative tension to some extent - this last in the sense that yes there are things that happen, crucial decisions that are made, the fate of our characters hang on a thin thread etc but the narrative energy doesn't quite make the reader feel it. The potential is there so hopefully the next volume(s) will fulfill it.

[Rex Cowan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, I have had a big issue putting this down to do my normal day. The character development is impressive. Starting out with a military trial was just a bang on clencher, I could feel his "pucker" at the reading of the verdict. I have thoroughly enjoyed this novel and am looking forward to more.

[Samantha Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

'They yeeted the body down the shaft' 😂

What an amazing action-packed sci-fi read! I had so much fun reading this book. The characters were fantastic, the writing was excellent, and the plot was captivating and well-executed. After I reached 50 percent, I simply couldn't put it down, and it could very well be my new favorite sci-fi novel. This is clean, action-driven sci-fi done right. I highly recommend it for teenagers and adults alike.

[Ellen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This a new for me author, and I decide to try it because it is in KU.
This was not a bad story at all. I Enjoy it for the most part and will be reading the next one for sure.
For me it just dragged in places, but I did like the multi-POV.

[Mixon Trammell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story

The core story here is excellent. Exactly what I want from a sci-fi book of this type. My only complaint is several minor typos and mistakes that a good editor should pick up.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Operation Resolute

This book did not have a dull moment. I baby read anything by this author si I wasn't sure if I would like it. I'm very sure that I did enjoy it. Each person highlighted in the story was developed very nicely. I hope Book 2 is as good as Book 1.

[Stefanos Kouzof · Rating 2 out of 5]

The series starts nicely, but things fall apart later on. Bad character judgement calls and handwaved situations make the series almost irritating. That's what happens when you underestimate your audience.

[Iain Howard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gritty Space Adventure

For the 1st book of series Operation Resolute, hits home with a bang. Strong main characters put under extreme pressure give this book powerful start. Recommended. 4.5/5.

[TMots · Rating 5 out of 5]

You don't encounter good sci-fi like this much these days. I loved the plot and storyline. I can't wait to read book 2, Operation: Icarus!.

[Stewart Dygert · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was great from the beginning and kept me wanting more. Several nights my wife had to tell me to go to bed instead of reading more. I cant wait for the rest of the series!

[Stacey Lotshaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

Much better than today's average sci-fi

Good story, good action, good character development, evil bad guys. The kind of book you want to keep reading without putting it down.

[Kitty Moriarty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fast moving action, approachable hero, can’t wait for the next installment.

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Captivating

This was a fun book to read. Solid characters. Results driven storylines. The only thing that was lacking would be expanded descriptions of the ships and battles.

[CAROLYN SMITH · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story is goog, though I am lazy and don't like following so many people's lives in one story
There are a number of typos in story and some problems with sentences, but still a good read.