Shadow War: An action-packed military SF space adventure

by Marc Alan Edelheit

A lone destroyer.
An enemy lurking in darkness.
A deadly mission that could turn the tide of war.

Caught behind enemy lines, Captain Jaxon Steele fought his way out and saved the Union fleet from a devastating ambush. Now, as the Hegemony attacks on all fronts, Steele prepares to fight back.

Enemy forces are gathering in the independent Santana system. Santana is lawless and desolate—but it’s the perfect launchpad for an attack on Union space. Is the Hegemony preparing to invade?

Steele takes command of the destroyer Wolverine, with orders to gather critical intelligence on this new threat. In a system where dangers hide in every shadow, even the smallest error could put his ship in the crosshairs of a pirate cruiser or a mighty Hegemony battleship.

Steele needs stealth and secrecy to pull off this mission. But Wolverine is a relic of the last war, with failing systems and a mutinous crew. Even worse, the intelligence operative Miller has come aboard without warning. It’s clear this is no longer a simple recon assignment—far more is at stake than Steele could have imagined.

As they journey deep into hostile space, a lethal conspiracy begins to emerge from the darkness. Can Steele transform his new ship into an effective weapon of war before the enemy strikes? The future of the Union is at stake and only a Command Decision can save it.

Packed with high-stakes space combat, breathtaking tension, and jaw-dropping twists, the Command Decision series is a military science fiction adventure perfect for fans of David Weber’s Honor Harrington series and James S.A. Corey’s The Expanse.

See why readers love Marc Alan Edelheit’s thrilling military science

“I realized that I wasn’t going to get any sleep. (Just one more page… Just one more page)… I’m not just reading words on a page, I’m there… A hell of a ride.” NetGalley Reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“Cutting edge… A wild ride that ended in truly epic fashion… I absolutely enjoyed it from start to finish… AMAZING.” FanFiAddict ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“Wow!… fast-paced… action packed adventure! Wild, exciting, gripping!” Goodreads reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“Holy cow!… awesome… A page-turner… I stayed up way too late reading this.” Goodreads reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“Absolutely epic… gripping… I thoroughly recommend this!” Goodreads reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“Your adrenaline will be pumping… Your blood pressure will rise… you will find it hard to put down.” NetGalley reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“Edelheit belongs amongst the elite… It is difficult to put the book down… By the end, it is nearly impossible… You need to pick up a copy!” Goodreads reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“Outstanding! I couldn't put it down. Intense action.

335 pages, Kindle Edition

Expected publication February 13, 2026

About the author

Bestselling author Marc Edelheit has traveled the world, from Asia to Europe, at one point crossing the border at Check Point Charlie in Berlin toward the end of the Cold War.

Marc is the ultimate history fan and incorporates much of that passion into his work to bring greater realism to his fans. He is also an avid reader, devouring several books per week, ranging from history to science fiction and fantasy.

Reviews

[Cori Samuel · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a 'reward' for heroism but also bringing his ship back in tatters after the events of the first book ... Captain Steele is given command of a decrepit destroyer with a demotivated, dejected crew, and asked to investigate a desolate system for signs of enemy build-up. However, when intelligence operative Miller appears on board, it's obvious things will not be at all straightforward.

The first part of this book is the very enjoyable whipping back into shape of ship and crew. Honestly, I could probably read a whole book of that, since so much of it relates to interpersonal relationships, leadership and excellent management. However, we do slide from that into further plot around the early actions of this new war.

I enjoyed this as much the first, though I wouldn't call this tense as such. There are very high stakes, but Steele is experienced and competent, with an ultimately good crew supporting him. The battle scenes are well-done, and I particularly like the feeling of actions having consequences in this series. The ship doesn't have unlimited resources, and the characters (mainly Steele) have to decide on the least bad deployment of what's available, for example with bursts of missiles, or when using up maneuvering propellant.

I didn't realise until I logged the first book here, that I've unfortunately DNFed this author before (Off Midway Station). If you enjoyed the pacy space battles and heroic hero of that book, this book has similar vibes. If like me you didn't get on with the writing style, odd gender descriptions, or intense detail on aspects of the ship, I'm finding this series much more smoothly written, and it'd be well worth re-trying! (Complex world-building still exists in this one and informs the plot/action, but is only detailed in notes at the end.)

Good fun -- looking forward to the next one!


This review is based upon a complimentary advance reading copy provided by the publisher.

[Liviu · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent sequel to Forged in Battle has Captain Jaxson Steele being now a minor celebrity for his sort of victory at the start of the new war against the tyrannical Hegemony, which was the only positive thing the Union leaders could show the public after the Hegemony's surprise attacks.

Unfortunately, with his ship in for extensive repairs and the crew forged with so much care scattered throughout a fleet starved for battle-tested sailors and marines, Captain Steele seems destined to be selling war bonds for a good while, unless he takes another strange mission with an old spaceship - powerful once upon a time but now in dissaray due to an incompetent (peacetime) nepobaby captain and officers and crew to match.

With his trusted second, commander Chase who gets (and makes) the same choice, and an old retired NCO called up from his fishing life as crew chief, Steele has to bring his new command up to naval standards quite fast, and of course, the strange mission turns out to be even stranger, when an old acquaintance shows up with secret orders...

And so it goes with a mixture of personal heroics, tension, spaceship life and of course battles in a tense page turner whose only flaw is that it ends too soon - at a good tbc point, so no immediate cliffhanger, with the next book another asap.

Overall excellent spaceship mil-sf with all that one wants in such, set in an intriguing universe and with compelling characters.