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Hard Drop
The mission that was supposed to save humanity just doomed it.
Sergeant Ned Bresto thought he'd seen the worst when his spec ops team accidentally awakened a derelict Concordat ship at the edge of the Cradle Nebula. But nothing prepared him for this: humanity’s ancient enemy has followed him home, and their massive war fleet is bearing down on his colony of Aegia—with his wife and children directly in the crosshairs.
Torn between classified orders from his Spec Ops commander and desperate messages from his wife on the planet below, Bresto faces an impossible choice. His next mission could end the war before it can spread. But his children are trapped in the invasion zone, and every minute he delays brings them closer to a fate worse than death: conversion into cybernetic horrors known as the Lost.
As Concordat forces grind through Aegia's defenses, Bresto must decide: follow orders that could save humanity, or abandon his post to save the family he's already sacrificed too much to protect.
One Marine's choice will determine whether the Colonial Defense Forces can hold the line, or if the Three Colonies will share the fate of Dead Earth.
Hard Drop is the explosive first novel in the COLONIAL DEFENSE MARINES trilogy, continuing the universe established in B.R. Keid's AUTONOMOUS WEAPONS DIVISION series. Perfect for fans of military science fiction, space marines, and impossible choices under fire.
Sergeant Ned Bresto thought he'd seen the worst when his spec ops team accidentally awakened a derelict Concordat ship at the edge of the Cradle Nebula. But nothing prepared him for this: humanity’s ancient enemy has followed him home, and their massive war fleet is bearing down on his colony of Aegia—with his wife and children directly in the crosshairs.
Torn between classified orders from his Spec Ops commander and desperate messages from his wife on the planet below, Bresto faces an impossible choice. His next mission could end the war before it can spread. But his children are trapped in the invasion zone, and every minute he delays brings them closer to a fate worse than death: conversion into cybernetic horrors known as the Lost.
As Concordat forces grind through Aegia's defenses, Bresto must decide: follow orders that could save humanity, or abandon his post to save the family he's already sacrificed too much to protect.
One Marine's choice will determine whether the Colonial Defense Forces can hold the line, or if the Three Colonies will share the fate of Dead Earth.
Hard Drop is the explosive first novel in the COLONIAL DEFENSE MARINES trilogy, continuing the universe established in B.R. Keid's AUTONOMOUS WEAPONS DIVISION series. Perfect for fans of military science fiction, space marines, and impossible choices under fire.
468 pages, ebook
Published November 10, 2025
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11 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
December 23, 2025
If you're looking for a shot of pure adrenaline disguised as a book, B.R. Keid's ‘Hard Drop’ is exactly what the Doc (insert dreamy eyes Yes, the doc in the book) ordered. This is military sci-fi at its highest octane, full of intense space action and massive, powerful exo-suits. We’re talking full HALO and Warhammer 40k vibes, mixed with the badass Pilot/Titan dynamic of Titanfall. Honestly, reading the drop sequences and watching the marines prepare for battle had me giggling like a happy kid, it’s just spectacular soldiering. Spoilers ahead
The world-building is insane, though you’ll be plunged into the setting headfirst. It starts chaotic, heavy on the military jargon, and expects you to keep up. This definitely makes it a niche read, and if you’re not already a fan of dense military sci-fi, you might struggle. But if you stick with it, the reward is a vast universe featuring complex factions, Secretive OPS, different alien species (shoutout to Runt, the total badass she-wolf pilot; loved her), and the terrifying, transformed humans known as the Lost (the ‘daxed’). The shifting action between planets, ships, and characters keeps the pace moving, feeling very much like the atmosphere of Starship Troopers or The Forever War books.
Now, for the snags. I could have done without the constant, zealot-like religious invocations. Twelfth, the Holy Mother is invoked in practically every sentence, and it gets tiring quickly. But the biggest issue for me was the main dramatic driver: Sgt. Bresto’s decision to disobey orders to save his family. I understand the author was going for high drama and tough choices, but watching him risk everyone for his personal mission felt incredibly selfish. This kind of "family first" trope in a soldiering context really soured me on the character, especially given the chaos on Aegia. I found myself siding with the character who suggested soldiers shouldn't have families in the first place, it'd certainly make the plot less frustrating. It’s their job to protect the civilians and save their new home, Aegia, yet Bresto acts as if his family is the center of the universe, and it’s even more sad when the other characters die or support him in this selfish act. I was hyped about Bresto, and I thought I’d jump into the novel and instantly fall in love with the character, but no, I disliked him till the end of the book. I’m really sorry I had to pick on this, but I couldn’t like it, no matter how much it was stressed on in the novel. But yes, family, children, are an easy/lazy, sensitive topic, I get it.
There's also Lyra’s (Bresto’s wife) attitude demanding him to give up his job to be home with her and the kids. She was also a marine, now a reservist. So why on earth do you get yourself involved in that and then make demands like that? It is obvious Bresto loves his job, so to demand that from him is selfish. To deny her the human need of having her husband home with the kids is also selfish. So everyone is right and everyone is selfish. It's messy, complicated, and it would've been easier if expectations were set from the beginning or simply don't get entangled in such complex relationships while serving. Moving on.
Thankfully, the book is absolutely redeemed and carried by the squad. The entire crew, led by Bresto, is brilliant, but the real stars are Larke Olsom (exo operator) and Doc Myers (her engineer). Their chemistry is everything. The banter and palpable romantic tension between them were the true heart of the story, and their scenes give us a much-needed emotional break from the constant fighting. Speaking of emotion, that near-death scene with Doc? My heart hammered through the whole thing. I was a wreck and honestly swore I wouldn't pick up the next book if he died. That was the most intense emotional rollercoaster I’ve read in years, it shows how invested I got in their relationship. I mean it was just so lovely to see the tough, feral Olsom melt and get all flustered by Doc’s smiles and teasing innuendos. Unfortunately, the book does seem to overlook the interaction between these two by the end of it when Doc Myers is sent to a med bay and Olsom never visits him even after she cried her eyes out on the battlefield while patching him up and keeping him alive. Another big shoutout to the Rikkos Twin brothers too, super adorable and relatable characters.
During this whole attack led by the Concordat (their reason is revealed later in the book), we’ll jump from Bresto to Olsom’s perspective, then to Kaffy’s (Bresto’s daughter). Their adventures are separate and eventually converge, albeit Olsom and Bresto do work together now and then. Though I enjoyed reading about Kaffy’s journey too, I couldn’t help but be bothered by that same directive throughout the book– they all must save her. Even those who were with her will sacrifice themselves so that she can live. Especially that daxed being, nicknamed ‘the painter’, who tried to keep her safe since the whole thing started. I felt so sorry for it, I would've loved to see more from it.
Now, a big twist was that their enemy, the Concordat, sent a signal spoofed as a legit order for civilians to evacuate to some shelters that were in fact traps to ‘dax’ the humans and create more Lost people. As a solution, Major Kull orders to destroy the shelters, killing all civilians, believing they were all daxed by now.
In the end, Olsom (despite her arguments and a good old brawl with Bresto) decides to help the Sergeant rescue his daughter from Aegia. Apparently they made friends and will continue working together in the following instalments because Bresto accepted a new mission and Olsom asked him to let her join him.
Despite my hang-ups with the Bresto family drama, I devoured the second half of this book in one sitting. It truly has everything: cinematic battles, complex military politics, hilarious downtime, and massive twists (that Concordat decoy signal reveal was a killer). If you love your sci-fi with massive exos, deep lore, and an unforgettable squad dynamic, ‘Hard Drop’ is a must-read.
I’ll probably try Keid’s ‘Intrusion Protocol’ series, they seem to connect in a way with these other series (same universe, familiar characters?), because there’s AI and enhanced special ops protagonist and hopefully no family drama.
Many, many thanks to B.R. Keid, Harmony Publishing, and NetGalley for the ARC. This is a voluntary review, reflecting solely my opinion.
The world-building is insane, though you’ll be plunged into the setting headfirst. It starts chaotic, heavy on the military jargon, and expects you to keep up. This definitely makes it a niche read, and if you’re not already a fan of dense military sci-fi, you might struggle. But if you stick with it, the reward is a vast universe featuring complex factions, Secretive OPS, different alien species (shoutout to Runt, the total badass she-wolf pilot; loved her), and the terrifying, transformed humans known as the Lost (the ‘daxed’). The shifting action between planets, ships, and characters keeps the pace moving, feeling very much like the atmosphere of Starship Troopers or The Forever War books.
Now, for the snags. I could have done without the constant, zealot-like religious invocations. Twelfth, the Holy Mother is invoked in practically every sentence, and it gets tiring quickly. But the biggest issue for me was the main dramatic driver: Sgt. Bresto’s decision to disobey orders to save his family. I understand the author was going for high drama and tough choices, but watching him risk everyone for his personal mission felt incredibly selfish. This kind of "family first" trope in a soldiering context really soured me on the character, especially given the chaos on Aegia. I found myself siding with the character who suggested soldiers shouldn't have families in the first place, it'd certainly make the plot less frustrating. It’s their job to protect the civilians and save their new home, Aegia, yet Bresto acts as if his family is the center of the universe, and it’s even more sad when the other characters die or support him in this selfish act. I was hyped about Bresto, and I thought I’d jump into the novel and instantly fall in love with the character, but no, I disliked him till the end of the book. I’m really sorry I had to pick on this, but I couldn’t like it, no matter how much it was stressed on in the novel. But yes, family, children, are an easy/lazy, sensitive topic, I get it.
There's also Lyra’s (Bresto’s wife) attitude demanding him to give up his job to be home with her and the kids. She was also a marine, now a reservist. So why on earth do you get yourself involved in that and then make demands like that? It is obvious Bresto loves his job, so to demand that from him is selfish. To deny her the human need of having her husband home with the kids is also selfish. So everyone is right and everyone is selfish. It's messy, complicated, and it would've been easier if expectations were set from the beginning or simply don't get entangled in such complex relationships while serving. Moving on.
Thankfully, the book is absolutely redeemed and carried by the squad. The entire crew, led by Bresto, is brilliant, but the real stars are Larke Olsom (exo operator) and Doc Myers (her engineer). Their chemistry is everything. The banter and palpable romantic tension between them were the true heart of the story, and their scenes give us a much-needed emotional break from the constant fighting. Speaking of emotion, that near-death scene with Doc? My heart hammered through the whole thing. I was a wreck and honestly swore I wouldn't pick up the next book if he died. That was the most intense emotional rollercoaster I’ve read in years, it shows how invested I got in their relationship. I mean it was just so lovely to see the tough, feral Olsom melt and get all flustered by Doc’s smiles and teasing innuendos. Unfortunately, the book does seem to overlook the interaction between these two by the end of it when Doc Myers is sent to a med bay and Olsom never visits him even after she cried her eyes out on the battlefield while patching him up and keeping him alive. Another big shoutout to the Rikkos Twin brothers too, super adorable and relatable characters.
During this whole attack led by the Concordat (their reason is revealed later in the book), we’ll jump from Bresto to Olsom’s perspective, then to Kaffy’s (Bresto’s daughter). Their adventures are separate and eventually converge, albeit Olsom and Bresto do work together now and then. Though I enjoyed reading about Kaffy’s journey too, I couldn’t help but be bothered by that same directive throughout the book– they all must save her. Even those who were with her will sacrifice themselves so that she can live. Especially that daxed being, nicknamed ‘the painter’, who tried to keep her safe since the whole thing started. I felt so sorry for it, I would've loved to see more from it.
Now, a big twist was that their enemy, the Concordat, sent a signal spoofed as a legit order for civilians to evacuate to some shelters that were in fact traps to ‘dax’ the humans and create more Lost people. As a solution, Major Kull orders to destroy the shelters, killing all civilians, believing they were all daxed by now.
In the end, Olsom (despite her arguments and a good old brawl with Bresto) decides to help the Sergeant rescue his daughter from Aegia. Apparently they made friends and will continue working together in the following instalments because Bresto accepted a new mission and Olsom asked him to let her join him.
Despite my hang-ups with the Bresto family drama, I devoured the second half of this book in one sitting. It truly has everything: cinematic battles, complex military politics, hilarious downtime, and massive twists (that Concordat decoy signal reveal was a killer). If you love your sci-fi with massive exos, deep lore, and an unforgettable squad dynamic, ‘Hard Drop’ is a must-read.
I’ll probably try Keid’s ‘Intrusion Protocol’ series, they seem to connect in a way with these other series (same universe, familiar characters?), because there’s AI and enhanced special ops protagonist and hopefully no family drama.
Many, many thanks to B.R. Keid, Harmony Publishing, and NetGalley for the ARC. This is a voluntary review, reflecting solely my opinion.
November 22, 2025
Marxism, Paganism, and Endless Repetition throughout the author’s narrative make “Hard Drop” a loser for this reader. It’s indicative of what permeates throughout the scifi genre especially the military scifi sub-genre.
Read fully via KU with some Notes & Highlight observations, which seemingly disappeared from Goodreads. Huh.
Read fully via KU with some Notes & Highlight observations, which seemingly disappeared from Goodreads. Huh.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews