Extension Squad Col. 1

by R.M. Scheller

The law is simple: a life for a life, no matter the circumstances.

But society still has a use for killers. By doing the grunt work for the heroes, they can save up more time to live. It’s a vicious world of prisoners scrambling against each other, doing anything for another day to survive.

Austin’s life was never supposed to turn out that way. He was a hero in training, supposed to help people on the right side of the law. But when he finds himself thrown in with the cutthroats after killing in defense of another person, he must learn to navigate this new life while staying true to his ideals.

This collection contains Volumes 1–3 of the Extension Squad series, including an expanded edition of Volume 1.

281 pages, Paperback

Published September 30, 2026

Reviews

[Allie Lynn (EquineontheMind) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let me take you on a little trip down memory lane.
It’s late 2023, and I, a little teenage author wannabe, is at my very first writers conference hosted by the online writer’s group I’d been perambulating in for the last 20 months/ almost two years. It’s the book fair part of the conference and I’m just wandering around.
Well, my mom comes up to me and shows me the three books she just bought from a table I had eyed. “Thought your siblings might like these,” she said.
I glanced over the book and nodded. They weren’t available online— special print run copies. The premise had been interesting but I had been searching for other things.
However, being extraordinarily bored on the seven hour drive back, (and melancholy from a conversation I just had about how my previous fandom obsession might not be THAT healthy) I picked them up, just planning to dabble in them and see how it would go.
Two novellas later, I was thoroughly obsessed.
What led next was a chaotic mix of me ditching the old fandom I was in to embrace this chaotic cast of orange jumpsuited prisoners (who might not all be the murderers that our spoiled unreliable narrator wants you to think they are) and gray buildings contrasted by tropical skies.

The book reawakened a childhood love for heroes in a new premise. Imagine XMen, but the powers are even MORE inconvenient and less powerful. Now imagine a bunch of grungy prisoners in a system that’s… not quite what you’d imagine. Now imagine a cocky as heck protagonist who wants you all to believe that they’re all evil and he’s an innocent victim in this system… until he learns he’s not the only victim.

Throw in some daring rescues and some whackadoo shenanigans and you have Extension Squad.

Its more humorous than it is serious at times (which may be offputting to the reader who desires a more serious look at prison systems/who is more sensitive to how often prisons are made light of in fiction) but honestly that contributes to the charm of the story. And while the first three novellas are quite episodic, there’s hints of a larger plot to come— one I shall await eagerly.

But this story is special to me because not only did it lead me to meet a woman who would become a desperately needed mentor in a dark time, it gave me some of my best characters through fanfiction and awakened a desire to write stories that talk about the hard things.

And I hope you all will read it too.

Content warnings: there’s some mild violence (mostly regarding knives and knife fights, along with mild descriptions of deaths). Mild descriptions of injuries. It almost feels too clean sometimes for the setting (imo) but that’s probably bc it’s written for 13+.

[Hannah Ramirez · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve been following along with the Extension Squad series for a couple years now, and it’s SO exciting to see the three volumes finally together in one collection. :D (And bonus scenes! And awesome extra things! And minicomics!) If this is the first you’re hearing of the Extension Squad series, what are you still doing here? You need to find a copy ASAP!

Initially, I wasn’t sure how much I would enjoy a story told in light novels, but I ended up loving it. The characters are the soul and driving force of these books, and they’ve absolutely stolen my heart, I love them all so much. The plot starts out slower in these first few volumes, but it’s still such a gripping narrative about innocent (and guilty) people dealing with broken justice systems and broken pasts. It’ll suck you in and you won’t be able to look away.

Also, Heather Rose’s art made this read extra special. Her illustrations are amazing and I couldn’t imagine a better artist for the job!!

Anyway, this is all to say that ES is one of my favorite series ever and I can’t recommend it enough!! :D Go read it and then join me in (im)patiently waiting for the next volumes hehe.

[Katherine Vercouteren · Rating 4.5 out of 5]

Are y’all interested in any of the following?
-team dynamics
-superhero vibes (but with a twist)
-noodles
-ILLUSTRATION
-Powerful arcs
-noodles
-episodic formats (more like a TV show or webtoon)

Then you miiiiiight just rly love this book 😉

For any of yall who have read this and are wondering if it’s worth it to buy the physical copy-IT TOTALLY I’m a sucker for extras and behind the scene stuff and I loved seeing Heather’s developmental sketches (and her encouraging Rachel in poor life decisions iykyk)

Thanks Rachel for this awesome book I’m excited for all the future volumes

[Dave Block · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought The Extension Squad thinking I was just making a nice gesture for my co-worker, R.M. Scheller, but I ended up devouring it. The story is fresh, the characters are really engaging, and her writing style pulls you right in. It’s way more than standard YA — highly recommend grabbing a copy!

[Rose Q. Addams · Rating 5 out of 5]

I desire more, and it is, as yet, unavailable in print. 😢

There's excellent worldbuilding going on, and I really can picture various areas in the story that are NOT in the illustrations. I think each character was really well-planned and then left to their own devices: they behave like Real People, and I've gotta say I like pretty much everyone except Connor and the jerk with the hoverboard. Austin (who for the most part is our MC) can get a little annoying but I dare say I would be in his place. I, too, am stubborn and it's fairly hard to break out of thought patterns... but oy, boy, quit it with the "I'm not like them" vibe! You are, whether you like it or not, milad.

Jax is my current favorite; he seems levelheaded (after his coffee, anyway). I kind of want to poke Brandon a little bit, though. The ice puns are terribly unfunny, despite the fact that I may have been caught chuckling at a few of them. Such lowbrow humor, tsk-tsk.

I LOVE the pictures!!! More books need illustrations and these help keep me in-world perfectly!

Now, due to the subject matter, I would recommend for older readers (I mean, it's glorified death row. It's not gonna be sunshine and rainbows all the time), but at this stage of the story, with how it's currently being handled, I would feel absolutely comfortable handing this to my 14yo sister who enjoys mystery and crime-catcher shows.

Read this book; you will not be sorry! (Except for the fact that you'll have to wait for the next installment, which can largely be bypassed (by the migraine-free) by finding the author's Substack or Patreon or whatnot. Just don't spoil it for me. 😭)

[Kathryn Turley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of those books that I'm having a hard time reviewing because of how much I enjoyed it. It's epic. The characters are such a fun cast, and I want to know more about each one of them. The action scenes are cool, especially with the illustrations. The themes are thought-provoking, and I'm excited to see where they go in future volumes. (And the BONUS CONTENT. Did I mention how fun the bonus content is? Well, now I have.)

Anyway, go read it. Then come discuss it with me.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the characters and their dynamics! And the art is amazing. Such a fun read!