RCN Series by David Drake

Space Opera

David Drake writes a lot of military science fiction but to quote him this series ” is something quite different: space opera”. The first book in the series, With the Lightnings introduces the two unlikely protagonists. Daniel Leary and Adele Mundy are both citizens of Cinnabar and a more unlikely pair would be hard to find. Their differences are one thing that makes this series so engaging. Daniel is in the Republic of Cinnabar Navy. Adele is an exile from Cinnabar. Her parents were convicted of treason and killed. Adele escaped death only because she was off planet at the time. Add to the mix Tovera, a psychopath who serves Adele and Hogg a gentleman’s gentleman who serves Daniel and you have a crack team ready for adventure. The books are a mix of adventure and politics. With a male and female main characters you might expect a little romance thrown in, but when you read the book you will understand why there is none. The books are published by Baen and are available as eBooks as well as hard cover and paperbacks. Here is the list of books in the order of publication:

WITH THE LIGHTNINGS RCN Series (Baen/1998)

LT LEARY, COMMANDING RCN Series (Baen/2000)

THE FAR SIDE OF THE STARS RCN Series (Baen/2003)

THE WAY TO GLORY RCN Series (Baen/2005)

SOME GOLDEN HARBOR RCN Series (Baen/2006)

WHEN THE TIDE RISES RCN Series (Baen/2008)

With the Lightnings and Lt Leary, Commanding are available as eBooks in the Baen free library. This is a series that is best read in order so go to Baen and download With the Lightnings to check the series out.