Vanguard Strike is a sci-fi military space drama. I am not a big military or sci-fi person, but was sent a widget for this book. I read the synopsis and said what the heck, I need a genre mix up. I’m so glad I did too. This book was so good. The action, the characters everything was well done.

What I liked:

The action. This book was almost non stop action. It didn’t drag at all.

The world building: the world was well built and easily understood.

Easy to read: One of the big things that turn me off of sci-fi is how wordy and technical the authors can get. This book did not do that. I understood everything easily and without having to go back and try to decipher what I was reading.

The characters: I loved these characters! Lax was well wrote and multi faceted. The side characters had personality and you cared for them.

There were only a few things that I found fault with. One was the almost romance. It felt forced and I didn’t really like the woman who was the love interest. We were supposed to relate with her, but I just didn’t feel her. I also may have missed it but I don’t understand how the two ships connected. It may be more explained in the next book. The chapter present or past labels. This may be more of an editor thing but sometimes the chapters whipped forward or backwards without telling us where we were in time. Hopefully in the final draft that will be fixed.

Lax is, was a Vanguard, a mutated military soldier made to destroy. Once Paragon won the war, Lax was released from service and became a vulture (a scavenger) for space ship parts that brought in money. After a disastrous run, Lax ends up in prison. While in prison he’s contacted by an old friend for a new job. He agrees and starts a new journey filled with violence, politics, and lots of shooting. Will LAX and his new crew survive this one final job?

A delightful action packed novel that is a must read for any sci-fi fan.


Thank you to Second Sky and NetGalley for the arc.

Vanguard Strike by Jarom Strong delivers a high-octane military sci-fi adventure. The premise is compelling: a salvage crew ventures onto a derelict warship teeming with dangerous creatures.

Strong excels at crafting a vivid, action-packed narrative with elements of tension and intrigue. Fans of authors like James S.A. Corey and Marko Kloos will likely appreciate the fast-paced plot, super-soldiers, and monstrous enemies.

However, while the book offers a thrilling ride, some readers might find the non-stop action overshadows deeper character development or thematic exploration. If you prefer your sci-fi with a strong emphasis on intense action and world-building, Vanguard Strike is worth checking out.

I thoroughly enjoyed Jarom Strong's book and look forward to the next in the series. It was a good space opera. The story was well presented and I quickly turned the pages.

There is a plethora of military sci-fi books at the minute, nothing wrong with that as long as the story is engaging and takes the reader along for the journey, sadly a lot of books are being churned out with bar minimum content
This book is not one of those!
It’s a bloody (literally at times) good read
I will be ordering the audiobook as soon as it’s released