Where to Start Reading Dave Bara
For readers new to Dave Bara, the absolute best place to start is with his signature military space opera trilogy, The Lightship Chronicles, beginning with the novel Impulse. This series showcases his talent for blending traditional Space Age optimism with fast-paced galactic conflict, space battles, and intricate political intrigue. Starting here gives you the most cohesive introduction to Bara's world-building style and themes before you branch out into his other standalones and shorter series.
1. The Lightship Chronicles
The Lightship Chronicles is a complete military science fiction trilogy that follows Peter Cochrane, a young officer in the Unified Space Navy. The series deals with a galaxy struggling to rebuild and maintain peace after the collapse of a historic First Empire, threatened by new factions and lost precursor technology.
- Impulse (2014) – The opening novel introduces Peter Cochrane as he is assigned to the historic lightship Impulse, quickly finding himself in the middle of a conspiracy that could reignite a massive interstellar war.
- Starbound (2016) – The second book raises the stakes as Peter is sent on a high-stakes diplomatic and military mission to the home world of a former enemy, discovering secrets about the ancient First Empire.
- Defiant (2017) – The final book in the trilogy pits Peter Cochrane against a traitorous prince and a massive enemy fleet in a final confrontation to decide the fate of the interstellar union.
- "Last Day of Training" (2017) – A prequel short story published in the sci-fi anthology Infinite Stars (edited by Bryan Thomas Schmidt). It follows Peter Cochrane during his academy days and is best read after finishing the main trilogy to enjoy the backstory.
2. The Trinity Series
Moving away from the Lightship universe, the Trinity series represents Bara's next major venture into deep space colonization, politics, and survival. It is currently a duology that follows a disgraced, hard-drinking commander named Jared Clement who is thrust back into duty in a high-stakes colonizing mission.
- Trinity (2021) – Jared Clement is given command of the faster-than-light ship Defiant (unrelated to the ship in his previous series) to escort a crew to the Trinity system, encountering potential alien threats and brewing rebellion.
- Trinity's Children (2022) – Now promoted to Admiral, Jared Clement must protect 30,000 refugees resettling in the Trinity system from an aggressive fleet sent by Earth's Solar League, while also navigating relations with the native inhabitants of the planet Bellus.
3. The Second Empire Series
Categorized under its own banner, the Second Empire series features a standalone novel that deals with similar themes of naval space duty, academy graduates, and family legacy.
- Saint Cochrane's World (2017) – The story follows Dane Cochrane, a fresh graduate of the Royal Academy who is targeted by unknown assassins on his journey home. Although Dane shares the "Cochrane" surname with Peter from the Lightship Chronicles, bibliographies and publisher lists classify this as a separate universe. The similarity in names has led to some reader confusion, but the book functions perfectly as a standalone space adventure.
4. The Void Series
For fans of androids, mystery, and high-stakes diplomacy, this series explores a different side of Bara's science fiction writing.
- Void Ship (2018) – Ambassador Tam Renwick is transporting an important peace treaty between the Terran Unity and the Raelen Empire when his cruiser is ambushed and forced into the mysterious "Void." They are rescued by an ancient ship run entirely by artificial intelligences, forcing Renwick to team up with the machine crew to stop a galactic threat.
5. Standalone Novels and Anthologies
Before his breakthrough with military space opera, Bara experimented with different styles of science fiction:
- Speedwing (2012) – Dave Bara's debut novel is a Young Adult space opera that channels the classic, adventurous spirit of Robert A. Heinlein's juveniles, focusing on high-speed starfighter pilots.
- Anthology Contributions – Beyond his novels, Bara has written short stories for anthologies like Star Destroyers and The Chronicles of the Davids, which showcase his shorter-form action writing.
What to Know Before You Start
Bara’s writing heavily channels the classic, optimistic style of mid-century science fiction combined with modern military details. While his books feature plenty of technical jargon and military ranks, they focus heavily on individual characters, romance, and personal honor. If you enjoy authors like David Weber, Elizabeth Moon, or Jack Campbell, Dave Bara's novels will feel right at home. The books in his main series (like The Lightship Chronicles and Trinity) must be read in publication order, as they follow continuous character arcs and evolving galactic conflicts.