David Sherman Books in Order

Where to Start: The Recommended Reading Path

If you are new to David Sherman, the absolute best place to start is with the Starfist series, which he co-authored with Dan Cragg. Beginning with the first novel, First to Fight, is highly recommended. Sherman's background as a U.S. Marine who served in the Vietnam War shines through in these pages. Rather than focusing on grand strategic maps and high-ranking generals, the series places you directly in the boots of the enlisted grunts of the Confederation Marine Corps' 34th FIST (Fleet Initial Strike Team). It offers an authentic, boots-on-the-ground look at combat, brotherhood, and tactical decision-making.

For those who prefer military fantasy over science fiction, the DemonTech saga is another fantastic entry point. It blends modern military tactics with a world of magic and demons, starting with Onslaught.

Starfist Series Reading Order

The main Starfist series consists of 14 novels. Because there is a clear character progression and an overarching plot involving the Confederation of Human Worlds, you should read them in order of publication:

1. First to Fight (1997)
2. School of Fire (1998)
3. Steel Gauntlet (1998)
4. Blood Contact (1999)
5. Technokill (2000)
6. Hangfire (2001)
7. Kingdom's Swords (2002)
8. Kingdom's Fury (2003)
9. Lazarus Rising (2003)
10. A World of Hurt (2004)
11. Flashfire (2006)
12. Firestorm (2007)
13. Wings of Hell (2008)
14. Double Jeopardy (2009)

Integrating the Force Recon Spin-off

Between 2005 and 2008, Sherman and Cragg published the Starfist: Force Recon spin-off trilogy. This subseries focuses on stealth, small-unit intelligence, and deep-reconnaissance missions. You can read them after finishing the main series, or you can integrate them chronologically. If you choose chronological integration, read them as follows:

• Read Backshot (2005) and Pointblank (2006) after A World of Hurt (Book 10).
• Read Recoil (2008) alongside Flashfire (Book 11), as their timelines overlap.

The DemonTech Series

DemonTech is a unique military fantasy series. It follows Haft and Spinner, two native warriors trained in modern military tactics thanks to the inherited knowledge of a shipwrecked U.S. Marine gunnery sergeant. Together, they utilize disciplined infantry tactics to fight against the Dark Prince's armies, who employ actual demons as weapons. The reading order is straightforward:

1. Onslaught (2002)
2. Rally Point (2003)
3. Gulf Run (2003)
4. Get Her Back! (2010) - This is a shorter novella/companion work that fits chronologically before the final novel.
5. The Last Campaigns (2021) - The final installment in the series, wrapping up the saga.

The Night Fighter Saga

For readers looking for straight military fiction rather than sci-fi or fantasy, the Night Fighter Saga is a six-book series set during the Vietnam War. It draws directly on Sherman's personal experiences serving in the U.S. Marine Corps' Combined Action Program (CAP). The series should be read in publication order:

1. Knives in the Night (1987)
2. Main Force Assault (1987)
3. Out Of The Fire (1987)
4. A Rock and a Hard Place (1988)
5. A Nghu Night Falls / Nghu Day Dawns (1988)
6. Charlie Don't Live Here Anymore (1989)

The 18th Race Trilogy

Co-authored with Keith R.A. DeCandido, this trilogy represents some of David Sherman's later work. It explores a dark premise: humanity discovers evidence of 17 other sentient species in the galaxy, all of which were wiped out by a single space-faring threat. Now, the "18th race" (nicknamed the Dusters) has targeted humanity. Read them in this sequence:

1. Issue in Doubt (2013)
2. In All Directions (2014)
3. To Hell and Regroup (2020)

David Sherman's Star Wars Contributions

Although database records list a wide range of Star Wars Legends novels under shared categories, David Sherman's direct contribution to the Star Wars franchise is the Clone Wars novel Jedi Trial (2004), which he co-authored with Dan Cragg. The book focuses on Anakin Skywalker's first major command of a large-scale military operation, applying Sherman's signature tactical realism to the Star Wars universe. The other Star Wars Legends novels listed in typical databases are written by other authors and do not require reading for David Sherman fans, though they share the same expanded universe continuity.