Vanguard Strike (Paragon Space #1), by Jarom Strong
19 Jun 2025The Book

Synopsis:
A vast battlecruiser moves silently through space—a ghost ship, abandoned decades ago. There could be treasure inside… or monsters.
I’m the sucker who’s going to find out.
Once I was a hero. An elite soldier fighting for the Paragon military. Now the Paragon’s wars are won and I’m nobody—a gun for hire, working illegal salvage operations.
There’s money to be made out in the dark. Ships filled with valuable tech, left to drift between the stars. A smart salvage crew can get rich. Or at least die trying.
Because there’s a damn good reason these ships are abandoned. Rippers. Crafted in Paragon labs, rippers are living weapons—terrifying creatures with steel claws that tear into any human they see. They can clear a ship in minutes. And a planet in a week.
I’ve fought rippers before. I’ve got the scars and the nightmares to prove it. But this mission is different…
When an old friend and his beautiful, deadly new boss break me out of prison and ask me to join their crew, I know right away there has to be a catch.
They’re searching for a lost warship that contains a priceless secret. But this is a fully armed Paragon battlecruiser, a maze of passageways and advanced defence systems, all of it infested with rippers. It’s a suicide mission. Impossible. But if it could be done…
Whoever raids that ship will hold the fate of the galaxy in their hands.
An absolutely thrilling science-fiction adventure of tension, intrigue and hard-hitting action, Vanguard Strike is perfect for fans of James S.A. Corey, Marko Kloos and Craig Alanson.
My Review
Vanguard Strike is the first book in the military space opera series Paragon Space, written by Jarom Strong and published by Second Sky Books. A fast-paced and action packed heist esque story full of found family vibes while also examining the weight of the past, with a well-built world that remembers me a bit of the Halo series.
Lax was a Vanguard, a mutated soldier made to destroy; discharged after the Paragon won the war, he became a vulture until a disastrous run ended with his crew dying and him landing in a prison. Now, an old friend has contacted him for a new job; when the things in the prison get really hard for Lax, he decides to take the opportunity, embarking into a new adventure filled of violence, old friends and politics, bringing him close to the moment that broke his life. If the mission goes well, it will mean retiring in peace for the rest of their lives, but keeping all alive will be proven more difficult than they expected.
Lax, himself, is a really fine main character; well-layered, we get to know more about his past through flashbacks and nightmares. It is difficult to not empathize with his story, being a soldier used and thrown by the system, and you can see how he genuinely cares about the rest of the crew. They don't shine as much as Lax, but all of them are likeable in their way, from Rose, trying to get out of the shadow of her mother, to Artemis, following her father's dream; at the end, they are all together in an almost suicidal mission, so the bond between the group appears naturally.
As previously said, the notion of a big corporation enhancing and controlling super human soldiers gives me big vibes of the Halo saga, but with a more ambitious worldbuilding, as Strong takes the opportunity to develop the politics behind the space. The science part is really accessible, opting for a plainer language.
The pacing is fast, keeping you on the edge of your seat for most of the narration; however, I have to say that I found confusing how certain flashbacks are introduced without any time mark. Overall, still an enjoyable experience.
Vanguard Strike is a promising starter for an ambitious military space opera series; perfect if you are looking for an action packed proposal with a pinch of found family. I'm curious to see how the series continues from this first instalment, and luckily for me, the rest of the books are already published!
The Author/s

Jarom Strong
Jarom Strong has always wanted to be a writer. The earliest memories he has are of dictating “Bionicle” fan-fiction to his mother when he was five. While he has grown since then his tastes have not, and he is still endlessly fascinated by distant, imaginary worlds.
Today Jarom lives in Utah with his wife and son. When he’s not writing or spending time with his family he enjoys reading, backpacking, playing video and board games, and endlessly staring at his bookshelf.
Jarom is represented by Helen Lane of the Ki Agency.