Jason Anspach & Nick Cole
Jason Anspach and Nick Cole are the co-creators of Galaxy's Edge, a military science fiction universe built explicitly for readers who want their space opera to feel like it was written by people who actually understand how soldiers think, move, and die. Together they've published more than 25 novels in the main series alone — plus novellas, spin-offs, and a prequel trilogy. Galaxy's Edge is one of the most successful indie military sci-fi franchises ever written.
Background
Jason Anspach grew up in a military family. His grandfather served in World War II, and that inheritance — the weight of service, the culture of duty — runs through everything he writes. He spent years working in public relations and marketing before turning full-time to fiction, and he holds a Masters of Divinity from Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California. He lives in Puyallup, Washington, with his wife and their seven children.
Nick Cole is a US Army veteran who served before pivoting to the entertainment industry in Southern California, where he spent years as an actor and screenwriter. He cites Hemingway as his primary literary influence — an unusual touchstone for a science fiction author, but it explains the spare, punchy prose that keeps Galaxy's Edge moving. He's a Dragon Award winner and a vocal advocate for indie publishing, specifically for the idea that authors who write stories readers actually want to read don't need gatekeepers to find an audience.
The two met through the indie publishing world and discovered they shared an almost identical vision for what military sci-fi could be if it stopped apologising for being about war and warriors. Galaxy's Edge launched in 2017 and hasn't slowed down since.
The Writing
Galaxy's Edge is unapologetically military. The combat feels authentic because Anspach and Cole understand unit cohesion, command structure, and the psychology of men who do violence professionally. The leej — the Legion — functions like a recognisable military force, with NCOs who carry the real institutional knowledge, officers who range from brilliant to catastrophically political, and operators who execute even when they're not sure the mission makes sense.
The universe is massive: a decaying Republic, an emergent Dark Operators programme, the mythic Tyrus Rechs hunting bounties across the galaxy, and a deep lore that rewards readers who start from Book 1 and don't skip anything. It has the scope of classic space opera with the operational texture of a modern military thriller. The audio versions — narrated by R.C. Bray — have become a phenomenon in their own right, turning Galaxy's Edge into one of the most listened-to military sci-fi series on Audible.
Upcoming Releases
Fracture
Book 25 in the main series. The war continues, the Legion fractures, and the decisions made by men like Chhun and the surviving Dark Operators will determine what the galaxy becomes.
Escape from Red Eye
Book 6 of the Tyrus Rechs spin-off. Deep into Rechs's past and the origins of the Dark Operator programme.
The Series
Galaxy's Edge
The flagship series. Legionnaire Chhun, the kill teams, the machine cities, the Dark Operators, and the war that reshapes a galaxy. Start at Book 1.
Tyrus Rechs: Contracts & Terminations
Spin-off series following the legendary bounty hunter and Dark Operator Tyrus Rechs across the pre-Republic era. Can be read alongside the main series.