We Dare Books in Order

Unlike most entries on this page, We Dare is not one continuous Rick Partlow story with a single cast. It is a themed anthology line, and Partlow appears in the volumes alongside other science fiction writers. That changes the reading experience in a useful way. Instead of following one hero across several books, you get a new set of takes on a shared idea each time.

The themes are the glue.

The first We Dare volume focuses on augmented humanity, which fits neatly with the kinds of questions Partlow often explores in his own fiction. Later books shift the angle: readiness and service in Semper Paratus, frontier or combat-zone pressure in No Man's Land, bounty-hunter gray areas in Wanted, Dead or Alive, and seasoned veterans showing younger people how ugly things can get in Old Age and Treachery.

Because of that setup, these books are best approached as idea collections rather than as a single saga. The fun comes from seeing how different authors handle the same prompt, sometimes with military SF muscle, sometimes with humor, sometimes with darker twists. If you are already reading Partlow and want to see him in shorter form, or you just like themed science fiction anthologies, We Dare is a solid side path.

You can start with the volume whose theme sounds most appealing, though publication order works well too.