Elliot Ackerman served five tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan and is the recipient of the Silver Star, the Bronze Star for Valor, and the Purple Heart. A former White House Fellow, his essays and fiction have appeared in The New Yorker, The Atlantic, The New Republic, and Ecotone, among others. He currently lives in Istanbul with his wife and two children, and writes on the Syrian Civil War.
Skyring Water (2026) Beau L'Amour and Louis L'Amour "Louis and Beau L'Amour deliver a masterful Cold War adventure. What begins as a hunt for gold becomes a hunt for the truth. Skyring Water touches on the big themes - loyalty, history, and the costs of war. This novel delivers."
The Arcadian (2026) Steven Pressfield "A propulsive read that asks the biggest questions about war and violence, and how they echo through time. Steven Pressfield again proves why he is a legend."
The Nimbus (2025) Robert P Baird "A big-hearted novel about the biggest questions-marriage, religion, parenthood, meaning. The Nimbus is comic and profound, a novel that practically glows. Robert P. Baird is a huge talent."
Daybreak (2024) Matt Gallagher "Equal parts love story and war story, Daybreak is a profound meditation on idealism and its costs, a vital novel that arrives at a perilous time."
On the Savage Side (2023) Tiffany McDaniel "Inspired by a true crime story, Tiffany McDaniel has written a novel of the highest literary merits, a book about the bonds of family, community, and the consequences of those bonds failing us. It is a story that speaks to America's current moral disorientation, and then transcends it."
Landslide (2022) (Mason Hackett, book 1) Adam Sikes "Landslide is not only a gripping geo-political thriller, but a morally-complex tale. It grapples with fraught questions of both individual and national loyalty as well as killing and the grim realities of war. I read this book over the course of two-white knuckled days that I won't soon forget. Adam Sikes is a huge talent."
The Long Corner (2022) Alexander Maksik "Rarely does a novel so perfectly and delightfully encapsulate the madness of the time in which it is written. Maksik is masterful."
Holdout (2021) Jeffrey Kluger "One of those rare books that is both a ripping good read and a parable for our times. Holdout doesn't shy away from the big questions. It is deeply imagined, morally complex, and stayed with me long after the last page."
The Vanishing Point (2021) Elizabeth Brundage "A novel about what is seen, but also what remains unseen in our lives. The interplay between the two is what makes great photography, a great story, and what makes The Vanishing Point a beautiful work of art."
Hades, Argentina (2021) Daniel Loedel "Deception, violence, a society on the brink, Hades, Argentina haunted me long after I turned the final page. Loedel is a writer of enormous talent."
Missionaries (2020) Phil Klay "What happens when a novel becomes more than a novel? It becomes a prophecy. Phil Klay has written a prophecy."
The Book of Anna (2020) Carmen Boullosa "A beguiling return to the world created by Tolstoy. This beautiful translation takes Anna Karenina’s story a step further, showing how a single tragedy ripples across generations."
The Far Field (2019) Madhuri Vijay "Utterly immersive and vividly realized, The Far Field is that rare gem of a novel which effortlessly transports the reader into distant, unfamiliar terrain through the force of a story deeply anchored in the humanity of its characters. Madhuri Vijay's debut marks the arrival of an astonishing new talent."
Silent Hearts (2018) Gwen Florio "With deep reservoirs of empathy and intelligence, Gwen Florio's Silent Hearts asserts that humanity is something we share across cultures and that all hearts break the same. Her talent is on full display in these pages and she is masterful."
American War (2017) Omar El Akkad "Omar El Akkad’s urgent debut transmutes our society’s current dysfunction into a terrifying yet eerily recognizable future, where contemporary global and local conflicts have wreaked havoc on American soil."
Born on a Tuesday (2016) Elnathan John "Working in the tradition of Achebe, Elnathan John has penned a coming of age novel worthy of Twain. At times tragic, at times humorous, Born on a Tuesday is the story of those who find the courage to transcend violence even when born to its confines."
