R.G. ROBERTS

Captain Alex Coleman isn’t the hero the U.S. Navy asked for.
He is the hero the navy needs.

World War III stormed into its second year, and the fighting at sea is brutal. However, the world learned its lesson from the last world war, and none of the major powers want to put civilian territory into a meat grinder. In a world where information flows fast, leaders know their populations will not stand for massive casualty numbers. What the world demands is honesty, and thus, the War Witness program is born.

And of course, when the first reporter is assigned to document life and the war on an American submarine, everyone knew it would be USS Bluefish. However, no one thought to ask her introverted, Medal of Honor winning commanding officer, Captain Alex Coleman, what he thought of this new mission. Alex is about as delighted as he would be to wear a frilly pink dress every day. Perhaps less. What makes it worse is that his boss seems determined to send Bluefish to her death…and send the reporter with them. Or, maybe the commodore has bought into the “Saint Alexander” legend, too. Either way, Alex knows he’s in trouble.

Alex has danced where the fire is hottest since earning the Congressional Medal of Honor defending Convoy 57. He reshaped a failing crew and gave them confidence. Now he’s after Russia’s newest star. Can he keep this pace up, or will he finally crack? Can even Alex Coleman continue to take the fight to the enemy after so long on the front lines?

The Stars Shall Burn is a story of good leaders, bad leaders, war, and the visceral impact combat has on even the best of us, continuing the story of the War of the Submarine.