Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Freedom | 2013 | David Wood | Buy |
| 2 | Hell Ship | 2014 | David Wood | Buy |
| 3 | Splashdown | 2014 | David Wood | Buy |
| 4 | Liberty | 2014 | David Wood | Buy |
| 5 | Electra | 2014 | David Wood | Buy |
| 6 | Amber | 2015 | David Wood | Buy |
| 7 | Justice | 2016 | David Wood | Buy |
| 8 | Treasure of the Dead | 2016 | David Wood | Buy |
| 9 | Aztlan | - | David Wood | N/A |
| 10 | Bloodstorm | 2019 | David Wood | Buy |
| 11 | Dead Ice | 2014 | David Wood | Buy |
The Dane Maddock Origins series fills in the backstory of how Dane Maddock and Bones Bonebrake became partners. Set during their Navy SEAL days, these novellas show the two men butting heads before learning to trust each other. Freedom, the first entry, drops them into SEAL training where they can barely stand to be in the same room, then throws them into a race against a secret society tied to America’s founding.
Most of these books are collaborations between David Wood and other authors. The format works well for shorter, punchy stories that focus on a single mission or mystery. They cover everything from haunted ships (Hell Ship) to cold-weather survival (Dead Ice) to lost Aztec treasures (Aztlan). The tone matches the main series, with plenty of banter between Dane and Bones.
These prequels give longtime fans a chance to see the characters at an earlier stage. For new readers, they also work as a low-commitment way to test whether the Dane Maddock world is for you before jumping into the full-length novels.