Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Poor Man’s Fight | 2013 | Elliott Kay | Buy |
| 2 | Rich Man’s War | 2014 | Elliott Kay | Buy |
| 3 | Dead Man’s Debt | 2016 | Elliott Kay | Buy |
| 4 | No Medals for Secrets | 2017 | Elliott Kay | Buy |
| 5 | Last Man Out | 2018 | Elliott Kay | Buy |
| 6 | No Man’s Land | 2023 | Elliott Kay | Buy |
Poor Man’s Fight is Elliott Kay’s military science fiction series, set in a future where corporate-controlled education determines your debt burden through a single standardized test. Tanner Malone, the main character, fails his exam and faces a lifetime of payments he can never hope to cover. He joins the Archangel navy to manage his debt and quickly finds himself caught between bullying fellow recruits, space pirates led by the charismatic Captain Casey, and a government ramping up for conflict.
As the series progresses across six books, the scope widens from Tanner’s personal struggles to the larger political and economic forces shaping the Archangel system. Rich Man’s War and Dead Man’s Debt dig into the corporate power structures that keep ordinary people trapped, while later books like No Medals for Secrets and Last Man Out push Tanner into increasingly dangerous missions. No Man’s Land arrived in 2023 after a five-year gap, continuing a story readers had been waiting for. Kay’s own military background in the Coast Guard gives the shipboard life and training scenes a grounded feel.