Australian military fiction
Brotherhood.
Duty.
Consequences.
A nine-book military thriller saga about the men who enter the fight, the people waiting at home—and what survives when the mission ends.
Book One proof ordered · Releases 22 November 2026
22 November 2026ZERO HOUR BEGINS IN:
--Days
--Hours
--Minutes
--Seconds
ZERO HOUR is now released.
09Books
02Series
01Connected saga
From the Regiment
to Black Hart
The opening mission
Zero Hour
One name. Eight months. Zero Hour.
An Australian SAS patrol walks into an ambush designed by someone who understands exactly how coalition forces fight. The attack leaves dead and wounded behind—and one name buried in the recovered intelligence: Qari Rahman.
What begins as another target becomes an eight-month hunt across compounds, valleys and broken roads. Every operation changes the next. Every mistake carries a cost.
Between deployments, Claire watches Jack Harlan return changed by a war he cannot explain. Now Rahman is within reach. The operation has begun. The plan is breaking. At Zero Hour, Harlan will have seconds to decide what victory is worth.
Publication status
Releases 22 November 2026
Preorder the Kindle ebook on Amazon. Final paperback proof checks are underway.
One connected story
The nine-book Harlan saga
Four novels of THE REGIMENT lead into five BLACK HART thrillers—following the operational, personal and political consequences of every choice.
Planned titles remain subject to change.
About the author
P. Sykes
Australian stories shaped by service, family history and a lifelong interest in the people behind military operations.
Phil Sykes is an ex-serving Australian Defence Force member and the author of THE REGIMENT / BLACK HART saga. His interest in military history began with the stories of grandparents who served during the Second World War and family members who served in Vietnam.
Writing as P. Sykes, he brings that perspective to grounded action thrillers built on operational detail, loyalty and consequence. At the centre of the story is not only what soldiers do in the field, but what their service asks of them—and of those waiting at home.
His books are published by Bastion & Ember Publishing, the registered Australian publishing name for his military thrillers and forthcoming epic fantasy titles.
Field notes
From the writing desk
Kindle preorder
Reserve your Kindle copy ahead of the 22 November 2026 release using the preorder button above. Final paperback proof checks continue.
Book Two advances
Writing continues on Dead Signal as the next deployment takes shape.
The countdown continues
Zero Hour releases on 22 November 2026. Join the reader list below for launch news, saga updates and ARC opportunities.
Contact
Get in touch.
For reader enquiries, ARC and review enquiries, or publication matters, contact P. Sykes directly.
Join the reader brief
Stay on the signal.
Join the P. Sykes reader list for ARC opportunities, release news and progress updates from THE REGIMENT / BLACK HART saga.