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thriller
Series · thriller
Marc Dane
The Marc Dane series by James Swallow has 6 known books (6 published) and is best read in publication order, starting with Nomad (2016).
- Books
- 6 known books (6 novels)
- Published
- 6
- First published
- 2016
- Status
- completed
- Shelved under
- Thriller
- Last checked
Start here: Nomad (2016) — then read straight through in publication order.
Reading order
The date order of published books and any announced future entries — the default way to read the series.
- Book 1:
Nomad
James Swallow introduced covert operative Marc Dane in Nomad, a 512-page series opener published in 2016 -- the longest book in the sequence. A raid on Marc's own MI6 team leaves him the sole survivor and a fugitive once he uncovers evidence of traitors inside the service, forcing a desk-bound technical officer to out-think professional killers.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Nomad - Book 2:
Exile
Exile followed in 2017 as the second Marc Dane novel, trimmed to 320 pages, the shortest in the series, continuing Marc's transformation from desk-bound MI6 officer to reluctant front-line operative after the events of Nomad.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Exile - Book 3:
Ghost
Ghost, the third entry, appeared in 2018 at 400 pages, continuing the story begun in Exile ahead of Shadow, part of James Swallow's globe-trotting, hardware-heavy spy-action sequence.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Ghost - Book 4:
Shadow
Shadow arrived in 2019 as book four of Marc Dane, running 448 pages, tying it with Rogue for the series' second-longest entry as Marc's standing with British intelligence continues to evolve directly from book to book.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Shadow - Book 5:
Rogue
Rogue, published in 2020, is the fifth Marc Dane novel and matches Shadow's 448-page length, continuing James Swallow's continuous spy-action series rather than a set of standalone missions.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Rogue - Book 6:
Outlaw
Outlaw closed out the Marc Dane series in 2021 at 432 pages, its sixth and most recent installment, bringing James Swallow's arc of Marc's evolution from MI6 technical officer to field operative to a close.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Outlaw
About the Marc Dane series
Marc Dane is James Swallow's original, non-Warhammer thriller series: a modern spy-action sequence following its title character from desk-bound MI6 technical officer to reluctant front-line operative. Nomad (2016) opens with a raid on Marc's own team that leaves him the sole survivor and a fugitive from his own service once he uncovers evidence of traitors inside MI6 -- forcing a man who has spent his career behind a screen to out-think and outrun professional killers with none of a field agent's training.
Across six novels (through Outlaw, 2021) Swallow builds a globe-trotting, hardware-literate action series in the vein of Vince Flynn or Mark Greaney rather than le Carre-style tradecraft -- private military contractors, rogue intelligence cells and high-tech conspiracies -- while keeping Marc's core appeal intact: he wins through resourcefulness and technical improvisation rather than becoming a conventional superspy. It's the clearest evidence that Swallow, primarily known to genre readers for his Black Library Warhammer 40,000 fiction, has an entirely separate, well-reviewed body of original techno-thriller work with no tie-in-franchise attached to it at all.
Frequently asked questions
How many books are in the Marc Dane series?
Six novels: Nomad (2016), Exile (2017), Ghost (2018), Shadow (2019), Rogue (2020) and Outlaw (2021).
What order should I read the Marc Dane series in?
Publication order, starting with Nomad. Each book follows on from the fallout of the one before it.
Is Marc Dane connected to James Swallow's Warhammer 40,000 novels?
No. It's an entirely separate, original modern-day spy-thriller series with no shared setting, characters or franchise ties to his Black Library work.
Is the Marc Dane series finished?
It reads as a complete six-book run -- no seventh book has been announced since Outlaw (2021) as of this curation in August 2026.
If you like the Marc Dane series
Reading order last verified .