Do we like Craig Alanson?
Our score: 6 out of 10. No harm and no scandal found, but also very little public record to build real confidence on.
Craig Alanson is an indie sci-fi author, and Expeditionary Force is the series he's known for. It began with Columbus Day and, by 2021, had grown to a dozen titles. His latest at that point debuted at number one on Audible.
The premise came from a fan of alien invasion movies asking how humanity would actually cope. His answer was blunt: “There is no way humanity could survive a real invasion.” He turned that into humorous military sci-fi and went the independent route, saying the focus on print in traditional publishing was a problem for him.
On scandals, there's honestly nothing to tell. Searches for lawsuits, accusations and court cases turned up nothing about him, only a pile of other blokes named Craig. That's a clean sheet, though it also reflects how low his profile is outside the book world.
On the harm check, nothing turned up on what he's said about LGBTQ+ people, women, migrants, vaccines or the climate, and no sign of a slide into grievance or conspiracy talk. His books are also made with his long-time narrator, who he praises as a genius at rapid-fire dialogue. So it's a pass on what could be found, with the caveat that absence of evidence isn't a ringing endorsement.
Nothing new on him lately beyond book news. As of late 2026, reader sites list the final Expeditionary Force book as due in December. The record includes no charity work or public stands that cost him anything, so we can't hand out bonus points for that.
The nicest thing on file is how he talks about readers. He's written that fan communities can become a true community, and being kind to fans is a decent look. It's a small sample, but it points the right way.