Book Review: The Veil War

Posted By Blackfive

Okay, this isn't really a book review...more like a book plug.  Since the interest we had here about whether a Marine Expeditionary Unit could defeat the Roman Empire, I learned that a friend of mine, Stephen Gustav, had been working on a book about a similar premise.

The Veil War is a story about Marines in Iraq.  And goblins.  Dig it.

The basic idea is Tolkien vs Tom Clancy.  It occurred to Stephen a few months ago that no one's ever (to our knowledge) attacked fiction from that particular angle.  Spies and magic, sure.  But not modern military v. magic, myth and eldritch horror.  And then Stephen made the mistake of telling his 8 year old boy about it.  He started waking him up early every morning so he could tell him about the ideas and
background I was making up. According to Stephen:

I tried to balance the magic and tech so it'd be an even fight (because logistics and stand-off weapons are a real problem for goblins, even with magic swords and armor) and tell the story in a straightforward way.  Right now, the first 2000 words are up at:

http://veilwar.com/start-reading/part-one/

and another 30,000 are in the bag waiting to be published. On my weekly publishing schedule, that means I've got months to keep writing and finish, and a very strong motivation to do so.

Check it out - I think you'll enjoy it regardless, and I'd love to have more feedback.  I hope you enjoy the story.

So go over to the Veil War web site where you can read the first two chapters and take part in the feedback.  Plus, you can read it before anyone else as it's published!

Twitter:
https://twitter.com/#!/VeilWar

Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Veil-War/296730723678958

Google+:
https://plus.google.com/b/107741588979185249594/

The website itself http://veilwar.com, where you can read the story and blog posts about the story. That page has an email subscription option and RSS feed for those who prefer that. If you have a wordpress.com account, you can also follow the site that way.

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Book Review: SHOCK WAVE

Posted By Blackfive

This book review is courtesy of Elise Cooper for BlackFive.net:

New York Times bestselling author John Sandford’s latest book, Shock Wave, brings back Virgil Flowers as the main character. Flowers, an incidental character in the Lucas Davenport series was spun-off to become a hero in his own series of books. 

This thriller is definitely plot enhanced. The story takes off after a bomb goes off in the small town of Butternut Falls at a chain store headquarters, PyeMart, and Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension agent, Flowers, is called in to investigate.  Sandford skillfully weaves the plot into a ‘who done it,’ as more bombs are exploded. There are a multitude of suspects: the local merchants who will lose their business, the environmentalists, the Mayor and City Council who were bribed, and those citizens who will gain or lose from the growth of the city moving West instead of South. 

Sandford decided to develop a plot surrounding domestic bombings from his experience in Iraq. He commented that while in Iraq to write an article “about a Blackhawk’s squadron I saw a lot of mortars being shot at the air force base. I saw a lot of bomb damage.  I became aware of explosives. I decided to research and was surprised to see that everything I needed to know about bombs I could find on the Internet.”

Through his research he came across a famous bombing in the Twin Cities where a chain store was targeted. Sandford wrote the bomber’s persona as, “A crazy guy who was making himself feel good.  I wrote him as someone making bombs in their basement instead of now where they are suicide bombers.”

The author explained that the Flowers series, written as a thriller, does not have a lot of character development. This is true since the reader does not gravitate towards any of the characters other than Flowers.  He explained, “The essence of this thriller needs a sense of speed and velocity to move forward.  When I write a mystery you have more time to develop the characters.”

It is interesting how one of the characters, the Mayor of the town, is described as a foul mouth, screaming, trashy, corrupt politician whose name is Geraldine “Gore.”  When asked if this was coincidental or intentional he stated, “It was something stuck in the back of my head.  The fact being I did not like her and I do not like Al Gore.”

Sandford enjoys writing two different book series and described the difference between the two types.  The Flower series has a lot of humor, whose main character is a surfer type that is a wise cracking, t-shirt wearing sleuth.  The antithesis of this is the Lucas Davenport books which have more complicated stories, stronger character development, is much more intense, with a heavy emphasis on dark, violent crimes.  The reader can get a glimpse of the Davenport character on November 6th when the USA channel airs an earlier book, Certain Prey, starring Mark Harmon. Lucas Davenport will also be featured in his next book, which will be released in June.

This book involves bribery, cheating, infidelity, conspiracies, and suspense.  Sandford allows the reader to play detective by giving hints and facts as Flowers is attempting to solve the crime.  Although the book is fast paced it is not as intense as other thrillers and the reader can be amused and have fun while trying to figure out who is the bomber.

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THE SPECIAL FORCES of O.D.A. 574: "THE SACRIFICE"

Posted By Blackfive

"The Regulators" of ODA 574 with Afghan friends

Because of error on the part of a TAC and the Marines refusal to assist, SOCOM (USAF) pilots take matters into their own hands.  This is the third part of the NRA Life of Duty Series "The Special Forces of ODA 574" and is a MUST WATCH VIDEO:

On November 14, 2001 a U.S. Special Forces team of Green Berets known as ODA 574 infiltrated the mountains of southern Afghanistan to carry out a tribal revolt against the Taliban. Learn more about ODA 574 in The Only Thing Worth Dying For by Eric Blehm and look for the fourth installment of this incredible story in September.

Parts 1 ("The Calling") and 2 ("The Courageous") are here.

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Book Review: DARK WORLD - Into the shadows...

Posted By Blackfive

Our buddy over at Ranger Up, Kelly Crigger, can't sit still (this is a massive understatement). He's a publicist by day, a marketer by night, and an author somewhere in between. His latest venture is a journey into the paranormal with acclaimed TV show host, Zak Bagans, whom you may know from the Travel Channel's Ghost Adventures.

Or you may not.

Either way, he likes to go into the dark places most of us would not want to and frankly, he can have them (I'll jump out of a perfectly good airplane or a USAF aircraft, but the paranormal is a whole different ball of wax). Dark World is the collection of memoirs of Bagans told through Crigger's eyes that takes us through his hundreds of ghost hunts and tries to find impartial answers to some of the basic questions of life after death.

It starts off innocent enough including ghost hunting tips and trivia, photos, personal philosophies and encounters with the paranormal (on and off camera), and then ends with an uber-creepy encounter with a demon and possession at one of the most haunted places on the planet. Like I said...he can have it.

With a chapter dedicated to the science of the afterlife, it's a good read if you've ever questioned what happens to us when the physical body dies. It's impartial so if you buy into the paranormal or don't, it's worth your time.  The fact that it's written by one of us (Crigger is a retired Army Officer) and is destined to hit the New York Times bestseller list when it's released on September 13th are good enough reasons to check it out (at the amazon link below, you can check out the preview and see/read for yourself).

http://www.amazon.com/Dark-World-Shadows-Investigator-Adventures/dp/1936608855/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1302645928&sr=1-5

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Book Review: The Eichmann Trial

Posted By Blackfive

This book review is courtesy of Elise Cooper for BlackFive.net:

Sound familiar? A daring raid was made into another country to seek justice against someone who committed an atrocious act. Fifty years ago Adolf Eichmann was captured and tried by the state of Israel for the genocidal acts he committed. A book by Deborah Lipstadt, The Eichmann Trial is an in depth study of his trial.

Adolf Eichmann, a high ranking Nazi officer, sometimes called “the architect of the Holocaust” was one of it’s’ predominate figures. He was assigned the task of facilitating and managing the logistics of the mass deportation of Jews to ghettos and extermination camps, known as the “Final Solution.” At the conclusion of World War II he fled to Argentina where he hid until he was captured by Israeli secret agents and brought to Israel for trial in April, 1961. He was eventually found guilty and hung in May, 1962.

Another atrocious criminal was captured and killed in May of this year, Osama Bin Laden. While being interviewed about her book Lipstadt made many interesting observations between the Osama Bin Laden and Eichmann raids. Both Israel and America infringed upon another country's sovereignty, even though there was diplomatic relations, to make sure the mission was successfully accomplished. Argentina harbored Eichmann, and Pakistan, harbored Osama Bin Laden. Both these countries could not be trusted with the fear that they would warn the fugitive and allow him to escape. Lipstadt described both:"Bin Laden was capable of genocidal acts and was considered a clear and present danger, while Eichmann committed genocide and was a past threat.”  Another glaring similarity was that both evil doers were buried at sea for the same reason:  neither Israel nor America wanted a gravesite to be used as a pilgrimage site.

Lipstadt gives the reader an overview of the trial in a very compelling fashion.  She points out how Eichmann tried to manipulate the trial and propagandized his views. This is the same fear some in America have regarding a Federal trial of the terrorists. Lipstadt explains Eichmann was able to “dance” around the questions, drawing himself into extended exchanges with the prosecutor which ranged from misinterpreting the truth to reinterpreting it.  She described Eichmann in the book as “a drowning man grasping at straws…that this man would say anything if he thought it would clear him.”

The reader is able to gain a complete understanding of why the Eichmann trial is extremely important, a lesson that should not be lost on Americans today.  According to Lipstadt, “The trial told the story of the Holocaust in all its detail and, in so doing, captured the imagination not just of Israel’s youth and world Jewry, but of the entire world.” 

There are some very interesting points explored in the latter part of the book. This trial for the first time gave the survivors a voice; yet, many people questioned why they did not fight back.  When asked about this, Lipstadt responded that “a lot of people think if it were me I would have fought back.  This is too simplistic.” In the book there is quote that hammers the point home, “No one is authorized to judge them…imagine, if he can, that he has lived for months or years in a ghetto, tormented by chronic hunger, fatigue, promiscuity and humiliation…that he is thrown at last inside the walls of an indecipherable inferno.”

Another point which will definitely get the readers pondering is her contention that the Nazis were normal people who performed evil acts, not people who were psychopaths.  When asked about this Lipstadt commented that “It’s too easy to say they were crazy or barbarians.  It takes the human race off the hook too quickly.”

In The Eichmann Trial Lipstadt artfully allows the reader to grip the legal drama.  Her final chapters are devoted to recounting the aftermath of the trial, including a discussion that centers around Hannah Arendt, hired by the New Yorker Magazine to cover the proceedings. For anyone interested in courtroom drama and who wants to understand how this trial brought the Nazi genocide to the forefront of people’s consciousnesses this is a must read.

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Review: Tom Clancy's Against All Enemies

Posted By Blackfive

This review of Tom Clancy's 'Against All Enemies' is a special to Blackfive from Elise Cooper. Read her reviews on Blackfive by clicking here or the Books category in the sidebar.

Tom Clancy’s latest novel, Against All Enemies, is a New York Times Bestseller.  This is not surprising since the plot is both interesting and timely. Clancy, along with Peter Telep, combine a plausible scenario, the War on Terror and security along the Mexican border.

The plot begins when a terrorist bombing in Pakistan eliminates an entire CIA team except Max Moore, a CIA paramilitary operations officer and ex-Navy Seal.  Moore seeks revenge by finding the terrorist cell responsible for these actions.   In this action packed thriller, Clancy intertwines two plots.  One involves Moore overcoming a nightmarish incident in his Seal past while the other has Moore leading a group of operatives from different agencies, such as FBI, DEA, ATF, BORTAC Border Patrol, and the CIA, in an effort to disband the main Mexican drug cartel and stop a terrorist plot. What makes the plot so fascinating is Clancy’s ability to show how America’s national security could be threatened by the forging of an unholy alliance between two major enemies, the Mexican drug cartel and the Taliban. Throughout the book there are explanations on why the drug cartels are so powerful and the different types of organizations that have to be combated to win the war on drugs.

He also explores the out of hand brutality in Mexico.  The reader through the depiction of the violence is able to understand what is all too real.  An excellent quote from the book shows some of the cruelty “…Mexican Federal Police lying in blood pools, some brutally gunned down, others with their throats slit…two dozen immigrants who’d had their heads chopped off…the cartels know no bounds.”

Most of the characters in the story play a secondary role to the plot.  However, the main character, Max Moore, is well developed.  The reader is able to understand his innermost feelings as well as his job, life, desires, and haunting thoughts.  He clearly details Moore’s feelings that in the military he found a sense of brotherhood. In addition Clancy is able to realistically portray through strong conversational dialogue the dangers and attitudes of CIA operatives.  Sonia Batista, is a supporting character, who will hopefully play a larger role in the next book with her bubbling, intelligent personality.  She is a CIA operative who will do anything to ensure a successful mission, including literally getting in bed with the enemy.

In this book the technical realism did not overtake the plot or the characters.  Those readers who are novices will not get frustrated with the minute details of technology; yet, there are enough technical explanations for those who desire it.  Speaking of technology there is a great quote for those frustrated, at times, by the new technological world: “Perhaps these Americans were so hypnotized by their technology that not even a shoulder-fired missile launch right beside them would be enough to pry them away from their apps and games…After all, they strolled through shopping malls like zombies, staring blankly into the tiny screens clutched in their hands, never looking up…”

If you want to understand the threat of terrorism and the drug cartels to America this novel is a must read.  Although seven hundred plus pages, it is such a fascinating story that the reader flies through it, not ever wanting to put it down

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Review: Silent Enemy by Thomas W. Young

Posted By Blackfive

This is a special review by Elise Cooper for BlackFive.  Since many of you have expressed appreciation of Elise's reviews, we are continuing to provide specials from her.

Thomas W. Young's latest novel, Silent Enemy, re-unites the characters Major Michael Parsons and Sergeant Major Sophia Gold.  It is a fascinating glimpse into the actual work performed by those in the military and the pride they take in doing their job. He used his own experience as an Air National Guard flight engineer to create an informed, riveting novel. 

Young explained that although he writes to entertain the reader his other purpose was “to show the job aeromedics do, especially the difficulty they have in transporting the wounded. This hospital in the air creates difficulties for the flight medic; notably how certain wounds can be worsened in a depressurized aircraft and how various patients are affected by the flying environment.”

The story begins with a bombing of an Afghan National Police Training Center in Kabul that results in massive casualties.  The wounded, including Sergeant Gold, are loaded onto a C-5 Galaxy plane flown by Major Parsons.  While heading for Germany the crew and passengers are informed that their plane is among those in which Jihadists have placed bombs. 

This is where the plot takes off.  Young is able to show the horrors of war through this insightful story:  the job of the aeromedical team, the harrowing decisions Commanders must make, sometimes choosing the best of the worst, and how soldiers must battle not only the human enemy but how technology and nature also become threats.  He used his own experience to show that Parsons, as a pilot, needs “to know everything about the machine including its limitations.  Most importantly what are the consequences if you exceed those limitations.  I used the plane setting to add to the tension of the story since the characters are entrapped in a confined space, an enclosed tube of medal, with no immediate escape from the dangers they face.”

Although there is somewhat of a supporting cast, he wrote the two main characters as divergent personalities.  Gold is an interpreter in the army who is thoughtful, philosophical, calm, and likes to hide her emotions.  Parsons on the other hand is an Air Force pilot who is impulsive and a man of action.  Young stated that these characters “skills and personalities are very different but complement each other to succeed against the different set of challenges presented.  As a commander Parsons has to make constant choices that are not win-win, which is the burden of the commander.”  In addition the book has two perspectives: that of the passengers, represented by Gold, and that of the crew.  Young wanted to show that Gold “knew what was going on but was helpless to do anything other than provide moral support, wisdom, and a different perspective.”

He gives a heads up about the next book where Parson and Gold once again work together in Afghanistan.  In that book he explores their relationship and feelings for each other.  In all his books, past, present, and future, he wants to convey “the experience of the modern day American soldier. The mindsets of those who raise their right hand, knowing they are going into harms way. They believe in something bigger than themselves, wanting to serve their country because it is a place worth fighting for.”

This book is very exciting, informative, and thrilling.  The characters are extremely well developed and their divergent personalities allow the reader see how they complement each other to resolve this compelling drama.

~Elise Cooper for BlackFive.net

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Book review- Power Down

Posted By Uncle Jimbo

Elise Cooper for BLACKFIVE

Ben Coes’ debut novel, Power Down, is a winner. He captivates the reader from page one. This story is very relevant considering the price of gas in America today. Dewey Andreas, a former Delta operative and one of the main characters, is in charge of an oil platform off the coast of Columbia. After terrorists, whose leader is a radicalized American, Mohammed Fortuna, seize the platform Andreas saves many of his crew as it is being blown up. The story takes off from there where various parts of America‘s economic and manufacturing infrastructure ports, nuclear power plants, and refineries are attacked. Andreas along with intelligence and law enforcement agencies try to untangle these events and find those responsible.

The reader will discover many themes to this thriller. For example, this quote from the book should make an impact on Americans: “every dollar over four dollars a gallon costs this country roughly twenty billion dollars a day in GDP.” Besides terrorism, dependence on Arab oil and achieving energy dependence Coes also explores the belief of patriotism. Coes commented that he wrote about the Patriotism theme “to compare two views. Fortuna, who had every reason to love America; yet, tries to destroy it from within versus Dewey who had every reason to hate America after being falsely accused of killing his family; yet, he risks his life because deep down he loves America.” The other major point in the book was the need for energy independence. Coes takes that important topic and makes his points through action packed sequences while at the same time showing how “the energy sector makes the world turn. We need to get off the dependence of oil from the Middle East. My theory is we will not get off it until it gets too expensive.”

To obtain a glimpse of Coes’ philosophy in dealing with the terrorists he speaks through the character Teddy Marks, a no nonsense guy who throws political correctness to the wind. Marks commented that “There are terrorists on our shores, in our midst…But the way to stop the attacks is not to apologize, to cower in the corner, or to change our ways. The way to stop the terrorists is plain and simple. We must hunt them down. We much capture them…” Coes felt that the phrase was written to show “how someone should say what he feels; the idea of a guy not being politically correct or shading his words.”

The characters are extremely well developed. The reader is able to formulate the characters view of life and current issues. They form a kinship with the good guys and will grow to despise the bad guys. The main female lead, Jessica Tanzer, was based on the author’s wife who Coes describes as a “no nonsense, beautiful, Irish personality woman.” The male lead, Dewey Andreas, was based on “what I would like to be: patriotic, humble, and tough as nails when necessary.”

For a debut novel Coes will have a lot to live up to with his next book. Considering the topic will be the India/Pakistan conflict with America right in the middle of it, he should have no trouble. Power Down is a political thriller that is the mold of a Nelson DeMille, Brad Thor, and David Baldacci book. It is powerful, relevant, fast paced, and suspenseful. A book the reader will definitely not want to put down.

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Want A Signed Copy of Mad Mike's Next Book?

Posted By Laughing_Wolf

Yep, Michael Z. Williamson has another book on the way, and he has a way for you to order a signed copy of "Rogue" in advance.  As he puts it:

With the gracious and expert help of Uncle Hugo's Science Fiction Bookstore, we are starting the advance order for "Rogue."  This is the first hardcover edition, and comes with a tipped in (glued) sheet printed by Baen, and signed by me.  These will be cover price of $24, plus any shipping.  You may pick up your copy at the store for no additional charge if you wish.

Uncle Hugo's is one of the stores monitored by the New York Times Bestseller list, so copies here count toward my sales rank for that.  Just think, you'll be able to tell lesser personages that you correspond, drink beer, or even shoot guns with a New York Times Bestselling author.

In the checkout, you may also mention in the "instructions" how you'd like it personalized, and I'll try do that at the store, when I drive up in September for the release.  I can't promise to get to them all, but will try my best, and of course, I can always handle special defacement at conventions or other personal meetings.

This means you'll have limited edition, personalized proof that a NYTBA actually knows your name, calls you by it, and has something particular to say, not just, "to my good friend," as the cliche goes.  Your inscription might read, "You still owe me a beer from LosCon," or "I like Glocks, too, but I prefer the 1911," or even something cryptic such as, "NOTHING!!!" (You know what that means if you are who it's meant for.)

I'll also try to have some extra goodies on hand for those in the area, and may slip some into the books, time and quantity permitting.

You also get to add yet another rabid right wing, meat-eating, unPC gun nut to the roster of bestsellers.  When Armageddon happens, which authors do you want on YOUR side?

So, what are you waiting for?

LW

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The Amazon Legion

Posted By Laughing_Wolf

Well, we talked a bit about it a while back, but Tom Kratman's book The Amazon Legion is now for sale.  Pity that Toni wouldn't let him go with The Amazon's Right Breast (scroll down), but...  *G* 

Rather than pull up my writing about Tom and the book, why don't you go check out this review at ASP, and this interview with YouServed.  There is also a bit more with Tom from last year's Blog World in this from YouServed. 

 The Blackfive interview with Tom, sponsored by Baen Books, can be found at:

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

My own take is that it is well worth the read.  Tom explores the idea of women  in combat from a unique perspective with good characters and characterizations, in an interesting read.  He shows where women can excel, and a lot of areas that the social experimenters don't want to address -- and does so with realism and the experience in training troops to fight.  If you want a PC read, this ain't it, which makes it well worth the read in my book. 

LW

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