The only thing that can make Mars redder is Nazi blood, which is convenient as the Mars Expeditionary Force intend to adhere firmly to their motto “Kill ’em all.”
Damien Larkin is absolutely at his blistering, gory best in this next instalment of the adventures of Sergeant McCabe and his comrades as they face down the continued Nazi threat on Mars, or Big Red as it’s known. This is military science fiction which drives home its point at the end of a bayonet. The entire series, which contains the two previous books, Big Red and Blood Red Sand, is well worth diving into for any science fiction fan; however, I think you’d be OK even if you started here and went back for more.
The following blurb is nicked directly from his website, as I don’t want to give away too much about the books, so I’ll leave it to the author himself to share this:
Blood alone decides the fate of Mars
For two years, the Mars Expeditionary Force has held the line against the last remnants of the Third Reich. McCabe, Jenkins, and the Second Battalion long for home. Reinforcements have arrived, but the veterans of the MEF have one final mission. Defend Forward Base Zulu at all costs.
While Generalfeldmarschall Brandt plans a decisive showdown at Forward Base Zulu, Reichsführer Wagner celebrates the activation of the first generation of the Hollow Programme. Surrounded and cut off, McCabe and Jenkins once again find themselves in league with the MAJESTIC-12 operatives known as the Black Visors. Now the future hinges on the sacrifices of a few determined soldiers.
Blood Red Steel doesn’t have the same level of mind-bending science as the previous novel, so you’ll ease gently into a bloodbath instead. I really like that, while keeping to the overarching storyline, Larkin has managed to produce three books, each of which could stand on its own. That’s not easy to do. He has also not gone for the old hat of repetitive info dumps to get you, the lucky reader, up to speed with the story. It’s sprinkled throughout nicely, like defilade fire from an automatic grenade launcher.
Which brings me to the next element: the fella Larkin obviously loves weapons and tactics. Maybe that’s his background as a veteran of Ireland’s Army Reserve shining through. This book delivers war. Lives can often be nasty, brutish, and short. There are acts of extreme heroism, and extreme fanaticism. Little quarter is given, and less is expected. Graphic and gory, with a relentless pace of operations, you’re in there with them. You can smell the cordite, taste the sweat, and wince as your battle buddy is reduced to red mist beside you.
In a review of his previous book, Blood Red Sand, I made reference to the strong themes running through the book. Blood Red Steel is no different. Fascism in all its awfulness is laid bare. This hateful ideology, with its bedfellows of violence, persecution, xenophobia, and antisemitism, is front and centre even in this futuristic setting… and it takes a beating. Which is something we can all get behind. However, the good guys don’t get the A-Team treatment here. There are no knights in shining armour with spotless surcoats. These are humans at war on a planet a long way from home.
If you are a #MilSciFi or #SciFi fan, you gotta do yourself a favour and grab this book. You’ll quickly discover you’ve been missing out and you’ll be shocked to find out…
We have always been here.
Another nice touch from Damien Larkin is that he dedicates Blood Red Steel to the men and women of the 20th Infantry Battalion (Fórsa Cosanta Áitiúil) and the 62nd Infantry Battalion (Reserve Defence Forces). He says, “It was an honour and a privilege to serve alongside you.”
Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Blood-Red-Steel-Damien-Larkin/dp/1939844959
Tertulia: https://tertulia.com/book/blood-red-steel-damien-larkin/9781939844958
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/blood-red-steel-damien-larkin/1143205584
You can check out Damien’s website here:
You can read the Goodreads review here:
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