The Military Action Thriller genre is crowded and stale and has become in the last decade boring and un-original.
I can name over a dozen authors of this genre whose stories and lead characters could be interchanged with one another and a majority of them would tie in together seamlessly. Not Good!
If ever a genre needed some fresh talent, aka a “Shot in the Arm” as it were, it is now!
Well, thank your lucky stars, because I have discovered two authors who I think, can do just that.
Both of them have Real World Military experience and it comes shining through in their writing.
Sean Parnell is an author who some of you fellow Military history buffs may recognize.
Being a Infantry Captain in the elite US Army 10th Mountain Division in Afghanistan, Parnell definitely has the background and experience to write a “Military Action” novel!
I am big on trying not to include spoilers, so I will keep this short.
The novel is a thrill ride with teeth!
Eric Steele, the main protagonist is one bad hombre, but Parnell does not go overboard with it. He let’s Steele’s humanity and humor shine through.
Parnell’s style of writing is pretty standard for this genre with authenticity and realism being paramount. From the locations to the gear and weapons, you can tell the author has first hand knowledge.
The Second book in the Eric Steele series, All Out War will be released September 3rd.
Overall Rating: 8/10
Jack Carr is a former Navy SEAL and sniper with 20 years military experience.
Carr’s main protagonist, James Reece is a dangerous man full of loss and heartache.
Boiled down, this is a tale of revenge on an epic scale!
I will be honest and say I preferred Carr’s writing style more than Parnell’s. Both authors write descriptively and keep authenticity and realism at the forefront, but Carr has more of a rich, narrative style that actually paints that mental picture for you and places you right in the middle of the action! I will also add that Carr’s character development throughout the book is top notch.
My one big complaint with the book is like most every book that has been written by former Spec-Ops operators, it must go through a screening process by the Department of Defense. Well, for some reason the author decided to show the actual blacked out redactions in the manuscript. There are not a lot, I counted only a few, but still, I think this going a bit overboard for a work of fiction!
Carr’s second book, in the James Reece series, True Believer will be released July 30th.
