Spearhead by Franklin M. Davis, Jr.

March 3rd, 1945 finds Major Van Lawrence newly assigned to command of a tank-infantry team which would spearhead the drive across the Rhine. His primary problem, other than the well-defended terrain ahead, is that he is replacing a popular commander and the unit sees him as a HQ weenie who’s green to actual combat. Chief among his detractors is his second in command, Captain Bradlow, who is jealous that he wasn’t picked for the job. Added to the mix of key characters is the general in charge and an extremely competent first sergeant who practically sleeps with the rule book. And finally, to complicate Major Lawrence’s immediate future just a little more, there is a beautiful lady reporter tagging along because of course there is.

The first half of the novel is devoted to Major Lawrence getting his feet wet in his new position and gaining the trust of his men. He must do this quickly because orders to attack the town across the river and its two German divisions would be in effect in just 24 hours. The attack itself takes up most of the second half of the book and includes some riveting accounts. An interesting ethical dilemma crops up in the form of an historic church which Eisenhower himself has placed on the protected list. Captain Bradlow, however is convinced its spires present a major threat in the form of sniper locations. To attack it or not to attack it becomes a key choice. 

When Franklin M. Davis, Jr. wrote this novel, he was a Lt Colonel in the US Army, having served in Europe in WWII. He was with the 3rd Armored Division in the Rhineland and Central Europe campaigns and would ultimately attain the rank of Major General. His firsthand knowledge of armor tactics and small unit combat leadership is evident in the story. Of course, such experience doesn’t necessarily translate to good story-telling but in this case, Davis does a fine job. The novel is a quick easy read but thoroughly enjoyable. He wrote several other works of fiction as well as some history books; I would certainly read him again if given the chance.

The Nemesis From Terra by Leigh Brackett

Rick Urquhart is attempting to evade “The Company”, a rather ruthless mining conglomerate that wields much power on Mars. Tension has been building between rebellious Martians and humans who work for The Company. Rick encounters a Martian who prophesizes that Rick will ultimately rule the planet. Unfortunately, The Company catches Rick and sends him back to labor in the mines once again.  From there the story takes off in a series of adventures involving his escape, a Martian-rights activist/love interest, travel to the Martian North Pole to meet with the “Thinkers”, overcoming several power-hungry bad guys, capture by the Martians, and ultimately rising to become the Martian’s greatest hope for success.

That’s a lot of plot to cover in one not-so-big book.  It is typical of 1940’s Science Fiction however which tended to be long on plot and short on world or character building. I’ve long wanted to try Leigh Brackett, well known as a prolific author of science fiction short stories and novels from the pulp era as well as a screen writer (to include work on the script for “The Empire Strikes Back”).  Much of her work is of the “planetary adventure” or “planetary romance” variety and this one sort of falls into that category.  This is actually her first full length science fiction novel, first published under the title “Shadow Over Mars” in 1944 in the pulp magazine, “Startling Stories”.

I enjoyed reading this quite a bit even though it was a bit rough around the edges.  Apparently, the style of this one is reflective of her previous work on a crime-noir novel and is darker than most of her later work which reportedly morphed into a more fluid style.  Often referred to as the "Queen of Space Opera", she wrote in what was the consensus Mars world of science fiction from the 1930s to the 1950s, so world-building as we know it today was not as necessary.  Everybody knew that Mars was a marginally habitable desert world, populated by ancient, decadent and mostly humanoid races. I do prefer more substantial characterization though rather than just names attached to interesting alien species as we see in this novel.  

All-in-all, I’m glad I read this one, even if it isn’t a perfect representative sample of her work.  I do plan to read more of her stuff as there is certainly enough here to bring me back.

Soul Eater by Dana Brookins

Outside the village of Edgar Falls, in the abutting Pellam Woods, a house is being built.  A mansion, really, being assembled piece by piece. A reconstruction at the behest of a person or persons unknown.  Not much happens in Edgar Falls and since the factory, the town’s major employer, is getting close to shutting down, the town’s populace is enjoying the mystery of who is building this mansion. But soon bad things start to happen. Personalities change, horrible house fires kill occupants, and more. Twelve-year-old Bobby Topin senses the house is behind these terrible events and is somehow controlling people to do its bidding.

This book was originally published in 1985 and was reprinted in 2018 as part of an effort to resurrect forgotten horror “classics”. Yes, this is essentially a haunted house story, but unlike any I’ve read before.  While I enjoyed the setup of the story as well as parts of the unfolding plot, I think the novel really ran into trouble by overloading us with way too many characters and their individual subplots.  I really didn’t need to know every single townsperson and what their individual problems and life complications were.  More than once, I lost track of the main plot thread and wondered where the story was going. 

The final chapters brought everything back in line and the final payoff was OK, if a little bit predictable. No attempt was made to reveal the nature of the house and its evil. I had to be content with an “it was just evil” sort of explanation.  

The Skystone (The Camulod Chronicles) by Jack Whyte

This book is the first novel in the “Camulod” series, a nine book set that encompasses the Arthurian mythos from a historical perspective rather than a “fantasy” perspective.  I had been reluctant to begin, even though I had heard plenty of good things about the entire series.  This was mostly due to the fact that I have read numerous Arthurian accounts, many of them relatively recently, and was unsure of starting yet another one.

So glad I did give it a try though!  Right from the beginning it reminded me of perhaps my favorite Arthurian series, Bernard Cornwell’s "Warlord Chronicles".  That is to say, this book started out with gritty warfare told from the perspective of the Roman warriors on the front lines, down in the dirt and mud, fighting for their legates, their legionnaires, and for the glory of Rome.  The story begins in the final days of the Roman Empire in Briton (~375 AD – 425 AD) and involves several flashback sequences that help establish the two major characters for the novel, Publius Varrus and Caius Brittanicus, both solid Roman soldiers.  A career-ending injury to Publius leads to major changes and we quickly pull back from the day-to-day soldiering and begin to see the larger picture of what everyday life was like for citizens in Roman Briton during that era.  By the end of the book we get to experience even larger issues as we live through what amounts to the abandonment of Briton by the Roman Empire, just after the overrunning of Hadrian’s Wall and the final shake-up of emperors.

  The story is told from Publius’ first person POV as he transforms his life from soldier to blacksmith.  There is not a clue that we are in the Arthurian world throughout the first half of the book…it’s pure historical fiction.  And excellent historical fiction it is.  Well-rounded characters I came to care about and worthy goals I hoped they could achieve.  Publius’ quest for Skystones (meteor rocks) is the central driving force but it is not until the second half of the book that we get some clues that this is taking place several generations before Arthur and the gang’s appearance.  It is fascinating to read how terms such as dragon's nests, the Lady of the Lake and the Pendragon clan are introduced via perfectly natural non-fantasy methods.  No magic what-so-ever in this book.

I suspect this entire series will be a fascinating read.  I expect we will see Whyte continue to incorporate traditional Arthurian names, places and events as well as the names of various historical figures that have been suggested as being the possible basis for the original King Arthur legend. This implies, of course, that Whyte's version of history is the true story that has become distorted over time to become the legend and stories of magic that we know today.  It should be a great ride.