First published in 1980, almost ten years before the fall of the Berlin Wall, “Hard Target” is the first of ten books in “The Zone” series by British author James Rouch. The novel opens by dropping readers right in the middle of the action with a Soviet T-84 tank bearing down on a small group of what will become the main characters. Such small, tactical scenes are the norm throughout the novel, never widening up the scope of the action to really understand the greater strategies at work. Nor are we treated to much in the way of how or why the war began. Team leader, American Major Revell, together with British Sergeant Hyde, must somehow create a cohesive unit out of a bunch of misfit ‘Dirty Dozen’ style mavericks, each with their own unique and often bizarre and even unlikable personalities.
The plot involves one of many post-apocalyptic refugee enclaves located in The Zone where the Soviets have placed, against the rules of war, an elite tank salvage unit charged with refitting enough Soviet armor to enable a successful counter-attack in the coming months. Revell and his team must destroy it in order for NATO to be able to keep the Reds at bay. The story moves along nicely, and the final covert op sequence is a fun ride. While that mission does wrap up in this first book, most readers will want to turn to book two to find out what happens next to this motley crew.