Author of sci-fi/fantasy, horror and adventure/thriller fiction

ANOTHER RIVER, ANOTHER TOWN by John Irwin

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John Irwin’s ANOTHER RIVER, ANOTHER TOWN provides a powerful autobiographical account of a teenage tanker during World War 2. It’s a gripping memoir about coming of age in war.

Irwin shows up at the front idealistic and wanting to be a hero fighting the Nazis. A series of mishaps and the brutal fighting during the Allies’ final push into Germany quickly cures him of both. In the end, there is only his desire to survive and not let his fellow tankers down. Through the process, a local misfit boy becomes a man. When the war comes to an abrupt finish after endless combat against SS diehards in one German town after another, there is far more a sense of relief than victory.

In ANOTHER RIVER, ANOTHER TOWN, Irwin provides an engaging memoir about what life was like in a Sherman tank fighting the final months of World War 2. Recommended for history buffs.

THE FRONT 3: BERLIN OR BUST Now Available!

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berlin or bustAn airborne operation of German, American, and British paratroopers drop on Berlin in this exciting new episode in the WW2 zombie series, THE FRONT! This is a fun series I’m doing with the great David Moody and Timothy W. Long. You can read it as the third in the series or as a standalone.

While the Battle of the Bulge turns into a bloodbath due to the introduction of a serum designed to create super soldiers but creating flesh-eating zombies, a German paratrooper unit rests in Genoa, Italy after years of hard warfare. They celebrate an announced armistice hours before flying to England to learn the truth: Germany has collapsed due to the spread of these monsters, and they must work with their former enemies to drop on Berlin and recover a pure sample of the Overman serum.

What follows is an inside look at how the elite German paratroopers fought and their bloody homeward mission to recover the Overman serum before all Europe falls.

Realistic combat and depictions of the German Fallschirmjager, plus zombies, makes for some fun, action-packed reading.

Check it out here.

CRASH DIVE Omnibus Available as Audibook

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crash dive audiobook omnibusThe first three episodes in the award-nominated WW2 submarine thriller series CRASH DIVE are now available as a single audiobook available at Audible.com and Amazon.com. If you enjoy stories like DAS BOOT and HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER, this series is for you.

The omnibus provides nearly 15 hours of listening, taking you aboard a gritty, exciting adventure aboard a realistic submarine. Priced for maximum value for Audible customers.

These audiobooks are narrated by the great R.C. Bray, who said of CRASH DIVE, “I can easily say this is one of my–if not THE–personal favorite series to narrate.” Bob is the best at what he does, making these stories come to life.

Get it here at Audible.com, and here at Amazon!

CRASH DIVE #5: HARA-KIRI Now Available for Pre-Order!

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HARA-KIRI by Craig DiLouieI am happy to announce the fifth episode in the popular CRASH DIVE WW2 thriller series, HARA-KIRI, is now available for pre-order for the Amazon Kindle.

Charlie Harrison finally achieves his dream of commanding the Sandtiger, leading her able crew on a war patrol to the Philippines in September 1944. Along the way, he faces the challenges of command, a malfunctioning boat, and a patrol area that appears devoid of enemy ships.

When a massive fleet materializes on the horizon, he identifies it as Admiral Halsey’s Third Fleet. America is invading the Philippines to cut off Japan from its colonial resources. The Japanese Combined Fleet responds, culminating in the Battle of Leyte Gulf and Charlie facing the ultimate test.

Get it here!

The eBook officially releases May 9. For those of you looking for the paperback and audiobook, they’re in the works and will release shortly after the eBook.

Thanks for reading!

DUNKIRK (2017)

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dunkirk

DUNKIRK (2017), written, directed, and co-produced by Christopher Nolan, is a terrific war movie–gritty, realistic, powerful, and with its contrasting themes of forgiveness and strength against all odds introduced where needed, without bludgeoning the viewer over the head. The cast includes Tom Hardy, Kenneth Branagh, Cillian Murphy, James D’Arcy, and others all giving an understated but powerful performance.

It’s 1940, France under massive assault by the German Army, and a breakthrough has forced British and French armies into a pocket at Dunkirk, France. The German stopped their advance for three days to consolidate their positions, giving the allies time to build defenses and evacuate under almost constant assault by Stukas, bombers, and U-boats. If the Germans had succeeded, they would have destroyed the strength of the British Army, around 330,000 men trapped in the pocket. Instead, they lived to fight another day and win the war.

The film tells three separate stories. Tommy, a soldier, makes it to Dunkirk and desperately tries to get out over the course of a week. Responding to a call for civilian boats to aid the evacuation, Mr. Dawson and his friend Peter set out from Weymouth over the course of a day. And in the air, Farrier (Tom Hardy) flies in a trio of Spitfires over the English channel over the course of an hour. These stories are told simultaneously, intersecting during one fateful hour.

The film features little dialogue, relying on an excellent score, sound and practical effects, and action to tell these stories. The music alone puts you on the edge of your seat as characters look at something off screen in blank terror. When the Stukas come screaming out of the sky, intent on bombing and strafing the helpless soldiers on the beach, you share the soldiers’ terror.

As for the soldiers themselves, they’re desperate, conniving any way to get the hell out of there before the Germans close the vise. This desperation permeates their actions, though they’re heroic when they’re able and when it counts. Farrier, in particular, comes across as heroic, understanding if he doesn’t go the extra mile, thousands of other men will die, as does Mr. Dawson, who puts his and his son’s lives on the line to do something small but vital to save the British Army. Despite the soldiers’ shame at their defeat, the ending is authentically uplifting.

In short, I loved this movie and hope to see more like it. Recommended if you like movies that are different. If you like war movies, it’s essential viewing.

CRASH DIVE #4: CONTACT! Now Available in Audiobook

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CONTACTCONTACT!, episode 4 in the popular CRASH DIVE WW2 submarine thriller series, is now available in audiobook through Amazon/Audible. Like the rest of the series, this book is narrated by the great RC Bray, with whom I’ve also had the pleasure of working on SUFFER THE CHILDREN. Get it here.

Still reeling from the hellish battle in the Japan Sea, Lt. Commander Charlie Harrison returns from Prospective Commanding Officer School to find the Sandtiger languishing in repair while her crew idles. He expects to take command, but the post is given to Captain Howard Saunders.

Sandtiger’s orders: Take a team of elite commandos to the island of Saipan to destroy a major coastal gun before 70,000 Marines land on its beaches. Once Saipan is taken, American bombers will be able to reach Tokyo. For the Japanese Empire, this triggers kantai kessen—the final decisive naval battle.

When disaster strikes, Charlie must save his submarine and salvage the mission, battling his erratic commander while fighting the enemy. Along the way, he learns sacrifice and the true cost of war.

All four episodes are now available in eBook (Kindle), trade paperback, and audiobook. I’m now working hard on the fifth episode, which will be published by the spring of 2018.

Thanks for reading!