Prey

In 1719, a young Comanche woman trained as a healer seeks to become a hunter. In doing so she challenges the norms of her people, but finds that rather than the animals of the wild, the hunter may just become the hunted.

Prey is a new film in the Predator franchise which takes it away from the 20th and 21st centuries, and instead places it back in a much hinted past from scenes in both Predator 2 and Predators which were both very clever pieces of world building, and set us up for a very rich expanded universe. And Prey delivers quite well on that expansion.

Using the early 18th century Comanche on the Plains is a clever idea, and I felt that it was an excellent use of the concept. What was just as intriguing was that there was no attempt to hide the Predator in this film, and it was front and center the moment it showed up, instead being used as a known element to slowly build tension as the characters unravel the mystery that is confronting them.

We follow Naru (Amber Midthunder) as she navigates her desire to be more than a healer in her tribe. She is looked down on by the young warriors of her village and only her brother Taabe (Dakota Beavers) openly indulging and encouraging her. With her dog Sarii, she is found just as often practicing her hunting skills as her healing skills, though both do her well in the wild. While preparing for a hunt, she sees a Thunderbird in the sky – of course it’s actually a Predator ship dropping off a young hunter. This leads to our first tense scenes, early action, and some well shot lead up to the final confrontations.

The action in Prey is also gloriously violent. From short scenes of hunting and man vs wild action, to the head to head confrontations with the Predator itself, it is an excellent view of older technology being leveraged against a familiar enemy. Even more interesting is the Predator itself is being shown using much less sophisticated examples of the equipment we see in later films, suggesting a level of technological sophistication that their species is aiming for. Made for fun surprises that really kept me guessing.

Adding to the action are some excellent special effects which brought the setting alive. From well used CGI to very good practical effects I enjoyed everything I saw on screen. Honestly there was nothing to complain about, save finding some of the CGI animals a little wonky, but I’d rather wonky animals than harming real ones.

Overall the tone of the film is one of tense buildup and subtle dread, and then the action picks up. It’s well acted by our principle leads and the supporting cast, and all the work done on the Predator from the bodysuit to the CGI is simply fantastic. I loved the new setting, the fun female lead, and the shoutouts to other films in the franchise, which made for exciting watching. I am sincerely hoping for more from this universe. Though as a rule, it should either be set in the past, or the future. We’re well overdue for the Marines from Aliens fighting the Predator on the big screen, or some version thereof.

If you have yet to see Prey, go watch it. You will not be disappointed

Coup D'etat

In the near future, the ruler of the Emirate of Kabat has died, and after having brutally murdering most of his sons, his final traumatized son shall inherit the throne. In bad news for his very skilled daughter, her brother has become a religious fanatic from his father’s awful treatment. If he enacts his mad plans that can only mean destruction for her country. She has no choice but to enact a coup d’état.

Christopher Nuttall brings us another pulse pounding thriller through the eyes of the forces of Executive Solutions, a mercenary company hired for the task of overthrowing a sovereign government.

Though the unfortunate Princess Sultana is our eyes in the Palace, the main plot revolves around the leader of Executive Solutions, former British special forces soldier Malcolm Smith. He’s on what promises to be a life long vendetta against Islamic terrorists after a revenge squad targeted his family and killed his wife and child. When it was covered up by the government for security purposes, he dedicated himself to his own private war. In a way, he reminds me somewhat of George Taylor from Ralph Peters The War in 2020, but if he’d formed a mercenary company instead. Competent and full of blood lust, he has a cadre of loyal men and women around him, and will do his damned best to ensure they all make it home while inflicting maximum damage on the enemy.

The management for how exactly a small mercenary company is supposed to overthrow a sovereign state with a functional military is explored in depth. While much of Kabat’s armed forces are revealed to be embarrassingly inept, it does have a core Royal Guard of foreign mercenaries who are effective and aggressively adaptive. This, alongside their access to heavy weapons and air support, is one of the greatest problems to be overcome.

While looking at the logistics of a not strictly sanctioned coup, it also goes into major details on how mercenary recruiting in Britain tends to work, who often provides the manpower, and how hard it is for private armies to form because buying weapons beyond rifles and grenades is actually something many governments want to keep a lid on. That makes the unofficial help from the British government a godsend, but doesn’t get them everything they might wish they had!

The problems in many oil monarchies are also examined and ruminated on in depth. From the lazy elite, the use of what is tantamount to state bribery to placate people, the effects of gilded cages, and the effective slavery of many so-called guest workers is all showcased. This is a problem known to many Gulf monarchies, and the fictional Kabat is merely a patchwork of ideas from many smaller states like Yemen or the UAE with their history and economy. From old British imperialism to modern oil and economic wealth, its a system which breeds corruption and misery. The mercenaries are aware they may not be fighting for the most benign of states, but a terrorist harboring theocracy is much worse.

All of this insightful societal examination and the major plotting for the coup is what forms the lead up to the quite explosive third act. There’s plenty which goes well, and a lot that goes wrong. I was impressed by the detail used from the reconnaissance in earlier chapters which was directly incorporated into the way the action in the finale gets framed. It’s a very pulse pounding ride to the end, which leaves a lot of the ultimate outcome in doubt, both for the heroes and the villains of the story.

Nuttall delivers on the action in many visceral scenes with appropriate exchanges of gunfire and heavy ordinance, with commentary on the tactics (or lack there of) for terrorist fighters, and the skills of the mercenaries. One particularly enjoyable moment comes from them finding a pair of functional A-10 Warthogs, which make a grand slam appearance at a moment of crisis. Any work which uses them gets a positive nod from me.

Coup D’etat is an exciting near future thriller which incorporates some elements from the early 2010s, the War on Terror, and an unorthodox cast of characters who are fighting against some nicely unsympathetic villains. I managed to binge read this from start to finish and quite in enjoyed it the whole way through. For a well thought out thriller you really can’t go wrong with this one!

1812 The Rivers of War

In 1814, as the War of 1812 rages, Andrew Jackson has trapped the Creek religious extremists known as the Red Sticks at a place known as Horseshoe Bend, in leading the charge up the impressive barricade erected by them a young Sam Houston is not shot in the groin, enabling him to win much glory and go on a special mission to Washington.

This copy was provided by Baen for review purposes. I give you 1812: The Rivers of War, by Eric Flint.

In reading and reviewing this piece, I actually found it hard to do. Only recently has the late, great Eric Flint left us, and he was a titan of the alternate history genre. I was, in fact, originally drawn to this piece years ago but had only read some of his short fiction at first. In writing the review of this republishing of an underappreciated piece of alternate history, I am also writing it as a tribute to the skills of this fantastic author.

The story starts, as described, with a vivid telling of the historical Battle of Horseshoe Bend in the crushing of the British allied Red Stick movement in the latter part of the War of 1812. Jackson wins a resounding victory, but a young lieutenant who had taken up a place in his command is not wounded. So far as divergences from history go, this is not the biggest, but the ripples from here spread out far and wide, with quite startling consequences. From an inauspicious beginning, the story branches out to include a colorful cast of historic characters, and a few fictional ones. 

In the second part we are treated to an in depth look at Winfield Scott's invasion of Canada in 1814 with an excellent depiction of the Battle of Chippewa, which introduces us to perhaps the most important secondary character, Irish sergeant, and British hater, Patrick Driscol. He provides an excellent grounds eye view to many action scenes, and is an invaluable source of knowledge for young Sam Houston. Also a compelling character in his own right, the sergeant is an excellent character for us to see the horrors of war and hatred through, and he doesn't stint about the battered state of his soul either.

What may shock many readers is that, in the broad strokes, there is not too much which changes in history across the year 1814 in this story. In the broad picture things are very similar, but in the fine details a lot changes thanks to one seemingly trivial event which cascades into greater changes down the line. It is in these fine details though, where the story shines. Using both historical knowledge and his own characters he weaves a detailed image of life in the 1810s from class to class, from the faction ridden ranks of the early United States Army, to the occasionally confusing and confounding peoples of the Creek Confederacy. 

This attention to detail is deep and merciless. Characters vent their prejudices whether they be racial or class, and in one sentence a man can criticize the Creek as barbarians while then claiming the United States is little better in its own dealings. Flint is no wide eyed idealist, and he portrays history in a refreshing warts and all attitude, without bias for either side of this multifaceted conflict which I found immensely refreshing. The man knows his history from dress to events, and he does a magnificent job selling it.

Aside from portraying fun history, he also does a wonderful job showcasing action. From small skirmishes to epic battles between American militia and British regulars, Flint shows off historical knowledge with visceral descriptions of combat in scenes of terror and pulse pounding action. Knowing history, not once did I read a line and believe that the characters might be safe and fully expected some to drop dead from the chaotic battles around them. There was always a rough tension about who would live and who would die, with no guarantee of how things would turn out. 

Overall, it is a brilliant piece of alternate history which shows you don't need a flashy point of divergence, some radical new technology, or even a battle lost, to change history. Instead, a small change can create big ripples which are well populated by characters who help tell an engaging story. That was, in truth, what Eric Flint always did. The genre is richer for him, and I merely hope we can find more story tellers of his caliber.