Michael Mercy

SOBs : Plains of Fire Plains of Fire is to The Barrabas Run what Empire Strikes Back was to Star Wars: A New Hope. I know that’s a comparison many use when they want to convey how much “bigger� and “better� a sequel is, but Plains of Fire isn’t just bigger & better: it’s deeper and heavier. While it still retains the same wit, fun and tone of The Barrabas Run despite having new writer, it also kicks you in the gut a couple of times with steel-toed combat boots. It would be impossible for me to discuss this book without giving away some major events in it, so here’s your SPOILER WARNING. Read the book first if you want to be as shocked as I was when I first read it. While I won’t name names so that there’s still some mystery in case you do choose to read this review before reading the book, I will say that the fatality of the first SOB team member left me speechless. One of the members is gravely injured in The Barrabas Run and comes very close to dying, and he’s saved by the extreme devotion of his team. The fact that the first book has no team member fatalities makes the ones that occur in this book even more powerful. We’ve grown to know them. We’ve laughed at their antics. We’ve learned what they care about. We’ve watched them employ nerves of steel in hairy situations. And it’s devastating when they make the ultimate sacrifice for their team mates, not to mention the lives of thousands of innocent strangers. The first team member death really surprised and saddened me, since he wasn't one of the lesser-skilled SOBs, as did the second one. By the third team member death, I knew I had read not just SOBs book #2, but a story I’d look back at as being one of the definitive SOBs stories. They got out of the first book pretty much without a scratch. This mission had very high consequences though, and further illustrates what the SOBs are all about. They’re not just in it for the money; they’re in it for each other, as well as stopping tyrants who no one else is able to stand up to. There are no Shakespearian monologues from the team members who sacrifice themselves. They perish in a very realistic way, two of them cut down in a firefight and taken down by surprise and the third one doing only what was logical, quite possibly the only logical act of his maniacal life which makes it that much more powerful. I did appreciate that the third casualty went out humorously ranting and cussing, embracing his fate since the first two casualties were such so melancholy though. There are some brutal parts to this book, including the opening chapter. The description of physical torment is quite vivid and not for the squeamish, but it’s not just violence for the sake of violence. The author conveys the power of the human spirit through physical pain and suffering. The animal savagery of the enemy makes it more than just another job for the SOBs too. You really want them to “kick some ass� but this isn’t a typical heroes vs villains story. Time and time again, it’s a bittersweet tale, although by the end I was left with a little more bitter taste than sweet due to the high price the SOBs had to pay in order to complete their mission. Elements I enjoyed from the first book continue through Plains of Fire, such as the development of the plan, putting it into action, and the ingenuity of coming up with on the spot alternatives when the plan goes to hell. Once again the actual action doesn’t start until about page 140, similar to the Barrabas Run, which I’m fine with because I’m a firm believer in “less is more� and enjoy a slow burn rather than non-stop fireworks. They don’t take much time to wrap the story up other than a quick epilogue with Barrabas reflecting on the mission, but I’m hoping the ramifications of this game-changing mission will trickle over into the next title. I appreciated the amount of continuity between Plains of Fire and The Barrabas Run as well. There are several mentions of events from the previous book, but for those who haven’t read it, Plains of Fire does a good job of recapping and bringing new readers up to speed. SOBs continues to be much better than you’d expect from a Harlequin style men’s adventure series. It’s a wonderful blend of early 80’s fun as well as real-world military grit and consequences. It feels like it was written by a soldier, or someone who knows real soldiers very well. While The Barrabas Run was a great world-building start, The Plains of Fire lights the fuze to SOBs and sets off an atomic blast of action, camaraderie...consequences.

I recently discovered a cache of SOBs books owned by my older brother from the 80's in storage. I've recently been on an "All things 80's" kick thanks to the Netflix series "Stranger Things," and since I've been enjoying some comics and TV shows from that era again, I decided to give some literature from that period a shot. The tone of the early and mid 80's is very distinctive; fun and hopeful regardless of how dark the subject matter compared to the cynicism that pervades much of today's creative works. Simply put, I LOVED the Barrabas Run! The slower pace and the time it takes to get to the action didn't bother me in the least because I didn't approach this book as a stand-alone tale; it's a prologue to a 38 book series. Every house needs a sturdy foundation, and The Barrabas Run is just that. It takes its time to introduce the SOBs and give you a glimpse of them in their civilian lives, and why the mission is so important to them. They don't just do it for adventure and thrills; they're soldiers. Their current whereabouts may change, but they'll always be on the battlefield. I get the feeling this novel was written in part by people with military experience, or by writers who know real life soldiers. While it's still entertaining, there is a sense of realism when it comes to the SOBs that is lacking in other stories about soldiers. They're not just wise-cracking, cigar-chomping, macho badasses like the members of the A-Team. At their core, there's a melancholy about a soldier as shown in movies like Platoon and Rambo and shows like Tour of Duty. While some won't appreciate the time taken to establish the team in this first novel, I recognized how important the pacing was in order to make the reader care about the characters, as well as make the characters believably care about each other. They aren't just co-workers. By the end of this first mission, they're a family. Brothers (and a sister) in arms. In a book that's supposed to be just another Harlequin men's adventure "trash novel," there's a scene near the end that actually deeply touched me, showing just how much the team cares for each other. These tough SOBs have a soft side, and when they show not just their camaraderie but their love for each other, be warned; your room may suddenly become a bit dusty. Have a kleenex ready. The planning of the mission is fun to read as well as seeing it put into effect. Everything doesn't always go as planned though, but I enjoyed seeing the team use their wits and ingenuity to adapt to the circumstances with soldier-like resolve and coolness. And last but certainly not least is the title character, Nile Barrabas. Charismatic, enigmatic, strong, wise and no-nonsense but with a dry sense of humour. He doesn't come off as a manufactured super-soldier. He reminds me of characters like Rambo or Solid Snake; a man who gave everything for his country, more than anyone should ever be expected to, only to learn that what he was fighting for wasn't what he thought. It's been tainted by bureaucracy. He's a passionate man who's become disillusioned and carries that melancholy I mentioned earlier because he's broken-hearted. A love story? In a way, that's exactly what SOBs is: a boy and his country. His true love, the USA, didn't turn out to be what he thought it was when he first fell in love with it. Now he lives day to day, mission to mission, and there's something very compelling about a man who doesn't concern himself with the past or the future. He's a modern-day Spartan searching for a good death and the perfect lead for a series like SOBs. There's no mission he won't turn down because he doesn't fear death. He welcomes it. He comes close in the opening pages of this book in a flashback that leaves him with his trademark white hair, and for the remainder of his life, Barrabas seems to taunt death by saying, "Is that the best you've got?" If you want to read a mercenary series about mercs who aren't just in it for the money, SOBs is your series. They don't just do it for the money or for thrills; they do it to feel like soldiers again. To feel a purpose. Only their allegiance has changed. They're no longer soldiers of the USA, they now serve a commander who will be as loyal to them as they are to him...they're Soldiers of Barrabas. If the following entries in this series are as good as this first one, then I too pledge allegiance to Nile Barrabas. Michael Mercy www.michaelmercy.com