Series Review: Hell Squad

Book CoverHell Squad by Anna Hackett
My Rating: 4-Stars
Genre: Sci-Fi Romance
Series Size: 20 books (#20 coming June 2020)
Formats: eBook, Paperback

Who knew that the apocalypse could be so sexy?

Aliens have come to Earth—and not in peace. Millions of humans died in the first few waves of attacks. Hidden deep in Australia’s fictional Blue Mountain Base, squads of fighters band together in the struggle for humanity.

Australian author Anna Hackett integrates elements of science fiction and action into all of her romance novels. Over the past five years, her “Hell Squad” series has followed a rotating cast of characters as they battle against the aliens—called the Gizzida—while discovering that even at the end of the world, there’s always someone to live for.

Yes, this means that in-between scenes of reconnaissance missions, firefights, helicopter chases, and more, these characters find time to fall in love. It’s a nice balance of intense action in the Gizzida-laden world above and intense passion in the beds (and showers, and gardens, and desks… etc) in the human’s hidden base below.

The series gets its name from Squad Six, known as the Hell Squad. Considered to be the toughest fighters in Blue Mountain Base, the Hell Squad is filled with former military who aren’t shy when it comes to kicking some Gizzida ass. This alien race is likened to “raptors” in the early books, and much of their demented creations, from space ships to mutated beasts, are dinosaur-like in appearance as well. Appearances can be misleading—and with the Gizzida, cunning and extreme intelligence lurks behind those red eyes.

Hell-Squad-Book-Covers

Each book follows one pair of characters who must best the aliens to accomplish the current mission, whether it be gathering vital information, stopping the Gizzida from their perverse experimentations, or sabotaging the aliens. As the series progresses, other squads such as Squad Nine (which is full of kickass women) and Squad Three (known as the berserker squad, filled with daredevil men of dubious backgrounds) are featured, with the various squads swooping in to lend support on the field.

The ultimate goal is to reclaim Earth for humanity, but an overarching storyline laced throughout “Hell Squad” reveals that the Gizzida has plans to eradicate all human life. Hackett’s series is now 19 books long—the most recent, Survivors, was released on Feb. 11. The situation has hit a crisis point for these survivors, and the outlook is grim. “Hell Squad” will wrap up when the squads (presumably) rid the Earth of alien scum in the final series book, Tane, which is scheduled for a June 2 release.

Hell Squad books 1-19 are available now in eBook and paperback formats. The first book in the series, Marcus, is free in eBook format, and the entire series is available for Kindle Unlimited subscribers as well.

This review originally appeared in the Feb. 21, 2020 issue of White Pine Press.

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Review: Holy Crap! The World is Ending!

Book CoverHoly Crap! The World is Ending! (Anunnaki Chronicles #1) by Anna-Marie Abell
My Rating: 3.5-Stars
Genre: Romance, Sci-Fi, Fantasy
Release Date: September 21, 2017
Formats: Kindle Unlimited, eBook ($3), paperback ($16), hardcover ($29)

Unique, bizarre, interesting, funny, outlandish. Non-spoiler alert: the Earth is going to be destroyed.

I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was angry when I originally finished Holy Crap!, but at the time it was unclear on Netgalley that it was book one of a trilogy. The author reached out and explained this, and with that understanding the unresolved ending makes sense. However, consider that a warning if you’re someone who doesn’t like diving into a series before it’s completed.

The president has announced that Earth is going to collide with a rogue moon, and in the process, our entire planet is going to be smashed to bits. As one would expect, upon hearing this news, humans went ballistic. It was as if every sports team in the world lost their championship game at the same time. No car was left unrolled—but oddly enough, Taco Bell remained open and made unfathomable profits in the last days. Apparently, Doritos Locos® Tacos were a popular last meal.

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Review: The Problem With Three-Body Problem

The Three-Body ProblemThe Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I really did not like The Three-Body Problem, and I realize I’m in the minority opinion on that. Had this book not been assigned for my Science Fiction & Fantasy college course, it’d be a rare find on my “did not finish” shelf.

It had nothing to do with its setting, nor it being part of a trilogy, nor the fact that it was translated, nor the fact that it was hard science fiction. The translation was done well and the scientific research was accurate as far as I can determine.

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Review: The Lottery (Short Story)

The LotteryThe Lottery by Shirley Jackson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Lottery is a great commentary on what can sometimes be the mindless adherence to tradition. Masterfully written with small yet important details popping in throughout. The tone and atmosphere that Jackson sets up belies the true depths of this dystopian society. I was awed and horrified by the ending (saying anything else would be a spoiler!).

 

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