Fueled with high-octane testosterone and noteworthy for a kill rate more customary in computer games than in works of literature, David Gunns novels take no prisoners and make no apologies. Like war itself, they are raw and violent, horrifying yet mysteriously moving. These qualities also characterize Gunns hero and narrator, Lt. Sven Tveskoeg, a killing machine whose DNA marks him as lessor perhaps morethan human. Whatever he is, he is always as enthralling as he is lethal.
Sven has survived everything a hostile universe can throw at him. But hed be the first to admit that it isnt smarts that have kept him alive for so long. And its not luck, either. Because luck wouldnt have seen him plucked out of obscurity to serve in the army of Emperor OctoV, a machine-human hybrid who appears to be a teenage boy but is actually immeasurably older. Maybe Sven has survived out of sheer ornerinessalthough his artificially intelligent, unmistakably sarcastic, and more or less sociopathic sidearm might argue otherwisebut Sven isnt one to ponder such questions.
In Day of the Damned, Sven and his band of misfit auxiliaries have arrived at Farlight, capital of the Octavian Empire, for a little well-earned rest and relaxation. Sven visits his old friends Debro and Anton, whom he liberated from the prison planet of Paradise, and their teenage daughter Aptitude, whose husband he assassinated and who now has a major crush on him.
But what begins as a respite quickly turns into a bloodbath as civil war erupts. And behind the double crosses and Byzantine betrayals threatening to topple OctoV from the throne he has held for thousands of years are the United Free, a galaxy-spanning empire with the technology of gods and the morals of schoolchildren.
As usual, big trouble seems to be following Sven. Which is all right with him. He isnt that fond of vacations, anyway.
From the Hardcover edition.
Review
Praise for David Gunns Deaths Head series:
Hardboiled, laser-blasting science fiction as its meant to be.
Charlie Huston, author of The Shotgun Rule and Already Dead, on Deaths Head
A character so badass he makes the Terminator look like C-3PO, a ton of in-your-face action that is unforgiving in its brutality, and humor so sardonic you could cut steel with it . . . awesome, testosterone-fueled fun.
Fantasybookcritic, on Deaths Head: Maximum Offense
[Combines] the relentless energy of such contemporary Brits as Richard Morgan and Neal Asher while brimming with nonstop, testosterone-dripping, hard-core violence.
Scifi.com, on Deaths Head: Maximum Offense
From the Hardcover edition.
About the Author
Smartly dressed, resourceful, and discreet, David Gunn has undertaken assignments in Central America, the Middle East, and Russia (among numerous other places). Coming from a service family, he is happiest when on the move and tends not to stay in one town or city for very long. The author of Deaths Head and Deaths Head: Maximum Offense, Gunn lives in the United Kingdom.
Library : Science Fiction
Universes : Death's Head [03]
Formats : EPUB
ISBN : 9780345515698