SEAL Team 666

In SEAL Team 666, Jack Walker is going through the selection process to become a U.S. Navy SEAL, one of the world’s elite Special Forces organizations, when he is graduated early to join an even more exclusive group: SEAL Team 666, a five man (and one dog) team of operators that deal with supernatural threats to the United States. It seems that Jack, due to an incident in his childhood, has the ability to sense supernatural danger, which makes him valuable to the group beyond his basic sniper assignment. Unfortunately for Jack, his spidey sense initially manifests itself as complete paralysis, which could be a problem in combat situations.

Jack has little time to adapt to his new role, as the team is off in pursuit of a Karen rebel in Myanmar who plans to bring forward an ancient demon, controlled by a custom suit of human skin. Casualties among the good guys mount rapidly as time runs out to stop the final ceremony.

Weston Ochse is the author of one of the best novels dealing with the supernatural in the last twenty years, Scarecrow Gods, and this is the launch of a new series blending military fiction (think Tom Clancy) with supernatural literature. I don’t think this is as good as Scarecrow Gods – there isn’t the depth of characterization found in the earlier novel – but few books are. I think this will be good reading for those looking for a book filled with action and horror. I will certainly look forward to the next book in the series.

Irrelevant trivia: because it is a pet peeve of mine, I was overjoyed to see that Ochse refers to the ammunition storage devices for the rifles used by the SEALs by the correct name of “magazine.” Too many writers use the word “clip”, a mistake they beat out of you in basic training. (Few modern weapons use free-standing clips, although many types of magazines contain clips.)
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Free Story Downloads

Weston Ochse, author of the fantastic novel Scarecrow Gods, has posted podcasts of two of his stories on his site, for free download. Ochse is a great writer, so if stories on audio is your thing, please download them. They can be found at http://www.westonochse.com/podcasts.html.
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Scarecrow Gods

Maxon Phinxs is a black man who returned from Vietnam in bad shape. Tortured there, he is horribly disfigured and disabled. Back home in Tennessee, the only job he can get is as the Maggot Man at the local chicken plant, and is shunned by his neighbors. But Maxon learned something in his ordeal – how to temporarily jump his mind into the body of an animal.

Meanwhile, in the Southwestern desert, an evangelist known as John the New Baptist is gathering followers to his new religion, but with a sinister purpose. If John succeeds, there will be apocalyptic results.

Along with a supporting cast of odd but well-defined characters, Phinxs and John move toward a showdown between good and evil.

It probably isn’t necessary for me to praise Scarecrow Gods. Everyone else has, and it won a Stoker Award. But it is a book that deserves as much praise as it can get.

The story is inventive and fresh, but where writer Weston Ochse really sparkles is in his depth of characterization. He does a great job of bringing both the good and bad characters to life. When I reached the end, I was disappointed to leave the world of Scarecrow Gods.