BLUF: I cannot give this 5 stars. 4 stars may be too generous. I read this to get a handle on the lore surrounding the Dark War Rebooted game I bought from TBP. The game lore differs in dates from the book. The book says the war starts May 14th the game says it starts May 22nd. This is glaring as the book indicates several times when the war starts just as the game does. In each case the lore of both book and game differ.

(SPOILERS) The lore covering the encounter of Martin Witherspoon and the vampires is quite different between the book and game.

I am not sure which came first the book or the game, but I know that it is difficult to maintain suspension of disbelief when errors while small are so obviously different.

I realize that this is self published. I also realize the author is professionally published, but I also realize that the author is not a professional editor. If you are going to self publish I would ask that the author spend some time making the various stories published across the ouvre be consistent.

Having said all that the story is creative and entertaining. There are errors discussing tactics and equipment. The author was a Navy diver. I was a loader, gunner, and tank commander on the M1. I have also been a Night Battle Captain, Assistant S3, and Tactical Intelligence Officer in a M1A1 battalion; FIRST TANK! I joined the military in 1983. The war I spent my adult life preparing for was the war depicted in this book. I could tell the author gave it much love. This is where the 4 stars come in. The author's love for the subject matter.

This is not Larry Bond, Harold Coyle, or Tom Clancy. It is not that polished. Don't expect the depth, breadth, or tight plot of any of these books. It is a ripping yarn. Worth the 2 dollar price tag. I would not spend more than that.