Dead Six

In a war where governments and corporations are vaguely defined entities, each with their own agenda and means, the foot soldiers are left to fight and die for those ends. Sometimes, though, that same separation from the true masterminds can lead to a certain level of autonomy - a freedom that allows those on the lowest level of the conflict to follow their own convictions, grudges, and even vengeance.DEAD SIX is an unusual novel not due to the fact that it is a collaboration between two authors, but because Correia and Kupari each take the voice of the two warring protagonists, Lorenzo and Valentine, respectively. These characters are exceptionally well defined as a result, and as each side in the bitter conflict is presented, Valentine and Lorenzo's personalities, quirks, and senses of humor are allowed to come out naturally.The fictitious middle eastern country of Zubara is the setting for the story. Political upheavals threaten a coup, and mysterious forces from abroad seek to forward the chaos for their own gain. Valentine is an international soldier of fortune (put simply), out of the action due to a failed mission in Mexico some years earlier, who is drawn into the new conflict by an old comrade and the promise of a lucrative paycheck. Although surrounded by several competent professionals, he soon finds himself in a losing battle that was very likely waged for all the wrong reasons in the first place. Even worse, he becomes romantically attached to one of the translators/commo officers from his support structure, an affection that is both rewarding and dangerous. It soon becomes obvious that a particular organization is involved with the opposition, and several run-ins with their operatives set the stage for the two protagonists' rivalry.Lorenzo is a career criminal, well skilled in the arts of combat and impersonation. Initially portrayed as a calm, morally inert professional, he is soon more specifically defined as a real person with a human side, and his own believable if limited sense of ethics. Forced into the mission by his old boss Big Eddie, the enigmatic leader of an international crime syndicate, Lorenzo applies his unique skills to the challenging but uninvited mission.Both Valentine and Lorenzo are reminiscent of iconic heroes and anti-heroes throughout western film and literature, most notably in my mind akin to John Kelly from Clancy's Without Remorse and John Smith from Last Man Standing (and Yojimbo before it). They are able to take a tremendous beating and forge ahead by pure force of will and determination. It's the only way they can survive the action, of which there is plenty.DEAD SIX is of course at its heart an action-adventure novel, and it may well become the new paradigm for the genre. Correia and Kupari are firearms experts, and Mike applies his extensive knowledge of military tactics and procedures to his portions of the story. The result is an unusually detailed narrative with subtle points that will both satisfy and amuse those readers who are discerning enough to appreciate them. I found the mention of a "notional airstrip," for example, to be particularly humorous, and there were many other instances of dry humor that might be easily missed if one were to read this book too casually.At over 700 pages, DEAD SIX manages to keep the story fresh and interesting throughout. Mysteries are discovered and solved, but not always, and the novel ends with some unresolved issues and begs the creation of a sequel at some point, which I wholeheartedly hope will come around soon. With Correia wholly involved in his amazingly successful Monster Hunter and Hard Magic series, and Kupari up to his eyeballs in UXO and other nastiness in Afghanistan, I wouldn't expect a follow-up novel any time soon, and that's ultimately one of the few downsides to this fun, exciting, and entertaining story.On a technical level, there isn't much to complain about here. A critical reader might find the skill level of the protagonists to be pushing it as far as realism, but I would keep in mind that these characters have been living and breathing this life for years, and represent those rare individuals who have long since accepted the possibility of dying and are able to focus on the mission to the extent of all else. I also found the genesis of the romantic relationships in the story to be trite at first, but I was ultimately satisfied in how it affected the plot and the motivations of the protagonists.If you're a fan of Tom Clancy or Correia's Monster Hunter series, you will not be disappointed. 5/5 stars.

Dead Six is a collaborative action-thriller by Monster Hunter writing guru Larry Correia and his Army EOD buddy, Mike Kupari. Larry Correia is currently my favorite author, as well as the leading edge of the urban fantasy market. Any time a Larry Correia book comes out you can sure bet that I will have two copies on order, a signed edition from Uncle Hugo's bookseller for the collection and another from Amazon so that I get to read it the day of release. Dead Six is a first for Larry, in two ways: a first collaboration as well as a first military techno-thriller. The book, while not perfect, was a gripping read that has hooked my interest for later entries in the series.First things first. Larry and Mike know their stuff. When it comes to shooting these guys know the in's and out's of proper firearm use. I believe both authors shoot competitively. Then throw in Larry's experience as the owner of a gun store, and Mike's army training. So while some of the action sequences may be incredible the action always reads as believable if not entirely realistic. The story itself is broken up into two perspectives. One perspective is told from the ex-mercenary Constantine Michael Valentine, a somewhat jaded young man trying to lead a normal life despite his deadly skill set. The other perspective is that of thief and assassin extraordinaire Lorenzo. Both find themselves neck deep in trouble in the fictional Middle Eastern country of Zubara. For Valentine trouble is the elite black ops counter terrorist group Dead Six. For Lorenzo trouble is infiltrating a terrorist organization for the ultimate heist. Both characters find themselves with opposing objectives and end up clashing, each characters actions having direct or indirect consequences for the other. This awesome concept actually became one of my biggest problems with the novel. Valentine ends up getting random missions that coincidentally interfere with Lorenzo's plans. Once or twice this is acceptable but after several occasions the coincidence becomes a bit glaring.That set aside this portion of the novel has some exciting special forces sequences as Valentine and fellow Dead Six members eliminate dirty terrorist scum in an attempt to prevent Zubara from collapsing into civil war and chaos. There is a siege toward the middle of the novel that is desperate and heart rending and just awesome. The first half of the novel was a slow burner to me, not slow in the traditional sense because there is a great deal of action but slow in terms of plot development. The betrayals in this novel never really feel that surprising because obviously anyone who signs up for something without any real idea what they'll be doing with the incentive of lots and lots of money should expect the worst and plan for worse than that. Then there is a certain death that strongly affects a certain character but it lacks some impact because of how inorganic the relationship feels. Granted the death still held more impact than I expected but I have to admit it was a beautifully brutally written scene.The second half of the novel is much better than the first in my opinion. This is when plans finally come to fruition and our two main characters finally converge. The best parts of Dead Six involve the conspiracy theory stuff. The reader is given few answers and there are a great deal of questions that need to be answered. Shadowy organizations, black helicopters, the works. I feel the biggest draw for me with future novels in this series will be the conspiracy angle. I recommend this book to any action junkie. Bits of it read like a videogame (a well thought out videogame where the developers had some experience dealing with firearms). The plot isn't as tight as the typical Correia novel but there is real potential here for future entries. Oh, and co-author Mike Kupari is serving as a bomb disposal specialist in Afghanistan right now so I'd just like to take this opportunity to thank him for his service.

Neither here nor there, a book of two parts with only light brushes between both sides. The two writers should have merged their writing styles rather than going their own ways for most of the book, corria's writing is obvious to any who know it.Some good tense scenes with loads of interspersing dross. Overall a slow tedious read balanced by good charectors and convoluted plot.

Really pleased I discovered this book. Fast paced thriller with lots of combat, interesting characters, conspiracies and set just enough into the future to stop the reader making assumptions about the geo-political situation in which the two heroes (?) are adventuring. Better yet a sequel is out Oct 2013

Moved onto Dead Six after consuming the MHI series. Larry and Mike's writing styles complement each other perfectly. Dead Six is indeed, a cracking read.

Great action adventure

Are you interested in high speed spy games? Shoot'em up thrill rides? Beautiful, deadly women with hearts of Gold?You're in the right place.The collaborative effort of Larry and Mike starts out slowly, like a pair of heavy weight boxers eyeing each other before the fight. Soon enough, the action explodes and the tension built in the beginning burns hotter and hotter, page by page. The relationship between the two authors comes across as playfully malicious, as each dances through the chapters, throwing wrenches into the best laid plans of mice and men.When the story reaches full boil, they team up against one of the most surprising, well-written villains I've seen in quite some time. By the end of the novel, the two literary brawlers are in perfect sync, delivering a fantastic coda to the novel.I highly recommend this book to all.