The Blood Red City

February 8, 2016
In book two of the epic Never War series (after 2015’s The Suicide Exhibition), Hitler was alerted to a spacecraft crash in the Black Forest in 1934 and wanted to use the alien technology to conquer the world. Station Z, a small group inside British Intelligence, swore to prevent this from happening. Now, in 1942, they are in search of three ancient axes that could be the keys to world destruction. It’s a journey that takes our Station Z heroes all over the world before an explosive climax in the Minotaur’s labyrinth. Richards, an author of numerous Doctor Who novels, seems to be an omnivorous recycler as he showers the reader with variations on H.P. Lovecraft, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, and Raiders of the Lost Ark. Though the book is otherwise entertaining, the characterization is sacrificed for action and the narrative suffers from constant crosscutting that would work better in a movie.

March 15, 2016

The Never War continues, hidden under the destruction that is World War II. Colonel Brinkman and his team at Station Z are tasked with unearthing what's behind the alien offensive they know is coming, but their understanding is thin at best. The Vril have become adept at hiding underground, and their infected human creatures--the Ubermensch--can survive weapons that would kill a normal person. But uncover more about the Vril they must, as the Nazis begin their own research into using the Vril technology that could win the war--and maybe the world itself. Hunting ancient artifacts, teaming with the Greek resistance, and searching for answers sends the Station Z team across Europe. VERDICT Richards's latest (after The Suicide Exhibition) gives a fresh face to the glut of World War II stories currently on the shelves. This is alternate history at its best, pitting the nuances of the time with futuristic species and intelligence.--KC

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