WARBIRDS OF MARS
Beast Incarnate
By Chris Samson
Paperstreet Entertainment LLC
214 Pages
From the popular science fiction action/adventure webcomic series created by Scott “Doc” Vaugn comes this terrific standalone novel by Chris Samson. The setup involves Martians invading Earth during the middle of World War II, amping the chaos and slaughter across the globe. Eventually, pockets of resistance spring up everywhere. In the United States, the freedom fighters are led by a team known as the Martian Killer, made up of Jack Paris, a pilot, Josie Taylor, a nightclub singer/spy, Hunter Noir, a gun-toting avenger right out of the pulps, and lastly a half-breed martial arts master known as Mr. Mask.
That’s the comic series, which then led to a really fun prose anthology series of short stories. And now we have “Beast Incarnate.”
In this tale, it is discovered that other half-breeds like Mask have come together as a fighting force and are causing havoc within the Martian-occupied territories. A sadistic Martian Command Officer, Kalen Tengel, known as the Fallen Angel, has been ordered to nullify this new army before it can ally itself with the human resistance. Obviously, the Martian Killers want the exact opposite. What ensues is a speeding action-infused thriller that never lets up. Samson’s battle scenes, especially the one aboard the underground bullet train, are mesmerizing. He adds a great deal of drama to an already well-established adventure pulp franchise. We’re hoping he has sequels in mind. Pulp fans, you don’t want to miss this one.
