Origins

A Joint Task Force 13 Anthology (JTF 13) (Joint Task Force 13, Book 1)

By: J.F. Holmes, Lucas Marcum, Christopher Bast, Daniel Humphreys, Michael Morton, L.A. Behm II

Narrated by: Talon F. Beeson

The debut book of the hot new military science fiction series, Joint Task Force 13.

There is a thin wall between our world and that of the Fae, and, during times of war, it is easily stepped through. The passions and emotions stirred by violence and combat bleed over, and the supernatural often awake from long slumber to meddle in mortal affairs. Then also, there are the humans who purposely force that wall down seeking glory and power.

Either way, there have always been those among us who have been willing to meet the supernatural threat with cold steel, burning hearts and grim determination. In modern America, they are the men and women of Joint Task Force 13, those who have proven they have the metal to confront soul blasting otherness on the battlefield. This unit, this organization, though, has been intertwined with our country since its birth. The name changes, but they are always there, ready to answer the call. Unknown, seeking no glory, asking no reward. They hold the line....

BETWEEN HEAVEN AND HELL

Marines, soldiers, sailors, and airmen take on the forces of the Supernatural, defending America's military from the things that come from a deeper darkness than the night. Six tales from the past and present as they meet the supernatural with hot lead and cold steel, in the debut of the new series, Joint Task Force 13.

“Devils and Dust” by two time Dragon finalist J.F. Holmes takes place in the Syrian Civil War, 2018. A JTF squad sent to take out a terrorist dabbling in the supernatural finds that they're up against an ancient god determined to walk the earth again.

“Redeye” by Dan Humphreys follows a pair of military contractors as they fly home from a job in the Middle East. Unknown to the two ex-Rangers, onboard is necromancer intent on getting a foothold in the United States.

“Revolution” by Lucas Marcum. Outside Valley Forge in the brutal winter of 1777, American Marines and British Redcoats team up to defeat an Old World threat that has been leaving soldiers of both sides drained of blood and lifeless in the snow.

“Run through the Jungle” by Lloyd Behm II. A French plantation owner turns to the supernatural to punish all sides in the Vietnam War, dragging the men of Task Force 13 into a vicious battle with the undead.

“Spy vs. Spy” by Michael Morton. In the opening moves of the Pacific War, an American detachment takes on a Japanese intelligence officer in the Philippines who using supernatural powers to run a spy network.

“Devil Dogs” by Chris Bast. A young Marine in the mountains of Afghanistan beholds the horrors of hell as his platoon is overrun by demons, and his desire for revenge drives him to accompany a JTF 13 squad as they hunt the demons’ master.

“Troll” by J.F. Holmes. A squad from the 82nd Airborne is wiped out trying to destroy a bridge behind enemy lines on June 6, 1944, and the Task Force is called in to deal with the ancient enemy hiding beneath it.

©2020 Three Ravens Publishing (P)2021 Three Ravens Publishing

Inconsistent Quality

Some of the stories were much better than others. The internal canon was a little off- the final story has gribbly things left and right, while the earlier ones treat them as fairly rare. Tye Revolutionary War tale was the strongest, but the two GWOT stories were also quite good. The gimmick for the first story may have worked well on paper, but it annoyed me here, as I was genuinely looking forward to a story set in Syria. (SPOILER: There is no story. The entirety of the first chapter is the word "redacted".)

The other thing that reduced the quality was the narration. At times it was good, but there were odd pauses mid-sentence in places. Also, frequent mispronunciations grated a bit, i.e. "Hemland Province", and the repeated pronunciation of the acronym BAR as "bar".

Overall, I bought this *really* wanting to love it... but couldn't.