Alone and Unafraid (American Praetorians, #3) in SSG: Spy/Spec-Ops Group

Jan 03, 2015 Samuel rated it it was amazing

HEART OF DARKNESS.

"Surround yourself with people.
They are easier to fight for than principles."- Ian Fleming.

We're halfway into the second decade on the war on terror. And things aren't getting better at all. Most recently, the cold war between Iran and Saudi Arabia has become overt with the well trained IRGC going up against Saudi Arabian special forces in the hills of North Yemen. Peter Nealen's "American Praetorians" series is like a distorted reflection of the current situation in the Mid HEART OF DARKNESS.

"Surround yourself with people.
They are easier to fight for than principles."- Ian Fleming.

We're halfway into the second decade on the war on terror. And things aren't getting better at all. Most recently, the cold war between Iran and Saudi Arabia has become overt with the well trained IRGC going up against Saudi Arabian special forces in the hills of North Yemen. Peter Nealen's "American Praetorians" series is like a distorted reflection of the current situation in the Middle East. Set in a contemporary dystopia, in the world of the Praetorians, the US is a broken nation, the Sunni states have come under the rule of Islamic extremists and Iran has taken the gloves off in its international dealings. Shortly after book 2 was published, Daesh became hot property in the world of Islamic Terrorism. In book 3, the story arc continues with the main protagonists uncovering a black operation with nightmarish ramifications for what is left of the stability of the Middle East. Now to the review. What happens when those that are supposed to protect us are beyond caring about what they do?

The book kicks back in Basra. The protagonist, Jeff Stone and his subordinates are going steady, working to eliminate the IRGC presence in the fiefdom which they run in co-operation with ally they've made an arrangement with. However, things change for the worse when they get news that a Shia extremist General who has allied himself with the Iranians in planning to invade Basra. Knowing that they don't have the firepower to face him and that their ally of convenience will sell them down the river, they make their leave in a spectacular manner, along with some more trustworthy friends who have nothing left to lose. Before departing, their superiors received a new contract from a former CIA officer, pertaining to the black operation which they accidentally uncovered in book 2. Having been given the order to destroy the participants of the operation, the main characters head into Baghdad and link up with a friendly PMC running security arrangements at the American Embassy. What starts as a search and destroy mission slowly evolves into an escape from the heart of darkness, as the situation deteriorates and the nightmarish Balkanization of Iraq commences.

In terms of plot, Alone and Unafraid mostly maintains the standards of the previous book. Mr Nealen's contemporary dystopia still manages to evoke paranoia which Robert Ludlum could only dream of. He further develops and elaborates on the ramifications of the black operation uncovered in book 2, namely the consequences of picking one side in a sectarian conflict between two groups of psychotic religious extremists. He also uses this story to explore what would happen if those fighting the war on terror decided that morality is a limiting thing and threw it out the window. The antagonists of Alone and Unafraid embody this theme. They're people who have been burned out from fighting a fruitless, thankless war and in a world gone mad, with nothing left to live for have decided to change the game and damn the consequences. The action in alone and unafraid is simply the best in the series. From the opening take down of a particularly large Shia-extremist terrorist cell to an epic evacuation of the American Embassy in Iraq, combined with a incredibly well researched narrative, you will feel every bullet and bomb blast that the main protagonists suffer and endure.

Now for the characters. Mr Nealen shifts some focus away from the secondary characters and onto Jeff Stone. He finally gets a more character development than in the previous two books. This is done through exploring his motivations by contrasting them with the antagonists. For all his pragmatism and the necessary amorality he has to bring to his job, Stone tries to live up to a few standards, even when the events of the story are slowly destroying his sanity, something which defines him from the more callous opposition he's trying to destroy. Next, we have my favorite character in the series, Hussein Ali. Introduced in book 2 as the surprisingly competent former Iraqi militant turned ally of the main protagonists, he continues to shine and keep up with the contractors who he's allied with. Ali also embodied an running theme through the books, namely the idea of "Tribe". Having started as an idealist and seen the Americans, Iraq's neighbors and his fellow countrymen make a right hash of things, he helps the Praetorians due to seeing them as kindred spirits, men who have nothing but each other in an unforgiving world. Finally we have Joseph Vetner, leader of the PMC managing security arrangements at the American Embassy in Baghdad. In other novels, his character would be an incompetent jerk resenting the main protagonist. Not here. Vetner's a consummate professional, just as competent as the main characters and happy to help them whenever he can, up to running interference for them when the Praetorians exposure starts rising.

While Mr Nealen suitably raised the stakes in this book, unlike the previous two, I had a few problems. First, while the opposing organization was a great foil, the man who led it, did not get enough characterization in my opinion. He only got a non-speaking cameo and was unceremoniously eliminated off page. Secondly I consider the ending dragged out and something that could have been executed a bit better. While liquidating one of the more remorseful antagonists in cold blood would have made the main characters less sympathetic, the blatant use of Deus Ex Machina to throw in one more action sequence felt a bit cheap to me. If the author had not thrown in that last phone call, the story would have ended on a memorable, dark cliffhanger.

Overall, despite the two issues, "Alone and Unafraid" is a great conclusion to the "Daesh" story arc. The American Praetorians have established themselves as a military series in a class of their own above the usual post 9/11 novels. Set in a dystopia that is contemporary and recognizable, rather than outlandish and science fiction based, Nealen has created worst case scenarios that actually unsettle and act as a brilliant sort of alternate history to what is currently going on in the Middle East right now. With a highly visceral writing style, rich, well researched narrative and improving characterization, I readily recommend the American Praetorians series to readers who want a military thriller with a difference.

TOTALLY RECOMMENDED. ...more

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Dec 02, 2014 Henry Brown rated it it was amazing

Shelves: paramilitary, dude-lit, dystopian

Jeff Stone's Private Military Company is like a man trying to navigate a forest fire barefoot. Alliances are constantly shifting. Friends become enemies overnight and vice-versa. Praetorian Security seems to be only a half-step in front of the Grim Reaper most of the time, in a world with a violent power vacuum in the absence of American interventionism after the collapse of the dollar.

In Alone and Unafraid, Nealen really ramps up the action. Some of the complex regional politics might be challe ...more

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