Special Forces Military Fiction Novels

By Leslie Ball


It's always fun to explore a new genre of literary fiction and the war novel is no exception. In many ways, the reader can gain a more vivid picture of wartime life from a purely fictional work than they can a non-fiction piece of work. When the author is allowed to hide behind a veil of anonymity, they feel freer to describe individuals and situations than they would if they had to name and shame. Among the newest sub-genres of the war novel are special forces military fiction novels.

Most 21st century war novels are set in just about every continent apart from North America. While this generation of war stories will be mainly about the Gulf wars and the Balkan conflicts, the Baby Boomer generation were generating stories about the Vietnam War. Their parents were living and writing about Korea and World War II. The next generation could well feature inter-planetary conflicts.

The special forces, such as the Navy SEALS, are a popular topic. Special ops teams tend to be smaller units, making it easier for the author to fully develop characters. Special ops teams also seem to get the most gripping, fast-paced stories.

The act of authoring a war novel can help a soldier-turned-writer come to terms with what he had to face "over there." It can serve as a catharsis. This could be why so many authors churn out series' of novels. Take Josef Black, for example, and his series called, "The Blades." His novels have been set in Colombia, London, Paris, and Las Vegas.

In a similar genre but going in a completely different direction is the "AFTER" post-apocalyptic series by author, Scott Nicholson. The first volume in this series is called "Shock, " in which a massive solar storm kills billions of people and demolishes the world's technological infrastructure. A handful of survivors struggle to survive while a new, violent, population evolves.

For a real adventure, try military sci-fi. These novels take true stories based on historical conflicts and then amend them so they are set in the future and involve galaxies, not just countries. An example of a futuristic setting that refers back to ancient history is the Star Trek TNG episode where Captain Picard is in a situation similar to that of King Gilgamesh of Mesopotamia in the third millennium B. C.

War stories have been captivating readers ever since Homer scratched out the Iliad and will continue to do so for centuries from now as man conquers outer space. Although they are by definition not "true, " a lot of historical perspective can be gained from them by reading about the human side of war.

So, what next for 21st century war stories and beyond? Emerging stories will most likely concern the emerging cold war between Russia and a growing contingent of the western world. What is really going to set the cat amongst the pigeons is if the Navy decide, as they are in the process of doing, whether to include women in special ops units like the Navy SEALs. We could see a whole new generation of heroins and an added dimension of human wartime relationships.




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