David Gunn (1)

One sentence summary? Jack Reacher, in space, with a big gun and a bad attitude.

I glanced at the first few pages of this book to see if it was interesting enough for me to take it on a road trip this week, or if I would just leave it until I got back.

Several hours later I put the book down, went online and ordered the next two books in the series before picking it back up and finishing it.

It is violent and dark and the main character is one that you'll wonder why you like him so much. It's show more kinda like Jack Reacher in a science fiction setting - but a bit more violent and a bit more dark. Yeah, I know...

Sven gets it done. That's his job so he does it. What is he? Well, he is kinda like a not-quite-evil-but-very-noire Superman. Oh, and he's got a gun that is nearly as bad as he is.

It's violent but not particulary gory and there's foul language but it always fits the circumstances and there's sex/rape/prostitution but it's not graphic. I'm not sure if there's anything that could have made this book better... honestly. show less

I was really looking to read some military sci-fi and this really fits the bill. It reads like a comic book which suits me fine but beware - if you are expecting anything deeper than that - maybe look elsewhere.

The main character(Sven)is basically the hardest man in the universe an really gets thrown around the plot - often for no obviously discernable reason - being incredibly hard and violent.

It's the motivation and direction of the plot and of him that jars a little bit. Sven is painted show more as a really strong, forceful, independant character but just seem to be moved randomly through the story without really questioining it much. Perhaps this is a valid observation on his military mindset?

There is also quite a lot of world building that isn't really exaplained in any great detail (another victim of the genre I suppose) but enough is revealed through out the story to make is understandable and really all you need to to know is good guys/bad guys/really bad guys.

Sven is likebale in an unlikeable kind of way and the mad running around shooting things distracts from any issues with plot ot characterisation. His sarcastic talkig gun is the star of the show in my opinio and I have it retuns in future instalments of which - according to GR - there are to be several.

Enjoyable Action Packed Violent. I'll definately be picked up the others.

However - he has a sarcastic talking gun so all is forgiven show less

Death’s Head Series
David Gunn

1. Death’s Head (4 ½ stars out of 5)
2. Death’s Head: Maximum Offense (4 stars out of 5)
3. Death’s Head: Day of the Damned (4 stars out of 5)

When it’s time to put down those dusty classics, the recommended high-brow literature and your lengthy summer reading list I suggest you pick up any one of David Gunn’s Death’s Head books. They are the Science Fiction equivalent of the action adventure blockbuster movies you’ve come to know and love. The show more stories move faster than the speed of light and are quite literally jammed with swearing, shooting and screwing (not necessarily in that order.) Between the three S’s however, you’ll find great storytelling, sharp dialogue and quite a few unique literary inventions. Wait! That just doesn’t give justice to Gunn’s work. There is backstabbing, compassion, evisceration and even a bit of technological tom-foolery. Yes, I said it – tom-foolery. How else do you explain the computer chip resurrection some characters achieve? But take my word for it this is not a cheap sub-plot to play god. There is logic and purpose behind the concept. You’ll feel it before you truly understand it.

The Death’s Head books are military Science Fiction the way it was intended to be written and the way it must be read. The characters are the meanest, nastiest, toughest survival-types you’ll ever meet and they find themselves in impossible situations under unbelievable odds. Yet, they still manage to stay sane and complete the missions (well, most of them anyway.) Two of my favorite creations are the talking gun (and a smart-ass to boot) and a cognizant, sentient planet. You really have to read them to understand the complexities involved. But believe me when I tell you that it’s absolutely worth it. I’ve been reading the series since the publication of the very first book and I wait impatiently for each next installment to hit the bookstores. (I haven’t done that since Harry Potter!) This is great solid, throw-back military Science Fiction and I assure you that you won’t be wasting your money if you purchase every book in the series.

The Alternative
Southeast, Wisconsin show less

Three word review: Sarcastic. Talking. Gun!

This was another guilty pleasure read about a (space) soldier with superhuman healing ability. From the start; tied to a whipping post on a desert planet, convicted of treason, to the conclusion, the story stays exciting and interesting.

Believable characters and all the trappings of a good sci-fi novel, Death's Head is a fun quick read.

Prison planets, hyper speed travel, warring empires, hi tech strategy, assassination conspiracies, military show more politics and nigh indestructible enemies (the n braids, the Ferox, etc). This book has all that, and plenty of interweaving sub-plots.

I was psyched to learn that there *are* in fact more books in the series.
http://www.librarything.com/series/Death%27s+Head+-+Sven+Tveskoeg

If Firefly is a western in space, Deaths Head is:
Wolverine + Aliens + Bourne Supremacy, starring Mickey Rourke, with Johnny Knoxville as the Gun.

I look forward to continuing the series. show less