Blind Fire

The Zone #2

by James Rouch

IN THE WAR OF TOMORROW, THERE’LL BE NO SURVIVORS!

The death-filled battleground known as The Zone is growing larger by the day. Soviet T84s and quad-barrelled flak-wagons advance through the German countryside spewing lethal chemicals and tactical nuclear weapons, leaving a living hell in their wake. The Third Battle of Frankfurt has begun in a savage frenzy of blood and fire as superpowers use superweapons to fight for control of Western Europe.

American Major Revell and British Sergeant Hyde of the joint NATO strike force have their orders: delay the Communist column. But Revell will be damned if he'll risk the lives of his men just to buy a few lousy minutes. He'll do more than delay the column—he'll destroy it! Only a madman would take on Shilka anti-aircraft tanks with some outdated mines and a few Dragon rocket launchers. But insanity is a way of life amid the carnage and chaos of... THE ZONE.

Genres: Fiction, Thriller, War, Espionage

160 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1980

Reviews

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

Blind Fire is the second novel in The Zone series. The first five were published in Great Britain in 1980-'82, then reprinted in the U.S. by Zebra with "Men's Adventure" printed on the spine as the genre category. Zebra continued the series with another four books, and apparently a tenth volume was released by an electronic-only publisher in 2007. The books are set in Europe during a ground war between NATO forces and Russia in a wasteland that's been repeatedly blasted by atomic, biological, and chemical weapons. In this one, Major Revell's and Sergeant Hyde's company are charged with delaying an advancing super column of communist forces. Naturally, they resolve not to delay it at the expense of their men, but to destroy it entirely despite the impossible odds. The soldiers are all men save a psycho-killer named Andrea; all of the rest of the females are prostitutes or occasionally nurses. (Hence the men's adventure label.) Despite the future-setting, there's not much of science fiction feel to the book; the war technology isn't much different from WWII, though I guess there were some technological advances from 1980. They toss around a lot of atomic weapons. It's a competently done adventure and reads more like a shoot-'em-up video game narrative with a high proportion of not-erotic sex than anything else. It's not good literature but it is exactly what it set out and is supposed to be.

[Roy Szweda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love this series and it is on my list of to read again either the paperback which I have kept for getting on for 30 years. If you like Sven Hassel but brought up to date and "what might have been" war scenarios you should check this author out. Gritty and shocking but gripping and as accurate as the weapons he writes about. Also look out for his three WW2 novels especially the one on the Tiger tank.

[John Davies · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a bad book, but without the hovertank they had in the first book. A couple of casualties occur which you didn't really care about because there is not much character development at all. Good for just turning off your brain and getting into the action..

[Charles · Rating 3 out of 5]

A World War III series. I thought it was OK but didn't feel the need to read any more in the series. I wanted to like it more than I did.