The Barrabas Fallout

Soldiers of Barrabas #28

by Jack Hild, Jim Mandeville

CHAIN REACTION

Inheritors of the Klan, fueled by Nazi ideology, want their own "Aryan" homeland in the northwest United States. Having graduated from racketeering and murder to mass violence, the fanatics are prepared to use the atomic bomb in their possession. To back up their demands, they have targeted an American city for destruction.

The FBI decides that the times call for desperate measures. Their answer is Colonel Nile Barrabas, an ex-Special Forces man backed by a commando squad that is tough and to-the-point in a firelight. With the fate of an entire city hanging in the balance, their orders are to "ask no questions and shoot to kill"

220 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1988

About the author

"Jack Hild" is a pseudonym shared by multiple authors ghostwriting the Soldiers of Barrabas (SOBs) series of action-adventure novels. The most prolific of these authors were Robin Hardy and Alan Philipson.

Despite Hild's output being the work of several authors, the novelist Warren Murphy provided a cover endorsement saying "Jack Hild is simply the best and gutsiest action writer around today."

In backmatter to some of the SOBs books, the publishers Gold Eagle jokingly stated Hild's "whereabouts are unknown. No one associated with Gold Eagle Books has ever seen Jack, in person or in a photograph... If you should ever meet Jack Hild... let us know."

Reviews

[Josh Hitch · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoy this series. I really love reading about Barrabas and his wacky crew of mercs. Though I feel this one is a weaker one, not badly written overall, just not put together well. Quite a bit didn't need to be in the book and was just filler. A lot of the battles seem pretty sparse and just weak. The idea isn't bad a well connected group of the Aryan Nation has kidnapped a nuclear scientist and is building a nuke to make demands like freeing their members in jail and to have a free state in the northwest. Barrabas and his SOBs are called in, but they are getting interference from up top, which hinders their effectiveness.

I wouldn't skip this one if you are reading through the series. It's good enough. Though it could be better, I think, with some cutting, moving some stuff around, and beefing up some of the battle scenes.

[Wayne · Rating 4 out of 5]

The SOB's hit the Aryan Nation on home soil, The United States. Not only do they have to dodge bullets from the neo-Nazis, but they also have to look out for local law enforcement agencies and the FBI. The white supremacists have also kidnapped a scientist from Los Alamos to build them a nuclear weapon. They want a homeland in the Pacific Northwest or else.

Once again, this series is back to the way it should be. Loads of action and outlandish gun battles that should have killed most everyone. There's only a few more volumes left in of this series. Let's hope it stays on course.