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SEAL Team 666 #1
SEAL Team 666
Weston Ochse's SEAL Team 666 follows Cadet Jack Walker. Halfway through SEAL training, he's still green but showing incredible promise when he's whisked away to join four SEALs—and their dog—for a special ops mission. Walker soon finds himself in a whirlwind of otherworldly creatures and events as he finds out the true nature of this “special ops” team: SEAL Team 666. Battling demons, possessed humans, mass-murdering cults, and evil in its most dark and primeval form, SEAL Team 666 has their work cut out for them. And it’s not long before they realize that the threat isn’t just directed against the U.S.—an ancient and deadly cult has bigger plans, and Walker is at the center of a supernatural conflict with the entire world at stake.
320 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 13, 2012
110 people are currently reading
1303 people want to read
About the author
Weston Ochse
129 books295 followersThe American Library Association calls Weston Ochse “one of the major horror authors of the 21 st Century.” He has been praised by USA Today, The Atlantic, The New York Post, The Financial Times of London, Publishers Weekly, Peter Straub, Joe Lansdale, Jon Maberry, Kevin J. Anderson, David Gerrold, William C. Dietz, Tim Lebbon, Christopher Golden, and many more of the world’s best-selling authors. His work has won the Bram Stoker Award, been nominated for the Pushcart Prize, and won multiple New Mexico Arizona Book Awards.
A writer of nearly thirty books in multiple genres, his military supernatural series SEAL Team 666 has been optioned to be a movie starring Dwayne Johnson and his military sci fi trilogy, which starts with Grunt Life, has been praised for its PTSD-positive depiction of soldiers at peace and at war.
Weston has also published literary fiction, poetry, comics, and non-fiction articles.
His shorter work has appeared in DC Comics, IDW Comics, Soldier of Fortune Magazine, Cemetery Dance, and peered literary journals. His franchise work includes the X-Files, Predator, Aliens, Hellboy, Clive Barker’s Midian, and V-Wars. Weston holds a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing and teaches at Southern New Hampshire University. He lives in Arizona with his wife, and fellow author, Yvonne Navarro and their Great Danes.
A writer of nearly thirty books in multiple genres, his military supernatural series SEAL Team 666 has been optioned to be a movie starring Dwayne Johnson and his military sci fi trilogy, which starts with Grunt Life, has been praised for its PTSD-positive depiction of soldiers at peace and at war.
Weston has also published literary fiction, poetry, comics, and non-fiction articles.
His shorter work has appeared in DC Comics, IDW Comics, Soldier of Fortune Magazine, Cemetery Dance, and peered literary journals. His franchise work includes the X-Files, Predator, Aliens, Hellboy, Clive Barker’s Midian, and V-Wars. Weston holds a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing and teaches at Southern New Hampshire University. He lives in Arizona with his wife, and fellow author, Yvonne Navarro and their Great Danes.
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November 7, 2013
Book Info: Genre: Military Urban Fantasy
Reading Level: Adult
Recommended for: Fans of military fiction, science-fiction and urban fantasy with male character and points of view.
Book Available: Book available in hardcover and e-book editions November 27, 2012.
My Thoughts: When I heard about this book, I just could not resist – combining two of my favorite genres of military science-fiction and urban fantasy? Irresistible!
The only real problem I had with the story was the head-hopping. It was supposed to be from Walker’s point of view but occasionally it would jump into someone else’s head.This was an ARC, which are usually uncorrected proofs, so I will assume things like Jen’s changing eye color and Hoover’s hopping gender will be fixed in the final copy (Please note: Yes, these these were fixed in the final edition).
But overall, it was a fun and fast-paced story for those who enjoy things like military science-fiction and urban fantasy with male characters and point of view. Those looking for a softer, gentler story – hey, this is about SEALs, don’t expect a lot of sharing and caring. What it is includes a lot of blowing stuff to kingdom come, so if that doesn’t interest you, best to look for something else to read. But if you like a lot of explosions ('splodies, whoo-hoo!) and fighting, you’ll probably enjoy this story quite a lot. Check it out.
Disclosure: I received an ARC paperback copy of this book from the Amazon Vine program in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Synopsis: Weston Ochse's SEAL Team 666 follows Cadet Jack Walker. Halfway through SEAL training, he's still green but showing incredible promise when he's whisked away to join four SEALs—and their dog—for a special ops mission. Walker soon finds himself in a whirlwind of otherworldly creatures and events as he finds out the true nature of this “special ops” team: SEAL Team 666. Battling demons, possessed humans, mass-murdering cults, and evil in its most dark and primeval form, SEAL Team 666 has their work cut out for them. And it’s not long before they realize that the threat isn’t just directed against the U.S.—an ancient and deadly cult has bigger plans, and Walker is at the center of a supernatural conflict with the entire world at stake.
Reading Level: Adult
Recommended for: Fans of military fiction, science-fiction and urban fantasy with male character and points of view.
Book Available: Book available in hardcover and e-book editions November 27, 2012.
My Thoughts: When I heard about this book, I just could not resist – combining two of my favorite genres of military science-fiction and urban fantasy? Irresistible!
The only real problem I had with the story was the head-hopping. It was supposed to be from Walker’s point of view but occasionally it would jump into someone else’s head.
But overall, it was a fun and fast-paced story for those who enjoy things like military science-fiction and urban fantasy with male characters and point of view. Those looking for a softer, gentler story – hey, this is about SEALs, don’t expect a lot of sharing and caring. What it is includes a lot of blowing stuff to kingdom come, so if that doesn’t interest you, best to look for something else to read. But if you like a lot of explosions ('splodies, whoo-hoo!) and fighting, you’ll probably enjoy this story quite a lot. Check it out.
Disclosure: I received an ARC paperback copy of this book from the Amazon Vine program in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Synopsis: Weston Ochse's SEAL Team 666 follows Cadet Jack Walker. Halfway through SEAL training, he's still green but showing incredible promise when he's whisked away to join four SEALs—and their dog—for a special ops mission. Walker soon finds himself in a whirlwind of otherworldly creatures and events as he finds out the true nature of this “special ops” team: SEAL Team 666. Battling demons, possessed humans, mass-murdering cults, and evil in its most dark and primeval form, SEAL Team 666 has their work cut out for them. And it’s not long before they realize that the threat isn’t just directed against the U.S.—an ancient and deadly cult has bigger plans, and Walker is at the center of a supernatural conflict with the entire world at stake.
January 16, 2013
In this age of supernatural and paranormal fiction, there are scores of lone gunmen, wizards and warriors fighting against the forces of evil. At the same time, the bookstores are full of modern thriller with special op agents fighting against evil terrorists intent on mass bloodshed.
Not content with having special force soldiers fight against Al Qeada terrorists or enemy nations trying to kill Americans, Weston Ochse successfully, at times, melds the military thriller genre with the supernatural in this entertaining demon slaying novel.
Jack Walker, a trainee 4 weeks from graduation as a navy SEAL, the roughest badasses in the American military, is yanked from his class and added to an unusual 5 man and one dog team. SEAL Team 666, composed of Holmes, the taciturn leader, Laws, a person with a eidetic memory for sounds, Ruiz, Hoover, the dog, and one other SEAL are America's line of defense against supernatural monsters. SEAL Team 666 is only the latest incarnation of these special forces, who appear to have been defending America's shores since before America revolted against England.
Walker is put on the team by Sissy, America's military leaders of these missions because of his unique skills. He is both an accomplished sniper, but as we see its his other skills that make him a candidate for the team. He is sensitive to demons and their artifacts. It seems that when Walker was 9 his father, a black marketer screwed some children out of penicillin for a buck in the Far East. The children all died, and a witch doctor cursed the Walker family - Jack Walker became inhabited by a grave demon, who took over his young body. The demon made him attack others and kill. He barely remembers this time, but has nightmares. Walker's father was somehow able to do an exorcism on his son, who never stopped fighting the demon.
The novel is a series of missions with the SEAL Team 666 trying to kill demons and other supernatural monsters. Ochse, who has a military background, obviously knows the SEAL Team's weapons and culture. If a SEAL team member is killed, we see how the other members remember their fallen colleague. Although about supernatural monster killing, the novel rings with verisimilitude.
Now a Burmese rebel has found an artifact linked to a long living demon, who longs to rule and kill humankind. The rebel also wants to take over his country so they form an unholy alliance, but the rebel does not trust the demon, so he has his henchmen force slave women to craft a suit of human skin to keep the demon at bay. But the demon influences the rebel and this unholy team engage in all manner of human destruction and death. The typical scenes of woman being killed and violated in unspeakable ways are present.
SEAL Team 666 is sent out on several missions and fights monsters employed by the demon. The firefights are fierce, and the body count is impressive. The blood and guts of a good military thriller are obvious.
At the end there is a final confrontation between the remnants of SEAL Team 666 against the demon/human combo as Walker tries to save his colleagues from being human sacrifices by finally being able to use his unique demon skills to find the demon artifact and separate it from the demon/human host so the host can be killed.
Ochse seems to have found a niche in the gory world of demon killing with his SEAL Team 666. His website indicates that he has already penned a sequel in this series.
If you like killing demons with military precision, this is definitely a book for you,
Not content with having special force soldiers fight against Al Qeada terrorists or enemy nations trying to kill Americans, Weston Ochse successfully, at times, melds the military thriller genre with the supernatural in this entertaining demon slaying novel.
Jack Walker, a trainee 4 weeks from graduation as a navy SEAL, the roughest badasses in the American military, is yanked from his class and added to an unusual 5 man and one dog team. SEAL Team 666, composed of Holmes, the taciturn leader, Laws, a person with a eidetic memory for sounds, Ruiz, Hoover, the dog, and one other SEAL are America's line of defense against supernatural monsters. SEAL Team 666 is only the latest incarnation of these special forces, who appear to have been defending America's shores since before America revolted against England.
Walker is put on the team by Sissy, America's military leaders of these missions because of his unique skills. He is both an accomplished sniper, but as we see its his other skills that make him a candidate for the team. He is sensitive to demons and their artifacts. It seems that when Walker was 9 his father, a black marketer screwed some children out of penicillin for a buck in the Far East. The children all died, and a witch doctor cursed the Walker family - Jack Walker became inhabited by a grave demon, who took over his young body. The demon made him attack others and kill. He barely remembers this time, but has nightmares. Walker's father was somehow able to do an exorcism on his son, who never stopped fighting the demon.
The novel is a series of missions with the SEAL Team 666 trying to kill demons and other supernatural monsters. Ochse, who has a military background, obviously knows the SEAL Team's weapons and culture. If a SEAL team member is killed, we see how the other members remember their fallen colleague. Although about supernatural monster killing, the novel rings with verisimilitude.
Now a Burmese rebel has found an artifact linked to a long living demon, who longs to rule and kill humankind. The rebel also wants to take over his country so they form an unholy alliance, but the rebel does not trust the demon, so he has his henchmen force slave women to craft a suit of human skin to keep the demon at bay. But the demon influences the rebel and this unholy team engage in all manner of human destruction and death. The typical scenes of woman being killed and violated in unspeakable ways are present.
SEAL Team 666 is sent out on several missions and fights monsters employed by the demon. The firefights are fierce, and the body count is impressive. The blood and guts of a good military thriller are obvious.
At the end there is a final confrontation between the remnants of SEAL Team 666 against the demon/human combo as Walker tries to save his colleagues from being human sacrifices by finally being able to use his unique demon skills to find the demon artifact and separate it from the demon/human host so the host can be killed.
Ochse seems to have found a niche in the gory world of demon killing with his SEAL Team 666. His website indicates that he has already penned a sequel in this series.
If you like killing demons with military precision, this is definitely a book for you,
October 21, 2014
Evil exists... I once asked the Director of the Exorcist what the Catholic Church thought of his film. He said they loved it. Why, because it made the point that evil exists. Weston Ochse acknowledges that evil does indeed exist, and that it needs to be put down with shotguns, sniper rifles and guts. Lots of guts. This Military SciFi Thriller hands out action like cooked off grenades, tense and urgent. The writing is top notch and the accuracy regarding tactics, weapons and the military is eyes on target. Weston Ochse departs from the known, ups the ante from medieval to Roman, then goes upriver into that supernatural Coppola was afraid of in Apocalypse Now. It's all that... And more. I tore through this book and had what every reader wants, a well told tale that didn't flinch. This should easily be a movie, but you'd really want a TV series done AMC-style because this is something you want to explore. I highly recommend this book for an unexpected adventure into the heart of darkness. I had a great time.
February 20, 2013
Jack Walker’s dream was to be a Navy SEAL. He was going to make it through BUD/S training, no matter how much it punished his body. Just four more weeks. But he’s pulled out of training early, and drafted into an ultra-secret, elite SEAL team, one that has an unusual team number. This team fights threats against the free world that are supernatural in origin. And Jack is specially equipped to be a member. For the dark scars of his youth mark him with a special ability to sense evil.
I liked the idea of this book, a military special ops story with a supernatural twist. Ochse’s attention to detail as far as military ops lends credibility to the writing. I really appreciated the look at how a SEAL team operates and the whole involved procedure of keeping the world safe, top secret-style, with the ancillary support of various defense agency personnel. His focus seems to be more on this than the supernatural component, but he grafts together the two aspects of the story fairly well. Still this book seemed thin to me. Like it was serviceable, but merely scratching the surface of possibilities. Yes, I think that was the big issue I had with this book. It lacked depth.
I wanted more character exploration. While I felt I did get to know Jack fairly well, I didn’t get more than a surface portrayal of most of the others. I realize that the story occurs in a short period of time, but I had this feeling that the characters merely existed to move the story, or to get killed off. That saddened me. The death of a team member and the ritual associated with his passing, had more time spent on it than seeing that team member as a living, breathing human. Of course, death is an everyday experience for these men. They know they could die on any mission they undertake. But I needed to know them better, because knowing someone is part of the process of caring for them, that they live and die for a purpose. Otherwise, our mental health defenses build a wall between us and the suffering of others in the world, because to cry for every person who dies will destroy you. We just don’t have that capacity. But if you know someone, even a little, it breaks your heart to know they have died. To introduce a character only to kill them without much effort to infuse depth makes a mockery of that. I really dislike the tendency towards presenting characters as sacrificial lambs in a story. Just enough to introduce a character and then they get killed off. I felt this was a shortcoming of this novel.
The action is well done. The pace was intense and appropriate. I got the real sense that I was going on ops with these guys. In this case, all in relation to the supernatural threats in this book. If even possible, that brings a higher level of threat to the situation. There’s only so much a gun can do against an undead, immortal threat, or one from a world of strangeness that doesn’t follow the rules that govern this physical one.
The supernatural storyline was intriguing and definitely horrific. Ochse does build the sense of wrongness and weirdness that would disturb an average person. I like a weird supernatural story like nobody’s business, but I had some moments where I was thinking, “That’s just wrong!” Imagine being a SEAL, trained to eliminate lethal threats all around the world, but previously naïve to the supernatural darkness in this world. You have to keep moving and do your job, and you don’t have time for “WTFs”. So yes, that part was very well done. The particular threat they faced in this book felt novel and very intimidating, and the author ties it into things going on in the world arena. While the climax was too abrupt for my tastes, it definitely had impact, and as I said, I enjoyed the action moments.
With this book, I had that feeling that everything was scratching the surface when I wanted things to get deeper. With an intriguing storyline like this, I get excited to see what journey the author will take me on. Overall, this was a book that kept me reading. It was a pretty good book. A nice mélange of spec ops action and supernatural weirdness. I think the author could have given me more as far as characterization, which is the biggest shortcoming of this novel. However, I would keep reading this if it becomes a series.
Overall rating: 3.25/5.0 stars.
I liked the idea of this book, a military special ops story with a supernatural twist. Ochse’s attention to detail as far as military ops lends credibility to the writing. I really appreciated the look at how a SEAL team operates and the whole involved procedure of keeping the world safe, top secret-style, with the ancillary support of various defense agency personnel. His focus seems to be more on this than the supernatural component, but he grafts together the two aspects of the story fairly well. Still this book seemed thin to me. Like it was serviceable, but merely scratching the surface of possibilities. Yes, I think that was the big issue I had with this book. It lacked depth.
I wanted more character exploration. While I felt I did get to know Jack fairly well, I didn’t get more than a surface portrayal of most of the others. I realize that the story occurs in a short period of time, but I had this feeling that the characters merely existed to move the story, or to get killed off. That saddened me. The death of a team member and the ritual associated with his passing, had more time spent on it than seeing that team member as a living, breathing human. Of course, death is an everyday experience for these men. They know they could die on any mission they undertake. But I needed to know them better, because knowing someone is part of the process of caring for them, that they live and die for a purpose. Otherwise, our mental health defenses build a wall between us and the suffering of others in the world, because to cry for every person who dies will destroy you. We just don’t have that capacity. But if you know someone, even a little, it breaks your heart to know they have died. To introduce a character only to kill them without much effort to infuse depth makes a mockery of that. I really dislike the tendency towards presenting characters as sacrificial lambs in a story. Just enough to introduce a character and then they get killed off. I felt this was a shortcoming of this novel.
The action is well done. The pace was intense and appropriate. I got the real sense that I was going on ops with these guys. In this case, all in relation to the supernatural threats in this book. If even possible, that brings a higher level of threat to the situation. There’s only so much a gun can do against an undead, immortal threat, or one from a world of strangeness that doesn’t follow the rules that govern this physical one.
The supernatural storyline was intriguing and definitely horrific. Ochse does build the sense of wrongness and weirdness that would disturb an average person. I like a weird supernatural story like nobody’s business, but I had some moments where I was thinking, “That’s just wrong!” Imagine being a SEAL, trained to eliminate lethal threats all around the world, but previously naïve to the supernatural darkness in this world. You have to keep moving and do your job, and you don’t have time for “WTFs”. So yes, that part was very well done. The particular threat they faced in this book felt novel and very intimidating, and the author ties it into things going on in the world arena. While the climax was too abrupt for my tastes, it definitely had impact, and as I said, I enjoyed the action moments.
With this book, I had that feeling that everything was scratching the surface when I wanted things to get deeper. With an intriguing storyline like this, I get excited to see what journey the author will take me on. Overall, this was a book that kept me reading. It was a pretty good book. A nice mélange of spec ops action and supernatural weirdness. I think the author could have given me more as far as characterization, which is the biggest shortcoming of this novel. However, I would keep reading this if it becomes a series.
Overall rating: 3.25/5.0 stars.
January 20, 2013
I'm putting this on my Urban Fantasy shelf as it is contemporary and actually does place a lot of the action in cities.
Pretty good book. From the title I wondered if it was going to be more of a tongue in cheek read or not. It's not, the book is played straight. Our "hero" is within 4 weeks of graduating and becoming a SEAL. He's suddenly pulled out of training...and graduated early.
The premise of this book is that there exists a specific SEAL Team that deals explicitly with "supernatural" occurrences. It's an enjoyable read lots of action and pretty good characters. I got a little annoyed at the way the protagonist is written and the love interest comes across as a little intrusive or maybe a better phrase would be "tacked on". Still it's not distracting and the story is easy to follow. There's a straight forward progression through the plot line (sort of like a liner video game) that while not surprising is again well done and holds together. I think you'll like this book if you like action or supernatural adventures.
If you're a fan of say the Monster Hunter International books you'll probably like this one (though I like the MHI books better). Give it a shot. It's good enough that if the author follows it up I'll probably give the sequel a try. Will I read anything else by the writer? I don't know yet, maybe. Still it's pretty good.
Pretty good book. From the title I wondered if it was going to be more of a tongue in cheek read or not. It's not, the book is played straight. Our "hero" is within 4 weeks of graduating and becoming a SEAL. He's suddenly pulled out of training...and graduated early.
The premise of this book is that there exists a specific SEAL Team that deals explicitly with "supernatural" occurrences. It's an enjoyable read lots of action and pretty good characters. I got a little annoyed at the way the protagonist is written and the love interest comes across as a little intrusive or maybe a better phrase would be "tacked on". Still it's not distracting and the story is easy to follow. There's a straight forward progression through the plot line (sort of like a liner video game) that while not surprising is again well done and holds together. I think you'll like this book if you like action or supernatural adventures.
If you're a fan of say the Monster Hunter International books you'll probably like this one (though I like the MHI books better). Give it a shot. It's good enough that if the author follows it up I'll probably give the sequel a try. Will I read anything else by the writer? I don't know yet, maybe. Still it's pretty good.
March 8, 2013
Take some Richard Marcinko patented Seal Team military mayhem.
Mix in a healthy dose of Kolchak, the Nightstalker.
Throw in some high grade nastiness, Asian style.
And a dash of flat out weird.
Shake well, and prepare to have your ass kicked and your name taken.
Mix in a healthy dose of Kolchak, the Nightstalker.
Throw in some high grade nastiness, Asian style.
And a dash of flat out weird.
Shake well, and prepare to have your ass kicked and your name taken.
February 10, 2020
SUPER FAST REVIEW:
Alright.
So I don’t really know why but it took me a bit to get into this book. I didn’t get into the characters at any point unfortunately (except for the dog of course).
That being said it’s an interesting story and the more it went on the more interested I got so I am going to add the second book to my reading list at some point, just not in a hurry to get to it.
3/5
Alright.
So I don’t really know why but it took me a bit to get into this book. I didn’t get into the characters at any point unfortunately (except for the dog of course).
That being said it’s an interesting story and the more it went on the more interested I got so I am going to add the second book to my reading list at some point, just not in a hurry to get to it.
3/5
September 14, 2015
Weston Ochese’s American Golem was one of my favorite stories from the Operation Arcana collection and as a result I was excited to give Seal Team 666 a shot. Unfortunately, I wanted to like Seal Team 666 far more than I actually did. The novel opens up with Cadet Jack Walker, nearing completion of SEAL training, suddenly yanked out of said training and attached to titular Seal Team 666 for a covert mission. Walker, finds himself suddenly part of a strange new world where everything that goes bump in the night is real. The novel’s primary threat centers on a cult being led by a man possessed by an ancient spirit and the efforts of Seal Team 666 to bring him down.
My primary problem with Seal Team 666 has to do with a logical inconsistency. We are informed in the novel that the group has been in existence, at least in one form or another, since the beginning of our country. The very existence of the team acknowledges that magic, demons, and monsters are very real things. They can be killed or otherwise disposed of, with great difficulty, using conventional weapons. However, it is never adequately explained (at least that I recall) how a 200-year-old covert ops group hasn’t yet found a way to fight fire with fire. There aren’t any magicians on staff that we see and the team’s intelligence seems to come from conventional means. This just feels weird to me. This element was a thorn in my side the whole time I was reading the novel. My strong reaction to this could be that I’ve just been reading too much fantasy and science fiction of late and Ochese is more concerned with a world where the supernatural is a corrupting force that usually results in messy ends. Seal Team 666’s action sequences certainly bear this theory out I just wish it had been more firmly established over the course of the novel itself.
Ochese has a strong sense of action throughout the novel. He keeps the horrors fresh and the pace moving throughout which makes for a quick read. Moments of horror are leavened a bit by dashes of humor either with the joking between members of the team or with the slap-stick, blood spattered humor familiar to fans of horror movies; a particular scene involving a fight with tiny homunculi reminded me of Ash’s fight with his own severed hand from Evil Dead 2, or the mini-Ash army from Army of Darkness. Characterization is slow with Walker’s past slowly helping to define the shape of his personality and his drive to become a SEAL. Ochese is slow to build up the other members of the team and the characterization of the team and the supporting cast never goes deeper than surface level.
Seal Team 666 leans a bit heavily towards the action over horror. While there are horrific creatures who commit horrific acts scattered throughout the novel it never quite manages to fully capture the atmosphere of dread and fear that marks the best horror fiction. Neither does the novel capture the sense of wonder present in many fantasy novels. The best horror section of the novel comes in the flashbacks to Walker’s past, the subject of which I won’t spoil, but I would love to read a longer bit of fiction focused on Walker’s horrific childhood experience. Fans of military fiction and thrillers who aren’t afraid of blood and violence should enjoy Seal Team 666 and it’s easy to see why the film rights were optioned. While it wasn’t as good as I was hoping it to be Seal Team 666 is an entertaining, exciting read and is definitely a series I’ll be returning to in the future.
My primary problem with Seal Team 666 has to do with a logical inconsistency. We are informed in the novel that the group has been in existence, at least in one form or another, since the beginning of our country. The very existence of the team acknowledges that magic, demons, and monsters are very real things. They can be killed or otherwise disposed of, with great difficulty, using conventional weapons. However, it is never adequately explained (at least that I recall) how a 200-year-old covert ops group hasn’t yet found a way to fight fire with fire. There aren’t any magicians on staff that we see and the team’s intelligence seems to come from conventional means. This just feels weird to me. This element was a thorn in my side the whole time I was reading the novel. My strong reaction to this could be that I’ve just been reading too much fantasy and science fiction of late and Ochese is more concerned with a world where the supernatural is a corrupting force that usually results in messy ends. Seal Team 666’s action sequences certainly bear this theory out I just wish it had been more firmly established over the course of the novel itself.
Ochese has a strong sense of action throughout the novel. He keeps the horrors fresh and the pace moving throughout which makes for a quick read. Moments of horror are leavened a bit by dashes of humor either with the joking between members of the team or with the slap-stick, blood spattered humor familiar to fans of horror movies; a particular scene involving a fight with tiny homunculi reminded me of Ash’s fight with his own severed hand from Evil Dead 2, or the mini-Ash army from Army of Darkness. Characterization is slow with Walker’s past slowly helping to define the shape of his personality and his drive to become a SEAL. Ochese is slow to build up the other members of the team and the characterization of the team and the supporting cast never goes deeper than surface level.
Seal Team 666 leans a bit heavily towards the action over horror. While there are horrific creatures who commit horrific acts scattered throughout the novel it never quite manages to fully capture the atmosphere of dread and fear that marks the best horror fiction. Neither does the novel capture the sense of wonder present in many fantasy novels. The best horror section of the novel comes in the flashbacks to Walker’s past, the subject of which I won’t spoil, but I would love to read a longer bit of fiction focused on Walker’s horrific childhood experience. Fans of military fiction and thrillers who aren’t afraid of blood and violence should enjoy Seal Team 666 and it’s easy to see why the film rights were optioned. While it wasn’t as good as I was hoping it to be Seal Team 666 is an entertaining, exciting read and is definitely a series I’ll be returning to in the future.
June 18, 2022
I picked this book up because Goodreads kept saying that "People who like the Joe Ledger Series also like this. I am feeling much "Ledger Withdrawals" at the moment and so in desperation decided to give this one a go.
Ok, it is Military fiction with a supernatural twist, but to be honest that is where the similarities end. Seal Team 666 fights actual demons whereas the DMS fights mad scientist. There is no doubt that Joe Ledger is the DMS in that series. every story is told in Joe's voice and from Joe's perspective. Although Jack Walker is supposed to be the main character, the perspectives jump from character to character. Neither is bad, but it definitely changes the tone of the book.
Plus, there are some very violent deaths in this book which are described in a cold manner. There is also a missing sense of smart-alecky tone to Seal Team 666.
Is this book a replacement for Joe Ledger? No it is not, but I will give it a shake and try another book in the series.
Ok, it is Military fiction with a supernatural twist, but to be honest that is where the similarities end. Seal Team 666 fights actual demons whereas the DMS fights mad scientist. There is no doubt that Joe Ledger is the DMS in that series. every story is told in Joe's voice and from Joe's perspective. Although Jack Walker is supposed to be the main character, the perspectives jump from character to character. Neither is bad, but it definitely changes the tone of the book.
Plus, there are some very violent deaths in this book which are described in a cold manner. There is also a missing sense of smart-alecky tone to Seal Team 666.
Is this book a replacement for Joe Ledger? No it is not, but I will give it a shake and try another book in the series.
May 22, 2017
This is a pretty good adventure story that attempts to blend the military action genre with the supernatural evil story with generally favorable results. It rather reminded me of the post-apocalyptic men's adventure series that were so popular some years ago, such as the Survivalist or Wingman or Doomsday Warrior books. It's a pretty fast read with generally stock characters, but it's fun. My only complaint was that it contains way too many military acronyms.
August 19, 2015
Solid... but it never really reached the heights I thought it would. Enjoyable enough but I probably won't buy anymore of the series. 3.5 stars.
July 5, 2017
I was not expecting to enjoy this as much as I did. Everything about it was gripping and intense. I loved the lingo, the action and the creativity. Fantastic read full of unexpected twists.
August 31, 2012
The Seal team bursts into a high security compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. After reaching the second floor, they find their target: "It stepped forward. Glowing eyes. Taloned hands. Dark skin stretched tightly over elongated bones. Demon." And that's just on page 4.
Weston Ochse starts what should be an amazingly creative, well-thought-through and multi-layered action/horror series with his "Seal Team 666". It's a simple concept: Seal Team battles the supernatural. It's Men In Black, but the Men wear body armor and fatigues and battle demons instead of aliens.
SEAL Team 666 is a secret unit of the Navy SEALs. The team's sniper is killed during the raid in Pakistan, and a rookie SEAL, Jack Walker, is assigned to replace the fallen soldier. Walker is at the heart of Ochse novel, and he deftly uses Walker's introduction to the team as the reader's introduction to the concept of badass warriors deployed across the world to take out supernatural baddies.
Ochse has a military background and his in depth knowledge of weapons and operations is on full display. I'm not, by any means, an experienced reader of military fiction, and Ochse's detailed descriptions of weapons and use of military terminology tethers the supernatural to the realism and believability of the novel.
Ochse does a terrific job writing the characters with a subtle introduction of their back-stories and personality traits interspersed within the narrative, providing context and motivation for their actions. He doesn't hammer you over the head with clichéd characterizations and language. What clichés do exist fit well within the military theme and work well with the overall plot.
I don't actually know if this is a planned series, but it could be. The book works as a stand-alone while also setting up opportunities for ongoing missions, and long lasting feuds with international and demonic foes.
There's plenty of action as Walker and his well-written teammates deploy to several smaller and mid-size missions, which build the plot towards an inevitable large-scale and potentially apocalyptic showdown.
I was a little anxious about the book, which, in lesser-skilled hands could come across as trite or hokey. Ochse, though, has written a believable and thoroughly enjoyable horror-military novel.
I received this book through the Amazon Vine program.
Weston Ochse starts what should be an amazingly creative, well-thought-through and multi-layered action/horror series with his "Seal Team 666". It's a simple concept: Seal Team battles the supernatural. It's Men In Black, but the Men wear body armor and fatigues and battle demons instead of aliens.
SEAL Team 666 is a secret unit of the Navy SEALs. The team's sniper is killed during the raid in Pakistan, and a rookie SEAL, Jack Walker, is assigned to replace the fallen soldier. Walker is at the heart of Ochse novel, and he deftly uses Walker's introduction to the team as the reader's introduction to the concept of badass warriors deployed across the world to take out supernatural baddies.
Ochse has a military background and his in depth knowledge of weapons and operations is on full display. I'm not, by any means, an experienced reader of military fiction, and Ochse's detailed descriptions of weapons and use of military terminology tethers the supernatural to the realism and believability of the novel.
Ochse does a terrific job writing the characters with a subtle introduction of their back-stories and personality traits interspersed within the narrative, providing context and motivation for their actions. He doesn't hammer you over the head with clichéd characterizations and language. What clichés do exist fit well within the military theme and work well with the overall plot.
I don't actually know if this is a planned series, but it could be. The book works as a stand-alone while also setting up opportunities for ongoing missions, and long lasting feuds with international and demonic foes.
There's plenty of action as Walker and his well-written teammates deploy to several smaller and mid-size missions, which build the plot towards an inevitable large-scale and potentially apocalyptic showdown.
I was a little anxious about the book, which, in lesser-skilled hands could come across as trite or hokey. Ochse, though, has written a believable and thoroughly enjoyable horror-military novel.
I received this book through the Amazon Vine program.
December 3, 2015
Seal Team 666 pits America’s real-life action heroes against the occult. A blockbuster premise, but it derails itself at the beginning with an opening crammed full of laboriously explicated military acronyms, and no immediately distinguishable characters.
It’s a slip up that does the story a disservice. Seal Team 666 is by no means a great book, but it passes the time pleasantly. US veteran Ochse knows whereof he writes, and the military aspects of the story are insanely detailed (which may be a turn on or a turn off, depending on your tolerance for gun porn), and the horror aspects of the tale are very effective. Demonic entities, horrible supernatural flashbacks, gloriously described deaths and a generous portion of gore. Great stuff.
In character and pacing it’s less successful. The plot is a string of similar missions, and although the pages zip by in these sequences (although you can just see any one of them disastrously made into a SciFi Channel TV movie), the connecting tissue is less impressive. It’s very… American. The heroes are cumbersome creations with little depth, characterisation is liberally draped emotional tinsel. There is a dog on the team who owes much to Rintintin and Disney. All the chicks are hot. The US is best, every other nation is questionable. Osama Bin Laden was an actual demon. That kind of thing.
Still, it’s fun in fits and starts, and the series (it’s a series) could develop into something cool.
Weston Ochse knows lots of martial arts, was in US Army Intelligence for years, and speaks Chinese. He’s a whisker away from being one of his heroes.
It’s a slip up that does the story a disservice. Seal Team 666 is by no means a great book, but it passes the time pleasantly. US veteran Ochse knows whereof he writes, and the military aspects of the story are insanely detailed (which may be a turn on or a turn off, depending on your tolerance for gun porn), and the horror aspects of the tale are very effective. Demonic entities, horrible supernatural flashbacks, gloriously described deaths and a generous portion of gore. Great stuff.
In character and pacing it’s less successful. The plot is a string of similar missions, and although the pages zip by in these sequences (although you can just see any one of them disastrously made into a SciFi Channel TV movie), the connecting tissue is less impressive. It’s very… American. The heroes are cumbersome creations with little depth, characterisation is liberally draped emotional tinsel. There is a dog on the team who owes much to Rintintin and Disney. All the chicks are hot. The US is best, every other nation is questionable. Osama Bin Laden was an actual demon. That kind of thing.
Still, it’s fun in fits and starts, and the series (it’s a series) could develop into something cool.
Weston Ochse knows lots of martial arts, was in US Army Intelligence for years, and speaks Chinese. He’s a whisker away from being one of his heroes.
August 24, 2013
Okay, this one was a lot of fun, pretty much exactly what I was in the mood for. The author understands the military and it shows. Not surprising considering his background. This is a fast paced, fun read with tons of excitement and adventure. The characters are likeable and believable, although I'm not terribly certain if I liked the protagonist or not, but he always acted in a realistic manner. In fact, as the new guy on the team, Jack Walker kind of screwed up a lot, which was a fun change of pace. Usually the heroes are perfect, but not Jack. He screws up. And while he always tries to do the right thing, it often just doesn't work out as he imagined it would in his head. That made him more believable and more fun to watch. I also dug the villains, although they, and the main baddy, remain hidden for most of the book. Once revealed they come across as plausible and serious, real bad guys. A suit made of human skin that provides the wearer occult powers? Awesome. I'm in.
I'll read more of Ochse. I dug this--a lot.
I'll read more of Ochse. I dug this--a lot.
December 25, 2012
I won this book a while ago as an ARC from Goodreads and found it to be just average. I did like the concept of the novel (marines fighting demons in faraway countries). My problem was that the author of the book (no offense, I hope) made some dumb decisions like describing the guns used during the battles. I know nothing of guns and I wonder if this book was written specifically for marines or soldiers. This book could have been better if it weren't so boring.
November 19, 2012
I tight, action-packed page-turner (literally -- I started it in the afternoon and finished before going to bed, late, that night!). Weston is spot on with his action sequences, makes military lingo accessible and has a devious imagination for creating scenes of supernatural horror. I won't spoil it for everyone, but Weston is NOT gentle to his characters! A must-read for those that like military action and/or contemporary horror.
November 1, 2019
Note:
Good narration but the story failed to keep my interest. 2.5 Stars round up to 3 Stars due to narration. I don't think I would have finished the book if I tried to read this vs listening to an audiobook.
Good narration but the story failed to keep my interest. 2.5 Stars round up to 3 Stars due to narration. I don't think I would have finished the book if I tried to read this vs listening to an audiobook.
December 31, 2012
Fantastic blend of military action and supernatural thriller. Loved it. It was obviously well-researched, and the pacing/style/narrative is pretty-much flawless.
Winner!
Winner!
May 18, 2020
DNF
This read like a cross of the wordier Warhammer 40k novels, a military equipment site and fanfiction (the opening, you know, that bit that is meant to hook you, drones on and on about what clothes they were wearing and what they had on their head, and what race was their dog.... - I swear, it felt like I was reading The Selection, with less ballgowns and more miltech).
I didn't feel I was reading about people but about badass cardboard cutouts.
This read like a cross of the wordier Warhammer 40k novels, a military equipment site and fanfiction (the opening, you know, that bit that is meant to hook you, drones on and on about what clothes they were wearing and what they had on their head, and what race was their dog.... - I swear, it felt like I was reading The Selection, with less ballgowns and more miltech).
I didn't feel I was reading about people but about badass cardboard cutouts.
November 2, 2018
DNF.
Loving the Joe Ledger series the way I do, I thought Seal Team 666 sounded like something I would enjoy. Unfortunately, I will never know if this book was entertaining or not, since the author repeatedly very early on in the book referred to people of Asian descent as "Chinamen".
NO. Just NO.
Loving the Joe Ledger series the way I do, I thought Seal Team 666 sounded like something I would enjoy. Unfortunately, I will never know if this book was entertaining or not, since the author repeatedly very early on in the book referred to people of Asian descent as "Chinamen".
NO. Just NO.
January 30, 2020
I almost quit this book at the prologue. The constant Seal Team 666 this Seal Team 666 that was really distracting. I get it you hunt demons. That went away in chapter one and we join the team along with Walker. Were we learn there is a Seal Team that hunts demons. The book is a good introduction to the world were the military hunts monsters.
November 20, 2017
Not as good as the second book in the series, but still a fun read.
The first book is mostly about how Jack Walker was picked for Seal Team 666 and his first few missions with the team. Also lays the grounding for book two.
The first book is mostly about how Jack Walker was picked for Seal Team 666 and his first few missions with the team. Also lays the grounding for book two.
January 10, 2018
This was a lot of fun as an audiobook. I would have liked it significantly less if it was a physical book.
March 28, 2020
A quick action novel. Though I feel I would have rated it higher if there was more character development.
July 31, 2025
Enjoyable first entry. Good characters. Not a lot of depth yet but it's a series starter so there is enough.
August 31, 2021
This book was really good and while they were dealing with the supernatural, it doesn't seem surprising that there would be a team that would be set aside to deal directly with this. I really enjoyed the story, the story telling, and the characters. My only two complaints are that they killed off too many characters in the book that I really started to like. The other thing is that the AK fires 7.62x39 and the Stoner fires 7.62x51 and those two rounds are NOT interchangeable. They are also both the same diameter. This really caught me off-guard and was disappointing.
April 10, 2016
I was over due to read a book by Weston Ochse who I have met briefly twice (World Horror in Portland) and the Midian Unmade signing here in San Diego. I wanted to read this book first even though I had his first Bram Stoker award winning novel Scarecrow Gods on the TBR. The author himself a vet and a retired military intelligence officer, who also is a horror writer was one person probably on planet earth who could write this novel and that is enough to get my interest. I believe some of this series was written in country but I could be wrong about that.
I admit the first time I saw this title I rolled my eyes a little. This title either works for you or it, not unlike the guitar player in Mad Max Fury Road. Are you going to go with it or not? This is a novel about a unit of Navy SEALS who travel the world taking care of supernatural threats, so come on you have suspend disbelief a bit. If you like military science fiction or horror you can't go wrong. Ochse could be accused of a little to much focus on the military nitty-gritty but fuck that. That realism is what makes this book stand out.
Anybody can write monsters and mythology but only one person can combine it all. As much detail is given to the tactical stuff, the history and mythology of the monsters is always there and explored with care.
The story of Jack Walker who is drafted in to SEAL team 666 a month before his graduation was clearly on the team's radar. He has a military background and a supernatural one. Walker is a great character, and Oshse handles the introduction and characterization of the team with skill. He clearly loves the genre but you get the sense that he knows a few of these characters.
Of course I love that the team is based here in San Diego, across the bay in Coronado island. There is also a cool moment with a cave under imperial beach. The Seal TEAM chases monsters across the globe, and I wondered if sometimes it wasn't a bit much. It worked for me, but hopefully the future books take on one monster at a time.
I am hooked, and really, really want to read Ochse's military sci-fi novels now. Now the word is that The Rock AKA Dwayne Johnson is attached to film project based on this novel, and they have done several screenplays. Fingers crossed as great of novel as it is -I could in the right hands make a badass movie.
I admit the first time I saw this title I rolled my eyes a little. This title either works for you or it, not unlike the guitar player in Mad Max Fury Road. Are you going to go with it or not? This is a novel about a unit of Navy SEALS who travel the world taking care of supernatural threats, so come on you have suspend disbelief a bit. If you like military science fiction or horror you can't go wrong. Ochse could be accused of a little to much focus on the military nitty-gritty but fuck that. That realism is what makes this book stand out.
Anybody can write monsters and mythology but only one person can combine it all. As much detail is given to the tactical stuff, the history and mythology of the monsters is always there and explored with care.
The story of Jack Walker who is drafted in to SEAL team 666 a month before his graduation was clearly on the team's radar. He has a military background and a supernatural one. Walker is a great character, and Oshse handles the introduction and characterization of the team with skill. He clearly loves the genre but you get the sense that he knows a few of these characters.
Of course I love that the team is based here in San Diego, across the bay in Coronado island. There is also a cool moment with a cave under imperial beach. The Seal TEAM chases monsters across the globe, and I wondered if sometimes it wasn't a bit much. It worked for me, but hopefully the future books take on one monster at a time.
I am hooked, and really, really want to read Ochse's military sci-fi novels now. Now the word is that The Rock AKA Dwayne Johnson is attached to film project based on this novel, and they have done several screenplays. Fingers crossed as great of novel as it is -I could in the right hands make a badass movie.
September 16, 2012
one of the cover blurbs on SEAL TEAM 666 says it's like The X-files written by Tom Clancy. I couldn't say. I don't read Clancy. What I can say is it's a crackerjack novel that kept me racing through the pages. The author can write a damn good thriller.
SEAL TEAM 666 has a history that goes back farther the beginnings of our country. A specialized group that's a bit different from the usual SEAL unit. Always five men and a dog, the animal always named after a President(the one before the formation of America had been named George). Each one with a specialized talent other than SEAL training.
They were set up to deal with demons, possessed humans, mass-murdering cults, whatever evil presented itself to the world.
Petty Officer First class Jack Walker is just four weeks away from completing his training when he's pulled from the class and learns he's made the promotion to SEAL. Just without the ceremony. He was neither the best in his class nor the worst. But he has two specialized talents needed immediately. He's a first class assassin, notable for making two shots from a submarine a mile from a ship, hitting two Somali pirates raping a celebrity with head shots. His other talent was a sensitivity to the supernatural. He'd been possessed by a demon as a child until an exorcism had been performed.
He's taken straight from the training ground to a plane leaving for a mission> Jack goes through several missions before getting to see their headquarters: the Pit. Trophies of many of their kills lined the walls as well as photos or paintings of every 666 member.
The main plot is an ancient cult wanting a return to power with designs on America.
This one was a lot of fun. the author knows his business as he's retired U. S. Army intelligence and current intelligence officer for the Defense Intelligence Agency.
Recommended
SEAL TEAM 666 has a history that goes back farther the beginnings of our country. A specialized group that's a bit different from the usual SEAL unit. Always five men and a dog, the animal always named after a President(the one before the formation of America had been named George). Each one with a specialized talent other than SEAL training.
They were set up to deal with demons, possessed humans, mass-murdering cults, whatever evil presented itself to the world.
Petty Officer First class Jack Walker is just four weeks away from completing his training when he's pulled from the class and learns he's made the promotion to SEAL. Just without the ceremony. He was neither the best in his class nor the worst. But he has two specialized talents needed immediately. He's a first class assassin, notable for making two shots from a submarine a mile from a ship, hitting two Somali pirates raping a celebrity with head shots. His other talent was a sensitivity to the supernatural. He'd been possessed by a demon as a child until an exorcism had been performed.
He's taken straight from the training ground to a plane leaving for a mission> Jack goes through several missions before getting to see their headquarters: the Pit. Trophies of many of their kills lined the walls as well as photos or paintings of every 666 member.
The main plot is an ancient cult wanting a return to power with designs on America.
This one was a lot of fun. the author knows his business as he's retired U. S. Army intelligence and current intelligence officer for the Defense Intelligence Agency.
Recommended
December 19, 2012
A solid 3.5 stars. It's exactly what the author blurb promises: If X-Files was written by Tom Clancy. In this case, I would actually say it's more like (the early and good) Keith Douglass of the Seal Team Seven and Carrier series.
I'm giving 4 stars for the concept. It's all kinds of awesome and hit my 'military porn' and supernatural buttons. There are some rough edges that need some polishing in terms of writing and storytelling. I particularly did not like the flashbacks that occurred because instead of adding to the story, I felt they were obstacles to the pace. The information was interesting but could have been told in a manner that did not grind the pace to a halt.
I'm also left with the burning question, in a universe where SEALs are facing the supernatural, why wouldn't the government have at least some of the support staff (if not the operators themselves) be practitioners? Where are the witches, necromancers and demonologists? I couldn't help but see that as a weakness in the world-building especially since it's established that there have been military groups fighting evil since before the Revolutionary War.
On the bright side, kudos for having strong female characters who are important and not just eye candy on the homefront. As a female reader who looves military fiction, I really appreciated that aspect.
Although there are some weaknesses, I really enjoyed SEAL Team 666 and recommend it as a fun mash-up of the supernatural and military fiction genres. I will definitely look forward to the next installment.
I'm giving 4 stars for the concept. It's all kinds of awesome and hit my 'military porn' and supernatural buttons. There are some rough edges that need some polishing in terms of writing and storytelling. I particularly did not like the flashbacks that occurred because instead of adding to the story, I felt they were obstacles to the pace. The information was interesting but could have been told in a manner that did not grind the pace to a halt.
I'm also left with the burning question, in a universe where SEALs are facing the supernatural, why wouldn't the government have at least some of the support staff (if not the operators themselves) be practitioners? Where are the witches, necromancers and demonologists? I couldn't help but see that as a weakness in the world-building especially since it's established that there have been military groups fighting evil since before the Revolutionary War.
On the bright side, kudos for having strong female characters who are important and not just eye candy on the homefront. As a female reader who looves military fiction, I really appreciated that aspect.
Although there are some weaknesses, I really enjoyed SEAL Team 666 and recommend it as a fun mash-up of the supernatural and military fiction genres. I will definitely look forward to the next installment.
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