Seal Team 13

SEAL Team 13 #1

by Evan Currie

It's been ten years since a mysterious, horrific incident in the South China Sea annihilated a US Navy destroyer and its Navy SEAL team. Only one man survived. Now, the US Navy is determined to put a stop to the new, frightening incidents taking place with alarming frequency. Enter SEAL Team 13, an elite group of soldiers led by sole survivor Harold ?Hawk? Masters. Everyone on the team has survived contact with supernatural forces from ?the other side.? Will their camaraderie and duty to country be enough to defeat the malevolent undead forces threatening the country? From world-building author Evan Currie, SEAL Team 13 is a dark, riveting, and action-packed tale of military intrigue and supernatural horror.

Genres: Fantasy, Horror, Urban Fantasy, Audiobook, Science Fiction, Military Fiction, Paranormal

337 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 5, 2013

Reviews

[seak · Rating 2 out of 5]

I hadn't heard much about this one, but the description convinced me to give it a go. A military group is assembled to take on supernatural occurrences and with my experience with Myke Cole's Shadow Ops series, which is really only similar in the fact that the military is involved, I thought I couldn't miss.

Sadly, what started out as a fun romp with the military and monsters turned out to be a cliched and underwhelming frustration.

The Cliches

I don't outright hate cliches. I think they can be used well and it's an easy way to get people into the story or characters without having to waste time (i.e. pages) explaining things. The problem I had here was that once you make reference to "it's like I'm in a movie" one too many times, it starts to pull you out of the immediate story. It's no longer its own story, it's someone else's. And it just plain started to bug me since just about every character had to make mention of being in a bad horror movie.

And I was even impressed that the cliches weren't so much in the monsters themselves. Obviously there were some monster cliches, but I liked the idea behind the vampires/zombies. Sadly it wasn't enough.

Why I Was Underwhelmed

One of the big promises I felt that were made early on was that this team was collected to take on the supernatural occurrences in the world. Occurrences is plural right? So, I figured we would get more than one.

Okay, technically there are more than one because of the backstory of the characters, but the team itself only ever takes on one ridiculously long occurrence of the supernatural and that's the end of this rather short book. Just a couple more would have made this so much better. Let's see what else they can do. Are they really here for just the one event? It makes the whole idea behind supernatural threats seem much less ... erm ... threatening.

Longest Drawn Out Fight Scene Ever - Spoilers

This was the kicker. The last bit of the story has these guys throwing just about everything at the "boss" bad guy monster thing. She's a vampire so she's pretty much impervious to it ... except at one point you get enough holes in you and you kind of fall apart right? But I digress, what drove me nuts at the ending was that this scene just kept going and going ... and going!

They chase here through the building, then down the road, and it's always just in the nick of time that she gets away/protagonist gets saved. And then it happens again ... and again.

I was so done with this scene. There's tension and then there's a time when you've built up the tension so much it breaks. When nothing has actually occurred in terms of resolution, I just can't care anymore.

The Narrator

The narrator, Todd Haberkorn, did a good job. He definitely matched the cliches well and did solid work. I can't say he was my favorite ever, but that may have been the lines he was given to work with as well. It's hard to say.

Conclusion

I really hate to bad-mouth anything that people have worked this hard on, but it really wasn't for me. I was intrigued at first and then about midway through I was frustrated and then it only got more so.

2 out of 5 Stars (Okay, but frustrating)

[Soo · Rating 4 out of 5]

01/24/2020 Mini-Review:

4 Stars for Narration by Todd Haberkorn
4 Stars for Setup/Concepts
3.5 Stars for Characters
4 Stars for First 3/4 of Book - Great Pacing
- 1 Star for Last 1/4 of Book - It was all action but story pacing bogged down.

Except for the end, I have to say this was one of the best books I've read this year for "the world is blowing up into chaos" aka possible apocalypse/world catastrophe type. I didn't know much about the story before I went into it but I figured it would be no loss because I snagged it on KU Read & Listen. At most, the story would be cheesy fun with lots of action.

Seal Team 13 is a great setup for a new series. I can't wait to read the next book! Solid characters, fun setting, a couple of neat tweaks to well known UF tropes, plenty of action and a sprinkle of humor. I'm already hooked to the background stories and want more details.

Yes the ending was anti-climatic in comparison to how the book started, but it didn't make me dislike the book. It just made me grumpy because I had hoped for a cool exit to match the great intro.

[Hanzel · Rating 5 out of 5]

By the 3rd page, I was already hooked!!!!

There are books that sinks in its fangs, before you even finish the 5th page (Richard A. Knaak's "Legend of Huma", The Belgariad Series by David Eddings, The Event books by David Lyn Golemon, you know what I mean.....), this would have been a one to two day read, if I was not so distracted(life and reality...........even with a good book, it just intrudes)!!!!

Military personnel are usually good protagonist to any situation(or almost all the books I read), the discipline, their intelligence, the "spunk", I mean if something happens before a soldier, policeman, surprise would register in their actions but the gears on their head would start spinning, then there are the "Special Forces", the cremé de la cremé, it takes a lot to frighten a SEAL, Rangers and etc. Such was the case with this story, from the start to the end, action, action, action, who needs character development.......if everywhere you go, every corner you turn, results in a dead end!!!

Some of the reviewers called this a machisimo book, well if every character act and think like this, it makes the story flow smoothly, why not, every once in awhile, we need books like this, but this book has a deeper story(what is the veil??? Yes it separates the real from the unreal......too vague, the community.........uhhhhhh a group of individuals who passed through the veil, and changed their thinking), man-ness aside, there are things hinted in the book, that I know is not just macho-ness. Ohhhhhh you should read this universe's version of a vampire!!!!

Short, simple, full of action, always good in a story, place that in the supernatural genre, that is a 5 in my mind. I hope there is a Book 2!!! Hoorah!!!!!!

[Alexis Quintero · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is underrated

I know the author is most well-known for his sci fi work, and horror may not be his forte, the plot and the characters are mostly generic but really well implemented, but why I gave this book 5 starts??? Well its entertaining as hell, it is so action packed that it could make an excellent Saturday night blockbuster film , and has one of the most long, intense and epic last boss fights in a book since the fight between pinhead and satan in Clive barker´s scarlet gospels. If you liked the old school action and badassery of late 80s and 90s movies, this book is for you.

[Online Eccentric Librarian · Rating 3 out of 5]

More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/

The thing about author Evan Currie is that you have to expect a writing style that is very much like a B-movie, comic, or video game; if you try to take it seriously or over analyze the plot/characters, you're going to end up hating the book. Because what we have is an author who takes typical B-movie subgenres such as horror or sci fi and writes an unabashedly pulpy book full of macho men and feminine women relying on those guys. If you don't buy into the premise, it won't make an enjoyable read and you'll end up hating the cliches/homages. If you enjoy an old fashioned 1950s type of comic/B-movie, this is the book for you.

Story: a small town in Alaska is experiencing a supernatural problem sounding suspiciously like vampires and zombies. When a Seal team and supernatural expert are brought in to deal with the situation, they find more than they bargained for - and have to fight for their lives to get out.

As with other Currie pieces such as the Oddyssey One series, expect an ensemble cast, not all of whom will survive. We always get everyone's perspective - from the vampire queen to the zombies, to people about to die and the veterans/heroes/heroines. I've read enough of Curries books to see that what we have are screenplays made out into full length books. I won't always say that the transition from movie format into novel format is successful; I'm sure it looks good in his brain but it is always iffy that it can be translated efficiently. But keeping that perspective in my head and enjoying Currie's books as movies makes the stories a lot more palatable. I'm reminded that while we see the Alien's perspective in the movie Alien, that doesn't mean I want to READ what it was thinking in a book. That, to me, is what always lets me down with Currie's books - as with Seal Team 13, we are given the fairly unneeded perspective/thoughts of the vampire progenitor (somehow, the bad guys always sound kind of one-dimensional and stupid). Similarly, we have the alien Drasen perspective in the Oddysey One series and it comes off as kind of silly there too. It can be very 'mustache twirling evil villain' at times.

SEAL Team 13 does for horror was Star Trek does for sci fi. Makes it a fun thing without all the chilling horror or mind numbing science; more of an adventure than an cryptic examination of the future or seat-of-your-pants terror fest. The title does sound like we're dealing with hard horror; so definitely don't expect that in this book. And although this is more adventure than horror, there is plenty of the grisly in there. But at the same time, Currie does put thought into his world building and you get sucked in somewhere in the middle of the story. E.g., I had to think twice about the realization that if you have an undead, cold, vampire or zombie, they will freeze solid in Winter in Alaska (a 'vampsickle'). It makes sense and brings up the realization of careful thought and sly humor hidden in the story.

I listened to the Audible version and thought the narrator did an decent job. I didn't particularly like the story but that was more of a personal preference since I'm not a big horror junkie (I'll stick to the sci fi). Currie does a great job with reimagining the vampire/zombie lore and giving a big picture to the menace; yet somehow this does feel more like a young adult novel for older teens than for adults. More of a fun, harmless, video game/comic/movie than a serious novel. But that's Currie's style (and appeal).

[Scott S. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I was one of the lucky 20 to receive a free copy of this book in a goodreads and Amazon Publishing giveaway. Evan is one of my favorite sci-fi authors today; I find his writing style easy and compelling. His science fiction books are top-notch romps through the improbable and the characters enjoyable. Each adventure in his series sees the protagonists deeper in the muck than the one before yet the solutions found are novel and enjoyable.

Seal Team 13 was no let down. It was a quick read with engaging and mysterious characters. Hawk Masters is a believable agent and I enjoyed his responses to the various situations he found himself in. Whether it is dealing with military brass or knife-wielding lunatics, Hawk employs witty skills and rejoinders to overcome. My one gripe with the characters in this book is that Hawk is the only one we get to know to any depth. Alex "The Black" and "the goth girl" Hannah are two interesting personas that we'll apparently have to wait for future books to more fully discover.

I'm generally not a fan of horror but this work wasn't overly gruesome; if anything it was a little light on the macabre. It was amusing that the "evil boss" continually called Hawk and his crew "insignificant pests" and seemed utterly frustrated at not being able to smite them.

The reader is given a few glimpses of clans and cabals, friends and foes that will undoubtedly play a central role in subsequent titles.

This was a light introduction to a new series and it will be fun to watch as Evan does what he does best. I can't wait to see the cauldrons into which he'll place his characters and the clever solutions they'll employ to save themselves, if not the entire world.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun read. By no means a Pulitzer Prize winner but a good way to escape for a few hours. Evan Currie, author of the successful Odyssey One series brings us an engaging blend of horror and military action.

Lieutenant Commander Harold "Hawk" Masters has left the SEAL teams after a mission ten years prior where he watched the entire crew of a Navy warship get dragged beneath the waves by... something supernatural. Now disgraced and emotionally scarred, Masters is living in seclusion in Montana, far from the ocean. But when the Pentagon discovers an increase in these supernatural events, with one occurring presently in a coastal town in Alaska, Masters and a handpicked team are thrown back into the mix to investigate. But if combating "threats from beyond the Veil" isn't enough, there are also some shadowy players in the U.S. government... players who know the score and don't want Masters and his team to succeed.

As a fan of all things Navy, Mr. Currie's knowledge and accurate descriptions of the weapons the SEALs use is a huge plus. My only real complaint is something that another reviewer pointed out and on which I agree. When everyone speaks, they're either growling or snarling, which led the other reviewer to question if they were all werewolves. I kept wondering if the team were all going to have sore throats when they were finished. I get that the SEALs are badasses, but maybe another descriptor when describing the dialogue. And maybe the final fight with the Big Bad took a little too long, but I could just be nitpicking.

This hints at being the first in a new series. Man, I hope so. Monsters, magic, heavily armed SEAL teams, and an X-Files-ian conspiracy? I'm in line for book two.

[Bruce · Rating 2 out of 5]

The strength of this novel was the language, protocol, and culture of the Navy SEALs. I liked how the author dealt with the only woman member of the team, Captain Judith Andrews.

(possible spoilers - read at your own peril)

However, the story took several liberties with the "vampire canon" that did not seem justified. The concept of vampire and zombie seemed to overlap too much. I didn't mind the idea of "zero generation" vampires and their significance. The concept that the reason that the cross was effective against vampires was because it was an ancient Celtic symbol for the sun seems far fetched and even counter to Bram Stoker's original story.

The author used the concept of "The Veil" to separate the familiar world from the world of ancient terrors and "gods", as well as "communities" of people who'd crossed the "Veil" and "the Clan". I found these concepts vaguely unsatisfying and Hollywood-like. In fact, several scenes, as they switched from one POV to another opened and closed with the same phrase ("You're really treading past the limits of my medication") as if this were more of a screenplay than a novel.

The story did end strong with the formation of SEAL Team 13 for the next novel, however, as soon as the villain chased him into the jeep, I knew how the novel would end.

The book seemed like it was self-published because I found at least 3 typos during the reading.

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The only easy day was yesterday."

Wow, this is one rip roaring rollercoaster ride of a book! It reminded me of the old Doc Savage books I read as a kid (and I loved them). A gung ho hero with his faithful crew looking for adventure and fighting the bad guys and evil - my idea of a great formula for a book.

And military thriller mixed with a dark horror story, "Seal Team 13" is the best book I've read for quite a while. Fast-paced action, exciting characters, a unique plotline all mixed together into one great read.

Hawk Masters was almost killed ten years ago by the unimaginable and now he's offered a chance to lead a SEAL team again and look into horrific happenings in Barrow, Alaska (think "30 Days Of Night"). He hand picks his team from others who have "seen beyond the veil" and they head to Alaska armed with old and new weaponry.

It looks like this is going to be the start of a series and I sure hope so. I will be waiting the next installment anxiously.

Can you tell I liked this book?

NOTE: I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

[Sumit · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars out of 5 for me.
*Partial spoilers ahead*
I love armed forces plots. The whole discipline, going into an area hot, clearing out hostiles, strategic planning and the last minute everything going wrong and getting out of it makes it very interesting.

The good --
-- Protagonist "Hawk" masters is a Navy seal that came across the supernatural during one of his missions and has resigned and been doing digging on his own. He 's brought back in ow since these incidents are on the rise and he can help.
-- They are sent on a mission in Alaska where there is a riot and how his team handles the "supposed" riot is what 80% of this book is about.
-- The pace of the book is good and the writing style does make you visualize as to how the setup would be. I didn't find it dragging around an issue for too long.

The bad --
-- The whole supernatural part being a part of the world around us kind of thew off a bit. Initially it feels that it is some military experiment but during the course of the book you realize that is not the case.
-- Even the antagonist is a supernatural being. The whole fight against it felt a little bit dramatic.
-- Initially the rangers/scouting team is hardly able to make a dent in the "rioters" and simply vanish. However, Hawk's team is able to take out most and even the antagonist. It came cross as a bit unbelievable but too much logic never helps a book of this genre.

Don't think too much when reading this book and you ll enjoy the plot.

[Richard Schwindt · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are Navy SEAL, every mission is impossible. But what if the “enemy” represents paranormal forces of unspeakable power? On the other side of “the veil” exists a reality that few know, and even fewer comprehend. When a new threat emerges only SEAL Hawk Masters and a few other have the knowledge – and skills – to take it on. This is the origin story of SEAL team 13; and their first mission sends them to a small community in Alaska that is evolving into a dangerous and occult force. Evan Currie does creepy and disturbing well; neatly marrying action with paranormal. Recommended to genre readers, with a side of neat Rum and raw squid.

[John Valley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the read but always have some issues with consistency of strengths, more like powers in this book. The alpha/queen vampire had super strength and speed, yet she only slashed 1 person's throat when she could have apparently killed everyone with a blink of the eye, yet she chose to 0nly throw them around. And in the final fight she could move at blinding speed when attaching, yet she couldn't catch Masters in the final chase scene.
And would have like reading closure that she really died in the fire with the remaining vampires dying.
Overall enjoyed the book.

[Beach Bum · Rating 4 out of 5]

Highly entertaining, if somewhat unbelievable

It's fast paced from the get go
Hawk learns that mythical beings really do exist and after one of them kills almost all of his team, he gets kicked out of the SEALs.
The rest of the book is about him coming in from the cold and organizing a new SEAL team that targets these mythical creatures.
No massive surprises, but the concept of "the veil" is an interesting one and makes for a clever way to differentiate between the normals and the knowers

[Stoli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent Mesh

An action packed military urban fantasy ride. A Seal Team, comprised of soldiers who have seen the supernatural side of the world, combat an evil reminiscent of 30 Days of Night in this installment. Interesting characters combined with an intriguing plot make this pulse pounding story a quick read. If you enjoy both urban fantasy and military genres, this cross over might be just what you're looking for.

[rick incremona · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this was great. I am very curious about the background lore to this universe. I think that the Gen 0 vamp was Elizabeth Bthory if i read the context clues right. I need to learn more about the Asatru. I love stuff like this. My first venture into modern military fantasy was the series "Seal Team 666" by Weston Ochse and since the Rock bought the rights to that series for a movie that is sure to be in development hell for another century i needed a new fix. thank you!

[Trevor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Harold “Hawk” Masters was drummed out of the service after not covering up a mysterious incident. Ten years later he is redrafted after the strange events intensify. This was a strange book, the first part you find it hard to like the characters, it is saved by the final confrontation and a second book would have been interesting to see the direction taken.

[Ron Johnson · Rating 1 out of 5]

You get what you pay for. At 99 cents, I overpaid.

Plot wasn't horrible.

Characters VERY undeveloped. To call them cartoonish would be an insult to comic books.

Dialogue?? Nobody "says" anything. Every verbalized word was "growled", except for a few that were "snarled" or "hissed".

What's almost frightening is that this seems to be the opening volume of a series. Shudders. Not me.

[Manuel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exciting series

Loved the opening book of hopefully a long series. Masters sound like the new Ahab looking to get revenge on his very own "white whale." From beginning to end the story keeps you glued to the action. I

[Lee A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

When the monsters under the bed turn out to be real and no one will believe you, how does a sane person respond? The story sets up a series of revelations that a variety of myths and legends are actually real. This was an absolutely fabulous read.

[Tad Dryden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book, hope it becomes a series

Quite a different take on socom/shadow ops! Really quick read, as usual. Over too soon. Hope these more to come along from this storyline from one of my favorite authors!

[David L. Cobb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exciting listen

Narrator voice inflection of different characters was quite good. I hope there is a follow on to find the thing that started it all. If you enjoy listening I recommend this one.

[Sean Sheldon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unexpected awesomeness

I was pleasantly surprised by this story. Not that Mr. Currie isn't a great author, but I was not expecting this kind of story. Well written and one hell of a ride. I can't wait for more!

[Jean Thomson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cheered

When a story pulls you in and you can’t put it down, that’s what you class as a good read.
I loved the quirky characters, as well as the premise of things that go bump in the night are real.
Looking forward to the next book in the series.

[Andrew Trefethen · Rating 5 out of 5]

excellent read

Evan curie has consistently shown his ability to take a tired topic and make fresh and exciting to read with page turning enjoyment

[irv Russell · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read

You are kept reading and not wanting to stop reading and keep you wondering what is going to happen next.

[Don Myers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read

This book was of action.. I had trouble putting it down. I am lookion forward to reading more from this author.

[Lisa Omstead · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this story. The plot was not at all what I was expecting, but that turned out to be a good thing:) Wish the author would write more adventures with SEAL Team 13.

[matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fast paced

Fast paced and action packed for those that like a lot of action
Keeps the reader interested to the end

[Bruce Swiger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Monsters meet Navy SEALS, enough said.

Evan doing his thing, ahhhhh. 15 more words needed to make a post. Darn. Still need more. Here it is.

[Bethany Kok · Rating 3 out of 5]

Exactly what it says on the tin.