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Shadow Warriors #0.5
Nightshade
From the bestselling author of Pandora's Grave.
"He wasn't supposed to be here. None of them were. That wasn't unusual--he'd spent well over ten years of his life going places he wasn't supposed to go, doing things he wasn't supposed to do."
CIA paramilitary operations officer Harry Nichols had brought his team to Ciudad del Este for a single eliminating Jean-Claude Manet, aka Ramzi bin Abdullah, the former head of al-Qaeda operations in Europe.
It was supposed to be simple. But there's nothing simple about killing a man.
"He wasn't supposed to be here. None of them were. That wasn't unusual--he'd spent well over ten years of his life going places he wasn't supposed to go, doing things he wasn't supposed to do."
CIA paramilitary operations officer Harry Nichols had brought his team to Ciudad del Este for a single eliminating Jean-Claude Manet, aka Ramzi bin Abdullah, the former head of al-Qaeda operations in Europe.
It was supposed to be simple. But there's nothing simple about killing a man.
29 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 9, 2013
381 people are currently reading
149 people want to read
About the author
Stephen England
28 books162 followersStephen England is the author of the bestselling Shadow Warriors thrillers, including Amazon's #1 Bestselling Political Thriller, Pandora's Grave, and its long-awaited sequel, Day of Reckoning--a novel hailed as "the perfect spy thriller for our time--chaotic, cynical, with only a few good men keeping the barbarians from the gate."
Drawing upon nearly a decade of research into the nature of Islam, the Middle East, espionage and counterterrorism operations, England's work has drawn praise for breathing new life into the genre with the hard-edged, unsparing realism of his portrayal of the war on terror, the people who wage it, and the moral and psychological costs exacted of those who take the war to the enemy where he lives. "Soldiers without uniforms. Fighting a war without end. Shadow warriors. . ."
The short stories NIGHTSHADE and TALISMAN round out the Shadow Warriors series, and England's work also includes the stand-alone historical adventure novel, Sword of Neamha.
Drawing upon nearly a decade of research into the nature of Islam, the Middle East, espionage and counterterrorism operations, England's work has drawn praise for breathing new life into the genre with the hard-edged, unsparing realism of his portrayal of the war on terror, the people who wage it, and the moral and psychological costs exacted of those who take the war to the enemy where he lives. "Soldiers without uniforms. Fighting a war without end. Shadow warriors. . ."
The short stories NIGHTSHADE and TALISMAN round out the Shadow Warriors series, and England's work also includes the stand-alone historical adventure novel, Sword of Neamha.
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
March 20, 2019
Short stories are, in some ways, harder to write than novels. Every reader expects a full story, complete with twists and a human element, in a compact package. The spy thriller adds the added challenge of less space to play with the tropes, which are already fairly limited.
Stephen England manages to check all those boxes and deliver a brief but entertaining story with NIGHTSHADE. An op in the Triple Frontier goes sour and England's marquee character, CIA paramilitary operator Harry Nichols, is forced by politics to improvise and complete the mission anyway. The consequences of the mission stay with him upon returning home, delivering that human element and illustrating the psychological hardships of the career field.
As a veteran, I particularly appreciated the line near the end about feeling like a foreigner in the United States. I can relate to that feeling, as can most who have served this country abroad. It's a small detail but one worth mentioning.
At $0.99, it's more than worth the cost and will deliver entertainment in a compact package.
Stephen England manages to check all those boxes and deliver a brief but entertaining story with NIGHTSHADE. An op in the Triple Frontier goes sour and England's marquee character, CIA paramilitary operator Harry Nichols, is forced by politics to improvise and complete the mission anyway. The consequences of the mission stay with him upon returning home, delivering that human element and illustrating the psychological hardships of the career field.
As a veteran, I particularly appreciated the line near the end about feeling like a foreigner in the United States. I can relate to that feeling, as can most who have served this country abroad. It's a small detail but one worth mentioning.
At $0.99, it's more than worth the cost and will deliver entertainment in a compact package.
July 16, 2022
Another random freebie I picked up years ago and just happened upon while idly scrolling through my Kindle library. Introducing CIA paramilitary operations officer Harry Nichols, this short story gives the reader a little taste of what looks like a suitably entertaining action-packed spy thriller series. I'm sufficiently interested to give the first full length novel a try.
January 28, 2021
Not the greatest short story, not the best either. I will try the next book just to see -what is going on. Grr I hope it is not a waste of time!
January 23, 2017
DENIABLE DEATH:
What would be the most awkward time to kill a bad man? When he's surrounded by bodyguards? When he's begging for his life? When he's shooting back at you? In this excellent short story Stephen England puts the characters of his two books "Pandora's Grave" and "Day Of Reckoning" into a situation which even when resolved, leads to serious emotional damage and suffering for the triggerman at the center of the mission.
We find ourselves in the tri-border area of Brazil, Argentina and Chile with a CIA Special Activities Division hit squad. The team is attempting to lure a high value target out long enough to shoot him dead. Their first attempt is stamped out with a .45 ACP slug to the brain of an unfortunate asset so the team leader activates their extraction plans, writing the mission off as unfeisable. Unfortunately a major league political busybody (POTUS) demands that the mission continue despite the target being spooked. As a result, the leader of the S.A.D team and his superiors at Langley are forced to improvise a effective but emotionally costly plan B to complete the hit.
Short stories have recently become fashionable once again amongst thriller writers. Some genuinely want to write a good one for their fans and develop their characters even further through them while others have been given their marching orders by their publishers in order to make an extra buck regardless of quality.
Mr England happens to be in the former camp and NIGHTSHADE shows his dedication to giving us the same experience in his excellent full length novels but in a short package one can finish during morning tea.
In terms of plot Nightshade is what a good short story should be. Constantly tense, fast paced and with a "kick" in the climax. England ticks these boxes and a whole lot more. As this short story is a prequel, it acts as an excellent vehicle to introduce many of the characters in his novels and define them to first time readers extremely well.
In terms of characters, the story primarily focuses on one, Harry Nicholas, team leader of the Special Activities Division detachment that is attempting to kill the high value target. He's a Christian and during his career, has been forced to disobey a lot of the values he has been brought up with in order to do his job of protecting his country effectively. This comes at a serious psychological cost due to Nicholas having to find ways of continually justifying what he does and as a result, unlike Mitch Rapp and Soctt Harvath who are much more jingoistic, trigger happy and generally psychologically content with the decisions they've made, gives Nicholas a lot more richness and sympathy than many other American Assassins who dominate the genre.
But the main focus of the novel could be called "the anatomy of a killing", namely that of the High Value Target who was in charge of running Al-Quaeda in Europe before being forced to flee to South America. Most of us due to movies, video games and sometimes books think killing would be easy especially in a situation where your own life is at risk from others. But what if you have a perfectly sane and normal man in the position of the killer?
Mr England gives us an excellent look at the thought processes of Nicholas during the climax, how he's forced to actively dehumanize the target in order to be fully effective. The target really does deserve to die, but does he deserve to die in front of those he loves? The author treats the nature of killing with a seriousness that is sometimes lacking in others works and shows that behind the imagery of heroic counter-terrorist operatives blowing away Islamist extremists, these people who battle the main geopolitical threat to the Western World are normal human beings who have a job which at times costs them dearly.
Single short stories may not be able to give some readers the character development they want but NIGHTSHADE is the textbook case in how to write a good one. Like a episode of "24" the pace never lets up, it's well researched and the plot will hit you in the gut like a .45 ACP hollowpoint, and all within the span of a coffee break.
RECOMMENDED.
What would be the most awkward time to kill a bad man? When he's surrounded by bodyguards? When he's begging for his life? When he's shooting back at you? In this excellent short story Stephen England puts the characters of his two books "Pandora's Grave" and "Day Of Reckoning" into a situation which even when resolved, leads to serious emotional damage and suffering for the triggerman at the center of the mission.
We find ourselves in the tri-border area of Brazil, Argentina and Chile with a CIA Special Activities Division hit squad. The team is attempting to lure a high value target out long enough to shoot him dead. Their first attempt is stamped out with a .45 ACP slug to the brain of an unfortunate asset so the team leader activates their extraction plans, writing the mission off as unfeisable. Unfortunately a major league political busybody (POTUS) demands that the mission continue despite the target being spooked. As a result, the leader of the S.A.D team and his superiors at Langley are forced to improvise a effective but emotionally costly plan B to complete the hit.
Short stories have recently become fashionable once again amongst thriller writers. Some genuinely want to write a good one for their fans and develop their characters even further through them while others have been given their marching orders by their publishers in order to make an extra buck regardless of quality.
Mr England happens to be in the former camp and NIGHTSHADE shows his dedication to giving us the same experience in his excellent full length novels but in a short package one can finish during morning tea.
In terms of plot Nightshade is what a good short story should be. Constantly tense, fast paced and with a "kick" in the climax. England ticks these boxes and a whole lot more. As this short story is a prequel, it acts as an excellent vehicle to introduce many of the characters in his novels and define them to first time readers extremely well.
In terms of characters, the story primarily focuses on one, Harry Nicholas, team leader of the Special Activities Division detachment that is attempting to kill the high value target. He's a Christian and during his career, has been forced to disobey a lot of the values he has been brought up with in order to do his job of protecting his country effectively. This comes at a serious psychological cost due to Nicholas having to find ways of continually justifying what he does and as a result, unlike Mitch Rapp and Soctt Harvath who are much more jingoistic, trigger happy and generally psychologically content with the decisions they've made, gives Nicholas a lot more richness and sympathy than many other American Assassins who dominate the genre.
But the main focus of the novel could be called "the anatomy of a killing", namely that of the High Value Target who was in charge of running Al-Quaeda in Europe before being forced to flee to South America. Most of us due to movies, video games and sometimes books think killing would be easy especially in a situation where your own life is at risk from others. But what if you have a perfectly sane and normal man in the position of the killer?
Mr England gives us an excellent look at the thought processes of Nicholas during the climax, how he's forced to actively dehumanize the target in order to be fully effective. The target really does deserve to die, but does he deserve to die in front of those he loves? The author treats the nature of killing with a seriousness that is sometimes lacking in others works and shows that behind the imagery of heroic counter-terrorist operatives blowing away Islamist extremists, these people who battle the main geopolitical threat to the Western World are normal human beings who have a job which at times costs them dearly.
Single short stories may not be able to give some readers the character development they want but NIGHTSHADE is the textbook case in how to write a good one. Like a episode of "24" the pace never lets up, it's well researched and the plot will hit you in the gut like a .45 ACP hollowpoint, and all within the span of a coffee break.
RECOMMENDED.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 28, 2015
I knew I wouldn't be disappointed with the book-- other than it left me wanting more! Hurry up and write, Stephen! ;) The Shadow Warrior series is excellent, fast-paced and well-written.
June 7, 2019
A short but brutal tale of an assassination of a terroist. Pretty cold-blooded by the Operators. I might look into further Shadow Warriors books.
January 13, 2026
eBook Review — Nightshade — Stephen England
Stephen England’s “Nightshade” novella reads like a sharp intake of breath. It’s brief, it’s bracing, and it’s filled with danger. As a prequel novella to England’s Shadow Warriors series, this ‘shorty’ wastes little time on pleasantries, plunging the reader straight into the murky world of CIA covert operations, where moral clarity is a luxury and survival is never guaranteed.
At its center is CIA operative Harry Nichols, a protagonist cut from the familiar cloth of modern-day spy fiction — disciplined, capable, and quietly burdened.
England’s prose is clean and functional, favoring momentum over ornamentation. Action sequences unfold with cinematic precision, missions are sketched in swift strokes, dialogue is clipped and purposeful, and the tension rarely slackens.
There is a palpable sense of urgency, a feeling that things are occurring just beyond the reader’s control and England understands the appeal of the genre and honors it with solid storytelling — the thrill of secrecy, the intimacy of danger, the thin line between success and catastrophe.
Nightshade is a taut, confident opening novella. As an introduction to England’s larger series, it succeeds admirably, leaving the reader intrigued rather than exhausted.
In sum, Nightshade is a well-executed, sharply paced action thriller that delivers exactly what it promises. It may not linger long after the final page, but while it lasts, it grips firmly.
A very promising doorway into Stephen England’s ‘Shadow Warrior’ series.
Stephen England’s “Nightshade” novella reads like a sharp intake of breath. It’s brief, it’s bracing, and it’s filled with danger. As a prequel novella to England’s Shadow Warriors series, this ‘shorty’ wastes little time on pleasantries, plunging the reader straight into the murky world of CIA covert operations, where moral clarity is a luxury and survival is never guaranteed.
At its center is CIA operative Harry Nichols, a protagonist cut from the familiar cloth of modern-day spy fiction — disciplined, capable, and quietly burdened.
England’s prose is clean and functional, favoring momentum over ornamentation. Action sequences unfold with cinematic precision, missions are sketched in swift strokes, dialogue is clipped and purposeful, and the tension rarely slackens.
There is a palpable sense of urgency, a feeling that things are occurring just beyond the reader’s control and England understands the appeal of the genre and honors it with solid storytelling — the thrill of secrecy, the intimacy of danger, the thin line between success and catastrophe.
Nightshade is a taut, confident opening novella. As an introduction to England’s larger series, it succeeds admirably, leaving the reader intrigued rather than exhausted.
In sum, Nightshade is a well-executed, sharply paced action thriller that delivers exactly what it promises. It may not linger long after the final page, but while it lasts, it grips firmly.
A very promising doorway into Stephen England’s ‘Shadow Warrior’ series.
April 11, 2018
A decent 5 minute read...
If I had known how totally short this story, or more like situation, was, I never would have started. If you like a decent bedtime story that is a good chapter of a book, get this one. Otherwise, skip it because it was read about the amount of time it takes to smoke a couple of cigarettes.
If I had known how totally short this story, or more like situation, was, I never would have started. If you like a decent bedtime story that is a good chapter of a book, get this one. Otherwise, skip it because it was read about the amount of time it takes to smoke a couple of cigarettes.
July 22, 2025
This is an introductory to and prequel to the Shadow Warriors series. Short and quick read. Nothing too unique about the story. But, it was full of non-stop action. Overall, well written though there were times when it was difficult to determine who was speaking. I will, at some point, likely delve into the series.
November 15, 2021
Mr, Englàñd did an unbelievable writing job on operation NIGHTSHADE !!!!
Kept my interest from the start, then blew my mind until the end !!! Can't miss this if you like total adventure, I sure didn't !!
Kept my interest from the start, then blew my mind until the end !!! Can't miss this if you like total adventure, I sure didn't !!
May 25, 2022
An excellent book.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It's a great story and very easy to read. Every page had something going on so it's not boring. I'm ready to start reading Pandora's Grave, number one in the Shadow Warriors series.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It's a great story and very easy to read. Every page had something going on so it's not boring. I'm ready to start reading Pandora's Grave, number one in the Shadow Warriors series.
September 7, 2023
Necessary Evil?
A short introduction to what promises to be an action-packed and thrilling series. Just following orders but wracked by carrying out targeted killings takes its toll on one's soul.
A short introduction to what promises to be an action-packed and thrilling series. Just following orders but wracked by carrying out targeted killings takes its toll on one's soul.
February 1, 2018
Story is well told
Well written, fast paste, sad because of its realism. Although the story is short it is intense and a good read.
Well written, fast paste, sad because of its realism. Although the story is short it is intense and a good read.
April 9, 2018
It was war
Stunning finish it is war! People die husbands sons brothers ,Fathers and wives , daughters, sisters, Mothers it's war.
Very descriptive and suspense intense story!
Stunning finish it is war! People die husbands sons brothers ,Fathers and wives , daughters, sisters, Mothers it's war.
Very descriptive and suspense intense story!
May 27, 2018
Good short story
If you like this author and series this is a nice short read. Hope there are more shadow warriors books.
If you like this author and series this is a nice short read. Hope there are more shadow warriors books.
August 1, 2018
A very good story
I enjoyed this story because it had great action kept my attention seemed realistic and left me wanting more. I thought damn this would make a great series!
I enjoyed this story because it had great action kept my attention seemed realistic and left me wanting more. I thought damn this would make a great series!
August 29, 2018
Nice!
Short but action packed, well written and I am looking forward to reading the rest of the series. Good Read!
Short but action packed, well written and I am looking forward to reading the rest of the series. Good Read!
September 16, 2018
Short, bloody appetizer
Another action packed short story from Kindle. CIA and former Delta operators take out French terrorist and the leader shows his conscience still works.
Another action packed short story from Kindle. CIA and former Delta operators take out French terrorist and the leader shows his conscience still works.
September 22, 2018
Well written, fast paste, sad because of its realism. Although the story is short it is intense and a good read.
April 7, 2019
Nice introduction
What a nice introduction to a new series of books and a gritty new character. I am looking forward to the next book as this short story has whetted my appetite.
What a nice introduction to a new series of books and a gritty new character. I am looking forward to the next book as this short story has whetted my appetite.
October 30, 2019
Mr. England always does a great job mixing facts in with his characters action. This is another story about things that happen!
January 25, 2021
Interesting but way too short of a story!
The story was too short! You expect the story to be longer but it is a big disappointment, ending so soon!
The story was too short! You expect the story to be longer but it is a big disappointment, ending so soon!
September 10, 2021
Well Done!
So many short stories feel choppy and incomplete, not this one! It was compact and to the point and the story flowed evenly! On to the next!
So many short stories feel choppy and incomplete, not this one! It was compact and to the point and the story flowed evenly! On to the next!
September 12, 2018
Nightshade review
Nightshade is a very brief prequel to the Shadow Warriors series written by author Stephen England.
Nightshade is a very brief prequel to the Shadow Warriors series written by author Stephen England.
February 18, 2017
Tense, suspenseful and engaging short story from Stephen England. This certainly whets the appetite to further explore the Shadow Warriors. Looking forward to the full length novels.
June 14, 2021
A good read
I received the short book as a promotional to try a new author. I am a tough critic. I like a book that keeps the suspense going, has enough action to keep it from getting boring, yet has the details to develop the characters well. I wasn't expecting much from this short story, but I was pleasantly surprised!
I had a little difficulty with the jumping between the different characters within each chapter, but quickly adapted to the style, which ultimately helped me get a better picture of the situation.
I won't go into details, I will let you read and enjoy this for yourself. Suffice it to say that I will be reading more of Stephen England's work!
I received the short book as a promotional to try a new author. I am a tough critic. I like a book that keeps the suspense going, has enough action to keep it from getting boring, yet has the details to develop the characters well. I wasn't expecting much from this short story, but I was pleasantly surprised!
I had a little difficulty with the jumping between the different characters within each chapter, but quickly adapted to the style, which ultimately helped me get a better picture of the situation.
I won't go into details, I will let you read and enjoy this for yourself. Suffice it to say that I will be reading more of Stephen England's work!
July 12, 2016
Death is always personal!
Nightshade is a short story with a length of 29 pages, but Stephen England manages to put more depth in those 29 pages than some authors in 400!
England skillfully shows that the job of killing people for a living, takes a terrible toll of the souls of the people, who have committed their lives to fight evil in the name of good.
To anyone with half an hour to spare and a desire for a spy action fueled adrenaline rush, this short story in particular and Mr. England’s work in general, is most highly recommended!
Nightshade is a short story with a length of 29 pages, but Stephen England manages to put more depth in those 29 pages than some authors in 400!
England skillfully shows that the job of killing people for a living, takes a terrible toll of the souls of the people, who have committed their lives to fight evil in the name of good.
To anyone with half an hour to spare and a desire for a spy action fueled adrenaline rush, this short story in particular and Mr. England’s work in general, is most highly recommended!
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews