Contractor Part 1

by Bradley Buckmaster

Damon Wright was a Commando.
A very good one, actually.
Genetically modified, indoctrinated from birth, equipped with the best weapons and gear to take the fight to the Federation's enemies.
He was part of the most successful unit in a war machine renowned for its brutality.
They slaughtered the enemy in the last war, as though they could drown the galaxy in blood, and were granted their own world in recognition of their achievements.

But that was a long time ago.

Now Damon's eking out a living, taking 2 bit contracts in the outer colonies, keeping his head down and paying the bills.
He is convincing himself that he is lucky, convincing himself that he is on top of his game.
If anyone asked, he would say he was content with being just another contractor. He's thankful to be alive, if he's honest with himself.
It could have been a lot worse.
It will be a lot worse.

***

Part one of a serialised novel, Contractor is the first work of a lifetime military scifi nut and professional soldier. Having served for eleven years in the British Army as an infantryman and two as a Contractor himself, Brad Buckmaster attempts to bring that experience to his writing to provide an exciting tale of future combat.

Genres: Science Fiction

132 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 12, 2013

Reviews

[Stephen West · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first section of a serialised novel, and the author is obviously still getting to grips with some of the technicalities of writing, but his voice shines through in this compelling story of a soldier-turned-mercenary getting in way over his head. The action is pretty constant but there's real invention in the plot line: at no point did I find anything predictable, and quite often I was wondering just how on earth the author would extract his protagonist from the predicament he had put him in!

Per Buckmaster's bio he has served as a professional soldier and it really shows: everything from the weaponry to the tactics to the attitude to combat shown by the protagonist is grittily authentic. Of course being SF the weaponry is suitably upgraded from current state of the art but all of it is all too chillingly plausible.

It's a very satisfying start to what promises to be an outstanding book, and while there is enough there to satisfy, it does end on a bit of a cliffhanger. I'm certainly anxious to read the next instalment.

[David Pospisil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written and nicely edited.
Good characters, action and tech.
I’ll be back for more.

[Jim Kratzok · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lost track of ammo expended and bodies shredded. The book feels like a roller coaster ride where, instead of waiting on line and boarding the ride, you suddenly appear in your seat as you're heading down the first drop. There's almost no intro and it ends just as abruptly. I thought something was wrong with my Kindle app because the story ended so suddenly that it seemed like part of the story was missing.

Other than that it was entertaining, if you don't care much for dialog between characters - there wasn't much of that. But there was lots of shooting, bombing, exploding, guts flying through the air, and more like that. Character development - who needs it? The main character was as developed as he needed to be as was his reptilian companion.

It was listed as a novella, so perhaps the short length worked against the story. There wasn't a lot of room for other things.

[Steve Johnston · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a completely satisfying and enjoyable story. I am looking forward to continuing reading as it continues. It's a politically-incorrect ass kicking at the hands of Mr. Wright, a significantly enchanted ex-commando. Only drawback is its short but hopefully new installment will be coming out regularly.

[Elizabeth A. Bara-Skowronek]

Wow

Bradley Buckmaster bursts onto the Kindle stage with a novella that is hot, fast and dirty. But good, very very good. I look forward to reading more from this author and especially commend his obvious excellent grasp of editing principles.