What do you think?
Rate this book
Deadmen's War #6
Cataclisma
Fino alla fine...
Il Tenente Shaw e i Deadmen sono riusciti a svelare gli antichi segreti nascosti sul letale pianeta Arbornides. Con l'aiuto del team scientifico del Dottor Bussert, hanno risvegliato Sentinel mai visti prima, addestrato un nuovo plotone di operatori Sentinel e, cosa più importante, scoperto i nefasti obiettivi dei Progenitori, ormai estinti da tempo.
Purtroppo, lo stesso ha fatto il Principato dei Sette Figli. Ora il Principato è sul sentiero di guerra per realizzare le ambizioni dei Progenitori. Ambizioni che minacciano la sopravvivenza dell'umanità. Il conto alla rovescia verso l'estinzione è iniziato, e Shaw con il suo nuovo plotone deve fermarli.
C'è solo un problema. Prima che Shaw e la sua squadra possano anche solo lasciare Arbornides, il loro più antico rivale, l'Alleanza Imperiale, arriva con una flotta armata per annientare chiunque si metta sulla loro strada. Le forze dell'Alleanza potrebbero porre fine alla missione dei Deadmen prima ancora che cominci.
Il retaggio dei Deadmen è già inciso nel sangue. E mentre marciano verso l'imminente cataclisma, portano con sé una verità di fronte a una rovina certa, Shaw e i Deadmen dovranno mettere in ginocchio la morte stessa.
Il Tenente Shaw e i Deadmen sono riusciti a svelare gli antichi segreti nascosti sul letale pianeta Arbornides. Con l'aiuto del team scientifico del Dottor Bussert, hanno risvegliato Sentinel mai visti prima, addestrato un nuovo plotone di operatori Sentinel e, cosa più importante, scoperto i nefasti obiettivi dei Progenitori, ormai estinti da tempo.
Purtroppo, lo stesso ha fatto il Principato dei Sette Figli. Ora il Principato è sul sentiero di guerra per realizzare le ambizioni dei Progenitori. Ambizioni che minacciano la sopravvivenza dell'umanità. Il conto alla rovescia verso l'estinzione è iniziato, e Shaw con il suo nuovo plotone deve fermarli.
C'è solo un problema. Prima che Shaw e la sua squadra possano anche solo lasciare Arbornides, il loro più antico rivale, l'Alleanza Imperiale, arriva con una flotta armata per annientare chiunque si metta sulla loro strada. Le forze dell'Alleanza potrebbero porre fine alla missione dei Deadmen prima ancora che cominci.
Il retaggio dei Deadmen è già inciso nel sangue. E mentre marciano verso l'imminente cataclisma, portano con sé una verità di fronte a una rovina certa, Shaw e i Deadmen dovranno mettere in ginocchio la morte stessa.
- GenresScience FictionAudiobook
551 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 21, 2023
28 people are currently reading
28 people want to read
About the author
Anthony J. Melchiorri
110 books363 followersAnthony J Melchiorri is a scientist with a PhD in bioengineering. Originally from the Midwest, he now lives in Texas. By day, he develops cellular therapies and 3D-printable artificial organs. By night, he writes apocalyptic, medical, and science-fiction thrillers that blend real-world research with other-worldly possibility. When he isn't in the lab or at the keyboard, he spends his time running, reading, hiking, and traveling in search of new story ideas.
Read more at http://anthonyjmelchiorri.com and sign up for his mailing list at http://bit.ly/ajmlist to hear about his latest releases and news.
Read more at http://anthonyjmelchiorri.com and sign up for his mailing list at http://bit.ly/ajmlist to hear about his latest releases and news.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
April 11, 2025
4.75 stars!
What a series! I'm sad this one is over, it has become one of my favorites...
The final book in the Deadmen's war. What a way to end it! This series has felt very cohesive throughout and I am very pleased with the entire direction of the story. The way that Anthony brings everything together and wraps it up felt very natural and just "comforting" if that makes sense.
I became quite attached to many of the characters and there were a couple parts in the last couple chapters that had the tears welling up (while at work 😅) but I have to thank Anthony for not making it too difficult lol! Even with the sad event, it felt as though all the characters were able to achieve happiness at the end of the series after they gave their all to help protect mankind.
All of the incredible world building and fast paced action is still present in this final installation, as to be expected. I just can't say enough how easily and thoroughly Anthony was able to pull me into such expansive, amazing worlds. I can still picture the inside of the Prog structures and the flowing nanites. The sentinels themselves were all so imaginative and it makes sense that Melchiorri is a scientist, he's got one hell of an imagination too! His knowledge for science just makes every aspect of the series seem more realistic and complete.
The series as a whole needs to have more publicity!! If you like fast paced, well put together sci-fi and haven't read this... You're doing yourself a disservice! I'll be thinking about it for a very long time!
What a series! I'm sad this one is over, it has become one of my favorites...
The final book in the Deadmen's war. What a way to end it! This series has felt very cohesive throughout and I am very pleased with the entire direction of the story. The way that Anthony brings everything together and wraps it up felt very natural and just "comforting" if that makes sense.
I became quite attached to many of the characters and there were a couple parts in the last couple chapters that had the tears welling up (while at work 😅) but I have to thank Anthony for not making it too difficult lol! Even with the sad event, it felt as though all the characters were able to achieve happiness at the end of the series after they gave their all to help protect mankind.
All of the incredible world building and fast paced action is still present in this final installation, as to be expected. I just can't say enough how easily and thoroughly Anthony was able to pull me into such expansive, amazing worlds. I can still picture the inside of the Prog structures and the flowing nanites. The sentinels themselves were all so imaginative and it makes sense that Melchiorri is a scientist, he's got one hell of an imagination too! His knowledge for science just makes every aspect of the series seem more realistic and complete.
The series as a whole needs to have more publicity!! If you like fast paced, well put together sci-fi and haven't read this... You're doing yourself a disservice! I'll be thinking about it for a very long time!
September 4, 2023
Shakey but overall decent conclusion
Is this the perfect ending to the series? No
There are a number of mistakes throughout the book, be it mixing up the principality or the alliance as well as grammatical errors that should have been caught in editing.
***Major Spoilers beyond***
For an installment that was supposed to be an ending to the series, it left us with more questions than answers.
Not to mention, the ending was one big Sci-Fi Cliché.
Firstly, humans might have been the "creators." The ones who created the prog, and once they gained sentience, they rebelled against us. This is THE sci-fi cliché of clichés. Reminds me of the ending of moonfall. Overall disappointing.
The Emporor turned out to be a full blow Progenitor, which felt like it was supposed to be some reveal, but I had easily seen that coming long before it was revealed.
I liked the ending for shaw and bussert, but with Tanaka joining the directorate to find shaw, we are left with hooks for additional follow-ups to this series, and I don't know if I'm thrilled about that. If the ending was written better, then there would be no need for potential follow-ups.
The action and such was great, as has been the norm in this series.
Even though this review is mostly negative, I did more or less enjoy the book.
Is this the perfect ending to the series? No
There are a number of mistakes throughout the book, be it mixing up the principality or the alliance as well as grammatical errors that should have been caught in editing.
***Major Spoilers beyond***
For an installment that was supposed to be an ending to the series, it left us with more questions than answers.
Not to mention, the ending was one big Sci-Fi Cliché.
Firstly, humans might have been the "creators." The ones who created the prog, and once they gained sentience, they rebelled against us. This is THE sci-fi cliché of clichés. Reminds me of the ending of moonfall. Overall disappointing.
The Emporor turned out to be a full blow Progenitor, which felt like it was supposed to be some reveal, but I had easily seen that coming long before it was revealed.
I liked the ending for shaw and bussert, but with Tanaka joining the directorate to find shaw, we are left with hooks for additional follow-ups to this series, and I don't know if I'm thrilled about that. If the ending was written better, then there would be no need for potential follow-ups.
The action and such was great, as has been the norm in this series.
Even though this review is mostly negative, I did more or less enjoy the book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 17, 2023
I could never have guessed, that I would someday be faced with a chance to change the fate of the galaxy.
Desperate times and desperate measures are in abundance in this final chapter of Anthony Melchiorri's "Deadmen's War" series! Things have gotten so bad that the newly allied Republic and Alliance - yes, if you can believe it! - have decided they might even have to destroy all the Runes, which are of course the means by which galaxy-wide space travel is even possible, in order to stop the Principality. But nothing is ruled out in order to stop this fanatical enemy and their nefarious plans for the "Call to Resurrection"! Even at the cost of 95% of any and all human life if it comes to that, not counting the thousands upon thousands that die in battle in this episode - or even millions if you count the effects of the Scourge! So brace yourself for the end of a story-line that I'd call a wild cross between Nicholas Sansbury Smith's "Extinction Cycle" and John Scalzi's "Old Man's War". Oh and trust me: you might want to add in some movie support as well, including both "Pacific Rim" and even "Starship Troopers" while you're at it!
“Shit.”
“Yes, that is an appropriate sentiment.”
Without giving too much away, changes in politics certainly gave this one an extra edge. That being acknowledged, I also have to say that sometimes the clichéd depictions - meant to match our own planet's modern assortment of world powers and their projected enemies - are often unintentionally both uncomfortable but also more than a bit amusing in parts (mostly because my brain kept replaying scenes from "Rocky & Bullwinkle" during some bits). But you'll never guess what ultimately happens as faction upon faction upon - yes, you guessed it - faction enter into this sprawling battle-heavy tale!
The Sentinel was what would happen if a warship came to life. And I was about to pilot it.
Having said that, I wish I felt a bit more overwhelmed by "Cataclysm" than I ultimately do (or is it did?)! It feels like nothing terribly new is presented per se and there was never really that "wow, that was unexpected" moment. It's just we get a lot more - and I do mean a lot! - of all the stuff we've seen before - in numbers, in size, in deadliness, you name it. Sure, with a set up like this, a lot of time is spent on detailing battles, almost as if someone were sketching out a years-long battle as a recap on a screen. But the story did get stuck in a pattern more than I wish it had (new planet, big fight, kill new creatures, look for next planet, fly there, etc.), all of which is ascerbated by some odd formulations ("piecing together certain pieces") and other plotting issues (not to mention a rather anti-climatic ending). Another thing I kept finding very, very weird to see was that the "good guys" are continually faced with extremely tight time demands ("you only have 6 hours left!") and yet their actual travelling is noted to take months on end to complete! It left me often feeling a bit disconnected from the entire flow and even urgency despite us hearing just how screwed the entire Universe might be!
I’m not going to dress up a turd in sprinkles and call it a cupcake.
Along with that, I found that a lot of the character development that we saw throughout the series seemed if not to be missing here, then at least undersold. Just because two of our main players finally got intimate is not enough growth to be honest, nor were the constant religious arguments. I definitely found myself unable to sympathize as much with the crew as they faced The End as I did, for example, with the teams that starred in Melchiorri's signature master series "The Tide". I also felt like that team's approach was more sincere, if that makes sense, as all too often, "Cataclysm" dipped into a bit of a kind of over-the-top oorah posturing, even bordering on being hokey and far too campy under the circumstances. Maybe it's simply the fact that imagining hell-spawned creatures arising from life on Earth is somewhat easier than imagining how this would take place in the farthest reaches of the Galaxy!
I was about to find out if my luck or skill or manifest destiny itself was going to see me through the day—or if my time was about to run out.
Still, if there's one thing Melchiorri does well - and very well at that - is that again his battle scenes are breath-taking, brutal, and in many cases, extremely bloody-slash-gory. This final chapter and indeed this entire series could never be accused of not dealing in enough militaristic mayhem to satisfy any fan of the genre! So yeah, The Demon Dogs will go do surely as one of my all-time favorite fighting squads from A to Z! And certainly, the sheer imagination of the "world-building" alone deserves even more accolades - from the origins of this journey to each and every new planet we visit to every kind of creepy crawly kill-happy critter we meet, even if some of them are legitimate gods when it's all said and done! This is good stuff fans, you need to read it NOW!
Desperate times and desperate measures are in abundance in this final chapter of Anthony Melchiorri's "Deadmen's War" series! Things have gotten so bad that the newly allied Republic and Alliance - yes, if you can believe it! - have decided they might even have to destroy all the Runes, which are of course the means by which galaxy-wide space travel is even possible, in order to stop the Principality. But nothing is ruled out in order to stop this fanatical enemy and their nefarious plans for the "Call to Resurrection"! Even at the cost of 95% of any and all human life if it comes to that, not counting the thousands upon thousands that die in battle in this episode - or even millions if you count the effects of the Scourge! So brace yourself for the end of a story-line that I'd call a wild cross between Nicholas Sansbury Smith's "Extinction Cycle" and John Scalzi's "Old Man's War". Oh and trust me: you might want to add in some movie support as well, including both "Pacific Rim" and even "Starship Troopers" while you're at it!
“Shit.”
“Yes, that is an appropriate sentiment.”
Without giving too much away, changes in politics certainly gave this one an extra edge. That being acknowledged, I also have to say that sometimes the clichéd depictions - meant to match our own planet's modern assortment of world powers and their projected enemies - are often unintentionally both uncomfortable but also more than a bit amusing in parts (mostly because my brain kept replaying scenes from "Rocky & Bullwinkle" during some bits). But you'll never guess what ultimately happens as faction upon faction upon - yes, you guessed it - faction enter into this sprawling battle-heavy tale!
The Sentinel was what would happen if a warship came to life. And I was about to pilot it.
Having said that, I wish I felt a bit more overwhelmed by "Cataclysm" than I ultimately do (or is it did?)! It feels like nothing terribly new is presented per se and there was never really that "wow, that was unexpected" moment. It's just we get a lot more - and I do mean a lot! - of all the stuff we've seen before - in numbers, in size, in deadliness, you name it. Sure, with a set up like this, a lot of time is spent on detailing battles, almost as if someone were sketching out a years-long battle as a recap on a screen. But the story did get stuck in a pattern more than I wish it had (new planet, big fight, kill new creatures, look for next planet, fly there, etc.), all of which is ascerbated by some odd formulations ("piecing together certain pieces") and other plotting issues (not to mention a rather anti-climatic ending). Another thing I kept finding very, very weird to see was that the "good guys" are continually faced with extremely tight time demands ("you only have 6 hours left!") and yet their actual travelling is noted to take months on end to complete! It left me often feeling a bit disconnected from the entire flow and even urgency despite us hearing just how screwed the entire Universe might be!
I’m not going to dress up a turd in sprinkles and call it a cupcake.
Along with that, I found that a lot of the character development that we saw throughout the series seemed if not to be missing here, then at least undersold. Just because two of our main players finally got intimate is not enough growth to be honest, nor were the constant religious arguments. I definitely found myself unable to sympathize as much with the crew as they faced The End as I did, for example, with the teams that starred in Melchiorri's signature master series "The Tide". I also felt like that team's approach was more sincere, if that makes sense, as all too often, "Cataclysm" dipped into a bit of a kind of over-the-top oorah posturing, even bordering on being hokey and far too campy under the circumstances. Maybe it's simply the fact that imagining hell-spawned creatures arising from life on Earth is somewhat easier than imagining how this would take place in the farthest reaches of the Galaxy!
I was about to find out if my luck or skill or manifest destiny itself was going to see me through the day—or if my time was about to run out.
Still, if there's one thing Melchiorri does well - and very well at that - is that again his battle scenes are breath-taking, brutal, and in many cases, extremely bloody-slash-gory. This final chapter and indeed this entire series could never be accused of not dealing in enough militaristic mayhem to satisfy any fan of the genre! So yeah, The Demon Dogs will go do surely as one of my all-time favorite fighting squads from A to Z! And certainly, the sheer imagination of the "world-building" alone deserves even more accolades - from the origins of this journey to each and every new planet we visit to every kind of creepy crawly kill-happy critter we meet, even if some of them are legitimate gods when it's all said and done! This is good stuff fans, you need to read it NOW!
August 22, 2023
All or nothing: Deadmen's final chapter
The Deadmen team of Sentinel Operators, part of the Demon Dogs platoon, lead by Lt. Cole Shaw were the founding members of the Sentinel Operators Program in the New World Republic's army. The Deadmen: Master Sargeant Rachel Garcia, Gunnery Sargeant Aya Tanaka, Staff Sargeants Roman Kross and Luca Ricci, were the original Asher drivers who became the first to plug into Sentinels and use their natural biological weaponry, augmented by massive mechanical weapons. The Sentinels, huge beasts left behind by the Progenitors to guard the facilities left behind when the Progenitor civilization was destroyed thousands of years ago. The Progenitors left behind the Rune gates which were connected to other Rune gates hundreds of million miles apart allowing near instantaneous travel across the galaxies. The other thing left behind by the Progenitors was the Scourge. Invisible nanites invaded and infected the nerves and tissue of people, leaving them too ill to function or work. Death was the only release from the nanite driven infection.
As the Principality grew stronger and dangerously close to finding the way to reconstitute and resurrect the Progenitors from the scourge-ridden bodies of the infected humans. Close enough to drive the Imperial Alliance to seek the Deadmen's help. Work together with the Alliance? That should be a quick 'Hell no!' from the Demon Dogs! But it may be the only way to stop the Principality's plans!
I really hate to see the end of the Deadmen, but all good things... This is the final curtain in the Deadmen's War and it really is an amazing way to end the series! I love the characters, the storyline and the technical skills that complete the tale! This is truly a great read!
The Deadmen team of Sentinel Operators, part of the Demon Dogs platoon, lead by Lt. Cole Shaw were the founding members of the Sentinel Operators Program in the New World Republic's army. The Deadmen: Master Sargeant Rachel Garcia, Gunnery Sargeant Aya Tanaka, Staff Sargeants Roman Kross and Luca Ricci, were the original Asher drivers who became the first to plug into Sentinels and use their natural biological weaponry, augmented by massive mechanical weapons. The Sentinels, huge beasts left behind by the Progenitors to guard the facilities left behind when the Progenitor civilization was destroyed thousands of years ago. The Progenitors left behind the Rune gates which were connected to other Rune gates hundreds of million miles apart allowing near instantaneous travel across the galaxies. The other thing left behind by the Progenitors was the Scourge. Invisible nanites invaded and infected the nerves and tissue of people, leaving them too ill to function or work. Death was the only release from the nanite driven infection.
As the Principality grew stronger and dangerously close to finding the way to reconstitute and resurrect the Progenitors from the scourge-ridden bodies of the infected humans. Close enough to drive the Imperial Alliance to seek the Deadmen's help. Work together with the Alliance? That should be a quick 'Hell no!' from the Demon Dogs! But it may be the only way to stop the Principality's plans!
I really hate to see the end of the Deadmen, but all good things... This is the final curtain in the Deadmen's War and it really is an amazing way to end the series! I love the characters, the storyline and the technical skills that complete the tale! This is truly a great read!
August 19, 2023
This was a fantastic wrap-up of the series that will be released to the public on August 21, 2023. If you enjoy military-based outer space science fiction, this is a great series to read from beginning to end. Each book builds upon the previous ones.
The military team, known as the Deadmen, have been through battles that have put them in harm's way multiple times. However, this story ramps up the previous action to an incredible pace at least three times the former books.
This story had many unexpected events that had me wondering just how things were going to end.
The author did an awesome job of pulling all the loose ends of this series tighter for the reader.
Disclaimer: I was among a group of readers who obtained an advanced copy of this book. I voluntarily read this book and above are my honest thoughts.
The military team, known as the Deadmen, have been through battles that have put them in harm's way multiple times. However, this story ramps up the previous action to an incredible pace at least three times the former books.
This story had many unexpected events that had me wondering just how things were going to end.
The author did an awesome job of pulling all the loose ends of this series tighter for the reader.
Disclaimer: I was among a group of readers who obtained an advanced copy of this book. I voluntarily read this book and above are my honest thoughts.
August 13, 2024
More of a 4.5, honestly this series had a lot of potential, I really liked the universe Mr. Melchiorri built, but again I was truly hoping that he could have used the nanite as a stepping stone to evolution or something like that, I believe nanites are the new building blocks of this generation.
A satisfying end??? Not entirely since I felt he purposely left it at that, so that anytime he wants to continue, make a sequel, he has the elements to make another couple of stories, so here's hoping he will revisit this particular universe again...........
A satisfying end??? Not entirely since I felt he purposely left it at that, so that anytime he wants to continue, make a sequel, he has the elements to make another couple of stories, so here's hoping he will revisit this particular universe again...........
August 23, 2023
This whole series has been riveting from the start of book 1 to the thrilling and exciting conclusion in book 6. When the NWR and Alliance unite in the fight against the Principality, you knew you were in for a wild ride. Mr Melchiorri really knows how to pull you into this fictional world and keep you there. This last book was a fantastic end to a really great series.
October 5, 2024
Characters
The last few chapters of this book cataclysm seemed difficult to follow in the sense of who died and when and how the survivors survived.
Other than that I always enjoy it when the good guys win.
The last few chapters of this book cataclysm seemed difficult to follow in the sense of who died and when and how the survivors survived.
Other than that I always enjoy it when the good guys win.
October 8, 2023
Amazing
This has been such a great series. Obviously, as a reader, I would love more, but this was also a great end.
This has been such a great series. Obviously, as a reader, I would love more, but this was also a great end.
January 19, 2024
Not a bad ending to the series. Plenty of action and whatnot.
April 11, 2025
An awesome series!
Truly an epic series that I recommend. A lot of adventure, character development, and action. I will be looking for other books written by this author.
Truly an epic series that I recommend. A lot of adventure, character development, and action. I will be looking for other books written by this author.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews