Grunt Traitor

Task Force Ombra #2

by Weston Ochse

Their spies were among us for years. They mapped our electrical infrastructure, learned our weaknesses, until finally they flipped the switch and threw us back into the Dark Ages. Only OMBRA and its battalions around the world seem capable of defending Earth from the next wave of attack-terraforming. But at what price can we gain our freedom from these yet to be identified aliens? They're pushing the human race to the edge of extinction if we can't find a way to change things. But what will we have to change? What will we humans become to survive this threat. This is a time for heroes. For killers. For Grunts. Benjamin Carter Mason will be asked this question over and over as he dives deep into the nasty heart of an alien transformed Los Angeles. And in the end, he might be the last person on Earth defending not just our lives, but our humanity.

Genres: Science Fiction, Military Fiction, Post Apocalyptic, Military Science Fiction, Aliens, Thriller, Action

384 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published July 28, 2015

About the author

The 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.

Reviews

[Phil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grunt Traitor continues the fine Task Force Ombra series of alien invasion featuring Ben Mason, the 'grunt' with severe PTSD. The last installment had Task Force Ombra near Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, where the 'Cray' dropped one of their massive hive 'mounds'. The thought of the 'brass' is that this one is part of a communication system with the alien homeworld. Further, it is relatively smaller than the ones dropped in major cities, so Ombra hopes they can take it out. Also, it will give them a chance to test their EXO suits, an armored platform that may give humans the edge. Well, yes, they did take it out with Ben Mason becoming the poster boy hero.

This one starts back in the Mojave with Ombra planning on taking out the two hives in L.A. Several problems with this however. First, the remains of L.A. are controlled by various war lords, many of them nasty. Secondly, the aliens continue to surprise with other life forms. Besides the flying Cray, the 'drone' warriors, some nasty fungal growth keeps spreading from the hives, destroying everything. Worse, some of the fungus releases spores that turn people into zombie-like creatures that exist seemingly just to kill. Some other nasties as well, but all in all, it is pretty clear the aliens are into some sort of terraforming and things do not look good.

Without going more into the plot, Ben and a team must first go to L.A. and get samples of the new alien lifeforms and scope out the gang scene. Then, the 'brass' has a few backpack nukes that need to get smuggled into the hive mounds to take them out (even direct hits from nukes they seem to shrug off, but if one gets inside?). The gloom of Mason struggling to deal with all the deaths of his friends in prior combat continues to weigh him down. Further, Ombra starts doing some politicking that Mason worries about. Ombra, after all, started off as a major military contractor. All the information they get about the aliens they plan on 'selling' to the rest of the world; in the case of the 'New' United States, they want land; lots of land. So, greedy corporations, grunts, alien invasion... Ochse does it well! 4 strong stars.

[Geoff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liked this book a LOT.
I thought the first was awesome, but this moves even further into that OMG territory.
The characters are so real they resonate. The depiction of PTSD is so deep that even those who don't understand what it is will know just what it is like to suffer.
And the action... well, it's standard Ochse stuff, which means it's so damn realistic it'll have you ducking as the bullets fly.
Highly recommended.

[H · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a trip! Great SciFi, horror, military thriller with characters and action so realistic you feel like you’re there trying to help save humanity from itself and the aliens. The interaction and dialogue between the grunts reveals the authors military experience. PTSD is evident here and handled with grace and realism. Some wonderful twists near the climax with a very good ending. Highly recommended.

[Eric Guignard · Rating 5 out of 5]

REVIEWED: Grunt Traitor (Task Force Ombra #2)
WRITTEN BY: Weston Ochse
PUBLISHED: August, 2015

Grunt Traitor by Weston Ochse is the follow up to critically-acclaimed Grunt Life, which I read in 2015. I thought Grunt Life was absolutely stellar, and this second book in the series, Grunt Traitor, continues that same caliber of excellence. It’s dark—just emotionally crippling at times—while also balanced with humor, scientific exploration, and just all-out badass action. Another novel by Weston Ochse that is highly recommended.

Five out of Five stars

[Aletia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought GRUNT Life was amazing. This one topped that. I hope there is another book in the series, as I feel there are some things that could be addressed, but I am happy should there not be. Now I have to check out his other works! :D

[Paul Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Weston Ochse can really write. He begins Grunt Traitor with Mason hip-deep in shit— not in alligators or crocodiles but in dead bodies. Some of those bodies belong to the alien Cray. Some are human. One of those bodies may belong to Mason’s girlfriend Michelle. Has Michelle been captured by the Cray? Or has she disappeared as part of Mr. Pink’s nefarious plans to stop the aliens at all costs? Though still alive, Michelle begs Mason to kill her. Killmekillmelillmekillmekillme, she says. Her plea does a number on Mason’s mind. It’s almost as if Michelle has somehow gotten inside Mason’s mind as well as under his skin.
Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa was the battleground in Grunt Life. Los Angeles and Fort Irwin, both in California, are the battlegrounds in Grunt Traitor. Other alien life forms have now joined the Cray, and they all serve the alien Master. Grunt Traitor is full of surprises, as characters double-and-triple-cross each other and new alliances are formed.
The action is so real you can taste it because Ochse knows what it’s like to be a grunt in combat. Weston Ochse can describe a grunt’s feelings perfectly in first-person POV. Battle is battle, and the horrors and confusion of the battlefield haven’t changed much over the years. Whether you served in WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Kosovo, Iraq, Afghanistan, or near-future battles with the Cray, you’ve seen bodies blown apart. These days, that gives you what shrinks call PTSD, better known as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. PTSD develops in virtually all humans after prolonged periods of stress punctuated with severe traumatic incidents such as personal bodily injury or witnessing death close up. Not only do victims of violence get PTSD, first-responders get PTSD. All combat soldiers develop some form of PTSD. PTSD is especially potent when friends and colleagues die while you inexplicably survive. If you’ve seen a loved one suddenly die right in front of your eyes, you likely have PTSD, too.
I’ve written before about the Magic Number 7 plus or minus two. Human beings can experience seven, give or take one or two, different stimuli simultaneously. More than that can and does cause parts of the brain to overload and shut down. When I was a practicing hypnotist and hypnotism instructor, I deliberately created sensory overloads to cause subjects to retreat into trance. I won’t go into details in a public forum, but suffice it to say that both overload and instant “shock” inductions can leave permanent imprints in the human brain. Stage hypnotists exploit those imprints to make subjects quack like a duck or bark like a dog. Sensory overload partitions the brain so the left hand doesn’t recognize what the right hand is doing. If the hypnotist neglects to remove those imprints, the subject will automatically reenter trance each and every time an anchor is triggered.
PTSD works the same way as sensory overload or a shock induction. It sets an anchor that fires—much like a loaded gun—whenever a trigger is touched.
American soldiers have this foolish notion that you should never leave one of your own troops—either living or dead—behind. We agonize over missing POWs. We organize special rescue ops to go behind enemy lines. We’re willing to risk an entire battalion to rescue one man. As a last resort, the quartermaster sends in graves registration people after the fact to collect dog tags and DNA. We honor the memory of those who fall in battle. It’s the least we can do.
The living aren’t always quite so fortunate, nor are those who die—either of wounds sustained in battle or by their own hand—after the battle’s over. Grunts are always expendable. In the old days, grunts were called cannon fodder. In the near future, grunts may be called humanity’s best and last hope.
All members of Task Force OMBRA are combat vets suffering PTSD. Most, like Mason and Michelle, have attempted suicide at least once to stop unbearable flashbacks from the past. Ochse is a genius to use a flashback to open Grunt Traitor. Not only does this flashback place the reader immediately into the middle of the action, it provides a brilliant way to sneak in backstory from Grunt Life. Flashbacks are a fact of life, especially for grunts.. Learn to live with ‘em, soldier.
What makes Grunt Traitor so compelling—besides the great characterizations, non-stop action, and complex plot—is the realization that something like this could actually happen in real life. Because we know so little about aliens and their motivations and methods, we humans are at a great disadvantage. Wouldn’t we be like blind men trying to describe an elephant when aliens make first contact? Aliens are, by definition, different than us. Isn’t that what makes them alien? Aliens are not human. We shouldn’t think of aliens as human. Should we?
It’s obvious Ochse has given great thought to what makes something alien. It’s also obvious he has read widely in SF and horror literature and he’s viewed most of the relevant films. He makes frequent tribute to writers and filmmakers who have been there before him.
What makes Grunt Traitor extra special, though, is this is a novel about second chances. Mason and Michelle were given second chances after attempting suicide. Phil, Mother’s nephew, was given a second chance. Even Thompson and Michelle got second chances .Would humanity have a second chance to survive in an alien-occupied terraformed world? You’ll need to read Grunt Traitor and its sequels to find out.
In my humble opinion, the best fiction is always a cautionary tale that teaches survival skills—skills we can learn nowhere else. Grunt Traitor is a survival tool like the books and movies OMBRA grunts studied during Phase I training. Think of Grunt Life and Grunt Traitor as Survival, Evasion, and Escape field manuals (FM 21-76) for winning a war with alien invaders.
Grunt Traitor is a great read.

[Gavin Gates · Rating 5 out of 5]

You know all about Weston Ochse and his seal team 666/grunt… novels yes? No? Come on, if you don’t then you are missing out, missing out big time, plain and simple fact of life there son. Seriously, as with every other novel Ochse has penned Grunt Traiter is the business, seriously, balls to the walls action, characters that Arnie and Sly and JCVD wish they could have portrayed in settings Ridley Scott and James Cameron wish they had brought to the screen, with a longevity Bruce Willis would have been proud of, just as all the other stuff Ochse has done.
Yes, I’m an unashamed fan of this author, want to know why? Just pick up the goddamn book and find out for yourself, you’re welcome.

[Shawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good one. I will say I didn’t enjoy it as much as the first book, but that may have to do with the aliens from the first book not really being that relevant in this one. There’s a new threat caused by the alien overlords, but it’s in a totally different form.
This one reminded me of the game, The Last of Us (I haven’t played it yet, but the type of mutated humans and post apocalyptic feel is the same). That’s not a bad thing at all, just thought it’d be bigger and badder aliens as the series progressed. But this is a great way to show how the aliens are taking over, changing the flora and fauna of our world to suit their needs. I liked it.

There’s also a Walking Dead feel to the story progression and the protagonists meeting different factions of people. That was cool.

The characters are totally different, having to adjust to a post apocalyptic lifestyle has different sorts of people popping up and causing a threat other than the aliens that are trying to take over. Just a whole lot of things and people to watch out for now.
Hmm, kind of a Falling Skies vibe.

So yeah, if you combine The Last of Us, The Walking Dead, and Falling Skies, that’d be a good feel for this one.

[Mark Baller · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great series!

[Natasja · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome, just like the first book.

[Damian Knight · Rating 1 out of 5]

poorly written muliatry sifi written by an american army guy

[Charl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Still good, still same "feel" as the Chtorr series. (If you enjoyed the Chtorr books, you'll probably enjoy these. If you enjoy these and haven't read the Chtorr books by David Gerrold, you should.



(Bonus points for the Kurosawa/Mifune reference!)

[Deirdre Browne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book! More well-written, heartbreaking moments than in the previous novel; which was good, but that one was more of a worldbuilder. It, however - made this one worth the wait!

[Jayrchase · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second book in the series. I recommend reading them in order to get the full perspective. This story continues our hero's struggle in dealing with an overwhelmingly superior alien enemy. As the title indicates, the story line concentrates on the war from the perspective of one grunt soldier - investigating not only the how, but the why of his dedication and sacrifice. I thought it was a fascinating book and can't wait to read the next installment.

I highly recommend this book!!

All the best,

Jay

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

This second novel in the Task Force OMBRA series continues the ground eye view of an ongoing alien invasion. This book picks up around six months after the events of book one. In that time, both sides have had their share of successes and failures. The beachheads that the alien forces created are now well established, while human forces employ increasingly desperate measures to try and force the invaders back.

The action again follows Ben Mason as he attempts to survive in the ultimate war against a race of beings that humanity hasn’t even begun to understand. Though considered a hero by many, he is still near the bottom of the chain of command. Seeing the story unfold from his perspective, you get to see how prolonged military action changes a person. The direct contact with the aliens has left its mark on Ben. Mason’s sanity has been tested to the limit, and has nearly fragmented into separate pieces. On one hand, he has become almost entirely de-sensitised to the violence he sees, but on the other he still manages to hold onto a sense of hope, however fragile. This will sound terrible, but I like that Ochse really puts his characters through the ringer. I just think it makes them come across that much more genuine and real.

One of the things I particularly enjoyed about this book was the introduction of other human factions outside of Task Force OMBRA. It’s interesting to see how these different groups all have their own ideas about how the war should proceed. Even though our existence is hanging by a thread, religion, politics and money still manage to be a factor. Ochse does a very effective job of tempering all the battlefield heroism by reminding the reader that humans are also tend to be incredibly self-centred, self-serving and greedy. It’s an interesting juxtaposition, the end of the world bringing out the best and the worst in us all.

With Grunt Traitor, the Task Force OMBRA novels continue to have a suitably dark tone, and they are all the better for it. Mason is undeniably a broken man and watching how he, and his fellow grunts, deal with each new horror is fascinating stuff. Ochse is using his military science fiction to explore the very personal effects of post-traumatic stress and you get a real sense that what is being revealed in the narrative are Mason’s innermost feelings and thoughts. This writing doesn’t shy away from the personal cost that a soldier is forced to pay. More importantly Mason isn’t perfect. He makes mistakes and is forced to try and live with the consequences of his actions. I’ve said it before, and I’ll likely say it again, a flawed character is always far more interesting to follow.

The novel ends with what feels like a lull, the calm before the inevitable storm. I do hope this means that there will be another book to come? It strikes me that there is still more of this story left to be told, battles still to be fought. I look forward to each new Weston Ochse novel. Along with the Seal Team 666 novels, this series has become a firm favourite.

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review originally published in Looking For a Good Book. Rated 4.0 of 5

I didn't realize that Grunt Traitor, by Weston Ochse, was a follow-up to another novel (or book two in a series), and I expect that there's a lot of information in the first book that would be good to have, but I don't think it's crucial to read and enjoy ('enjoy' isn't maybe the right word) this novel.

Grunt Traitor takes on a popular sci-fi theme - that of humans fighting off aliens who are looking to take over the earth. But what this book does is pick on the front line guys, the grunts, instead of the Hollywood super-star who manages to save the day in the movies. And because it focuses on the grunts, we also get a look at an issue that many soldiers face .. PTSD.

The story follows Ben Mason, a front-line grunt who's had direct access to the aliens, which leaves him emotionally scarred. He puts on a de-sensitized front to what he's seen, but the effects on him aren't gone, only buried. We see him walking through a field of bodies, some alien, some human. His girlfriend, Michelle, still alive begs for Ben to kill her. Some of the humans are infected with spores and become zombie-like. The grunts referred to these people as 'fungees.'

The action takes place in California, much of it in the Los Angeles area. Ochse's writing is so powerful that when Mason gets word of devastation in parts of the Los Angeles basin, I was moved by what was lost. I could picture the battle lines and the ferociousness of the fights with the aliens. It was exhausting just reading, and it helped to identify what Mason and other soldiers are going through (PTSD) and yet how they are wired (or trained) to get the job done; to save even just their little portion of ground.

I am reminded a lot of the early (military) works of Joe Haldeman in that this is one of the few books I've read that manage to capture the intensity and 'excitement' of war without glorifying it. This is a very difficult thing to do.

I would have liked a little more direction ... to get a sense of where this was going, though the lack of such definitely played into the story of what it is like being a military grunt.

Looking for a good book? Grunt Traitor, by Weston Ochse, is not for the faint of heart. It is a powerful narration of what it is like to be a frontline soldier in a battle to save the earth from an alien invasion.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

[Sean · Rating 5 out of 5]

A slightly different twist than its predecessor, Grunt Life, but that’s OK.

First, a little comparison between the first and this, the second, of the Grunt Life series (?). In the first, we read about the quasi-military grunts up against a new and terrifying batch of aliens and all the hell that they brought forth. In Traitor, it occurs within a larger portion of what’s left of society, which I liked because you get a deep sense of the emotional and physical damage that the alien Cray set upon the world.

The people that are left are of the survivalist, militia, cult, and lone-wolf variety. Meeting some of those folks along the way made for a more open story and landscape. Of course, I enjoyed having other characters to pay attention to other than the PTSD laden, first line soldiers. We see some former characters still knocking aliens out of orbit (horrible pun, I apologize) and we learn that some former characters have taken on a whole new… life, shall we say?

Now that the aliens have taken a pretty solid hold of earth, just like a kudzu vine, I wondered what the new mission would entail. It’s a great trip across parts of the new America where we meet “fungees” otherwise known as people who are infected with deadly spores that leave them like, well, zombies. Paths are crossed a few times with a cult that has a smiling, but possibly evil, leader. Heck, there’s even a sort-of refuge where a good ol’ Mother tends to her hard working, new “children.”

Every single one of these facets makes for a story where you’re concerned about the welfare of humanity and the emotional hindrances of the soldiers who will charlie-mike if it is literally the last thing they do. (Unsure of “charlie-mike”? Get the book and find out!)

Happy I read the book? Absolutely. Why? Because these are characters with some really deep flaws that pull it together most of the time to battle what they must in order to survive in more ways than one. And it has me enjoying military sci-fi, which I didn’t even consider reading until Mr. Ochse put it all on paper (or in my case, Kindle Paperwhite).

(reviewed from an advanced reader copy)

[Sean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Disclaimer: ARC copy from Netgalley.

Grunt Traitor, by Weston Ochse, was another great book from Weston. From the description, "Their spies were among us for years. They mapped our electrical infrastructure, learned our weaknesses, until finally they flipped the switch and threw us back into the Dark Ages.

Only OMBRA and its battalions around the world seem capable of defending Earth from the next wave of attack: terraforming. But at what price can we gain our freedom from these yet to be identified aliens? They're pushing the human race to the edge of extinction if we can't find a way to change things. But what will we have to change? What will we humans become to survive this threat. This is a time for heroes. For killers. For Grunts.

Benjamin Carter Mason will be asked this question over and over as he dives deep into the nasty heart of an alien transformed Los Angeles. And in the end, he might be the last person on Earth defending not just our lives, but our humanity."

The description of the book is completely accurate. Once again, Weston proves he is completely knowledgeable regarding PTSD and a master at making veterans feel like they are there in the action. One of the things I like about his writing about PTSD is how much honor he shows to those with PTSD and how he helps civilian readers understand the difficulties of living with PTSD. He truly honors the military and helps shed light on a subject not much discussed in current events or novels. It seemed to me that this book dealt more with the effects the invasion had on the Grunts than with dealing with the invasion itself. They had to venture out and see the effects the invasion had on the rest of America. Once again, the military tactics in this book are very accurate: leapfrog, covering tactics, rules of engagement, etc. I can't wait for the next book!

I highly recommend this book if you enjoy reading about aliens, the military, or Sci-Fi.

[Jack Finley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Weston Ochse writes like a guy who’s got a lot to say and reads like someone very much worth listening to. Grunt Traitor is the second book in a planned trilogy preceded by Grunt Life and followed by Grunt Hero. Is it important that you read Grunt Life first? I don’t think so but I highly recommend you do, it’s also an excellent read. The first book sets the stage of an alien invasion and humanities first steps, using PTSD soldiers, to counter that invasion. Grunt Traitor follows the story, but seemed to me to focus a bit more on the effects that the invasion and the efforts to repel it have primarily on the Grunts that fought but also on those that directed them. It’s got more than enough shoot’em up to keep the summer blockbuster crowd happy, but is at the same time very well grounded in a more cerebral story that makes you think.
I highly enjoyed this second installment, perhaps even a little more than I did the first. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys SF action adventure and thoughtful reads that don’t just give you action for actions sake, but also examine the cost and consequences of those actions and choices on the people who make them and carry them out.
I’m very much looking forward to Grunt Hero and I think if you gives these books a chance you will be too when you finish them.

[Bob · Rating 3 out of 5]

About 1/3 of the way through this book I fully intended not to finish it. It was after it turned into a zombie novel (:rolling eyes:), soon after they saved a woman who was being kept in a car trunk as a sex slave, and compassionately gave her a pistol so she could kill herself, and right after they used a flamethrower to kill a group of kids who'd been turned into zombies, and I was finally like, "This is NOT my idea of a good time, I am not reading any more of this!". But the reviews for the book were so good I figured that surely it has to get less dark and nauseating, and that proved to be the case, just a few pages after I'd almost thrown in the towel. The rest of the book mostly leaves the whole zombie thing behind. Indeed, the second half of the book has some very interesting twists in it, and so I'm glad I persevered, but just barely. The moralizing got tiresome by the end, but I do like how the larger story keeps not being what you think it will be, like how it turns out our planet isn't being invaded, we don't rate that kind of attention: it's simply being strip-mined... how frustratingly realistic :-). I don't think I'd exactly recommend this to anyone, but if you're into military sci-fi and don't mind it being really dark, this isn't bad.

[Mike Moody · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second book in the Task Force Ombra series and as much as I loved the first, this one is even better. The book starts some months after the Battle of Kilimanjaro when OMBRA has moved operations to California to continue the war against the alien invaders. Everything the first book did right, this one does even better. Mason continues his character development, except saddled with even more guilt from the events in the first novel. Some familiar faces reappear and new characters are introduced. After the invasion, everyone is broken, it is simply a matter of how broken you are.

We learn a lot more about the world, the aliens, and how humans are adapting to the new reality. We see civilians living near the aliens. We learn more about the aliens and the new ecosystem they have brought to Earth. We learn about the remnants of the US government and we continue to learn more about “Mr. Pink” and OMBRA. The similarities to David Gerrold’s War Against the Chtorr are even more pronounced. OMBRA is that series spiritual successor. Highly recommended..

[Tom Grellner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I eagerly awaited the second book and actually got to meet the author. The feel is wonderful, I love how he uses PTSD Veterans as heroes in this series (I hope it is a continuing series). After the first few pages it feels like meeting old team mates from the first book. Task Force OMBRA is the organisation you love to hate, until you meet the groups in this book. The new aliens are great, I can't wait to see how the sea going ones are integrated into the series.

[Trevor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ben Mason returns, having destroyed one hive and winning a small victory, OMBRA are faced with a new type of alien problem. Mason goes into LA, home to two hives, on escort duty to gather new Intel. Returning infected, Mason faces a fight as a cure is sought. With his DNA altered, he leads a dual attack to nuke both hives. A good follow up to Grunt Life, still deals with PTSD but not as dark as the first book. Looking forward to more.

[Michael Rutkowski · Rating 5 out of 5]

This second book in the series is a bit different from the first but still awesome ! Both of the books were very intense ! I haven't heard but I sure hope there will be a third book and even more in the series ! Absolutely great Military SciFi from a fresh new author in the genre ! Breaking news, I found out there will be at least a third book called "GRUNT HERO" ! Can't wait!

[Micheal Boudreaux · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic follow up to the first novel, which continues to explore what it means to live with PTSD, and further what it means to be a human. Especially in terms of the morality of survival, with a real search for striking a balance between maintaining humanity in the face of extermination by an alien threat by any means necessary and making integrity and morality in such circumstances.

[melissa smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Better than the first!

I almost didn't purchase this one because I struggled to finish the first. The first was interesting enough, but not very action packed. But This one was much, much more fun. I was even pleased with the ending.

[John R. Dailey Jr. · Rating 4 out of 5]

THOSE DAMN ALIENS ARE AT IT AGAIN, THEY ARE...

Hello, pretty interesting story and take on an alien invasion. Bad aliens, sneaky ass governments, good people and people. Good stuff. Thanks.

[Tori · Rating 5 out of 5]

As with GRUNT LIFE, Weston Ochse writes GRUNT TRAITOR with military authority and emotional depth. His vivid apocalyptic version of Los Angeles will have you checking out the window for impending annihilation!

[Paul Cannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot deeper than it looks

The themes in this book run so much deeper than the first person shooter video this looks like initially. I enjoyed this book, it had me asking questions about myself .... like all good books should. Well done.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

My only complaint about it was that Ohirra is not a Japanese name, nor even in the Japanese phonetics.

The rest was great.