SKUL

by Justin Harrison

It’s been months since the failed Mexico mission that ended Commander Dane Stackwell’s military career. Months since his team of elite operators were torn apart. Months since being disavowed by the very unit – Section 8, an ultra-top secret counterterrorist unit – he helped form. It’s been months since he learned the truth.Werewolves exist.Still struggling to come to terms with the strange direction his life had taken, Dane spends his mornings drinking his breakfast in a rundown bar just off the Mississippi River. That all changes when a strange man with a ragged facial scar and eye patch pulls back the curtains on the truth, and the absolutely terrifying reality of the world is laid bare. Yes, werewolves are real, and they inhabit every major U.S. city along with many of the smaller ones. According to the man who insisted on calling himself Rear Admiral Bartavious Briggs, werewolves are ancient beings of chaos and destruction that feed off human suffering. Briggs also divulges another positively horrifying revelation – their numbers are growing at an unprecedented rate. Men and women – even children – who only days before were normal humans are being turned seemingly overnight.The situation is critical. But, this was no friendly visit. Knowing Dane’s military expertise, Briggs has a proposition – join his organization and hunt down and eliminate the werewolves. In exchange, Briggs promises unbridled protection for his loved ones. Or don’t, and they will all surely die in short order. With no other real option but to fight, Dane accepts.But, what is he joining? Who is he fighting with?Officially, they don’t exist.Unofficially, they are the only chance mankind’s got.They are SKUL – a Tier 1 special missions unit so secret that only a handful of individuals at the highest level of the government have even heard whispers of its existence.

520 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 22, 2014

About the author

Justin Harrison is the author of the new militaristic thriller/paranormal fantasy series, SKUL. Long considered a jack-of-all-trades and master of none, he's desperately hoping to change the trend with his writing.

He lives in Brandon, MS, with his beautiful wife, two awesome children, and two hard-headed Labrador retrievers; all who manage to tolerate his mindless ramblings and incoherent gibberish well enough to be labeled saints.

Reviews

[Mark Edwards · Rating 5 out of 5]

Justin Harrison (venerable MSDucks.com alumnus) has created a very original world with a unique supernatural twist, werewolves are real, they are unsatisfied with the status quo, and plotting world dominion. Standing in between them and unsuspecting, edible us, is SKUL, a mysterious quasi-military organization trained and equipped to wage war on lycanthropes. I enjoyed the book as equal parts urban fantasy, military action, and sly pastiche of the current "cuddly werewolves and vampires" novels that have become popular for no good reason. Much like in wrestling, its good to see an author portray the bad guys as BAD, not some misunderstood shade of gray. Not to give away too many plot points, I also particularly liked the use of duck camp settings, and historical characters like Billy the Kid in "unconventional characterizations." A hallmark of a good author is that you become emotionally attached (for good or ill) to the characters. I will buy SKUL II in hopes that one particular member of the SKUL hierarchy gets eaten, slowly. A great, fun-to-read book by a very promising new author.

[James Madaris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Check out Justin's webpage (http://www.skulops.blogspot.com/) for character bios, short stories, and the origins of SKUL that give a breadth of information that is rare without having cracked the cover of the book and are highly recommended for reading before opening the book. The final product is an immersive action fantasy book where you feel like you truly know the characters involved from square one and can hit the ground running. Plus, werewolves. Werewolves are cool even if they are trying to tear apart the good ole US of A.

[Justin Harrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you don't believe whole-hardheartedly in yourself and what you're doing, you shouldn't be doing it. I enjoyed SKUL, believe in SKUL, and am proud of how SKUL turned out.

It's not he best urban fantasy you've ever read, nor is it the best bit of military fiction you've ever read - hence my 4.5 rating...but, I'll tell you what, it's pretty damned good.

-Justin

[Leighton Tate · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book. It sucked me in from start to finish. The action scenes were awesome and the werewolves were brilliantly evil and entertaining.
If you love scifi and want an action packed book to read I really think you will love this book!! I did!