A derelict Martian warhulk has appeared at the edge of Colonial space, drifting into the DMZ. Marines are sent to investigate, but find no sign of life amid the ominous static filled silence of deep space.
As chaos erupts on full-auto, UC Marine Corps Sergeant Mike Ramero is tasked with boarding the enemy vessel and rescuing a group of elite soldiers. Hull damage and the burnt husks of fallen crew are a sign something is stalking these passages before. When the marines start vanishing one by one, Ram realizes the ship wasn’t abandoned, it was a trap still closing. Something has awakened to breed and hunt through the vents faster than the squad can survive.
Gritty, fast-paced, and relentlessly dark, this military sci-fi horror novel is built for readers who want their squad to bleed for something real, their monsters worth fearing, and camaraderie earned in steel and fire.
For fans of Aliens and the merciless ensemble warfare of Dan Abnett, WarHulk Marines delivers visceral military sci-fi horror where every casualty is personal, every order costs something, and the darkness inside the ship is only the second most dangerous thing on board.
The most dangerous predator in the galaxy… is a marine with a rifle.
Nick Cole is a working actor living in Southern California. When he is not auditioning for commercials, going out for sitcoms or being shot, kicked, stabbed or beaten by the students of various film schools for their projects, he can often be found as a guard for King Phillip the Second of Spain in the Opera Don Carlo at Los Angeles Opera or some similar role. Nick Cole has been writing for most of his life and acting in Hollywood after serving in the U.S. Army.
Another solid piece of military science fiction from Nick Cole. This time he is joined by Walt Robillard to create a hard-hitting, action packed tale of survival, loyalty, determination, and grit. Fans of the Galaxy's Edge universe are going to love this one.
Don’t read this book in the dark! Be prepared for some very interesting Marine lingo and slang that does take some getting used to. But, you’ll definitely enjoy the military (Marine) action throughout the book. We’re going into a fight that just continues one bulkhead after another.
You are a United Colonies and Allied Systems (UCAS) Marine part of the Third Battalion, Fifth Marine Division, Forward Assault Force. You’re headed to an unknown spacecraft apparently drifting in the DMZ around the independent planet Mars. From what I gather, Mars and the UCAS have had their differences in the past and have fought wars over them. Right now, that’s not happening, but by agreement, anything floating in the DMZ it allowed to be investigated by either side.
You are now Sergeant Michael T. Ramero (Ram) who in the beginning and along with one hundred forty-one other Marines have been packed in cryo-storage for this current deployment from the deployment craft *“Paladin”*. You wake up along with the rest of Bravo Company and attempt to shake off that long sleep even though they said there should be no long-term effects. Yeah, sometimes they lie! Still, you get up, get organized and then get the rest of your Marine grunts ready to do what they do best and that is kill someone or something.
Sergeant Ramero has something of a dark background. Actually for the Marines, it’s very dark. You see he was once a Navy puke, but one that did just about the same thing he’s now doing for the Marines. Sgt. Ram is a boarding expert! What that means is he boards spacecraft to find out what the hell is wrong with it and its crew or passengers. Most of those boardings in the Navy were due to pirate action of one kind or another which sometimes involved rescuing civilians or others that originally owned the starship.
Sgt. Ram’s last mission with the Navy didn’t quite go as expected and he had to make a difficult judgment call. It cost him his Naval career, but the Marines definitely saw his worth and brought him aboard to do bad things to other people. His current mission will be another boarding action only this time it’s going to involve boarding a mysterious Martian WarHulk drifting in the DMZ. A Martian WarHulk is not a tiny ship. No, it’s absolutely huge, a small city apparently drifting dead in space. Appearances can be and often are deceiving, very deceiving.
While Sgt. Ram is a squad leader, his company’s mission is to board the WarHulk and find out what happened to the Special Operations Group that previously boarded the starship. He and his squad, specifically, are sent into search for and make contact with the SOG operators and bring them back to the company area. Yeah, just as simple as that. Only this Martian warhulk seems worse for the wear and looks to be old, very old. Ram also isn’t sure that it’s not occupied. By what, he doe not know, but the feeling is there. His squad needs to be on its toes and ready for anything.
So, are you ready for some fighting against something you never thought you’d ever encounter. You want to know that your enemy, the Martian Marines, might turn out to be your best and only allies aboard this dark and battle-damaged starship. Where has it been to have seen so much damage and what did all this hurt to such a gigantic ship. Oh, and it’s not empty. It has things aboard that you don’t want to meet, ever!
Had fun reading this book late into the night. Yeah, I couldn’t sleep some afterwards, but that comes with the territory. I’m kind of disappointed that so far there’s only this and one other book shown in the series. I’ll be waiting for book 2, “Line of Battle”, coming out on/abut 5 January 2027. It will be on my must read list. --- [Note 1 (12/23/2025): I’m no longer associated with Amazon and will no longer provide any links to books from that website. You can usually find books that you like at your usual source.]
[Note 2: As of 12/03/2023, this will not be posted on Amazon since I have been banned from posting reviews for some unknown reason. ]
Military sci-fi horror abounds here due to the great talents of the authors. Nick Cole is of course the co-creator of the phenomenal Galaxy’s Edge and Forgotten Ruin IP’s among many others, while Walt Robillard has written in both of those universes as well as the great Hunters Moon trilogy. This book kicks off with a mysterious WarHulk being investigated by Space Marines. The story picks up from there bringing a tale of action, violence, brotherhood and duty in desperate circumstances while working together with and facing horrors. Can the bonds of soldiers overcome the darkness? Read to find out. A kick butt book that I highly recommend to any fans of Alien, Event Horizon, StarCraft, or any other military sci-fi blended with darkness. Get after it!
Nick Cole delivers another stellar sci-fi novel accompanied by Walt Robillard. I was unfamiliar with the latter author but after finishing WarHulk Marines, I am eager to see what comes next from this pairing. This is a story that knows its audience and provides many great elements that should feel familiar to those that read Military Sci-Fi but presented in a way that feels exciting and cinematic. You may have been to this part of desolate outer space but you haven't experienced it like this before. This is a whole new wild ride and it twists and turns in exhilarating ways. I'm grateful to the author for allowing me to read this early. You all are in for a treat with this one.
This novel will make you laugh while being terrified. It blends horror and action in perfect balance. The humor is never intrusive or forced. Serious moments are allowed to breath and fully develop. One great strength of the book besides the writing is that the marines behave and think like actual marines, albeit of the USMC variety, and not like action movie stereotypes. You end up caring about these characters and want to know what happens in book 2 before you finish this one. Heartily recommend this book. You're in for a great time.
Truthfully, this was a average story, minimal character development and tech details. The story line was a little confusing at times but the book was well worth reading. And the ending was unexpected.