Death Zone Attack

C.A.D.S. #11

by John Sievert

mass market paperback book

176 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1991

About the author

A pseudonym of Ryder Syvertsen

Reviews

[Craig · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the eleventh book of a twelve-volume post-apocalyptic men's adventure series published from 1985 - '91 by Zebra. All of the books were published under the pseudonym John Sievert. The first one was written by Jan Stacy in collaboration with Ryder Syvertsen. Numbers two through eight were written by Syvertsen alone, and the final four were written by David Alexander, though this one is copyrighted by Ryder Stacy, a pseudonym of Syvertsen. It's set in the near future (around the turn of the millennium), the Russians have hit the Eastern half of the U.S. with nuclear bombs, and their invasion force has swept across the country. The last line of defense is Colonel Dean Sturgis and his cadre of C.A.D.S., which stands for Computerized Attack/Defense System, as we're told quite frequently. The C.A.D.S. are suits of weaponized armor that turn the wearers into super soldiers, but their numbers are low. Society disintegrates rapidly, and the C.A.D.S. troopers have to fight mad bands of rampaging rapists nearly as often as they oppose the godless commies. The series is unapologetically patriotic (this one is dedicated to President George Bush and Desert Shield), and not at all what has become known as politically correct. The last few books were not as well plotted or written as the earlier ones, and quite a bit shorter. As always, though, it has several over-the-top, but amusing bits of black humor interspersed with some rather gritty violent scenes, and lots of mayhem. In this one, there is a bit of diversity within the Suits as we have Tranh Van Hoc, a Vietnamese American, Joe Fireheels, an American Indian, and even a female, Dr. Vicky Novacks, who of course "has the body of a showgirl" take prominent roles. The Russkies are again the prime baddies, after a detour to terrorists from Mexico in the last book. Overall, C.A.D.S. was a good survivalist/military-type adventure series of the time, but the last few books aren't up to par.

[Ron Gastgeb · Rating 3 out of 5]

This may very well be the worst book I've ever read. That said, it was a thoroughly enjoyable read - I laughed myself to tears several times while reading it, although I doubt this was the author's intent.

Set in the post-nuclear wasteland of a Soviet-occupied America, this book follows the power armor clad C.A.D.S. unit as they struggle to take America back from Those Commie Bastards. It was Fallout before there was Fallout, but without any of the clever writing. In fact, Death Zone Attack is an object lesson in how NOT to write.

The closest that the author comes to characterization is in the broad tropes represented by the two main characters. C.A.D.S. leader Dean Sturgis is Colonel Badass, while Soviet Supreme Marshall Veloshnikov is clearly a Card Carrying Villain. Just about everybody else is scene filler (except the President - he's a Damsel in Distress).

You may be wondering, if the author didn't bother to develop any characters, what did he fill up these 176 pages with? The answer is action and gore. The story is wall-to-wall action, dripping with purple prose, bad metaphors, and more gore than the average slasher flick. Some of the book's "best" moments come when the author takes a moment in the middle of an action beat to describe, with unintentionally hilarious enthusiasm, the destruction wrought on the bodies of those borscht-sucking bastards.

Would I recommend this book? Sure, pour yourself a nice drink, get comfy, and strap in for something truly ludicrous. Just one thing - roll your eyes a few times first so you don't sprain anything.

[Little Timmy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Average apocalyptic adventure story. This one has the rebels using really cool computerized armor to fight with. Recommended