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S-Squad #4
Operation: Amazon
The members of S-Squad are looking for a break from their run of cold climate travails. So when a seemingly simple mission in Amazonia comes their way, they are looking forward to some welcome warmth.
What they get is oppresive heat, biting insects, and a dredging operation on the river with a snake problem.
A big snake problem.
Soon they are in a fight for survival. The old snake gods of the river know the waterways much better than our Scottish squaddies. Are their wits, and bonds of comradeship enough to see them through?
What they get is oppresive heat, biting insects, and a dredging operation on the river with a snake problem.
A big snake problem.
Soon they are in a fight for survival. The old snake gods of the river know the waterways much better than our Scottish squaddies. Are their wits, and bonds of comradeship enough to see them through?
138 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 1, 2018
191 people are currently reading
119 people want to read
About the author
William Meikle
407 books1,849 followersI'm a Scottish writer, now living in Canada, with more than thirty novels published in the genre press and over 300 short story credits in thirteen countries.
My work has appeared in a number of professional anthologies and I have recent short story sales to NATURE Futures and Galaxy's Edge. When I'm not writing I play guitar, drink beer and dream of fortune and glory.
For an intro to me, my writing and my accent see my Youtube channel
My work has appeared in a number of professional anthologies and I have recent short story sales to NATURE Futures and Galaxy's Edge. When I'm not writing I play guitar, drink beer and dream of fortune and glory.
For an intro to me, my writing and my accent see my Youtube channel
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
August 14, 2023
This time Captain Banks and his squad goes to a warm place for a change, and with the warmth comes new challenges in the form of giant snakes. The mission sets out to be to protect British interests in a gold dredging expedition and turns into a rescue mission after the expedition leader has been kidnapped by the snake-people. I liked the idea of the giant snakes being humans that can transform into snakes after being bitten by one, kind of like vampire-snakes. The book is again set up nicely to have the potential of being a hit, but the ending becomes a bit rushed and the book stops abruptly again after the squad makes their escape.
Still, this series is becoming one of my guilty reading pleasures as it is fast and entertaining and a good break from reality.
PS: I really wish that Captain Banks' superiors gets the S-Squad some silencers/suppressors for their future missions...
Still, this series is becoming one of my guilty reading pleasures as it is fast and entertaining and a good break from reality.
PS: I really wish that Captain Banks' superiors gets the S-Squad some silencers/suppressors for their future missions...
August 12, 2023
Scaley!
Captain Banks and his S-Squad are on the Amazon, looking for a lost prospector, someone named Buller.
Buller and his crew are tearing up the river, and the environment, on a dredging operation.
Buller, the Captain of the crew, goes missing one night, and the S-Squad is sent to look for him.
The locals and the crew are terrified, and want to leave. They attempt to warn Banks and his crew, but a job is a job and they stay to do their job.
They go up river to search for Buller...and wish they hadn’t.
Four stars. ✨✨✨✨
Captain Banks and his S-Squad are on the Amazon, looking for a lost prospector, someone named Buller.
Buller and his crew are tearing up the river, and the environment, on a dredging operation.
Buller, the Captain of the crew, goes missing one night, and the S-Squad is sent to look for him.
The locals and the crew are terrified, and want to leave. They attempt to warn Banks and his crew, but a job is a job and they stay to do their job.
They go up river to search for Buller...and wish they hadn’t.
Four stars. ✨✨✨✨
October 25, 2018
In "Operation: Amazon" by by William Meikle, the S-Squad finally depart the land of cold and snow, and has a chance to romp in the Amazon Jungle. Unexplained deaths are occurring on a dredging barge located there with a crew looking for gold.
The cause of the problems seems to be an ancient lost race residing deep in the jungle near a Mayan pyramid. Banks and his men are sent to help clear up the situation.
Lost Race novels were the purview of H. Rider Haggard, He did not invent the 'Lost Race' concept, he did however exploit the concept, see 'She". Later, the majority of the lost races imagined by Edgar Rice Burroughs were located in Africa, especially the lingering Atlantean city of Opar.
By the 1920s, the Lost Race theme began slowly to die out as popular and abundant adult literature in book form, though it limped along another thirty years in pulp magazines thanks to A. Merritt and a few others.
"Operation: Amazon" does not contain as much carnage as the previous books in the series and Mr. Meikle once again offers no female characters to glean a point of view from. There is a considerable amount of coffee drinking and cigarette smoking, though everyone likes their beer. The supernatural does enter into the mix.
An entertaining and fun read, left open for perhaps a sequel at some future point.
The cause of the problems seems to be an ancient lost race residing deep in the jungle near a Mayan pyramid. Banks and his men are sent to help clear up the situation.
Lost Race novels were the purview of H. Rider Haggard, He did not invent the 'Lost Race' concept, he did however exploit the concept, see 'She". Later, the majority of the lost races imagined by Edgar Rice Burroughs were located in Africa, especially the lingering Atlantean city of Opar.
By the 1920s, the Lost Race theme began slowly to die out as popular and abundant adult literature in book form, though it limped along another thirty years in pulp magazines thanks to A. Merritt and a few others.
"Operation: Amazon" does not contain as much carnage as the previous books in the series and Mr. Meikle once again offers no female characters to glean a point of view from. There is a considerable amount of coffee drinking and cigarette smoking, though everyone likes their beer. The supernatural does enter into the mix.
An entertaining and fun read, left open for perhaps a sequel at some future point.
November 27, 2018
The S-Squad has been begging their C.O. for an assignment in a warmer climate and they got it in this book. But as the saying goes, be careful what you wish for. They've been sent to the hot and humid Amazon jungle with big bugs and even bigger, ginormous snakes.
The humorous dialogue between the squad members is one of my favorite things about this series but by the last book I was kind of tired of hearing the same jokes rehashed so it was nice to see that Meikle finally changes the dialogue up a bit in this one.
If someone asked me to put the books in order from my most favorite to least favorite, I would say my most favorite is the 1st book, Infestation, my 2nd favorite is this book: Operation Amazon, my 3rd favorite is the second book: Operation Antarctica and my least favorite is the third book: Operation Siberia.
If you're new to the series, you can definitely read any of them in any order but my OCD does not allow me to do that- I have to read in the exact order, so of course I recommend starting with book one first but that's your prerogative.
Also, the books are fairly short so if you don't have a lot of time these are perfect to get in a quick reading fix.
The humorous dialogue between the squad members is one of my favorite things about this series but by the last book I was kind of tired of hearing the same jokes rehashed so it was nice to see that Meikle finally changes the dialogue up a bit in this one.
If someone asked me to put the books in order from my most favorite to least favorite, I would say my most favorite is the 1st book, Infestation, my 2nd favorite is this book: Operation Amazon, my 3rd favorite is the second book: Operation Antarctica and my least favorite is the third book: Operation Siberia.
If you're new to the series, you can definitely read any of them in any order but my OCD does not allow me to do that- I have to read in the exact order, so of course I recommend starting with book one first but that's your prerogative.
Also, the books are fairly short so if you don't have a lot of time these are perfect to get in a quick reading fix.
March 31, 2025
Naja, das war irgendwie am Ende n wenig arg enttäuschend. Es gab Schlangen, jep, und es gab nen coolen plottwist, , nur leider wurde die Idee überhaupt nicht ausgereizt.
Auch haben wir hier wieder das gleiche Problem, dass das SSquad ständig von einem Ort zum Andern und zurück und wieder hinwechselt.
Dazu hat der reiche Sack überlebt und es gab keinen Bossfight, was ich wirklich richtig mies fand :/ dabei war diesmal die Prämisse und der Twist echt ne gute idee.
Wie immer würde da sbuch einen klasse trash film machen. Aber als buch eben immer nur mittelmäßig.
Auch haben wir hier wieder das gleiche Problem, dass das SSquad ständig von einem Ort zum Andern und zurück und wieder hinwechselt.
Dazu hat der reiche Sack überlebt und es gab keinen Bossfight, was ich wirklich richtig mies fand :/ dabei war diesmal die Prämisse und der Twist echt ne gute idee.
Wie immer würde da sbuch einen klasse trash film machen. Aber als buch eben immer nur mittelmäßig.
September 26, 2023
A touch predictable and repetitive, but still a lot of fun.
September 19, 2020
Another great S-Squad adventure
This time we’re going to the Amazon for some jungle hijinks. These books are like episodes from a great show that never was, but should be!
This time we’re going to the Amazon for some jungle hijinks. These books are like episodes from a great show that never was, but should be!
May 15, 2019
My only (very minor) quibble with this book is that we never really find out how the bad guys managed to get their victims out of their beds silently and without being noticed. There’s a hint that one of them may have been drugged, but there’s nothing about how that might have been accomplished.
There’s some great Mayan mysticism in here. Rumors of a snake god named Boitata abound, and there’s a cult of people who call themselves “the children of Boitata.” There are interesting local superstitions to deal with, mysterious stonework ruins, a temple, giant hungry snakes, and gold.
The characters, as usual, are drawn in short strokes that make for just enough depth. Banks is still trying to resist the cigarettes that everyone else indulges in so readily, and as always he has to keep Wiggins out of the booze. This time around we see our heroes get caught and stripped of their equipment, so they have to use more than just their guns to escape! There are some great action sequences, firefights, and so on. And it’s easy to love to hate Buller, the boss-man. I’m still very much enjoying this series!
Consider my rating a 4.5
Original review posted on my blog: http://www.errantdreams.com/2019/05/r...
There’s some great Mayan mysticism in here. Rumors of a snake god named Boitata abound, and there’s a cult of people who call themselves “the children of Boitata.” There are interesting local superstitions to deal with, mysterious stonework ruins, a temple, giant hungry snakes, and gold.
The characters, as usual, are drawn in short strokes that make for just enough depth. Banks is still trying to resist the cigarettes that everyone else indulges in so readily, and as always he has to keep Wiggins out of the booze. This time around we see our heroes get caught and stripped of their equipment, so they have to use more than just their guns to escape! There are some great action sequences, firefights, and so on. And it’s easy to love to hate Buller, the boss-man. I’m still very much enjoying this series!
Consider my rating a 4.5
Original review posted on my blog: http://www.errantdreams.com/2019/05/r...
February 13, 2023
The fourth book in the series, the S-Squad has been wanting to go somewhere warm, unfortunately for them they got their wish. Sent to the Amazon to investigate the disappearances of British Nationals from a gold dredger operating on the Amazon River, what they find are death, snakes, and an annoying pompous piece of garbage they have to babysit.
This book leans to the paranormal side of the scale when it comes to the monsters in this book but is able to keep it ambiguous on just how paranormal it all is. All of the side characters are fully fleshed out which was nice and helped get me attached to them in the short period of time I got to know them.
As with the previous books, this took me about an hour and a half to read, and once I finished I went straight to the next one
This book leans to the paranormal side of the scale when it comes to the monsters in this book but is able to keep it ambiguous on just how paranormal it all is. All of the side characters are fully fleshed out which was nice and helped get me attached to them in the short period of time I got to know them.
As with the previous books, this took me about an hour and a half to read, and once I finished I went straight to the next one
October 11, 2019
I wanted to like Operation Amazon, I really did. But I didn’t. I don’t give out SPOILERS so I won’t share what turned me off, but Banks and his team really do need some R&R!
In Operation Amazon, the Scottish Special Forces squad are set to retrieve the son of a rich man. He’s not even military, making their mission a babysitting job. Lame. But what ruined the mystery, the local lore was the repetitive actions of our heroes and Bullet- the man they’re to retrieve. Sometimes a bullet will set a fool straight!
I got so irritated, I was relieved when I finished the book. To prevent myself from disliking these action-packed adventures, I may stop Reifung this series for a while. Cheers
In Operation Amazon, the Scottish Special Forces squad are set to retrieve the son of a rich man. He’s not even military, making their mission a babysitting job. Lame. But what ruined the mystery, the local lore was the repetitive actions of our heroes and Bullet- the man they’re to retrieve. Sometimes a bullet will set a fool straight!
I got so irritated, I was relieved when I finished the book. To prevent myself from disliking these action-packed adventures, I may stop Reifung this series for a while. Cheers
March 2, 2023
This is the 4th title in this series. If you're looking for some fast paced monster v. military action, then this series is for you.
This book delivers what is advertised. It is a fun, quick read.
My only criticism is the shrinking size of S-Squad. In book 1, it consisted of 6 men: the Captain, the Sgt & 4 squaddies. By this book, it is down to the Captain, the Sgt & 2 squaddies. At this rate there won't be anyone left for the later novels!
This book delivers what is advertised. It is a fun, quick read.
My only criticism is the shrinking size of S-Squad. In book 1, it consisted of 6 men: the Captain, the Sgt & 4 squaddies. By this book, it is down to the Captain, the Sgt & 2 squaddies. At this rate there won't be anyone left for the later novels!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 30, 2025
Snakes! Why did it have to be snakes!
The so squad never disappoints. This time the team heads to Brazil to help a project foreman find out why his men are slowly disappear ing. Ancient ruins,stories about a snake god and human sacrifice round out the plot,all g with a lot of gold. Fast moving g with proof action.
The so squad never disappoints. This time the team heads to Brazil to help a project foreman find out why his men are slowly disappear ing. Ancient ruins,stories about a snake god and human sacrifice round out the plot,all g with a lot of gold. Fast moving g with proof action.
December 9, 2018
THE GUYS ARE BACK IT IS....
Hello, you have to love S-Squad. They always get the job done and they always have time brew up something with their trusty field kit. Great stuff. Thanks.
Hello, you have to love S-Squad. They always get the job done and they always have time brew up something with their trusty field kit. Great stuff. Thanks.
November 7, 2020
S-Squad are sent to the Amazon to look into the disappearance of engineers dredging for gold. They find themselves faced with an ancient superstition involving snake people. Good book that tests the team again with the supernatural.
January 2, 2022
Giant Snakes and Rivers of Gold
Nice story full of mystery, magic and mayhem. The S squad takes on a river god that is a giant snake. My worst nightmare is a snake or spider so this book definitely caused some terror for me. Awesome read!
Nice story full of mystery, magic and mayhem. The S squad takes on a river god that is a giant snake. My worst nightmare is a snake or spider so this book definitely caused some terror for me. Awesome read!
February 1, 2022
fun!
I do enjoy how the covers give away the surprise of what the squad is fighting, but man, the author still makes it a surprise when you read your way to that point. Another good one!
I do enjoy how the covers give away the surprise of what the squad is fighting, but man, the author still makes it a surprise when you read your way to that point. Another good one!
November 23, 2018
Good read
I have enjoyed this series. I am looking forward to the next book in the series. Keep up the adventures.
I have enjoyed this series. I am looking forward to the next book in the series. Keep up the adventures.
August 20, 2019
another great read by author on a wonderful series
October 28, 2019
A good short story!
I like monster stories that are short and contain lots of action. I have been following this series and it has been an awesome experience.
I like monster stories that are short and contain lots of action. I have been following this series and it has been an awesome experience.
April 6, 2021
Another fun read!
I love monster movies, and monster books. This man is a genius! I believe him to be a true master of this genre! Highly recommend!!
I love monster movies, and monster books. This man is a genius! I believe him to be a true master of this genre! Highly recommend!!
September 23, 2021
The Maya were nowhere near the Amazon.
December 13, 2021
Great book
Capt Banks and his boys got themselves into another mess. Great storyline and cast of characters. Full of action and suspense. I recommend reading.
Capt Banks and his boys got themselves into another mess. Great storyline and cast of characters. Full of action and suspense. I recommend reading.
July 11, 2022
Another fast-paced and east read. Although perhaps not the most realistic of stories, it’s great fun if you just want to switch off your brain and be entertained.
April 14, 2025
Anything involving giant snakes is good, but this isn't your average snake story
December 2, 2024
S Squad are initially delighted to hear that after three very cold assignments, they are finally on a mission somewhere warm. Engineers at a dredging operation on the Amazon river have been going missing and S Squad get there to discover that the leader of the operation, the son of a rich well connected man, is now also missing and in need of rescue. However, legends about a giant snake nearby have the local workers spooked but there can't be any truth in it...can there?
After being in three cold environments, it's a total change of environment for S Squad, who now have to deal with the intense heat, the insects, the exhaustion and a very nasty trek north by boat to an abandoned temple in search of the missing men. They are accompanied by a local man who reluctantly agrees to take them by boat, but is very afraid of the monster legend that has all of the locals fearful enough to walk off the operation despite the extra money being offered.
I liked the addition of the new characters for this adventure-local man Giraldo forms an immediate bond with Wiggins as they discuss the dubious merits of the Scottish national football team during their journey. I liked the humour and the normal kind of conversation that you might have in this circumstance. I love Wiggo-he's just such a funny, cheeky and entertaining guy in the team. I thought that the foreman of the operation Wilkes was going to be a major jerk but he actually turns out to be a decent guy. He has genuine concern for his missing boss and workers but the stress of trying to keep things running has obviously got to him.
I do always love the setting of the Amazon for a creature feature monster story. It's such an alien environment to be in and a place that scares me with all the creepy crawlies and dangerous snakes that you'd expect to find in the jungle. You really can imagine not only that big monsters can live there isolated from most humans, but that they may have had something to do with the end of ancient tribes. I loved the idea of the trek through the woods to search an ancient temple for prisoners and snakes. Never going to get tired of that scenario!
This is my favourite book so far in the series. I'm not going to put in spoilers but it's not just the odd snake that the team need to be worried about. Evil lurks inside the temple and it is very hungry. I loved the action and humour as usual, but especially loved the totally different setting for the book.
After being in three cold environments, it's a total change of environment for S Squad, who now have to deal with the intense heat, the insects, the exhaustion and a very nasty trek north by boat to an abandoned temple in search of the missing men. They are accompanied by a local man who reluctantly agrees to take them by boat, but is very afraid of the monster legend that has all of the locals fearful enough to walk off the operation despite the extra money being offered.
I liked the addition of the new characters for this adventure-local man Giraldo forms an immediate bond with Wiggins as they discuss the dubious merits of the Scottish national football team during their journey. I liked the humour and the normal kind of conversation that you might have in this circumstance. I love Wiggo-he's just such a funny, cheeky and entertaining guy in the team. I thought that the foreman of the operation Wilkes was going to be a major jerk but he actually turns out to be a decent guy. He has genuine concern for his missing boss and workers but the stress of trying to keep things running has obviously got to him.
I do always love the setting of the Amazon for a creature feature monster story. It's such an alien environment to be in and a place that scares me with all the creepy crawlies and dangerous snakes that you'd expect to find in the jungle. You really can imagine not only that big monsters can live there isolated from most humans, but that they may have had something to do with the end of ancient tribes. I loved the idea of the trek through the woods to search an ancient temple for prisoners and snakes. Never going to get tired of that scenario!
This is my favourite book so far in the series. I'm not going to put in spoilers but it's not just the odd snake that the team need to be worried about. Evil lurks inside the temple and it is very hungry. I loved the action and humour as usual, but especially loved the totally different setting for the book.
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March 7, 2024Great fun. A group of rough and ready Scottish soldiers battling giant snakes in the Amazon. What’s not to like?
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews