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On The Use Of Shape-Shifters In Warfare
The 300th Special Operations Company is the Army's only segregated lycanthrope unit. Forbidden by international accords to engage in combat, the "dog soldiers" lend their skills to the regular Army units, sniffing out IEDs and guarding the troops against things that go bump in the night. Sergeant Decker and his 300th comrade, Sergeant Sobieski, are assigned to a Forward Operating Base deep in the mountains of Afghanistan when they have to face a local threat far more dangerous than roadside bombs or insurgent ambushes.
12 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 16, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
July 2, 2019
This is another of the short stories that were the basis for an episode in the first season of Netflix's series
Love, Death & Robots
and this, too, was penned by a German author which is why I was even more curious.
This was one of my top 3 episodes of the season despite at least one (minor) error. In the show, the lycanthropes are Marines, whereas in the story, they are part of the US Army. Due to the behaviour and some phrases of some of the "soldiers", it didn't really work for me when they were portrayed as Marines.
But anyway, the story follows Sergeants Sobieski and Decker as they are lent to an Army unit in Afghanistan. For some reason, the US's allies have signed a treaty forbidding the use of werewolves in combat so all they get to do is sniff out bombs and be the firsts to get shot so as to protect the more frail "normal" humans. Do they get thanks for that? Of course not.
In fact, in countries like Afghanistan their kind is even regarded as abominations.
One night, they are attacked by something far more dangerous than either US military or Taliban.
The story is tragic on several levels but also thrilling and the fantasy element of werewolves being real and in the military lent it that little bit of fantasy to spice things up just right. Personally, I think the humour between the two lycanthropes was better (a bit more pronounced) in the show's episode than here in the story and it made me like the characters even more. Nevertheless, I felt for them and wanted to punch several people. Thus, it was definitely emotionally engaging in both formats. Moreover, a certain fight was longer on the show, too, and since I'm all for blood and gore, I enjoyed that a lot - hence missing it slightly here. But the story made up for that by highlighting other aspects that couldn't be shown in the episode.
This was one of my top 3 episodes of the season despite at least one (minor) error. In the show, the lycanthropes are Marines, whereas in the story, they are part of the US Army. Due to the behaviour and some phrases of some of the "soldiers", it didn't really work for me when they were portrayed as Marines.
But anyway, the story follows Sergeants Sobieski and Decker as they are lent to an Army unit in Afghanistan. For some reason, the US's allies have signed a treaty forbidding the use of werewolves in combat so all they get to do is sniff out bombs and be the firsts to get shot so as to protect the more frail "normal" humans. Do they get thanks for that? Of course not.
In fact, in countries like Afghanistan their kind is even regarded as abominations.
One night, they are attacked by something far more dangerous than either US military or Taliban.
The story is tragic on several levels but also thrilling and the fantasy element of werewolves being real and in the military lent it that little bit of fantasy to spice things up just right. Personally, I think the humour between the two lycanthropes was better (a bit more pronounced) in the show's episode than here in the story and it made me like the characters even more. Nevertheless, I felt for them and wanted to punch several people. Thus, it was definitely emotionally engaging in both formats. Moreover, a certain fight was longer on the show, too, and since I'm all for blood and gore, I enjoyed that a lot - hence missing it slightly here. But the story made up for that by highlighting other aspects that couldn't be shown in the episode.
July 8, 2021
Kloos takes recent history and imagines what might happen if lycanthropes were available and willing to join the army.
"“I’m more natural than you. I can see in the dark, hear the grass grow, follow a scent for twenty miles. All without batteries. Your ass rides around in a stinking Humvee, and you’re blind at night without your flashlight and your NVGs. How fucking natural is that?”"
"High explosives have a particular scent, even through a layer of earth and the rusty metal case of an old artillery shell. Freshly dug earth has a different smell. Together, they make an olfactory marker that’s as strong and obvious as a ten-foot neon sign on top of the ambush site. Even from a hundred yards away, I can smell death waiting for us by the side of the road leading out of the village, masterfully camouflaged."
Just a bit of speculative fiction done the “Kloos way” with attention to the details of military experience. 3.5*
"“I’m more natural than you. I can see in the dark, hear the grass grow, follow a scent for twenty miles. All without batteries. Your ass rides around in a stinking Humvee, and you’re blind at night without your flashlight and your NVGs. How fucking natural is that?”"
"High explosives have a particular scent, even through a layer of earth and the rusty metal case of an old artillery shell. Freshly dug earth has a different smell. Together, they make an olfactory marker that’s as strong and obvious as a ten-foot neon sign on top of the ambush site. Even from a hundred yards away, I can smell death waiting for us by the side of the road leading out of the village, masterfully camouflaged."
Just a bit of speculative fiction done the “Kloos way” with attention to the details of military experience. 3.5*
March 29, 2019
“The use of lycanthropes as combatants is prohibited. In case of capture by the enemy, such individuals have no right to be treated as prisoners of war, nor shall they be accorded the rights of such.” —Article 2, Section I, Budapest Accords (not signed by the United States)
A very good short tale about lycantrope soldiers fighting in Afghanistan who inspired the Shapeshifters episode of blockbuster Netflix series Love, Death + Robots.
It is a nice read if you are into Dog Soldiers flicks and it made me wanna read other stoties about 300th Special Operations Company (L), but the I liked more the animated episode based on it.
May 23, 2021
Picked this up after watching the episode of "Love Death and Robots" that was based on it.
An interesting romp that blends a quasi-real-world setting (Afghan wars) with well.... werewolves. Can be interpreted as some not-so-subtle commentary on racism and bigotry as well.
An interesting romp that blends a quasi-real-world setting (Afghan wars) with well.... werewolves. Can be interpreted as some not-so-subtle commentary on racism and bigotry as well.
July 13, 2024
I finally got around to reading this after having it on my TBR list for years, practically since I saw the episode of LD+R adapted from it.
Honestly, I think the episode made some improvements to the story by fleshing out Sobieski's character a bit more as well as slightly changing the ending scene. Maybe I'm biased from first exposure or just from the visual medium, but the story felt like it didn't have quite the same impact.
Rather than being a visceral action story, this felt like an interesting exploration of a political agreement between nations and the degree to which one's loyalty is to one's people rather than one's country. So, I ended up liking the story and the adaptation for different reasons, which isn't a bad thing.
Honestly, I think the episode made some improvements to the story by fleshing out Sobieski's character a bit more as well as slightly changing the ending scene. Maybe I'm biased from first exposure or just from the visual medium, but the story felt like it didn't have quite the same impact.
Rather than being a visceral action story, this felt like an interesting exploration of a political agreement between nations and the degree to which one's loyalty is to one's people rather than one's country. So, I ended up liking the story and the adaptation for different reasons, which isn't a bad thing.
May 7, 2019
If you've seen the TV show...
Not sure why they changed them to Marines for the TV show but whatever. A well done short story, especially if you liked the episode of the show it's based on.
Not sure why they changed them to Marines for the TV show but whatever. A well done short story, especially if you liked the episode of the show it's based on.
July 14, 2020
Another great novella. Different form of warfare
January 18, 2020
Shape-Shifters at war
This is a throughly enjoyable short story. It seems to me that there is a much larger story maybe even a series of books that could be written. If that is ever pursued I will definitely read it. This is the first story that I have read by this author but i will be looking into his other books because if this story is any indication of his ability the book will be good. This story was also developed for Netflix series..Love, Death, and Robots and is well worth the watch there also.. There are a few issues with that but we are not reviewing the show.
This is a throughly enjoyable short story. It seems to me that there is a much larger story maybe even a series of books that could be written. If that is ever pursued I will definitely read it. This is the first story that I have read by this author but i will be looking into his other books because if this story is any indication of his ability the book will be good. This story was also developed for Netflix series..Love, Death, and Robots and is well worth the watch there also.. There are a few issues with that but we are not reviewing the show.
April 16, 2020
I quite enjoyed this short story and the larger world it implied with the tiny slice we saw. I sense a lot of overlap with a Monster Hunter International type universe (but without the b-movie feel of Larry Correia's work). I had seen the Love Death & Robots episode on Netflix and while it was not my favorite of the series, I still thought it was pretty good. I have been a longtime fan of Marko Kloos and was not disappointed by this outing. He brings an authenticity to military fiction that is hard to fake (even in the presence of werewolves). I would absolutely read more about the 300th Special Operations Company if it were available.
May 3, 2021
The Love, Death, and Robots's "Shape-Shifters" episode was based on this story. The author hadn't previously published it, but enough people asked for it after the episode, that he put it on Amazon.
I only paid a dollar for it, but having seen the episode first, I sadly can't say it was worth the price. The episode followed it nearly word for word, so it felt like nothing new at all. If I had read the story first, I probably would have LOVED LOVED LOVED it.
There was a tiny (two paragraph) scene that wasn't in the show, and the ending was different. The written story's ending was better (more realistic, but "boring" to put on TV), so I can understand why they made the show's ending different.
I'm fine with giving the author a dollar in thanks for writing the story so they could make the episode I loved off it.
I only paid a dollar for it, but having seen the episode first, I sadly can't say it was worth the price. The episode followed it nearly word for word, so it felt like nothing new at all. If I had read the story first, I probably would have LOVED LOVED LOVED it.
There was a tiny (two paragraph) scene that wasn't in the show, and the ending was different. The written story's ending was better (more realistic, but "boring" to put on TV), so I can understand why they made the show's ending different.
I'm fine with giving the author a dollar in thanks for writing the story so they could make the episode I loved off it.
June 16, 2022
Absolutely crisp and fantastic.
It's a short story (apparently an episode of a tv show was based on it, with a slightly different ending), and it's excellent. I ended up wanting a lot more in the universe.
Part of what makes it so good is that the tone is lower-volume than so much of recent milSF and shifter stories. This is matter-of-fact and direct, without histrionics or Pack Politics or any of the weird alpha bullshit. Just a straightforward lycanthropes in the military short.
I immediately went looking for other things by the author and discovered, to my dismay, that he's written a bunch of other novels (all milSF); I've read the first one in the series and it was just not good enough for me to keep going. I enjoyed it at the time, but it was far less innovative and creative.
Unfortunately, this means this short story will have to stand alone. Darn. I'd read more of it.
It's a short story (apparently an episode of a tv show was based on it, with a slightly different ending), and it's excellent. I ended up wanting a lot more in the universe.
Part of what makes it so good is that the tone is lower-volume than so much of recent milSF and shifter stories. This is matter-of-fact and direct, without histrionics or Pack Politics or any of the weird alpha bullshit. Just a straightforward lycanthropes in the military short.
I immediately went looking for other things by the author and discovered, to my dismay, that he's written a bunch of other novels (all milSF); I've read the first one in the series and it was just not good enough for me to keep going. I enjoyed it at the time, but it was far less innovative and creative.
Unfortunately, this means this short story will have to stand alone. Darn. I'd read more of it.
December 11, 2021
This was a short book, only 12 pages, and I'd seen the Netflix Love Death Robots adaption which is what got me interested in it. I read the whole thing in one go despite it being 1AM and me being very tired and half asleep, so I was gripped by it and it held my attention well for those full 12 pages. Remarkable how the author was able to convey so much, character, emotion and such in that small amount of space.
However, yeah, it was only 12 pages so don't expect anything very deep or massively explored. I rate things with how I feel they should be expected to perform, and this short story performed incredibly well for the short space it had.
However, yeah, it was only 12 pages so don't expect anything very deep or massively explored. I rate things with how I feel they should be expected to perform, and this short story performed incredibly well for the short space it had.
July 20, 2019
How fun was that!
Great to see Marko Kloos bring his talents to a new venue. I've enjoyed how the author brings his perspective to military scenarios at a very personal level in his other series, and this short story is no exception. Mr Kloos marks a rare combination of a veteran's experience and a strong gift for narrative and characters. I would love to see more of this storyline.
Great to see Marko Kloos bring his talents to a new venue. I've enjoyed how the author brings his perspective to military scenarios at a very personal level in his other series, and this short story is no exception. Mr Kloos marks a rare combination of a veteran's experience and a strong gift for narrative and characters. I would love to see more of this storyline.
March 23, 2019
Plus ça change, plus c’est même chose.
Very well done all around. The legal niceties are and excellent backdrop: the Army is nothing if not bureaucratic. Although I do wonder about the regular troops’ reaction: generally they’re looking for an edge, and anything that’s going to get them home eventually and alive and well in the meantime.
Very well done all around. The legal niceties are and excellent backdrop: the Army is nothing if not bureaucratic. Although I do wonder about the regular troops’ reaction: generally they’re looking for an edge, and anything that’s going to get them home eventually and alive and well in the meantime.
March 28, 2019
more more more. i need a full book of this 300L regiment. Im interested in following the induals story line what he is thinking. this book is different, thanks marco kloos
. i would like to read more on along this line of thinking. perhaps Markoo can pick up from the end of this story. thank you
. i would like to read more on along this line of thinking. perhaps Markoo can pick up from the end of this story. thank you
May 3, 2019
More questions than answers.
Good story. You can read it in 15 minutes which doesn't mean you don't get your money's worth. My only complaint is that you spend half the story trying to figure out what a Lycanthrope is and what they can do. If you buy this book do a Google search before you read it.
Good story. You can read it in 15 minutes which doesn't mean you don't get your money's worth. My only complaint is that you spend half the story trying to figure out what a Lycanthrope is and what they can do. If you buy this book do a Google search before you read it.
July 10, 2019
Well done! Finally, a werewolf story that isn't just another full moon howler gone insane!
Good job on this one! I enjoyed the change of direction this one goes with. Not just another remake of the full moon insane howler genre we have been bombarded with for decades. Good story, strong characters, well written and with emotional impact. I liked it.
Good job on this one! I enjoyed the change of direction this one goes with. Not just another remake of the full moon insane howler genre we have been bombarded with for decades. Good story, strong characters, well written and with emotional impact. I liked it.
August 31, 2022
I enjoyed this book. My only real complaint is the fight between Decker and the other unnamed lycanthrope is a single paragraph. I was hoping the fight was more than a simple description and more detailed.
Other than this one, I hesitate to use the word "flaw", the short story is an excellent short read.
Other than this one, I hesitate to use the word "flaw", the short story is an excellent short read.
November 15, 2022
I enjoyed this short story so much. I'm a sucker for stories which have a near identical setting to the real world with the excepción of having mythical creatures and/or superhumans and how society would work in a world like that. This one, despite its short length, did a remarcable job of portraying the internal conflict between two species trying to co-exist. Overall, a great read.
April 27, 2019
Outstanding but too Short!
Outstanding but too Short! Now I’m hooked! Where’s my next fix? I needed a good read, I got a great read. Elated and disappointed at the same time. Good a Job! Thanks, I’m looking forward to more!
Outstanding but too Short! Now I’m hooked! Where’s my next fix? I needed a good read, I got a great read. Elated and disappointed at the same time. Good a Job! Thanks, I’m looking forward to more!
August 5, 2019
It was a good story.
I was drawn to this story by the idea of werewolves working with human soldiers. I was not disappointed. It was a fast moving
story with a riveting combination of action and drama. Rather short, though.
I was drawn to this story by the idea of werewolves working with human soldiers. I was not disappointed. It was a fast moving
story with a riveting combination of action and drama. Rather short, though.
October 3, 2019
Entertaining & short
i have seen an animated version of this story in the last year or so. even if you read this, check out the video. Unfortunately, i don’t recall who distributed it.
i have seen an animated version of this story in the last year or so. even if you read this, check out the video. Unfortunately, i don’t recall who distributed it.
September 4, 2021
Good short story
Great character development in such a short format. I really cared about the characters and I liked the story. Netflix's Love + Death and Robots brought me here but I'm glad I came.
Great character development in such a short format. I really cared about the characters and I liked the story. Netflix's Love + Death and Robots brought me here but I'm glad I came.
April 12, 2024
Phenomenal blend of Military & Fantasy.
Werewolves in Afghanistan. What’s not to like? Great blend of horror tropes and military action. I’d love to see a full series on the topic.
Werewolves in Afghanistan. What’s not to like? Great blend of horror tropes and military action. I’d love to see a full series on the topic.
March 21, 2019
Nice little short story
Marko Kloos has deviated from the space warfare genre but good writers can always spin a good tale. I look forward to more of this story.
Marko Kloos has deviated from the space warfare genre but good writers can always spin a good tale. I look forward to more of this story.
March 27, 2019
Excelent
Short stories are tuff. Kloss nails this one. Smell is the most atavistic sense. Remember that, smell is primitive and basic
Short stories are tuff. Kloss nails this one. Smell is the most atavistic sense. Remember that, smell is primitive and basic
March 30, 2019
Too short
Good story but too short and without details. Barely more than a scene. Would like to see more of this guy
Good story but too short and without details. Barely more than a scene. Would like to see more of this guy
May 17, 2019
If only
Kloos brings locals into a modern day military setting setting a basis for how they could be used and integrated into a modern force. Thoughtful writing.
Kloos brings locals into a modern day military setting setting a basis for how they could be used and integrated into a modern force. Thoughtful writing.
February 20, 2020
I would love more stories like this one!
This short story can be a good start to a new series of shape shifter soldiers. Worth a quick read
This short story can be a good start to a new series of shape shifter soldiers. Worth a quick read
April 1, 2020
I wish this was a full sized book and not just a short story it is so great!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews