Hit & Fade

Forgotten Ruin #2

by Jason Anspach, Nick Cole

For the Rangers, the best defense is always… more offense. As an overwhelming army of skeletons, wraiths, ghouls, and other dark creatures—all serving a powerful undead sorcerer—advance against Forward Operating Base Hawthorn, the Rangers must now do what they do go on the extreme offense. It’s time to Hit and Fade. Attack, withdraw, and outmaneuver the enemy. PFC Talker, attached to the weapons team section of a Ranger recon patrol led by Captain Knife Hand, recounts the harrowing attempt to destabilize this surreal and horrific nightmare force with everything the snipers, master breachers, and stone-cold killers of the Ranger regiment have in their bag of lethal tricks. Abating, channelizing, and leading the enemy into a series of devastating traps involving everything from kinetically violent ambushes to immensely explosive crater munitions, the Rangers strike at the enemy as death personified, fading like ghosts only when the dead are dead once again. When facing Rangers, even nightmares are afraid. Purchase this action-packed second installment in the Forgotten Ruin series today!

Genres: Fantasy, Military Fiction, Science Fiction, Horror, Post Apocalyptic, Time Travel, Ebooks

358 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2021

About the author

JASON ANSPACH is the author of Galaxy's Edge, Wayward Galaxy, Forgotten Ruin. and more.

He lives in Puyallup, WA with his wife and their seven (not a typo) children.

Reviews

[Benjamin Espen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hit & Fade: Forgotten Ruin book 2 by Jason Anspach and Nick Cole is an even crazier ride than the first book, if such a thing is even possible. I thought the last book was intense and high-stakes, but this one tops it. This time around we’ll be looking at the ebook, as the audiobook won’t be ready until June, but the ebook comes out April 1st on Amazon.

There is of course no rest for the righteous. Hit & Fade picks up only two weeks after the Rangers seized a castle in Forgotten Ruin. In that time, the Rangers have of course been busy, but unlike the Roman legions, their primary recreational activities do not involve draining marshes and building roads, let alone fixing the castle defenses. Knowing Rangers, what it probably did involve was PT, range time, and trying to catch the eye of the elven women who started trickling in from the wilds once the castle had been liberated.

Freshly resupplied, and having done whatever passes for rest with them, the Rangers now need to deal with masses of something advancing on the castle. If you want an idea of what we are getting into here, just check out that glorious cover art by Tommaso Renieri. Talker, Last of Autumn, and the Rangers are going to be absolutely buried by the restless dead.

Skeletons, zombies, and other shambling undead in D&D are typically numerous but fragile, best managed by a sturdy cleric that can counter the foul magic that animates them. Or, if you are a Ranger, high explosives and kinetic violence. A fun detail from D&D is that skeletons move silently, which is not something I would have expected, but I chanced upon a summary of undead monsters in AD&D recently. Private Kennedy strikes again.

Unfortunately, when necromancy is involved, you don’t just have to deal with such mindless hordes, but also their dark master. If it was easy, anyone could do it.

If you want to see how this all goes down, and you thought Forgotten Ruin was the most fun you’ve had in ages, why not grab a copy now? I certainly got what I came for.

I was provided a review copy by the authors.

[Tony Hinde · Rating 3 out of 5]

This series has such an interesting world and some great characters. Where it falls short is in the plot. There's almost no directionality to the events. All the frenetic violence doesn't seem to be leading anywhere. I feel adrift in a storm-tossed sea with no idea in which direction the shore might lie.

[Robert Defrank · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wherein the Rangers make the undead run back to their graves.

It's Forgotten Ruin Book 2, what more need be said? If you liked the first book, you'll love this one! More battles, more insight into Ranger thought and tactics. More fantastic weirdness. More of Talker's smartalec take on things, more gravitas aspiring to Tolkien's example. Why are you reading this? Pick up the book and read that!

[Gabriel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Still here

I'm not going to lie that it is a bit of an effort to come back and read, as I'm still not 100% crazy about this genre. But when I do, I have no problem with continuining to read, so I guess there is that. Looking to see if it hooks me more, but I bought the series, so in the end I am in it for the long haul.

[Paul Sparks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Be meaner than it, and uglier too 😉

[Petros Nikolopoulos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very intensive, very...there is almost not one minute without some battle.

[Magnús Friðriksson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Since I don't like to give a book a one-star rating, I'm not going to do it here even though my thoughts on this book more or less demand it. It has a few redeeming qualities like the battle descriptions (more or less the whole book)... they're not bad. But as a book trying to tell a story, then this book is seriously lacking. Repetitive to an astonishing level and the overuse of the word "Ranger" in any of its forms is simply staggering! I even bought the Kindle version afterwards only to have a word count. On page 68, Kindle had found it maximum of 100 matches of... "Ranger".

If there will be a continuation of this series, I really don't care. I'm not gonna bother with it.

[jeremy dierst · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just like the last novel, this one uses coffee and Tolkien-esque words, substituted for the word "Ranger". Now don't get me wrong Ranger is still overused, just not as much. And still too much self conversations and useless narrative, I guess just trying to fill pages. The plot moves along at all right pace. I consider this D&D saga a good airport reader, something to kill a few hours with. When you do not have to think too much, and just enjoy the fantasy.

[James Stein · Rating 2 out of 5]

Couldn't Go Past 40% of Second Book in the Series

Made it through the first book but was struggling a bit. Quit second book at about 40% mark. I was just tired of reading the same thing over and over about Rangers (who we admire but don't need two books to tell us again and again about how tough they are) and the weakness of the main character. Not a bad premise to start but the meanies and the nasties start getting tiresome after a while.

[M Hamed · Rating 1 out of 5]

i don't know if it is intentional or not,but he is trying really hard to give a Black Company vipe and failing miserably

Glen Cook writing was effortless ,it flowed like honey.slow but sweet .you could taste the Melancholy of Vietnam (god damm ,that's a good line)

this was just incoherent rambling ,i find myself mostly looking for the the next dialog commas to facilitate my skipping

and fuck sake,stop sucking ranger dick every paragraph

[Marion L. Cites · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the author's previous books

This series is just to much for me. The way he keeps harping on rangers motto got very old after awhile.
I barely finished the 1st book but thought I would give the series another shot to see if it smooth out but for me I just couldn't finish it.
Hopefully I will enjoy a new series from him.

[Charles · Rating 2 out of 5]

Don't get me wrong, I love killing monsters with modern weapons but who knew shooting zombies could be so tedious?
Shoot. Shoot. Ranger lingo. Coffee. McGuffin. Boss fight. Gaze longingly at hot elf. Lingo. Lingo. More coffee. Same Ranger lingo. Repeat.

[Deryk Allan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have very mixed thoughts about this series, on the one hand the premise is very good, but if I ever hear "the Rangers" again in my life I'll be throwing a fit, it was just too much for me, which is a shame because it had great potential.

[Barry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Better written then the first book.

Excellent plot and better character development.

It’s better, but unfortunately, the constant taking 8 pages to describe something that only needs a paragraph continues. It’s so aggravating it drops my rating from a 4 to a 3 out of 5.

[Jay Phipps · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book could use some editing - lots of exposition that could be cut.

[Kelly Grizzaffi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story line with tons of action. Hard to read because the writer goes on tangents that lead to diversions, followed by detours, then COFFEE, then another tangent before getting back on track.

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have stated on several occasions that I do not like science fiction fantasy. That's a fact for me as a reader. I seldom pick up a book or bother reading any book that talks about Kings and Knights, swords and shields, ghost, goblins, orcs, or orgers, wizards, witches and such.That's just not my kind of book. Yet, I did say "seldom" which, by definition, means that I have read books containing those very things. And, this book is full of everyone of those things!

I'm reading it mainly because the authors have done some real good books in the Galaxy's Edge series of which this book doesn't fit at all. After reading the first book, "Forgotten Ruin" , I should well have known what I was getting into. That first book was more about the way Army Rangers fought and died that about what they were fighting. Oh, yeah, it did very clearly indicate that this entire Ranger company had been thrown ten-thousand years into the future and now was fighting the same characters you'd see in a Dungeons and Dragons Game or Lord of the Rings movie. I've never played the former and have only watched some of the latter.

Still, we do return to Earth, like I said ten-thousand years into the future and everything has gone to heck in a big way. Where the now past had no indications that magic existed, it does so in this future in a big, big way. Almost everything in this book has to do with magic, both good and bad! Our story is still being told by PFC Walker or "Talker" as he's known to everyone else. He's the master linguist of the company and his services have come in mighty handy. He's not officially a Ranger, but he's gone to the Ranger course or at least a condensed version of it and as the Rangers indicate every day, you have to live like a Ranger to be an honest to goodness Ranger. And that's what Talker is trying to do, live that is.

The company has consolidated their forces around the Forward Operating Base (FOB) or Fortress Hawthorn. This is where they took back their Forge which they desperately need to keep in order to have any hopes of surviving this world. If you remember, the Forge is a 3-D capable printing that can create just about anything they desire. And they desire a lot of ammo and explosives right now. There is someone or something out there that wants these Rangers dead and in a big way. They are being relentlessly attacked by what appear to be the dead or now as they are called, the Undead. It is a mass of skeletons dug up from various battlefield cemeteries that these Undead are coming from armed with spears, swords and just about anything else that can render a Ranger dead. Yet, they don't have modern weapons as do the Rangers. Nor do they have explosives as do the Rangers in volume right now.

The book tells of an initial fight to find out who is leading this Undead army and kill it or whatever it is. If they are successful in that, then they want to find out who is responsible for all the rest of the unrest on this world or at least in this part of it, the part the Rangers occupy anyway. The fighting in both of these mission is going to be surreal to put it mildly. I firmly believe that modern day weapons would certainly do a number on Undead skeletons even if they had to be shot in the skull to terminate them! Rangers are, by and large, very good shots with their weapons or rather any weapon. We find out just how good they are in this seemly very long story.

While I don't like who they are fighting, the story does make sense in that things that are hit with high velocity projectiles do die and die often. The same goes with explosives. It doesn't matter if you are already dead, when a grenade goes off, you get dead very quickly! But this fight they are going to have to finish won't stop from killing a lot of Rangers. It's just hoped that those who do die, don't come back as the Undead.

This is a very good book. Very exciting reading even if it is a fantasy. Looks like there's a third book, "Violence of Action" coming out on 1 June 2021. I'll be reading it even if I don't like science fiction fantasy.

[KatieR · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the exact same review from the first book. I just didn't want to give a low rating and not say anything. It's the same problem and just a similar pattern that doesn't work for me. So here's my review of Forgotten Ruin and it goes for this one too:

I so wanted to like this book and commit to a new series. I love the premise so much, but it's just not the kind of story I like. I ended up skimming a lot.

Rangers have been sent forward in time two years to help rebuild civilization after its destruction by a "nano virus". A lot of aircraft have been sent through the one-way portal (there's no going back) and the one our narrator is on goes forward 10,000 years instead.

Somehow, in this far future timeline all the creatures from DnD, Tolkien, myth, and legend are there and anxious to kill the rangers.

When I see that description, I see an opportunity to tell a story of survival and cooperation. How do you build a society in a crazy, dangerous, primitive world? But there's no building, it's all fighting. It's one battle the entire book. It's just not my reading preference.

I got the second book to see if things started to move in the direction I hoped, but it was the same, so not for me.

I won't be continuing the series.

[Fasfer · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's always a 50/50 shot if the second book in a series is going to be as good as the first.

Well, thankfully, this is just as good as the first. I'd say it beat the odds, but it's the second book, so it's an equal split on the chance.

The fighting was still intense, the enemy was more violent and life threatening, and overall, a very good read. There's so many open-ended plots and issues that I'm on the edge of my seat, just waiting for the outcome and to know what happens next. And that is what I think makes a book great.

I saw something on TikTok about "book icks" and how there will be many characters but no one seems to die or they get brought back to life. After reading this, I can say that isn't a "book ick" for me. I think it's about how it's played out, and boy, the Ruin allows for it to be played out beautifully. I do think though, that, after Brumm "died" (of which I cried like a baby), I was expecting Tanner to be ok, so emotionally, it didnt hit as hard as Brumm. However, when Talker was going on about the horses and not being able to shoot them - yeah, cried like a baby then.

Can't wait to get through Book 3.

[Andy Herzfeld · Rating 5 out of 5]

Undead Army, evil sorcerers up to no good and a place where people have superpowers you are at the Ruin. 10,000. years into our future looks more like a fantasy game of dungeons and dragons, plop down a Ranger company with modern weapons from the past and you have a party. Allies are few in this unforgiving landscape, but the Rangers have a few. A group of Shadow Elves led by a beautiful but deadly Elvin princess, an ancient Sorcerer and a squad of hardcore Dwarves who love battle with their razor-sharp axes and war hammers. Talker is our narrator through these series; he is a linguist who knows multiple languages which come in handy in the ruin because their language is tied back what was spoken 10,000. years ago. He is a Ranger in training and has proven himself in combat finding himself quite stricken by the Elven queen. Read the Ruin #1 to see how they got here and why. What they have faced so far you really need to start with that one. Rangers are playing defense against an undead horde who wants their mountain fortress and their forge which makes ammo and weapons, dip and all the essentials for a combat Ranger company. Excellent read you won't be bored.

[Jim Guldner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyable read

Like the Ranger and Ranger thoughts, models, sayings, etc. Brings back my time in the early 80's at Womack Army Hospital, as a pharmacy tech amidst the 82nd, 18th AC, and SF. Definitely remember the "leg" comments, and my CSM offering me airborne school with the promise of joining the division upon completion. As I was shortly to be married to my fiancee finishing college, I politely declined, I believe I even said something to the effect "I want to sleep next to my wife, not in a tent.". 40 years later, still sleeping by the same woman.
Good story, adapting and overcoming. D&D, endless varieties of monsters, losing soldiers, making tough calls. It keeps you engaged in the story, without being wrapped up in the minutia(?) Of: the M16A1 is a shoulder-fired, gas operated, semi-automatic rifle, capable of automatic fire, etc, etc, etc.
Heading to book 3 now.

[Aidan C · Rating 2 out of 5]

A good editor could’ve helped this book out.

The concept is interesting, the world the Rangers find themselves in is interesting, the prose is awful.

You can only read “rah rah Rangers badass” or something to that effect a few times before you start rolling your eyes. We don’t need to be told these things, they’re demonstrated through the actions of characters well enough.

Additionally, and someone else brought it up, it comes off as trying to emulate The Black Company series and failing to do so. Unlike TBC, this book doesn’t understand when to be sparing with details. We’re bombarded with item numbers and nuts upon bolts that are inconsequential to the plot. As a result the text loses focus, not helped by the aforementioned tangents that the POV character goes on, making what should be dynamic action scenes jittery and worst of all, boring.

Reading through becomes more a chore to get to the next interesting nugget and at that point I set the book down.

[Jeremyf · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one was more introspective. A lot like Strange Company.

Book one was more linear where there was a crisis on earth and the tier 1 folks were the only hope to reestablish order in the near future...which ended up being the far future with no hope of order, almost.

Book two is not what anyone expects. Instead of building defenses amd hunkering down to establish a home base, the rangers decide to immediately go out and probe the undead that seem fixated on them.

The probe turns into a defeat and the undead are being aimed at the fortress of Rangers and survivors like a howitzer. So the Rangers decide to go asymmetrical on the dead, because it’s really their only option.

Lives are lost, people’s true selves are revealed, and the dwarfs show up. The authors definitely have a stalker-tier love obsession with the Rangers, so keep that in mind.

[John Davies · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! Just wow! Nick and Jason hit this out of the park, and the whole story is really just getting started.

The Rangers, finding themselves 10,000 years in the future, and Earth has been changed into a real-life Dungeons & Dragons game, complete with magic and undead, decide to go on the attack. They set up ambushes to delay the army of undead advancing towards their stronghold. The action is non-stop, and made me think of those Youtube videos you see of 1000 soldiers versus 1000000 Orcs simulators.

I'd have liked to have seen a little more from the enemy's point of view though. There were several times I wanted to know more about what a certain enemy could do, or why they were even involved. Although, knowing Nick and Jason, they've probably got that stuff planned for revealing in later books.

All in all, I am really looking forward to reading the next in the series.

[Zane Cray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yet another one knocked out of the park by Anspach and Cole! The sequel to Forgotten Ruin finds Talker and his fellow Rangers (along with some new allies) battling an army of the undead. Despite some repetitive explanations by the author (less than there were in book one, in my humble opinion), I've got to say I enjoyed this one even more than the first book of this series. The action flowed seamlessly and relentlessly, pushing me toward a spectacular conclusion which came much too soon--I want more! Needless to say, I'm going to be buying a copy of the third book in the series (Violence of Action) to slake my thirst for war and wizardry, and to see how the overarching story plays out. If you like military fantasy, do yourself a favor and immerse yourself in this series, I highly doubt you will be disappointed!

[Tomcat · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fantastic sequel to the Forgotten Ruins series! The book begins right in the midst of the action, offering a thrilling glimpse of what lies ahead. It's truly a page-turner that’s difficult to set aside. The relationships between the main characters evolve beautifully, adding depth and warmth to the story. The side characters also have their moments to shine, and their development is handled quite nicely as well. The scenes are described vividly, immersing you in the non-stop action. It’s a wonderful read, and I highly recommend it, especially if you enjoyed the first book!

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

This gets a 4 as it is a good story. It doesn't get a 5 because the narrator continues to annoy the shit out of me. I DON'T CARE about how much he loves coffee, and his endless ruminations and navel-gazing contribute little to nothing to the actual story.

Again, the story is very good, and if the narrator follows his own advice and puts less "him" into the narrative the third book should be great.

[Ray · Rating 5 out of 5]

More of the fantastical future in RPG.

Talker and his Ranger comrades fight and die in this future world that a new Chinese nano virus accidentally unleashed. This world of magic and the walking dead will try the Rangers like never before.. But Rangers do what they do best. Visiting he'll fire and death upon their unnatural enemies. Now or ten thousand years in the future Rangers will ranger.

[Tom Priebe · Rating 3 out of 5]

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[Gregg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good but not perfect

The story is written in first person in the form of a written account of actions after the events take place, so we know that the writer of the stories lives through the events. The writer is long winded and often goes on tangents. Other than that it’s an interesting story. The military action is pretty well done but some of the characters are over the top stereotypes. Highly recommended even with the faults.