God's Soldiers

by John Walker

Jake Callan’s home is ransacked and his wife and friend are kidnapped.
Is he up against one organization, or separate factions of them?
And who is pulling the strings?
Unable to go to the police, Jake Callan and Jack Parrish travel undercover as roadies with Peter Stillson's rock group, "Io's Anthem", to rescue Louise and Felicia and destroy the organization responsible.
Is all of this just coincidence ... or has it all been engineered by an older and more powerful enemy?
In this private little war nothing is what it appears to be ...

518 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[Jennifer Chase · Rating 5 out of 5]

I struggled a little bit with how to accurately review this book because it literally blew me away. This doesn’t happen often, but I’m almost at a loss for the right words. I felt like I was the sidekick riding along in the action movies Die Hard and Rambo, both at the same time, where you must then contend with Armageddon.

John Walker is an author that should be regarded as one of the exceptional thriller writers of this generation. The storyline, plot development, twists and turns, characters, and interwoven paranormal aspect through all four books in this high impact quartet are truly brilliant. He has a talent for bringing you immediately into the lives of all his characters, whether they are good or bad, and make you feel what it’s like at the exact moment of their biggest struggles and triumphs.

God’s Solders is the last installment (book #4) of Jack Parrish’s final fight. This book revolves around the kidnapping of Jake Callan’s wife and friend. It brings Jack, Jake, and their closest friends into the biggest fight of their lives in order to rescue these two women. This book is truly the epitome of good versus evil in every aspect of the word.

This private war snags readers into the most dark and vengeful adventure, and it ties together all four books perfectly. Word of caution for readers: this story is not for the faint of heart or the squeamish. There’s plenty of blood and gore because fighting a private war against an all-powerful enemy isn’t easy. You better hang on for dear life, but I promise, you won’t be disappointed with the final sequences.

[Martha Curtis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Originally titled "the Saddest Story", the opening line. Published asked to change the title: thus, "The Good Soldier" has nothing to do with the novel. Story of two couples: one American, one British. Set in flashbacks in non-chronological order. I found it at first confusing but once I was into the story it all fell together. Very good read! Rated one of the best English novels of the 20th century by Modern Library.

[Kymberly Chard · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the 4th and last book in the series. The narrative returns to Jack Parrish’s point of view as he goes on the road with his friend Jake Callan, helped by a group of friends, on a rescue mission. The first 3 books, even though they were strong stories by themselves, are the build up to this one. God’s Soldiers is action from start to finish. The characters fight through so many bad situations as they take a journey on what can only be described as hell on earth, fighting their own “private war” along the way. By the time they are all trapped inside the mall I was actually frightened for them. It’s a dark story that also explores the dark side of men. We discover just how far Jack Parrish will go to fight for those he cares about. I can imagine if they made this one into a film it would be like nothing else I’ve ever watched on the screen.
What I have loved about this entire series is that John Walker is a real honest writer who has guts with his subject matter and won’t flinch when it comes to describing a volatile situation. The faint of heart will not like this series. On the first reading, parts of it had the hairs on the back of my neck standing up. The violence and horror is graphic and the fight sequences are well staged and vividly described. It knocked me out!

[Alta · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the last book of John Walker's quartet. This was another one that was hard for me to rate. The writing is well thought out and very descriptive, the plot all ties together in a nice neat package, the characters that you've come to know so well fianlly get some peace in their lives and you're there to share it with them. All that being said, this one was pretty far out of my comfort zone genre wise, but at the same time, I needed to know what happened with the characters. I'm not a fan of so much violence and blood, but if I was, then I probably would have given this four stars.

One of the things I've enjoyed about this series is the various topics of conversation that my friends and I can delve into based on the character's choices and situations. There's plenty to talk about.

[Lee Holz · Rating 5 out of 5]

God’s Soldiers is a fitting and satisfying conclusion to the Dark Retribution Quartet. Jack Parrish (narrator) and Jake Callan are reunited. Together, they and their friends are literally God’s soldiers fighting the Evil One, his surrogates and minions. This is the most theological of the four books. There is a lot of graphic violence, and some passages are surreal albeit rendered in concrete details. I don’t want to give any spoilers, but let me say that the conclusion is anything but dark.