Dogs of War edited by Mike McPhail

Everyone has heard the typical response to anthologies: Some stories are good, some aren’t.  With so many different writers, it is more or less guaranteed that no reader will enjoy every story, and most of the time you find a few that just don’t work for you.  I came across this very situation with the last anthology I read, L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future, Volume 30.  It is the nature of multi-author collections.

So when I read and loved the first story, Christopher M. Hiles’ “The Shepherds,” I figured that I would be coming across a dud soon.  When I finished “Brothers” by Danielle Ackley-McPhail, the final story in the collection, I realized that those duds never showed their face.  Editor Mike McPhail’s Dogs of War is brilliant military science fiction from start to finish.

Part of the Defending the Future military science fiction anthology series, Dogs of War takes the theme of dogs (or other companion animals) in combat, and runs with it in seventeen different directions, each one fascinating.  Some, like the aforementioned story by Hiles, felt like the start of a much bigger story, and readers will be keeping their eyes peeled for more from these authors.

Authors embraced the ideas of robotic dogs in combat, birds of prey performing recon, entire units made up of nothing but augmented animals, some even exploring the boundaries (or lack thereof) or human and canine soldiers in the future.  Readers concerned that Dogs of War would be a sappy collection of military science fiction dog lover stories are missing out on the massive breadth of content, the engaging conflicts and fascinating futures, and a host of talented authors.  Military science fictions fans will love this anthology.

So It Begins edited by Mike McPhail

NOTE: So It Begins was a free review copy provided to Luke Reviews by Dark Quest Books.


In my quest to discover another side of military science fiction, I stumbled upon Breach the Hull edited by Mike McPhail, the first volume of the Defending the Future series from Dark Quest Books. When I received the second volume, I made sure to dive into the contents ASAP.

This second volume turned out to be even better than the first. Stories such as James Chambers’ “War Movies” ratchet up the emotion, while others, like “Junked” by Andy Remic (whose Kell’s Legend got a strong review here, and has the sequel out soon) play to the all-out, non-stop action. What the two stories share is a well-developed set of characters, and a plot that shows military science fiction is about far more than making ever bigger explosions.

Other great additions to this collection include Danielle Ackley-McPhail’s “First Line,” set in the Alliance Archives universe, which contains her usual mix of action and strong storytelling, with an emotional tug, and “Grendel” by military science fiction genius Jack Campbell (aka John G. Hemry), the story set in his acclaimed Lost Fleet series, the first book of which got a rave review here at the site. Campbell’s deft touch with military science fiction and the space engagements of fleets of ships are the best I have ever seen, and “Grendel” won’t let down his fans.

Also of interest is a piece by David Sherman, co-author of the Starfist and Starfist: Force Recon series, set in his Demontech universe. The piece, “Surrender of Die,” was to be the beginning of the unpublished fourth book, and is a fitting tribute to the series, as well as a nice capstone to a very well rounded anthology.

If you are looking for a diverse collection of stories that will show you all that military science fiction can do, look no further.

Breach the Hull edited by Mike McPhail

NOTE: Breach the Hull was a free review copy provided to Luke Reviews by Dark Quest Books.


Military science fiction is a passion of mine. However, it seems I am getting it more and more from Warhammer 40,000, and not from much else. That isn’t to say there is anything wrong with Warhammer 40,000 (far from it!), just that I would like to see some new settings and new themes in my military SF. So, with that in mind, I picked up a copy of Breach the Hull, the first book in Dark Quest Books’ military science fiction anthology series, Defending the Future.

What I found was a bit hit-or-miss. While I think calling “Cryptic” by Jack McDevitt military science fiction is a bit of a stretch, it slammed a home run to start the proceedings, with a story of wonderful science fiction. It, along with other strong contributions such as Danielle Ackley-McPhail’s “In the Dying Light,” packed into the story a wallop of suspense and excitement, not just at the gunfights and violence, but weaving a strong story through the action. The stories worked on their own, not just as a vehicle for the action associated with the genre.

However, other stories seemed to not hit those high notes quite as well, such as editor Mike McPhail’s “Wayward Child,” which felt a bit flat throughout, lacking that engaging sense of suspense that made some of the other stories such winners. I found myself not finishing all of the stories, as the anthology lost momentum, instead skipping around a bit.

Not all is lost, however, with appearances by the brilliant Jack Campbell (under his real name, John G. Hemry), and the ever-popular Patrick Thomas, who has an entry into his 142nd Starborne series. All-in-all, this volume fills out well, not using many big names, but hitting a number of authors with a lot of work out from smaller publishers, and searching for the new breed of story to be found, not in the big publishers, but in the hands of authors and fans of the genre.

This isn’t necessarily the best anthology you will read, but in a subgenre dominated by a few big names, it is nice to see a fresh take at the stories that made the genre exciting to read. And even if they don’t all succeed, they serve as a platform to keep the genre alive.