Mercenary Mayhem: Reviews

As mentioned, last week the Mercs and Mayhem anthology dropped with our short story In the Company of Shepherds included. We’re proud of our own story, of course, but I thoroughly enjoyed the rest, too. Here’s a quick set of reviews…

Muck by Ken Lizzi (Military Fantasy)- Our opening story is about a squad of low-lifes sneaking around inside a fortified town trying to let in the rest of their mercenary company, ending with a tense infiltration via sewer grate. I liked the setting’s magic rules, where wizards are basically high-powered WMDs that hire mercs for proxy wars rather than blow up everything. Definitely D&D-able. ****

Angles of Indenture by Spearman Burke (Military Sci-fi)- Hyper-corporate future where indentured hilariously mercenary mercs fight. They’re all in hock up to their eyebrows so everything up to and including band-aids are calculated in battles. Nice bit of backstabbery in the end. Definitely RPG-able, but even moreso I think this would make for a really classic looter-shooter. *****

Dogs of Salt and Coin by Kabilova Diyora (Matchlock Sword and Sorcery) – Somewhat dreamlike story, high on style, about a mercenary company entering into a salt-crusted valley filled with revenants and getting themselves well and truly cursed. Every word of language here is handcrafted to be maximally euphonious, makes for one heck of a read. Definitely D&D-able. *****

Over the Hills and Far Away by Malory (Near-Future Thriller) – First-person story told from the perspective of an old mercenary, focused on his mission to deliver an orphaned little girl (carrying a technological secret) through an urban zoo, chased by rivals. Simple but incredibly well-written and very tightly paced. Definitely a solid modern RPG scenario. *****

Power Play by T. A. Leederman (Military Sci-fi) – This is one of your bog-standard powered-armor-mercenaries-hired-by-treacherous-corporation-get-betrayed-and-get-their-revenge stories, notable for including a geriatric granny-medic and a lot of worldbuilding hints. Probably slightly over-charactered, but the throughline of grandma is good. Definitely Traveller-albe.  ****

For Theirs is the World by Jason M. Waltz (Military Alt History) -A small A-Team band led by one Captain Smiler faces off against another mercenary band led by a nutjob. At first I was going to slap this one with another Military Fantasy tag but there’s no magic here, just 1600’s tech and shenanigans. Really enjoyed the distinctive personalities of each member of the A-Team on this one. Definitely D&D-able. *****

In the Company of Shepherds by B. K. Gibson (Military Fantasy) – Our own story, about a mercenary company of our vaguely Grecian Three Seas setting fighting a polis’ brave defenders, told from the perspective of Philon the slave-scribe. So far everyone who’s read it has said they’d like to see more in the world and with the magic, so…great news there! Shepherd, the first novel in the trilogy set here, will be out next year. You know it’s D&D-able.

Mind and Machine by Nathan Slemp (Military Sci-fi) – Another mech merc story, this time with the mechs and the mercs working as combat teams in a Bolo-esque partnership. Stylish, in and out at a tight pace, with a bit of unsettling classic sci-fi horror tinging the middle. Solid RPG scenario. ****

The Tomb of Mammon by Dean Stone (Paranormal Thriller) – My personal favorite of the other stories, it’s present-day with magic, deals with exploring a tomb, plenty of clever overcoming…whole thing just clicks and I really hope Mr. Stone writes more here. Not only is it D&D-able, I immediately did put a Tomb of Mammon in my ongoing campaign. *****

With Friends Like These by Nick Nethery (Military Sci-fi) – Alien bug hunt on a distant planet, taking place during a truce to let both sides’ teams work together. Action solid, bug is horrible, nice environmental set dressing, Enemy Mine friendship between the leaders is fun, pacing good. Definitely D&D-able. *****

March or Mutate by Ross Hathaway (Douglas Adams’ Fever Dream) – Like a put-upon infantryman’s version of Douglas Adams, slightly zanier. This one’s silly but it made me laugh multiple times so I was happy with it. The manic energy would wear at novel length but it’s a howler of a short story. Do not under any circumstances use this for gaming. *****

Even excluding our own, that nets 4.7 stars, with every single story entertaining, no stinkers. Really enjoyed the read here on this one. ​As a final note, I love how Rac Press illustrates every short story, does a lot for setting the tone on each piece.