Darkside

By: Jamie Steinberg

Let me preface this by saying I’ve not read the three other books in the “Planetside” series by Michael Mammay. However, after completing his latest iteration Darkside, it’s not a necessity. Mammay has crafted an intense and intriguing who-done-it set in a galaxy far, far away that will keep readers turning page after page to find out the truth behind the latest mission for his hero Colonel Carl Butler.

Colonel Carl Butler is, for all intents and purposes, retired. He’s been through a hell of a lot and is finally taking some time to grab a beer. That brief moment of bliss is interrupted when a young girl approaches. She has crowdfunded the money to get his aid to locate her father, Jorge Ramiro, who was last seen working on a dig with a famous archeologist. Unfortunately for her, Butler is none too eager to get back into the bad graces of two troublesome consortiums – Caliber and Omicron – (both of whom have tried to take out Butler in the past) running the mining operations on that particular moon. However, Butler can’t let the mission go and enlists his right-hand man slash bodyguard Mac and computer hacker Ganos to face what lies ahead on Taug. Add in a few new faces to assist with security and Butler feels a bit more comfortable about what lies ahead – and things get muddy fast.

Mammay is a retired army officer and, boy, can you tell when reading Darkside. There are battle scenes and tactical moments described that could only come from a military mind. And let me say, Mammay can write an action scene! Not that his talents are wasted in novel form, but he could definitely be screenwriting the next big action flick! Back in the day you could see Sylvester Stallone or Arnold Schwarzenegger as Butler but these days I’d say Dwayne Johnson or Jason Statham stepping into his shoes. Add to it that Mac is basically Vin Diesel (buff, snarky, loyal and badass) and Ganos could be Michelle Rodriguez (holds her own and doesn’t put up with guff) and you’ve got yourself one epic action flick. Every character serves a purpose and becomes a saving grace when Butler needs it and there are plenty of bad guys to train their sights on.

If you’re looking for a topnotch action adrenaline rush pick up a copy of Darkside. Butler and crew will keep you turning pages to find out if they can bring back Ramiro and what hoops they have to jump through in order to make it happen. You’re in for quite a read.