Go on, take the money and run.
In continuing my reviews of the Land & Sea military sci-fi universe by the intrepid Blaine Lee Pardoe, we come to the first divergence in the primary storyline, but also what represents something important in long-running series: a different jumping on point. While I wholeheartedly recommend reading the first trilogy of books (Splashdown, Riptides, and Storm Surge) to see where it all begins, Blaine certainly understands that not everyone wants to go balls deep into every book just to get full context. It’s something I applied myself with my own books.
Thus, Ratchet’s Run represents a fantastic side-story that doesn’t need to involve the primary storyline. It reads and functions as a standalone story that works both in conjunction with the primary stories or by itself. If you haven’t read any of the prior books, you don’t need to! You’ll be caught up on the broader events quickly enough.
All you need to know is that alien sealife took over the world’s oceans and began a global conflict of coastal conquest. Humans have been fighting back with military and big mechs as their best weapon. Now you’re ready for Ratchet’s Run.
Originally called “Rizzo’s Run” before someone apparently pointed out to Blaine that it sounded too much like Lizzo, which made him change it. I would have pointed out that Rizzo is also the name of a muppet rat. Ratchet sounds much better.
We pick up in one of the biggest locales of the series: the ruins of Los Angeles, one of the first and most devastated locations in the entire series. Now officially referred to as the AIZ (Alien Incursion Zone), its become one of the biggest fronts of the war, with military and entrenched militia fighting to reclaim it and each time they’re rebuffed. Enter Frank Ryland, a military Lieutenant who is first approached by a mega-popular rap singer named Ratchet, who has an offer: retrieve a lockbox from a secret bank for the rich and powerful hidden deep behind enemy lines in the AIZ. Its risky, borderline suicidal, and he can’t sanction using the military to play fetch for a rich girl.
Ryland, however, is let on to the fact that a bank full of lockboxes in a secret bank for the rich and powerful is just sitting there like a ripe fruit waiting to be plucked. A target that juicy and Ryland’s own compulsion to overcome the logistics of digging that deep into enemy territory gets the man worked up into a frenzy.
That’s right, friends. We’re doing a Kelly’s Heroes.
It might have been a bit before most readers’ time, but Kelly’s Heroes wasn’t a typical war movie. The movie–and subsequently Ratchet’s Run–explores an often overlooked aspect of some war stories: good old lootin’ and plunderin’. It’s a war story and a heist story. Nothing new to war itself, but World War II tends to get lionized because the Nazis were such a perfect, unambiguously evil foe to go up against that who could feel bad about stealing from them?
Ratchet’s Run isn’t quite as unambiguous as that, but it makes no bones about Ryland and the soldiers seeing where they are in life and what a nice windfall plucking some loot left behind by the rich would be for them and their families. Ryland sets out to recruit those under his command who would be willing to leave the reservation and risk a court-martial and prison to be able to walk away with a hefty payday. He brings in some soldiers he trusts, a few friendly militia, and a pair of rogue ASHUR pilots–one of whom is a crazed Scot who has a problem with authority and a personal grudge against one of the boss aliens in the AIZ.
They soon find they’re not the only ones. After she was rebuffed, Ratchet took her offer to a well-equipped private military unit, who accepted the job and had the same thought about the bank sitting there with a fortune just waiting to be heisted. Now it’s a race against the clock to plan the heist and beat the other team to the bank. All while dealing with the Fish not being happy to find competing military forces deep in their territory.
It’s a simple yet wonderful story that sets up multiple factions for a head-on collision and delivers when the collision finally happens. Blaine always delivers when it comes to the military and mech action, but the real gem is the build-up to the heist. I love a good heist story and the preparation part is always fun for me. I DM for D&D, and it’s always a blast to see what players will plan vs. what actually happens.
Ryland in particular not only has to contend with what they will encounter in the field when they go after the bank, but also try to cover his tracks well enough that they won’t get caught by the brass and court-martialed. Made all the more tricky by his unit’s liaison, who is highly by the books and constantly sticking her nose in his business. Or his crazed Scottish ASHUR pilot, who is enough of a loose cannon that he’s not sure if he’s their best gun or their biggest liability.
What really sticks out in this book is how, of both factions, neither is shown in a truly malicious light. Although the mercenaries do display their willingness to be more underhanded than Ryland’s ragtag group, both sides are fighting for the same reason: the chance to enrich themselves in the middle of a war. Not entirely noble, but ask the average guy off the street how noble they’d be picking up a bag of money dropped on the ground, and you might be surprised at what answers you get.
For fans of the series, the book does feature a few appearances by some series regulars, keeping the book’s narrative close to the events of the main plot. The book also introduces a new ASHUR rig: The Rattlesnake. A bit of a mid-tier rig, but still aesthetically cool, and it makes its appearance on the front of the cover. I maintain my status as a Rhino-Supremacist.
The end is a hellacious collision of factions and action, and I cannot in good conscience spoil any of it; suffice to say it is one of the more satisfying endings to a book I’ve read in years. A fun and worthy addition to a still-expanding universe, but it stands on its own for those who just want a straight-up sci-fi military heist.
You can grab a copy of Ratchet’s Run on Amazon
You can also find updates on Blaine Pardoe's website.
John A. Douglas is an independently published author and the author of the Age of Adventures fantasy series, including its two starter books: The Black Crown and The Lionheart: Icon of Justice
When I heard Rizzo I first thought of Starship Troopers but then I realized it was more like Ricco.