The Blood Red City
In this alternate history and science fiction-themed novel, the WWII British special operators at Station Z are battling both Nazis and the alien Vril. As the Germans try to exploit the technology of the aliens, the British are trying to stop the oncoming Vril planet-wide offensive they suspect is imminent. While the London-based station is conducting covert research on the aliens, with the apparent assistance of historical occult figure, Aleister Crowley, special ops teams of men and women deploy to the U.S. west coast, occupied Greece and embattled Stalingrad to hunt for critical ancient artifacts. The search culminates in a fiery and exciting climax on the island of Crete which also sets the stage for what comes next.
This thoroughly enjoyable novel, part of a series by veteran “Dr. Who” writer Richards, reads just fine as a stand-alone. The Germans may be cartoonishly portrayed as clumsy and incompetent, and the espionage tradecraft may be a bit facile, but the fast-paced action and tension infused throughout compensate for that. The book is great fun, and the wooden stakes are a quaintly ironic touch.
