Stone Soldiers by C.E. Martin [Short Story Reviews]

Stone Soldiers
0.5. Stone Soldier - Kindle
0.6. Stone Soldiers: Catching Fire - Kindle
0.7. Stone Soldiers: City of Bones - Kindle
1. Mythical
2. Brothers in Stone
3. Blood and Stone
4. Shades of War
5. Black Knight Down

Elementals, mythological critters, and big guns. Everything a girl needs for a night in.

C.E. Martin
| Website | Amazon |

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Stone Soldier
Format: ebook
Source: purchased
Date read: August 24, 2013

Synopsis (Goodreads):

A short story set in the Stone Soldiers universe...

In 1962, Captain Mark Kenslir died a horrible death in a secret, underground research base. Returning to life, he found himself changed- possessing superhuman strength and a resistance to physical harm.

Returning to active duty, Kenslir is sent to Laos, to investigate a missing patrol. Instead, he discovers a remote North Vietnamese supply base, guarded by an outcast Chinese Sorcerer and his water elemental.

My Thoughts on Stone Soldier: Here we get to see Mark Kenslir before he's the leader of a crack team of supernaturals. This is the Kenslir who hasn't faced off against decades worth of critters determined to end life as we know it. Actually, I just made that up. I don't know if ALL the supernatural creatures he's faced are bent on destroying mankind or setting up a human-sacrificing power base. I mean, based on what he's had to go toe to toe with, it very well COULD be all of them, but I don't want to jump to any conclusions here.

Anyway. Past Kenslir. He's a pretty standup guy. He loves his wife. He had these nifty, nullifying powers. And those don't do him a whole heck of a lot of good when his wife gets petrified. I mean, they do HIM good when the bad things come to get him, but his wife isn't so lucky. Which is kind of sad when you stop to think of it.

Bonus for now knowing why Kenslir can always be found scarfing down danishes in the present. Let this be a lesson to you, kids! Eat your breakfast because you never know when a giant resurrected basilisk is going to turn you to stone and leave you perpetually hungry when your nullifying powers keep you alive.

Stone Soldiers: Catching Fire
Format: ebook
Source: purchased
Date read: August 24, 2013

Synopsis (Goodreads):

Daniel Smith, Navy SEAL, sacrificed his life to save his men. But Smith doesn't stay dead long. Awakening in a secret government lab, he's given the chance to serve his country again- as a man made of living stone.

Smith soon learns its no game when he goes into the field in Iraq, to face a fire elemental hungry for American blood.

 My Thoughts on Stone Soldiers: Catching Fire: I'm kind of thinking that Smith had the right idea when he came back from the dead swinging. That has to be a huge shock to the system and he was right to question everything. Of course, I also think he was right to make the decision to join Kenslir and help fight the bad things that like to do bad things, so... I don't know where I'm going with this.

Anyway. Daniel Smith. Atlas. He's a good guy. Much like Kenslir, he's willing to sacrifice himself for the good of the team. In Smith's case, he jumped on a grenade and saved his fellow soldiers. After functionally dying, he was asked to go one step further and become a stone soldier. As we see in later books, he's good at what he does. Even if he does occasionally get blasted into little bits and whatnot.

His first test as a stone soldier? Fire elemental. Piece of cake, right? Absolutely. As long as he doesn't mind running around nekkid because his clothes got burned off. I'm okay with naked dudes. In fact, we should have more nudity. All the time.

(It's highly possible I'm on a sugar high as I write this. Take everything you've read in this review with a grain of salt. You know, to cut through the sugar. Yeah, I don't know what I'm saying any more either.)

Stone Soldiers: City of Bones
Format: ebook
Source: purchased
Date read: August 27, 2013

Synopsis (Goodreads):

Something is eating the men and women of a remote Nigerian oil boomtown- dissolving the flesh right off their bones. When a World Health Organization team is devoured in their hazmat suits, the U.S. military sends in a team of inedible warriors: the Stone Soldiers of Detachment 1039. Made of living stone, these formidable special forces operatives are ready to fight any enemy- large or small. But are the newly-petrified soldiers really ready for an invisible enemy numbering in the billions?

My Thoughts on Stone Soldiers: City of Bones: I'm a total wuss in real life (seriously, I can't even kill spiders because OMG! THEY HAVE SO MANY LEGS!) but give me a good flesh dissolving off the bones story and I'm like Yeeeeaaaaah. *slow thumbs up* Which probably makes me a little twisted, but I'm okay with that. Just... keep the spiders in their own corner. Please.

Anyway. The boys from 1039 are up against something nasty this time. Oh, who am I kidding? They go up against something nasty every time. It's what they do. And they're good at it. Well, until they're not. Which is kind of sad. And not really the point here. This time, they're fighting something that can kill with no warning in a pretty horrific way.

As always, Kenslir and his soldiers step in and use their stone bodies to save the day. *slow thumbs up* Nothing says "Welcome to Detachment 1039" like striking terror in the hearts of bad supernaturals.