Title: The Fifth Battalion: Death is a Poor Excuse for Dereliction of Duty
Author: Michael Priv
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
ISBN: 978-1981249718
Pages: 338
Genre: Action / Sci-Fi / Romance
Reviewed by: Lily Amanda
Hollywood Book Reviews
The Fifth Battalion: Death is a Poor Excuse for Dereliction of Duty is a captivating, action-packed novel that follows Norman, the main character, a lab technician living in San Francisco. Norman finds out about his past life and discovers he was (and is) a member of the Fifth Battalion, a Confederate soldier of the Baltizor Confederacy of United Stars.
The Earth, as he finds out from Bill and Dr. Jane, two members of the same battalion, is a prison of convicts from the Murabi Empire which has the same laws as the Baltizor Confederacy worlds. Norman, and Linda, his girlfriend and soulmate, are extraterrestrial beings as many others on Earth. The convicts are sentenced to a forever dead ruling reserved exclusively for the repeated offenders.
A part of the sentence is permanent impairment of the long-term memory of the condemned. They have no idea of who they really are, where they are from – hence cannot have the idea of returning. Having lost some of his close companions and members of the battalion, Norman seeks out to find Brell, his army commander, who is regarded as a threat and a terrorist by the prison police guarding the planet while safeguarding the life of his girlfriend, Linda.
No matter what journey readers are willing to take, The Fifth Battalion provides action, military antics, romance, history, fantasy elements and unforgettable emotion. This makes it a real page turner. It is one text which keeps you on edge from the beginning to the end of the reading. Author Michael Priv cleverly balanced out the powerful action-packed scenes with Norman’s witty thoughts.
Further, he introduces a new character, Psychologist Jane, who helps Norman recall and recount earlier events as a sergeant. This makes readers connect easily with the protagonist and understand the storyline. Even when the text seemed like it was going to be predictable, it turns you into directions you never thought of. The fascinating read brings to light the commitments that men in uniform make for the taste of freedom, loyalty, and what they believe in.
The Fifth Battalion left no cliff-hangers and I found the battle at the end to be epic. The writing style is elegant, giving the story character and depth. Michael Priv is no doubt a talented author. I look forward to reading more of his books.