Death's Head: Maximum Offense

Rating NR Genre sci-fi Author David Gunn Publisher Del Rey

Sven Tveskoeg is back along with his talking gun, the ever sarcastic SIG-37, and the Aux, his motley band of Death’s Head soldiers. This time they are recruited to find a missing United Free observer on the backwater world of Hekati. Nothing about this mission adds up. First, the team is put through hoops to prove their capability and then they are saddled with a very young, very green colonel who has been given command with no explanation. Things go from bad to worse once they arrive on Hekati and the Aux are forced to fend off attacks from the Silver Fist, warring tribes, mercenaries and others with no apparent sign of the missing observer.

David Gunn is an interesting writer with an edgy, sarcastic style that moves along at the speed of light as Sven and his crew get entangled in one life or death situation after another. The action is intense and the dialog sharp, while the characters are earthy and rough with a sentimentality that shows itself at odd moments. The universe Sven inhabits is wonderfully vivid with amazing worlds and races of aliens. 

I was frustrated by the amount of time Gunn spends describing artillery and weaponry. Military science fiction fans may find this of particular interest but there were several times I found myself skimming ahead. There were also instances where pertinent information, like character background, seemed to be left out or glossed over.

Overall this was an exciting, thriller of a story laced with plenty of humor that I would recommend for anyone who loves a good space adventure.