Dead Six

Dead Six is a collaborative action-thriller by Monster Hunter writing guru Larry Correia and his Army EOD buddy, Mike Kupari. Larry Correia is currently my favorite author, as well as the leading edge of the urban fantasy market. Any time a Larry Correia book comes out you can sure bet that I will have two copies on order, a signed edition from Uncle Hugo's bookseller for the collection and another from the store so that I get to read it the day of release. Dead Six is a first for Larry, in two ways: a first collaboration as well as a first military techno-thriller. The book, while not perfect, was a gripping read that has hooked my interest for later entries in the series.

First things first. Larry and Mike know their stuff. When it comes to shooting these guys know the in's and out's of proper firearm use. I believe both authors shoot competitively. Then throw in Larry's experience as the owner of a gun store, and Mike's army training. So while some of the action sequences may be incredible the action always reads as believable if not entirely realistic. The story itself is broken up into two perspectives. One perspective is told from the ex-mercenary Constantine Michael Valentine, a somewhat jaded young man trying to lead a normal life despite his deadly skill set. The other perspective is that of thief and assassin extraordinaire Lorenzo. Both find themselves neck deep in trouble in the fictional Middle Eastern country of Zubara. For Valentine trouble is the elite black ops counter terrorist group Dead Six. For Lorenzo trouble is infiltrating a terrorist organization for the ultimate heist. Both characters find themselves with opposing objectives and end up clashing, each characters actions having direct or indirect consequences for the other. This awesome concept actually became one of my biggest problems with the novel. Valentine ends up getting random missions that coincidentally interfere with Lorenzo's plans. Once or twice this is acceptable but after several occasions the coincidence becomes a bit glaring.

That set aside this portion of the novel has some exciting special forces sequences as Valentine and fellow Dead Six members eliminate dirty terrorist scum in an attempt to prevent Zubara from collapsing into civil war and chaos. There is a siege toward the middle of the novel that is desperate and heart rending and just awesome. The first half of the novel was a slow burner to me, not slow in the traditional sense because there is a great deal of action but slow in terms of plot development. The betrayals in this novel never really feel that surprising because obviously anyone who signs up for something without any real idea what they'll be doing with the incentive of lots and lots of money should expect the worst and plan for worse than that. Then there is a certain death that strongly affects a certain character but it lacks some impact because of how inorganic the relationship feels. Granted the death still held more impact than I expected but I have to admit it was a beautifully brutally written scene.

The second half of the novel is much better than the first in my opinion. This is when plans finally come to fruition and our two main characters finally converge. The best parts of Dead Six involve the conspiracy theory stuff. The reader is given few answers and there are a great deal of questions that need to be answered. Shadowy organizations, black helicopters, the works. I feel the biggest draw for me with future novels in this series will be the conspiracy angle. I recommend this book to any action junkie. Bits of it read like a videogame (a well thought out videogame where the developers had some experience dealing with firearms). The plot isn't as tight as the typical Correia novel but there is real potential here for future entries. Oh, and co-author Mike Kupari is serving as a bomb disposal specialist in Afghanistan right now so I'd just like to take this opportunity to thank him for his service.

It is beyond saying that Larry Correia is a great writer; however, what he created with his best friend and Mike Kupari leaves you wanting more. You find yourself a junkie,stalking his internet presence waiting for your next fix.

I have been a fan of intrigue since I was a kid. But this one takes the cake.
The Story sucks you in, grabs you by the imagination, then puts you through an incredible roller coaster ride of entertaining storyline.
The prose is excellent!
The characters well thought out and uniquely unforgettable!
The best 'good' bad guys put in a world you will never forget!
You come to love 'em and hate 'em!
What a ride!
Mike Kupari and Larry Correia really outdone themselves!
Buy this book or get the eARC version for whatever device you can use.
But get it! It's a keeper!
I give it two winks, a nod, and two thumbs up!
5 out of 5!

The first 80% of the book was so chaotic and confusing that I had a hard time figuring out who was doing what to whom and why. The authors clearly realized that this was a problem because they would label the character Lorenzo or Valentine the give a hint as to whose perspective was at play. Didn't help me much but maybe I'm just dense. The last part of the book settled down a bit, but not enough to make up for the rest of it. I didn't care for any of the characters and found myself hoping they'd all get killed off - which would have been tough for the sequel. I bought the sequel together with this book, and will probably read it to see if anything improves. Hope springs eternal.

In essence this book is a comic book without the drawings of muscled men and buxom women.

Those who do not like it will say the following. The male characters are generally violent, admitted killers who have burned villages of men, women and children and strangled old ladies without a twinge of conscience. They are muscle headed to the point that despite their many years on the planet they meet a girl and are suddenly totally tongue tied, especially when they meet a woman who can shoot or kill people.

And yet, detractors will point out, these one dimensional characters at their very core have a tiny glimmer of humanity at which we are supposed to say "Awwww, he really is not so bad," even though clear he IS SO BAD.

This is a very warped view of masculinity.

Detractors will also get sick of the endless gun information. Every time a character pulls out a gun, readers get brand name and ballistic information on the rounds being used. It is very repetitive, and detractors will wish for more character development than the size of a woman's breasts or the detailed blow by blow fight scenes where amazingly these uber-males trade blows and then run around without much trouble in middle eastern cities after they have shot the place up and killed a few policemen to boot. And, of course, the bad guy always escapes at the last minute; after all, if not who would they chase around?

If anyone was really in this many close quarter gun battles, they would literally be deaf....if left alive.

So the book is sappy, violent and sexist and the characters are cardboard and predictable.

So why would anyone like this kind of crap?????

Well, for one thing, the writer is very smart. He knows exactly what he is doing and hits all the right marks. There is the nerdy side-lick who is a computer whiz, but you kind of like the kid and he does come through in the end. The writing moves along and there are no poorly written sentences. There is tons of action and all kinds of sentimental sappy romance between people who really do not know one another. The women are forgiving of the men's stupidity and violence beyond belief. There is humor. There is the rusty, trusty old man who mentor everyone and now lives alone in the desert even though....... There are more fights than a spiderman meets the X-men comic book. There are guns and guns and guns and guns and guns. There is more sap in this than in a giant pine tree!

There is also a heavy dose of "the government" is bad and tells lies all the time.

So if you want a sort of comic book for gun people, this is a good book.

If you demand some sort of realism and roll your eyes at all the cliches and perhaps are even offended by the sexism and violence, this will not be a good book for you.

I can accept this as a comic book with guns in it, but what bothers me is the fact that these male characters are emotionally retarded beyond belief and also psychopathicaly violent and yet we are asked to ultimately cheer for them and like them despite the trail of death and destruction they have left behind them so far in their lives. In the end, we are supposed to say "Aww, he is just a damaged hero." It is true the characters are "used" by larger powers, but they are violent killers with only the tiniest hint of conscience and the inability to see the world beyond their black and white sexist vision. I am embarassed to say I found myself finishing the book (and can only imagine that such is proof that I am old and entering senility) and it ends with a hook into the next one that is likely to guarantee readers will buy the second installation.

I admit I do wonder what happens to the one main character given the hook at the end.

In 1994 the movie Speed came out with Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock. I remember it well and I loved it. I remember a review that said it had enough things going on for three movies. That 1994 review could fit Dead Six by Larry Correia and Mike Kupari.

Dead Six reads like two books, by two authors one writing each book, and the two are melted into one book. There is the "killer's" book and there is the "thief's book" both of which are happening at the same time and at the same place. Each character keeps getting in the way of the other and this is a pleasure for the reader. Each character is trying to solve a problem, one is overthrowing a government and the other is trying to steal a .... oh I don't know what it was he was trying to steal. Both story lines cross each other and are erily simular in characters in each book and in action.

As for the reader, while this sounds confusing, this is all easy to follow and really keeps you guessing as to what will happen next. The main characters meet and try to kill each other or rather carve each other up. The two "goals" progress and digress and twist and keep you wondering what is going on and who is the "villian?"

There are beheadings, women gutted like a fish, shootings, beatings, revolutions, cons, bombs, tanks, ships, fanatics even show up for a minute or two, and a whole lot of killing. The book is straight forward and the authors play fair by not introducing at the last moment new twists or "out of the blue" shanagicans. As a matter of fact the last 150 pages or so are very satifing for the reader and the "twist" is an "oh yeah" moment.

Correia and Kupari are dead on with their guns and tactics. The battle scenes are believable and at times moving. They also do not short change you with their book. This is a 723 page novel with no extra pages or wasted words. These guys have their act together and once they start they know exactly where they are going and how to get there.

I love these guys. Their ending is is half yes! and half Hmmm? Great job!

I was blown away by this book. First off, it's not set in "our world." It's a world just off set of ours. The world's a bit rougher and more cut throat. Most thrillers I've read have been technically accurate but boring or with completely lame characters. Others had great action, but completely unbelievable. This has great characters, great action and very technically competent. Really, the characters are going to make this book. The action alone would make this book a 5 star, but when you actually care about the characters the tension is even more powerful: and let me tell you about the tension. Tense doesn't begin to describe it. These characters are really in peril. As a combat veteran, I appreciated the accuracy of the arms and the use of them. They didn't make the combat unbelievable with jumping sideways with two pistols, but they made it more like the literary equivalent of a Micheal Mann film. (Heat, Collateral, etc Realistic but still amazingly entertaining. Also, the villains are just as hatable as the heroes are likable. Big Eddie is surprisingly threatening and creepy and the government guy (forgot his name) is like that boss that thinks he knows everything and owns you. We've all had one of those. If you don't mind a completely awesome book with amazing characters and brilliant action, then this book is for you!

Correia has been around for a while. If you are reading Dead Six, you've probably picked up at least one of the Monster Hunter books. Correia writes pretty well. He has a character that he comes back to again and again, no matter what book he is writing. This character is a mis understood heavy. A guy who will take out a town and then have 'feelings' as he looks at his own life. Dead Six kind of takes this persona to an extreme. This time he has two guys 'Valentine' and 'Lorenzo', two sociopaths with a lighter side up against each other.

Dead Six is a weird book. Its about dudes who kill lots and lots of people. The main characters are all being manipulated by nefarious bureaucrats. It took me a while to get into this story. But about 1/2 way through things get moving. You start emphasizing with the sociopaths and the plot takes over. If you can make it that far, things get fun.

I don't know why it took me so long to grab this book. I like Mike and Larry's writing. I was not disappointed at all. Great action written by people who actually KNOW things. Accurate depictions of weapons and their usage. Accurate depiction of "The Suck" that is the middle east, so embrace it. I really enjoyed this title and am grabbing the followups to read this weekend. Highly recommend. Five stars.

Veteran urban fantasy author Larry Correia (Monster Hunter International, Hard Magic) teams up with veteran Mike Kupari to produce this unique dual POV contemporary thriller.

I will leave the summations of the plot to others on this page. Otherwise I consider this a solid and intriguing first novel in a thriller series. The action and firearms detail is first rate throughout, the characters are believable and fit the personality types I have known in the limited areas where my life has intersected with some of these types of people (PMC members, soldiers, intel types). I came into this book fearful that I would not enjoy this book as much as MHI or Correia's other work. My fears were unfounded. The book starts slowly (not in action but in plot) and builds throughout. By 1/3 of the way through I was completely hooked. For thriler fans, I find Dead Six as compelling as Greg Rucka's early Atticus Kodiak novels (high praise from me).

Criticism: Some of the relationships seemed a little clumsy. Dont take it hard boys, I imagine it is practice. I think the Correia written relationship worked better than the Kupari written one. So I ascribe it to experience in writing relationships in novels. While I offer that criticism it doesnt harm the enjoyment of the book much.
Recommend less body armor "saves" in the next book. The major characters get shot a LOT. If this trend continues it may start to harm suspension of disbelief and give it a 1st person shooter feel (the damage meter effect). It wasnt bad in this novel, but if it continues or escalates it might harm believability.

Fantastic book.

I've already read all of Correia's MHI series up to Legion so now I've moved onto this series. I was a bit nervous about getting into a story Correia shared with another author, but it was totally unwarranted. Correia and Kupari's writing styles are similar enough that the book feels like it's from one author, but different enough that each POV feels like a completely different person. From what I've heard (and correct me if I'm wrong), Kupari wrote all the Valentine chapters and Correia wrote the Lorenzo chapters. Normally head hopping in first person books is a kiss of death, but it works with two guys writing separate characters. The story reminds me of The Expendables but with much more emphasis on realism. That's normally how I like my gunplay in fiction: either as realistic as possible (like this), or just completely over the top as possible (like a John Woo movie). I loved the conspiracies, the backstabbing, the violence. Correia has a loyal fan base for a reason. I would also love it if Kupari were to strike out on his own and write his own books. A big thank you to Kupari for his service to our country, and to Correia for his service in firearm education. And thanks to both authors for this awesome 700+ page outing. Looking forward to Swords of Exodus.

This is a good read. I contemplated giving it 5 stars, but in the end decided it was a 4. Lots of good stuff. Guns, action, naked women, conspiracy, etc. No aliens, but there is a mysterious artifact. I have said before that there are two kinds of authors I like - one that is good enough that he convinces you to suspend disbelief, and those who write stuff that is eminently believable. The absolute best authors (like Clancy) can do both. This is a suspend belief type of book. Most of the book consists of action sequences of stuff that just ain't gonna happen, but is told well enough that it is fun to read. Think of it as a gun oriented fairy tale. It is a fairly long book, so you get your money's worth. And really, there are only a few places that made me scratch my head. To me the ending was not all that well done. After hundreds of pages of two protagonists who operate well outside the law, kind of on opposite sides, to come together with a strait laced federal agent is a little tough to take. If you are going to have evil cabals and conspiracys, dealing with them in a few pages is just not satisfying, at least not to me. But that is more of a quibble than a complaint. A few pages out of hundreds is not something to whine about. Read the sample chapters and if you like them, you will like the rest of it. It is pretty much non-stop action, even if logically some of the things just are way out there. Turn off your thinking cap for a while and just enjoy. It is well worth the $6 the ebook costs. This story was originally published on a gun forum (thehighroad) where I read it a few years back. The editing on this version is a lot better, but it is mostly the same story.

Collaborating authors usually means a famous writer is tired of writing so he hires somebody to take dictation and gives him permission to add his stuff. At the end we get some sort of crappy literary meatloaf that leaves us with a bad taste in our mouths. The latest books from Tom Clancy and W.E.B. Griffin come to mind regarding these literary meat loafs.

Few collaborations pull it off and before reading Dead Six, I was reading American Gunfight by Stephen Hunter and John Bainbridge which is a great book on a great theme written by outstanding authors. Even though I am a total fan of Larry's works, I feared that after American Gunfight, Dead Six was going to be a bit of a disappointment style-wise. Thank God I was wrong.

Whereas you cannot tell who is writing what at any page in American Gunfighter indicating a creative fusion/meld between Hunter and Bainbridge, you do notice different styles of writing in Dead Six, but you cannot find specific transition points that make you go "Aha!" anywhere. Both Larry and Mike blend their narratives so well you find yourself saying "Hey, wait a sec, when did we change?" Eventually you are just happy to embrace it and enjoy it because it keeps the narrative fresh through the book.

There is plenty of gunplay in the book and a big conspiracy afoot but there are no fantastic monsters, just your average Human type monster that can be nastier than a Master Vampire forced to do a Jenny Craig diet. Lots of moves and counter moves but not enough to make you dizzy and lose track of the story. Two more Dead Six books are in the pipeline and I am ready for them.

With this book I think I can say that I have now read all of the novels written by Mr. Correia. All of them, that is ALL OF THEM have been great reads and terrific rides. It was written deftly enough that I couldn't clearly separate where one author left and another took over. It was just a smooth, well paced action story. I liked the way they picked some familiar cliches and twisted them a little for their own use. The story being told though two ultimately intertwining narratives was probably a lot of work on the parts of the Authors, but I think it ended up taking a pretty good book up a level or two to Very Good. Larry Correia has now been elevated to my short list of authors I know I enjoy and will buy almost anything from. Mike Kupari could also be on that list with a few more books.
Totally worth five stars.

Larry Correia has yet to write something that I don't like. Monster Hunters is already classic. The Grimnoir Chronicles is great. And, now, he may have topped both series' with Dead Six with the help of Mike Kupari. It's contemporary military adventure. Yet, it seems that somewhere in the first few chapters they say that it's several years in our future. I can't find that again. So, somebody tell me where it is cause I'm already lending my copy out tomorrow and I won't see it again for at least a month.

I'm not going to do a plot synopsis. That's already been done for this book and miserably I might add ). The adventure is there. Exotic settings are there. Good guys and bad guys are there. Sometimes you can't tell who is which. There's lots of shooting and things blowing up. The definite bad guys usually get their just desserts. There is plunder and booty to be had along with a bit of romance. And there's the occasional spot of dry and sometimes not so dry humor.

The only thing that I can compare this to is Tom Kratman's Countdown: series. That puts it in pretty good company IMHO. If you like Clancy, Larry Bond, Clive Cussler, Harold Coyle, etc. not only is this a book for you but you should find it better than the best of any of them.

Larry Correia has already established himself as an author worth reading. His Monster Hunter series is fantastic! Mike Kupari was a surprise. He came from nowhere, and managed to keep up with Larry throughout the book. Its easy to figure out who wrote which parts of this book if you know even a tiny amount about the two authors. The fact that they were able to do such a good job tying the two characters together and blending them so well into the one story is what amazed me. I wont ramble on about the story line. Its already been explained well in other reviews. What I will do is encourage Larry and Mike to keep the story line going. The Monster Hunter series is great reading, but Dead six is more along the lines of the type of action/adventure books that I like to read.
Anyone who likes a good shoot em up adventure needs to read this book. It helps that it was written by two very knowledgeable gun guys. Stephen Hunter would be hard pressed to beat out Larry and Mike when it comes to getting the weapons stuff right!
BUY THIS BOOK!

Lorenzo, a lovable scoundrel who is definitely getting too old for this crap, finds himself at cross purposes with Valentine, a security contractor working for an unnamed 3-letter agency.
The two men's stories interweave as they move around the Confederated Gulf Emirate of Zubara, each with their own goals.
Each story on its own would be a worthy read, but the interplay of the two and how they intersect and what happens when they do makes for a gripping, page-turning read.
Fans of Brad Thor, Vince Flynn, Tom Clancy, and those already familiar with Larry Correia are sure to enjoy.
Also, how can you not love a protagonist who carries a .44 in a war zone?!?!

You don't need to know why Dead Six exists. You don't need to know that it was a collaboration between a real-world expert and an NYT best-selling author who have an incredible synergy. No, you only need to know that it does exist and it rocks hard, long and strong and doesn't let go. It hits the sweet spot between authenticity and readability, details and flow. It gets character conflict right and doesn't pull the punches. It is just a great read, can't say enough good things. This is how it's done by writers at the top of their game. More please!

Just to start, Dead Six is hands down the best novel I've ever read. As a firm believer in the use of action in literature to create a more realistic setting, I loved the fact that the book jumps right off with descriptions of every gritty and realistic detail of each battle - and there are a lot of battles. Correia owns a gun shop and shoots competitively, and Kupari actually works as an active-duty EOD technician. The results are details that are very hard to find otherwise. Far too many books enjoy giving extremely general descriptions of weapons; this book does not.

It's not all war, as between the battles is great, realistic plot and character development and a sense of genuine camaraderie. The development of this friendship is something that I have always loved in a book and have been hard-pressed to find. Correia and Kupari understand that to make three-dimensional characters, you don't need to have best friends serving together in a war at each other's throats all the time. As anyone who's actually been in combat will say, the guys in your unit are best friends whom you trust with your life, and the authors understand this perfectly.

The storyline of the book is something rare in literature these days - it's complex, but it's not confusing. It's easy to understand the motives of both Valentine and Lorenzo in the book, and I could go into detail, but all I'll say without spoilers is that the fallen angel vs. redeemed villain comparison is intriguing and detailed.

Finally, as opposed to a lot of modern protagonists who seem to display the emotional range of a maniac depressive (They're mostly brooding, pessimistic, angry, sad, etc.), Lorenzo's and Valentine's characters display uniquely human emotional ranges. They get happy, they get sad; sometimes they're optimistic, other times their outlook is bleak. They also crack an insane amount of jokes - from sly wit to outgoing hilarity - considering the fact that they're in pretty much a war zone. But since the authors are some of the funniest I've ever read, I was more than willing to stretch the limits of my suspension of disbelief.

In short, if you like action, humor, mature stories, and realistic characters, then you are going to absolutely love Dead Six.

I was only part way in before I drove to the book store and bought the other two books. (to read later - don't want to burn through them too quickly). I look forward to reading more of their work, collaborative or separate.
Action + bad assery

I recently finished reading Dead Six by Larry Correia and Mike Kupari. It's one of the best thrillers I've read.

The book's format is unusual. Like some novels, it's written in the first person. What makes Dead Six unusual is that it's written in the first person, but for two different characters. Each author wrote the first person narrative for one of the two main characters. You might think this is a recipe for a disjointed story but they managed to mesh the two narratives together very well.

Dead Six includes a lot of action involving secret government agencies, ex-military men, and terrorists. I won't put in any spoilers, but the bad guys get theirs (for the most part), but so the good guys aren't invincible. The action is intense and the technical details are accurate.

I highly recommend this book.

So they write this book with two main characters that you want to root for. They pit them against one another and you wonder, who do I want to win?

Realistic gun fights, hand to hand combat, tactics. These men know what they are talking about when they put it down on paper. I could not stop reading once I started and had to finish it before I went to bed.

A very believable world and just a hint of something else, something outside of normal. I believe that this is the first of three if I remeber correctly from Larry's blog. Let's hope it is. I can't wait to read more about Valentine and Lorenzo.

Full of intrigue “Dead Six” offers non-stop action and adventure and a fair bit of gore to go along with it! Well written with an interesting plot, which will help you get past the characters which are a bit flat. If you’re looking to lose yourself in a fight scene or two I think you’ll enjoy this book.

I've read the first 2 of Larry Correia's Monster Hunter books. While enjoyable, they weren't a perfect 'fit' for my tastes.

"DEAD SIX" is.

A great action/adventure/thriller written in the first person by two protagonists that are on opposite sides. Or are they?..
Writing in the first person is rare enough. Having two characters narrating is a nice twist.

The writers get the gun stuff right and the action is very believable. There is plenty of action, but the pacing is good. The characters are interesting and well developed, flaws and all.

Read this book, even if you have to plan a covert op to steal it from your buddy's night stand while he sleeps!

Anxiously awaiting more from Larry and Mike

This book has a couple serious issues. First off, it ran out of pages. Second, it's given me a serious jones for a 5" .44 Magnum Smith & Wesson. I don't remember reading a lot of Military Adventure type books where one of the main characters uses a .44 Magnum. Hold on, let me check with Tom Clancy here... ah... Rainbow Six... a Peacemaker in .44-40 for one shot, doesn't count. So yeah, Kupari wins it. Larry has been smashing homeruns with his work for some time now, and now Mike Kupari just nails it out of the park with this one. Two excellent writers, friends, and dedicated Shooters. When Mike gets back from his deployment overseas, I'll need my copy autographed by both writers.

I'm a fan of Larry Correia's Monster Hunter series, and so I picked up this book as soon as I saw it. Unlike Larry's other work, this is not a fantasy/supernatural novel - it's more a hard-boiled adventure book. Really well worth reading.

Larry Correia is a firearms instructor, and Mike Kupari is an active member of the armed forces (see his bio for more details) so the military aspects of this book are written with great hands on knowledge, without going overboard with the "info-dump" sections the way some other authors of similar type books do.

I could not get into the book during the begining-middle. Not bad writting, just found it did not resonate with me, but I'm glad I gave it a chance. The last third of the book had me engrossed and could not put it down.
If you like adventure/warrior fiction, this is a great pick.

Dead Six is an great read. The book starts off with a firefight and doesn't stop. The story is written from two points of view, one from each author. These two voices narrate the story to the final climax. Anyone who has read Larry Correia's other works know that he writes intense action sequences and his knowledge of firearms is top notch. As a gun enthusiast, it's nice to see an author put the time in to use realistic descriptions of the firearms and their utilization. The other author, Mike Kupari writes from real world experience; he's an EOD tech currently in Afghanistan! Not too many authors can say, "Been there, done that" when writing. The characters are well fleshed out and you come to really care about them. Overall, if you want a rip-roaring good story with characters as real as they get, read this book! You will not be disappointed!

It's rare enough for a book to have 2 protagonists. Even more rare to have the protagonists to be working against each other. The combination of writers made this a work to behold and you'd better be holding on tight, because they take you for a ride!

This was the first Correia book i read, and i quickly read the rest of his books.
About this book i loved it. it has many aspects of any good book, with lots of fights, gun information, and humor thrown in.

It's rare enough for a book to have 2 protagonists. Even more rare to have the protagonists to be working against each other. The combination of writers made this a work to behold and you'd better be holding on tight, because they take you for a ride!

This was the first Correia book i read, and i quickly read the rest of his books.
About this book i loved it. it has many aspects of any good book, with lots of fights, gun information, and humor thrown in.

Clancy's got nothing on these guys. The action sequences are awesome, the plot kept me reading late into the night. Great character development, I felt like I could picture the characters in my head. I love the dual author format.

I really liked the "Hard Magic" series written by Larry Correia and my son-in-law recommended "Dead Six". Unlike "Hard Magic" and "Monster Hunter International" this book is neither fun to read nor filled with interesting ideas. Standard terrorist, conspiracy shoot-em-up. Save your money.

A poor mans Tom Clancy book where the autors want to show off their knowledge of weapons and technology. Very little character development or identification, confusing plot and dialogue. Like watching Iron Man in a foreign language. Lots of unrealistic violence and gun fighting like the old westerns with bigger and better guns. Would have made a good batman comic book. Way too long and repetitive. Waste of time and paper.

Dead Six (2011) is a standalone conspiracy thriller novel with a touch of the fantastic. In a time not far from now, the United Nations sends Peacekeepers into Mexico and elsewhere. Terrorist organizations find a haven in the Confederated Gulf Emirate of Zubara.

In this novel, Michael Valentine is an employee of Vanguard, a private military company. He had spent four years in the US Air Force before becoming a mercenary.

Tailor is Valentine's team leader at Vanguard. They have been together for a decade.

Ling is a team leader in the Exodus organization. She hired Vanguard to recover a girl from a slave ship.

Sarah McAllister is a comtech in a new mercenary organization. Dead Six is operating in Zubara.

Hector Lorenzo is a con artist and killer. He started out stealing from regular people, but now he only steals from scumbags and other crooks.

Carl is a member of Lorenzo's team. He has been with Lorenzo for years and is his second-in-command.

Death Train is a member of Lorenzo's team. He is a giant of a man.

Reaper is a young geek who likes to play with computers. He is extremely intelligent, but tends to live in the world of comics, games and movies.

In this story, Valentine is awakened by an angel. He gradually learns that their helicopter has gone down in a swimming pool within a resort complex in Cancun. Half of the Vanguard soldiers have been killed in the crash and UN troops are coming to take the rest.

The Exodus troops are not in very good shape either. The Vanguard base is unavailable, but a Vanguard fighter plane warns them that the UN troops are moving into the complex. Tailor tells him to get alert and Ling urges them to start moving.

The Vanguard and Exodus personnel move into the hotel lobby. UN troops fire on them and a firefight occurs within the lobby. The UN troops are briefly driven back and the Vanguard/Exodus group make a break for the pickup point.

The UN declares Vanguard to be an outlaw organization and Valentine is out of a job. He takes a position as a security man for a Los Vegas defense contractor. After six months, he is ready to try something else.

Tailor contacts him and describes the new Dead Six organization. While leery of the promises, Valentine is persuaded to join. Twenty thousand in signup bonus money convinces him to take the contract.

Most of the new Dead Six employees know their specialties, so training consists of communications procedures and intelligence methodology. The new employees are not told where they are going until embarking on the transport. McAllister knows ahead of time and spreads the word as they are waiting to load.

On the flight, they are briefed on the purpose of the organization. Project Heartbreaker will be hitting the terrorists in their recruiting and recreation areas within Zubara. The goal is to create a climate of fear among the terrorists,

Meanwhile, Lorenzo is pulling a scam in Myanmar near the Thailand border. Disguising himself as a local UN Peacekeeper commander, Lorenzo gains entry to the camp of local insurgents. He convinces the leader to provide more bribe money.

When the leader opens the safe, Lorenzo shoots him and cleans out the valuables. Carl comes in to help loot the safe and clear the guards on the way. Then they load the packs into the back of a UN truck and leave the camp.

Later, they are celebrating their new wealth in a private room within Bangkok. But then the Fat Man crashes the party to tell them some bad news. The recent raid has only been a test of their abilities.

Big Eddie wants them to steal something else. He informs them that their families will be held hostage for their success. Lorenzo offers each of them an opportunity to leave the team. Only Train takes the offer and his head is deliver shortly afterward to Lorenzo.

The surviving team members lease a safe house in Zubara to make plans. Lorenzo buys a club in the better part of town and cultivates a local jihadi financier. Carl collects the required vehicles and tunes them to perfection. Reaper starts gathering information from the web and other sources.

This tale has the Dead Six team raiding terrorists just before Lorenzo and his team arrive. Their raids disrupt Lorenzo's plans. He begins to believe that this damage is deliberate.

At the same time, both Valentine and Lorenzo find romance in their lives. Both fight these romantic feelings, but are overcome. But war time romance can be tragic.

This plot seemed too contrived for believability. The main characters are fairly believable, but Big Eddie is beyond belief. The novel seems more like a fantasy than a thriller. It reminds me of comic books from the 1930s.

Suggested for Correia & Kupari fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of armed conflict, special operations, and differing approaches to combat. Read and enjoy!

-Bill Jordin

I read this whole book cover to cover I even got specialty offensive quotes and all that stuff marked down. In the end it just not worth my time and effort. I loved Larry Correia's books especially MHI and Monster Hunter Alpha personally changed me gave me boost to exercise and be a stronger man, very few books effected me in any way that one did. So it was very painful and disappointing to read Dead Six. Muslims have have developed science pushed Europe into renaissance build empires upon empires where Jews and Cristina still coexist till this day, you got few wild butchers, killers in the dessert and you label all of us terrorist? Once again dont want to waste my time just sad. I didnt do 9/11, I cried for victims(not so called martyrs which they're not), but still im a monster.