Sons of Valor is an excellent beginning of a new spectacular, action-packed, twists-filled, fast-paced, well thought-out series. I was on the search for a phenomenal action-heavy and smart read when I came across Sons of Valor. Knowing the excellent work of the authors on the Tier One series, I knew it would be WOW good. I just didn’t know it would be “WOW!!!” good.
Sons of Valor centers on Lieutenant Keith “Chunk” Redman, a fan favorite recurring badass in the Tier One series who assists Team Ember from time to time in their clandestine missions. Based on his stellar success record, Chunk is given command of the new Tier One element, rising from the ashes of Operation Crusader, in which the previous Tier One element was ambushed and murdered. Chunk picks a handful of his superb teammates from his SEAL team on this endeavor, enlisting intelligence assets to ensure there are no intelligence hiccups, like the one that led to Operation Crusader faux-pas. Chunk’s leadership skills are put to the test when a mysterious splinter group of Al Qaeda, known as Al Qadr, recruit a British Aero employee, whose family was killed in a drone strike in Afghanistan. With a sinister build up to the main threat of the group involving the use of a completely terrorist-controlled drone with the ability to be controlled by multiple pilots, the new Tier One operators have their hands full with their first mission.
While I enjoyed Chunk in the Tier One books, I was not sure he would be able to carry his own series. The dynamic duo of the authors proved me wrong in spectacular fashion. Chunk’s character is thoughtfully developed and displayed in a relatable manner that allowed me to immediately connect with him as the main protagonist of the story. There is a dark mystery to his persona that is hinted and saved for future stories to explore. Each character in the book feels like a personification of a real person, relatable in motivations and agendas. The kicker is that the authors brilliantly keep the genre fresh from falling into the cliches of simple good vs bad by writing multi layered characters, even the antagonists and the terrorists, who seem to have agendas rooted in reality born of hardships and bad luck that shape their paths.
An Andrews and Wilson book is not without groundbreaking action. Sons of Valor is no exception. This narrative is packed with realistic firefights that are complimented by authentic and detailed weaponry to help readers visualize the adrenaline pumping sequences in their full glory and terror. The action sequences are fast-paced and character oriented, fully immersing the readers in the action, with every weapon sight, caliber, trigger pull, recoil, working their way into the readers’ visualizations like a 4D experience. Top-notch action!
The plot was a major plus point in my eyes. While the plot features Islamist extremists as the bad guys as done so in majority of the action thrillers, this plot delves deeper into the psyche of war and perversion of nature based on horrible circumstances that start an ordinary decent man on the long but ultimately violent path of retribution. At the same time, we see the Tier One element as the necessary intervention to evil, using violence against a few as means to deter violence against thousands more. It’s a thought-provoking concept, in line with the intellectually stimulating narrative that plays on the gray moral edges of the brain instead of pure evil vs pure good.
Despite being a spin off of the Tier One series, Sons of Valor stands firm on its own (team-ups would be fantastic though). The chain of events felt smartly connected that further augmented the reading experience for me. Coincidence was taken over by brilliance on both, good and bad, sides of the equation. The characters were well-developed and relatable. The action sequences are excellent. Sons of Valor, so far, is the best action thriller I have read for 2021. The ending is not a simple killed-and-gone one, but rather a set-up for something bigger in the works, much like how Tier One’s story was not culminated in one book, but rather over multiple books. I look forward to more to come in this series, and Chunk is THE leader for the Tier One of a new era.
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