We Dare: Old Age and Treachery
edited by
Jamie Ibson
(Theogony Books, May 2023, pb, 548 pp.)
“No Respect For Their Elders” by P. A. Piatt
“Reckless and Relentless” by Melissa Olthoff
“Chrysalis” by Mike Jack Stoumbos
“Phase Three” by Kevin Steverson
“Get Off My Grass” by William S. Frisbee, Jr.
“Disability Claim” by Casey Moores
“All Fun and Games . . .” by Jamie Ibson
“. . . Until the Wolves Arrive” by Jason Cordova
“Calling In a Favor” by Dan Bridgwater
“A Line in the Sand” by Jonathan P. Brazee
“Broken Toys” by Lucas Marcum
“The Principle of Decay” by J. A. Miller
“Dance of the Silvered” by David Shadoin
“Homecoming Redux” by Mark Stallings
“Just Like Old Times” by Nate Givens
Reviewed by Victoria Silverwolf
Fifth in the We Dare series of anthologies, this volume features new science fiction stories, mostly set in interstellar space, with protagonists who are military veterans facing new challenges.
The main character in “No Respect For Their Elders” by P. A. Piatt is a retired Space Marine. He now works for the government, keeping an eye on bounty hunters to make sure they don’t break the rules. After a series of bloody adventures with a trio of such hunters, revealing that they are fools and amateurs, the reader learns his real motivation for being with them.
This story serves as a good introduction for what one can expect from the anthology. It is full of violent action. Although the plot twist at the end may be predictable, this two-fisted yarn is likely to appeal to fans of military science fiction.
The narrator of “Reckless and Relentless” by Melissa Olthoff comes out of retirement when she receives an enigmatic message from an old acquaintance. She becomes involved in a complex situation involving a newly discovered stargate, space pirates, and multiple shifting alliances.
This is a fast-moving tale, full of characters who sometimes seem like friends and sometimes seem like foes. It should please readers of space adventures who are able to follow a complicated plot with ease.
The protagonist of “Chrysalis” by Mike Jack Stoumbos is a medic on a mining planet inhabited by small alien creatures. An accident results in the deaths of two miners. Another seems to be dead at first, but is actually still alive, his head encased in a hard, hollow shell created by the aliens. The bizarre situation leads to an extraordinary transformation.
Serving as a change of pace in a volume full of combat, this imaginative work begins with the mood of a science fiction horror story, but evolves into something more transcendent. The narrative is both suspenseful and thoughtful, with a final revelation that is unexpectedly optimistic.
The main character in “Phase Three” by Kevin Steverson runs a salvage business with the help of aliens. A criminal organization sabotages his machinery via computer hacking, in the hope of taking over his business. The protagonist fights back in his own way.
This is essentially a two-part story. In the first episode, the main character and his allies raid the crime leader’s salvage business in order to destroy his machine in retribution. In the second part, they drive their opponent into financial ruin via a series of bets on a fighting match. The two segments are not perfectly integrated, and the second one may seem anticlimactic after the more action-packed first part. Despite that quibble, the work may best be appreciated as crime fiction.
In “Get Off My Grass” by William S. Frisbee, Jr., a pair of veterans now working as security officers deal with a delegation of aliens with whom humans formerly fought a war. The supposedly peaceful trade mission is actually an invasion. Complicating matters is the fact that one of the aliens is an elite warrior with a personal vendetta against one of the veterans.
In addition to being a work of military science fiction, this is also a spy story. Those who appreciate these genres are likely to find this to be an adequate, if not outstanding, blend of both.
The narrator of “Disability Claim” by Casey Moores is a combat veteran now working for a crime boss in London. Flashbacks reveal that he feels responsible for causing a comrade to lose his legs in battle. The old friend calls in a favor, leading to a bloody raid to obtain a valuable item.
The narrator is able to connect his mind to his vehicle, giving the story the flavor of cyberpunk. As with many tales in this anthology, there is plenty of fighting, with a heavy body count. The British setting is something of a novelty, but otherwise this is a typical work of action-oriented science fiction.
“All Fun and Games . . .” by editor Jamie Ibson and “. . . Until the Wolves Arrive” by Jason Cordova are actually the two halves of a single story, and should be reviewed as a whole. A bounty hunter kills an extremely dangerous alien animal aboard a space station, taking its newborn pups with him. A game warden tracks him down. The two foes eventually become unexpected allies as a wide-ranging conspiracy is unraveled.
The first half is narrated by the game warden, and the second half by the bounty hunter. The transition is handled smoothly, and the two authors are obviously skilled at collaboration. Even in a science fiction story with larger-than-life characters, the fact that the animals are able to make use of quantum effects to appear and vanish at will strains credibility to the breaking point.
In “Calling In a Favor” by Dan Bridgwater, a group of veterans battles a gang who murdered the owner of a bar in order to take over the business. The crooks turn out to be better armed than expected, leading to a major battle.
The speculative elements are minimal, mostly involving advanced weapons. The only female member of the team provides vital information to the male members, who do the actual fighting, through her computer and surveillance skills. This may be the most interesting aspect of a story that is otherwise similar to many others in the book.
The main character in “A Line in the Sand” by Jonathan P. Brazee refuses to leave his home when his planet is attacked by aliens. He wages a one-man war against the invaders, making use of his combat skills and a special weapon he obtained in an underhanded fashion.
Even more than other stories in the volume, this one is primarily a description of a battle. The author obviously knows whereof he speaks, adding a great deal of authenticity to what is a fairly simple tale.
“Broken Toys” by Lucas Marcum takes place at a time in the future when members of the military are given body enhancements. After they are discharged, these cause serious medical problems. The government fails to provide the necessary care for veterans; in fact, they plan to pass a law naming the enhancements government property, technically making those who possess them criminals. The narrator is one such veteran, using his enhancements to help a younger veteran escape the government agents who are after him.
The author manages to make a serious point about the inadequacy of care for veterans while telling a compelling suspense story. The speculative elements are a key part of the plot, used in a clever manner. (Even the narrator’s addiction to cigarettes, which seems at first to be merely a minor bit of character description, proves to be relevant to the story.)
“The Principle of Decay” by J. A. Miller features two characters who hunt for valuable materials in the asteroid belt of a distant star system. When pirates arrive at the system’s inhabited world, demanding that the populace pay high taxes, they battle the extortionists. Making their job harder is the fact that they both formerly fought the rebels who founded the planet, so the locals despise them.
The bulk of the story consists of battles in space and on land, as the seemingly badly outnumbered heroes take on their merciless foes. It may be a telling fact that the most memorable character is the robot that is the companion of one of the protagonists. The robot is so powerful a fighting machine that it serves as something of a deus ex machina during the climax.
“Dance of the Silvered” by David Shadoin alternates sections of narrative featuring the protagonist investigating the deaths of members of his fighting unit with flashbacks to their time in battle. The key to the mystery involves a treasure the group found during the war. A meeting with the sole other surviving member of the unit leads to a dramatic climax.
The main speculative elements in the story are the mechanisms that the fighters used in battle, wearing war machines on their bodies. The plot blends mystery, adventure, and suspense in a well-integrated fashion. Some aspects are difficult to believe, such as the fact that the fighters are not allowed to use firearms, but only hand-to-hand weapons. The discovery of a vast amount of Spanish silver in an ancient Incan temple, although a key part of the plot, seems to come from a different kind of story entirely, more like an Indiana Jones yarn.
The narrator of “Homecoming Redux” by Mark Stallings travels to the planet where his adult son was murdered and his daughter-in-law severely injured by gang members. The local authorities dismiss the incident as a case of self-defense, so he starts his own investigation, finds the killers, exposes corrupt law enforcement, and offers his own form of punishment.
This is a grim and violent tale of one man’s quest for justice or revenge, depending on how one looks at it. A few scenes, particularly at the very end, offer more than just a familiar crime story and add some poignancy. The science fiction elements are not an absolutely essential part of the plot, but play a gruesome role in the climactic scene.
“Just Like Old Times” by Nate Givens is narrated by a robot dog that assists a veteran who now works in rescue missions. They confront an official who accuses the veteran of war crimes during a conflict with aliens. Ironically, his current task is to rescue a damaged spaceship carrying the same kind of aliens, who have just attacked members of their own species who were seeking refuge.
The main appeal of this story is the relationship between man and robot. Readers may differ on whether they find the bittersweet ending appropriate or disappointing.
The anthology is designed to appeal mostly to fans of military science fiction. Those unfamiliar with the technical aspects of battle (such as the present reviewer) are likely to find parts of the stories tedious or confusing. Many of the works are quite similar to each other, involving veterans fighting new battles. Although a few of the tales offer something different, this theme appears so frequently that it would be best to read the book a bit at a time rather than all at once.
Victoria Silverwolf is not a veteran.