by David Alexander
Phoenix 1
1987 Leisure Books
Damn, this is the high-test stuff right here, son.
Insane evangelist Luther Enoch orchestrates the nuclear apocalypse so he can take over the world with his SCORF troops led by John Tallon, a mercenary who gets off dosing women with LSD and having them raped to death by mutants.
He's opposed by Magnus Trench, a 'Nam vet who happened to be camping out a safe distance from one of Trench's bases near San Francisco. His blood also is a cure for the plague that biological weapons inflicted on the population.
Like a lot of these books, it only takes ten days for the planet to go insane and split up into themed factions.
The Contams are contaminated with biological weapons, which makes them gang together and rape and kill the non-contaminated population. At first blush they act like zombies, but they use weapons, talk, and are capable of organization.
There's the punk gang led by Klaatu who also rape and kill everyone they see, only with fewer blisters.
The US military seems to have been co-opted by Enoch's men, the SCORFs
Trench hooks up with the good guys after saving hardass prostitute September Song, a group of weirdos called the Family that at least don't rape anyone. Trench joins their effort to leave the city.
Phoenix is absurd and knows it and doesn't give a damn. Trench goes swinging in shooting his MINIMI machine gun and cracking skulls with Drunken Monkey Smash fists. Heads explode, sending eyeballs bouncing around like an early Sam Raimi flick.
Probably as silly, though not as sci-fi, as Doomsday Warrior, and probably the most violent Men's Adventure book I've come across.
A better review over at Glorious Trash.
The entire series is bundled together for Kindle at Amazon.
Click here to read a preview.
Great review, and thanks for the link to my blog. I just happened to hear from David Alexander the other week, and he told me he's often thought of wrapping up the Phoenix saga (the last volume #5, is practically a cliffhanger).
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