The line “Never let the bastards see you coming out prone” was taken from this excellent Military Motivator.
The line “Good advice doesn't come in a box marked ‘good advice’” is David Frum’s.
The wisdom of “adapt and overcome” (or, more completely: “Tough. Deal with it. Adapt and overcome.”) is from retired SEAL and sniper instructor Master Chief Brandon Webb, in his truly outstanding book, The Red Circle: My Life in the Navy SEAL Sniper Corps and How I Trained America’s Deadliest Marksmen.
Fick’s penultimate line (about the prize fight) was stolen from Josh in The West Wing, and written by Aaron freaking Sorkin. His earlier line about a leader without followers being “just a guy out taking a walk” was also stolen from that program, in an episode written by Mark Goffman.
Fick’s final line – “When you’re done fucking those dead guys [hajjis], you’re supposed to put your pants back on” – was stolen from Phil Klay’s Redeployment, which is probably the very best fiction to come out of the Iraq or Afghanistan wars so far, and an absolutely outstanding read. (And now one of the New York Times Notable Books of 2014! Awesome job, man – richly deserved.)
Thanks again to Tool – once again, I wrote most of my best sequences to Aenima, Lateralus, Parabola, and 10,000 Days (which also, obviously, lent both a title and some theme music to a particular chapter). Hurry the hell up with the new album guys! It’s been eight years – and I’ve got more books to write!!!
Finally, it didn’t play a huge role in my work on this book, but I’d be remiss not to mention the new Celldweller album End of an Empire – the title track of which even mentions Hellfires! Crazy coincidence.
Here are a few other books that were either helpful or inspirational in producing (my bits of) this one:
Operation Spetsnaz: The Aims, Tactics and Techniques of Soviet Special Forces, by Michael G. Welham and Bruce Quarrie
The Trident: The Forging and Reforging of a Navy SEAL Leader, by Jason Redman with John R. Bruning
Three Uses of the Knife: On the Nature and Purpose of Drama, by David Mamet
The Storytelling Animal: How Stories Make Us Human, by Jonathan Gottschall
Biohazard: The Chilling True Story of the Largest Covert Biological Weapons Program in the World – Told from Inside by the Man Who Ran It, by Ken Alibek with Stephen Handelman. Virtually everything I’ve written about Biopreparat, about bioengineering dangerous pathogens, weaponizing them, genetically modifying them, and for that matter about pandemics, bioterrorism, viruses in general, etc., all came straight out of this amazing and terrifying book. Any resemblance between Alibek and Aliyev is clearly you’re imagining things.
Over 2.3 million Americans have served in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Studies indicate that at least 20% of them (nearly half a million) suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and/or depression – half of whom do not seek treatment. Untreated PTSD can result in destroyed marriages, lost jobs, homelessness, drug and alcohol abuse, and suicide. Additionally, more than 260,000 veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan have been diagnosed with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), usually caused by close proximity to explosions such as roadside bombs. TBI can result in memory and mood problems, headaches, and difficulty sleeping. To learn more, check out Military Minds. If you’d like to help, you can raise awareness by liking the Military Minds page on Facebook; if you want to make a donation, one great place is the Brendan MacDonald Fyfe Fund and the Campaign to Bring Our Veterans All the Way Home.
Glynn
Thanks to all of the Jameses – Julia, for your patience and encouragement, and my pipsqueaks, for just being you (mini me).
To my parents and my brother for not being too surprised that I write crazy fiction, and for telling me it’s cool.
To Bill, Sara, Billy, Jim & Jean for taking me seriously and never doubting that I could actually do this, and for demanding signed copies when I thought that whole idea was daft.
To Jacqui, for patience and editing expertise beyond the call.
To Michael, for going along with this daft and crazy idea, and turning it into something much more awesome than I originally conceived. From this point on we’re into new territory that is beyond the original plan.
ARISEN
Hope Never Dies.
Fans of the bestselling ARISEN series are calling it “a non stop thrill ride”, “unputdownable”, “the most original and well-written zombie novels I have ever read”, “riveting as hell – I cannot recommend this series enough”, “the action starts hot and heavy and does NOT let up”, “astonishingly well-researched and highly plausible”, “non-stop speed rush! All action, all the time – got my heart racing”, “A Must Read, this book was a hell of a ride”, and “may be the best in its genre.”
Humanity will return in
ARISEN, BOOK NINE – CATACLYSM
They are the most capable, committed, and indispensable counter-terrorist operators in the world.
They have no rivals for skill, speed, ferocity, intelligence, flexibility, and sheer resolve.
Somewhere in the world, things are going horrifyingly wrong…
Readers call the D-BOYS series “a high-octane adrenaline-fueled action thrill-ride”, “one of the best action thrillers of 2011 (or any year for that matter)”, “a riveting, fast paced classic!!”, “pure action”, “The Best Techno Military Thriller I have read!”, “Awesome!”, “Gripping”, “Edge of your seat action”, “Kick butt in the most serious of ways and a thrill to read”, “What a wild ride!!! I simply could not put this book down”, “has a real humanity and philosophical side as well”, “a truly fast action, high octane book”, “Up there with Clancy and W.E.B. Griffin”, “one of the best Spec Ops reads I have run into”, and “hi-tech and action in one well-rounded explosive thriller.”
There is a place where nightmares are real. It is a dark and terrifying place, hidden from the world we know by borders that only the most unfortunate of souls will ever cross.
James Halldon woke up in the dark, alone, without any food or water, without a clue where he was, and with no memory of where he came from.
It only got stranger…
Readers are calling the bestselling DIARY OF THE DISPLACED series “fast-paced, thought-provoking and thoroughly entertaining”, “utterly compelling from beginning to end”, “a fantastic book – gripping from the very first couple of lines”, “ghosts, zombies, London buses and even an evil nemesis. What’s not to love?!”, “truly magnificent”, “the best book I’ve read in a long time”, “one of the finest-written stories you will ever read”, “a brilliant series – right up there with Neil Gaiman and Clive Barker”, and “simply perfect… absolutely enjoyable from start to finish.”
Arisen, Book Eight - Empire of the Dead Page 26
