Blood Red Sun

by Stephen Mertz

Japan is at the brink of surrender. It is the eve of the Emperor's announcement of his country's acceptance of the Allied terms of surrender. But a core of fanatical extremists in the Emperor's military, descended from the legendary Samurai warriors of feudal Japan--and other, more shadowy factions of power shrouded in the mysteries of this ancient society--vow never to surrender. The overthrow of the Emperor is only the first step in their insane scheme.Sergeant John Ballard is a battle-hardened commando. The best the army's got when it comes to fighting dirty. Years of surviving on the edge are starting to eat away at him but Ballard can't stop now. General Douglas MacArthur himself has just handed Ballard what may be the most impossible mission of the war.Keiko Tamura is a young Japanese woman, gutsy, independent; the blood of the Samurai flows in her veins. Educated in America before the war, she is willing to risk her life to end the military madness that has brought her country to ruin.Unlikely allies thrown together, these two alone stand in the way of one final, sinister, far-reaching plot with millions of American and Japanese lives at stake.Publisher's This book has previously been released elsewhere. It has been revised and re-edited for re-release with Wolfpack Publishing.

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1989

About the author

Pen name - Stephen Brett, Don Pendleton, Jack Buchanan, Jim Case, Cliff Banks.

Reviews

[Gravetapping · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun fast paced adventure novel. It is set at the end of World War Two in Japan. The action is terrific, as is expected of any novel written by Stephen Mertz, and the plot really cooks along.

[Tim Deforest · Rating 5 out of 5]

An exciting and unique WW2 tale from a master storyteller. Set right at the end of the war, with the action beginning just a few days after the atom bombs have been dropped, the story involves last-ditch efforts by Japanese militarists to stop the impending surrender by either staging a coup or simply assassinating Douglas MacArthur after the Allied commander arrives in Japan.

The protagonists in the novel are an American soldier named Ballard--who is tasked with overseeing MacArthur's security-- and a Japanese woman named Keiko--who sees that peace with the U.S. is the only way her country can survive. Both are great characters, with well-drawn backgrounds that give depth to their personalities. Supporting characters are also well-drawn, giving us reason to care whether they live or die. (Or, in the case of one particularly evil character, genuinely hope for his death.)

The action switches back and forth between the various good guys and bad guys, with several factions in the Japanese military sometimes working together and sometimes working against one another. Action scenes, especially the extended climatic sequence, are intense and gripping. That climactic scene is wonderful--involving an escape from a castle, a "Rat Patrol"-like scene of ground combat and some aerial combat. It all brings the story to a very satisfying conclusion.

[Jeffrey H. Bryden · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read marred by poor editing

If you're familiar with run-on sentences, you'll get through this book without blinking an eye. It's well-written and intriguing, but situations, locations, plots and subplots are all jammed into a continuous narrative...no chapters, no spacing to denote location or time shifts. Just one long series of paragraphs. In a movie, it would be like filming in a single room and just keeping the camera running and swinging it around when you were done with one subject and ready to move on to another!

[Chaplain Stanley Chapin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Intriguing story concept

I had a joint venture partners in Japan, thus spent a lot of time there. The descriptions of the culture, mind set and their actions was quite accurate. The fighting descriptions by the Americans became beyond believable and then a feel good ending.

[Gordon Dempsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just as it happened

Very interesting. I spent seven months 20 miles south of Yokohama in the Occupation Army. Would have been better if he had put at least three or four blank lines when the location changed. Very good with the combining of truth and fiction.

[Joseph Lange · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good story of the end of the war, and the intrigue during the landing in Japan for occupation. A nice piece of fiction adventure.

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fairly good.

[aric bost]

Great story!

Wonderful characters and plot development. Really enjoyable and fast paced. Looking forward to reading other books you have written. Well worth it!