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Big Red

Damien Larkin (Goodreads Author)

4.65 · Rating details · 40 ratings · 25 reviews

We have always been here...

Traumatized by the effects of Compression travel, soldier Darren Loughlin holds the key to the fate of Earth’s Martian colonies. With his Battalion decimated, his fractured memory holds the only clues to the colony-wide communications blackout.

With time running out, Darren pieces together his year-long tour of duty with the Mars Occupation Force. ...more

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Published May 14th 2019 by Dancing Lemur Press LLC

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Feb 03, 2019 Phil Parker rated it it was amazing

Big Red is described as Military Science Fiction and while that is true, I’d add the caveat that it’s also an intensely human story. As all good and great SF should do, it examines the human condition and what better way to do that, than through the eyes of a soldier.

There’s so much of this novel that reminds me of the stories I read as a youngster, like Joe Haldeman and Robert Heinlein. In fact Heinlein’s Starship Troopers stayed with me throughout the book. Heinlein had seen active service and Big Red is described as Military Science Fiction and while that is true, I’d add the caveat that it’s also an intensely human story. As all good and great SF should do, it examines the human condition and what better way to do that, than through the eyes of a soldier.

There’s so much of this novel that reminds me of the stories I read as a youngster, like Joe Haldeman and Robert Heinlein. In fact Heinlein’s Starship Troopers stayed with me throughout the book. Heinlein had seen active service and his experiences coloured his writing. The same is true for Damien Larkin.

There are two factors that make this a stand-out story for me.

Firstly, it is the realism. This is why I’ve referenced Heinlein because really good SF needs to be grounded in it. We need to believe. Sure, there are fantastic elements to it but we’re prepared to accept those premises if we can find something realistic to accept first.

In Big Red you experience the events through the eyes of a soldier. A real soldier. Someone who knows what it’s like, who has the military vocabulary but who understands the military mind. It’s this last point that captures the realism for me. We see a range of military minds in Big Red – some of them are brutal, dark and inhuman. Yet still we believe in them because we get to experience the factors that make them like this.

The second factor that made me love this book – the Unreliable Narrator. To avoid spoilers, I’m going to avoid saying too much here. I’ll simply say this – I couldn’t put the book down because I didn’t know where it was going and what was going to happen next. I wasn’t even certain what was real. The concept of an Unreliable Narrator is a risky approach for a writer, get it wrong and you alienate your audience, but get it right and you are gripped. I was definitely gripped!

I was intrigued by the book’s promotional material about Nazis on Mars but a little sceptical about how it might work. Yet the premise of the novel overcomes this instantly. But I’d emphasize that the book is much more than that, and it’s why I rate it so highly.

I started by saying how the story is intensely human and its issues are explored through the lens of a soldier’s experiences. This is not just a shoot-em-up for that reason. There is drama and heartache here, insights in the light and darkness of humanity’s soul. This book makes you think. It parallels so much of what is happening around us today. That’s what makes it brilliant science fiction. ...more

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Feb 10, 2019 L.G. Keltner rated it it was amazing

Big Red can be described in a lot of ways. It’s military science fiction. It’s also an alternate history story. Most importantly, though, it’s the story of people who have been thrown into extraordinary circumstances that test the very limits of human endurance. I found myself rooting for these characters as they struggled for survival and understanding in a hostile environment.

The story opens with soldier Darren Loughlin as he regains consciousness. He is disoriented and trying figure out how h ...more

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Feb 04, 2019 Happy Booker rated it really liked it

Darren Loughlin is a soldier waking up realizing that a lot has changed. He has been away on Mars for a very long time, coming back to Earth trying to figure out and recall what has happened. As he begins to understand everything, he remembers the brutality that was conducted during his stay at Mars, which explains a few things, now that he is back.

This science fiction, action thriller story begins and ends with a faced pace storyline. The literature standard was suitable to its genre and the co ...more

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May 13, 2019 Roberto Torres-Torres rated it it was amazing

Big Red – Damien Larkin (2019)

The life of a reader contains many bittersweet moments. For me, one of the worst is discovering a writer that is new to me, but that I later find out has already passed, and will no longer be writing new work. This always fills me with an odd sadness, as if I missed the boat somehow, knowing all I can do is catch up on what I already missed. The exact opposite situation has occurred as I read Big Red, the debut science fiction novel from author Damien Larkin. I was Big Red – Damien Larkin (2019)

The life of a reader contains many bittersweet moments. For me, one of the worst is discovering a writer that is new to me, but that I later find out has already passed, and will no longer be writing new work. This always fills me with an odd sadness, as if I missed the boat somehow, knowing all I can do is catch up on what I already missed. The exact opposite situation has occurred as I read Big Red, the debut science fiction novel from author Damien Larkin. I was hooked in from the very start of this book, and my interest and enjoyment grew with each chapter I read. Damien Larkin crafted a tight, increasingly suspenseful, and altogether satisfying bit of science fiction.
Big Red begins with our narrator waking up, unable to explain where he is, who he is, or what has happened to him. It is obvious he is involved in some sort of military operation, from the people he sees around him. As we move into the story, the protagonist is grilled by doctors and commanding officers, essentially forced to try to remember what has happened to him. Mr. Larkin’s cleverness as a writer comes through in the manner by which he divided up the threads of the story as separate chapters, allowing the reader to follow a story that, in a lesser writer’s hands, could have easily become confusing.
Early on, our hero discovers what we readers have gathered from the novel’s title, the fact that he is not on Earth, but on Mars. What he felt was to be a straightforward term of service is instantly complicated. The problem with finding oneself caught in a web of bureaucratic, military, and government obfuscation is that to find the truth, you have to fight through so many layers of LIES that it becomes nearly impossible to know who to trust, and what exactly is happening to you. As our hero grows in experience and knowledge, so the reader become aware that something is terribly wrong on Mars, creating a real sense of dread for what will happen to our narrator as the story gets bigger and bigger.
I do not want to go further into the plot points of Big Red. I leave that for you to find out yourself. It is an engrossing book, building steam page by page. I read the last 100 pages in a mad fit of excited reading. I was completely satisfied. I love a story that invests me in all the characters, not just the main hero, and that is self-consistent in its world-building. One of the main thoughts I came away with after reading Big Red is that, for all the speculation, what is being described is so close to what our reality is now that it should serve as a warning to all the people that faceless military and government organizations look to recruit, use up, and throw away. If you love action-packed science fiction, speculative ideas, and the exploration of one man’s challenge as he faces up against a giant web of tyranny, you will find a lot to dig into in Big Red. What an exciting debut novel. I look forward to Damien Larkin’s development, and his future work. ...more

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Feb 05, 2019 C.D. Gallant-King rated it it was amazing

Shelves: pew-pew-in-space

Nazis on Mars. Alien space bugs. Secret government conspiracies. Time travel. This book has it all, and, amazingly, makes it all make sense.

When I first saw the publicity material referencing the setting, particularly the "Nazis in Space" part, I thought for sure this had to be some kind of parody, or at least written with tongue planted firmly in cheek. (Which I would be super down for, by the way) I was eager to dig into it after Dancing Lemur Press offered me an advanced copy in exchange for Nazis on Mars. Alien space bugs. Secret government conspiracies. Time travel. This book has it all, and, amazingly, makes it all make sense.

When I first saw the publicity material referencing the setting, particularly the "Nazis in Space" part, I thought for sure this had to be some kind of parody, or at least written with tongue planted firmly in cheek. (Which I would be super down for, by the way) I was eager to dig into it after Dancing Lemur Press offered me an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that Big Red plays it straight, and pulls it off. It's earnest, and honest, and believable, thanks to the grounding of a realistic, decent protagonist as our guide and narrator.

The packaging says "military sci-fi" but this is a thriller through and through. The pace is fast and the twists and turns are dizzying. Every time I thought I had the story figured out Larkin threw another curveball, and I could barely keep up. It felt like the Twilight Zone or Black Mirror at times with the way it completely subverts expectations. Honestly sometimes it almost feels like there's too many twists happening, but the author pulls them all together, catches all the loose threads and ties everything up nicely in the end. If you're cynical like me and you're asking yourself after three or four chapters "how the hell is he going to pull this together?" then trust me: Damien Larkin pulls it off, and pulls it off with style.

It's hard to get into the plot too much without revealing spoilers (and like I said, the crazy revelations are the best part), but the back cover blurb gives you a pretty good set up. A soldier wakes up on Earth after a year-long mission to Mars goes disastrously wrong. He has only fractured memories of what happened and his commanding officers are desperate for answers he doesn't have. The story alternates back and forth between the main character's time on Mars and what's happening on Earth, as the reader experiences each memory first-hand as the narrator remembers them himself. It's a neat trick and is a wonderful way of slowly unraveling all of the interconnected story threads, as bits of info revealed in each storyline reveals or explains what's happening in the other.

The military aspects of the novel feels real and grounded, despite taking place on Mars, which is obviously due to Larkin's own experiences in the military. His first-hand knowledge really makes the action seem believable, and he provides just enough detail to add to the story without going overboard with the jargon. Likewise with his sci-fi tech - functional and interesting without going into too much minutiae. All of these touches add to the plot, giving the setting an immersive, lived-in feel without bogging it down too much.

All in all I thoroughly enjoyed Big Red and highly recommend it to anyone with even a passing interest in Sci-Fi. A very impressive debut from Damien Larkin and I look forward to future works from the author. ...more

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Feb 22, 2019 Taylor Watkins rated it it was amazing

Shelves: read-bbn, author-submitted

A thrilling read with a unique plot in a classic setting, Big Red by author Damien Larkin is sure to please any sci-fi fan out there. Published by Dancing Lemur Press LLC and sent to me directly in exchange for an honest review, the novel intertwines modern-day technology with imaginative futuristic innovations that make Mars seem like more than just a dusty red planet.

To see my full review complete with a list of pros and cons, visit my book review blog, Bitty Book Nook: https://bittybooknook.b ...more

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Mar 31, 2019 Jamie (Books and Ladders) rated it really liked it

See this review and more on Books and Ladders!

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book and chose to review it. This in no way impacts my opinion.

I really enjoyed this one! It took a lot of tropes and ideas that I generally don't like in Military Science Fiction and turned them into something I really enjoyed. Who would have thought aliens, Nazis, and time travel would have blended together so well?

I'll have a full review up closer to release date! ...more

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Jun 17, 2019 Alex Cavanaugh rated it it was amazing

Bat-crap crazy! In a good way. Lots of twists and turns. Great read.

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May 14, 2019 Lee Conley rated it it was amazing

A review of
Big Red
By Damien Larkin

I don’t read much sci-fi but when I do I make sure it’s a good one. I thought I’d check out Big Red by Damien Larkin as I had the chance to read it before release. It turned out to be a kick ass military sci-fi about the occupation of Mars.

The story is initially set in modern day Ireland and the UK, told from the point of view of our protagonist, Darren Loughlin. He is a part time soldier who quickly finds himself ensnared in a contract to serve an unexpecte A review of
Big Red
By Damien Larkin

I don’t read much sci-fi but when I do I make sure it’s a good one. I thought I’d check out Big Red by Damien Larkin as I had the chance to read it before release. It turned out to be a kick ass military sci-fi about the occupation of Mars.

The story is initially set in modern day Ireland and the UK, told from the point of view of our protagonist, Darren Loughlin. He is a part time soldier who quickly finds himself ensnared in a contract to serve an unexpectedly long tour of duty and becomes involved in classified off-world operations. A man trapped in a tour with his squad mates, which turns out, just wasn’t what they signed up for.

This book was a nice read, a military sci-fi which is not too heavy on the military jargon and usual tropes but is instead driven by its character’s perspective. It’s the story of camaraderie and of modern people we can relate with who are dealing with the unfolding story in a military setting. Big Red surprised me with some clever twists. It features the descendants of some famous historical fascists. There are of course some aliens, some particularly savage Martian life forms. One of the standout concepts was the frankly awesome and quite clever system of interplanetary troop transportation which opened up the possibility for some clever plot twists as the story develops. The MOF (Mars Occupation Force) is portrayed as a senseless, brutal and secretive military organisation which supports the corporate interests of Marscorp through its oppression of the occupied Mars colonists and eradicating the native Martians who stand in the way of Mars’ resources. But all is not what it seems and as the story twists and develops I was left unable to put the book down until I found out the truth of Big Red.

Big Red is an exciting and fast paced read. I highly recommend you give it a try, in particular if you enjoy military sci-fi or modern military fiction. I thoroughly enjoyed it and look forward to Larkins future works, I will certainly be reading any sequels.

Thanks for reading
Lee C. Conley
...more

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Apr 16, 2019 Tonja Drecker rated it it was amazing

It's been awhile since I've read a military science fiction novel, so I was looking forward to diving into this one.

Darren wakes up screaming in a hospital bed, his memories gone. Those around him are injured severely, men who were supposedly part of his team on a mission to Mars. Unfortunately, he's told that time is of the essence and must work immediately on regaining his memories by starting as far back in his life as he can remember and working his way forward. As he recounts his life, the ...more

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Feb 10, 2019 Lynda Young rated it really liked it

A soldier wakes up in a hospital bed, confused and with a fragmented memory. He is certain he was shot in the chest but no wound is apparent. A great start to the novel. The story unfolds from there with the soldier explaining the course of events from the beginning, with the story jumping back now and then to the present day.

This is a military sci-fi that reminded me a lot of Heinlein’s Starship Troopers. There was plenty of action that you’d expect from a military sci-fi too, which I’m sure w ...more

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Feb 25, 2019 Sue Tingey rated it it was amazing

I received a pre publication copy of this novel for an unbiased review. Firstly I would like to say I do not usually read SciFi. It didn't matter. I loved this novel. It was well written and instantly engaging. The story was fast paced and not so technical that a total technophobe like me couldn't follow it.

From the very first page we're straight into the story. The protagonist, Darren is in hospital and almost immediately is being asked a load of questions he can't answer. He is injured and co ...more

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Mar 28, 2019 Carrie Westmoreland Kurtz rated it really liked it

First let me say that military sci-fi isn't really my genre so I was a bit apprehensive when I picked this book up. It's hard to read a book that isn't really your style. I always want to be fair when reviewing someone's hard work!

With all that being said, even though this wasn't "my kind of book" I actually enjoyed it! Were there some things I didn't love? Sure, but over all it was a pretty enjoyable book!

Now, I know that I just used a lot of exclamation points. But the thing is, I'm a bit surp ...more

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Aug 04, 2019 Craig Kelly rated it it was amazing

read the book from cover to cover and it is a brilliant book. the twist and turns the novel takes are unexpected and intriguing. the more i read the more i wished the book would go on forever. the main character and his decent into a madness like state as his mind unwinds due to all the horror that he goes through under the guise of his enemies being''hostile'' and how he tries to make amends

i love the way the reade5 is learning about his past as he relives it in order to find out why they have ...more

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Jul 15, 2019 Ellen rated it it was amazing

Shelves: sci-fi-fantasy

If you enjoy military sci-fi with lots of unexpected twists, you'll love Big Red. It's a compulsive page turner with plenty of action, characters that you'll care about, and well-crafted world building. Looking forward to reading more from this author. ...more

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Feb 23, 2019 Adrian O'Paircigh rated it it was amazing

Loving this book.. It's like a mix of Starship Troopers and Total Recall!
Well written and complex!
Definitely not one you'll get bored reading!

"VAE VICTIS" ...more

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May 11, 2020 Gary O'Brien rated it really liked it

An exciting military science fiction thriller with a deeply insightful look into what it means to be a soldier.

I want to start out by saying I discovered Damien Larkin’s work during an online panel hosted by Quarancon2020 about writing fight scenes. I was intrigued by his passion when discussing his writing, so much so that I went and bought Big Red right away. And I was not disappointed.

Big Red tells the story of Darren ‘Dub’ Loughlin, a former soldier of the Reserve Defence Forces in modern An exciting military science fiction thriller with a deeply insightful look into what it means to be a soldier.

I want to start out by saying I discovered Damien Larkin’s work during an online panel hosted by Quarancon2020 about writing fight scenes. I was intrigued by his passion when discussing his writing, so much so that I went and bought Big Red right away. And I was not disappointed.

Big Red tells the story of Darren ‘Dub’ Loughlin, a former soldier of the Reserve Defence Forces in modern day Ireland. When an old friend offers him an opportunity to earn some money, Dub accepts and journeys to London to participate in a programme for ex-service personnel. But this isn’t just any programme as he soon finds himself conscripted into the Mars Occupation Force (MOF) and thrown into a bloody conflict against the native insectoids of the red planet. What follows is a fun, action-packed, intelligent and deeply reflective story about what it means to be a soldier.

The novel is split into two interconnected narrative parts. In the present, Dub wakes up in an underground black-ops facility on Earth. Last thing he remembers is the plasma blast that punched a gaping hole in his chest. Traumatised and confused he must piece the fragments of his memory back together while under intense interrogation. We spend the larger part of the story following Dub’s term of duty on Big Red, filled with intense hard-hitting firefights and mind-blowing revelations. This narrative approach is wonderfully executed and had me engrossed from beginning to end.

Dub is a very likeable and relatable protagonist. There’s nothing special about him and that’s what makes him so interesting. He is a normal guy (a sound lad) who finds himself thrown into an extreme situation where he is forced to adapt or die. At the same time, he is mentally torn between being the perfect soldier and holding onto his humanity as he is constantly forced to make harder and harder morally-challenging decisions throughout his term of duty. He is also strong and dependable and expresses that deep sense of loyalty to his fellow platoon members.

Unfortunately, I found it difficult to really connect with any of the other characters such as Big Mo, Nordie and Smack. I believe this has more to do with the short length of the novel than Larkin’s actual writing. I feel if more time was given to fleshing out the camaraderie among Dub’s platoon, said characters would have held more sway and their big moments would have been much more impactful than they are. Following on from this, I did feel somewhat disconnected from the story at times due to the large time jumps and rush through what I felt would have been best served as key moments in the overall story. As I said above, if more time was given to story beats, it would have added weight to other such key moments, particularly towards the end of the novel.

Nonetheless, I really enjoyed this novel and recommend it to anyone looking for a quick, fun, yet deeply insightful military science fiction read. I will definitely be on the lookout for what Larkin does next.
...more

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Nov 06, 2019 Barry Corcoran rated it really liked it

Big Red is a true Sci-fi adventure story in the classical sense; thought provoking with lots of questions, and set against a fantastical background. We follow our protagonist Darren, as he unwittingly gets himself tied up in an otherworldly conflict. Darren, and his close group of friends find themselves in a moral, and psychological tug of war between right and wrong, and reality itself. This story has twists, and lots of them, but they are well earned, and none are gratuitous. There is action, ...more

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Mar 25, 2020 Joel Schueler rated it it was amazing

As a bit of a World War II geek I enjoyed reading about the MARSCORP, the Naziesque organisation.

This is a complex, intelligent book exploring aspects of time travel, identity, horror and much more. For those looking for a deep, scintillating escape, I would recommend this book.

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Sep 26, 2019 Craig Kinsella rated it really liked it

They say that writers only get better as they get older. If that's the case then we can expect a lot from Damien Larking in the future. 'Big Red' is an impressive debut outing and a welcome addition to the often overlooked canon of Irish science fiction. ...more

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Aug 27, 2020 Phil Williams rated it really liked it

Big Red is a lot of fun. It's got an old-school charm which I think is immediately apparent from that cover; this is the sort of no-nonsense military space story you used to get way back when, and to be honest when I (finally) picked it up I was very there for that. I'd been through a patch of literary, dark or otherwise complicated books (read: trying too hard to be different) and sometimes you just want to see a bunch of happy-go-lucky nobodies romping about fighting space aliens.

In a nutshell ...more

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Aug 22, 2020 Paper Never Refused Ink rated it it was amazing

Want to read a truly unique Military Science Fiction story?

Then look no further than 'Big Red'. Damien Larkin has created a gripping and terrifying world. Where nothing is as it seems, and the truth is buried deep. Only the toughest and bravest will be able to find it.

From cover to cover, there is action and surprise. There is loss, heart ache and twists. There is the gritty reality of military life, and unflattering look at the beasts that can be made to stir in the hearts of man.

DL has careful ...more

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Sep 28, 2019 S. D. Howarth rated it it was amazing

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Apr 27, 2020 Tripp Ainsworth rated it it was amazing

Darren, Dublin, Loughlin signs up for a UN program, that unbeknownst to him, is going to send him to be a shocktrooper for the colonization of Mars.
Only they don’t send him, they send his consciousness into a new body across the solar system. Almost like Avatar, but it’s a one-way trip, and with an Irish space Marine. His realy body is back in a lab in London while he’s out fighting giant insects and Space Nazis.
I was a little weary about the time travel, and teleportation at first, but it ended ...more

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Oct 07, 2020 Ciaran O'Neill rated it it was amazing

This was the first science fiction book I ever read, absolutely loved it. Great story with lots of twists, keeps you guessing right until the end. For me, this book has really ignited an interest in the sci-fi genre. Looking forward to the release of Blood Red Sand!

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