September 2020 -- Stormblood by Jeremy Szal (Spoilers Allowed)

[Oleksandr]

Discuss the book in depths

[Oleksandr]

Here is my review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Rebecca]

No storyline spoilers in this, but I think the worldbuilding is enough of a spoiler to put it in the spoiler thread.

I was somewhat disappointed that the Reapers issues seemed to be written off as being Stormtech related and completely ignoring that they were probably also living with PTSD, and their treatment on exit (at least what was referred to) seemed to be more along the lines of supported detox than any actual help with mental issues caused by combat. From other reviews, folks seemed to think that the chapters that were in the past were supposed to be indicative of PTSD and/or flashbacks, but that's not how its worked for the folks I know that live with it. For what its worth, I am a veteran, though not of combat, though I have friends who are combat veterans and living with PTSD. There were a few other things that I wasn't sure was PTSD or stormtech (only being comfortable in armor for one)

I really feel that the reveal about (view spoiler)[ the stormtech possibly being sentient or able to be controlled by that alien race's sentient forms (hide spoiler)] was dropped and not dealt with, though it may have been breadcrumbs to seed interest in a sequel.

[Oleksandr]

I think that the idea was that Stormtech is like a drug (military has long tradition to use often hazardous drugs to get better soldiers) so unless you detox you cannot start dealing with other issues. And "we did the right thing" is also important - the Harvest was evil, and, at least in the novel, reapers haven't hurt random civilians, who just happened to be in a wrong place. Indoctrination is very important, as I guess (read it a while ago) The Second World War notes neither Soviets nor Wehrmacht reported "war fatigue" like Allied troops

[*Tau*]

Oleksandr wrote: "I think that the idea was that Stormtech is like a drug (military has long tradition to use often hazardous drugs to get better soldiers)"

As I saw your reaction pass by in my update-feed, it made me think of a book that figures on my TBR-list.
Has anyone of you read it yet?

Blitzed: Drugs in the Third Reich by Norman Ohler

It seems quite interesting, especially because it states that "the entire Third Reich was permeated with drugs: cocaine, heroin, morphine and, most of all, methamphetamines, or crystal meth, used by everyone from factory workers to housewives, and crucial to troops".
Never heard of that before this book drew my attention to it.
It's definitely something they should teach in school imho.

[Oleksandr]

*Tau* wrote: "Has anyone of you read it yet?"

I have it in my TBR pile. As for hearing about drug use/abuse in Nazi Germany, I knew about attempts to make supersoldiers with amphetamines - it was a topic in Soviet war movies for decades, but not about civil use.

It is interesting to note that after the revolution in the Russian empire all sides of the civil war used cocaine and morphine (the later was a standard pain relief)

[*Tau*]

Oleksandr wrote: "As for hearing about drug use/abuse in Nazi Germany, I knew about attempts to make supersoldiers with amphetamines - it was a topic in Soviet war movies for decades, but not about civil use.

It is interesting to note that after the revolution in the Russian empire all sides of the civil war used cocaine and morphine (the later was a standard pain relief)"

Personally I never heard of either of them.
Thanks for the additional info, Oleksandr!
If I ever get around to read this book, I'll let you know 😉