SEAL Team 666: A Novel Hardcover – November 27, 2012

The concept is good, but the flat, dull writing sucks all the life out of it. The characters are one-dimensional, the supernatural elements are right out of a bad 80s action movie, and the plot is linear and predictable. There's a lot here that begs exploring: the main character's demon possession as a child and his resulting gift for detecting evil, the long heritage of SEAL Team 666, the litany of monsters they encounter, the main villain and the demon he deals with to gain power. But it's all glossed over, almost as if the author didn't have the energy to explore all these elements fully. Everything, from action scenes to demonic rituals, is described artlessly with no suspense or emotion. And, for a military action thriller, it lacks authenticity: the SEALs don't seem to have any special knowledge or employ clever tactics, and the anachronisms and inaccuracies (the Team flying around in a C-141, loading AK rounds into an SR-25, etc) are just grating. The end result is a generic read that hints at something much better but never gets there.

SEAL Team 666 is the first and best of a trilogy of novels pitting one of the most elite counter-terrorist organizations in the world against a hidden world of pure evil, demons, and monsters. It opens with the raid against a Bin Laden who is more demon than demonized. The thing I liked most about 666 are the characters that make up the team and especially Hoover. The backstory of the FNG who serves as the central character is a bit too tortured for me and the century longer backstory of the unit is a bit much but could be a great springboard for future stories. As a contrast, I also recommend "SEAL Team 13" by Evan Currie which is actually an origin story with another FNG who has a much better backstory and a pretty dramatic opening scene. If you like military sci-fi you'll like both.

I'm a big fan of being able to look at the title of a book and know exactly what you're getting. And Seal Team 666 doesn't disappoint. Exactly as promised, this is a book about an ultra-secret SEAL team that protects the United States by killing monsters, demons, and the undead - many of whom are tanged up in international conspiracies against the US. The writing is crisp, never getting bogged down in too much detail or digression, and the author definitely knows military weaponry and structure. And there's not too much plot to get in the way of the action - and I mean this in a good way. It's very fast-paced.As one would expect from a SEAL team that fights the supernatural, the characters are almost superhuman in their capabilities. Yet, at the same time, they're also very human, with inner conflicts, back stories, and individual personalities. You get attached to them and end up rooting for them. And what more can one ask for?

Reading the flyleaf and various reviews of the Seal Team 666 series I was intrigued. I was a little unsure though if I would struggle to follow the military terminology that would be a sure part of the tale. I shouldn’t have worried. Once I started reading it was difficult to stop. I mean how many books can bring back the horrors found in mythology and fables of long ago.Jack Walker finds himself yanked from his training with only four weeks to ago. He is going to become a part of an elite team known as SEAL Team 666 (unheard of by most), a replacement for the sniper they lost. This team handles problems most humans couldn’t begin to imagine. Demon-possession, cults worshipping old and dark magic, and threats that could end the world. Each team member has a unique ability beyond that of the average person. The thing that makes Jack unique has made his existence miserable. Maybe now he will be able to make some sense of it all and find a way to put it to good use.This book moves quickly with little rest for the team. The characters each bring something special to the story that keeps you wondering how things will end. There is a realism to the story that makes you believe what you are reading. This is a book that expands your imagination and keeps you wondering just what might be outside your door or under your bed when you sleep at night. I can’t wait to read the next book.

Newly, even prematurely minted SEAL Jack Walker joins an elite team formed to combat monsters. He was chosen and lifted from training because of some answers to a battery of questions, which must have tripped some flags. More relevantly, however, and whether his recruiters knew of it is completely unknown, he was demonically possessed as a child and retains some sensitivity to the supernatural. Frankly, this is less important than it should have been; maybe it becomes more critical in later books.The team seems to be under the direction of the Senate Special Committee on Intelligence rather than DOD or the White House, which I thought was odd. And it has forebears stretching back to colonial times. We don't know anything about how monsters are handled elsewhere.In short, Mr. Ochse's premise is good, albeit not unique (see also Evan Currie's take on the same thing), but much of what may make this seriesstand out may have been left for later books. Good enough to find out at a lower price, but these are too expensive.