Military Urban Fantasy? Guys?

[naomi_jay]

Is there any? The only thing that springs to mind is Talia Gryphon's godawful Gillian Key series, although Gillian is a Marine in the same sense that I'm a quantum physicist. Surely there're more?

I've got this vague idea for a story in which the protagonist is an ex-soldier now working for the British government's anti-zombie task force, and she's carrying the zombie virus. So eventually she's going to become a zombie, but in the mean time she's struggling to hide the symptoms (like, you know, hair loss, weird bodily odour, craving for raw meat, other stuff that I haven't thought up yet) and continue to work at solving Zombie Related Crimes!

My dad's an ex-soldier so I can go to him for research, but I'm sure there must be UF novels out there already with military heroes and heroines. Romancelandia is full of SEALs and Marines and so forth. I assume there's a level of cross-over somewhere?

Comments

[hivemind-sf.livejournal.com]

Hi Naomi,

Truth tell, given all the stuff I read, I haven't come across anything... yet! Not with Zombies in, in a military setting, or background. Though I do tend to write a lot of stuff with military ensembles. But no, no zombies. :)

Alex

[naomi-jay.livejournal.com]

The only other thing I can think of is Mario Acevedo's vampire series, in which a soldier is turned into a vampire in Iraq (IIRC). I'm surprised there isn't more; it seems such an obvious idea!

[hivemind-sf.livejournal.com]

Maybe it is being written, just not being published where we might have read it. You'll just have to write your own, right? :)

[queeredfiction.livejournal.com]

SJ Day's Eve series...
Great idea there, Naomi.

[naomi-jay.livejournal.com]

Ah yes, I have the first book sitting at home, waiting to be read. Will have to pry it out of the overstuffed bookcase :)

[dwg.livejournal.com]

The only thing that springs to mind is Matthew Reilly's Hell Island, which is built around an elite Marine squad fighting against brainspliced/genetically modified gorillas (no, really). The second in command is a woman named Mother (short for Motherfucker, because SHE IS THAT AWESOME) and she's basically Zoe to Scarecrow's Mal.

My brain's also meebling at me for Brian Lumley's Necroscope series, but I never really made it too far into that to actually be conclusive.

[naomi-jay.livejournal.com]

That sounds awesome! And it's reminded me of Monster Island. Can't remember the author, but it has African child-soldiers and sentient zombies.

[dwg.livejournal.com]

David Washington?

Hell Island was a free novella I got with buying something else. It was an afternoon of "AHAHA THIS IS LIKE ALIENS MEETS PLANET OF THE APES! SHIT ASPLOOOOODE!!!!" (seriously, they blow up an aircraft carrier).

The only other supernatural/military crossover that should have been more obvious is Clive Barker's Jericho. It's a game, not a book. You've got these specially trained commandos, each with a certain kind of supernatural skill (there's a priest on the team), and they enter "The Box" to go through timesplices, fight zombies, and kill themselves to save the world. I love playing with Black, because she's the telekinetic sniper and can use her brain to guide a bullet around corners and into targets. This may or may not be inspiration for future dystopia superpowered commando fic that may or may not involve pissing off a goddess who later turns corporate HQ into her new, beyond-time-and-space temple where people can mutate into monsters. *shifty*

[sandrawickham.livejournal.com]

Veeeerrrry Interrrresting!!

Go for it, and good luck!

[naomi-jay.livejournal.com]

I shall! Eventually...

[rowanda380.livejournal.com]

that sounds really interesting. I can't think of any military fantasies off of the top of my head, except maybe this new avatar movie that is coming out...seems like it could be a new wave that could be big.

[naomi-jay.livejournal.com]

Avatar looks amazing! Can't wait to see that.

[rowanda380.livejournal.com]

I think it looks good too, unfortunately my boyfriend disagrees.