Wake of War

Zac Topping

Military Fiction

Zac Topping’s Wake of War is a timely account of the lengths those with power will go to preserve it, and the determination of those they exploit to destroy everything in the name of freedom anew.

“I just hope I’m on the right side of history.”

The United States of America is a crumbling republic. With the value of the dollar imploding, the government floundering, and national outrage and resentment growing by the hour, a rebellion has caught fire. The Revolutionary Front, led by Joseph Graham, has taken control of Salt Lake City.

In a nation where opportunity is sequestered behind the gilded doors of the rich and powerful, joining the Army seemed like James Trent’s best option. He just never thought he’d see combat. Now Trent finds himself on the front lines fighting for something he doesn’t even know if he believes in. Destroying innocent lives wasn’t what he signed on for, and he can feel himself slipping away with every casualty.

Sharpshooter Sam Cross was just fourteen when American soldiers gunned down her parents and forced her brother into conscription. Now, five years later, retribution feels like her only option to stitch the wound of her past. She has accepted Joseph Graham’s offer to be his secret weapon. His Reaper in the Valley. But retribution always comes at a cost.

When forces clash in Salt Lake City, alliances will be shattered, resolve will be tested, and when the dust clears nobody will be able to lie to themselves, or be lied to, again.

-Excerpt taken from Goodreads.

Check Goodreads to see the book’s ratings.

My Opinion

4 out of 5 stars (4 / 5) Set in 2037, America is crumbling and a man takes charge as a rebel leader to fight for what he believes America should be.

I love a good military thriller and this was no exception! It was full of fast-paced fighting, backstories on the characters and a rebellion to add to the intrigue.

What I found I liked most were the characters. Topping did a great job of giving the main characters a backstory that made me wanting to find out more. With each POV change, I looked forward to hearing about them and what they had been experiencing.

What really gravitated me to this book was that it was set in Salt Lake City. I live near Salt Lake and have lived in Utah all of my life. Hearing about the mountain ranges, street names and cities brought an extra sense of reality to me. It is set in 2037 and I could follow along in my head where they were.

“I just really hope I’m on the right side of history.”

There were POV’s from the army, mercenaries and rebel forces. This was amazing! I really loved seeing each viewpoint and their reasons for fighting. Each felt they were in the right but many had moments of reflection, debating whether they were on the “right side.” I adored this! I strongly believe nobody should follow blindly into anything. Having them second-guess their decisions made me want to cheer for them.

One aspect I really would have appreciated was more backstory. Maybe I felt too involved because it was in towns I have called “home” over the years, but I wanted to know why Utah? Why wasn’t the nation more involved? They talked about how California was not overrun, so how had Utah gotten so far? How had the rebels truly gained so much power? The intricate details and more backstory about how Utah got to this point would have really sold me more on the story.

The audio was fabulous! I always like to review the audio with any books I receive because why not get 2 in 1? It had two narrators, a male and a female voice. Sam Cross was such a unique character that I was so impressed she had her own narrator. Each narrator did so well with the fighting scenes. I believe those can either make or break a story and they were able to portray the intensity with fluidity and ease. It was well done!

General content summary: This is a military thriller so sterotypically, it is full of language and intense scenes that are not for sensitive readers. F words: 20+, language, execution by gun to the head, many attacks on soldiers, talk of girlfriends and who to sleep with and previous loves that ended up in children, prisoners screams are heard through vents in the floor, battle strategy, death with guns, intense scenes of storming neighborhoods and searching for rebels, sniper and kills with details of blood and bodies, different weapons and fighting, parental killing, closed door intimacy, car bomb and attack (blood and wounds), intimacy (few details), infidelity, civilian deaths by sniper, detailed death from sniper, shooting death of young boy, intimacy with few details, bloody death, attack on a group and blood and death, intense battle scenes with death and blood and fighting for their lives. 

Thank you to Forge Books and Macmillan Audio for the gifted copies!

The book releases July 19, 2022.

**As an Amazon associate I earn from qualifying purchases. 

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