Click book cover at left to order DogSS of War (available in paperback and on Kindle).
The town is called Le Coeur.
War travels surrounding roads while deserted streets give sanctuary to something special…guarded by something worse.
They fell from the sky — commandos driven by desire. Each soldier is a battle-hardened machine fueled by desperation, but they will face an enemy who is more — an enemy who has long since given up the virtue of man for the violence of the beast.
This is their story — a story of the horror, brutality and cost of war, and the story, too, of how the war waged inside a man’s heart is the greatest battle of all.
Reviews
★★★★ John Steakley, author of Armor and Vampire$ said, “Mr. Ruthenbeck’s yarn begins with an aerial dogfight, malignant evil, stirring courage, tragic death and a belly laugh…in the first two pages. But don’t worry, it picks up after that.”
★★★★ Ruthenbeck brings new meaning to the phrase ‘war is hell.’ With its horrors, both man-made and supernatural, Dogs of War brings home all things visceral to the reader. Full of tension and passion, this book is sure to satisfy.” — Scott A. Johnson, author of Deadlands and An American Haunting.
★★★★ Steve Ruthenbeck’s Dogs of War is a fast-paced pager-turner with masterfully defined characters and nail-biting action scenes. I found it enjoyable and believable historical-horror fiction.” — D.E. Davidson, Editor, Night Terrors Publications and author of Immortal: A Linking of Souls
★★★★ The book opens with a kettle drum roll of thunder and a blast of Messerschmitt machine guns. A “zombie squad”, the leftovers of a what ever shot-up units were available at the time, are assembled for a secret mission behind enemy lines in World War II Europe. Their objective is a secret box which is believed to carry a treasure of incalculable value. Unfortunately for the commandos the box is guarded by the aforementioned pack of Wermacht werewolves. I recommend it highly to fans of testosterone fiction and World War II horror.” — Steve Vernon, author of Sinking Deeper, Kelpie Dreams, Halifax Haunts, Tatterdemon, Haunted Harbours and more.
★★★★ What a fantastic adventure! From the first page to the last, this book is a sitting-on-the-edge-of-your-seat read. Set in WWII, the war between good and evil is personified by the battles between the American and the Nazi solders. But not all is so predictable as the traditional view that the Americans are good, the Germans bad. The attention to historic detail, the incredible action-packed storyline and the character development make this a terrific read.” — Armchair Interviews
★★★★ Dogs of War also won Harbor House’s Batwing Award for Literary Excellence.
What’s the difference between Dogs of War and DogSS of War?
Dogs of War was the original softcover publication (Harbor House 2005). DogSS of War is a revised edition presently available only on Kindle. I prefer the revised edition. The first edition was a bit…too much in parts. Have you seen Throw Momma From A Train? You know that scene where the creative writing class is reading excerpts aloud, and that one woman had a descriptive phrase that went something like this: his guts oozed nice, like a melted malt. Dogs of War never reached that level of apex writing, but it was the product of a younger man who got next to nothing in the way of editorial assistance. As time went on, I realized the book could be better with a less-is-more approach in spots. I believe I was successful in that approach and improved the story.
What gave you the idea for DogSS of War?
As near as I can tell (it was a long time ago), I got the idea while in college. I came home late one night, but I was determined to put in some TV watching regardless of it being way past bedtime. A movie was on titled Project: Metalbeast. Suffice it to say, at one point soldiers were shooting at a werewolf, and I thought, what if the werewolf shot back? Throw in having a father who was a World War II buff, and those are the two most basic components of my inspiration.
What is the deeper meaning behind DogSS of War?
At one time I wrote down exactly what DogSS of War meant. I wrote down what each of the characters represented. I wrote down what various names meant. I wrote down how it all fit together. I have since lost those notes. That is just as well. To a degree, such things should be up to the reader, and stories, songs, paintings, etc. should be able to stand on their own without a ton of explanation. I have written what I have written is about the only thing I say about the story at this stage.
Is anything else interesting happening with DogSS of War?
A screenwriter has turned the story into a screenplay and is shopping it around. No movement on it is presently happening, though.