S.O.B.s #02 - The Plains of Fire

According to The Internet Speculative Fiction Database, Alan Philipson has authored 15 novels in the Deathlands series as James Axler. He also wrote installments in the Destroyer, Executioner, Stony Man, and Super Bolan series. As Jack Hild, he wrote eight novels in the S.O.B.s series including The Plains of Fire, the second installment. It was published by Gold Eagle in February 1984 with another incredible painted cover by Ron Lesser.

The book begins in Iran as the main villain, heinous Captain Mohamadi Razod and his Islamic Revolutionary Guards, lead a rocket scientist to a gas soaked pyre. The heroic scientist leaked details about an Iranian quest to build four antiquated atomic bombs. In this savage opening sequence the scientist is nailed to a seat through his...thatchy area...and then mercifully cuts his own throat as the flames soar up his legs. Philipson's descriptive narrative isn't for the squeamish. 

Walker Jessup, the CIA liaison for the S.O.B.s, is fed details about the Iranian bomb program. He is instructed by the high-ranking U.S. brass that an official American military unit can't risk destroying this Iranian installation. The mission demands incursion into the country's sovereign territory and would be viewed as an act of war. Instead, the government wants Jessup to get his S.O.B.s on the job based on their triumphant success in Kaluba (the series debut). The plan is to penetrate the base and destroy it from within. Jessup gets on the horn with team lead Nile Barrabas. 

The next few chapters resembles a Sam Durell novel as Barrabas pieces together a ten-person team of specialists that can bring the military's operation to fruition. Unlike the first novel, these chapters are brief as smaller biographies are presented with highlights of the characters. Philipson is a smart writer and incorporates the character's skill-set into the main portions of the novel. For example, five pages spent on Vince Biondi informs readers he can drive a race car super fast. This will prove crucial to the novel's finale.

Philpson proves to be an excellent storyteller as the narrative spills into the final 100 pages. The scenes alternate from the perspective of a handful of Iranian scientists working under intense pressure to complete the construction of the bombs. Razod is the one you love to hate, the sadistic barbarian leader that kills his own people for the unholy crusade. Each of Barrabas' team members have important roles and pieces of the narrative are solely dedicated to their participation in the mission. Some authors create abrasion or disjoint the plot when attempting to present multiple perspectives. Philpson is a pro and seamlessly delivers a smooth prose. I also enjoyed (I'm awful!) the fact that three of the team members die in the fight. Nobody is safe in an S.O.B.s book!

The Plains of Fire is an excellent men's action-adventure with enough violence and action to saturate 200 pages. As much as I enjoyed the series debut, written by Jack Canon, David Wade, and Robin Hardy, the narrative suffered from too many pages of character development. Philpson keeps it simple stupid when entrusting readers to consume character bios. Recommended. Get it HERE.