Survivability Report (ePub)

Peace is earned by withdrawing from the field for those not like us. (Sacks 2013)

Well, that sucks.

Sean, a military contractor, was granted an unwanted and malevolent gift. Ensnared in a labyrinth of his own doing, he unknowingly bestowed his gift to his five-year-old year daughter, with a kiss. He endowed his powers to his best friend over a cup of coffee.

For years the illness of war infected almost every aspect of his life. Now, Sean and his team of multi-national contractors have a standing directive from their employers. To spread peace, love, and democracy by any means necessary. He may have been granted the power of the gods, but he misplaced the instruction manual. He must navigate lands overrun with angry, religious zealots, human traffickers, and dissatisfied warlords. All the while under constant fire from his ex-wife serving up words of pugnacious delight. Preparing him and his team to square off against a powerful, perimenopausal foe.

He will discover love, war, and, family is the key to his peace. In this luminous tale woven from hidden hands. On what it means to be human playing in a world of gods.

Review of Survivability Report

Eoin N. Andrews knows how to take you by surprise. His novel Survivability Report has all the makings of an exciting military action story, where Sean, the main character, is a military contractor. Along with other seasoned servicemen, Sean works for a British contracting firm. Just when you expect realistic military action, along comes Titania, a female Djinn who grants him a wish. While downing his beer, Sean wishes for omnipotence so that all bases are covered. But his new godlike power seems to have a viral effect on the people he interacts with, as they have contracted some special abilities including his daughter. As Sean and his team are trained to maintain peace and security in foreign lands with enough money to acquire their services, they are in for the biggest challenge of their military careers: An ancient Spartan queen is no pushover. She is angry and determined to instill her version of order in the here and now.

One of my favorite parts in fantasy fiction is the explanation of the fantasy element. In Survivability Report, we are given the origins of the Djinn, and why it has chosen a man like Sean to have his wish granted. The centerpiece of the action is how they deal with an ancient female threat whose knowledge of military strategies rivals theirs, and she wields the same powers that they have. Eoin N. Andrews has molded Sean's character with the typical man in uniform personality that implies sharp wit and a sense of fraternal bonds with his teammates. He brings the pages to life simply through his kinetic energy and his idiosyncratic responses to given stimuli. You may well find yourself interested in how Sean and his team will get out of such a troubling situation. It is not often that you get to read military action with a fantasy element thrown in.

By Vincent Dublado Author of: The Weed and the Rose; Simian Posse; & Child of the Deadwood