Monsoon Hell Hole (The Black Eagles #16)

Monsoon Hell Hole (The Black Eagles #16) by John Lansing. Originally published in 1988 by Kensington Publishing Corp. Approx. 243 pages.

Many times have I waxed nostalgic on those halcyon days of my youth; where drugstores boasted spinner racks brimming with pulpy horror, romance, and action books. The action media we consumed in the 80's; be it in film, TV, comic book, or novel form, was packed to bursting with men's men, blistering action, and, being the height of the Cold War, the Red Menace.

There are tons of these types of pulpy short novels out there. Continuations of the old dimestore novels, and hard case detective works. Series like the Mack Bolan/Executioner series (which I believe is still ongoing), Phoenix Force, and Mac Wingate, just to name a scant few. Long-running series in which various authors share a common pseudonym, and a common theme.

This is my first foray into The Black Eagles series (I know, it's #16, but you gotta work with what you can get), and I fell for it hook, line, and sinker. I mean, first of all, look at that cover. All the covers in the series showcase that skull motif in varying poses. You could re-release the Twilight books with covers featuring a leering skull with crossed M-16s with underslung grenade launchers and there's a good chance I'd buy them.

So you've got the badass cover. Check. A leader with a G.I.Joe-worthy name (Robert Falconi). Check. A group of tough-as-nails, diverse group of hard-cases ready to pick up their government-issued M-16s and tear VC's to ribbons? Check. A buxom, beautiful Eurasian agent who drops bodies and doesn't take names? Triple check. This book has it all. Let's gander at the back cover for the blurb.

That sums it up pretty nicely. The stakes are raised by the fact that the garrison served as housing for the families of South Vietnamese soldiers recently brought into the fold. Meaning, their continued fealty to the cause is contingent on the return of their loved ones. But, most importantly, the three nurses who ran the children's hospital (monsoon season = a lot of sick kids) all have relationship ties to the Black Eagles. There is no question; they have to be rescued. They can not be allowed to languish in the hands of the Commies.

With a setup like this, you'd think what follows would be 200 pages of bullets flying. It's not. There's plenty of action, indeed, and it's done pretty well. It truly has the feel of the Delta Force and Missing In Action series rolled into one. There are plenty of questions regarding plausibility, but when the popcorn factor is satisfactory, the reader can make allowances.

Also, there's a lot of backstory. Early on, there's a roughly 20 page recap of the events of the past books (mind you, that's approximately 10% of the whole book). There's also a lot of character backstory, which was especially appreciated by someone like me who's coming into the series late in the game. 

The characters are tropey and enjoyable. Reading about the members of the Eagles, you feel like you're reading old G.I.Joe file cards. The Viet Cong and NVA leaders are interesting in their diverse methodologies, and we also have the introduction of a devious KGB agent. 

And there you have it. Real American Heroes. Deadly, conniving, Commie Scum. Patriotism. Jingoism. Robust action. Purple Prose. Machismo. Wait, was that an eagle I just heard?

If you want a real blast from the past; easy, brainless action that you could probably finish in an afternoon, track down one of these books.

Cover:

Do I really need to say any more about that cover?