7 Scorpions: Revolution

Scorpions must remain true to the nature and sometimes that means a little revenge is in order. 7 Scorpions Revolution picks up the fight a year and a half later, as Militia 28 has found out about a clone of the presidential “football” (the briefcase with all of the nuclear missile codes) and a working nuclear bomb, and have sent teams to recover them. Although the rescue doesn’t turn out as well as they would hope, they now have the means to deal Zodiac a finishing blow. However, Zodiac learns where the rebel base is and is out for blood. Secrets are revealed along the way, and Zodiac is finally unmasked, all as a prelude to the conclusion of the series.

This book follows the genre standard that the second book must be darker, and it delivers it in spades. A number of characters are killed as the missions prove deadlier than they have the past, and there are a number of game-changing revelations here. Although used quite a bit, some of the flashbacks could have been handled through other techniques better, they do add to the generally irreverent tone of the book; they become a running gag unto themselves that works rather well, especially once Zodiac is revealed and you figure which memories are his.

This is a sequel that shows how much fun sequels can be. Militia 28 is working as a team, and dealing with upsets as best they can. Even as the heroes are mowed down, you can’t help but root for even the most throwaway characters and hope that the Grand Army will be defeated, even as it looks more hopeless with every battle. It should be interesting to see what Vince and company does in the next book, assuming that they live to see it.