Military Fiction Quotes

“Aaron anticipated the application of some kind of healing balm, but to his surprise the healer started singing a soft melodic tune. The breath from the notes fell on Aaron’s injured arm and he felt the hairs on his forearm react to the soft breath. It was only moments before the song drifted away on the wind and Wonataban’s instruction followed the last note: “Open your eyes.”
― Robert Reid, The Empress:

“God of War is a fickle son of a bitch, his father had always been fond of saying. Don't ever trust his ass.”
― Scott McEwen, One-Way Trip

“Life’s a no-rules cage fight.” That’s what Alex used to say—back when he still had fire in his eyes, when it sounded like a creed. Now Lena repeated the words to herself and they echoed hollow.”
― Slava Pilotoff, The Russian Gladiator: A Psychological Dystopian Thriller Set in Modern Russia

“Well, the truth is I’m in a bit of trouble. After that business on the bridge, I was going to be court martialled. I thought it was so bloody unfair… Well the thing is, I’ve escaped in order to clear my name.’
Oleg roared with laughter and crushed Edward’s ribs with a bear hug. ‘You! Bloody outlaw! Robin bloody Hood! How much price on your head? Maybe I claim bounty, eh?’
Shit, Oleg wasn’t taking this at all seriously. He should never have asked…
‘Of course, I help! Leave to me. One condition, you grow big beard, like oligarch… I have idea. Keep head very down. Will find you in two days. Then we hide you very deep.”
― Willi Pochinov, Maskirovka

“ Maskirovka, a pulse-pounding thriller by debut author Willi Pochinov plunges disgraced officer Edward van der Velde into a web of Russian deception, coups, and disinformation from Suffolk to the Black Sea, where truth is the ultimate casualty.

In an era where truth is a battlefield and deception reigns, Willi Pochinov’s debut novel, Maskirovka, emerges as a gripping political thriller that captures the zeitgeist of our disinformation age.

But Maskirovka is more than a thriller — it’s a meditation on trust in an age where reality itself is weaponized. As Edward grapples with his dual identities and the machinations of those around him, readers are left questioning: when nothing is as it seems, who can you believe?

For fans of espionage and political drama, this fiercely contemporary novel is a must-read, proving that even in his ninth decade, Pochinov is a formidable new voice in the genre.”
― Table Reads Magazine

“Spike, rake, sponge, charge, wad, shot, wad – the gun crews worked like automatons. There was something extraordinary in the way that every man performed his motions as a part of the action. Every movement was synchronised with the next. They were a perfect machine – each one a piece of the mechanism, like the wheels of the watch in his pocket. He could think of no other example of men working together with such precision. This was man, industry and science in unison. Was this the way of the future? It was a wondrous and near-perfect thing. But it was a perfection bent on destruction.”
― Charles Cordell, God's Vindictive Wrath

“An exciting minute-by-minute story of the English Civil War … from the soldier’s point of view … the historical accuracy is fantastic … the storyline and writing style tremendously exciting." - God's Vindictive Wrath by Charles Cordell”
― Historical Novel Society

“Do not miss this evocative account of the English Civil War, and the ordinary men caught up in it." - God's Vindictive Wrath by Charles Cordell”
― Ben Kane

“What was left?
A man he didn't know.”
― Ronie Kendig, Soul Raging

“Something dark inside of him vied for dominance.”
― Ronie Kendig, Soul Raging

“He didn't want to face that monster, to become one who hunted and killed.”
― Ronie Kendig, Soul Raging

“Hold your fire!’ screamed Edward, ‘it’s not a gun! She’s got a bloody camera! It’s not a gun! Stand down! Stand down!’
She swivelled at his shout and pointed the camera at him. They locked eyes. There was one more flash. She winked suggestively then sat down… The Harleys revved and were across the bridge in seconds.
Edward bent double, head down, hands on knees, gasping for breath. She’d actually fucking winked! He picked up her abandoned helmet. He could smell her perfume.”
― Willi Pochinov, Maskirovka

“Well, Captain van der Velde, you’re so deep in the ordure, you’re standing on tip toe and it’s still up to your ear lobes. I reckon you’re the ideal man to find some answers.’
‘But I’m under mess arrest, Sir!’
‘That’s not my bloody problem is it, Captain? Now you listen to me! We don’t know how far up this thing goes. I want you to find out what the hell is going on and report back to me personally. So, get your arse of that bed and get yourself out of here any way you like. But you can’t blame me, I can’t be connected to you!’
The Brigadier shook Edward’s hand. ‘Good luck!’ The door clicked shut.”
― Willi Pochinov, Maskirovka

“Edward, along with The King and Sir Oleg’s other guests, was glued to the rolling news reports of little green men in London. There were endless drone shots of Buckingham Palace surrounded by foreign tanks.
Edward soon realised that the “news” items were constantly re-fuelled by speculation and counter speculation, rumour and counter rumour, real news and fake news. There was even a short piece to camera about the probable abdication of The King.”
― Willi Pochinov, Maskirovka

“The outward signs of his priestly vocation were abandoned in a wooden footlocker. Like a casket. He shed his blood-stained prayer stole, his clerical collar, and a photo of his investiture as a priest that was folded down the middle – as if the crease itself depicted his divided nature. Good man. Bad man. Sinner. Saint. Christian. Buddhist.”
― Michael Fletcher

“Cole jumped into the bow of the boat and walked slowly to where the short Khmer Rouge soldier was lying, grabbing the bullet wound in his left shoulder with the cup of his right hand. It was not a fatal wound. And Cole was about the fix that.”
― Michael Fletcher

“The God of War is a fickle son of a bitch, his father had always been fond of saying. Don't ever trust his ass.”
― Scott McEwen, One-Way Trip

“The only easy day was yesterday.”
― Scott McEwen, One-Way Trip

“MANHATTAN: THE RISING WAR is a lush, sweeping epic tale of the towers that define our landscape. Sal Cosenza paints an irresistible and exciting world that will pull readers in and keep them turning pages long into the night.”
― Lauren Smith

“You don’t get it, babe,” he said, still looking at the sky. “World War III already started.”
― Slava Pilotoff

“You don’t get it, babe,” he said, still looking at the sky. “World War III already started.” She propped herself up on one elbow, confused. Around them families picnicked, kids ran on the playground—what war? But Alex wasn’t kidding.”
― Slava Pilotoff, The Russian Gladiator: A Psychological Dystopian Thriller Set in Modern Russia

“In her phone, his number was saved as “Gladiator”—not his real name. That way, it wouldn’t hurt as much to delete it later.”
― Slava Pilotoff, The Russian Gladiator: A Psychological Dystopian Thriller Set in Modern Russia

“People always think the best is still ahead.”
― Slava Pilotoff, The Russian Gladiator: A Psychological Dystopian Thriller Set in Modern Russia

“Husband . . . Father . . .” her mom mocked. “You think it’s the same man. But war slices people open. You married one man. The one crawling back from war? That’s a zombie. Same face, but inside—just rot.”
― Slava Pilotoff, The Russian Gladiator: A Psychological Dystopian Thriller Set in Modern Russia

“The war didn’t break everything. It just kept unraveling afterward. The men dragged it back home with them...”
― Slava Pilotoff, The Russian Gladiator: A Psychological Dystopian Thriller Set in Modern Russia

“Lena squeezed her eyes shut until white flashes popped. And in that moment she knew: nothing would ever be the same again. Childhood was over, and the world would never go back to what it was.”
― Slava Pilotoff, The Russian Gladiator: A Psychological Dystopian Thriller Set in Modern Russia

“Being with him was like smashing against a stone wall—shattering into pieces on impact. He stood unshakable, all steel and rage, hearing nothing but the roar of war inside his head.”
― Slava Pilotoff, The Russian Gladiator: A Psychological Dystopian Thriller Set in Modern Russia

“This was what they’d been told all along in the army: “It’s us or them. War’s coming. No way around it.” And now the day had come, and in Alex’s eyes it felt not just inevitable but right.”
― Slava Pilotoff, The Russian Gladiator: A Psychological Dystopian Thriller Set in Modern Russia

“Ex ira nascitur bellum
(War is born of anger)”
― William R. Douglas, The Sum of All Our Anger: Civil War 2.0

“I fear that even my authority as an army commander won’t help. The fear of the High Command is too great.”
― Володимир Шабля, Камень. Биографический роман. Книга вторая. Непростые дороги в ад: Выживание в условиях насилия