Authors: John Schettler

Crescendo Of Doom (42 page)

The next bridge novel is
Armageddon
, Book 8 in the series, which concludes the opening 8 volume Kirov Saga, continuing the action as a sequel to Book 7, while also standing as a kind of prologue to the next eight volume saga that begins with the
Altered States
trilogy. In this third trilogy,
Kirov
becomes trapped in the world made by its many interventions in the history, an altered reality beginning in June of 1940. The opening volume sees the ship pitted against the one navy of WWII it has not yet fought, the Kriegsmarine of Germany, which now has new powerful ships from the German Plan Z naval building program as one consequence of
Kirov’s
earlier actions.

Altered States
also covers the German attack on the carrier
Glorious
, the British raids on the Vichy French Fleets at Mers-el Kebir and Dakar, and the German Operation Felix against Gibraltar. Other events in Siberia involve the rise of Karpov to power, and his duel with Ivan Volkov of the Orenburg Federation, one of the three fragmented Russian states. (And these involve airship battles!)

The sequel to the
Altered States
Trilogy and the bridge novel leading to the next set is volume 12,
Three Kings.
It covers the action in North Africa, including O’Connor’s whirlwind “Operation Compass” and Rommel’s riposte with his arrival and first offensive. The main characters from
Kirov
and other plot lines from the opening 8 book saga figure prominently in all this action, with a decisive intervention that arises from a most unexpected plot twist at the end of that novel. Book 13,
Grand Alliance
continues the war in the desert as Rommel is suddenly confronted with a powerful new adversary, and Hitler reacts by strongly reinforcing the Afrika Korps. It also presents the struggle for naval supremacy in the Mediterranean as the British face down a combined Axis fleet from three enemy nations.

The
Grand Alliance
Trilogy continues with
Hammer of God
, covering a surprise German airborne attack, and the British the campaigns in Syria, Lebanon and Iraq. It continues in
Crescendo of Doom
, the German response as Rommel begins his second offensive aimed at Tobruk on the eve of Operation Barbarossa. At the same time, the action in Siberia heats up in a growing conflict between Vladimir Karpov and Ivan Volkov.

You can enter any of these trilogies that may interest you by first reading the “bridge novel” that precedes the trilogy. For example, to read the 9 Days Falling Trilogy, begin by first reading book 4, Men Of War; and to read the Grand Alliance Trilogy, begin by first reading book 12,
Three Kings,
though your understanding of the characters and plot will be fullest by simply beginning with book one and reading through them all!

More information on each book in the long series is available at
www.writingshop.ws

The Kirov Series:
(Military Fiction/Alternate History)

SAGA ONE:
Kirov

First Trilogy: Kirov

Kirov
-
Kirov Series - Volume I

Cauldron Of Fire -
Kirov Series - Volume II

Pacific Storm -
Kirov Series - Volume III

Bridge Novel:

Men Of War -
Kirov Series - Volume IV

Second Trilogy: 9 Days Falling

Nine Days Falling -
Kirov Series - Volume V

Fallen Angels -
Kirov Series - Volume VI