Vendetta: A Kirov Series Battle Book

Vendetta: A Kirov Series Battle Book

Vladimir Karpovâ€¦ surely irrepressible, deceitful, conniving, duplicitous, egocentric and yes, disloyal. All these things can rightfully be said about him. And yet, his inner drive to make something greater of himself, whether bordering on the maniacal or not, has also made him a formidable ally in the war against the dark forces of the Axis powers. To those he befriends he brings his iron will, quick and clever mind, exceptional skill in combat, and a ruthless desire to succeed at any cost. In combat he can be heartless, even cruel, and coldly heedless of the consequences of his own actions. There is nothing, in his own mind, that he cannot take within his grasp, and the tools which he takes in hand to work his will on an unsuspecting world are lethal in more ways than many can fathom. To those that make him an enemy, beware.

Ivan Volkov was one such man, first a mere nuisance to Karpov when he came aboard with Inspector General Kapustin in Series Book 4, Men of War. Karpov called him a lapdog, but Volkov, whoâ€™s name translates as â€œWolfâ€ in Russian, became something very much more in this story. Working for Russian Naval Intelligence, he is ordered to pursue Fedorov along the Trans-Siberian Rail, where he comes upon the railway inn at Ilanskiy, stumbles down a stairway, and finds himselfâ€¦ somewhere else. It is not another place, but another time.

Whether it was fateâ€™s artifice, or mere happenstance, the back stairway is precisely aligned along an unseen rift in time, and any man who walks it becomes a Free Radical, an errant and dangerous thread in the careful tapestry woven by Mother Time. But unlike Fedorov, whoâ€™s brief time there ended up profoundly changing the history of the 20th Century when he warned a young Sergei Kirov of an impending plot to take his life, Ivan Volkov never came back. Instead he used his foreknowledge of future events, the data stored in his service jacket computer, to co-opt the White Russian movement after the revolution, unseating Denikin and establishing his private little empire, the Orenburg Federation. In time he hoped to easily defeat Kolchakâ€™s fledgling Free Siberian State, and by so doing place himself in a position to challenge the Soviet Union, now led by Sergei Kirov, who murdered a young Josef Stalin as a result of Fedorovâ€™s errant whisper. Then along came Vladimir Karpov, defeated in his second attempt to seize control of the ship named for Kirov, lost, forsaken, alone, and adrift at sea. But not for very long.

While the other main characters aboard Kirov, and the shipâ€™s crew, harbor mixed feelings as they commemorate his apparent death, in the opening volume of â€œSeason 2â€ of this saga, Karpov survives, makes his way to Siberia, and soon applies his unique personality and will to quickly rise in the ranks of the Siberian power elite.
This is that story, of his fall in that last terrible moment aboard Kirov off Oki Island in the Sea of Japan, and his meteoric rise to seize control of the Free Siberian State. By so doing, he becomes a major player in the alternate history of WWII that is threaded through this series. It is inevitable that he soon comes into conflict with his neighbor state to the west, Volkovâ€™s Orenburg Federation, shocked to learn the real identity of the man behind it, and dedicated to his demise.

Here is their story, the clash and contest of wills between our sagaâ€™s two arch villains that became Vendetta. The material that creates this novel was extracted from that long running subplot in the saga, spanning 17 different books, and assembled and re-edited here into one continuous and uninterrupted narrative. In doing this I have included what might be called â€œouttakes,â€ extended scenes, and occasional new material that never appeared in the original Kirov Series. Consider it my â€œDirectorâ€™s Cutâ€ for this long intriguing subplot in the saga, all things Ilanskiy, the mystery, the mayhem, the parachute jumps, commando raids, ground assaults, and oh yes, the Ze
Country USA
Manufacturer The Writing Shop Press
Binding Kindle Edition
ReleaseDate 2016-03-31
Format Kindle eBook

Country	USA
Manufacturer	The Writing Shop Press
Binding	Kindle Edition
ReleaseDate	2016-03-31
Format	Kindle eBook

Vendetta: A Kirov Series Battle Book

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