40 fantasy and science fiction books you should read in 2022
By Daniel Roman
The Misfit Soldier by Michael Mammay — February 22
The Misfit Soldier is a new standalone novel by sci-fi author Michael Mammay, pegged as a cross between Ocean’s 11 and the works of John Scalzi. Mammay’s previous Planetside trilogy was filled with great action scenes, military coups, very cool alien-human developments, and most importantly, a great sense of humor. Mammay is one of the best authors writing military sci-fi at the moment, and The Misfit Soldier marks his first totally new story since he launched his career with Planetside. It stands to be a pretty awesome book:
Sergeant Gastovsky—Gas to everyone but his superior officers—never wanted to be a soldier. Far from it. But when a con goes wrong and he needs a place to lay low for a while, he finds himself wearing the power armor of the augmented infantry.
After three years on a six-year contract, Gas has found his groove running low-level cons and various illegal activities that make him good money on the side. He’s the guy who can get you what you need. But he’s always had his eye out for a big score—the one that might set him up for life after the military.
When one of his soldiers is left behind after a seemingly pointless battle, Gas sees his chance. He assembles a team of misfit soldiers that would push the term “ragtag” to its limits for a big con that leads them on a daring behind-the-lines mission, pitting him not only against enemy soldiers but against the top brass of his own organization.
If he pulls this off, not only will he save his squadmate, he might just become the legend he’s always considered himself. He might also change the way the entire galaxy looks at this war. But for any of that to happen, he has to live through this insane plan.
And charm rarely stops bullets.
It sounds like a lot of fun, and given Mammay’s track record for novels that manage to tell really compelling tales that overflow with personality, our expectations are high.
Pre-order it: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Books-A-Million