Adventure Thrillers SONS OF WAR 4: SOLDIERS with Nicholas Sansbury Smith and Tom Abrahams

In the conclusion to the sweeping saga of postapocalyptic Los Angeles, Dominic Salvatore leads the Saints, a secret team of elite operatives, in a final push to purge the city of its demons. After sending their families into hiding, the Saints know that the stakes have never been higher—they will succeed decisively or perish.

Broken by the death of his wife, Don Antonio Moretti seeks revenge against her killers. He embarks on a body-strewn campaign to crush his last rivals and secure the crown of Los Angeles. Nephew Vinny Moretti tires of the killings and wonders whether his uncle is going too far.

Every eye is on the prize. And anyone trying to walk the fence between good and evil will have to pick a side. With either choice, hell awaits.

Nicholas Sansbury Smith and Tom Abrahams recently sat down with The Big Thrill to discuss their latest adventure thriller, SONS OF WAR 4: SOLDIERS.

Tom Abrahams

SONS OF WAR is a unique take on the post-apocalyptic genre. It combines the gritty world of the mafia with the military thrillers that play to the common tropes found in post-apocalyptic and dystopian fiction. However, what really sells the series, and this fourth installment in particular, is the evolution of the relationships among the heroes and villains. There is a real arc to both storylines that, I think, is the peak of what this genre can be. In the end, underneath the violence and desperation, are people trying to live their lives under dire circumstances while clinging to the hope that civilization will rebuild itself better than it was before.

Nicholas Sansbury Smith

Michael Crichton and Michael Connelly are both big influences on my career as a writer. I devoured Crichton’s book as a teen and young adult. His ability to blend scientific fact into fiction while telling a fast-paced, plot driven story always piqued my imagination. Michael Connelly’s writing is character-driven. He draws relatable, flawed people with such believable precision that, as a reader, one really feels as if the characters are actual friends (or enemies). Both of the authors tell stories in different but effective ways that surely have influenced the way in which I try to invite the reader along for a ride with the hope they choose to go along for as long as I’m driving.

What attracts you to this book’s genre?

I once told my editor that people love reading about the apocalypse. She redirected my language, as all good editors do, and suggested that people love reading about surviving the apocalypse. Therein lies the success of the genre. Something makes us wonder how we would handle the extreme dystopia of a violent post-apocalypse. Would we be the hero? Would be give in to our basest instincts? I am certainly among those who wonder, though I suspect I might be among the first to die. And I love the idea of exploring a world bent off of it axis, putting myself on the side of good and the side of evil.

What was the biggest challenge this book presented? What about the biggest opportunity?

The biggest challenge was to give readers a satisfying conclusion to a beloved series. As a fan of the first three books, stepping in to co-write the ending was both exhilarating and daunting. However, in that challenge came the opportunity to create a conclusion I, as a reader, wanted to see.