Special Delivery

by Rex Burke

A dangerous mission. A second chance.
Actually, scratch that. No chance.

Dix’s career as a trooper in the Federation army is unblemished – until the day he disobeys a direct order and strikes an officer.

Now Dix has a choice. Face a life of hard labour that promises to be brutal and short. Or accept a mysterious invitation to join a black-ops mission in hostile terrain.

The plan sounds simple, if horribly dangerous. Fetch a fearsome weapon from a secret location and deliver it to a distant planet, whose population is under the chilling yoke of the Federation’s rival empire, the Axis. Do it without getting caught, or implicating the Federation, and Dix’s transgressions will be forgiven.

But the weapon turns out to be unlike anything he could have expected, and Dix’s troubles have only just begun.

'SAS Rogue Heroes' x 'Starship Troopers' – Special Delivery introduces a ragtag crew of misfits and malcontents on a space mission with more holes than a blaster-riddled corpse. It’s a fluid, easy-reading, military-action Sci-Fi adventure, perfect for fans of Tanya Huff and John Scalzi.

Genres: Science Fiction, Action

326 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 14, 2025

About the author

Rex Burke is a SciFi writer based in North Yorkshire, UK.

When he was young, he read every one of those yellow-jacketed Victor Gollancz hardbacks in his local library. That feeling of out-of-this-world amazement never left him – and keeps him company as he writes his own SciFi adventures.

When he's not writing, he travels – one way or another, he'll get to the stars, even if it's just as stardust when his own story is done.

For a fantastic FREE prequel to the Odyssey Earth series ('First Date') not available anywhere else, sign up to his newsletter at http://subscribepage.io/GPiihl

Reviews

[S. Bavey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Special Delivery is something of a departure from the usual quirky, feel-good sci-fi comedies I have come to expect from its author, Rex Burke. Beginning with a typical military fantasy setting, we are introduced to the main character, Trooper Dix, during a wartime manoeuvre that goes horribly wrong due to an incompetent superior officer. Following a heroic misdemeanour involving said officer, Dix finds himself sent to a Prison Hulk space station – the kind there is no getting out of.

However, in line with Burke’s other sci-fi stories, the tone of the book is hopeful, and the hero always comes out on top. Dix soon finds himself offered a one-way mission which, should he survive, will allow him to make amends for his crime. He finds himself leading a ragtag crew, cobbled together from the Prison Hulk, to undertake a black ops mission on behalf of a mysterious spymaster who introduces herself as Major Galloway. The crew is comprised of:

“A busted trooper, a runaway pathfinder, and a captive smuggler-pilot – plus a hard-ass special operative, hard to command but eager to serve.”

Their mission, should they choose to accept it, is to retrieve a weapon from Vitlok, an unpopulated planet, and deliver it to the blockaded planet, Hauga, without discovery by the shady Axis (this universe’s Empire in Star Wars terms). Should he choose not to accept it, Dix is told he will be sent to a radioactive planet as slave labour. Difficult choice? Not so much, even with the fearsome Axis to avoid:

“These weren’t soldiers, they were butchers. Recruited by planetary warlords to fight under an Axis banner that meant little but self-interest. Hard-edged mercenaries who played by different rules.”

Special Delivery takes itself much more seriously than Burke’s other stories, but there is still a trace of his signature wry humour present. The team Galloway puts together wastes no time in striking up the banter and good-naturedly pointing out one another’s weaknesses. Each member has been picked for a very particular reason, which makes them ideal for this operation, and Alard was particularly intriguing. Described as a ‘geopath’, his pathfinding talents mean he can read the natural elements around him to tell when adversaries are approaching or to geolocate. Not exactly a treehugger, more of a rock fondler. This is particularly useful on the blockaded planet, after the ‘weapon’ has been retrieved, since no technology or weapons of any kind can be used there on pain of death by Axis. Drake and Vaskez are more usual team members, with Drake an ex-smuggler whose impounded spaceship becomes their transport, and Vaskez the special ops no-nonsense muscle and the only one who volunteered for the mission. I kept finding myself visualising Pvt. Vasquez from the Aliens movie, and suspect this character was a nod to her.

There is a surprising twist in the story when the team accidentally discovers the nature of the weapon they have been sent to collect. The cat really gets put among the pigeons and ultimately gives our heroes a doozy of a moral dilemma, but I am not going to spoil that extremely pivotal moment in the narrative.

The pace is fast throughout the story, with plenty of action, gory deaths, weirdo monks with a peculiar doctrine and a penchant for human experimentation. Even with all of that, you are still left with a good feeling by the end of the story:

“The gentle bickering began again, but it no longer had an edge. There was an underlying tone between all of them now. Respect, certainly. Trust, for sure. Friendship, of a kind. Their pot-luck crew had turned into a tight unit. Maybe the army had given them something, after all?”

If that all sounds intriguing, I recommend you pick up a copy of Special Delivery. Its relatively short length makes it perfect weekend reading.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not your normal delivery

I love Red Burke books. I got hooked on the Orphan Star series, and yes, if you read this, Rex, I still want a continuation. This is more hard edged. The characters use curse words (gosh, soldiers swearing - what's that all about?), but it's still a Rex Burke book. Good plot with plenty of twists, well rounded and engaging characters, fascinating story. I loved it, and definitely recommend it. And unless you're writing more Orphan Star books, I'd love a follow-up to this story please, Rex.

[Regina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly entertaining, highly recommended!

If you’ve read Rex Burke before, this one might be a bit grittier than his previous books, but it still has all the “good stuff” I have come to expect from his stories: Starting with a SNAFU that keeps going sideways in some unexpected directions, a misfit crew I couldn’t help but root for - especially as they grew closer, giving off strong found-family vibes - and lots of banter plus the odd pop culture reference. Since I am a sucker for all of the above: More, please?

[Lewis D. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable read about totally different people are forced together for a common goal. A few twists and a different ending or is it?
This seems to be the entire story, no apparent sequels.
I will read more from Rex Burke.

[Gary Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

First time reading a Rex Burke book. It was the perfect way to spend a few hours on a chilly, rainy day. The main character (Dix) was the perfect 'everyman' and the pacing and plot made the few hours it took to read it fly by!

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fast paced and gritty, I read this over a couple of nights! Dix and a motley crew of other mavericks have been chosen for a task that is actually a Mission Impossible. They have to travel to a distant planet which has been colonised by an enemy force. Nothing goes to plan and they find themselves in mortal danger. Of course, it's a Rex Burke novel so there's plenty humour and snappy one liners. I particularly enjoyed the way their camaraderie grows and despite their constant jibing at each other, a genuine bond is formed. The ending was rather unexpected and I really hope that there's a sequel.

[KDS · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had a feeling this might not work for me given it is military SF, but I was a bit surprised very little clicked with me. In a general sense, the book is fine and enjoyable enough, but there's a few key things that I didn't gel with.

The story focuses on a band of misfits thrown together on a secret mission to delivery a top secret weapon from one planet. There's a fair amount of the usual banter here which Rex excels at and a focus on bringing together disparate personalties and making something from them. And it all kind of works in a generalised sense. It's also got a really strong opening chapter which sets up the lead character brilliantly (side note, by coincedence I read a Tom Godwin story from the 1950's 24 hours prior, which had an incredibly similar opener. I think this book does it better though).

All well and good and reasonably good fun, however firstly I felt little chemistry between the main four characters and a lot of their skills are somewhat contrived (a scout who can empathically read the land by touching it for example). Additionally the majority of the cast are antagonistic for the sake of story progression and lack a sense of naturally developed camaraderie, with Vasquez being a particularly problematic character. Conflict for conflict's sake is a bugbear of mine and whilst it's a criticism that could be levelled at the other five books, the light, comedic tone of those changes the dynamic and actually covers a much warmer chemistry between characters.
My final issue is that it doesn't really do a lot with the science fiction setting either, esp given the crew visit multiple planets, yet I never felt that sense of intergalactic wonder and imagination associated with the genre. Everything is relatively ordinary at times.

The start of the book is fantastic and I really thought I was heading into a 'Bill The Galactic Hero' for the modern era given the clever satire and observations in chapter one. That dies away quickly and becomes a much more straightforward story outside of a twist which is perhaps the highlight of the book. Most people will enjoy this a lot more than I did and whilst I appreciate an author departing from a formula, this feels like it had one foot tentatively out the door - unsure of how brave the next step should be.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy Rex's work and I will to continue to shout how great a writer he is and how deserving of a lot bigger platform for his work than he gets, but this entry simply didn't work for me.

[Valerie Poore · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was one of the lucky beta readers for this book and I enjoyed it immensely. It was such a page-turner and incredibly exciting. From the beginning where Dix, the principal character is given a choice that's no choice, to his galactic adventure with an oddly eclectic team on a quest of holy grail proportions, it was real edge of the seat stuff. I found I was rooting for all the whole group all the way through, but especially for Dix, a very likeable guy. In fact, it was genuinely hard to put down and the pace was electric.

I actually loved all the characters and the way they became such a team despite being so mismatched. The toughies have their soft spots and the vulnerable come up trumps when needed. Added to that, the sense of a place in devastating decay on the planet where the main action takes place was very strong and the atmosphere was very well drawn. And then of course there is their unexpected fellow traveller whose purpose no one really knows. And neither does the reader until close to the nail-biting end. As always with Rex Burke's books, it is very well written. The evidence of a skilled scribe is only too clear. Altogether, Special Delivery is an excellent read and highly recommended.

[Douglas J. Muenzer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought the premise of the story was good. I was hooked from the start. But as the book progressed, it seemed to get less interesting as I read. It seemed like the author didn't know how to end the book. The ending for me was a letdown. As far as a sci-fi book, there seemed to be very little actual sci-fi in the book. A flight in a space ship and a couple weapons that the reader doesn't get any kind of idea what they are or what they do. The supposed bad guys driving Jeeps and shooting the good guys with bullets? Really? Sci-fi? Not so sure about that.

[Michael Shotter · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the great things about science fiction is that there are all sorts of stories that can be told in the context of the overarching genre. There are "hard" science fiction tales, dripping with heady concepts and technical jargon, that coexist with more whimsical efforts, which tend to be more vague and fantastical where the elements of science in them are concerned, and everything in-between. "Special Delivery" leans more toward the latter, with its story taking place in "another galaxy" that's decidedly similar to our own, with a race of interplanetary humans having colonized many worlds within it, and thus sharing a common tongue that the author presents as English. How did all of that happen? Why are so many characters, items, behaviors, and events reminiscent of those from our own culture? It doesn't matter. Just go with it and you'll have a much better time.

This is a book that's clearly been influenced by all sorts of science fiction and popular culture that came before it, and unflinchingly wears those influences on its sleeve. "Starship Troopers" (the movie,) meets "The Dirty Dozen" and "The Fifth Element," with a little "Aliens" sprinkled in would be an apt summary that film buffs could employ to quickly get an accurate gauge of what to expect from this one, which could be a good thing or a bad thing, depending on the sort of read you're after.

Fortunately, even with its frequent overt and subtle references to various other works, "Special Delivery" still manages to tell enough of its own unique story, with its own style and flair, to keep things interesting, even for those such as myself who have experienced much of what it has to offer many times before. A lot of that comes down to the author's confident proficiency with the craft of writing, consistently delivering engaging and descriptive scenes that keep the reader's attention on the things that really matter when telling a good, satisfying story.

Is it perfect, or particularly noteworthy beyond a few clever, standout moments? No, however, I did find "Special Delivery" to be an entertaining and worthwhile light science-fiction reading experience that I believe would be appealing to most fans of the genre, both new and old. 4.25 stars for me, rounded up so as not to underrate it.

[Annette Jordan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Special Delivery by Rex Burke may be a little less cosy than some of his previous works but there is plenty of his trademark humour in this action packed adventure featuring a thrown together band of misfits sent on an unsanctioned mission that turns out very differently than they were expecting. The story centres around our somewhat unlikely hero, Dix, who manages to tank an unblemished military career by striking a senior officer ( though if you ask me, or Dix for that matter, he absolutely deserved it!) Faced with the choice of a brutal and likely fatal sentence of hard labour or a black ops style mission Dix has only one option, so against his better judgement he finds himself on the crew of a ship travelling to a distant plant to recover a deadly weapon without being caught by the Federation's enemy. Of course his crew mates are a rag tag bunch that mixes criminals and career soldiers, not a blend that works smoothly together at the best of times and when the weapon turns out to be something very different that any of them suspected it seems like their troubles are only just beginning. There is some interesting world building especially for such a short book and I loved the idea of a character with a unique connection to the world around him, and how that could be used as a defensive mechanism.
This is a fast paced page turner full of action and adventure, but also with a surprising amount of heart. It is easy to get behind Dix as a character so we are rooting for his success from the get go and seeing him trying to bring the best out of his crew mates didn't hurt either. As I mentioned before there is plenty of humor woven into the story too, especially when the crew find themselves in some unexpected situations - I would love to say more but it would be an absolute spoiler for the book , in fact it is impossible to talk about some of my favourite things without spoiling the book so I guess I will just have to encourage you to read it for yourselves. It's short, sharp and very very readable.
I read an ARC courtesy of the author, all opinions are my own.

[David Clegg · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was fortunate enough to beta read this book, which I was asked to do after answering a question for the author on Twitter, which turned into a DM and email conversation about military formations, command structures and ranks, weapons and military justice. Naturally, I agreed to this, and the beta version duly arrived some weeks later.

I devoured the book in a matter of days. To say it was easy reading would be to understate the point somewhat. The prose flows very easily, with an irreverent, even impudent style that makes it simply fly past. I was reminded of the work of Sir Terry Pratchett along with various military memoirs I'd read. Indeed, it was very much in the vein of a story told by a serviceman, one who'd been around long enough to know the old military adage - if you can't take a joke, don't join the army - is very, very true. Those who enjoy a book that's short of technical details and wondrous sci-fi technology, but heavy on bickering, bantering characters, sarcastic humour and a very military sense of fatalism, will be very pleased, and like me, consume this book very rapidly. Action junkies looking for thrilling gun battles and duelling starships blasting each other with fantastical weapons might be disappointed, but even they won't notice that these characters don't need to bomb cities into rubble and slaughter thousands to get the job done. They just get it done, with a biting quip and a well-hidden heart of gold, and very few shots fired.

A must-read for military sci-fi fans, especially those who've done their time in uniform - this will all feel quite familiar. If this is your first foray into sci-fi, you won't be disappointed, especially if you like the satirical, snarky humour of Pratchett, Gaiman and similar.

[Linda Naughton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Special Delivery is a fun, fast-paced sci-fi military adventure. It reminded me of Dirty Dozen: a rag-tag group of military misfits (and one dubious smuggler) are sent on a dangerous “we will disavow all knowledge of you” mission into enemy territory. But the mission isn’t what they expect, and the crew’s loyalties are put to the test. The characters are great, especially Dix as the unlikely leader of the group, and the tense action is offset by a healthy dose of humor. I received an advanced copy from the author and am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Vinay Badri · Rating 4 out of 5]

A 3.5 starrer

The early days of the Rebel Alliance meets Starshp Troopers in this extremely fun breezy popcorny book that is entertaining and has a bunch of chuckleworthy moments. While kind of derivative, the fun quotient is amped up by the crew dynamics and the situations that they find themselves in.... Solid fun read!!!!

[Thistle]

Who knew Burke wrote military fiction? Now I do. MilFi never ever works for me. I care more about characters than I do every little detail of battle. DNFed early on.

No star rating since this is a me-problem, not the book's issue.

[Shazzie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was given a review copy by the author

[Karl Forshaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review to follow.

[Maya Darjani · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly enjoyed! Rtc

[Tim Hartley · Rating 5 out of 5]

good read I want more!

Good read. I like this guy’s ideas and will more. I still need 6 more words! More please please please