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Blood Red Sand
Mars will run red with Nazi blood…
After World War Two, Sergeant McCabe knew the British army could send him anywhere. He never imagined facing down another Nazi threat on Mars.

In New Berlin colony, rivalry between Generalfeldmarschall Seidel’s Wehrmacht and Reichsführer Wagner’s SS threatens bloodshed. The Reichsführer will sacrifice everything to initiate the secretive Hollow Programme and realise his nightmarish future for humanity.

McCabe, Private Jenkins, and the Mars Expeditionary Force must overcome bullet, bomb, and bayonet to destroy the Third Reich. While Jenkins fights to stay alive, McCabe forms an uneasy alliance with MAJESTIC-12 operatives known as the Black Visors. Will this be the final battle of World War Two or the first confrontation in an interstellar war?

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Mars Occupation Force – Press Office

28 May 2025

Motherland Climax by Vlad Puting: The Great Powers


In my last blogpost, I chatted a bit about the origins of Motherland Climax by Vlad Puting and what drove me to write something so unlike anything I’ve penned before. For this post, I’ll be a delving a bit more into the actual world of Motherland Climax, giving insights into how it differs from our reality, and exploring the various Great Powers mentioned throughout the story.

Most alternative history novels have a point of divergence. One event that doesn’t happen quite like it did in our world or a pivotal historical figure behaving in a very different manner. In some cases, it might only be a slight deviation that has huge knock-on ramifications for later events. It varies from story to story. I must admit, I was deliberately vague on what the point of divergence was for Motherland Climax, but I do hint at it in the ‘Foreword’ (the actual Chapter One). Take this quote from the (fictional) bestselling author Hamish Skellington discussing Vlad Puting’s writing style:

“Another comparison, and certainly a source of inspiration, can be noted in the writings of Corsican author Napolean Bonaparte. Puting’s an avid fan of The Ottoman Dream, telling the story of a young French general invading Egypt at the turn of the nineteenth century and establishing an empire. While Bonaparte writes of epic battles with dragons and magic, Puting utilises the latest technology, momentous war machines of the Phoenix Project, and threats of nuclear annihilation.”



Essentially, in the world of Motherland Climax, the Napoleonic Wars never happened. This left the Holy Roman Empire intact, preventing the rise of Prussian militarism, the reunification of Germany, and no World Wars.

Warfare does exist between the various Great Powers, but nothing to the extent of what we’ve seen in our timeline. This has led to a certain degree of technological, economic, and political stagnation. Nuclear weapons/technology have never been developed, the living standards for the lower classes are far below average (having a radio or electricity is seen as a luxury), and the world has become far more stratified.

The opening chapters of Motherland Climax are set in the early twenty-first century, but it resembles our version of the early twentieth century in many ways. Colonialism is very much rampant with the Great Powers competing for control of land and resources. Powerful empires prey on weaker states for influence and to expand their territory, all the while attempting to prevent their rivals from doing the same.

The world of Motherland Climax provides ample opportunity for a ruthless and disgruntled super-spy named Victor Petrov to seize power and rewrite the course of history. Without further ado, meet some of the so-called Great Powers you’ll read about in Motherland Climax by Vlad Puting:
 
The Rus Empire:
Viewed as the weakest of the Great Powers, the Rus Empire suffered a catastrophic decline over the last century, ushered on by Tzar Peter Romanov III (also referred to as the ‘Mad Tzar.’) Due to a series of devastating wars, its territory has shrunk to a sliver of what it is in our timeline, with vast tracts of land under foreign occupation. Against this backdrop, Victor Petrov leads a revolution against the Romanov dynasty to establish the neo-Bolshevik Republic of the Rus. Under his firm and unwavering hand, he will bring the Motherland to her climax…

The Confederate States of America:
By far, considered the strongest of all the Great Powers in every respect. Officially, the CSA adopts a policy of isolation, showing little interest in the affairs of Europe, Asia, and Africa while focusing its energies on its ‘Forever War’ in South America. For generations, the CSA has slowly but steadily occupied Central and the northern portion of South America in a bid to subjugate all the Americas under the Confederate banner. As the story starts, it has become bogged down in a new confrontation with the Empire of Brazil.

Unofficially, the CSA exports its ‘Doctrine of Equality’ as a sort of soft power strategy against perceived rival nations. Espousing the belief that all people should be treated equal (even though slavery is still legal in the CSA), this concept works to destabilise other countries by creating a core cadre of agitators to demand change and more freedoms in their own societies.

Many of the Great Powers despise this tactic but genuinely fear Confederate military might and are actively grateful they’re focused on their own territorial ambitions in South America, so tend to ignore it for the most part. Fearing the neo-Bolshevik Republic of the Rus’ rising power, Hereditary President Besh-Kunnedy will stop at nothing to thwart Victor Petrov. The only internal threat that concerns him is presidential contender and tremendous war leader, machoman, and philanderer, Ronald Tromp.

He’s a tremendous guy. Absolutely tremendous. Of all the guys, he’s the most tremendous. Modest too.


The Holy Roman Empire:
This loose confederation of states dominates middle and Eastern Europe to varying degrees. Internal dissent remains a constant problem as various ethnicities demand more political freedoms after centuries of Germanic domination. With a weakened Rus Empire on the eastern flank, the Germanics manage to narrowly consolidate their position. But a new, self-assured neo-Bolshevik Republic of the Rus poses an existential threat. Should the Holy Roman Empire fall, what will rise from its ashes?

The United Kingdom of Great Britian, Iceland, and Ireland:
Seen as one of the most dominant powers in Europe, the British have had less success overseas with retaining their empire. Nipponese encroachment in Asia and independence movements in Africa have weakened their grip on some colonial possessions, but the British Navy remains one of the most powerful in the world. As the story takes off, we learn a little bit more about British plans to apply pressure to the faltering French Republic and a general wariness about the rapid growth of Rus military strength and technology.


The French Republic:
Facing similar problems to the British in Asia, the French fear the loss of their Great Power status. Led by right-wing zealot President Marie Lepen, they eagerly seek out an alliance to fend off British encroachment on their colonies. Even going so far as to opening relations with the neo-Bolshevik Republic of the Rus. Surely, such an agreement will be to the benefit of both nations and not a lopsided affair (in every sense of the word…)

The Empire of Nippon:
In our timeline, Imperial Japan sought to build the ‘South-east Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere’ prior to and during World War Two. This involved a massive enlargement of Japanese military power to occupy new territories, subjugate people for labour, and harness vast newly-won resources to continue expanding its influence.
In Motherland Climax, the Empire of Nippon has been successful in this endeavour. Without foreign interference or any serious counterbalance in the Pacific, it occupies huge areas of Asia, including Siberia. One of the Victor Petrov’s core drives is to seek revenge for the Battle of Moscow (which happened three years prior to the story.) Although it ended in a slim victory for the Rus, his subsequent dismissal from service embitters him and spurs him on to seek vengeance against all who wronged him (perceived or otherwise).


The Iberian Union:
Historically viewed as one of the preeminent colonial powers, the Iberian Union has fallen into disarray over the previous century. Independence movements in South America cost it virtually all its colonies. Despite its shrinking political clout, the Iberian Union takes strong exception to Confederate intervention into an area it considers rightfully theirs. One reckless action could start a chain of events leading to the first ever Intercontinental War…
 
If you hadn’t guessed it already, the history buff in me really shone through in this story. I admit, some of what I proposed may not be plausible even in extreme circumstances, but it was fun to write about. As I mentioned in my previous post, I enjoyed tearing up the rulebook for this project. If you pick up on nothing else when reading Motherland Climax, I hope it’s that I had an amazing time writing it!

Motherland Climax by Vlad Puting out 1st July 2025. Available for pre-order now:
 https://www.damienlarkinbooks.com/shop/pre-order-motherland-climax-by-vlad-puting
 
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04 May 2025

Motherland Climax by Vlad Puting (by Damien Larkin)


So, I’ve been busy. I know, I know… every few months (ahem, years) I come back to this blog with an excuse and it’s always the same one. I’d much rather pen a ninety-thousand-word novel than write a two-thousand-word blog post. I am getting better, though and recent participation in anthologies and shared projects with other writers has spurred me on to get back into blogging a bit. Timing-wise, it’s probably a good idea especially with the release of ‘Motherland Climax by Vlad Putting’ only two months away!

First off, I know what you’re thinking. The title, right? Let me dig into the background a little bit.



Around a year and a half ago I read ‘The Iron Dream’ by Norman Spinrad. It utterly blew my mind in that way fantastic books do. It’s a satire set in a world where a certain genocidal German dictator emigrated to the USA instead of entering politics and became an illustrator and novelist. In his seminal work, he wrote about a post-apocalyptic future where mutants reigned supreme and ‘pure’ humans were in the minority. The story follows a ‘pure’ human character who retakes his country, rebuilds society in his image, and wages relentless war against mutant nations.

If you’ve read anything on World War Two, you can see the parallels.



It was the discourse at the start and end of the book that really hooked me in. The fact that it’s a book-within-a-book allows the suspension of belief to the point that for me, it was like reading what a deranged genocidal maniac dreamed of doing, in a world where he lived a normal, everyday life.
My mind went into overdrive after reading it. I wanted to write something like it so I turned my attention to whose perspective it could be written from. If you follow me on social media, you most likely know I’m a firm supporter of Ukraine against Russia’s illegal invasion, so my thoughts shifted to a certain Russian politician. What if he never entered politics and instead penned a series of novels? What would he write about? Who would his characters be? With that train of thought ‘Motherland Climax by Vlad Putting’ was born.

The Foreword of the novel (it’s actually Chapter One) sets the scene. It explains the backstory of how a former Russian KGB operative moved to the UK and eventually wrote what was to become a best-selling series of novels featuring super-spy Victor Petrov. The world itself is geopolitically quite different from our own, with vague references to the two World Wars never happening and even a mention of a ‘Corsican novelist named Napoleon.’

Colonialism is still very much alive with the likes of the United Kingdom of Great Britain, Iceland and Ireland, the Confederate States of America, and the Holy Roman Empire vying for supremacy, often at the expense of the Rus Empire. Against this backdrop Victor Petrov will stop at nothing to seize political power for himself, install the neo-Bolshevik Republic of the Rus, and wage unrepenting war against the hated ‘Doctrine of Equality.’

I describe most (if not all) of the novel as written in ‘purple prose’, a delightful term I only discovered after penning it. Essentially, the writing style is gratuitous, excessive, and at times, downright barmy. There are sections dedicated to how manly the Victor Petrov character is from fighting a bear in the Siberian wilderness, engaging in hand-to-hand combat with ninja assassins on a plane to taking on two divisions of heavily armed insurgents, alone, while piloting a mech.

Ludicrous, I know, but I approached this story with the sole purpose of tearing up the rulebook. I wrote it from the perspective of someone who, in our world, wields massive power, but in the setting of the story, doesn’t. The novel draws on a feeling of inferiority and the need to be glorified and worshipped while espousing views that I think most people would find abhorrent.

In the Afterword (the last chapter) a contemporary fictional author delves into some of the themes and ideas in the book in an attempt to understand why this series is so popular. That for me, sums it up nicely, and hopefully explains what I was trying to do with this project.

The excessive number of times the ‘Motherland’ is referenced, (mostly in a weirdly erotic manner) is also explored in the Afterword. The author ponders if it’s an ‘Oedipus Complex but on a nationalistic scale’ and they’re right. Dictators and those who seize power often link their egos with the country they’ve usurped. Any past, perceived slight on their person becomes one for the entire nation to endure.

More than anything, the Victor Petrov character dreams of bringing the Motherland to her natural climax on the world stage. The persecution and suffering he experienced in his early career becomes the driver behind him making the neo-Bolshevik Republic of the Rus the world’s preeminent economic, political, and military power.



I genuinely have no idea how Motherland Climax will be received since it’s such a radical departure from what I’d normally write. This is my first foray into satire and alternative history, and I’m hopeful people enjoy it and see what I was trying to do. Thankfully, pre-publication reviews and feedback have been positive, so fingers crossed that trend continues.

Over the coming weeks, I’ll be delving more into the world of Motherland Climax, plus updates on my other projects (yes, three books coming this year alone). Stay tuned, and if you’ve read this far, well done.

Go pour yourself a nice cup of coffee/carbonated beverage/water or beer, if you partake.
You’ve earned it!

Motherland Climax by Vlad Puting is available for pre-order now:
https://www.damienlarkinbooks.com/shop/pre-order-motherland-climax-by-vlad-puting
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01 September 2023

AN INTERVIEW WITH SINEAD MCGUIGAN


In this weeks interview, I'm joined by the one and only Sinead McGuigan. Sinead is the author of 'A Gift and a Curse' and 'Unbound.' Be sure to check out her work!


 

Welcome, Sinead. How long have you been a poet?

I started writing poetry in 2019.

Where did you get the inspiration for your books? 

My poetry is directly linked to my own personal healing journey from cancer and my past. I write from a deep emotional place and am influenced a lot my women's rights and freedom.


What is the biggest challenge you’ve experienced in your writing career, so far?

I find it hard to make time to write as much as I would like to, life can get busy so really my greatest challenge is being disciplined more in my creative endeavours.





If you could go back and give your younger self a single piece of writing advice, what would it be?

I used to write as a teenager and certainly I would have wished I hadn't ignored that side of me for so long.

What do you think the biggest challenges are for aspiring writers and poets, right now?

The social media aspect in a sense really is challenging and it can be confusing perhaps to see people with large following and little talent. In Ireland I think there is a certain snobbery almost in what is deemed good poetry

Do you believe that having a strong social media presence leads to more book sales?


It can help absolutely as often it's the only option for self-published authors . I definitely feel it helps me so much and I'm very grateful.







How do you deal with writer’s block?

I genuinely don't get writers block but there are periods in which I don't write.

What is your favourite part of the creative process?

When I see a piece of art or feel instantly inspired by a subject and it flows naturally.

If you could collaborate with any other poet or poets on a project, who would it be and why?
I generally collaborate with artists and my main projects are related to women's issues.

What are you working on now?

I am trying to decide what my next book will focus on.





Where do you see your writing career in 5 years?

I really would like to write short stories and perhaps in time a novel.


Have you ever considered writing in another genre?

Yes, certainly fiction and perhaps a healing journal for others.


What marketing tips would you give to someone starting out in their career?


Always be true to yourself and your art. There are different flavours to be explored but write from your authentic self.


Be sure to follow Sinead's writing journey over on @sineadmgpoetry on Instagram.

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