Coming soon. Cole is currently working on his debut military thriller for Crimson PulpFic.
What is military fiction, and how does it connect to the pulp tradition?
Military fiction encompasses stories dealing with military operations, combat, and the lives of service members. The genre includes military thrillers, military historical fiction, and military science fiction. Unlike action-adventure that uses military settings as backdrop, authentic military fiction focuses on the realities of service: tactical decision-making, unit dynamics, the moral weight of combat, and what happens to people who carry those burdens home.
War stories appeared throughout the pulp era, but military fiction truly flourished in men's adventure magazines from the 1940s-1970s. Publications like Battle Cry (1955) specifically targeted WWII and Korean War veterans with both fiction and fact-based combat stories. During their peak in the late 1950s, roughly 130 men's adventure magazines published simultaneously, with collective circulation of twelve million copies monthly. These "macho pulps" established the template for modern military fiction.
Intelligence fiction (int-fic) focuses on espionage, intelligence analysis, and covert operations. Unlike glamorized spy thrillers, authentic int-fic emphasizes tradecraft, OSINT (open-source intelligence), and the unglamorous reality of intelligence work. The genre explores how information becomes intelligence, how analysts piece together threats, and the moral compromises inherent in operating in the shadows. Tom Clancy, while more techno-thriller, helped popularize the intelligence-focused military novel.
Tom Clancy (The Hunt for Red October, Clear and Present Danger) defined the modern techno-thriller. Alistair MacLean brought WWII action to millions. W.E.B. Griffin's Brotherhood of War series delivered multi-generational military sagas. Stephen Coonts and Dale Brown continued the tradition with naval and air combat fiction. Modern authors like Brad Taylor and Mark Greaney bring special operations authenticity, while Jack Carr's Terminal List brought veteran-authored fiction to mainstream success.
Cole Black writes for readers who've been there and readers who want the real thing. Former infantry, current storyteller—his operators don't save the world; they complete the mission, survive the night, and live with what comes after. Black's fiction is rooted in OSINT, real geopolitical tensions, and bleeding-edge defense tech. His scenarios are plausible, his research rigorous. No jingoism, no flag-waving—just the real cost of modern conflict and operators making hard calls in harder places.