Review: Wrath of the Wendigo

A story of the near future from the mind of a Green Beret

Wrath of the Wendigo is the more story focused debut of Clay Martin, a Marine Recon and Army 3rd Special Forces Group veteran. He has previously written more prepper centric books, such as Concrete Jungle and Prairie Fire, guidebooks on survival and the conducting of operations in urban and rural terrain respectively. You can find Clay on Twitter at @wayofftheres.

Wrath of the Wendigo

Wendigo invites us to a North America in the not so distant future, where a large chunk of the pacific northwest and mountain west has seceded successfully from the United States. The war is over, there is a shaky peace, and what is left of the United States runs itself pretty similarly to how it does today, albeit with more normalization of the obscene progressive insanity we deal with today.

The story opens in the White House where the Oval Office has been breached by an unknown assailant, revealed to be none other than General Eric Hansen, a formidable Cascadian officer who has arrived to deliver a message to the *actual* leaders of the United States.

With a voice that sounded like it could split granite at any volume besides the low tone presently in use, the man broke his silence. “Well that is a rather rude way to speak to a guest. I must say, I expected a bit more civility from an agency so storied for detachment as yours.”

He punctuated this unexpected comment with a subtle smirk.

Espinosa took charge, and apparently some offense. “You are going to slowly put your hands up. You are going to slowly lower your feet to the ground. You are then going to kneel, and then you are going to be cuffed. Any deviation or resistance will be met with overwhelming force, including lethal force if necessary.”

Well, so much for polished efficiency.

“Very well,” the stranger retorted, moving his interlaced fingers apart and up to a position of surrender at a glacial pace. His feet slid off the desk and brought him to a standing position as he continued. “Except for the kneeling. Kneeling is not something we do where I am from.”

After his capture Hansen is put in the custody of the military, with Agent Jason Marsh of the Secret Service accompanying him with orders to protect him from harm. Most of the book is told from the perspective of Marsh as the observer.

It becomes clear that as with any war that ends in a draw, there are a lots of unknowns that the Loyalist side wants to clear up. Hansen goes on to explain at length the events that would comprise the Cascadian national mythology, the build-up to war, and the perspective of his side during the flashpoints that started it. This reads as both world-building and a how-to guide on fomenting a secession movement.

“Be the reason the forest is haunted? I don’t get it.”

“The blood memory of your people is filled with motivations to keep you trapped in your cities. To keep the serfs on the farm, and behind closed doors when the twilight falls. You feel it, even if you don’t know why.”

“Your ancestors would have told you the woods were filled with wraiths, phantoms that would eat you if you dared venture into the shadows. And they were right, if incorrect in what those entities looked like. Roman citizens and soldiers alike feared the Celtic curses that hid in the bogs. Even in later years, your people learned in foreign lands that they were never safe outside their small islands of razor wire and electricity. From Khe Sah to the Khyber Pass.”

“Do you know, Agent Marsh, the percentage of your troops that never once left the relative safety of the wire during your fights in Iraq and Afghanistan? Ninety percent. Nine out of ten never truly entered a foreign land, and yet your mental illness from those wars is staggering. The wild and sovereign men of all time know this. Make them afraid to leave their fortresses, and the battle is half won.”

I will say, however, that Wrath of the Wendigo is an acquired taste. It is largely something of a manifesto, one which uses heavy exposition and world building to deliver it. That being said, it’s a manifesto that I like, a lot. Clays vision for an alternate future is fascinating in the wordplay between characters and the rifts between the two cultures are very apparent. Hansen refers to “his people” and “your people” in a way that shows this is not a civil war, but a hard fork where Cascadians do not consider themselves Americans after decades of fighting.

Their norms are completely alien to the neoliberal sensibilities of the Americans he speaks to, though he does make some of them gain an understanding, and perhaps win them over. But for the most part, Wrath of the Wendigo is a story within a story, it is Hansen explaining the truth of his culture to men unfamiliar with it, who know only propaganda and gossip. It is a very satisfying tract of exposition, but it is still largely a tract, albeit one I agree with and thoroughly enjoyed.

He was over the table swinging a fist in the blink of an eye. Hansen raised both hands and deflected the right with his palm, his outer elbow rising to offer a weak shield against the incoming left. The momentum of Gianno’s considerable girth knocked him over backward, Gianno on top. Marsh ripped the observation room door open and flew toward the scuffle.

Michelle met him head-on, clogs already kicked free for better purchase on the concrete floor. This was not its first rodeo.

Marsh attempted to shove past it only to be stiff-armed, which he countered by throwing a horizontal elbow into Michelle’s considerable jaw. Enraged, Michelle scooped him up and threw him bodily against the mirrored glass. Impact-resistant glass spiderwebbed with the blow. Jason fell to the ground, dazed.

Knowing he might only have moments to live, Marsh willed himself up. Weakly, he rolled his head over to at least see his impending doom approach. He was just in time to see a polished black boot, connected to a leg of camouflage green, connect with Gianno’s face like it was kicking a football to win the Super Bowl. Gianno flew backward, strewing blood like a lawn sprinkler.

“That will be quite enough, everyone,” said a commanding new voice.

That being said, the present tense scenes of the book are well written. Clay writes fantastic fight scenes, vividly describes the scenery, and makes solid characters who are believable and easy to visualize. It’s also got what has got to be the most badass cover art of 2022 in my opinion. Clay told me he is working on a sequel that will be less exposition and more plot driven. I’m excited to read it when he’s finished, Wendigo paints an interesting picture of an alternate future that is unique and imaginative.

In conclusion, if you’re a culture warrior, a political wonk, or a disgruntled GWOT Veteran(I am all of these), you won’t regret picking up Wrath of the Wendigo. At just over 200 pages, it’s a relatively quick but thought provoking read. Don’t just take it from me, for a self-published book Martin has received phenomenal readership and feedback at a 5 star average out of 292 ratings as of this writing. It’s worth your consideration.

Pick up Wrath of the Wendigo on Amazon, in either paperback or Kindle at this link!