Dark Messiah (Phoenix #1) (1987)

by David Alexander

When nuclear Armageddon ravages the world, Vietnam vet Magnus Trench, AKA Phoenix, rises from the ashes of San Francisco and sets out to search for his wife and son on the East Coast.

Along the way, he contends with mutated Contams, predatory bikers, and the forces of SCORF (Special Commando Retaliatory Force).

These soldiers work for Luther Enoch, the dark messiah of the National Church of the Second Coming, who orchestrated the end of civilization while positioning himself to rule among the ruins.

It doesn’t take long for the two to become archenemies.

David Alexander’s gory action scenes sometimes read like the fever dreams of a frustrated cookbook writer.

David Alexander

On the menu: “human Swiss cheese,” “bloody hamburger,” intestines “like a coil of pink sausages in a sauce of blood garnished with skeletal fragments,” and brains served in a variety of manners—“red cauliflower salad,” “steaming brain salad,” “strawberry thickshake,” and “yellow matter custard” (koo koo ka choo). Gross perhaps, but clearly the product of a man who loves his work. If you’re looking for something to fill the hole in your heart left by the disappearance of apocalyptic 80s action thrillers on VHS, this book is for you.