Description

Earth is dead. What remains is a factory for monsters. In the radioactive ruins of a nuclear-wasted world, the Soviet regime no longer fights its wars. It manufactures gene-engineered soldiers—built to kill without hesitation, obey without question, and forget anything resembling humanity. Geiger, commander of the eliteKINZHALdeath squad, survives through overwhelming force, absolute discipline, and loyalty to his own kind. His unit—Glass, Rain, are weapons first. People never. That doctrine fractures when alast-minute replacement, Bloodis assigned to the squad: a seventh-generation prototype carrying forbidden memories, illegal attachments, and a past that should not exist. Deployed on asuicide mission deep into the US mainland, KINZHAL’s conditioning begins to fail. Guilt resurfaces. Attachment forms. Human words—love, mercy, conscience—refuse to stay buried. In a world where mercy is a defect, becoming human may be the most lethal mistake of all. What is the price of survival?

What readers say about Shattered Double Helix

“This story is dark and unapologetically brutal. It leans hard into the War and Military tag and does not soften it at all. The four main characters are weapons first, and the violence can get ugly. Know that going in. That said, the characters are what make…”

DwayneDTRoyal Road5.0 / 5

“Relentlessly dark, staying true to the promise that every victory comes with a heavy price. The story takes a moment building the atmosphere, which may feel sluggish to some, but it works perfectly for the oppressive mood being established. It hits the fami…”

l.v.vaderRoyal Road5.0 / 5

Community Reviews(2)

DwayneDTRoyal Road

★★★★★ 5.0

This story is dark and unapologetically brutal.
It leans hard into the War and Military tag and does not soften it at all. The four main characters are weapons first, and the violence can get ugly. Know that going in.
That said, the characters are what make the story work. Everyone in the squad has their own personality and voice. Edelweiss/Blood is the new member and by far my favorite. I liked her right away but after learning some of her backstory I like her even more.
What Dammonar did really well here is give us a squad of gene warriors who openly talk about slaughtering people, men, women, and children, and still made me like them and root for them. That is not an easy thing to do.
Well done. And if you are a fan of sci-fi, post apocalypse military stories, I think you will really like this one.

l.v.vaderRoyal Road

★★★★★ 5.0

Relentlessly dark, staying true to the promise that every victory comes with a heavy price. The story takes a moment building the atmosphere, which may feel sluggish to some, but it works perfectly for the oppressive mood being established. It hits the familiar Grimdark beats while still managing to feel fresh.
The characters aren't exactly "likable" in the traditional sense, but they are incredibly compelling.
This story is perfect for those who want a story that refuses to pull punches.