Oksy, Come Home is a dark fantasy novella, part of the Blood Scouts series, written by Phil Williams. Here, Williams introduces us to one of the characters that will be relevant in the series, Oksy, the sniper; a woman in a male dominated world, trying to find her spot in the army, prove herself, but stopped due to how ingrained sexism is on the army.

Oksy is a sniper with the urge to prove herself; however, her superiors don't seem comfortable having a single woman in their units, thinking of her as a liability and blaming her on their failures, even if she wasn't given a try. When she's sent to the trenches, where people are sent as discards, she sees the opportunity to protect her mates, if she manages to get that chance.

In terms of characterisation, Oksy is a prime example of how fleshing should be done; we have an awkward but brilliant soldier, a person that is trying to find a place where she fits, but who is having to fight against the traditional sex roles. Getting acknowledged by her mates and earning their trust means so much for her, and we will see how hard she works to get there.

Williams manages to keep a good pacing through all the novella, striking a good balance between characters and the action on these pages; we get a glimpse of the War and how the army is fighting against the Drail, but it is kept light, as it is intended just as an introduction to this world.

Oksy, Come Home is a great introduction to the Blood Scouts series, a compelling novella around one of my favourite characters in the main novels, perfect if you are looking for a world war inspired fantasy and fighting against the established sex roles.

Disclaimer: This review represents my personal opinion. Score and review from the whole team might vary.