Rattz on the Prowl by Robert F. Glahe is a rowdy military science fiction adventure told by Sergeant “Sludge” Dragoon, a battered veteran whose routine mission ends with alien creatures implanted inside him. The Rattz are fast, intelligent, and capable of absorbing traits from their hosts, which gives the story a lively blend of creature horror, conspiracy, and space combat. As Sludge discovers that military leaders hope to weaponize the species, his struggle for survival expands into a fight over who gets to control both him and the Rattz.

Sludge’s narration gives the book its personality. He’s boastful, suspicious, stubborn, and genuinely funny, with an endless supply of mangled sayings and homemade expletives. His jokes sit beside grief over his dead squad and growing concern that his encounters with the Rattz have changed him. That emotional undercurrent makes his bond with Perky, the pie-loving Rattz he adopts, especially engaging. Their relationship gradually turns the novel’s central monster into a companion with intelligence, loyalty, and plenty of unsettling potential.

The story moves through several extended action sequences, including an outbreak aboard a research station, a confrontation on the foul-smelling planet Brigand Ferry, and a return to a station overrun by hundreds of Rattz. Glahe fills these scenes with elaborate futuristic slang, military bureaucracy, alien cultures, improvised weapons, and slapstick complications. The pacing is deliberately roomy, giving Sludge time to argue with officers, needle younger soldiers, remember his fallen comrades, and obsess over constituted pies. That abundance makes the world feel busy and eccentric, while the clearest dramatic thread remains Sludge’s transformation from expendable marine into fugitive, reluctant commander, and unlikely Rattz handler.

I’d recommend Rattz on the Prowl most to readers who enjoy comic military science fiction, irreverent first-person heroes, strange alien biology, and adventures that mix gore with broad humor. Fans of scrappy found families will also appreciate the mismatched crew of marines, civilians, a gaseous Slorg, and one remarkably trainable monster. The ending resolves the station crisis while opening several strong paths for the series, including military pursuit, Blazant vengeance, and the mystery surrounding the original mother Rattz. It’s a good fit for anyone who likes their space opera loud, grubby, conspiratorial, and proudly weird.

Pages: 298 | ASIN: B0HCMG8XW5