Not a bad review and it does try to deal with the demise of the soldiers, which I thought was an interesting touch. This story is about a bunch of men who become little gods who can manipulate matter to some degree--which isn't a bad premise. However, the plot seems a bit rushed. Maybe it could have been better if you delved into the minds of the soldiers to see what makes them tick. Swampy could have battled more movie monsters. But here are a few questions the text raises: If they could reconstruct matter, why didn't the vets create floating platforms when the ship was breaking up? It seems as if they were quickly written out while the story abruptly came to an end. Also, why couldn't Reef--who took a slug to his chest--dissolve the bullet and heal the wound? Not sure about this. By the way, the vet who tried to shoot Liz was not Cheeto. His specific name was not given (he and Reef were the only two characters I remember over the long years since I read the story). Maybe he was "Juice," who is a character previously mentioned. Loved your observations.
