Losing fingers in fiction: Berkem Al Atomi “The Marauder”

One of the books I’ve read in the hospital trying to drift away from concerns about loosing a finger, was Berkel Al Atomi’S “The Marauder”.

This is an awesome post-apocalyptic story.

The plot is quite common: the traitor marionette government finally “sells” the country off to NATO, and chaos spreads all over the territory. People start to fight each other for food, shelter and resources.
But the way the author unveils the story is so vivid and real, that you catch yourself thinking: hey, that could happen to any country, and how would I act? Should I stockpile on food & ammo beforehand?
In one of those resource fights deep in the Army strategic warehouse, the protagonist encounters another traitor. To save the day, he has to detonate a charge in his hands, definitely loosing some fingers.
That was an unbelievable coincidence: having you thumb cut in an accident, and reading a book about loosing fingers!
The protagonist, or better, the anti-hero since he is a Marauder anyway, considers his options and is quite aware of the consequences. He was an Army engineer, so the odds are quite clear to him.
He is holding a KD8, a primary charge used both in military and civilian operations as ignition to blow off clamours, grenades, mining charges and other explosives.

The body of the device is made of aluminum alloy, slices of which cut off two fingers one phalanx short each, as described in the book.
The anti-hero is shocked and doesn’t feel much pain. Moreover, he is able to evaluate the situation and act accordingly, to his favor. This is quite real-life reaction,
Later, to cover his wounds he receives a first-aid pack, which is essentially just a lot of bandages stick together to hold blood.

He even manages to put it on himself with only one arm, with the help of his teeth.
Some hours from the explosion, the protagonist will receive some medical aid. And, that’s the last mention of his hand missing fingers in the whole book. Which is sad, since it would be great to learn how missing body part affects your life in post-apocalyptic environment. Still, the book is a page-turner, read it if you happen to get one.