Full Blast

Terrific finish to the duo where numerous storylines are running at once and the Teams racing against time. The standout was probably Pheonix on the hunt in Iraq for the terrorist leader and his nuke but Able's ending with the saving of the President and Hal also some fine reading. Standout action scenes as usual by this author very fine reading with both titles recommended.

Great ending to the first duology I have read in the Stony Man series. The whole idea of a goverment take over by its own military taking place while tensions mount in Bahgdad was exhilarating! The story arcs of both teams are very well done yet again thanks to Linaker. Pheonix busting out of their capture was a great way to start, and the book never let up. Gardener was one great villian I will not soon forget. Jacobi's arc of the story was also very well done, and he will also be a character I won't soon forget. The finales for both teams were very well done. A great ending to a duology.

The concluding part of a two-book story. The paths of the book go in different directions, Able Team taking one path, while Phoenix Force plays out the other, in self-contained adventures that heavily reference the previous book. Phoenix Force’s mission tracks down a dangerous Iraqi threatening to take over his former country, who bought something nice with stolen Hussein money. Phoenix’s mission is one of their most compelling adventures. Able Team tracks down a crazy general. Why do deranged traitors think they can automatically be President once they take over the Oval Office? It would seem to me that every fiber of the federal government would try to kill the usurper, let alone acknowledge his legitimacy. Thankfully, someone does mention this. What I liked about this one? Since the beginning was already taken care of in the first installment, there are long stretches of just two-man teams working for fifty pages or so, working on their problem. That’s something you don’t or could not see in the one-shot books. The author presents stretches of being in one place, rather than cross cutting across several locations in a single chapter. The sustained sense of scene, place and action work very well.

Nice follow up to Gathering Storm. I found myself agreeing with Gardener's views on why he was doing what he was doing. Phoenix Force was mostly used in this episode, but there was good action all the way through. The Jacobi aspect was interesting, and the battle in Baghdad was tense. Able, which had a small part, had a good, action-packed finale scene.