Throw Down

Like another reviewer mentioned, there are things in this book that are just straight up racist and ignorant. Not to mention the fact that some of Bolan's inner monologues make him come off as a crazy jesus freak. In addition to this, the action is flat and the plot is dull. I was surprised at how bad this one is, especially since VanCook is a fairly good Bolan author. This one is only worth seeking out if you're a collector and need to own every book in the series.

This novel started off okay, and had some decent action sequences throughout, but it also contained far too many overly religious tones, which weren't just uncomfortable, but also just ridiculous. The author seems to be perpetuating the idea that the best thing a christian can do is kill brown people. There's also a weird moment where Bolan quotes something George W. Bush once said about the war on terror: "Whoever isn't with us is against us". These moments of strictly black and white morality just aren't Mack Bolan. I'm not a muslim, or even of islamic heritage, and I still found the books descriptions of the religion incredibly offensive. "It's almost as if Muhammad looked at the christion and jewish doctrines and asked himself, "how can i defeat them both?"" Like I said, incredibly offensive, and very, very ignorant. Mohammad was a peaceful man, and peace is what true muslims preach. Not everyone is a bomb-toting extremist, a lesson the author would do well to learn. As for the more positive things, well, there aren't many. The only thing about this novel I can praise is its title, which was pretty cool. Apart from that, this is probably the weakest Bolan title I've read. You would do well to avoid this one.

Without question, this was my least favorite Jerry Vancook effort, and he is one of my overall favorite Bolan writers. Nothing really stood out in the book as overly negative, but it just never picked up steam. The basis for the story is three "U.S. enemies" work together in an effort for a simultaneous strike. Bolan must confront adversaries from Syria, Iran, and Venezuela. The story unfolds as the Executioner, one-by-one, dismantles the plan from each terrorist group. As would be expected, he must travel to each of the countries -- Syria, Iran, & Venezuela -- to disrupt their attempts. To battle these groups, Bolan build a team with a cast of characters, each somehow tied to one of the terrorist groups. So, throughout the story, we see Bolan wondering whether or not he can actually trust his "allies". However, I never really believed that he had a reason to not trust, so some of the potential intrigue never materialized. Had the author actually had one of the back-stab Bolan, I think the book would've been much better. One of the bright spots was the inclusion of many of the Pendleton characters. We see cameos from Brognola, Price, Hawkins, and Kurtzman. It is always a strong plus for me when a writer interweaves these characters into the books.

Whoa...was this a Mack Bolan book? I’m not sure. This has got to be a first time Bolan writer. He calls TJ "the Hawk" and Kurtzman "the Bear". While the later nickname is close enough the former is as wrong as wrong can be. One line even read "the man known as "The Hawk"..." What? He is not known as the Hawk. He is TJ. Ok that’s the first issue I have. The second issue is...well, everything. Bolan seems strange and not himself. His interaction with the farm and Barb is all wrong, not to mention waaay to frequent. The strong Christian overtones of this book were annoying, don’t use action novels to push your god on me please. Ok ok ok Mr. Writer I get it, there is no luck, just god, you don’t have to tell me 3 times in 186 pages. There is hardly any baddie background and the ending is lame. The bad guys have no real plot or plan. this book is plain not good. I could go on and on. Just trust me. Avoid.