Rebels and Hostiles

This is a story driven novel, which is a change of pace. The previous superBolan, Rage For Justice, was wall to wall action, so in Rebels and Hostiles, we see the opposite extreme, and if written well, is more than welcome. This is an undercover role adventure taking place in Idaho and Washington, where Bolan infiltrates a secret militia that opposes the federal government. A pretty decent story with Bolan's lone wolf skills being put to the test in getting in this group and maintaining the role long enough to get the info he needs. However, more of the book is dedicated to characters other than Bolan, and considering the story driven aspect, this was ok. The various villains and good guys and their actions are really the center stage for this adventure and for the most part, it was entertaining. If you are looking for a body count book, than you picked up the wrong novel. So why am I giving this book only six stars? None of the other reviews I saw mentioned a problem I had with the story, so here goes my issue with it. The fact that Bolan does not dispatch a single badguy until page 333 really isn't a major issue, it was what Bolan DID do in his very limited action up to that point that was the problem. Bolan not only lays down the plan but participates in a terrorist attack against an FBI field office! He even drove all the way to Seattle and back to get the RPG rocket launchers used in the massive destruction attack on the facility. Bolan puts his trust in the main villain that the two officers on duty were not going to get hurt. The officers were described as "slightly injured" and meanwhile the building was blown to hell, the motorpool was destroyed, the helicopter pad and two helicopters blown up. All under Bolan's guidance, no joke! This is just not what Bolan would do, I wasn't buying this for a second. Because of this stupid scene, I cant give Rebels and Hostiles more than a 6 rating, too bad because while there were some small flaws I saw here in there in the storytelling, It was not too bad of an adventure, a nice change of pace from the body-count oriented books that get the lion's share of the series.

Well if you read these series for the action scenes you would be well advised to look elsewhere than this title as you won't find much at all here. If however you wish to read a wonderfully written title which is chock a block with fantastic characters and a terrific storyline here it is. The Big Guy is undercover trying to get a lead on a Militia group which has secured the services of foreigners namely a terrorist and a member of the Cali cartel to supply them with heavy weapons and to train them in the use of same and tactics to take on the Federal Government. You will actually start to sympathise with the FBI guy in charge here as through no fault of his own it just keeps blowing up in his face over and over again. Seamless read which you will fly through and a very good ending at which time when you finish it and think to yourself how good was that. Highly enjoyable title in the series recommended reading.

I am rating this book a five for the particular reason that it was a bit on the side of just telling a story about the American Militia's, which I like to read about. The author's insight on the American Militia must come from experience in the field, or some kind of prior knowledge. There was more told about how the Militia operates and what they do more than there was the action-packed, soldier side of Mack Bolan. I think it would be safe to say that the author of this book should re-think this one through and rewrite the novel under a different title. If you want to write a story about the American Militia's you would definitely need more action in there. Fictional scenes based on real events like from Ruby Ridge should have been included. Like others who have commented there was too much focus on the FBI's role in the novel than there was on Mack Bolan. It seems to me that the author was using Bolan as superficial agent for the FBI than a soldier conducting an "Everlasting War" In closing, I think all books are worth a second try. I will try to read this book again at a later date.

I got this book quite a while ago. The first time I read it, I couldn't even finish it, for I thought it was so horrible. Fast-forward a few years back, when I'm going through my collection once more, I decide to give it a second try. And lo-and-behold, I actually enjoyed the book! Though the action scenes are few and far between, like Frogman said, this was more of a 'plot'-driven book.

This was a different, but very good Bolan novel. This was a more detailed undercover story that was very plot driven in place of action driven. It was good to see Bolan in an undercover role that relied more on him using his brains over his brawns. I particularly liked when the cartel thugs figured out who/what Bolan was...the 'Soldier' reference was neat, also the 'Mack Bolan' references were neat too. The story was written with a lot of foreshadowing in it, that can be used in future books. All in all, a 9 out of 10....good job once again, Mr. Kasner.

I liked this Superbolan because it was a lot more political than most Bolan books.I considered this book more of an insite into the American militia rather than your standard action novel.It was good to see Bolan's age is quietly acknowledged in this book in the way that Rob Bannister refers to Bolan as 'Pops'& 'old fart'.(Needless to say Bannister gets a lesson from Bolan concerning his lack of respect for one's elders.)Top marks for realism.

I loved this book! It was a nice change of pace.. He didn't kill every bad-guy in this one. And because of that it was a little more realistic.

THIS IS DEFINATELY ONE OF MY RECENT FAVORITES BECAUSE BOLAN IS ON HIS OWN AGAIN WITH NO HELP, JUST LIKE IN THE OLD DAYS. STONY MAN CAN'T ALWAYS BE THERE TO HELP HIM. PLUS I LIKED THE STORY BETWEEN BOLTON GREY AND SAMANTHA. CETAIN BOLAN CHARACTERISTICS FROM THE EARLY DAYS ARE BROUGHT BACK AGAIN AND IT'S THE FIRST TIME IN A LONG TIME THAT HE SMOKES AGAIN. DEFINATELY A WINNER OF A BOOK.

I liked this book for the same reason that a lot of people DIDN'T like it! I liked that it was not a standard Bolan adventure, that it didn't follow the tried and true Bolan formula ... I thought it was a nice, refreshing change of pace, and a really good story, too. On Stinkeye's scale of 1-10 (10 being best) I give it a 7!

This book isn't that exciting. There aren't as many gunfights or action scenes as there are in other Mack Bolan books. Heck, ther's only like 2 or 3 action scenes!!!!!

Well, R&H was a preety good read for me. It wasnt the BEST Bolan story I've read, but it was a good one. I give it, on a scale of 1-10, say, a 8.

While this isn't the usual Bolan mission, I found this one to be more thought-provoking than the rest. It places Mack into a more undercover role than we're accustomed to seeing him in, and because of it, he's forced to act differently. I wouldn't want to see more of this type of mission and perspective on Bolan; I do think too much focus was placed on the FBI to try and justify the length of the novel. I agree the addition of the woman was not only contrived, but unnecessary to the overall development of the story. Still, I enjoyed this one throughly and recommend it.

I loved this one! I'd say it's the Bolan book that I'd recommend to the casual or non-action reader to show why we enjoy the series so much. Kasner's work is sharp, and the story was crisp with excitment. To me, it was far more interesting to see poeple reacting to what was going on without a pile of bodies every other page. One of the best I've read in a long time.

I thought this book had lots of action. My only complaints were that it featured the FBI too much. Not enough Bolan for my tastes. What happened to the Seattle reporter at the end? I thought that plotline kinda dissolved. While this entry had lots of action and was a decent enough read in my opinion, I thought it wasn't nearly as powerful as Kasner's "Reprisal".

Rebels and hostiles isn't my favorite book. It's one of the worst of the series. First off, the focus is too much on the FBI and not Mack. Most people who have been reading the Executioner series when it first started is use to him operating as a lone-wolf. I don't like it like that. There was too much on subjects that shouldn't have been detailed on. Like the part about foreign governments holding hands to destroy America is not true. It's only Colombia and China. The thing that I didn't like is that woman. She was just added to make the story a more interesting and that played a big part in the ending. I would include some more action with Able Team and Phoenix Force. This book should be written like Code of Bushido with background information on the villians and then the rest on Mack. I know the book can't always include Mack in every page, but that's what the readers want to read about. Also there wasn't much action in this book because Mack was undercover. Most of the action was by the miliatia against the government. There were only two or three battles that featured Mack. But as always, Mack was there and made it interseting. If anyone wants to talk about it or any other SuperBolan book just e-mail me.