Stony Man Doctrine

Having read all the excellent reviews of this book, I had high expectations going into Stony Man Doctrine. I'm happy to say it both lived up to and exceeded those expectations. Right from the opening line you know you are in for a hell of a ride: "Nine of the best men in the world may die in this hour. And I will have sent them to their deaths." Holy crap, buckle your seat belt. What follows is one hell of a ride, full of solid action. The thing I liked the most was that you truly felt the threat was serious. The whole nuke/chemical attack thing has been done to death. Something as large scale as that should certainly create tension and fear that Bolan would fail, but I find most books don't succeed in creating that tension. They just fall flat. In Stony Man Doctrine, you know the stakes are high. You feel like he may fail. You're on the edge of your seat. You want to know how Bolan is going to save the day. Sometimes you sit there thinking "How in the hell is he going to stop this?" My only gripe is I felt the characterization of Bolan falls flat in a few places. Some moments that were trying to dark, Bolan just seems a bit too cardboard instead of showing some emotion. Overall though, the plot is strong. Despite being a cliche chemical attack plot, the author succeeds in creating tension and suspense, making it feel as if you had never read a book with that type of plot before. Definitely enjoyed it and would highly recommend it to any person interested in getting into Bolan.

First off, I have to say that if I were to have a top ten list of Bolan villans, Yoshida would certainly be near the top of the list. I don't think any other book in the Stony Man universe came close to touching all the angles of this multifacited story.

Wow, Amazing what a great story. there are so many elements to this book that make it a classic for me this was the height of the new war books. Phoenix force and able team were well represented here. what stands out is Lyons going to war with the hatchet and being covered in blood and then asking WHY all the cops were staring at him. CLASSIC!!

Fantastic! I loved this one, Bolan gets tired, worn out, seems to have doubts, is concerned for his teammates and the end scene with Katz and Bolan is freaking classic ! Loved all the villains, so well thought out, they seemed so f'n evil, I loved it. Action packed from start to finish. A few complaints, I couldn't remember Keio really doing anything in this one, Carl executing the prisoners in the beginning was kind of cruel and the Love scene with April and Mack made me wanna gouge my eyes out! But aside from that, I loved this one ! Peace, Eh Kay

Well what a brilliant start to the new series with Mack fighting with all of the other teams against a plot which could see MILLIONS of American citizens killed. Some good characters introduced with the Japanese guy Yoshida being the standout but the overall enormity of the plot is stunning. The Teams are here there and everywhere and little wonder they are all stuffed at the end of this title. Some of them take their lumps with three of the combined teams being severely wounded one gravely. The ending section where the leaders of "Hydra" are pinpointed and the assault on the island fortress initiated is superb writing. Much better the last few pages (remember this is the first title in the series and the first time Mack has fought alongside his hand picked fellow warriors) well following the final battle with his teams all of which are still alive he has a heart to heart talk with Katz and this part blew me away. Just starting on the trail to read/reread/review this series and the starting title is brilliant let you know about the following ones. Really enjoyed this highly recommended reading.

There is little I can add that has not already been covered but I will attempt to put my own spin on it. I did not come to this book in the early 1980s when it was written, instead I came over twenty years later. I cannot say what it was like to be a Bolanverse fan back then and get the opportunity to read all of the teams fighting along side one another in a single story. I can imagine it was quite thrilling for fans at the time and for that reason, as well as a fuzzy haze of nostalgia, that is causing people to gush about this title. Coming to this book in 2007 after having read several Stony Man titles I was forced to look at this book as another in the series, the first, but still another in the series. The entire Farm has worked together before for me so the book had to work on some other level. And Stony Man Doctrine does, indeed, deliver. Not as flawlessly as others seem to think, in my opinion, however. The plot is enjoyable and not transparent as can often happen in these books. However, the pacing is a bit erratic and disjointed. Not to a terrible fault but there is so much going on in this book the author seems to have a hard time keeping up and making sure everything plays out correctly. The characters are okay but, as has been stated before, are a bit off, especially Lyons. He spends far too much time pondering over Bolan in what comes off as a bit homoerotic. I’m fine with that but I never knew Ironman had such thoughts about Bolan, too bad the big guy doesn’t feel the same way... Overall, Stony Man Doctrine, and whoever did indeed write it, is an enjoyable book and worth reading. It is a classic as it is the first time everyone worked together but the concept has been done better since. The book is recommended but not as flawless as it seems like it should be.

I wanted to give this book a 10 for its historical and collecitve value alone, but there were too many things that bothered me to rank it a perfecto. I didn't care much for the characterization of Lyons, for starters. This guy isn't into introspection and reflection, in my opinion; he's impulsive and hot-headed and those are the things that make him rock. I also think that in the process of trying to orchestrate the whole Stony Man crew into one book, the writer dropped the ball way too many times in terms of pacing and continuity, and a lot of other times the characters and dialogue came off as kinda one-dimensional. That said, I still think this book is worth picking up for historical value as it features a lot of key players who have since fallen in the field of battle.

Amazing. I happened across this book in a used book store, and I thought I might chance a glance at it. Hot damn! We get to see all of Stony Man in action. Hell, I started reading Bolan way after the KGB wars. I get to see April Rose, Konzaki, Keio Ohara, and all the people who died either pre-KGB wars or KGB-wars era. Read this book. It will be worth your while.

O.k. this book is good but is it really the ultimate Bolan book? No I don't think so. The action scenes are great but the book is very disjointed. I personally cannot take to the characterisation of Lyons, in particular the way he thinks about what Mack is doing during his free moments, for me it just doesn't ring quite true. I am afraid this book only confirms for me what I already new, that I prefer Mack Bolan in Solo action and that there was only one real " Death Squad " and not withstanding Politician and Gadgets that squad is dead.

The action scenes were well written, and there were many of them, and seeing Bolan AT, and PF in the same book for the first time was exciting. However, overall this book just is NOT worth the 10 star everyone is giving it, I agree somewhat with Gerald Montgomerys' review, although I think he was being overly critical of it. Not the best book storywise, but if you lookin for a lot of explosive action, this book really delivers.

"Stony Man Doctrine" is not only a great action story but a tense thriller as well. This is the first of the big books about the Stony Man crew and it sets the highest standards for those later books to strive for. In a word, superb. This book is as good as "War Against the Mafia", and I don't think I can offer higher praise than that. The action is frequent and extremely well written. I thoroughly enjoyed the fine handling of these scenes. One particularly nice touch was showing that there was actual planning and thought by the Stony Man warriors before and during these missions, not just a bunch of guys rushing in with guns blazing. And we got to see Mack doing some sight adjustment during some long range shooting. The villains are actually interesting here as they have sometimes been in the very best of the Bolan books. Their motivations and plans are evil (terrorists are always evil so they make excellent villains) and they weren't just straw men for Bolan and crew to knock over. Even more interesting than the villains, though were some of the supporting players. Maria and David, those two gutsy kids that guided Able Team, were a welcome addition and kept the tension up as I feared for their safety and marveled at their courage. Flor was marvelous in her role assisting Mack and Rafael: I even liked her more here than in her previous Able Team appearance. Great action scenes that just keep the excitement building to a fever pitch, wonderful supporting characters with real personalities and just all around good writing combine to help the Stony Man guys deliver a top notch adventure. I'm giving this one a 10, and that may be one star short of what it really deserves.

I read a borrowed copy of this 15 years ago, but did not own my own copy until recently. And thusly my love of Bolan and Co. has been reborn. Stony Man Doctrine remains an essential piece in the Bolan mythos, holding within its covers all the key elements that make these stories "pop". Scenes of suspence are only a jugular's width away from exploding into mayhem. The action unfolds in violently, visualized crescendos. The good guys take there hits, but hit back harder,faster, and deadlier. Before there was John Woo there was the Executioner, Able Team, and Phoenix Force. The characterization and motivation of the "evil ones" is eerily consistent with times both past and present. And finally, the internal struggle Mack Bolan goes through each time he realizes that this evil seems to never truly die is palatable. Great book for new and old readers alike.

This is the book that started the whole Stony Man genre and that and that alone is enough to justify a 10 star score. But that is not why it deserves a 10 it deserves a 10 because it has all of the aspects that any Stony Man fan should look for. 1. It had Phoenix, Able and Mack all on different missions in the begining that led up to all of them combining forces (for the first time as a unit) and the story all comes together. 2. Aewsome action. The book had very good descriptive scenes. 3. A great bad guy (oxymoron), but that bad guy was prepared to make Hydra succede even if that meant that he would have to kill his compatriots and start over again. All of this and much more makes this one hell of a book.

Doctrine was by far the ultimate in high-velocity action writing. As a fan of both "the man" and his personal foreign legion, I found 'Doctrine to be SCREAMING to be translated into a screenplay. final summation,,,, THIS NOVEL KICKS MAJOR-LEAGUE ASS

This is one hell of a kick-ass book. I strongly believe this was written by G.H. Frost (pen name for a large number of Able Team books). Check out the writing style -- it's the same. In any event, we've got Mack, Able and Phoenix at their very best. Each word was action. Each scene bustled with activity. If any book is deserving of Gold Eagle's marketing ("page-crackling, edge-of-the-seat, action-packed) phrases, this book is it.

I'd stated before, this book had taken some 14 years to make it into my collection. And when it did... HOT DANG! Ironman waging war down to the axe! Bolan and Encizo blitzing Little Havana! Mack and April getting some quiet time! And the Apocalyptic can of monkey-ass, manbitch stomping tail-whippin in Cuba?!? A rocking good story.

This book rocked! A must-have!!! This is my all-time favorited bolan book! I think its great that bolan hooked up with Able Team AND Pheonix Force! IT WAS AWESOME! Once again, a must have, a collectors item!!!

This book has fond memories and I have read it several times over the years and one day hope to introduce Mack to my teenagers, this probably will be the one to grap them.(not to ancient compared to the early books- which they think look like James Bond novels- perish the thought)Overall this is the one that would have kicked of a movie series(maybe one day we will see him on screen- we hope)Still a good read all this time later and I still see copies in secondhand shops always well read I might add-will always LIVE LARGE in my favorite books of the series.

A great book from back when the whole Stony Man Team getting together was a special occurence. This is one hell of an exciting read and actually a good starting point if you want to turn a new fan onto the entire series.

The ultimate Bolan fan book. Hunt it down and buy it for the inside cover art alone, which is a pictorial of Mack Bolan, Able Team, and the original members of Phoenix Force. I was recently given a bunch of Bolan novels with the caveat of "I'm keeping 'Stony Man Doctrine', it's the only one worth re-reading!"

This is the best Bolan book around! What an experience!

I was lucky enough to get my hands on an orginal copy in good condition. This was a great book. The only complaint that I can make is the preview on the back could of been more detailed and depicted a better summary. It didn't say anyting about the villian or the acutal objective itself. Other than that it's a good book.

Absolutley incredible. Loved every second of it. A definite must read.

What everyone below said was true. This is THE BEST. Period.

There isn't anything that I can say that everybody else has. This is THE Bolan book if there was one. A must read and a must own for collection purposes. Must be treasured!!

This is the on that started it all!! A very action packed issue. Very much worth the read.