Reviews (13)
The opening sets the story off with a bang with three things needing to all happen at the same time. The action is well paced and well written. Lot of well written characters. Really there is so much crammed in very well to 187 pages that makes this read fly by. My only gripe is with the escape from the Russian camp.
Tom Arnett delivers an enjoyable story…though there were some unbelievable portions regarding the plans and missile launchers. I liked the use of Jack Grimaldi and Able Team in this book.
As mentioned in other reviews…there is an lengthy absence of Bolan during the book that makes it a little strange.
However, with the steady action and extended use of Able Team, this is a solid book worthy of a read.
I have recently been reading the Mack Bolan's from the 80s. I have read about a dozen of these and "Death Games" is the best thus far. The book sets the reader up in cliff hanger chapters. Mack and Jack get into trouble in one chapter and then the reader must wait two chapter to see how they get out of the situation. This done though out the book and kept me reading. There is also an unexpected ending. I would highly recommend this book to anyone wanting to read the older Executioner books.
First up author here and what a fine title he delivered for the series.
A complex plot has been hatched by the KGB as they are sick of Strakhov trying to bring the Big Guy down and failing over and over again as he is not focused apparently as his son was killed and this guy is making fools of us worldwide.
Coupled with Cuban allies a brainwashed prisoner who just happens to be the daughter of an upcoming US senator is to be freed with the intention of sucking the Big Guy into the hand over and nailing him once and for all.
First Jack is captured making the escape plan of the pick up team (Able Team) impossible and the Big Guy arrives in just the time.
Heaps of action scenes follow with the title progressing a a frantic pace featuring the sky battle as pictured on the front cover between the MIG's and the world war one plane excellent reading.
Excellent finish with a twist at the end which I for one didn't see coming.
Action based blockbuster highly recommended it is like a mini Stony Man title.
Go for it.
I know they always say don't judge a book by its cover, but come on, this has the most ridiculous cover, I used to groan every time I looked at it, I mean a MIG vs. a WW1 plane made of wood and Canvas ! So I finally gave it a chance and it was really worth it, the dog fight scene is really worth it. Bolan and Able "collide" , Bolan goes behind the Iron Curtain to rescue Jack, brain washed assassins, evil Commies, this one has it all, and a twist ending !
Eh Kay says - Check it out !
I have to admit that I like this book much more than I thought I would. From the cover illustration I really expected a very silly story. In fact I couldn't keep thoughts of G8 and his Battle Aces from my mind. And while a G8 story is a fine thing in the world of G8, it wouldn't be correct in the world of the Executioner. But I needn't have worried because this book kept the silly stuff to a minimum and delivered some very good action with brisk pacing and tension.
Able Team is here as well as Lao Ti from a previous Able Team book. Able and Lao Ti both have some exciting action and work well here except the lady seems a bit too formidable for a supporting character. Grimaldi is on hand as well and he actually does more than just fly this time out. Good use of him as well.
The action is generally very good though things get a bit confused at the end when the final huge battle has too many factions doing too many things to make sense of. Even the use of the biplane as depicted on the cover makes a kind of story sense and that air battle is done well.
The plot moves things along with Bolan rescuing Grimaldi from a Russian air base providing the first objective and then Able's search for Lao Ti giving impetus to the second half of the book. The plot point about the defector was more of an excuse to get Able and Bolan on opposing sides and not very interesting on its own.
My biggest problem with the book was the lack of Bolan. Once the big guy rescues Grimaldi and gets him across the border he disappears for a long time while Able and Lao Ti take center stage. I like Able Team but in an Executioner story I want the Executioner to have the majority of the action. So even though the action and pacing are good I'm only awarding seven stars here.
Nothing much to add to the reviews posted for this one.
I thought the joining of Bolan and Able Team together was more to promote the spin off series than anything else, I wasn't sure if it was really neccesary for AT to be in here, but the book overall was pretty good, and had lots of action.
This was one of the first Executioner and Able Team exposures I've ever had, and it's still one of my favorite. Lao Ti has a return engagement from Death Bytes (over in Able Team), making the Bolan/Able/Phoenix continuity so much tighter and enjoyable in those days.
The "clash" with Able Team wasn't the big thing everyone else stated it would be, and the real treats came from Bolan's and Able Team's solo missions and I felt a lot of empathy for Pol at the end.
The German WW 1 fighter vs. the MiGs scene depicted on the cover, however, was truly worth the price of admission.
I've never really cared for Tom Arnett's books (altho they are okay) because he doesn't quite have the characters down. In any event, as others have said, Mack and Able would never go against each other.
This book was not one of the best, but it was entertaining. I found it a little odd that a CIA agent & a Senator knew about Stony Man Farm. I thought the security was tighter than that.
This one wasn't half bad. Although, I don't really see Bolan and Able Team going against each other. They've been through too much together over the years.
HOW ABOUT THAT ENDING. PRETTY SHOCKING!! I JUST CAN'T BELIEVE THAT BOLAN AND ABLE TEAM SORT OF CLASHED IN THIS ONE. EVEN THOUGH HE'S A LONE WOLF, THERE'S JUST SO MUCH THAT THEY'VE BEEN THROUGH TOGETHER TO BELIEVE IT'S TRUE.
Not too bad. Although not great, it was nice to see Able Team in this one.
