Alice Hill

My first thought, as a longtime reader, was "Oh, no, not ANOTHER attack on Stony Man Farm." You'd think that after three previous attacks, security would be ultra-tight, especially in the personnel screening and cybernetic processes. This one manages to come up with a new wrinkle, naturally, one that was completely unexpected, and pulls it off rather well. Able Team shines bright in this one (and we finally get a glimpse of what makes Ironman one "very, very scary dude", as described by Mack way back in "Stony Man Doctrine"). Also notable is the way the writer brings a sense of continuity into the story, referring back to the first attack on the Farm; a look at Cowboy's methods of defense; and real pulse-pounding action. I really enjoyed this one. This one's a definite read-till-the-pages-fall-out.

This one is cool -- lots of action, suspense, good character usage and development.Write more like these, please!!!

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!"

I agree with Gunslinger -- this one's a huge letdown from "Rogue Force." If you don't read "Rogue Force" first, you'll probably like this one more; it has the necessary ingredients to make it a satisfying adventure.

What can I say that y'all haven't said already? This is a definitely keeper and it's a gut-wrencher. It's interesting to see Mack from Johnny's eyes, especially knowing that when he was younger, he had a serious case of hero-worship.

This is one of my favorite SuperBolans because of the hijacking part. From the sounds of it, I wasn't alone in being disappointed at how quickly that was resolved. I do like the scene in the War Room where Brognola, Lyons, Katz, and McCarter discuss the hijacking -- great insight into how the guys feel about Mack. I also like how Lyons meets up with Mack in the field...Definitely a keeper.

I thought this one was cheesy in some aspects because I had already figured out who Baraka really is by the cover alone; although Gunslinger's right about that scene in particular.

#4 on my list of favorite SuperBolans. This is the first time since "Stony Man Doctrine" that all the commandos fight together and the first time Phoenix Force member Calvin James gets to meet Mack. This novel also introduces Stony Man's new mission controller, Barbara Price.

I agree with Gunslinger -- this is the worst trilogy out of the series so far. Bolan leading an army was bad enough, but to include Phoenix Force and Able Team and yet treat them like you added them in just because the editor said so made it ten times worse.

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 didn't read the back cover before I began reading this book, which was the last one I needed to complete my collection. I just grabbed it and started reading. The premise is very strong and intriguing; however, the execution of the story gets bogged down in a lot of detours due to the investigative nature of the mystery. Typical Mel Odom of the time.

Fast-paced it may be, this one seemed to throw as many characters at a scene as it did bullets and situations. I didn't care for Kirk Sanson's method of writing and am glad he didn't stay around longer (at least under that name). One of the few that I absolutely hate. Mack's usual reluctance to work with the Mafia is so quickly forgotten that it's not funny. Good premise for the story, bad execution due to too many characters thrown in the pot every two pages or so makes keeping track of who's who atrocious without a scorecard.

Definitely a good chase story from long-time contributor Mike Newton. One quibble: was pulling in Leo Turrin to make a in-the-field appearance necessary?

This one starts out kinda slow and I didn't think I'd like it. The introduction and setup scenes were a little confusing, though the action scenes are killer and the climax is surprising.

This one sucked. It read more like political commentary on the plight of Sudan than a Bolan action novel. Also, I had problems with plausibility. Bolan is "forced" to accept a general as a fighting partner when the deal is supposed to be that Bolan has the right of refusal on every mission. Additionally, Bolan suddenly is able speak Arabic, without any prior explanation of how he knows this. The action sequences are run-of-the-mill. The mission to save the hostages seems to get lost and forgotten at least three times during the story. The author does a half-hearted attempt to sew up loose ends but I was left wondering what happened to several characters, including the fighting partner that Bolan was forced to accept way back in the beginning.

Good read. I lived in the Philippines for a while so I enjoyed this one and "Sea of Savages" for that fact alone. However, I think "Sea of Savages" did a better job of addressing the plot and balancing the action with characterization and dialogue.

The only problem with this one is the fact that they essentially quit publishing PF's adventures after this one (Super Phoenix Force and Heroes series weren't published for some time after this one), and it left some loose threads dangling that have never been picked up. I was pretty disappointed with this one.

Attention Encizo fans, this (and #29) is the book to have in your collection for the reason Gunslinger pointed out. The jungle scenes are so vivid I felt like I was there, and the Force's willingness to risk official censure for another team member speaks volumes.

Chills ran up my spine when I read the plot synopsis on the back cover...I couldn't and wouldn't believe that John Trent was suddenly the enemy. Even after having read this one a couple of times, I still get that feeling...

As usual, Gunslinger has this one pegged to a T and I can't agree more. I was moved by the team's struggle to cope with Katz's injury, and looking back, I can see the roots of the decision to make McCarter the leader of PF when Katz retires.

This one just built on the momentum created by "Hostaged Vatican" and left me breathless, eagerly awaiting the next adventure, by the time I was finished with it. I couldn't see how the team would willingly work with the KGB after all the times they've fought against them. I love the whole book, but I particularly liked the final scene. I recommend that you read this book after reading "Hostaged Vatican"; I think to do otherwise would lose some of the background on Trent in particular that gets established in #26.

If I was to ever give away or sell my collection, this would definitely be among the ones I'd refuse to give up. As a matter of fact, when I moved to college, I made sure I took this one along with me. I couldn't imagine (and still can't!) PF meeting the Pope, but that's just one of the many scenes that make this a supreme standout. I thought for sure Trent would become a full-time member after this one -- I didn't think Encizo and James would make it.

"Down Under Thunder" features one of the most unique villians in the history of all the Executioner-related series. Sebastian Hardy is hungry for recognition, and he finds a unique way of getting it. I guarantee you will never forget him.Like most of the Phoenix Force novels, one of the team members receives added background and focus. This time, PF's Gary Manning runs into an old girlfriend who turns out to be the Force's official liaison in Australia. Overall, this one is well written and doesn't lose anything due to the longer length. #2 on my favorite PF novels list, after The Black Alchemists.

One of the few times that PF has to protect children, in this case a computer prodigy, and it's interesting to see how the team reacts to their assignment. It's funny to read the technology references now, but I remember reading it the first time and thinking, "Wow, what a setup!" As Gunslinger said, it's typical Fieldhouse.

#3 on my must-read PF list...I enjoyed seeing how Katz reacts to the Nazi threat, and the final action scene is very memorable.

This was, oddly enough, the first Phoenix Force novel I'd ever read, so I basically jumped right into the middle of the series. I love this book -- there is a good mix between action, suspense, humor, realism and characterization that makes this one not only a personal favorite, but also a highly recommended one.

This is one of my favorites from the early PF novels. I love William Fieldhouse's writing, and his consistency with balancing characterization, action, and plotline makes for an excellent, fast-paced read.

I agree with Gunslinger -- this one's on par with #1, which makes them a matched set in the fact that they are, in many ways, vastly different than the way the series and the team ended up.

I'm glad I read this one long after I'd decided I like Phoenix Force. If I'd read this one to start with, I probably would've never bought another book in the series. The scene in the War Room where the commandos meet for the first time, however, is worth the rest of the book.

This is quite simply, my absolute favorite out of the entire series. How did Mack get caught? Will he see his day in court? This also features a rare appearance by Mack's brother Johnny.

One of the standouts thanks to the premise and execution. I was left guessing until the end.

This one is not one of the better "brothers Bolan" books, but in terms of how Johnny Bolan's character has developed, this one is important because it shows Johnny demonstrating some of Mack's role playing talents. This is more of a Johnny Bolan book than it is a Mack Bolan book.

I like this one simply because it has McCarter in it plus Toni Blancanales (Pol's little sister) and Lao Ti. McCarter gets involved because Able Team hires him to be their guide in London. Also, this is one of the few times that Able Team's mission starts out as being unauthorized and on non-American (i.e. North/Central/South America) soil. I'm a big McCarter fan, so I loved how Toni's told "McCarter makes Lyons look like a gentleman by comparison". This is a character-packed novel; the action, while relatively sparse for the length of the novel, is vicious and deadly.