Andrew

Didn't mind this one but didn't love it either. It features a personal mission for Mack, and these are usually emotionally charged, but Ivory Wave wasn't. An interesting premise and Bolan's back hunting drug dealers dealing in legal drugs killing teens. The action is good however it doesn't leap off the page and I found my attention wandering. Bolan is threatening a truck driver, dumping cargo, stealing a truck to burn in a field as he slowly works his way into a crime family dealing with Saprano-like problems. A lot of the book is dedicated to the players in this family and most of them are so generic they don't register. The hulking psychopath is intense but his finale with Bolan just didn't satisfy. The book read long, seemed like forever to get to the end. Ultimately, this one fits in with middle of the road Bolan but just barely.

Great finish to a great trilogy! High body count and Bolan back to doing what he does best: wiping out Mafia scumbags. The Soviet angle was well handled as they are in bed with the Mafia. And I love the traps they keep envisioning for capturing Mack. Suspense was well maintained, the action fast and furious while still building towards the final showdown. The scene in the oval office alone is worth the price of admission. This is one of the superior entries in the series. Don't miss it!

Had high hopes for this one as the first McQuay Executioner I read was really, really strong. Although this one was vey well written and the attempt was made to give Bolan some heart, the story felt too disjointed and the pacing was off. It read like the book got away from McQuay. The end result was an interesting read but nothing spectacular. I expected more from the author and the plot. Japan nuking the US! Come on? How can that miss. Well, this one does. More a collection of scenes than a novel. Summing up, worth a read for the quality of the writing, but not worth desperately tracking down a copy. If you stumble across one, go for it. Otherwise, there are better novels in the series.

Had high hopes for this one as it is an early Newton and featured the new War Wagon. Alas, it wound up being run-of-the-mill Bolan. That's not necessarily a bad thing but I thought the book, with an interesting premise for the Executioner, would have played out better. There's some fine action but the climax when the two adversaries meet is anti-climatic at best. Still it was a quick read and provided some fun. Put this one down as average Bolan. Worth a read but it won't blow your mind.

One of the best Executioners I've ever read! It was great to see Mike Newton take Mack into James Ellroy territory with the conflicted cops on the wrong path. It was also great to see Mack have to revisit his stance on shooting policemen. This added a nice layer to the drama and, considering the mission was a personal one from the get-go, that extra layer really added to my reading enjoyment. Would have liked to hae seen Mack truly have to decide on the whole cop issue rather than see the matter so quickly taken out of his hands. That nitpick aside, this one was a great read. Top notch all the way down the line. Great pacing, great action, great heart. One of the best!

This new war book isn't bad. I truly enjoyed the short stories in it. What gives this one the low rating is Gold Eagle's including it in the numbered series, and the endless filler. Sure, it's comprehensive listings of all the characters that had appeared in the book to date is mildly interesting and, if I was writing a Mack adventure, this would prove invaluable. But for the casual reader, they serve no purpose. The letter section is repetitive and overlong as well. Overall, as a war book, it barely measures up. As a numbered Bolan it is grossly out of place. Nice cover though.

Wow! This one was tough reading. Long and slow. Loads of meetings, briefings and chunks of the book covering other characters besides Mack. The author clearly doesn't get what makes an Executioner novel. The pace is so slow, and every scene reads as if it's twice as long as it is actually written. Where's the pace? As for the plotting, there is no real intrigue. An interesting set up is revealed by Mack just guessing what's really going on and not uncovering anything through any real detective work. The action isn't bad though when it rarely happens. This is a sub-par Bolan all the way. Pick any of the 400+ and you'll find a read better than this one.

Garden variety Bolan this time out. Would have given it six stars but there's a good level of research put into this one, which earned it another star. Nothing really spectacular going on here. The Soviets chemical agent is a macguffin for the sake of a macguffin and we don't even hear much about it until the final pages. Decent action, an interesting potential double agent subplot. All in all, a fine Bolan to pass a Summer afternoon reading, but nothing to hunt up and devour. Next!

This one was all right once it got going but in a book of 186 pages it shouldn't take Mack the first 40 pages to get off a plane and drive to a hotel to check in. Pure padding. Also, the characters seemed hollow and rushed, which rendered the build up of suspense to fall flat. Also, Mack's manipulations from within consist of a couple of conversations. Everything leading up to the action seemed tacked on, hurried and did not flesh out the plot. The action at the end was great however. It's my guess Mr. Newton raced a deadling with this one and did not have the time to make the story truly gel. The result: a very average Executioner entry.

One of the best ever! Seeing Mack so calmly defending and arguing his stance on crime and the steps that need to be taken is just priceless. The book is low on action but extremely high on riveting philosophy and great dialogue. Don't get me wrong, there is action at the end. But the book has great pace with building menace. Just one of the all-time best Bolans. Hunt up a copy ASAP. Not to be missed.

It feels weird to give a book the highest rating when it is very low on action and Mack is hardly in it. But that's the case with this one. This is just a fine read. And it's a change of pace from the usual Executioner. Like I said, there really is very little action in the book. What action there is, is quite good, but the book is really about characters. There's the female archaeologist looking for the men who killed her father, the scuzzy antique dealer, the power struggle between the two leaders of the terrorist group selling priceless antiques to fund terror. The girl's jungle guide, the villagers... All of these folks get their moments and these take place of flat out action. But to good effect. This is a very well written Bolan. That's the bottom line. If you come to the book because you're in the mood for a non-stop thrill ride, you most likely won't enjoy this book. But if you're in the mood for a well-written action tale, then this one should not disappoint. I enjoyed it thoroughly.

With the first 39 Bolans under my belt, I thought it was time to jump around in the series and chose this one for my first leap. The book was pretty good. There were some great plot elements that added to the enjoyment. The damsel in distress was one tough cookie and really got put through the ringer. Having Mack contending with 2 enemy groups and the earthquakes were also nice touches though the earthquake element could have been better. There is a length section of the book where Mack keeps stumbling upon folks with weapons who are defending what they have. And, once the action kicks off between Mack and the baddies, the earthquake is all but forgotten. The action was good. Personally I find the writing a little hard to follow at times. This is not a fault of the writer, but rather my own personal taste. Mack does take his lumps during the big sequences. This was also refreshing since, I think, it's Mack's humanity that make him an engaging character even though he's usually performing feats of superhuman daring. Stony Man farm observing via satellite... another nice touch. All in all a fairly good read. I wasn't blown away by this one, but it was encouraging to see that at #333, Mack could still entertain and still find ways to stir the pot.

My first non-Pendleton. Yup, I've got a long way to go playing catch up. Although I'm going to start bouncing around with the series and not read them in order, I wanted to start with this first since, well, it's the first. This was not a bad book. There was some nice setting up of Stony Man farm offset against Bolan on a lone wolf mission. The mission, too, was interesting although after putting Bolan in the position with too much to handle, the author backs off and has the cavalry come over the hill. Up until then I was curious to see how Bolan was going to deal with a downed injured chopper crew, a dying spy, a hurricane, bad guys all around, a pending attack on a satellite and the Panama canal. Having help appear out of nowhere right when it was needed killed this tension. So although this was not a classic Bolan by any stretch of the imagination, it was fairly good and not a bad way to kick off the second Bolan era. Now, let the bouncing begin!

It's a mystery to me why this book does not rate higher on this list. I think it to be one of the all-time best entries in the long history of the character. Set in Vietnam, we get to see a much different Mack Bolan than we are used to. Here is a soldier fighting the good fight with fond memories of the family he longs to see again spurring him on. And the "SuperBolan" format allows plenty of "elbow room" for some much needed and well drawn characterization. With this book it really hits home just what a tragic character Mack is. We are reminded of how much he has lost and how there is no going back, EVER! Seeing him change over the course of the story from the optimistic soldier to the lethal, single-minded Executioner is tragic indeed. And his determination to fight on so that others might have a shot at happiness is truly heroic. For an added bonus, the last page of the book is as poignant a snapshot of Bolan as anyone ever needs to read. Mertz sums up the character, heck, the entire series, in that one last image. Beautiful writing. This was my first SuperBolan. And it was great! I thought at first that the larger format might be padded, but that is not the case here. And I like the "elbow room" to tell a more complete story. My only hope that the others in this series can be half as good. Descriptions, inner thoughts, character moments... this all fit the Super format and provide an excellent reading experience. This is one of the best Bolans, period. There is action galore, a great, varied plot with a breathless chase sequence, fine writing... an excellent read! Dirty War is really the start of the Bolan adventure and should be read first by any newcomer to Mack's world. Even ahead of Executioner #1. It gives the reader insight into who Mack is and what he fights for and lends an air of tragedy over the every Mack adventure. Hunt down a copy of this book. If you're a Bolan fan, it's a must have!

Without question one of the BEST chapters in the series! I'd give it 20 stars if I could! After the dreadful #37, this one was like a breath of fresh air. Pendleton goes out in style. Just like Mack himself. The writing is Pendleton's best. No question about it. Once again the action is small. This time it works because it demonstrates just how successful Bolan's war has been. There simply is not much left of the Mafia. Period. Just one last boss. The closing chapters feature Mack running down the last boss. Literally. And their exchange at the end was classic. This is a fitting end to the Pendleton era. A classic! Chapter 18 alone is worth picking up this book. Unforgettable. So it's the end of an era. A truly huge publishing achievement. Now it's on to #39 and a New War.

May be the worst Mack Bolan ever written! This is a shame because all of the elements are present here to make this entry one of the best. There's something of a reunion of past recurring characters and Bolan goes undercover to uncover a plot that... isn't there! As he has been decimating the Mafia for so long, this would have been a nice twist. He could see the result of the war because there's nothing going on. All set against the backdrop of a murdered boss. With Bolan, Leo and one of the Rangers on the scene, it would have been great to play up the "Did you do it? Did you?" angle that is only touched on in the book we've got. But this book is a mess. I believe it is either a first draft that was turned in to meet a deadline or just the work of a very tired writer. The plot of this one kicks in around page 127. Yes, you read that right. 127. Up until then, everyone just talks in huge paragraphs and repeat earlier plot points. Literally nothing happens. Not one blessed thing. And Leo wanting to jump into the sack with Mack seems to be the product of an imagination wrung dry. Or, who knows, maybe Pendleton saw this down the road for the characters. We'll never know. It does jump out as being out of character for Leo. To say the least! And yet the book has a great cover! Well, I'm down to my last Pendleton. #38. I'm sure this one will be better than #37. #37 does serve one function however. For anyone who wants to write a Bolan, read this one. It gets everything wrong. This might be an effective tool for future Bolan scribes as to what NOT to do.

Funny thing is that I thought I'd have to wait until after the Pendleton Executioners to see Mack in action with and for the government. But as I work through this wrap-up week, I'm seeing more and more of it. In this one, Mack is cast very much in the James Bond mold with a mad scientist and an ambitious way to ferry drugs internationally. With underground caverns and submarines, this is not your typical war against the mafia yarn. The characterization is quite good in this one, too. We see Mack and Grimaldi working closely together. April sits on the sidelines with Brognola and, happily, does not get kidnapped. Also Mack's empathy for a mafia hood was a nice touch. Especially when it is returned even after the hood learns he's been had by the Executioner. I enjoyed this one and with only 2 days left, I'm anxious to see how the thing wraps up from Pendleton's point of view. By the way, for any Death Merchant fans, this book has a behind-the-scenes preview of that series. I've never read a Death Merchant but that preview got me very curious. I'll have to keep my eyes open for one of those.

Bolan's "handling" of a vicious torturer kick off this adventure with satisfying fury. Also connecting Mafia actions with a military base and "big scheme" plot kind of lay down a blueprint for the non-Pendleton Bolans that come in the wake of the wrap up week. Also the books tend to cut away from Mack more often now as the people he is going to working with/for after Pendleton passes the torch are given a chance to live and breath on the page. Although, as a whole, this one is not a great entry, it is a very good one. And it's clear now that the books have a definite direction. As I have read only 1 non-Pendleton, but have a stack of them I'm eager to dive into on my reading shelf, this bodes well.

As close to a perfect Executioner book as one is likely to find. That's the only way to describe day two of Bolan's wrap up operation. This one has loads of action, a threat that is more real today than it was back in the late 70s and with all of that, Pendleton still has room for great detours into characterization. I find myself checking the page count while reading this one because so much story is packed into the standard length that I thought I was reading an excellent SuperBolan! Not a paragraph is wasted. Mack and April expressed their love. Mack, at one point, is consumed with doubt over his mission and what the government has in store for him. Brognola worries for both of them. And so on. Great character moments peppered around great action. My only knock against this one is that April gets kidnapped again. As she had been kidnapped in the last book, this was not quite so well received by this reader. Of course, Mack's rescue is a thing of beauty without a drop of blood spilled. This is one of the best Executioners I've read to date.

I picked up this one because it was written by the great Dan J. Marlowe, one of the best hardboiled writers to ever put pen to paper. Stephen King dedicated his Colorado Kid to Marlowe. A great, great writer. I'm not a big fan of the Phoenix Force books, but I did enjoy this one. Enough so that it got me thinking about the others. Action does take a bit of a back seat in this one, but good writing makes up for it and we get to learn more about the characters. This doesn't happen too often in books of this type so it's always a treat when it does. Because of this one, I might dive into Phoenix Force again.

Enter April Rose. Some 15 years ago I began slowly parceling out what I call the Pendleton 38 (I know he didn't write one of them)and it's been slow going while life and 5000 other books have crossed my line of sight. And I've heard about April over the years, too. Vowing not to read any of the non-Pendleton books until I'd finished the first 38, I had not encountered the lady love of Mack's life. Until now. Monday's Mob was a very enjoyable Bolan. April makes a profound impression on him right from the get go, which got me thinking of that great cover down the line where she lies dead in Mack's arms. I'm very interested in seeing how this relationship pans out. As for the book, it's clear that Bolan has done major damage to the mob and his "mopping up" operation does more of the same. This first of that famous week of terror really moves the story along and it's refreshing to see a clear sense of direction in the books. I'm a fan of the one book, one adventure part of the series, but it's a nice change of pace to see the books going somewhere. This is a fine Bolan adventure. Can't wait to see what Tuesday holds...

With the awfully dated cover and the setting, I was not expecting much from this installment. But I was surprised by the book. I like seeing Mack hooking up with fellow agents on the side of good as he tends to lighten up and open up a little with fellow comrades in arms. These rare scenes always provide a bit of insight in the character. The reference to the "new" technology of home video entertainment was a hoot when read with hindsight. But, at the same time it demonstrates how Don Pendleton kept his eyes and ears open with regards to the latest developments in the world. Big and small. The plot is a little hazy but there are some great action sequences. Plus Bolan gets the offer that makes publishing history: the offer to work for the government. And this kicks off the week long blitz that wraps up Pendleton's involvement with the franchise. To say nothing of spawning 100s of Bolan adventures. There are times when the war against the mafia seems repetitious and spinning the character off as a agent of the government opens the door for future stories. I'm starting the wrap up now. The week long blitz. Looking forward to it. This installment is somewhat typical of the middle of the road Bolan, but the offer at the end makes history. Read it for that alone, but read it.

I like the figures from Bolan's Nam past coming back. This added a nice touch. And watching the disintegration of a US senator was very well written. The book was uneven though. The action was very good, Bolan at his best, but, aside from the Senator aspect, the rest was a little clumsy. Mack vs. Plane was a great scene. And I liked the exchanges with his 'Nam nemesis. A very good, typical (in a good way) Bolan. And the seeds of the big "finale" are laid in this book as well.

Off-beat Bolan. And another team up with a lovely lady. What I liked about this one was that the woman stayed mysterious for a good portion of the book and this was offset by Mack's attraction for the girl. This worked really well and it was great to see how the plot tied into their relationship. Mack falls for this one, which of course sets up a terrible choice. This personal, emotional element helped the story along. The plot was intelligent but somewhat low in the action department. The insight into Mack's character made up for this and the book, overall, was pretty darn good.

This one was one of those build up to the action installments that worked very well. Bolan goes undercover again to good effect and the early action is merely summarized as he begins to weave a huge double-cross. This sets up one of the most decisive action sequences I've read in the series. Devastating to those who need devastating. Not to be missed. I agree with earlier reviewers that this does seem like the end of the war. Mack pulls off a major operation here. Having not read the remaining Pendletons yet, I can't imagine how Mack could do more. But I'm looking forward to finding out.

I picked up this one for my brother-in-law who was going to be laid up with minor surgery. Before I could get the book to him, I found this site and was surprised to see that the book was rated so high. Well, as a long-time but slow-reading Bolan fan who is still making his way through the Pendleton 38, I thought, I've got to read this one. And I was not disappointed! I can see why this novel rates as high as it does. The story is different, personal and the writing is top notch. This is my first Mike Newton and won't be my last. The action was great, poor Mack is really put through the ringer. And another thing that set this one apart for me was that Mack is truly on the defensive for the entire story. My only knock against this one is that the identity of the hunter is clearly obvious three-quarters of the way through the book. A chance for a riveting cat and mouse game was missed here. But that is a minor point. Eternal Triangle is truly one of the best Bolans I've ever read. And it has got me excited to get back into the series. For any Bolan fan, new or old, this one is a must have. A superior effort!

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 have just finished reading 'The Power Trilogy'& I thought it was a good read. If you are looking for full-on action this is your book.Was it worth the AUS$44.85 (cost of all 3 books) you betcha!

This was the very first Mack Bolan book I read which was 12 years ago.When I read it,it immediatly filled my need for a book that had a lot of action.Since then I have tried to collect every book in the series.So I yeah I would have to say that this is a great book.Score 8/10.

Although I have not read all of the Mack bolan adventures concerning the Mafia-wars I think this would have to be one of the best I have read.The story was great and the action was mind blowing!