Joshua Goudreau

I hate to repeat what has already been said but it bugged me at first, this book should have been called ‘Antarctic Blast’. But that niggling detail was lost once the book got underway. Jon Guenther weaves a compelling and exciting book. The plot and story are entertaining and engaging. Bolan’s characterization is spot on even if he isn’t acting the part of the balls-to-the-wall action hero in this book. The supporting cast is three dimensional and believable. The prose is clear and tight and the story is well structured and compelling. The book begins to falter for me in the third act. Had this been any other book I would have been riveted by the events that unfold. However, once the missile is launched I found the tension drained from the story. Being a franchise story I knew the bomb would be thwarted and all would be well by the end. Guenther did a superb job otherwise but through metathinking I could not find tension in the drama that was unfolding as I felt I already knew the outcome. It turns out I was right too. Jon Guenther is a talented and accomplished author. Arctic Blast proves that in several ways and even the part that didn’t work for me was still a tightly written and well done piece of prose, creating a book that works on several levels.

This volume is definitely a time I will be going against the crowd. I felt Reprisal was tired and uninspired story. The characters were passable but the book failed on every other level. Michael Kasner delivers a lackluster and uninspired book that does nothing but bore. The entire plot and backstory is explained in the early pages of the book and no twists, surprises or even changes alter things as the book progresses. The villain in the CIA’s motivation is so thin that is descends into the realm of absurd that he would even devote the time and energy on attacking Stony Man Farm. I found myself groaning at the very prospect of such a ludicrous and contrives story. And then to have the whole thing explained at the beginning was inexcusable and amateurish. I didn’t even have to wait until the need to have that groan and roll of the eyes. The characterization of the teams are passable representations but they fail to inspire that same bravado and flair that is present in each of them. When even Carl Lyons is dull and unimpressive you know something is wrong. As the book plays out Kasner’s prose becomes muddled and unclear. There was more than one occasion where I had to stop and read carefully to understand the action in a scene. Such a style is not suited to action adventure stories as it removes the reader from the immersion of the story. All told, I feel Reprisal is dull and better left alone.

Finally Newton brings us to the final volume of the so-called American Trilogy. This time the book at least takes place in America, so the title is fitting. This book begins where Call to Arms left off, Bolan, still on the trail of Christopher Stone, but for no real reason. This book is essentially the last book, removed from the Mexican desert and placed in the Florida swamps. Newton gives no backstory or motivation fro Bolan’s blitz and he plugs in the same tired and dull scenes over and over again with no filler until his 60,000 words are filled. The last two volumes of this trilogy are essentially an epilogue to Patriot Gambit stretched out over two books. They are nearly painful to get through and have no payoff to make the effort worthwhile. Call to Arms serves no purpose as far as story or character that was not covered better and clearer in Patriot Gambit. Newton’s characterization of Bolan is superb as usual, but the rest of the work gives me no reason to care. What began good in Patriot Gambit descended into a train wreck of lackluster crap in the last two books, especially here in Call to Arms.

Mike Newton continues the so-called American Trilogy here. I say “so-called” because this entire book takes place in Mexico. The last time I checked, Mexico is not very American, I could be wrong, however. Anyway, Bolan begins on the trail of Christopher Stone, the only man to escape the assault at the end of the first volume of the trilogy. After the above par Patriot Gambit, I am wondering why Hour of Conflict even exists. It serves no purpose in the story outside of introducing one minor villain character. The entire book is nothing besides Newton’s staple scenes with no filler. Several raiding the enemy camp scenes with one sniper scene thrown in for good measure. The bad guys escape at the end and Bolan goes off in pursuit. Hour of Conflict ends exactly as it began, with Bolan chasing Stone. Though his motivation for doing so is unclear, sure he’s a bad guy but as a reader I need a bit more than that. With the ending so much like the beginning it is unclear why Newton even bothered to write this outside of getting a paycheck for the same tired trash he had peddled before and for the ability to call it a ‘trilogy.’ Patriot Gambit restored a bit of my faith in Newton as a writer but Hour of Conflict dashed it rapidly and with ruthless vigor.

In past reviews I have been pretty hard on Mike Newton and his approach to book writing. Patriot Gambit proves that when he breaks away from his formula and tired scenes he can write an engaging and entertaining story. The book begins with Bolan undercover, infiltrating a domestic terror outfit in the form of a militia group. The characters are well defined and not simple cutout crazies. Bolan, as Newton always writes him, is spot on. The story is intriguing and Bolan gets put in some pretty tricky situations, trying to maintain his cover and battle enemies inside and outside the camp. There were some elements that I felt were a bit too much. The fact that one of the secondary militia men would seek to kill Bolan for a simple embarrassment was too much for me to believe and by the end of the story the book descended into one of Newton’s paint by numbers assault the bad guy stronghold scenes. The major bad guys buy it in the end and only a secondary baddie escapes. The plot wraps up nicely in the end and as a single volume this book works moderately well. The afore mentioned escapee is all that ties this book to the remaining two in the American Trilogy. While the Trilogy as a whole is horrible this installment is passable.

There is little I can add over what Glenn has already said. Thermal Strike was dull and flat and ultimately boring. The characters had no depth and the plot was linear to a fault. The prose was over explained and bloated at times and other times sparse and unclear. The inclusion of the backpack nukes I found unbelievable. The very fact that the US Army would even possess, let alone have specially trained units for them, was just too much for me. The entire opening of the book where the soldiers goes rogue with one of the backpack nukes was stretching logic to the breaking point and he wasn’t even given a proper motivation. The villains are one dimensional racial stereotypes that I found outright offensive and Bolan was flat and uninspired. The entire plot was explained in the first few chapters and no surprises, or even changes, came along later. As a writer I find this sloppy and inexcusable. It is not difficult to reveal the plot and story as events unfold. To tell everything in plain, descriptive prose at the beginning is bad form and better left to amateurs. Of course, many elements of this book are tropes better left to amateurs.

The Freedom Trilogy, begun in Executioner #174 and #175, concludes here. This time the prose falls to Mel Odom’s capable hands. This is only one of two trilogies team written by Odom and Jerry VanCook. The two authors share similar writing styles and have the same grasp of and capability in characterization and story structure so the transition is flawless in that regard. Where this book fails, and it is minor, is also in this transition of authors. Odom spends the first portion of this book bringing the teams together in Haakovia so the progress of several plot lines stalls for a brief time until everyone is in place for things to continue. Phoenix’s involvement finally begins to have some impact on the story as events begin to flay into chaos and we move into the third act. Odom’s prose is quick, clear and tight, as the plot gets desperate and the characters struggle against overwhelming odds. We feel their desperation as the battles get intense and overwhelming to them. Odom’s characterization is spot on and we truly feel the plight of them all. The villains are just as in depth and the tyranny is palatable. The Freedom Trilogy draws to a thrilling and explosive conclusion here. All three volumes flow, fairly well, together to create a single epic story that is a height in the Bolaverse.

The Freedom Trilogy continues and now we move into the second act of the story. The civil war in the fictional Baltic state of Haakovia flares to new heights and the entire Farm maneuvers to prevent the aggression of the North. All of the strengths present in the first volume of the series VanCook carries over here. His prose is clear and enjoyable and his characters are deep and engaging. However, his plot begins to wear thin in places. Phoenix Force’s mission is unclear and never really accomplishes anything. It seems almost like filler so they will be in the story as they move around and do some things but none of it ever has any impact on the overall story. However, the intensity of the other plot threads kicks up a notch and weave together superbly. As with the previous title, this book really only works as part of a whole. It has no beginning and no end but works beautifully as a continuation of the previous volume and prepares to flow into the next as a single, cohesive story. This factor is a strength in my opinion over other series and authors that choose to create self contained books that connect in other ways.

Jerry VanCook is a real hit or miss author. Sometimes he’s off base and sloppy while others he on his game and writes engaging and entertaining books. In Battle Plan, he is on. As the first book in a trilogy VanCook introduces us to all of the major players and sets up the conflict of civil war beautifully. While I am no fan of fictional countries he gives us a believable Baltic state and I was able to suspend my disbelief and go along for the ride. The plot is understandable and engaging and doesn’t waste space with unnecessary scenes or chapters. VanCook’s prose is smooth and clear while still exciting and interesting, as it usually is. The only element that some might consider a detraction to this book is that it does not stand on it’s own, it is clearly only the first act of the story and to truly understand and enjoy the reader must finish the trilogy. I consider this element a plus as it reads like a single story as opposed to other series in the Bolanverse where each book is self contained but share plot elements. The characters are well written and believable people and it was interesting to see Bolan as a military commander, a role he seldom fills but performs admirably. The other teams are brought in on the action and the entire series reads more like a Stony Man title that an Executioner, however, VanCook makes it work. Battle Plan, and the entire Freedom Trilogy, is worth the time and effort to read. It is exciting and entertaining and proves that VanCook is a talented and capable author.

As I read this book I began to wonder several things. The most prominent was the title. I felt that Mean Streets was not very apt for what actually lay between the covers of this book. I felt that it was never mean. A more apt title would have been along the lines of Vaguely Threatening But Ultimately Lackluster Streets. This book hovers on the brink of average. Sure, there is action but it’s dull and slow paced. When there are bullets flying and gangers getting shredded by buckshot, I don’t think anyone is going to stop and consider the architecture. The plot and story are vague and ultimately transparent. It is never explained what sort of capacity the team is working in and why they seem to have so much clout with the LAPD considering they only arrived as friends of a detective. The avenue of investigation is too linear and the holes in logic and reality are extreme. The characters are flat and Lyons rules the day while Schwartz and Blancales fade to the background and are little more than two-dimensional sidekicks. The bad guys are one dimensional psychopaths with little to no motivation and the supporting cast barely exists yet we, as readers, are supposed to have some kind of emotional reaction to their deaths or danger. Mean Streets falls flat but never really descends into the realm of truly bad. Without nitpicking details and dissecting scenes I will just say that this book is not truly worth the time and effort to wade through. If you are a completist or a diehard fan that truly wants to read the first SuperAble Team book then feel free. Otherwise, just find something else to read. There are plenty of good books out there.

Every once in a while there comes a book in the Bolanverse that stands head and shoulders above the rest and sets the bar higher for following titles to measure up. A book flawlessly structured, plotted and executed. A book with spot on characters and in depth personalities. A book that truly excites and engages. Search and Destroy is just such a book. Mike Linaker delivers, as he always does, but goes above and beyond even for him. He has proven in other titles that he is one of the best authors contributing to this series and this book, his second, shows that even from the beginning he knew how to turn out outstanding material. The plot and story is well structured and flows smoothly. The action is crisp and exciting and never too much or forced. Linaker has a great prose, especially for action, and he proves it here. The characters are superb and spot on. With a five man team sometimes one or more members of the team will seem flat or uninspired but Linaker manages to give each depth and a unique voice without resorting to stereotypes. This book has no detractors and is simply an excellent bit of literature. It stands up superbly against any book inside or out of the Bolanverse.

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.

By this time in Fieldhouse’s writing he knew the characters inside and out. He takes the additional space provided in a larger book and really shows us who these people are. He also gives us a plot as epic as the first supersized adventure should be. The action is unrelenting and Fieldhouse’s mastery shines in still being able to show the characters while never loosing his breakneck pacing. He also gives us such an interesting and comic book bad guy in Colonel Skull. The books faults are present but not anything that ruins the book. Fieldhouse focuses on the character of Katz a bit more then I would have liked as Katz was never a character I particularly cared for. Nothing against Katz. Also the plot doesn’t get going until nearly half way through the book. The attack on the castle should have occurred in the first quarter not as late as it did. This makes the second half of the book seem more rushed then a well structured story should. Also, as smart as Colonel Skull was and as cool a bad guy as he was I really would have liked to see him escape at the end. All in all this book is fantastic and one of the best Bolanverse books I have read. It is nearly 20 years old now and surprisingly it has aged well. It is easy to imagine such a crisis now by removing the USSR and inserting another adversarial nation such as China or North Korea.

Other reviews have knocked this book for some lapses in technical details but I will not. This is a clear foray into science fiction and so my suspension of disbelief was in full effect and I never once minded that you could see the beam of the laser. Then at the end I realized why it was important. When the Skysniper is employed as an anti infantry weapon it is important to see that flash of blinding light as it is searing through and exploding people or decimating the African jungle. It made the fight so much more visceral and brutal. Speaking of visceral and brutal I am reminded once again why Rodgers is praised as one of the best Bolan authors. He gives us a dirtier and grittier Bolanverse then the Beretta wielding, blacksuit clad paladin that Bolan can sometimes become. My only problem with the characterization was Bolan’s seeming lack of tactical ingenuity or regard for the welfare of the Spetznaz commandos at the end. It is difficult to tell which Bolan is lacking in the third act of the story. He sends the Russians headlong into overwhelming odds, knowing they will get slaughtered and, of course, they do. What ever happened to Sergeant Mercy? Bolan has been shown countless times to care for the well being of allies and incredible tactical cunning but as the end draws near both seem to leave him for a time. It was just strange. On the whole Skysniper was a superb book and a powerful attempt by Rodgers. It stands well above the bulk of the Bolanverse books as a seminal action piece and even stands on it’s own outside of the fan base as a powerful and well crafted novel.

Stealth Striker was like meeting someone special and finding out that the two of you are incompatible and you must part ways. It starts so sweet and promising but falls into sadness and regret ultimately leaving you unfulfilled. To say this book is bad is really a discredit because I could only find certain things that truly rubbed me the wrong way. The book just ended up leaving me unfulfilled, like it could have been great but just wasn’t. Bolan ended up overcoming difficult situations and discovering information not through the use of his wits and expertise but through the lack of those very things in his adversaries. For the folks that read these books for nothing more then some romping and explosive action then I can see why this was popular. I, however, like to pretend to be a tad more sophisticated and thus demand a degree of intelligence from my pulp adventure novels. Stealth Striker promises that but really only delivers Schmidt’s typical fare.

Mike Newton gets major points in Prairie Fire for originality. He does something with an Executioner book that had not been done previously. Bolan, injured and without support is run to ground and has to defend himself rather then his normal offensive mode. However, the good points of the book don’t go far beyond there. Essentially this book is only the final act of the story. It is incomplete. While this piece works wonderfully as a companion to the other lone wolf era Bolan books it does not stand on its own very well. This book is recommended to fans of the series but not to the casual reader. And what the hell was up with the sex scene? It seemed so out of character. Bolan is running against the clock with so much to do... oh let’s slip off into the barn for a quickie. Focus on the task at hand Mack, jeez.

Beginning where Defensive Action left off we follow Carl Lyons and his imprisonment in North Korea and the others’ chafing at being forced to continue their mission while Lyon’s fate is still up in the air. In true Linaker fashion we are given great villains and spot on characterization of the heroes. Linaker proves again that he is a capable professional and eighteen year veteran of the Bolanverse. The ending of this book falls into all parties converging on a facility for a final climactic showdown but in Rouge State this does not seem formulaic. This book has little in the way of writing to detract from it and the only negative points are some sloppy editing work that seems to plague these later books.

This book begins as a direct sequel to Stony Man #?: Dragon Fire and answers many of the questions that are left unanswered in that book. Though in superb form Linaker does not require us to have read Dragon Fire before beginning Defensive Action. The story of the Slingshot Project progresses further now that it has entered another phase and is nearly operational. As in Linaker’s other longer works he gives us in depth villains and superb action. Never did the book feel forced or contrived. Improving on his form in Dragon Fire he no longer has extended scenes describing the villains motivations or plot points that could have been integrated into the story much more smoothly. Though the Militia guy does get a bit long winded at times. To this books discredit it does begin to feel formulaic near the end as all parties are closing in on the facility for the final climactic battle. It still makes for a decent ending but comes off a little flat if you read these books frequently. The ending and the plot threads left dangling are a great jumping off point for book two but are not enough to make readers of just this volume feel unsatisfied. Overall Defensive Action is another fantastic outing by Mike Linaker.

Haven’t I read this somewhere before? Oh, that’s right, SuperBolan #93: Retaliation. This book failed on so many levels I’m not sure I can list them all here and get across my full point. Past reviews have stated pretty clearly why this book fails but I will put my own spin on it. Newton wrote this one before and has written it sense. He takes the same damned scenes and sticks them at random into his other books. The sniper scene is one that any Newton regular will recognize. The prisoner rattling the bars to make an escape attempt. You get the point. I’m not sure about other Newton books but this one really stood out in these two. Bolan, McCarter and Mindel come across a villain stronghold/camp/facility/whatever and split up to attack from three sides. This, of course sends the villains into disarray and the commandos have no trouble doing their job... wait. Is it just me or is that kinda stupid? I bought it the first time they did it in Retaliation but they did it a further billion times and then in this one they are doing it again, and gain, and again. Apparently these villains have no clue how to respond to a multiple pronged attack. They don’t fall to battle stations or fortify or anything. I won’t get into the improperly handled characters because then I’d be going off for even longer. If you are either a new reader never experiencing Newton before, a completist who has to read Katz’ death or a masochist then read Warrior’s Requiem. Otherwise, avoid it and just know that Katz is dead. He died fighting as is befitting of such a man but it’s probably better that you don’t get into the details.

Sudden Fury pulls me in two directions at once. On one hand I loved it but on the other the book did not satisfy. Linaker has delivered some powerhouse novels but this one is not. It had Linaker’s trademark action and personality making it well above average when compared to other titles in the series. However it begins to fall flat in it’s execution, so to speak. Bolan is an interesting and compelling character as always and the story is well structured if a bit over simplistic. The pacing begins to falter when Bolan declares a blitz and then spends a bunch of time not killing and destroying. It is jerky in it goes in fits and starts instead of the smooth flow I am accustom to from this author. The villains are unclear and I was left not caring if they lived or died. The plot of the drug operation was fine but as soon as Bolan destroys it the remainder just seemed forced. There were too many faces and no clear view of the power structure. The “main” villain began seeming like a henchman. In all it was hard to understand how Bolan’s fight was going when it is unclear who the biggest threat is. Sudden Fury was not boring or ill paced to the point that it was a bad read but Linaker ahs done better. While its flaws are very pronounced Sudden Fury is miles above many of the titles in the series.

I’m left wondering how this series remained popular in the early seventies with books like this coming out. Sure the series started off with a powerhouse debut but it seems the quality nose dived pretty quickly. Pendleton created something very cool with The Executioner but seemed unable to maintain the level of intensity that he established in War Against The Mafia. To put it simply Nightmare In New York is boring. Disjointed and unconnected action scenes and long male fantasies iconic of the era. The three fashion designer girls are the most ridiculous caricatured and forced characters I have read in a very long time. Bolan is little more then a macho façade that runs around and guns down faceless mafia goons for no more reason then they are faceless mafia goons. The geography is confusing and it seems that Bolan has a teleporter hidden somewhere in his blacksuit so he can just appear places when it becomes plot appropriate. The writing is trite and confusing. I had a hard time figuring out who people were and what was going on and when I could figure it out I didn’t care. While better then some of Pendleton’s later books this one is still near the bottom of the barrel.

Just when I didn’t think Bolan could get any harder I pick up Chuck Rogers’ Savage Game. Everything that makes The Executioner such an enduring series is embodied in this book. Bolan is a perfectly three dimensional character and it is so much fun as a reader to watch him follow through his mission. The action was intense and cinematic while managing to be gritty and human too. The plot is fantastic with an alter ego to Stony Man. It was amusing to watch Bolan play a character as he infiltrates the Club. Never once did anything he did seem forced and the way he got out of many of his tough situations were fantastic. The Iceman was an awesomely tough bad guy. He was as cool and badass as Bolan but by the end we saw who was tougher. Mack proves that he was and forever will be the top dog. The guy gets buried alive, digs himself out and beats Iceman into a coma for Christ’s sake. The final scene with iceman and Bolan was classic Executioner. The book, however, is not without it’s faults. The faults are minor when compared to the powerhouse that is Savage Game but they are there none the less. It is my opinion that 220 pages is just not long enough for most authors to deliver a story and thus the books suffer. I will always prefer the longer stories to the shorter books. They can be done well but writing a story of appropriate size is an art unto itself it seems. Savage Game’s flaw comes in a forced bit of plot that turns out entirely too convenient. When Bolan takes the cellular phone from Hook Stony Man puts all of their faith in the phone leading them to the Club when they have no evidence to suggest it. Conveniently it does pan out for them. With all of the mercenary recruiting that goes on in the Bolanverse the chances that Hook’s mysterious phone will lead to the Club is too far fetched to believe. Had they received some sort of clue from the Russians about a phone or something it would have maintained my suspension of disbelief but as it was written it is just too weak.

Night Heat is not only the worst Bolanverse books I have read but one of the worst books I have read period. It amazes me that a book can be at once enragingly offensive and mind numbingly boring. Cain manages to give us a book that is disjointed and at times incomprehensible. The characters are flat macho douchebags who we care nothing about. And when I say care nothing about they are the kinds of people I would gladly kick in the teeth if they were real. If Night Heat is to be believed, and what are books if they are not an extension of the real world, then the US CBP (Customs and Border Patrol) are elite paramilitary units who risk their lives daily. The border between the US and Mexico is both marked by a dilapidated barbed wire fence and is a no man’s land that neither country wants to claim. I am curious how it can both be marked and be a vague area of badland. And, of course, the most important thing we must remember from Night Heat is that every last Mexican is dirty, smelly and has a burning desire to live in the US. Every single one of them. And because of this(?) the CBP hates them. If someone despises Mexicans so much why would they join the CBP? There is so much wrong with Night Heat that I would have to write a book longer then it just to point out all the flaws. What Cain has given us with Night Heat is a book that would have been better served being published by a white supremacist publisher somewhere, not Gold Eagle. On every page the reader is assailed with a ceaseless flow of racial slurs in both the dialogue and the narrative. Cain even goes so far as to portray the rape and murder of Mexicans as an amusing pastime. Not just a pastime for the everyday American but for the CBP officers who live and work the border every day.

For a debut effort Mike Linaker nails it. He delivers a book that is compelling and exciting while perfectly capturing the characters and the style. The plot is interesting and does not seem contrived and the characters are three dimensional. The narrative is clear and the action fast paced and understandable. It is never unclear what is happening or where the players are in relation to what is happening. The progression of the plot is not as linear as some giving a dynamic feel to the overarching action of the story. On the down side this book does lack the refinement that Linaker’s work has attained over the last eighteen years but that is to be expected with his first foray into the Bolanverse. The descriptions of traveling around London and the English countryside become tiresome after a time but not so much as to detract badly from the narrative. The level of detail in such directions is unnecessary to give the reader a feel for the setting. As well, it was nice to see some background on the characters so readers unfamiliar with them could pick up the book and know who everyone was but it seemed awkward and tacked on. A character can be given plenty of depth and background without stopping the narrative for a page or two to describe everyone’s history. On the whole, Linaker wrote a hell of a read with his freshman effort. There is a reason that he is one of the most popular authors in the series and he shows it from his first book on.

I cannot say what it was like to read Justice By Fire in 1983, I can only say what is was like to read it in 2006. I also cannot say what it was like to read this next to the other books in the Able Team series as it is essentially my introduction to the books. However, when I write these reviews I am comparing the books, not to each other, but to literature as a whole. To me there is no reason that mass market pulp adventure novels cannot be held in the same regard as any other kind of book. No book is disposable in my eyes. However, some of these books seem to have been written to be disposable. Read once and discard. Justice By Fire is just such a book. G. H. Frost may have created something that was profound in 1983 but somehow I suspect not. This book suffers from some horrible lack of forethought. Through the entire piece it is obvious he made it up as he went along. The novel could have been so much better had he taken some time to organize his thoughts before he began. But he was only writing a disposable adventure novel, so why bother? It is for that reason that Justice By Fire fails. The concept and the ideas that went into this book are quite good but they begin to fall apart in execution. For the first half of the book we are given a setup for the story, as well as a pointless and trite party scene involving the boys of Able Team, and then some action and then an explanation scene that explains the back cover text. For a while there I was wondering if I was reading the same book. Then nothing more of those ideas. Splatter and violence galore in the second half, but no real plot progression, slightly disjointed action scenes and a half hearted attempt at continuity with the rest of the series makes Justice By Fire the average and disposable piece of writing that it is.

Mike Linaker is top notch once again. In the span of only a few weeks he has become my favorite Bolanverse author. I have been devouring his shorter work and eagerly moved into his longer tales. Dragon Fire delivered with all the intensity and strength of character that I expected. While it seems that Linaker spent the first half of this book leading the reader to believe it would be typical with Able Team and Phoenix Force on separate missions and every encounter leads to violence he quickly shatters that. The book moves quickly and is never confusing or convoluted. The plot is simple on the surface and personal bringing it down to earth. The only things preventing Dragon Fire from attaining a full ten star rating are minor but still evident. In the beginning Linaker runs on the assumption that the reader knows who the members of Able Team and Phoenix Force are and can identify them by name alone. I was not as familiar with these people and thus spent quite some time stopping and checking to make sure he was talking about who I thought he was. Also the plot was given two or three explanation sequences early on and one late in the book that took away any kind of mystery to the tale. I would have preferred to find out what Colonel Li was up to as the Stony Crew does instead of having it explained to me a few dozen pages ahead of time. The story would have made just as much sense and been more exciting if these scenes had been removed and the information given later beefed up a little. Overall Dragon Fire is an outstanding book that delivers strong characters and action. It is an outstanding book by any standards, not just when compared to other Bolanverse titles. Simply put, Linaker fucking rocks.

Hard Contact is yet another fast paced and hard hitting tale by Linaker. In the author’s usual style he delivers a human Bolan with plenty of the slightly unreal action. The story is simple and nothing over the top. The characters all feel real and are not cookie cutter terrorists, except for the cannon fodder anyway. It was nice to see Grimaldi get into the mix. I found it amusing that every time Bolan took out a terrorist stronghold he picked up their phone and called the Farm. It was also nice to see Brognola doing his job. He actually leaves the office and goes out to play Justice Department. The book had a few disappointments and let downs but nothing major. Bolan’s investigation goes in a perfectly straight line from one clue to the next. He only once receives more then one clue at a time. I found it hard to believe that Brognola would be able to keep the entire fiasco under wraps the whole time. Most of it is believable but the terrorist rampage in the hospital seemed a bit too high profile to be kept as quiet as it was. Lastly there was the pointless inclusion of Dragon Fire. Why the hell was it even mentioned? Grimaldi never uses it so it could have just as easily been a Bell that wouldn’t attract any undue attention. I wanted to see Grimaldi go flying to that damn ski lodge guns and rockets blazing to get Bolan back. Instead he goes in on foot with a Beretta and almost gets beat down by the fat guy swinging a wine bottle.

Double Action was an engaging read. Renauld had a solid grasp of the characters and how to write action. The villians were well developed and belivable. However the book felt a little flat and overall the plot was a little on the dull side. The book was far from bad or even average but not one of the best in the series either.

This is the book that started it all. While I am sure this book was as profound as The Wild Bunch in 1969 it, like the classic Sam Peckipah film, has lost little over time. This book is still a profound piece of literature. It shows a man on a “holy war” of blood and fire. We are introduced to Mack Bolan and a very clear picture of him is painted. He is explained to us in a form that now, nearly forty years later, is still essentially how he is. A thoughtful, ruthless soldier fighting an eternal war. The powerful narrative and logical actions of the characters make this an engaging read from beginning to end. The plot is solid and only few actions seem forced. This should be the book that all other Bolan titles are compared to for good reason. Reading this showed me the violence revolution that was overtaking popular media in the late 60s. A revolution that went on to create one of my favorite genres. Intelligent violent media. This book was a facet of a profound change in the form of American entertainment. Little detracts from this book. The writing is solid and never is the action confusing. However the book becomes a pure product of the 60s in the excessive sex scenes. I am not easily offended (if I was this would not be the book for me) but the scenes added nothing to the story and served only to be excessive passages that could have been dedicated to something that advanced the story. Again, this was 1969 and different things were expected from popular entertainment but these scenes serve to seriously date the book. Also the introduction of Valentina seemed forced and I never once felt like she was a believable or real character. He emotions seemed forced and she is openly contradictory on may occasions. The ending of the book also left many issues and feelings unresolved but not in a good way.

This book carries a solid 8 stars in my opinion. The action was well written and ample but not ecessive or contrived. Linaker does a good job of presenting a story that is personal, allowing Bolan to move through the plot without any over the top plot hooks getting involved. Overall a well crafted and enjoyable story. Detractors for this book are minor really but do seem to make the book a little flat at times. I am usually not a fan of fictional countries. There are plenty of real places that this story could have taken place that a country like Timpala did not need to be created. There were plot hooks introduced that seemed to be resolved too conveniently. Bolan rescuses the girls and is thinking of how to stash them while he goes after the rest of the slaves and the tribal leader shows up suddenly to whisk them away to safety. The ending also seemed a little tacked on. The sequence of assaulting Government House was very cool but once Chakra was dead I was left wondering why the book was still going.

As earlier reviws have stated this book is very difficult to get through. The narrative is dense and distracting. The author spends FAR too long explaining things that have absolutely nothing to do with the story making the fast paced scenes dull and the slow paced scenes torturous. The story is luke warm at best. These books should be fast paced and punchy and Tropic Heat clearly is not. As an interesting aside for any Stephen King fans. I live in Maine and got this book second hand from a used book store and it is stamped from the Derry Public Library. Creeeeepy.

This book was an egaging and fast paced read. I enjoyed it from the beginning up untill the climactic ending. I was impressed because the reader is given a mysterious plot that Bolan and friends are trying to figure out as the reader is. We never are given the viewpoint of the villians and we stay solidly focused on Bolan the whole time. Detractions from the book were annoying at first but became lost in the well done characterization and plot. These include the author's tendency to end every chapter with a clifhanger or certain kind of punch. It got old real fast. The author was also a little sloppy when blending factual or tecnical data into the story. it was obvious when he was refering to researched material. Otherwise the book was quite enjoyable. The story was impressive and never got convoluted or contrived. Once the final plot is peiced together everything still made sense, unlike many Bolanverse titles I have read. The character of Jane Bahn was annoying but she is not there enough to get in the way of the enjoyable characters of Bolan, Cowboy, Rocky and Grimaldi.

Easily one of Flemming's best Bond tales. By this time he has definatly reached his stride and offers and exciting book. He avoids the pitfalls of the early books and maintains his original intention of the series. He delivers a powerful mystery/espionage tale with intruiging characters and exciting action.

This book is a wonderful followup to Casino Royale and shows Flemming's growth as a writer and storyteller. It still suffers from some of the flaws that existed in it's predecessor with pacing but the action is more clearly told and the plot is suitable for a short novel length tale. The book hold up wonderfully to the test of time and is still as exciting to read as it must have been in 1954. I was disapointed with the deus ex machina way that Mr. Big is finally dealt with. I would have really liked to see Bond actually dispatch the bad guy this time. Unfortunately, Mr. Big is dealt with similar to LaChiffre in Casino Royale. The novel drags breifly in places and the ending was disapointing but overall it was a solid book.

Overall this book is slow and overly simplistic. I give Casino Royale a 7 rating because it is still a well crafted story. Ian Flemming had not yet come into his own but this is a great introduction to the literary Bond and gives a bit of his back story. We learn how he recieved his 00 status and are given more then a passing glimpse into the human side of Bond. **SPOILER ALERT** The book seems anticlimactic with LaChiffre's death seeming like the climax when it is clear that he is not the thrust of the story. The climax is clearly supposed to be the revelation that Vesper is a double agent. Thankfully this book is short so it's flaws do not become overbearing. It is a good introduction to Flemming and I reccomend it dispite it's weaknesses.

I went into this book not realising it was a Bolan spinoff. I enjoyed it but I felt it fell a little flat. The action was well written and the characters were interesting but the plot was simplistic. The book warrants a 6 rating because it was a fun read and an interesting way to kill a few hours but it left no real lasting impression and was ultimately a disposable book. I gave it to a friend who also enjoys pulp action novels knowing that I would never want to read it again.

Weak. This book suffers from a desire to cram as much action into the book as possible. Bolan gets the mission and the entire plot is explained in the first few pages. After that he is in Maine and moving on the island. From there the reader is assaulted with 200 pages of gunfights and explosions with no plot or story to carry it along. The entire novel was trite and boring.

Simply put, this book is horrible. The writing is convoluted and confusing, the plot makes little sense and the characters are flat and one dimensioanl at best. I picked this one up thinking I'd like to read some of the Pendelton books because I was a fan but had not read any of his yet. This book made me not want to read any more of them. My girlfriend liked it, if that's any consolation.

I read this book having not yet read Executionaer 300: Warrior's Requiem. However, never once was I confused about what was going on and what had come before this. Newton does a good job of relaying the action and the motivations of the characters without boring the reader or under explaining anything. The action was engaging and well written. I do not like pointless gunplay and explosions in the place of a story in either books or movies. Many Bolan titles fall into that trap. Newton does a great job of offering plenty of action while never making it pointless or excessive. This novel has Bolan teamed up with other agents instead of the typical lone wolf attitude and I quite enjoyed that aspect. The adversaries were well written and believable while their plot did seem a bit far fetched. Overall this was an exciting and well written book that I would reccomend to fans of Mack Bolan and non fans.

This book had me hooked right away. The begining really draws you in and avoids several of the cliches and pitfalls that plauged many of the early SuperBolan titles. However, as the novel progresses it gets worse and worse. As soon as Bolan crosses the DMZ into North Korea the book begins to go downhill. The ammount of research taht went into this book is on par with a Fodor's travel guide. As the story progresses it gets more and more unbelievable and I thik it is probably the only Bolan title where cross dressing is a plot element. I gave the book 6 stars because, while it was disjointed toward the end, it was still well written. I was never confused about what was happening during the action and it was engaging enough to keep my interest through the entire book. It is just what is happening becomes so silly and unbeleivable that I could not give the book a higher rating.