Markoff5

Maybe I've read too many of Newton's books, but I found this one insufferable. First of all, the neo-Nazi plot has been all but forgotten so that we can have ANOTHER drug cartel story. Did terrorists cease to exist in the mid-90's? It seems that at least 2/3 of the books in this time period are drug dealer related. For a change of pace, they make the cartel NOT Colombian. Most of all, Newton's "fill-in-the-blanks" writing style is on full display here. Rattling the cages (which means 2-3 page vignettes of Mack busting up some office/tavern/warehouse) followed by a 3 page section of the villan's mindset, filled to the brim with some of his choice phrases like "so be it," "who's to know," and "no matter" at least once per paragraph. I can't believe this is the same author who wrote The Trial and Eternal Triangle. My only hope is Mel Odom can salvage this turd of a storyline in the final book. Maybe Phoenix Force will even be in that one for more than 20 pages.

I normally enjoy Linaker's novels, but this one was a chore to get through for me. It started off promising, with the missing tech guy and his blind sister, but this part is over in the first two chapters. Then Mack is running around the world getting in one pointless gun battle after another. These action scenes were mostly tedious, with our boy mowing down countless cardboard cutouts in a by-the-numbers fashion. By the time they got to Iraq I had already checked out.

I have to agree with Monsta Mack here. What did everyone hate so much about this book? While the plot was simplistic, I found it to be an enjoyable action story with interesting characters. Faust was such an evil bastard that it made it more exciting to see Bolan finally give him what he deserved. My main complaint was that the ending seemed very rushed. Maybe Rainey's writing style is what everyone is reacting so negatively towards. While goofy at times I thought it was a fun change of pace. It was certainly more entertaining than reading Newton's five favorite phrases repeated over and over for 220 pages.

I'm trying to read the books in order (thought I do skip authors I completely despise), making this time in the series rough going. Lots of mediocre books sprinkled among terrible ones. Maybe that has made Fatal Error seem better than it really was, because if you break it down it is by-the-numbers Newton. A damsel in distress (the only difference being it is Val this time), Bolan in role-camo pitting factions against each other, rattling Mob cages around town...however, this time it really works. The extra emotion of a loved one from #1 and a really creepy villian boost this book to a must read. Extra credit to Newton for resurrecting Carboni; it is a long way from #88 and I assumed he had been forgotten about.

Holy moly! Evil Satanic heavy metal music and cult human sacrifices...we must be in the 80's! : ) I have to agree with the other reviewers. This book was very slow with almost no action, with Mack not being in it very much and doing very little when he was. Seriously, talking to occult bookshop owners while waiting for the next teenager to die? Pretty weak. The Wiccan ceremony was pointless as well, and the excuse to hook up with the inevitably kidnapped "girl-de-jour" was pathetic. However, I enjoyed this way more than I should have because of the subject matter. I'm a huge metalhead and reading Newton's middleaged fuddy-duddy take on "black metal" was a riot. According to his descriptions, this sounds like the kind of band who would play clubs or small theaters, not selling out Mile High Stadium 3 straight nights! If I had read this as a teen, I would have been livid about the inaccuracies and falsehoods; luckily I'm old enough now to get a kick out Newton's imaginings of what goes on at those evil rock concerts. : ) In summary, I suppose I enjoyed this one precisely because it wasn't very good, much like a Troma film. Buyer beware!

Another solid effort from Mr. Newton. There are many cricisms that can be leveled against him, but rarely does he ever turn in a REAL stinker. Consistency can be welcome at times. :) A simple rescue operation gives Bolan an in to take on corruption and terrorism in Nigeria. The usual cage-rattling and pitting sides against one another that are classic Newton are used here, but the action scenes are exciting and Mack's sidekick is a good character. The problem: two of the faction leaders are almost identical, to the point where Newton even gets them mixed up, transfering Scumbag A's lackey to Scumbag B for a couple of scenes, then switching back. If the writer can't keep the players straight, how is the reader supposed to? A similar situation happens at the end, where he forgets which oil company Scumbag C works for. Other than these goofs, an enjoyable read.

Peter Leslie may be my least favorite Bolan author, and this book is an excellent example of why. He seems to think Bolan is a James Bond-type supersleuth/spy. There is too much "figuring out" the villan's plots...that is not why most of us read these books. When he gets around to it, he turns every "action" scene in to the most boring drudgery, more concerned with where Goon #3 is placed in relation to a ravine than with any kind of excitement. Occasionally he will write a good one (Sudden Death), but these are such an exception that they seem to be accidents. I generally end up giving up half way through one of his books, but not this one...I only made it to page 100.

From the previous reviews, I didn't expect much from this book. Maybe because of my lowered expectations, I ended up enjoying it quite a bit. Pros: 1. The relationship with Johnny. While it was a bit of a stretch that Mack runs in to a kid who is the spitting image of his own brother, these are men's adventure books, not nonfiction. I didn't mind the suspension of disbelief, because the payoff was an emotional connection that these books usually lack. 2. The outdoor adventuring theme mixed with the usual gunplay was a refreshing change. I became as involved with them navigating the dangers of the river as I did them fighting the badguys. 3. Mack having to improvise without his usual arsenal. I like when a character (and the reader) is taken out of his/her comfort zone. Cons: 1. Much like Krauzer's "Renegade Agent", the villans were faceless straw men with no exploration of their characters. The story was better in this one so the omission wasn't as obvious, but it was still there. 2. A little too much time was spent on the actual landscape of the area, etc. This got tedious after a while. Still, a good (not great) read. I'm sorry this was Steven Krauzer's last book.

I really liked this one. Lots of action, good story, imaginative characters...what's not to like? I enjoyed the "comic-book" qualities of some of the villians, particularly the Russian cowboy; reminded me a bit of The Destroyer. The only drawback was that the opening on the hijacked ship was so good the rest of the book was a mite anticlimatic. A great entry in the series from Mr. Elmore.

I wished the author would have decided which book he wanted to write, and then write it. The "main" plot was needlessly convoluted and ended up just being a "rescue the informant" mission anyway. Not good, not bad, just there. The Caine storyline was more interesting (despite the 5 page "how-to-build-a-bomb" section), but ultimately had no real connection to the rest of the book. I enjoyed the description of the attack from his point of view, but it ultimately made Mack look like a chump who wakes up just in time to finish him off. I guess I didn't hate this book as much as some people, but nor would I recommend it either.

I have to agree with the other reviews. Besides Bolan's shoulder wound, there was nothing noteworthy about this book. The villians were cardboard cutouts and the action was, well, boring. The addition of Toby Ranger didn't help; her constant nicknames have always annoyed me, and I was just hoping she would get killed. I've liked Krauzner's previous books, but this one was a dud.