Mr. Red

*Spoilers Throughout* Stolen Arrows was a hell of a book, particularly when it was being written from the Scion's (bad guys) point of view - and bad they were. This is the first time in quite a while that the villains have been out-and-out psycho, killing just because people look at them wrong, so it's all the better when they meet up with Bolan and Able Team towards the end - this is also where the major problem comes from. The four members of Scion are extremely good at what they do, yet all but one is wiped out by Able Team in just a couple of pages. This was most disappointing with Mizne, the female Scion member. I was sure she would try to seduce one of the Team, it was leading up to it all through the book, would have been great too. Still well worth checking out.

Up until the last 50 pages or so, I wasn't sure I would finish this one. It's actually quite boring aside from a few fire fights and the fact that Mack finally gets some lovin' after so many books. The villain is pretty cliche, the action is little (and sorta confusing in places), and the story itself doesn't hold much water. Death Merchants concerns a mob group creating a new drug that kills off a good percentage of it's users the first time they apply it, Stony Man Farm catches wind of this and dispatches Bolan to take out the kingpin. Things don't go as planned and a full scale war breaks out between the DEA and the drug lord's army. The only thing to recommend this on is the inclusion of Carl Lyons toward the end, he adds a lot to the small ammount of book he's present in.

Being a more recent book (January 2004) Pressure Point concerns a Jihad group (Islamic terrorists) and their attempts to control Indonesia. It's full of dirty warfare (chemicals and other plague like maneuvers), HAS-MAT suits and extremist warriors. Of course, something like this can't go on too long before the Stony Man warriors get involved. This time, Mack brings some backup in the form of Kissinger and Grimaldi to kick some ass. My main problem with Pressure Point is that Mack seems overly weak in this book. He isn't his usual self and it shows, he makes some sloppy mistakes, cracks under pressure a few times, and doesn't really get to kick that much ass (aside from an awesome knife throwing at the end). It also seems to linger on the uninteresting local characters too much as well. One very high point is the inclusion of Jane Bahn, a sexy bounty hunter that helps out the Stony Man team throughout the book. There are some interesting scenes involving crocodiles and even a hovercraft attack that saves this book from too low a rating.

In this book, Mack Bolan is out to stop a radical group of Asian terrorists who want to topple communism in China. Initially this doesn't sound like a bad thing, not until you find out they plan to blow up a number of reactors to achieve this goal. Bolan catches wind of this trying to rescue one of the men involved and soon finds himself facing the entire sepratist army. The book is quite good and doesn't cast Mack as the "super soldier" he normally appears as, he takes his lumps and has to rely on his associates more than once. It also shows the victims of his war a number of times, in the guise of a young boy that helps Bolan and as a Chinese operative that's tortured and killed as he's being used to lure Bolan out. There are some great scenes involving massive shipments of explosives as well, particularly when Mack detonates one aboard a flatbed truck that's desperately trying to flee the scene. While Fire Hammer isn't one of the best Executioner books around, it is a solid read and worth the time of any fan.

Of all the Bolans I've read, Hostile Alliance is without a doubt my favourite. Excellent villains with no silly plans, sexy broads all over, and Mack handing out lead like it's Halloween candy. The mob boss' death was perfect, especially considering all he'd done to that girl/her mother. Mack's ally being kind of a poor shot also worked out, too bad Mack himself was written as a semi-superman (the scene on the boat and on the hovercraft are perfect examples). All in all a great book, well worth picking up for anyone not looking for conspiracy/world domination plots.

Point Position was a very good read because of the sonic weapon, as it seemed Bolan and his allies were always in danger because of it. Granted, it's a little far-fetched, but it's kinda believable in that it's influence/power is limited. Goldman was an excellent character, always flying off the handle and gettign trouble started for everyone. He was almost comic relief if he weren't so unstable. Ross on the other hand wasn't nearly as interesting, and totally wasted towards the ending (didn't see his death coming). I also liked the countess' character and wish she'd have had a larger role. Not often a sexy black woman gets put into these stories, so it's kind of a waste when she's only around for a few pages then vanishes.

Kill Zone was going along great until the last few chapters, when everything kinda falls apart. The lead villain (who isn't even portrayed as being that bad a guy) dies without any flash or even consequence - he's more or less shot off screen by a supporting character. As mentioned earlier, Mack does too much driving around rather than just taking out the baddies as usual - even when he knows their location, as well as the lab's. Some parts were well written though. The two women opperatives were interesting and rahter than straight out violence, both used sex as their main weapon. I also liked Mack using the outdated weaponry throughout the book, particularly the use of the Panzerfausts. Kill Zone could have been much better had it wrapped up with more consequence, as it is, it's only marginally worth a read.