Youngblood

This book got off to a great start when Phoenix & Able Teams were cut off from the Farm. The crew at Stony Man were really on the ropes as well. It was good to see everyone struggling a bit and not knowing what was coming next. I felt that Mack and Jack had things a little too easy, as if the antiagonist didn't make any contingencies for them. That being said, the scene w/ Grimaldi attacking with his modified chopper was very cool. All three field teams really shined through in this one. Mcarter and Lyons both kicked butt! My only complaint was that w/ about 40 pages to go it was clear how things were going to shake out and the plot dragged a little. There was one very nice plot twist in thes end that took me by surprise. This is the first book I've read by this author and I look forward to reading more

Picked this book up b/c it came out the month and year my son was born. Definately a good addition to the series. Lots of action and some unexpected twists. McCarter, Gadgets and others are along for the ride as well. The ending was a little rushed and there could have been a considerable amount more charachter development. This book would have made a good 'Super Bolan' or perhaps a two part Executioner series. If the author wanted to have Mack and the Boys go after the arms dealers, it would have made a nice trilogy. Oh well, still a great book!

I heard good things about this book and went in with high expectations. On the one hand, I was disappointed in the story, but yet I found it difficult to put it down. My major problem with the story was that everything went too easy for the Big Guy. He just waltzed into the mob compound and took over. The mobsters were in awe of him and the cops were only half-heartedly trying to stop him. Still not sure exactly why Mack came to Philly - other than there was organized crime there. Usually there is something or someone that causes him to choose a location for his war on the mafia. Living in the Philadelphia area, I hoped for lots of local referances, but saddly there were only a few. All that being said, it was still a fun read. Mack played the role of the master manipulator in this one, and it was cool to see how he turned everyone against one another.

I was a little aprehensive to read this book - I like adventure books and sci-fi but generally like to keep them separated. After holding on to this one for a while I finally dove in and I am glad I did. The charachters were great - Leo, Able, Johnny, Special Agent Harmon Mallory; all done well. However, the story could have been about 50 to 100 pages longer to allow for adequate character development/ involvement. For example, I'm not even sure if Pol actually said anything in the story. I'd enjoy seeing more of Harmon Mallory in future stories... The premise was interesting, but as other reviewers have said, many questions were left on answered. Why exactly was this trap set for Mack? Why did the squid cult want to destroy this nation? Can't quite figure out if that was a hatchet job editting, or if the author planned to write a sequal. Regardless still a good edition to the series and completely off beat. Felt more like a Stony Man meets XFiles than Executioner book.

As the cover says, this adventure is very hi-tek. I enjoyed that element of the book, but I think the author went into a little too much detail on the capabilities of the OICW (I think that's the acronym). It slowed the plot down and just seemed to be there to fill space. Phoenix Force had their hands full in this one and got pretty banged up. That was well done - had me wondering who was going to make it thru the mission. Able Team's mission to Louisana was well written as well - I found myself on the edge of my seat at that part. I was glad that Pol was inserted into the Soldiers of Solomen instead of bringing in Bolan. Without Striker, their was a good amount of exposure for PF, AT and the Farm. There were some little things that I really enjoyed in the book - the referance to the 17 November group featured in "Ring of Retaliation", Bragnola's "where's Bolan?" comment, the crack on Apple Computers to name a few. The only important item not resolved was whether or not the topless sunbather from Stuart Gold's compound survived ;)

I was getting ready for a trip to the Big Easy and picked this Bolan book up to get in the mood. A fun read and the plot moves along nicely. We see Gadgets and Pol in the early stages of Albe Team (called Able Group through most of the book), which was cool. This book was written in the mid 70's and I found myself having to reread some of the dialogue to decypher some of the slang. Not a big deal, and it added to the charachter of the book. Everytime the Big Guy put on his "yatching cap" as part of his disguise I just had to laugh. I just kept picturing Ted Knight in Caddy Shack. The problem I had with this book is that everything was just a little too easy for Mack. He knew who was where and when and always seemed to have the drop on everyone. There was little suspense that he would take everyone down. Even Pol's little sister Toni was throwing herself at Mack from her first appearance in the story. Still a worthwhile read - the Pendelton books definately have a different feel and candance too them then their modern counterparts.

This is an outstanding comic book. The art is excellent and it definately has the "Pendelton feel". It's an adaptation of the War on the Mafia, so it gives the reader a good intro to the charachter. This book is not easy to find, but there are a number of online sources where it is available and reasonably priced. It's worth picking up.

This is an outstanding Bolan book - the best I've read to date; good action and the plot keeps you guessing. The Big Guy takes some lumps and even gets captured at one point - it was good to see him have a bit of a tough time of it. In some books he gets through challenges a little too easyily. Grimaldi, who is always a welcome sidekick IMO, kicks some butt in this one. The BMD agent is also a good supporting charachter - the chemistry with her and Jack Grimaldi was well done. My only complaint on this book is the villians were a little cliche and there 'evil plan' was a kinda weak. However, they act in some unexpected ways, which minimized their trite background. If you come across this one - definately give it a read, it's well worth your time.

My buddy was recently transferred overseas and gave me "custody" of his Bolan collection which features many of the early books. This is the first one I read, because I had just returned from a trip out to San Diego - having some local knowledge of the city added to the enjoyment of the story. This was the first Bolan book I read by Mr. Pendelton and there is a very different feel to them vs the newer books. The language in this story is stronger, but appropriately so. This book was published approx 30 years ago and I really enjoyed the 70's feel to it - although I found myself getting lost in some of the slang of the day. Good action without relying on as much graphic violence as current novels. Bolan even had a moment of self-doubt! In all of the Bolan books I've read prior to this one, the Big Guy was an agent of the US Government, so it was interesting to see him working outside the law in this one. As other reviewers pointed out, it was fun seeing the beginning of Able Team. Great cover too - Austin Powers eat your heart out.

I had read Cyberhunt by Jon Guenther ,really enjoyed it and had high hopes for this story. Unfortunately I was little disappointed. The action was good but the plot lagged at times and information was discovered a little too easily. My biggest problem was that 17 November was a group that had operated for 30 years without ever having one of it's members captured, yet they seemed almost completely incompetant. Don't get me wrong, this was still a decent story. The supporting cast was interesting (I wouldn't mind seeing Dina Taylor show up in a future story) and Jack Grimaldi was in it, which is always a good thing.

A nice addition to the series. Good action and a few surprises to keep you guessing. I enjoyed seeing a book set in South America that didn't center around the drug trade. The relationship with Mack and his partner for the book Skadberry is nicely developed and he helps add some comic relief to balance Mack's stoic nature. I liked alot of the little things that the author wove into this book. For example, Mack and the DEA agent he is teamed up w/ are in a cafe and the big guy stops drinking the soda b/c it's too sweet - it's a good "everyday" demension to add to the story. It was neat to see our hero send email... another mondane thing that you don't expect someone like Bolan to do. There are a few instances where the Executioner is outnumbered 12 to 1 and out in the open, but yet manages to take all the bad guys down. The author needs to work a little harder to make this plausible. All and all a fun read and worth picking up

It seems there is no middle ground with this book as most reviewers have either loved it or hated it. Personally, I fall into the former of the two camps. What drew me to this story initially was the hi-tech edge of the state of the art computer chips. I really enjoyed seeing the crew from Stony Man pounding on the keyboards to combat the cyberterrorism. In addition, there was a good amount of "high adventure" in the form of white water rafting and rock climbing which added to the story telling. The plot was well developed and contained a good amount of suspense - I found that I could barely put the book down in the last 30 pages or so. This tale had no shortage of action and the Big Guy even took some lumps! Of course he gave out better than he got. Featuring an Israelli terrorist group was a fresh twist and it was interesting to read about their views on their nation's conflict and their feelings towards Americans. Mossad agent Illai Yasso was an endering charachter, although she was a little inept at times. The author hinted at a chance for romance between she and Mack, but their wasn't an opportunity for it to materialize. It would be nice to have this explored in a future novel. My only complaint was that there seemed to be a little too much hero worship by the Army Brass towards Bolan and Hal. I think it would have been more interesting to see a little more tension between the two groups instead. Check this book out - it's got a good plot, action and the Stony Man Crew playing an important role lending a hand; if the author could have worked in Phoenix or Able as he alluded to early in the story, it would have had it all.

This is the first Bolan book I have read, so I don't know much about the Executioner's world yet, but I do know good writing. Trojan Horse is a fast pace, fun read, with plenty of action. In fact the final show down last nearly 70 pages! The villians in this book were well developed and the reader was able to gain some insight into their motivations. This book was written in 1988, so some issues were a little dated (such as the dream of German Re-Unification), but Spearhead of the Revolution's plot could have been torn right from modern day headlines. Teuffel was an interesting charachter who I found myself rooting for at times during the story. He had potential to be an interesting re-accuring charachter. That is (spoiler) until Mack blew a whole in his chest. My only complaints about this book is that there was relatively little charachter development for Mack or Grimaldi. After 250 pages I really don't feel like I know too much about them as individuals. At times the dialogue from the Germans was too filled with American slang to be plausible. Despite these items, Trojan Horse is a worthwhile read. There were plenty of plot twists and double crosses to keep the reader off balance.

From the cover this sounded way too far-fetched but the writer pulled it off. Awesome actions scenes and great use of Able Team. I agree with whoever said this could have been stretched out into a trilogy. I was ready for more!