Firebase Seattle

I enjoyed this book as I do with all of the series. I did feel that the enemy wasn't as defined as it could be. Also, the build-up to the final battle was good but the battle wasn't. It was way too short.

I give this a 7 star rating. I really couldnt get into this book. I thought Mack sleeping with the girl that he just rescued was out of character. Standard action really nothing special. I liked the participation of Jack, Leo & Hal though.

What was the true significance of the new super hardsite on Langley Island? Why was the American syndicate importing crate loads of illicit munitions? Why were international arms of the mob sending high-ranking delegations into the Pacific Northwest? To discover the answers to these questions and more finds the Big Guy on a soft probe of the above island where what he discovers only leads to yet more questions. The island is being turned into a massive hard site with huge caverns being constructed underground and massive steel vault doors being installed. Cargo which is being brought into the country finds the Big Guy investigating at a wharf by a Greek cargo ship gives an insight into how skilled the Big Guy actually is where against overwhelming odds he manages to manufacture an escape with an unconscious female without himself or his charge being injured in any way. Leo and Hal are in this title quite a bit and a bit unusual here where there are lots of discussions and brain storming on what the Mob is actually up to but as huge as it seems the incredible conclusion is that the Mob are taking over the world's economy by pooling vast amounts of cash reserves on the island. How much of a share would it take, to swing the whole world's economy wherever you damn well wanted it? Corner the money market and rape the world. The guys had been looking for a handle for years, and maybe now they'd found it. The Thing of all the Things— the big hit — the clout to end all clouts — financial domination of the entire civilized world! It could be done. Bolan knew it could. The finishing sections of this title are exceptionally good reading where the Big Guy invades the island being protected by 200 highly trained ex military soldiers and gives it to the big time. Another very good recommended read in the series.

The are some very good aspects to the book. #1) The continued development of the relationship between Turrin, Brognola, and Bolan. Pendleton, by this point in the series, is really pulling these characters together in the conflict against the Mafia. The scenes with the three the final 50 pages is good stuff. #2) The war wagon is described and used at a far grander scale than the preceding books. This was a great idea of Pendleton, and the use of the war wagon in Firebase was well-done. This is some serious equipment ... I hope in coming books we find out more about it's origination other than sketchy details about the builder. #3) The final scene was solid, though a little short. The build-up to the final battle, Bolan's "hardest touch against the mob") was solid and momentum building. However, a few more pages of the attack could've made it sensational. With all that being said, I had a couple fairly significant detractors on the book. First, I never really got into the ENEMY. The mob, this command post island, the 200, etc., there was never really a clear threat that we emotionally accepted. Secondly, the ladies ... their scenes were weak, period. Finally, as I already stated, the final scene should've been much more extended. Overall, I enjoyed Pendleton and Bolan, so I did have a level of enjoyment reading the book. However, not one of my favorites.

Glad to see I wasn't the only one confused by this dissapointing entry. My mind was so numb from trying to figure out the enemies ploy, that I completely lost interest. It started out cool, but then fell apart real fast, yeah. How can you have a big diabolical plot to overtake the world , then never really explain what the plot is. Bolan just blows up a warehouse full of "machinery" , Huh? It was cool to see Grimaldi and Leo, but other than that ... Eh Kay says skip it.

Firebase Seattle is typical of the Pendleton Twenties-- confusing, stupid, boring. It's garbage. The ONLY good thing about it is the awesome fog assassination action that happens near the beginning of the book, and also the presence of the war wagon. The war wagon is nothing short of fascinating as an idea- a tricked out, armed to the gills RV that serves as a portable hardbase for the warrior in black. The war wagon is a flashback to the earlier Pendleton genius works like Battle Mask-- it clearly symbolizes how American Bolan is, and yet how at the same how he must work against the accepted rules of American society. For what is the RV but the vehicle of the American retired? Classic old folks travel back and forth across the continent, just as the big guy travels back and forth around the world. But where retired old people are just harmlessly following the sun, Bolan can never retire, and must harmfully follow the nefarious darkness of the internationally organized italian "mafioso" community. But other than that this book is a fat pimple on the majestic back of Don Pendleton's "Executioner" series. I would recommend it for anyone truly interested inDon's symbolic themes and recurring images and for no one else. Read Kill Zone instead. --Eric

I am from the seattle area , so i was hoping this was gonna be a good one but I was very disappointed with it.The action seemed to be missing from most of this book, and by the end I just didn't care. After readingabout 140 bolans as of this review this book still remains as one of the 5 or 6 books that I could say I didn't enjoy. =(

Another great, yet wierd book. I loved the end with Leo and Brognola though. That was poetic, I thought.

Very poor novel in the series. Pendleton has confused the mafia with SPECTRE from the old James Bond movies and given them a plot to control the world's money. Unfortunately, Pendleton couldn't come up with a plausible way, so he just makes reference to a vague plot. Terrible. If you want to use a plot, at least come up with a halfway decent plan for it to work. Instead, he has Bolan discovering clues, but never the whole plot. It is real bad, Pendleton assures us, without ever making clear what it is. As good points, Grimaldi, Brognola and Turrin all show up and help out Bolan. Also, the odd mother-daughter combo that Bolan rescues make for an interesting side plot. However, the villains are only superficially developed, and the final battle at the end lacked development also, lasting about two pages. Nowhere near the quality of some of the earlier books in the series.

When Bolan catches a hint of mafia smell in Seattle he starts snooping around. Deciding that big things are going on he takes action to foil a mob plot aiming at. . . world domination? Couldn't tell. There are some women encountered but they don't really serve any useful purpose and aren't written as very interesting people. There's a mafia sponsored hard force of 200 guns led by some ex-army combat guru who is supposed to be a threat to Bolan but they never actually seem to be much of a threat. Boy, do I miss those Talifero brothers. This one opens quietly and has a little action at a warehouse that doesn't seem to click. Lots of plot development with those not-too-interesting women and then some action but only of Bolan running. Finally a good action scene with Bolan invading the penthouse HQ of that ex-army hard guy. This scene works and it's just about solely responsible for the 5 stars. This story winds up with some surprisingly uninteresting action when Bolan blows up the mob's secret island base. 5 stars here. And that may be one star too many. Just not a very interesting or memorable book.

Didn't find anything special reading this one. I found the Warwagon scene between Dianna and Bolan to be totally ludicrous! You know, they're complete strangers, they look at each other, the next thing you know, they're bumping uglies!! Comon, all you ladies out there. Is that how it is with a complete stranger? The shootout in the end wasn't drawn out enough, either.

This is a very good chapter in the Mafia wars. Mack joins forces with Leo and Hal to take out a Mafia stronghold that could change the economic face of America. This is the first Executioner book with a large scale assalt that includes the US Navy assembled by Hal Brognola. Very good!