Show of Force

I think another review said this. Did this author ever read a Phoenix Force novel. this is a poorly written novel and I had a hard time getting through it.

This book had a lot going for it for about the first third to half and I thought here we go a first time writer and this is going to be a cracker. Unfortunately it all falls apart pretty quickly from there on. As a new author in the series you would presume that he would examine all of the characters he is about to write about and know them back to front and inside out. I would if I was him ! Now the following will mean nothing to you if you have not read 2 or 3 of these books but some characters do certain things in basically in every title. Example McCarter is addicted to "Classic Original Coke" whatever that is. So not once not twice but three times we are told McCarter is sipping his tea while Manning guzzles his third can of Coke. Small point maybe I agree but when you are in the midst of a title and come across this well I do anyway I just stop reading and think to myself what the f*ck. Surely not only the author should know what characters he is writing about if I was the employer of the proof readers and sub editors at the time I would be asking to be reimbursed for wages paid and a job not done. Another example Manning, McCarter and Katz are at a McDonalds store where a "STUNNINGLY BEAUTIFUL" woman enters AND IS SEEN by all three. Now maybe McCarter and Manning should be retired as just a scant time later 1-2 days can't remember upon coming face to face with her neither are sure if it was the same woman only Katz is adamant it is her. (and she is not disguised). Anyway forget that the title goes downhill big time as the author tries to insert gimmick's to beef up what was already going well the rolling cars with the wicks in the windows, the gas station with the hoses left on, the ultralights, the freighter. Aboard the luxury liner it was laughable what happened between the KGB operatives and the Team upon coming across each other culminating in an invitation being delivered and accepted. No way the Team are stupid enough to walk into an obvious trap I thought but the Team go where they went and what happened happens but it also led into the finish of the title I guess which contained a lot of good stuff but also some crap interspersed unfortunately. I feel a little disappointed with the publishing company at the time of this title as for a first title this guy had some very good ideas with a good sense of excitement in his action scenes and he was let down big time by his editors who should have picked not only his errors but his enthusiasm to insert ridiculous sections in the second part of the title. The seeds were sown this could have been a very very good title. He actually writes another title in this series # 40 Rim of Fire and I am looking forward to it to see if the germination took root.

Weak entry in the Phoenix Force series by a first time writer. The opening premise of a Cheyenne in the Soviet Union, complete with American imposters is worth beginning the novel. The middle and end dragged and dragged. There was no coherent plot to follow. If you attempt to read this novel, and you make it to the ultra-lite sequence, you are a true fan. It’s not the typical Phoenix Force novel, more of an experiment. A failed experiment.

Bad. Bad . Bad . Avoid this one at all cost. Check out tooth and claw if you want a good PF book. I think someone said this before , but really, it's like whoever wrote this had no idea who the characters were. I just didn't buy it at all ! It's funny that the russian "town" had been mentioned in an earlier novel, but that was about the only thing going for this one. I read this back to back with the other novel by the same author. I guess they were stuck for material at this time. And when they're surrounded by like 100 gun men for an hour, they come with the ingenious plan to chuck a couple of frags and Run out the BACK DOOR ! C'MON !

I did not think this book had as good a grip of things as the first I read, An Executioner novel. I was very impressed with the Cheyenne project and storyline but was a little disappointed when it came down to the final scenes on board ship. It seems as though the first firt 150 pages set an excellent story in motion only for the writer to run out of time at the end in closing the mission. The computer geeks almost seemed superfluous. They could have been the world's top banana vendors and been as relevant. Good start, poor finish.

A pretty decent story, but the writing was clumsy at times, and the writer didn't seem to get the characters very accurately. He even has Manning guzzling down coke, instead of McCarter. It didn't read like a true Phoenix Force. I did like the scene where Katz was on the balcony of the tower and dealing with the 2 dudes there, a tense moment, but the book overall was not the PF I'm used to. If I was to let a friend borrow one in this series to check it out, I would hide this book.

This had a nifty plot, but this book on a whole bored me. I'm glad this writer didn't stay around long. Very slow pacing.

Once again it seems like Gunslinger and I have the same tastes. Really did not find this very entertaining.