Missile Menace

Wow!! 10 stars. This is a outstanding adventure this author nailed it I thought it was very well written and it flowed beautifully. there wasn't a wasted scene anywhere in the book. I especially loved the scenes with Rafael And Calvin down in New Mexico. the old Mafia likes to rear its ugly head. Cant wait to read more from this Author.

This was my first PF book, and I was generally pleased. The action, pacing, storytelling and parallel plot lines were very well done. Since I’m new to the series, I thought I’d be a little lost w/the characters, but the author introduces them, and pulls you into their minds and motivations in no time. Even after one book, I already feel like a PF veteran! I do have a couple of issues, though. The two most glaring were how the RPB goons captured McCarter in his hotel room, and how he eventually escaped from his prison cell. Basically, McCarter and the bad guys suddenly turned into bumbling idiots for plot purposes. Finally, the terrorists wanted to launch nuclear strikes on NATO targets to weaken the alliance. I didn’t see how something like that would cause it to weaken. I believe the opposite would happen. But that’s just my opinion. In any event, these issues made me drop this book down to eight stars, albeit it’s still a very good story to read.

Wow! Mike Linaker landed his place within the Phoenix Force author hall of fame with his first in the series. Just wow! He put a very believable and original plot to work with this. And he has McCarter captured by the goddamn cowards that call themselves humans. I say... "One of the best in the series!" I highly recommend this book!

Another first time author in this series and take a bow Mike Linaker you slotted it perfectly mate. Very good plot introduced which forks into three sub plots and all of them are excellent. Lots of good/interesting characters introduced including KGB/mafia/deserters/terrorists. The author demonstrating his strong knowledge of the characters he is writing about shows this in the beautifully written sub plot featuring McCarter by himself and from car chases and shootings and generally enjoying himself McCarter finds himself being kidnapped in his hotel room but he takes his pound of flesh before being taken naked to boot. Everything including thoughts dialogue and action scenes is McCarter believe me. Action scenes are well written and exciting but also slide effortlessly into the ongoing storyline smoothly. The other sub plots also progress nicely and all three feed into the main plot which culminates in a very satisfying ending of the title with the tension remaining right to the end. This was a long time ago bear in mind and this author has gone on to write some of the classics of these combined series in the last few years. I have no idea how much of his stuff was published prior to this effort but I am guessing as to the publishing date not a great deal. SO Presuming this is one of his earliest works do yourself a favour and read it to see the birth of one of the top echelon of the current authors this is smooth as silk. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED !

“Missile Menace” was the first Phoenix Force novel by Mike Linaker. For almost two dozen novels up to the publication of this work, William Fieldhouse was The Voice of Phoenix Force. Bad writers that will not be named here but can be easily researched, were made even worse in comparison. What made it tough for Linaker was that developments were usually done with Fieldhouse. The death of Karl Hahn, etc. Linaker was not the lead novelist. With that handicap, I thought Missile Menace was a good start. I thought this novel was a hybrid of “Phoenix In Flames” and “The Doomsday Syndrome.” The writing was improved. Fresher. The action and plot were typical for Phoenix Force. But I knew there was only a status quo outcome in the ending. Linaker matches well with Fieldhouse. The Phoenix Force novels were in good hands until the end of its run. If it weren’t for the commercially disastrous and incompetent string of the last dozen Able Team novels, I believe Phoenix Force would have continued going well beyond the fifty-plus novels. One only wonders what would have happened if Linaker (or a writer of his caliber) had written for Able Team.

For a debut effort Mike Linaker nails it. He delivers a book that is compelling and exciting while perfectly capturing the characters and the style. The plot is interesting and does not seem contrived and the characters are three dimensional. The narrative is clear and the action fast paced and understandable. It is never unclear what is happening or where the players are in relation to what is happening. The progression of the plot is not as linear as some giving a dynamic feel to the overarching action of the story. On the down side this book does lack the refinement that Linaker’s work has attained over the last eighteen years but that is to be expected with his first foray into the Bolanverse. The descriptions of traveling around London and the English countryside become tiresome after a time but not so much as to detract badly from the narrative. The level of detail in such directions is unnecessary to give the reader a feel for the setting. As well, it was nice to see some background on the characters so readers unfamiliar with them could pick up the book and know who everyone was but it seemed awkward and tacked on. A character can be given plenty of depth and background without stopping the narrative for a page or two to describe everyone’s history. On the whole, Linaker wrote a hell of a read with his freshman effort. There is a reason that he is one of the most popular authors in the series and he shows it from his first book on.

Great book, with plenty of excitement and action. The scenes were narrated brilliantly but if I hear one more time about the various guns' death dealers, I will fire myself. As a newcomer I little to compare to yet but I noticed straight away that this book had a quantifiable beginning, middle and end. The mission made sense and the result was believable and understandable. Unlike the last book I read which left me wanting I read this and was satisfied. The true reason for giving a 10 rating is the lack of surprise. The book IS predictable. GOOD, but predictable. I want a twist.

A great book, especially in terms of giving us a close look at what makes David McCarter tick. One of the better Linaker entries in the series and worth tracking down.

I read this one Dec. 1, 2002, finally reading Mike Linaker for the first time. I was pleased with the level of talent he has, I would say he is as good as Fieldhouse. The story moves along smoothly and rapidly, with lots of action, and everything you could expect from this series is here.

A very good read. This was the first book I read by Linaker and I was impressed.

This book confused me at first until the appearance of Karl Hahn. After all, the references to the usual Phoenix gear was about ten books out of continuity, and Karl died in Firestorm, Super Phoenix #1. I thought this was odd of Wilson to write this story now without even a little note.Then, years later, I learned the author I mostly read was William Fieldhouse, and this guy who wrote Fieldhouse like Phillip Jose Farmer writes Kenneth Robeson, William Burroughs or Harlan Ellison, was a guy named Mike Linaker. (That's a compliment.)As it was... it was great to see Britain written about in an adventure setting by a Briton. This is worth rereading, especially for the sake of seeing Encizo and James on their own solo mission and Karl back alive.