Skysweeper

In this book Bolan does a bit more detective work than in some other entries. I like that about it since it’s kind of in a different genre until the very end where all the action breaks out. The beginning action is a little hit or miss. And my attention drifted a bit in the middle of the story. But all in all it was fine seeing Bolan solve problems with putting together some clues.

This one is pretty tough to judge. The first 50 pages are bad. Really bad. The action is poorly written and oddly truncated. I'm still not sure if the book genuinely got better, or if I just got used to the writing style. Anyway, the plot is all over the place. One minute we're following a character through Vietnam, the next we're watching Bolan beat up a bookstore bodyguard, an incident which serves no purpose and is never mentioned again. There are too many scenes like this, scenes that happen, but don't connect properly. This one is just average, I'm afraid.

Man this is mediocrity at its finest. Not much too see here folks. Move along, move along. If you must, you're in for some interesting background for some minor characters. An unbelievable plot, and a crazy over the top plot to kill some VIPs. Not good at all.

This book was a piece of Dung. It's hard to believe that a Man on everybody's hit can get a top secret clearance just like that and go where ever he wants to on a top secret base, it did not ring true to me. I thought the KGB angle to the story was lame. The only thing that saves this book from being a 1 star effort was the mind control angle. That reminded me of the Manchurian Candidate. That was the most interesting part of the book for me.

This book was "OK" at best. I thought the plot was decent -- Bolan going undercover to research a missile defense system and stumbles on KGB agents -- but the book never really grabbed me and became a page-turner. Nothing more to add.

This title includes Greb Strakhov which normally would make it an eight star minimum sadly here I couldn't even consider that lofty a rating. Why? Simply the title is very ordinary indeed. Most of my criticisms have been stated in previous reviews the major glaring thing is come on the Big Guy walks onto a secure air base with a top secret project relating to laser research and with absolutely no identification he manages to be taken under the wing of one of the scientists involved who also has absolute authority in relation to security on the base and he can whisk up in an instance any pass the Big Guy needs to go anywhere on the base. Need weapons? No problems give me a list of what you need and it will be provided. Need access to the top secret testing of the laser weapon? No problems here it is. Of course we need the prerequisite female character to slip into the sack with? Sure no problems. The entire sections leading up to the attempt on the Presidents life were a joke. He is not going to land anywhere near where the testing is taking place but no problems a couple of faked plane crashes will take care of that. Goodness me in restricted airspace with the testing of the weapon taking place guess who pops up and is also within range of the weapon. Thank goodness the Big Guy was aboard the test flight and was the only one who realised the barrel of the laser was pointing at an angle which could not possibly hit the test missile. etc etc...... Lots of holes lots of raising the eyebrows on reading this one none the less when he finally has Strakhov in his sights with no way to escape and what happens? (read it) Crap and what he eventually does he couldn't have done earlier and still taken Strakhov down? Bullshit! Very poor entry in the series I reckon only for the read in order or diehards read the series like me I'm afraid.

Sometimes books appear have all the right spices to be exciting one by reading the back cover on those books and with this book this should have applied here but.............sadly the book doesn´t quite live up to a great potential. This could be an entertaining one if you overlook all the details that don´t add up along the story line as the twists and turns of the plot are very confusing and badly explained. The mind control job on Dr. Ludlow was a very interesting tale and masterfully written and is the only interesting thing in the book and it really colored this otherwise confusing book. Strakovs entry in the end was a good way to finish off with a bang............so to speak but it happened way too late as his involvement in the plot should have been made earlier. The book never really rises to any heights and the pace is flat and pretty average..........like the storyline and all the main characters of the book. A major disappointment!!! (2004)

Leave it to Cunningham to once again be a total tit-head and churn out a steaming cow patty on the butt of modern action-adventure. Mack Scott? I thought you couldn't get stupider with Bolan's cover names after "Mack Jones" but how many microseconds did Cunningham expect THIS identity to hold up? Obviously for eternity, since everyone else in this book is so goddamn stupid so as not to recognize the style of the world's most wanted fugitive - including the weak-ass KGB plotters. Not that Bolan actually worked his usual style - unless you're talking about RACING CONSTANTLY into situations where anyone not from a Warner Brothers cartoon show would have been chopped to ribbons by enemy gunfire. Cunningham couldn't make a suspenseful, exciting action sequence if he had a brain transplant with William Fieldhouse and a full blood transfusion with Michael Kasner. God DAMN, I am glad that Cunningham isn't writing Executioners anymore.

Bolan stumbles through yet another trainwreck of a story in "Skysweeper". What's wrong with this book? Everything. What plot there is doesn't make a lot of sense and the pages devoted to the brainwashing are just a waste of paper. Not that the rest of the story makes any more sense. Bolan gets involved in thwarting the KGB's attempts to steal a new laser weapon. How did he get involved? He found a scientist on his list of KGB assets he had stolen many books back. Of course the scientist was a minor asset and none of the big players were listed but maybe the KGB was just sloppy at keeping records. The scientist Bolan contacts is the number two man on the project and has been threatened by the KGB. Bolan works with this scientist, thwarts the bad guys and saves the president's life. And it's a good thing Bolan shows up because security is apparently pretty lax at the Naval Weapons Center: "At security, Bolan produced some ID that he had rigged for Mack Scott of Pasadena. He sat for his picture and soon had his badge marked for top-secret clearance." Wow! And all that the first time he walked into the base security office! And later on Bolan gets onto the extremely secure laser test flight just by going with his scientist buddy. And after he foils an attempt to knock out Air Force One with the laser, Bolan just sweet talks the NIS investigators and goes on his way. Combine that with the way the DIA undercover agent goes along with Bolan taking charge of the investigation - she doesn't even call in! - and it looks like the good guys don't have much on the ball. The action here is minimal and not very interesting. Bolan is pretty well armed, especially after his scientist buddy just easily gets him an M203, ammo and C-4. They must have a self-serve armory and explosives depot on that base! None of the supporting characters are interesting or memorable. Best of the bunch is a reptile who appears in chapter 17. This mess rates a single, pitiful, charity star. Avoid at all costs!

This is a decent book, not as good as most of Cunningham's novels, but is entertaining enough.

"Skysweeper" is a good, solid entry into the series. Bolan is undercover in a military compound researching a "Star Wars" laser-based missile defense system. He uncovers a nest of KGB agents acting against the project and moves to stop them. Good plot, good writing, but seemed just a little flat. Bolan saving the president anonymously was a nice touch, especially since Bolan is so recently separated from Stony Man. Also nice to see someone other than Grimaldi piloting an aircraft. Too often, it seems that if there is flying to be done, the author has to find a way to drag in Grimaldi. This worked just as well. A trifle outdated in 2001, but a good read. It brings back Cold War memories.

Excellent story with plenty of action and a decent backstory to substain it.

Wow! This one was awesome! I loved the way Cunnigham was able to alternate the present and past in the first few chapters.

Another winner by Chet Cunningham. The finale is very exciting as Bolan chases Strakhov.