Greg Sallis

Well it took me over a year but I finally got around to reading this one, after the lacklustre Terminal Velocity I decided to give Mack a break for a while and read other stuff all the time planning that when I did come back this would be the one that I read. Solid action, great writing and Bolan back where he belongs all make this for me the best book in the trilogy. This is only my second 10 star rating and well deserved it is. This one is a must read.

Boy was this book a disappointment. All hyped up from "Day of Mourning",I ended up taking a lot longer to get through "Terminal Velocity" than I would ever again like to spend reading a book. The whole opening part concerning the Dragonfire I felt was superfluous to the story and would have been better left as a story for another book. Strakhov's sons death could easily have been worked into the story in a different way, for instance have him as the sniper who assassinates Macek instead of Lednov. I'm not saying the book didn't have its moments but altogether there was way to much padding. This is the weakest Bolan book I have read and if like Doug this had been my first Bolan book I wouldn't have been keen to read any more. Still all in all the writing itself is not bad so "Terminal Velocity just scrapes by with six stars. Greg

This has to be the best Non-Pendleton book I have read in the series.Curiosity finally got the better of me and I had to jump ahead to read this book. It has everything, a good combination of old style and new style Bolan all in one. Unlike Doug I did enjoy the underwater battle at the beginning. I loved the cameo by Susan landry. What else can I say, Stephen Mertz earns a solid 9 stars. I've jumped straight into 'Terminal Velocity' and already wish Mr Mertz had written that one, I can't wait for 'Dead Man Running'.

In my opinion this is Don's best book since "Death Squad". From the opening scenes Where Mack crashes the Plane into the Mansion at Glass Bay, to the closing Execution of Sir Edward this book just does not stop. Of course the real attraction of this adventure is the "Real Introduction " of Jack Grimaldi. Add to this that the Mafia have Mack on the run most of the time and this makes for one wild ride. I loved Evita and am now torn as to Whether I will read " California Hit" next or "The Libya Connection" to find out what happens to Evita. If we could give half stars I would give the book Nine and a half but will have to settle for a nine.

My sentiments echo those of the other reviewers, this was a good entry and introduced some key characters. The showdown with the Talifero's was disappointing but then it still does leave you wondering whether they will come back for a third round. I deliberately haven't read ahead in the reviews to find out. Toby Ranger really has me fascinated, this is my first encounter with her and I can't wait to find out who she really works for. Once again Don Pendleton shows he is the man! Now I have an appointment with Mack in San Juan.

I decided to read this book after reading Doug's Blood Trade because of the obvious connections between the 2 books. It was my 1st Phoenix Force book, my only other encounter with the team proper being Stony Man Doctrine. So what did I think of my 1st Mackless book in the Bolanverse. I certainly missed the big mans presence, that is not to say however that I didn't enjoy the book. It moved along at a cracking pace and certainly proved that these characters can support a story on their own. My only real critiscism is that the book did seem to be a bit too "By The Numbers" with no real follow up after the final battle scene. I really appreciated Paul Glen Neuman throwing in a couple of hand to hand combat scenes in the raid on the refinery demonstrating to me that he has a sound knowledge of the martial arts. All in all I give the book a 7 out of 10. So will I read more Phoenix Force books, yes but it will be awhile as I prefer to return to the stories of the main man.

Well Doug this is an excellent first effort, however I cannot give it a full 10 stars. First of all the good. Excellent well thought out plot line that deals with something that makes us all sick -"Child Prostitution". Excellent well rounded supporting charecters my favourite of which is Choi Tranh, this young plucky girl really made me feel for her plight and I loved her involvement in the climax, which was both suspenseful and satisfying. I would also love to see Mick Hayes in action again after some plastic surgery paid for by the United States government, he would make an excellent "sometimes" Stony Man operative. Nice continuity touches which demonstrate both a sound knowledge and affection for the charecters. The "Not so good". While the continuity touches were overall a nice touch, there were also to many "in"references,for instance while familiar with the charecter Leo Turrin I cannot recall any books in which he was called Sticker. This obviously demonstrates my limited knowledge of the charecters through the comparitively small selection of titles I have read so far however I don't feel that Turrin should have been identified as Sticker first of all and only by his real name after this.While on this subject I have to further show my ignorance in asking is Phoenix Force's previous clash with Chang Chi Fu a chronicled adventure and if so which book is it or is it an "untold Tale". Doug you need to learn to tread the fine line between satisfying the long time readers and recognising that your Bolan story could be somebodies 1st Bolan story.Being a fellow comic fan I am sure you realise that this has been a problem which has turned off many a potential new reader for years in that industry. The 2nd point which prevented this book earning a full 10 star rating from me were a number of confusing lines throughout the book which if not picked up by yourself should have been picked up by the editors. Eg. on page 216 there is line "and whatever weapons that these 2 might pull on him". All other surrounding paragraphs would indicate that Rain and Tranh are one and the same, however this line indicates otherwise. "I'm confused". Finally I know I am in the minority on this board but I would much rather see descriptions such as Machine Pistol, six-shooter, automatic etc. than the lengthy description of guns used all of which one of were absolutely meaningless to me [even I know what a Tommy gun is]. All in all though these were only minor annoyances and I thouroughly enjoyed the book overall. Keep at it Doug.

O.k why didn't I give this book a ten star rating you ask? because the truth is I truly thought that Death Squad was a better book and I gave that a ten star rating, I doubt if I will be giving another ten star rating unless I enjoy the book more than Death Squad and that hasn't happened yet [early days]. Having said that the prologue is to long but once you get past that the book rocks.This book is the essential book for any Bolan fan and Valentina is to die for.

O.k. this book is good but is it really the ultimate Bolan book? No I don't think so. The action scenes are great but the book is very disjointed. I personally cannot take to the characterisation of Lyons, in particular the way he thinks about what Mack is doing during his free moments, for me it just doesn't ring quite true. I am afraid this book only confirms for me what I already new, that I prefer Mack Bolan in Solo action and that there was only one real " Death Squad " and not withstanding Politician and Gadgets that squad is dead.

This is simply in my opinion the best Executioner book that Don Pendleton ever wrote, my only dissappointment was that most of the Squad were killed off and I agree with Dan Xavier that it would have been more interesting if it had been 2 of the others that had survived to become Able Team. My choices would have been Bloodbrother and Whispering Death,other than that 10 out of 10.