The Chaos Agent by Mark Greaney

On June 30, 2024 By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, Five-Star Books, Thriller13 Comments

Publisher: Sphere/Audible (Audiobook – 20 February 2024)

Series: Gray Man – Book 13

Length: 17 hours and 34 minutes

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

One of the leading authors of the spy thriller genre, Mark Greaney, returns with another epic entry in his iconic Gray Man series, The Chaos Agent.

Readers of this blog will know that I am a massive fan of thriller author Mark Greaney, who has been wowing the world with his elaborate and exciting stories for years. Ever since I started reading thrillers, Greaney has been a major figure in my yearly reading schedule, with books like Armored and Red Metal (cowritten with Hunter Ripley Rawlings IV), ensuring that he became a must-read author for me. However, his most iconic body of work is his Gray Man series, which follows legendary former CIA agent and assassin Court Gentry, known as the Gray Man, as he engages in carnage across the world. This series, which people may be familiar with thanks to the Netflix adaptation, is so damn good, and I really love the elaborate and intense stories that emerge. This includes the impressive first novel The Gray Man, as well as later books like Mission Critical, One Minute Out (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2020), Relentless (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2021) and Sierra Six (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2022) and Burner (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2023). Naturally, I grabbed Greaney’s latest novel, The Chaos Agent, the first chance I could, and it proved to be another amazing read.

Across the world, elite scientists are being murdered in a series of elaborate and well-coordinated assassinations. The killers are well equipped, well prepared, and seem capable of striking across multiple countries. The only connection between the killings is the area of expertise the victims are known for, as someone is targeting the world’s leading experts in artificial intelligence and robotics.

As the killings continue, it appears that only two major assassins aren’t involved in the plot, the Gray Man, Court Gentry, and his lover Zoya Zakharova. Hiding out in Central America after their last mission once again forced them to become fugitives, Court and Zoya are seeking the quiet life together after all their years apart. But an assassin’s work is never done, and soon an old family friend of Zoya’s seeks them out, hoping that they can help identify the individuals behind the attack. Initially reluctant to get involved, Court and Zoya soon find themselves targeted by association, and must flee an army of dangerous killers and mysterious advanced combat drones.

Forced to find out who is hunting them, Court and Zoya soon discover that the killings are linked to a deadly proposed artificial intelligence weapon that could change everything about modern warfare. To discover what’s truly going on, the two former agents and their allies need to investigate the one survivor of the ongoing assassinations. But with their target now protected by an old friend of theirs, Zack Hightower, in an isolated fortress, Court and Zoya will need to use all their connections and luck to find the truth before it’s too late?

The Chaos Agent was another excellent novel from Greaney, who continues to highlight why he is one of the world’s leading spy thriller writers. This latest Gray Man novel ended up being a lot of fun, especially as Greaney goes a little overboard with the plot, and I deeply enjoyed the resulting adventure.

Greaney came out of the bag with something very exciting in The Chaos Agent, which is mainly down to how over-the-top and crazy the main narrative ended up being. This story starts off relatively low-key, with a couple of random killings, and an update on the lives of the protagonist, Court Gentry, and his partner Zoya Zakharova. Naturally, it doesn’t take long for Gentry and Zakharova to get dragged into the action, and this starts an intense fugitive arc for them, as they find themselves being hunted by various killers across central America. At the same time, the other supporting characters of the book are investigating the worldwide plot around the assassination of various AI experts. This results in a compelling investigation angle that continues for a large portion of The Chaos Agent, and it was fun to not completely know the identity of the book’s antagonist until towards the end. This first half of The Chaos Agent definitely got my attention, and the compelling action, intense mystery, and intriguing characters help to draw the reader in.

The second half of The Chaos Agent is where things start to get particularly interesting, as Greaney amps up the story and throws it into overdrive. In particular, the antagonists get even more crazy, which is well shown in an intense action sequence involving Gentry and Zakharova in contact’s house in Central America. These additional opponents give The Chaos Agent a real science fiction edge to them, and it was a gloriously over-the-top inclusion that I really loved. The various character storylines soon come together after that, as all the characters end up in Cuba investigating who is truly behind everything and why. There are some cool sequences here, including complex and intricate multi-perspective operations as various players manoeuvre around each other to achieve their goals. This all leads up nicely to the big extended finale, where all hell breaks loose as Greaney sets up a massive firefight with various sides thrown into the mix. The action here is intense, with the carnage flying thick and fast, and with so many perils coming for the protagonists. It all ends on a pretty big cliffhanger that will play nicely into the next book in the series, especially as two major supporting characters find their situation drastically changed due to their decisions.

I deeply enjoyed how this cool novel unfolded, and Greaney utilises his trademark writing style to great effect with this excellent story. The high-intensity action, fast-paced plot, and intriguing overarching storyline came together wonderfully, and it proves very hard not to get drawn into The Chaos Agent as a result. I particularly love how Greaney so effortlessly jumps between different character perspectives throughout the course of the book, which allows for a more complex and enhanced story. These quickfire changes in perspective also work extremely well in some of the book’s more intense sequences, especially as seeing the various participants continuously react to other character’s actions, allows for some outstanding scenes. Good examples of this include a sequence in the Cuban docks where Gentry and a rival assassin move around each other trying to simultaneously protect or kill their target. These scenes, and more, are true highlights of this book, and I love how well they were able to incorporate the particularly eccentric inclusions that Greaney featured within The Chaos Agent.

As with most of the books in the Gray Man series, The Chaos Agent can easily be read as a standalone novel. Greaney does a good job of recapping any the relevant key events from the prior novels where needed so new readers can enjoy this book without knowing anything about the rest of the series. That being said, established Gray Man readers will probably get a little more out of The Chaos Agent, especially when it comes to seeing how the various character relationships unfold. It also helps that this proved to be a particularly memorable entry in the series. Not only does Greaney go all out with his very inventive and exciting story, but there is a great combination of story elements there that everyone can enjoy. The intense action pairs well with a deep dive into modern technology elements, and Greaney pulls together an intriguing mystery about who is behind everything, rather than showing the antagonist from the get-go. While some of the twists around the true antagonist are a little predictable, Greaney played them out well, and they worked into the massive status quo changes at the end of the book. I will admit that I did find some of Greaney’s writing, including the dialogue, to be a little robotic at times in The Chaos Agent, which is kind of ironic when you consider the story focus. The way some parts of the writing or dialogue came together just didn’t feel right to me at times, and that slightly decreased my enjoyment of the book. Still, the awesome story more than made up for it, and I felt this was an awesome addition to the overall series, especially as the epic ending has got me extremely excited for the next book.

One of the things that I really enjoyed about The Chaos Agent was Greaney’s intriguing look at the future of AI and how it could be utilised in the military and intelligence fields. Greaney clearly did some research on the subject, and several characters spend significant time lecturing about the potential advantages and dangers of AI weaponry. I found this to be utterly fascinating, and this ends up being quite a key part of the book, especially once the protagonists find themselves beset by advanced drones and other distinctive weaponry. As I mentioned above, Greaney uses this AI concept to make The Chaos Agent a little more science fiction than his previous novels. While I won’t go into too much detail here, as frankly it is best experienced in the context of the story, some of these elements were very outrageous, and it made the story quite fun with some unique action. While it was very over-the-top, Greaney did paint everything with a film of realism, and I came away from The Chaos Agent with a healthy respect and fear for the potential future of AI in the military, especially as Greaney is probably right and someone will use it to kill the rest of us.

Aside from the complex writing and cool AI elements, The Chaos Agent’s story is also enhanced by a great cast of characters who are cleverly showcased throughout the plot. This includes protagonist Court Gentry and his partner Zoya Zakharova, who were reunited in the last book. Gentry and Zakharova form an effective team as the main protagonists of The Chaos Agent, and it was fun to see them in action again. However, Greaney also adds in an element of dissention, especially as neither really has the ability to trust other people, and they are both concerned about their potential future. Their combined storyline goes in some interesting directions, and the final twist of the book ensures that their relationship will be a big part of the next entry in the series. Greaney also brings back fun recurring character Zack Hightower, who worked with Gentry and Zakharova in the past. Hightower is always great value for money, and he had an interesting run in The Chaos Agent as he’s hired as security for a tech billionaire being targeted. Hightower ends up being an integral part of the book, and it was great to see him working with Gentry and Zakharova again, especially as his new job leads to some dark moments for him. Throw in an excellent supporting cast, which includes some recurring faces and some new intriguing antagonists, and this ended up being an excellent book that makes fantastic use of its characters.

I have always found that the best way to enjoy one of the Gray Man novels is to listen to it in its audiobook format, which really enhances the story. This is once again true for The Chaos Agent, which turned out to be such an epic listen. The audiobook format, which has a substantial runtime of 17 and a half hours, proved to be a lot of fun, and I deeply appreciated how well it enhanced Greaney’s already fun story and writing style. The constant movement between perspective characters, especially in the action sequences, comes across really well, and the intense fights feel so much more real and impactful when they are read out. It helps that The Chaos Agent was once again narrated by Jay Snyder, who has voiced all the other Gray Man novels. Snyder has a great vocal range that really lends itself to a spy thriller novel like The Chaos Agent, and all the over-the-top tough characters are captured extremely well in this audiobook, with Snyder expertly bringing back recurring voices from the previous Gray Man audiobooks. The rest of the extended cast also get appropriate and fitting tones, and you can see Snyder is really trying to get the voices to match the characters. This includes accents, as Snyder tries to capture many of the ethnicities captured within The Chaos Agent’s story, including a pretty good attempt at the New Zealand accent. As such, I really found myself getting drawn into The Chaos Agent’s story while listening to it, and while Snyder can also be a tad robotic at times, this audiobook format was a pretty exceptional way to enjoy this amazing book.

Overall, The Chaos Agent was another excellent addition to one of the very best spy thriller series currently running. Mark Greaney always goes all out with his amazing Gray Man novels, and The Chaos Agent is one of his most intense and gripping reads yet. Clever, compelling, and featuring some particularly fun story features, The Chaos Agent is an excellent read that gets another five-star rating from me.

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Outcast by Louise Carey

On April 7, 2022February 2, 2023 By The Unseen LibraryIn Science Fiction, Thriller7 Comments

Outcast Cover

Publisher: Gollancz (Trade Paperback – 25 January 2022)

Series: Inscape – Book Two

Length: 394

My Rating: 4.75 out of 5

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Impressive rising science fiction author Louise Carey continues her awesome first series with Outcast, a brilliant and powerful cyberpunk thriller read that is incredibly fun and very clever.

Outcast is a sequel to Carey’s debut novel from last year, Inscape, which told a unique and intriguing story about espionage, betrayal and corporate politics in a cyberpunk world. Set in the distant future after a major calamity, the fractured world is now ruled over by all-powerful and advanced corporations who battle for dominance while they attempt to create the latest in weaponry and bio-tech upgrades. The protagonist of the series, Tantra, works as an intelligence operative for one of the largest companies, InTech, and investigates a mysterious theft that could have dire consequences for her company. Filled with dystopian cyberpunk elements, such the built-in communication and information technology known as scapes, this ended up being an excellent and captivating science fiction thriller that was one of my favourite debuts of 2021. Carey has continued her amazing series in a big way here with Outcast, which serves as an outstanding and impressive sequel to her first solo book.

Following the success of her first mission, Tantra’s life has been turned upside down. Despite saving her company and uncovering a traitor, Tantra has been sidelined by a jealous supervisor and now works as a lowly security guard. Worse, Tantra now knows the terrible truth: that the company who gave her everything has long controlled her mind with the invasive Harlow Programming, which she has since been freed from. With her loyalties tested, Tantra is thrust back into the thick of the action when she discovers a bomb sent to InTech’s headquarters.

InTech soon finds itself thrust into a brutal corporate war with its main competitor, Throughfront. The bombing of their headquarters is the latest in a series of attacks on InTech assets, and the board are desperate to get them under control. Determining that she is their best operative to stop the culprits behind the attack, Tantra is assigned to the case. Teaming up once again with her former partner, Cole, the brilliant scientist with severe gaps in his memory, Tantra attempts to find the culprit before they cripple InTech for good.

But, facing opposition from both deadly internal InTech politics and lethal external forces, their chance of succeeding seems slim, especially when they are banished to a remote InTech facility in the Unaffiliated Zone for the remainder of their investigation. Barely escaping a deadly assassination attempt, this unconventional team find themselves caught in the middle of a dangerous conspiracy that is determined to bring InTech down for good. However, when they discover that InTech is planning their own sinister machinations, will Tantra and Cole still be as eager to save their company?

Wow, Carey follows up her excellent solo debut in a big way here with Outcast. This second book was even better than Inscape, taking the reader on a wild and action-packed adventure through the author’s unique cyberpunk world. Bringing together some amazing characters with a powerful and thought-provoking narrative about control and the potential evils of technology, this was an exceptional read I powered through in a few short days.

Outcast has an excellent story that perfectly continues the fantastic narrative started in Inscape. Taking place shortly after the events of the first book, Outcast sees a struggling Tantra and Cole once again placed in the middle of a big investigation with major implications, this time involving the destruction of company drones outside the city, which is impacting the company’s food supply. At the same time, Tantra finds herself forced to deal with deadly company internal politics, while Cole finds himself involved with a mysterious rebel group who are attempting to stop InTech’s more troublesome activities, including their latest upgrade. This forces them to venture outside of the city where they encounter unaffiliated mercenaries, enemy agents, dangerous rebels and deep secrets about InTech’s past. The middle of this novel is filled with an excellent series of great emotional sequences, action scenes, world building, character development and shocking twists, as the protagonists get closer to finding out who is behind the attacks, as well as the true plans of their parent company. This leads up to a brilliant final sequence where the protagonists are forced to make some very hard decisions in a great no-winners situation. This leads up to the amazing and powerful conclusion where the protagonists, despite their best efforts, are left devastated by the events that unfolded, and which ensures that all the readers will be back for the third entry in this awesome series.

There are so many cool elements to Outcast which really help to turn it into a first-class read. I deeply enjoyed the way the impressive story unfolded, and Carey makes great use of a couple of alternate character perspectives to tell a unique and multifaceted tale, such as the entertaining scenes told from the perspective of a smarmy and desperate secondary antagonist. The author does a great job of combining a thriller storyline with the unique science fiction elements, and it results in a fast-paced and action-packed story that takes the time to explore certain technological implications. There are some brilliant twists loaded throughout the book which are well paced out and ensure that the reader is constantly on their toes. I liked how, despite the sheer amount of world building featured in the first book, Outcast still came across as an accessible novel, and new readers can probably jump into the series here. That being said, I think you would be missing out if you didn’t try Inscape first as this sequel does an amazing job building on and expanding some excellent storylines from Carey’s debut. However, nothing will compete with the awesome ending that this novel has, and the reader is chucked through the emotional wringer as the book’s characters are put into an impossible situation, which produces some very dark results for them.

The excellent cyberpunk science fiction elements of this series once again shine in Outcast as Carey continues to explore the advanced biotech that was such a great feature of the first novel. Not only is a lot of this technology very cool, especially as it results in some brilliant moments in some of the action sequences, but this mind-connected technology continues to be a key part of the plot. Multiple storylines examine the ethics behind this technology, especially as the protagonists are now fully aware of the full extent of their parent company’s attempts to program their employees’/residents’ minds using their scapes. This leads to some intriguing and deep discussions, especially as you get to see corporate greed and a desire for control weighed up against the rights of a person and their desire for independent thought and identity. This exciting look at the series’ unique technology becomes even more intense and important as Outcast continues, especially when certain new advancements are revealed which could have devastating impacts on all the characters. I loved how deep and captivating some of the scenes involving this technology get, and it results in some of the best bits of the entire book. I cannot wait to see what happens with these cool technological aspects later in the series and I imagine it is going to be very fun.

I was also very impressed with the incredible character work featured throughout this book as Carey did a wonderful job expanding on her complex and damaged protagonists. Like Inscape, Outcast is primarily focused on the characters of Tantra, a young intelligence officer, and Cole a formerly unethical scientist whose memory was completely erased, giving him a very different personality while retaining his brilliant mind. These two formed a unique and fun pairing in Inscape, where they both experienced a lot of development and trauma, and it was great to see them back together again here.

Both characters had some brilliant moments throughout the novel, especially Tantra, who realised in the first book that her mind and her actions have been subtly controlled by a program her entire life. Now rid of the Harlow Programming, Tantra is in full control of her mind, but must keep this hidden from InTech, who would kill her or reprogram her if they found out. Forced to act like the obedient drone they think she is, Tantra chafes against the restrictions and contradictions of her superiors and the company, as she can see many of the injustices or manipulations now that her mind is solely hers. This also results in are also some excellent ethical and loyalty implications for her as she can finally see how nefarious InTech, the company who raised her, really are, and she must decide whether she is still loyal to them. It was especially powerful to see how her relationship with Reet, her lifelong romantic partner, has been changed. Reet is still infected by the Harlow Programming, and Tantra can only watch as she toes the company line and fails to understand Tantra’s many concerns, criticisms or newly awakened point of view. This puts some real strain on their relationship, and it was heartbreaking to see Tantra suffer even though she is now free. This was easily the best character work in the entire book, and if the tragedies and hard decisions that occurred towards the end of Outcast are any indication, Tantra is going to be in for a rough ride in the third book.

Cole also had some outstanding moments in Outcast as he continues to struggle with his sense of self and identity following his memory loss and the eventual revelation that his past self was responsible for many of InTech’s evils, including the Harlow Programming. Now mistreated and mistrusted by InTech, Cole works with a mysterious group outside of InTech to try and bring them down, while also attempting to learn more about his past actions and what led him to do what he did. He does get some of the answers he wants as the story progresses, especially when he is reunited with an old colleague, but it only leads to tragedy and despair. Cole’s story gets pretty dark in places, especially when he realises how InTech have repurposed and enhanced his original work, and it was fascinating to learn more about his past mistakes.

Aside from these two, there are several awesome supporting characters who also add a lot to the novel, especially as several of them are utilised as point of view characters. This includes Douglas Kenway, a senior director at InTech and Tantra’s boss, who is determined to keep his position and power no matter what. Convinced that Tantra is gunning for his job, he spends most of the novel trying to undermine her, while also inching closer to discovering the truth about her lack of Harlow Programming. Kenway serves as an excellent secondary antagonist, and his dive into company politics and sabotage of the protagonist adds a fantastic and entertaining edge to the novel that I really enjoyed. Despite his self-centred nature, Kenway does provide an intriguing alternate perspective on the events of the book, and he gives some corporate context for much of what is going on. I also really liked how his fears were mostly realised towards the end of the book, although not in the way he expected. I should also mention new character, Fliss, the leader of a rogue gang out in the Unaffiliated Zone who gets dragged into the conspiracy attacking InTech. Fliss provides another great alternate perspective, especially as she and her friends have no technological upgrades to their bodies and are naturally human. I liked the story that surrounded Fliss, especially as she struggles to control her gang when forced to work for a corporation, and she ended up being an excellent addition to the plot. These characters, and more, help to turn Outcast into a first-rate book, and I deeply enjoyed seeing all these amazing personal stories unfold.

Louise Carey continues to shine as one of the most impressive new authors of cyberpunk fiction out there with her second novel, Outcast. This outstanding sequel does a brilliant job of continuing the powerful storylines from Inscape, while also introducing new dangers, betrayals, and some great characters. Filled with action, intense character moments and captivating cyberpunk science fiction elements, Outcast is a fantastic novel that proves to be exceedingly addictive and fun. I am really starting to get hooked on this outstanding series, and all cyberpunk and science fiction fans need to do themselves a favour and check out Carey’s impressive Inscape series.

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Prodigal Son by Gregg Hurwitz

On February 17, 2021February 2, 2023 By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, Five-Star Books, Thriller23 Comments

Publisher: Macmillan Audio (Audiobook – 2 February 2021)

Series: Orphan X – Book Six

Length: 13 hours and 42 minutes

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

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One of the most exciting and impressive thriller series out there returns with the sixth entry in Gregg Hurwitz’s Orphan X series, Prodigal Son.

Over the last couple of years I have really been expanding my love for the thriller genre and I have been getting into several cool series, many of which have been spectacular reads. One of my favourites at the moment is the fantastic Orphan X series by Gregg Hurwitz. The Orphan X series follows protagonist Evan Smoak, the titular Orphan X, a lethal and highly capable special operator who was recruited out of an orphanage when he was 12 and trained in every conceivable aspect of combat and spycraft. After breaking from the Orphan Program and moving to Los Angeles, Evan has taken on a new moniker as The Nowhere Man, a vigilante who helps those in desperate situations as penance for his former life as an assassin. I had a lot of fun reading the fourth book in the series, Out of the Dark, which saw Evan go up against the corrupt President of the United States. I also deeply enjoyed the fifth book, Into the Fire, which was one of my favourite books from the first half of 2020 and one of the best audiobooks of the year. As a result, I have been really looking forward to reading the new Orphan X novel for a while now and I was excited to see what sort of fascinating story Prodigal Son would have.

After successfully taking down the shadowy forces behind the Orphan Program, Evan Smoak is ready to retire. With an unofficial pardon from the new President, all Evan has to do to stay off the government’s radar is to stop his activities as The Nowhere Man and live a normal life. However, the past once again returns to haunt Evan when he receives a phone call from a woman claiming to be his long lost mother, asking for his help.

Shocked and rattled by the revelations, Evan’s curiosity and need for family drives him to meet with this woman and discover what she wants. After tracking her down, Evan is surprised at the woman’s one request: to find and help Andrew Duran, a nobody living in LA whose life has gone off the rails. Working a dead-end job at an impound lot, Andrew witnesses the mysterious death of a former drone pilot, and now finds himself being hunted by a pair of brutal killers.

While initially reluctant to take the case and risk his pardon, Evan’s interest is piqued when he barely survives a hellfire missile strike on Andrew’s house. Digging deeper in the circumstances around the murder at the impound lot, Evan begins to uncover a deadly conspiracy involving a ruthless weapons contractor and his next generation drone weaponry. However, the biggest dangers to Evan may come from a direction he would never expect, as his new client, Andrew, brings up unwanted memories from his traumatic past. What is Andrew’s connection to Evan’s mother and his childhood and how will an emotionally compromised Evan save everyone important to him?

Wow, that was impressive. Hurwitz has once again come up with an epic and exciting Orphan X novel that combines high-octane action, with a fantastic plot, some excellent characters and an intense amount of growth and emotional turmoil surrounding the series’ protagonist. The combination of this results in a deeply addictive and extremely captivating read that ended up getting a full five-star rating from me, and it proved extremely hard to put Prodigal Son down.

This latest Orphan X novel contains a particularly clever and enjoyable narrative that sees Evan once again engage in a deadly mission as The Nowhere Man, although this time he is drawn in for far more personal reasons than usual. Hurwitz starts Prodigal Son off with a fun introduction, as Evan attempts to live a peaceful life in retirement (which goes about as well as expected), before his curiosity at the cliffhanger ending of the previous novel, Into the Fire, drives him to seek out the woman claiming to be his mother. This in turn leads him to attempt to save another lost soul from dangerous forces, as he goes up against a sociopathic tech genius and their ruthless assassins (as well as some repugnant bastards he encounters along the way). The rest of the story progresses at an intense and enjoyable pace as Evan attempts to get to the bottom of the plot that his client finds himself in. This results in several really impressive fight scenes, including a particularly brutal sequence in a impound lot (I will never, ever think about putting a torch in my mouth again). Hurwitz really has a talent for writing action scenes, and I loved all the ruthless detail and fun moments that he features within them (never bring a Tesla to a gun fight). In addition, there are some cleverly written infiltration scenes that I had fun with, especially when it comes to Evan breaking into some very high-security places with some elaborate disguises and a vape pen. All of this comes to a head with an explosive conclusion which, while a tad predictable, was still a fun way to end the book and should make for some interesting future entries in the series. I really enjoyed getting through Prodigal Son’s story and I found it to be particularly addictive and fun.

One of the most impressive and distinguishing highlights of the Orphan X series has always been its compelling and complex protagonist, Evan Smoak. Evan is a highly trained professional assassin who learnt a meticulous code of honour and responsibility as a child and now seeks to redeem himself by helping those in trouble. Thanks to his troubled and complicated past, as well as some mild OCD (brought on by a need for perfection in his work), Evan has been a particularly compelling character to follow, and there has been an intriguing subplot about his troubles connecting to other people. However, the emotional turmoil hidden within the character really comes to a head in Prodigal Son when Evan is reunited with the woman who abandoned him as a baby. Hurwitz really dives deep into the character’s psyche for this latest novel, presenting an intricate and powerful picture of a conflicted person, one who is torn between his long-repressed desire for family and to fit in and his training to be independent and alone. This emotional turmoil becomes even more pronounced when several secrets and revelations come to the surface, and this really throws Evan for a lot of the book. These added emotional distractions prove to be an intriguing part of the book’s plot, especially as it dulls Evan’s usual keen senses and amps up the risk during his missions. Hurwitz also spends time diving back into Evan’s childhood, including through a series of flashbacks to when he was first recruited to the Orphan Program, and it was fascinating to see more of his early life, especially when it impacts on his current state of mind. I also quite enjoyed the way in which Hurwitz explores Evan’s relationship with several other characters, and it was fascinating to see more of this killer’s paternal instincts and cravings come to life, especially after he finally comes face to face with his mother. In addition, Hurwitz also explores his protagonist’s mentality when it comes to retirement, and it proved interesting to see how Evan reacts when he is once again exposed to danger and violence. This is easily some of the best character development and exploration that Hurwitz has ever done, and I really appreciated the dramatic edge that it gave to Prodigal Son’s story.

Aside from Evan, this novel is filled with a selection of amazing and well-developed characters. The most prominent of these are probably Evan’s client, Andrew, and his long-lost mother, Veronica. Both serve as intriguing catalysts to Evan’s own development, and it was fascinating to see how their introduction to the plot impacted the protagonist’s mentality, especially when their various secrets come to life. Andrew in particular proves to be a great addition to the plot, and I liked to see another one of Evan’s clients whose life is both upended and improved by his interactions with The Nowhere Man. Several recurring characters from the previous Orphan X series also have some fantastic roles in this book, and I really enjoyed seeing more of Joey, a former Orphan Program participant and master hacker, who Evan treats like a little sister/daughter. Joey is a very fun character whose style, personality and expertise in all things technological strongly clash with Evan, but together they form a great team, and they have some amusing interactions throughout the book, especially when Evan finds out that Joey is dating and instantly enters protective dad mode. There is also the usual inclusion of the other residents of Evan’s apartment complex, including his love interest Mia and her young son Peter. While many of the characters in this complex seem a bit weird or one-dimensional, they actually prove to be an intriguing part of the book’s plot, especially as Evan is able to reconcile his own emotional issues with some of the problems they are facing. This is particularly true when it comes to Mia and Peter, and there are some interesting developments on that relationship throughout Prodigal Son.

Aside from these excellent side characters, Hurwitz has also come up with some fun villains for this latest novel that Evan needs to contend with. The main three villains of the story are a pretty unique group of antagonists, including the brother-sister team of Declan and Queenie Gentner, contracted assassins who have been hired to kill Andrew and other witnesses to their boss’s plot. Declan and Queenie are an interesting and sadistic pair of killers who prove to be a bit of a challenge for Evan throughout the book. I really appreciated that Hurwitz spent the time developing both of them, especially Declan, who has some major childhood traumas, and I felt that their arc throughout Prodigal Son was rather clever. The main villain of this story is the Gentner’s employer, known as the Doctor, who has access to some rather dangerous technology. The Doctor has a very James Bond villain feel to him, right down to having an odd and distinguishing physical characteristic and a sinister vision for the future. While a little more mystery or a twist about who the Doctor ultimately was might have worked out well, I still thought they were a great villain. I particularly liked the inclusion of all the drones that they used, and it was really fascinating to see how the author envisioned the future of warfare and how a trained agent like Evan would deal with them. Overall, there are some great side characters in this novel, and I look forward to seeing how Hurwitz utilises them in future Orphan X entries.

Like I did with the previous novel in the Orphan X series, I ended up choosing to listen to Prodigal Son’s audiobook format. This was a fantastic decision as this version of Prodigal Son was well put together and proved to be an excellent way to enjoy this amazing story. Prodigal Son has a decent run time of 13 hours and 42 minutes, which dedicated listeners can get through fairly quickly, and was narrated by the talented Scott Brick. Brick is an exceptional narrator who has lent his voice to an impressive catalogue of audiobooks, including several excellent thrillers, such as the Steve Berry’s Cotton Malone series (I enjoyed his narration for The Malta Exchange and The Warsaw Protocol) and the rest of the Orphan X novels. For Prodigal Son, Brick once again gives an excellent performance, providing the characters with some tough voices which fit each of the perfectly and helped to bring the story to life. I ended up getting really wrapped up in this audiobook and I felt that it was an amazing way to experience and step inside of this fantastic novel.

Prodigal Son by Gregg Hurwitz is an exceptional and powerful read that serves a great new addition to the amazing Orphan X series. I had an outstanding time listening to this fantastic new book, especially with its epic story and terrifically deep characters, and this is swiftly becoming one of my favourite thriller series. Prodigal Son comes highly recommended and I cannot wait to see how Hurwitz continues this in the future.

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Throwback Thursday: Dogs of War by Jonathan Maberry

On September 25, 2020March 5, 2023 By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, Five-Star Books, Science Fiction, Thriller, Throwback Thursday17 Comments

Publisher: Macmillan Audio (Audiobook – 25 April 2017)

Series: Joe Ledger – Book Nine

Length: 17 hours and 45 minutes

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

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For this week’s Throwback Thursday, I check out Dogs of War by Jonathan Maberry, the 9^th novel in the action-packed, over-the-top Joe Ledger series.

People familiar with my blog will be aware that over the last year or so I have been making my way through Maberry’s Joe Ledger science fiction thriller novels. I have been a little obsessed with these books ever since I first checked out the 10^th novel in the series, Deep Silence, and then went all the way back to book one, Patient Zero, to see how the series started. Ever since then I have worked my way through the rest of the Joe Ledger novels, each of which has proven to be a pretty top notch read. I absolutely love the clever writing style, unique stories and distinctive characters that Maberry features in these novels, and I usually power through them in extremely short order. Dogs of War is no exception, as I was able to get through this in less than a week and it did not take long for me to get addicted to its intriguing and exciting plot.

Following the disastrous events of Kill Switch, the Department of Military Sciences (DMS), a secret American counterterrorist unit that focuses on dangerous and unusual technology and science, is damaged and discredited. However, they are still determined to do good throughout the world, and their main field agent, the legendary Joe Ledger, is always keen for a new case. So when his brother calls him out of the blue with an unusual mystery, Ledger does not hesitate to head back to Baltimore in order to investigate.

Arriving in his former hometown, Ledger discovers a curious set of circumstances. A young street worker went on a rampage, killing several people before dying herself. The cause of her madness appears to be a new strain of rabies, which was apparently triggered by nanobots in her brain. Attempting to investigate more into the case, Ledger finds himself and his family targeted by ruthless killers with advanced technology, determined to ward him off the case. It soon becomes apparent that the death of the young girl in Baltimore is just the tip of the iceberg, as other mysterious events and attacks occur across America, many of them targeting members of the DMS. A new enemy has risen from the ashes of the DMS’s old foes, and she is determined to bring about a new world order. Worse, the DMS’s most dangerous enemy has returned, ready to rain chaos and destruction down on the entire world. Can Ledger and his team defeat this ruthless team of villains before it is too late, or will Ledger face the greatest tragedy of his life?

So, after reading all 10 Joe Ledger novels (as well as the spinoff novel, Rage), I have come to the conclusion that is actually impossible for Maberry to write a bad Joe Ledger novel. I was once again blown away while reading this ninth book as Dogs of War contained an epic and addictive story that I could not stop listening to. Maberry continues to utilise his distinctive writing style in this book, setting up a captivating and clever story that is loaded with intense action, likeable characters, memorable antagonists and a devious plot to end the world. This results in a very captivating read and Dogs of War gets an easy five stars from me. This is actually one of my favourite novels in the series and is probably the best one I have read this year (by a very small margin; Predator One and Kill Switch are both really good). Also he briefly mentions my Alma mater, ANU, so yay for that!

Dogs of War contains an absolutely fantastic story that sees the fun and complicated protagonist, Joe Ledger, face off against another world ending threat. Just like in the rest of the series, Dogs of War’s narrative is cleverly constructed with about half the novel is told from the point of view of Ledger, as he encounters the antagonist’s plot in real time. However, the rest of the novel features a large array of alternate perspectives and preceding time periods that expands the range of the story and helps to create a complex and captivating narrative which really grabs the reader’s attention and interest. Maberry backs up this great storytelling with a thrilling and action-packed narrative that is fast-paced and delightfully over-the-top. I really love the unique science fiction thriller storylines that Maberry features within Dogs of War and I appreciated all the cool connections that it has to previous novels in the series. This cool story will appeal to a wide range of different readers and it is extremely accessible to people who are unfamiliar with the Joe Ledger series as Maberry goes to great lengths to explain all the various story elements and characters featured within the book. That being said, I really need to emphasise just how truly over-the-top this story could be, as there are a number of scenes that some readers may find uncomfortable or hard to read. This includes some very graphic fight sequences and some rather disturbing sexual content, some of which, if I am being honest, is way too excessive (one flashback scene features the underage antagonist getting deflowered by a literal demon right after her mother’s funeral, which happened to coincide with 9/11). Still I have a lot of love for the way in which Maberry constructs a Joe Ledger story, and Dogs of War is a truly fun and thrilling story as a result.

Just like with the previous novels in this series, Maberry has anchored his amazing story on a fantastic collection of characters who really help to enhance the narrative and turn this into a first-class read. The main character is the series’ titular protagonist, Joe Ledger. Ledger is an extremely complex character due to his fractured personalities and intense emotional range, and it is always incredible to see the story through his eyes, whether he is feeling each and every emotional blow that comes as way as a result of the case, or he is dishing out severe and brutal vengeance to those who have wronged him. Ledger is also the cause of most of the book’s enjoyable humour, as he has an extremely flippant outer personality, including a hilarious and sarcastic inner monologue, which becomes especially funny when he encounters the various strange and over-the-top elements that this series is known for.

In addition to Ledger, Maberry also does an amazing job reintroducing and utilising the various recurring characters who have been featured in the previous entries in the series. All of the side characters have their own distinctive and enjoyable personalities, and fans of the series will really appreciate seeing many of these characters return and continue their various individual storylines. This includes the two surviving members of Ledger’s personal strike team, Top and Bunny, who serve as a great backup throughout the novel and get into some dangerous scrapes of their own. I particularly appreciated the way in which the author examined and showcased the emotional damage that these two characters have been dealing with since the traumatic events of Kill Switch, and it added an amazing sense of realism to the story. I also absolutely loved seeing more of Ledger’s attack dog, Ghost, the best and most lovable canine killing machine in all of fiction. It is an absolute testament to Maberry’s writing ability that he is able to install such a fun and memorable personality into a fictional dog, and you can’t help but love it when Ghost is on the page doing his thing. That being said, one of the best characters in the novel has to be the mysterious head of the DMS, Mr Church. Church is a calm and measured figure throughout the novel, grounding the various main characters and providing stable leadership to them. However, the main appeal of Church lies around his enigmatic nature and past. Maberry has built up such an amazing amount of mystique around this character that anytime a little hint or mention of his past is presented the reader absolutely laps it up as they try to figure out who or what he is (is he an alien, an angel, some form of immortal hero from history? You just don’t know). Dogs of War features several more tantalising hints and clues about this, and you get some very interesting glances into his past, although there is still so much mystery. I really loved seeing all these great characters again, and it was fantastic to see how the story unwinds around them.

No Joe Ledger novel would be complete with a sensationally evil villain with a complicated past and an elaborate master plan, and Dogs of War features both in spades. The main antagonist of this novel, Zephyr Bane, is a rather intriguing character with a unique view on the world and a range of connection to some of the villains previously featured in the series. Maberry does an outstanding job building up this antagonist throughout the course of Dogs of War, including through a series of interludes that show key moments in Zephyr’s life, such as how she came up with her plans and how she was tutored in the art of villainy. While Zephyr is a great antagonist, Maberry doubles down on the villainy in the novel by introducing another sinister opponent for the DMS to face. This second antagonist is someone who has appeared in several of the past Joe Ledger novels, although his identity is hidden for a good part of the book (although fans of the series will work out who they are rather quickly). This character is another particularly mysterious being, who spends most of the book manipulating events from the shadows, giving the reader hints at who they are and what they are capable of. A major highlight of this novel is this villain’s long-awaited showdown with a major Joe Ledger character, and this fated interaction does not disappoint, even if it leaves the readers with more questions than answers. Overall, these are some fantastic antagonists, and I absolutely love seeing the outrageously evil opponents that Maberry comes up with for these books.

I also have to highlight the extremely complex and intricate evil plot that these antagonists came up with for Dogs of War. This was a great, high-stakes plan that contained a lot of different elements that are slowly revealed to the reader throughout the course of the book. Not only does Maberry make great use of flashbacks and interludes to show how this plan came to pass and the various planning stages but he also spends time examining how the antagonists attempt to counter the inevitable interference from the DMS. Both of the main antagonists have had interactions with the DMS before, and they know that any plan they implement will gain the attention of the DMS at some point. As a result, they come up with a number of counters and tactics designed to directly target key elements of the DMS in order to take them off the board. This was a really clever part of the story, as not only does it add an extra level of drama to the narrative, especially when Ledger is emotionally targeted, but it also represents a clever bit of continuity with the rest of the series. A lot of the weaknesses that the antagonists attempt to exploit were previously introduced or discussed in some of the previous Joe Ledger novels. The antagonists subsequently try to learn from the mistakes of their predecessors when they utilise these weaknesses, resulting in a lot of tension as some of the characters you are invested in are personally targeted. I think this was one of the more inventive master plots that Maberry has come up with for the Joe Ledger series.

One of the most fascinating parts of Dogs of War was the author’s examination of certain real-world technologies. Throughout the course of the book, the author examines all manner of technological marvels in great detail, including nanobots, advanced robots, drones, computer technology and artificial intelligence. This results in a number of intriguing discussions as the various characters consider all the applications and impacts that such technology has on the world, these technologies are then cleverly worked into the plot of the book as the antagonists utilise them for their evil plans. Not only is this immensely interesting and highlights the research that the author has obviously done, but all this technology adds a certain amount of real-world menace to the book. As Maberry takes pains to explain at the very front of the book, all of the technologies that he features within Dogs of War is either in development, currently being tested or already exist in the real world. As a result, the reader gets a little bit of dread at the thought that a lot of the terrible things that Maberry features within Dogs of War could happen in real life. This of course helps to ratchet up the tension and suspense within the novel, and I really appreciated how the author used this to make the story even better. Also, you get to see the protagonist go up against a bunch of robotic dogs, which is just awesome on so many levels.

In order to enjoy Dogs of War I checked out the audiobook format of the novel, which has a decent run time just short of 18 hours. I absolutely love the Joe Ledger audiobooks and they are by far my preferred way to enjoy these fantastic novels. The main reason for this is the awesome narrator, Ray Porter, who has lent his talent to every novel in the Joe Ledger series, including Dogs of War, and whose voice really enhances these books. Porter, who is probably my favourite audiobook narrator at the moment, does an amazing job bringing the characters and the story to life, thanks to his memorable voices and the impressive way that he loads each word with so much emotion and personality. You always get an incredible sense of the character’s emotions, as the anger, rage, fear or grief that they go through always comes through so clearly. I particularly love the way that Porter brings the series’ main character, Joe Ledger, to life, as he perfectly captures Ledger’s diverse emotive range, including his boundless anger and his outrageous and sarcastic humour. I also love the incredible voices he utilises for some other characters, such as the mysterious Mr Church, and his depiction of him contains all the necessary gravitas and power to match the character described in the text. I also liked the way in which Porter loads one of the antagonist’s voices up with such pure menace and hatred, turning them into a very threatening figure in this format. All of this made listening to Dogs of War an absolute treat, and I cannot recommend the Joe Ledger audiobooks enough.

Dogs of War was another excellent and addictive entry in Jonathan Maberry’s Joe Ledger series, and I had an amazing time listening to it. Featuring an outstanding story, awesome characters and so many other fantastic elements, this was an incredible read and I am extremely glad that I checked it out. I have to admit that I am actually a little sad to have finished off Dogs of War, as that was the last Joe Ledger novel that I had to read. I have really enjoyed going back and checking out all of the wonderful novels in this superb series, and I will have to get my science fiction thriller fix somewhere else in the future. Luckily, Maberry actually references several other great series in Dogs of War that could be worth checking out, including the Sigma Force, Seal Team 666 and Chess Team thriller novels, all of which apparently exist in a shared universe with the Joe Ledger books. I will have to have a think about look at some of these in the future, especially as I wait for Maberry to write another entry in his spin-off Rogue Team International series. In the meantime, Dogs of War is really worth reading and it comes very highly recommended from me.

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Throwback Thursday – Predator One by Jonathan Maberry

On March 26, 2020March 5, 2023 By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, Five-Star Books, Science Fiction, Thriller, Throwback Thursday16 Comments

Publisher: Macmillan Audio (Audiobook – 7 April 2015)

Series: Joe Ledger series – Book Seven

Length: 16 hours and 55 minutes

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

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Reviewed as part of my Throwback Thursday series, where I republish old reviews, review books I have read before or review older books I have only just had a chance to read.

For this latest Throwback Thursday, I decided to I wanted something fast-paced and action-packed, so I went and checked out another book in Jonathan Maberry’s dark and thrilling Joe Ledger series with the seventh book, Predator One.

Those familiar with my blog will be aware of my recent love affair with the Joe Ledger series. I first encountered this series back in late 2018, and after massively enjoying the tenth book, Deep Silence, I have been slowly reading and reviewing my way through the entire series from start to finish. There are so many different things that I enjoy about these novels, including the outstanding action, gripping stories, fantastic characters and the crazy scenarios each book is set around. When combined, these elements help produce some truly incredible books, and I had an amazing time reading several Joe Ledger novels last year. I also read the first book in Maberry’s Rogue Team International series, Rage, which was one of my top books (and audiobooks) of 2019. I am hoping to finish off all the remaining books in the Joe Ledger series this year, and Predator One is the first one that I have so far checked out in 2020. I have to say that I was once again blown away with Maberry’s writing ability, as Predator One is another epic and remarkable read which gets a full five-star rating from me.

It is the opening day of the new baseball season, and Joe Ledger, point-agent for the high-tech counter terrorist organisation, the Department of Military Sciences (DMS), is enjoying a well-earned day off. Everything seems to be going well, the sun is shining, the beers are flowing, and a decorated military pilot is about to throw out the first ball. Then a model airplane flies out onto the field, a replica of the one flown by the war hero. Everyone assumes it’s a harmless prank, everyone except Ledger, who can only watch in horror as the toy plane explodes. Within seconds, a swarm of bomb-laden drones appears, devastating the crowd and leaving Ledger injured in the wreckage of the stadium.

As Ledger attempts to process what has happened, a series of coordinated attacks are taking place across America. While some of the attacks appear random, several are deliberately targeting the friends and family of key members of the DMS, attempting to distract the agency and take them off the board. It soon becomes clear that an old enemy has risen from the flames, determined to get revenge on those that they believe have wronged them in the past, including Ledger and everyone he loves. Worse, they have teamed up with a force of pure evil whose deepest wish is to torment and destroy the head of the DMS, the mysterious Mr Church.

Diving back into the action, Ledger and his team attempt to find and neutralise the source of this new threat. But at every turn, they find themselves outmatched, outmanoeuvred and severely outgunned, as the enemy has access to advanced technology that allows them to take control of America’s military vehicles, aircraft, ships and drones. As the attacks against America worsen, their opponents even gain control of Air Force One, with the President aboard, and start to fly it towards New York City. Can Ledger save the day one more time or have the DMS finally come up against an enemy even they can’t outsmart?

Wow, just wow. Predator One is another impressive and extremely captivating thriller novel that I had an outstanding time listening to. Maberry has come up with another incredible, action-packed story which utilises his trademark writing style to present a first-rate novel. Readers are treated to a multi-layered story, which cleverly features multiple character viewpoints, flashbacks and deep examinations of a several major characters’ pasts and motives. All of this allows Maberry to tell a complex and intriguing thriller story that never lets up on the excitement. The various storylines flow together perfectly thanks to the short chapters and constant dancing between different character perspectives, and all the storylines lead up to an epic and memorable conclusion. Maberry really knows how to ramp up the tension and the excitement throughout the book, and the final couple of hours are exceedingly thrilling, as several exhilarating scenarios come into effect at the same time. All of this results in a deeply exciting read, which I really loved and is another perfect Joe Ledger story.

Just like so many books in this series, amongst the best things about Predator One are the fantastic antagonists and their over-the-top plot against America, Joe Ledger and the DMS. For the main antagonist, Maberry goes back to some of the earlier books in the series, and brings back the Seven Kings organisation, which is being led by an old, established opponent of the DMS. While a new, complex villain for this book could have been fun, I really loved the author’s use of the historical antagonist, especially as they have been substantially transformed since the last book, and they are now aiming for a destructive end. This older antagonist is paired with the mysterious, evil character, Nicodemus, and together they form quite a partnership. Nicodemus is a character that has been hinted at and featured in the shadows of several previous books, so it was really cool to see him in a more substantial role. The key to Nicodemus is his extremely enigmatic persona and history, as no one quite knows who or, more importantly, what he is. He seems to have some sort of mystical abilities, and it is hinted in this book that he is some form of demon or devil, although it is never fully revealed. This mystery and mystique make for a quite an intriguing addition to the series, and the two main antagonists work together quite well as an evil, villainous pairing. On top of them, Maberry also throws in a good secondary antagonist who acts as a crooked assistant to the leader of the Seven Kings and who serves as a useful narrator, as well as the standard sexually depraved henchmen. Combined, these excellent antagonists make for a fun and exciting opposition for the main characters and they help produce some extremely interesting storylines.

I was also a major fan of the fantastic and complex master plan that Maberry envisioned for the antagonists of this book, which served as a fantastic basis of much of the story. Maberry crafted a sinister and exceedingly destructive campaign of terror and destruction that culminated in the takeover of Air Force One with the President and other key characters on board, sending it on a kamikaze mission. This proved to be a rather fun villainous storyline to follow, and I enjoyed seeing it unfold from both the protagonists’ and antagonists’ points of view, as these different perspectives led to some very intriguing scenes. I also liked the way that that the origins of the plot were explored in a series of interludes, allowing the reader to become familiar with the key players of the scheme, and get hints of the full extent of the planned destruction. It was also rather cool to see these antagonists land some real blows against the DMS. Maberry has never been shy about killing off key side characters (for example, he killed off the main secondary character and primary love interest in the second book, The Dragon Factory), and he ensures that some real damage is done to some DMS characters in Predator One. This helps add a real emotional edge to the story, and I liked the way that it upped the stakes, as well as the obvious emotional and psychological impacts that it had on some of the series’s well established, long-running protagonists.

Maberry makes sure to bring back the full and unique bevy of good-guy characters for this seventh book, most of whom have appeared in multiple books before. At the fore is the series’s titular protagonist, Joe Ledger, who is the sole first-person narrator in the book, with around a third of the story told from his point of view. Ledger is his usual witty and damaged self in this book, infecting his parts of the story with his wicked humour and sarcasm, while also unleashing his barely hidden rage and special brand of hyper-violence. Ledger goes to some dark places in Predator One, especially after his friends and allies are attacked, and the way he ends the villain is particularly gruesome and memorable. In addition to the usual examination of Ledger’s complex psyche, I really liked the way that a number of other side characters got some substantial sequences in this book. Joe Ledger series stand-out character Mr Church gets quite a lot to do in this book, and it was excellent to not only see him calmly lead his people in a severe crisis, but also react to some substantially personal attacks from the shadowy Nicodemus, who he has some obvious history with. The DMS’s psychiatrist, Rudy Sanchez, also gets quite a few scenes in this book, as he and his family come under substantial attack from the antagonists. It was really intriguing to see Rudy, whose usual role is to calm and centre the rest of the protagonists, come apart a bit in this novel, and it was quite stirring to see him pull himself together in a major way. I have to say that I also really enjoyed the inclusion of Toys as well, especially as Maberry has written a rather good redemption arc for him in this book. Thanks to the author’s use of multiple viewpoints, each of these characters, and more, get multiple moments to shine in this novel, and this helped create a full and captivating thriller tale, especially as the reader inevitably becomes invested in these characters’ survival.

I can’t go past a Joe Ledger novel without commenting on the exquisite and ultra-violent action sequences that are heavily featured throughout the book. Maberry is an expert at writing detailed and explosive action scenes, and Predator One is filled with a substantial amount of battles and fights, with all manner of armed and unarmed combat. These scenes are an absolute delight to behold, and it is always cool to see these well-crafted fights come to life. There are a number of large-scale battle sequences throughout this book, and Maberry did an amazing job switching between several fights that were happening simultaneously towards the end of the book, resulting in some extremely action-packed and exciting sections of Predator One. I really enjoy the way that the author breaks down the fight, and it is interesting to hear about the tactical reasons or destructive capabilities for certain moves or weaponry. All of this makes for a really cool book, although readers should be warned that there is a lot of extreme violence in this book that might not be for everyone, especially the graphic torture scenes.

Just like the previous Joe Ledger novels I have been lucky enough to enjoy, I chose to check out Predator One’s audiobook format, which was narrated by the exceedingly talented Ray Porter. Running at 16 hours and 55 minutes, this is one of the longer Joe Ledger audiobooks (not by much), but I found myself able to power through it in only a few days, and the audiobook format remains my favourite way to enjoy a Joe Ledger book. Porter’s outstanding narration is the highlight of this format, and I will never get tired of praising his vocal work in this format. The voices that Porter comes up with for these productions are pretty damn awesome, and he has perfected some amazing voices for the characters featured in this series. I once again have to highlight Porter’s take on Mr Church, as his version of the character has some real presences, authority and gravitas. I also liked some of the voices that he did for the villainous Nicodemus, especially as the script called for a change of accent and voice mid-sentence, something which Porter pulled off perfectly, and which made the character sound pretty sinister in this format. However, nothing can top the amazing work that Porter puts into the series’s titular protagonist, Joe Ledger, as the narrator is scarily in sync with this character, and expertly portrays all his emotion, personality and raw sarcasm. I cannot emphasise enough how impressive the Joe Ledger audiobooks are, and if you are keen to check them out, this is the format to do it in.

Predator One by Jonathan Maberry is an outstanding and captivating tale of revenge, destruction, action and war, as the author’s team of elite warriors go face to face with an army of pure evil. This was an intense and thrilling read, which I once again completely failed to put down multiple times. Filled with amazing characters, including some very well-crafted evil antagonists, a fun story, violent action sequences and some outrageous story elements, this book is relentlessly entertaining and it proved to be an impressive addition to the Joe Ledger series. Predator One comes highly recommended, especially in audiobook format, and I look forward to finishing off the final two books in the series later this year.

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Connect by Julian Gough

On July 9, 2018August 17, 2022 By The Unseen LibraryIn Science Fiction, ThrillerLeave a comment

Connect Cover

Publisher: Picador

Publication Date – 8 May 2018

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For those looking for a darkly complex and intense techno-thriller, look no further than Connect by Julian Gough, a unique novel that also critiques future trends and humanity’s increasing reliance on technology.

In the very near future, computer technology has been incorporated into nearly everything, linking the world and helping with all aspects of day to day life. In Nevada, awkward young teen Colt is a talented hacker living with his mother, Naomi. Seeking to create a perfect replication of the real world in virtual space, Colt has also developed a dangerous fascination with his mother’s biotech research.

When Colt submits his mother’s revolutionary work to a biotech conference, Naomi comes to the attention of the government, including Colt’s father, a high-ranking spook, Ryan, concerned with its potential implications. However, Colt has also taken the opportunity to inject himself with the experimental biotech, turning himself into something new: a hybrid of man and technology. Colt and Naomi are soon considered to be threats to the government, and Ryan activates an experimental defence network to hunt them down. Colt and Naomi are forced to go on the run and must try to avoid a barrage of killer drones programmed to target and kill them at any cost. Will Colt’s new abilities be enough to overcome the computer intelligence seeking them, or will the future of technology be changed forever?

Connect is an inspired new novel from Gough which represents a different direction from his previous writings. Connect is a fascinating read and an interesting techno-thriller that examines the future of technology, creates a compelling dialogue and makes significant use of some excellent narrative elements.

The main story is an absorbing thriller that pits the protagonists against some sizeable opponents and threats. One of their main opponents is an advanced and experimental computer program that is connected to every piece of technology in the country. As a result, the protagonists are forced to find ways to avoid the overwhelming surveillance hunting them. Not only must they avoid pursuit from teaching devices and video cameras but they must also find a way to go low tech in a society that has computers connected to everything. There are some great scenes where the characters are forced to out-think drones hunting them and try to find ways around the tracking programs that determine when and where to attack. All of these play wonderfully into the book’s thriller storyline, and there is some real excitement when the protagonists encounter and attempt to counter these technological threats.

Gough spends a significant amount of Connect examining the future of technology and ends up offering some significant commentary on our reliance on technology and its potential influence on us. The story is set in the immediate future, where everything is controlled by computers and certain things common in our current world no longer exist. For example, most cars are self-driven, everything has become exceedingly automated and cash has become nearly obsolete. In other words, it is a picture of how our world is likely to turn out in the next few years, based on current advances in technology. Gough scrutinises how this over-reliance on technology could be detrimental to humanity, and how it could be turned against us by hackers and governments. There is also an examination of the automation of a nation’s defence and security as an advanced security program is activated to hunt down the protagonists. The debate around such a program is very in-depth, and the readers will be fascinated by some of the arguments presented. Naturally, the program starts getting out of hand as it is manipulated into seeing the protagonists as a bigger threat than they are and it starts to dramatically escalate its attempts to destroy its targets. This thought-provoking discussion and examination of the future of technology is a key part of Connect and will prove to be one of the most intriguing parts of the book for some thoughtful readers.

One of the most noticeable parts of the book is the unusual format that Gough has chosen to implement throughout his book. The story is broken up into 12 chapters, and then further broken down into 149 sub-chapters, and is formatted in a way that vaguely reminded me of code within a computer program. The inclusion of such a visually distinctive writing format does not break up the flow of the story, nor does it affect the reader’s ability to follow the story. It does, however, dramatically change towards the end of the book in a way that ties in nicely with some of the significant plot elements occurring during this part of the book. Gough has also chosen to include a number of relevant quotes at the start of each of the chapters. I personally enjoyed reading those and connecting them to the plot of the upcoming chapter, and may prove to be more amusing to those of a more computer or technical mindset than myself. Overall, the consistent use of this unique format and the attention grabbing quotes work well with the technology-centric plot and are a clever addition by Gough.

The point of view of Connect is mostly shared between the book’s protagonists, Colt and Naomi, although the main human antagonist, Ryan, also features in a few of the book’s chapters. These separate viewpoints offer different subjects to the reader, and Gough has done a fantastic job of presenting unique content for both of his protagonists. The scenes that follow Colt are a stimulating experience, allowing the reader a real sense of Colt’s social awkwardness and the disconnectedness he feels with the real world, especially when he focuses on his recreation of the real world in his virtual reality. This virtual world appears in quite a number of scenes and plays a pivotal role in the end of the plot, and it is curious to watch Colt attempt to live most of his life within this world. The characterisation of Colt shifts subtly after he injects himself with the experimental biotech and he starts to change. It is interesting to watch his character change and mature after this point, especially as he attempts to initiate a very awkward romance with another young hacker. The interactions he has with technology after this point, including with the advanced defence program hunting him, are some great scenes, especially as he creates and utilises some clever work-arounds to manipulate the computer networks to his advantage.

The scenes that feature Naomi’s perspective are significantly different, representing a noticeable change of pace for the reader. Naomi is a very damaged person who presents herself in very different way to her socially awkward son. Gough has made sure to communicate her multiple neuroses and issues to the reader, which adds a lot of drama to the story as she must attempt to save her son whilst trying not to get overwhelmed. Like her son, she also undergoes substantial character development throughout the story, and the reader will enjoy watching her work towards a better relationship with her son. In addition to this excellent piece of character work, the chapters featuring Naomi as the focal point are generally a lot darker and more adult. For example, one of these sub-chapters features one of the most memorable and disturbing death scenes that I’ve ever read.

Connect is deep thriller that revels in its use of technological elements to create a distinctive and eccentric story. Julian Gough’s discussion and consideration of a technologically advanced future and the problems this could create is compelling and thought-provoking, and his great use of characters and formatting elements turns this into one of the most unique pieces of literature you are likely to read this the year.