Tag: Joe Ledger

Waiting on Wednesday – Red Empire by Jonathan Maberry

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Science Fiction, Thriller, Waiting on WednesdayLeave a comment

Welcome to my weekly segment, Waiting on Wednesday, where I look at upcoming books that I am planning to order and review in the next few months and which I think I will really enjoy.  Stay tuned to see reviews of these books when I get a copy of them.  For this latest Waiting on Wednesday, I examine one of my most anticipated upcoming thrillers for 2026 with the epic new Rogue Team International novel from Jonathan Maberry, Red Empire.

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I have made no secret over the years about just how much I enjoy the crazy works of author Jonathan Maberry.  A highly inventive author with a knack for awesome action sequences and a love of horror, Maberry has been writing impressive novels since 2006, with his chilling Pine Deep series.  Since then, he has gone on to write a stagging variety of novels, including the zombie apocalypse Rot & Ruin and Dead of Night series, his V-War comic series, as well as several awesome standalone novels like the disturbing Ink.  Maberry has also had fun diving into the fantasy and science fiction genre in recent years, including his exceptional Kagen the Damned dark fantasy trilogy, made up of Kagen the Damned (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2022), Son of the Poison Rose (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2023), and The Dragon in Winter (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2024), as well as the science fiction novel NeckroTek (the sequel of which, Cold War, I’m hoping to read soon).

While I’m a huge fan of all the above series, my favourite body of Maberry’s work remains his iconic and long-running Joe Ledger series.  Following the titular troubled protagonist as he works as a part of an elite government special forces team detailed to stopping terrorist attacks or criminal organisations using advanced and unusual technology, the Joe Ledger novels were impressive and complex thrillers with over-the-top science fiction or horror elements. The original series, which ran for 10 books, features some amazing novels, including Patient Zero, The Dragon Factory, Assassin’s Code, Predator One and Deep Silence just to name a few. Each of these novels were amazing reads on their own, although I also got really drawn into the ongoing storylines and recurring villains.

Following the end of the original Joe Ledger books, Maberry continued many of his storylines in the sequel Rogue Team International series, bringing back the major characters and setting them up as independent intelligence operatives working for themselves. This series was also extremely exciting, and I have appreciated the way in which the author has continued some of the complex story arcs and villainous narratives from the first series. The Rogue Team International books have so far featured Rage (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2019), Relentless (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2021), Cave 13 (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2023) and the 2025 release, Burn to Shine, each of which have been pretty damn amazing and filled with some dark and captivating narratives.

Due to how much I love this extended series, I am already quite excited about the next upcoming Rogue Team International book coming out in early 2026, Red Empire.  Set to be the fifth entry in the Rogue Team International series and the 15th overall Joe ledger novel, Red Empire has an intriguing plot that sees an old enemy of Ledger and his organization engage in a new plot to destroy the world, while shocking secrets and ancient mysteries come to light.  Set for release in March 2026, Red Empire sounds amazing, and I am already extremely eager to get my hands on it.

Plot Synopsis:

In the next novel in the Joe Ledger and Rogue Team International series by New York Times bestselling author Jonathan Maberry, the team faces new and old enemies alike as a bioengineered version of The Black Death surfaces.

Hundreds of years after the first waves of the bubonic plague swept through Europe, a new, more dangerous version threatens London. Joe Ledger’s old enemy the Red Empire—reborn as a far more powerful political and military group—has bioengineered a weaponized version of yersinia pestis—the bacteria responsible for The Black Death that killed tens of millions in the Middle Ages.

As Joe Ledger and Rogue Team International race against the clock to put a stop to the Red Empire’s plans, they’re sucked into the strange and mysterious past of the man called Mr. Church. Secrets come to light that make even his staunchest allies wonder who –and more precisely what—Church really is.

With whispers of an elixir vitae—or elixir of life—circling, Joe Ledger and Rogue Team International are facing the highest possible stakes in their work together yet. As the tension builds and the balance between life and death sways precariously, it seems like tragic losses among them might be inevitable.

Oh yeah, I am already very excited for this.  Based on this above synopsis, Maberry has pulled together another intriguing plot for Red Empire, and I’m looking forward to seeing it unfold.  Seeing the return of an old enemy organisation, the sinister Red Empire, is going to be amazing, especially as they attempt to unleash a deadly biological weapon upon the world.  I look forward to seeing the plot revolve around this new battle between Ledger and his foes, and I’m expecting a lot of epic action and intense carnage as a result.

While the focus on the Red Empire and their new strain of the Black Death will be awesome, the part of the synopsis that I, and most long-term Joe Ledger fans, are most interested in, is the section that talks about the secret origins of Mr Church.  Church, the founder and leader of the titular organisation and its predecessor government department, has long been an enigmatic figure, bending world leaders to his will and boasting an insane set of skills and contacts to save the day.  Maberry has strongly hinted about a supernatural origin to Mr Church over the years, including in the shocking final scene of Burn to Shine.  However, the full details of who, or what, Mr Church is, as well as his connection to his chaotic antagonist Nicodemus, has yet to be completely revealed.  From the sounds of the synopsis above, as well as some details revealed by Maberry, it looks like we are finally going to get the full origin story of Mr Church in Red Empire.  I’ve honestly been waiting for this background on one of Maberry’s best characters for years, and I cannot emphasise just how excited I am to finally find out the true tale of Mr Church and the origins of his war against evil.

I think it’s very clear from this long Waiting on Wednesday post that I’m very keen to get my hands on Red Empire next year.  This upcoming Joe Ledger/Rogue Team International novel from Jonathan Maberry sounds so damn cool, and I cannot wait to see all the carnage and trauma that the author will unleash upon his fans with this new book.  Throw in the fact that Maberry is finally going to reveal one of his series’ most intriguing and long-running secrets, and this is already one of the books I most excited to read next year.  I can guarantee that I will be listening to Red Empire the very second it comes out, and I already know I’m going to love everything about it.

Burn to Shine by Jonathan Maberry

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, Science Fiction, Thriller4 Comments

Publisher: Macmillan Audio (Audiobook – 4 March 2025)

Series: Rogue Team International – Book Four

Length: 19 hours and 9 minutes

My Rating: 4.75 out of 5 stars

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Bring on the chaos, carnage and craziness with the new epic Rogue Team International from Jonathan Maberry, Burn to Shine, which takes the reader on another dark and over-the-top ride in a deeply addictive thriller.

Readers of this blog will know that I am a massive Jonathan Maberry fan, having had the great pleasure getting to know and power through some of his biggest series.  Thanks to his intense writing, ability to pull together amazing characters and great attention for action and combat, all Maberry’s books really resonate with me, and pretty much all the Maberry books I have read have been 5-star novels in my mind.  Highlights include the dark 2024 science fiction novel, NecroTek, the creepy horror novel, Ink (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2020), as well as the brilliant Kagen the Damned dark fantasy trilogy, made up of Kagen the Damned (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2022), Son of the Poison Rose (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2023), and The Dragon in Winter (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2024).

While the above series and books are all outstanding, my favourite Maberry novels are the iconic and long-running Joe Ledger series.  Following the titular troubled protagonist as he works as a part of an elite government special forces team detailed to stopping terrorist attacks or criminal organisations using advanced and unusual technology, the Joe Ledger novels were impressive and complex thrillers with over-the-top dark elements, that often featured some outstanding science fiction and compelling horror elements.  The original series, which ran for 10 books, features some amazing novels, including Patient Zero, The Dragon Factory, Assassin’s Code, Predator One and Deep Silence just to name a few.  Each of these novels were amazing reads on their own, although I also got really drawn into the ongoing storylines and recurring villains.

Following the end of the original Joe Ledger books, Maberry continued many of his storylines in the sequel Rogue Team International series, bringing back the major characters and setting them up as independent intelligence operatives working for themselves.  This series was also extremely exciting, and I have appreciated the way in which the author has continued some of the complex story arcs and villainous narratives from the first series.  The Rogue Team International books have so far featured Rage (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2019), Relentless (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2021), and Cave 13 (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2023), each of which have been pretty damn amazing and filled with some dark and captivating narratives.

Naturally, I was very excited when I saw that there was a fourth Rogue Team International book coming out in 2025 with Burn to Shine.  The fourth book in the Rogue Team International series and the 14th overall Joe Ledger novel, Burn to Shine brings back the protagonist and his team in a big way, as they go toe-to-toe with some of the most dangerous recurring villains.  One of my most anticipated books of 2025, Burn to Shine had so much potential, and I read it the very first chance I got.

After suffering through another set of harrowing losses and intense damage to their already shredded psyche, the members of Rogue Team International are back in the fray.  Led by troubled veteran Joe Ledger and the enigmatic Mr Church, Rogue Team International continue to fight against elaborate high-tech threats and other strange occurrences across the world.  However, they are unprepared for their next dangerous threat, one that has emerged from the organisation’s combined dark past.

A powerful group of military contractors are expanding their influence across the United States, seeking to cause fear, division and political uncertainty.  At the same time, a series of planned attacks have breached and destroyed many of the world’s most secure bio-weapons research facilities, with the stolen diseases and technology being utilised to create chaos and fear through infected humans turned into living disease bombs.

As Ledger and his team try and counter these attacks, their path leads them to the mysterious town of Pine Deep, Pennsylvania, where a multitude of dark secrets are hidden.  Teaming up with old allies, new friends, and some of the more dangerous denizens of Pine Deep, Ledger and his team attempt to strike back against their enemies before a catastrophe is unleashed across the country.  But can even this deadly and unlikely group of heroes stand up to some of the team’s most dangerous enemies, including a ghost from their past who plans to burn the world to ground? 

Jonathan Maberry once again presents a gripping and deeply exciting tale with Burn to Shine.  A compelling continuation of his long-running Joe Ledger/Rogue Team International books, Burn to Shine had another great story that continued the author’s ongoing storylines by heavily diving back into the series’ past.  An excellent addition to the series that is guaranteed to keep you entertained all the way to the end.

Burn to Shine had an awesome narrative that presents its own unique tale, while also reviving multiple elements from the Maberry’s previous works, to create a novel very much designed for established fans of the author.  Starting off strong with an intense action sequence around the protagonists, Maberry also takes the time to establish multiple parallel storylines and plot threads, some of which are set well before the main narrative and showcase the emergence of the book’s antagonist and the formation of their new plan.  This allows for a very rich and intricate first half of the book, as you are given glimpses of the evil facing Joe Ledger and his team, while also watching the protagonists initially start to move to understand the new threat facing them.  This first half ends with an extended sequence inside a secret vault built to contain some of the worst bio-weapons the protagonists have encountered throughout the series.  Following a harrowing and tense descent into the vault while events get even more hectic outside, the protagonists eventually discover hints at the true mastermind of the new plot, as well as the insidious zombie-making weapon from their past that they seek to unleash.

The second half of Burn to Shine goes in some very interesting directions, as all the major characters start to converge around the town of Pine Deep, the centre of all things weird in Maberry’s shared literary universe.  Teaming up with some figures familiar to Maberry fans, the protagonists engage in a series of raids against the various bases of their opponents in some high-octane and particularly brutal sequences.  Due to the various over-the-top technologies and Maberry’s ability to imagine extremely bloody fights, these are some intense scenes, and the author really amps up the risk factor of the fights for his various recurring characters, with some very dark moments.

All this leads up to the big showdown between Ledger and the antagonists of the book, as he comes face to face with them in a very interesting location.  This showdown was very awesome, especially sandwiched amongst the other various conflict-laden storylines, and the author kept you on the edge of your seat as Ledger comes face-to-face with familiar opponents from the past.  While I love all the action and the way Maberry brought back a lot of previous story arcs, I did think that this ending was a tad rushed, and it relied way too much on having knowledge of Maberry’s first trilogy.  I also wished Maberry had taken some parts of this story a little further, perhaps with some greater tragedy, as it was a little frustrating that he didn’t follow through with the telegraphed death of a major character.  Still, this proved to be an excellent and exciting read, and there is also a very interesting final scene that provides some early, long-sought answers about one of the protagonists.

I have a great deal of love for how Maberry sets out his awesome stories, and his distinctive style always results in an impressive and layered novel, especially when it comes to his over-the-top thrillers.  Featuring a lot of dark, over-the-top elements and an at times near horror vibe, Burn to Shine was another classic Joe Ledger novel, which showcases his damaged protagonists facing off against complicated evil antagonists.  Thanks to the author’s utilisation of multiple character perspectives and scenes set in the past, this proves to be a very detailed book, and I loved the varied storylines that emerged and worked side by side with each other.  This includes a vibrant look at the antagonist’s plans from start to finish, which also involves the re-introduction of previously featured villains.  While not every detail of the antagonist’s sinister and over-the-top plans are revealed to the reader from the start, you get enough to really amp up the stakes of the plot, and it is compelling to see the protagonists act on the limited information they have.  The villainous scheme for Burn to Shine was a tad similar to some schemes from previous Maberry books, but it still produces some particularly captivating moments, especially towards the end.  I also quite enjoyed how Maberry tied the plot into a lot of modern issues, including disinformation, the use of fear in politics, fake news and AI-generated imagery, while giving it its usual excess and ultra-dark flair.  Throw in the author’s impressive action sequences, which are particularly epic, as well as the overly exaggerated villains, and this proved to be a powerful and layered novel that has all of Maberry’s typical charm and intensity.

While I had a ton of fun with Burn to Shine, this was very much a novel for the author’s established readers, although even some of them might get lost at times.  As I have hinted, the main villains of Burn to Shine are figures previously featured in prior Joe Ledger novels, including the series’ big bad, and one antagonist long believed dead.  While Maberry loads up Burn to Shine with a lot of internal recap moments in the protagonist’s head that gives the reader all the context they need to follow the plot, the true threat or emotional impact of these villains is going to be best appreciated by those who have read the previous books, especially Code Zero.  Maberry also takes the story further into his extended universe, as the plot becomes heavily enmeshed with his classic Pine Deep novels and brings in various characters from the original trilogy.  I must admit, as someone who hasn’t had the chance to read Maberry’s Pine Deep novels, I would have been a tad lost here unless I had previously read Ink, which featured several of these characters, and new readers may not quite understand their significance.  Even those who have read all the previous Joe Ledger novels might be a little confused with their inclusion, especially as these Pine Deep characters have never appeared in a Joe Ledger novel before, besides a couple of short stories.  As such, having such a big focus on them is a little surprising, and I felt that it mucked around with the flow of Burn to Shine.  Still, considering how good Maberry is at recapping or reintroducing key characters and storylines, most established Joe Ledger fans should be able to follow along fine, just keep in mind that the author is doing some deep cuts back to his previous novels.

As with all Maberry’s novels, the real heart of Burn to Shine lies in its complex characters, whose powerful stories and dark pasts allow for some deep emotional heft to the plot.  This is especially true for main protagonist, Joe Ledger, whose cracked psyche is always a key part of his appearances.  A very damaged figure, Ledger is a powerful part of Burn to Shine’s narrative and serves as the only first-person perspective character, influencing a lot of the novel as a result.  While on the surface he is a humorous, wise-cracking cowboy, determined to save the day no matter what, deep down he is haunted by all his past experiences, including the deaths of so many loved ones and the trauma of various missions.  Maberry has long perfected balancing the character’s various emotional states in his novels, and while Ledger provides a lot of the book’s humour, his darker side is a constant presence, threating to bubble out.  The author adds in some interesting additional emotional elements for Ledger to deal with this novel, including the return of an antagonist who previously caused him a lot of pain, as well as the protagonist’s battle with the knowledge that he may finally have the names of the people responsible for his earliest trauma.  The later of these is likely to be a big part of the characters’ battle with his vengeful emotional going forward, and it will be interesting to see how Maberry works them in.

Aside from Ledger, Burn to Shine is loaded with a ton of interesting supporting characters and protagonists whose various experiences help to shape the entire awesome story.  This cast includes a huge array of figures from previous Maberry books, and it was fun to see them continue to grow.  The most prominent of these characters include the mysterious Mr Church, whose secretive past has been one of the more intriguing ongoing storylines of the series.  Shown to be almost human in Burn to Shine thanks to the trauma obtained during the previous novel, Cave 13, Church has some excellent appearances in Burn to Shine, especially when it comes to facing down the antagonists.  I loved how well Maberry balanced this more fragile version of Mr Church with his mysterious persona, and the final scene where you get some interesting answers about who, or what, Church is, is very impressive.

The various other members of Rogue Team International are also great parts of the book, including the member of Ledger’s fire team, each of whom have their own distinct personality and complexity in this book.  Maberry provides some great moments for all these characters to shine, and I felt that an interesting early part of the novel where the organisation’s resident psychiatrist, Dr Rudy Sanchez, dives into the trauma all the supporting characters are feeling after Cave 13, added some excellent emotional depth to the plot.  Throw in the fascinating Pine Deep characters I mentioned above, as well as two of Maberry’s more complex and memorable antagonists, who return in a big way here, and the cast of Burn to Shine is very impressive, and you really get drawn into this dark struggles and battles.

Anyone who has read my previous Maberry reviews will know that I had no choice but to enjoy Burn to Shine on audiobook, as it is honestly the only way to enjoy one of the author’s novels.  This is primarily because of the author’s long association with legendary actor and audiobook narrator, Ray Porter, who has lent his epic voice to most of Maberry’s exciting novels, and the result is always something very special.  Porter is the perfect narrator for Maberry’s amazing and intense novels, bringing all the necessary energy, excitement and darkness you need to convey the author’s complex and twisted plots, and he is one of my favourite audiobook narrators.  Porter effortlessly brought Burn to Shine to life from the very first word, and you swiftly get drawn into the story as a result.  Everything from the dark content, the complex story elements, and the extensive action is extremely well conveyed and flows so quickly.  I particularly enjoyed how Porter once again perfectly inhabited all the characters featured in Burn to Shine, with impressive takes on all the unique figures.  Special mention must be given to Porter’s personification of the main protagonist, Joe Ledger, as the narrator has long mastered capturing all of Ledger’s pain, internal conflict and fantastic humour and presenting it to the listener in an outstanding way.  The rest of the characters are also showcased in a really awesome way, and I still love the ultra-calm and controlled voice used for Mr Church, as well as the more sinister and often unnatural voices for the crazy antagonists of the book. I honestly loved every second I spent listening to this audiobook, and it was another outstanding performance from Ray Porter and one of the best audiobooks I enjoyed in the first half of 2025.

Once again bringing all the carnage, complex characters and dark storylines you have come to expect from a Joe Ledger novel, Burn to Shine was another amazing read from Jonathan Maberry, and one I deeply enjoyed getting through.  A very interesting entry in Maberry’s long-running, combined series, Burn to Shine was an ultra-exciting and chilling Rogue Team International novel that proves very easy to power through.  I look forward to reading more of Maberry’s novels in the next few months, and I currently have the tough decision of if I want to read the advanced copy I have of his upcoming release, Cold War, or wait to listen to it on audiobook.

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Waiting on Wednesday – Burn to Shine by Jonathan Maberry

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Science Fiction, Thriller, Waiting on Wednesday6 Comments

Welcome to my weekly segment, Waiting on Wednesday, where I look at upcoming books that I am planning to order and review in the next few months and which I think I will really enjoy.  Stay tuned to see reviews of these books when I get a copy of them.  In this latest Waiting on Wednesday, I highlight one of my most anticipated books of 2025 with the new Rogue Team International novel from Jonathan Maberry, Burn to Shine.

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Readers of this blog will probably have noticed that I have been talking about author Jonathan Maberry a lot this week.  Between the fact that I am currently reading his awesome fantasy novel, The Dragon in Winter, and I am just about to publish a review for his other 2024 novel, NecroTek, Maberry has really been on my mind lately.  As such, to keep this ball rolling I am going to take this opportunity to highlight Maberry’s new book coming out in 2025, the awesome thriller novel Burn to Shine.

Burn to Shine is an interesting upcoming book that forms part of Maberry’s long-running Joe Ledger series.  This series, which started back in 2009 with Patient Zero, follows the titular character of Joe Ledger, a government agent who seeks to save the world from various unnatural scientific threats and sinister schemes.  A brutal, complex and addictively dark series, the Joe Ledger books are deeply entertaining, and I love all the intense action, elaborate plots, and fantastic over-the-top figures within.  Highlights include The Dragon Factory, Assassin’s Code, Code Zero, Predator One and Dogs of War just to name a few, and I have had an exceptional time with all the epic entries in this series.

Since 2019, the new Joe Ledger books have all fallen within the Rogue Team International sub-series, which continues the adventures of the protagonist and his team, while also setting the characters up as a more independent organisation.  The Rogue Team International books are just as awesome as the previous entries in the overall series, and Maberry has presented some cool ideas and grim scenarios in these latest novels.  These books include Rage (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2019), Relentless (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2021), and Cave 13. (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2023), all of which were extremely impressive five-star reads.  As such, I am understandably very eager to see how this series continues, and luckily it doesn’t look like I have too much longer to wait.

The fourth Rogue Team International novel will be the upcoming Burn to Shine, which is set for release in March 2025.  Another epic entry in the series, Burn to Shine will force Ledger and his team to deal with a new world-destroying threat, as old enemies once again rise looking for revenge.

 

Plot Synopsis:

Rogue Team International joins Joe Ledger in a new, tension-filled mission to stop a wave of bioterrorism from devastating the country.

A covert group is infiltrating the world’s most secure bio-weapons research sites. All across the country, people are acting as human ‘disease bombs’ by infecting themselves and walking into public places. And heavily-armed groups of illegal private soldiers are massing for some unknown strike.

Joe Ledger and the members of Rogue Team International, still reeling from the devastation and heartbreaking losses of their last mission, are forced into relentless action to try and save the country, if not the entire world.

Old enemies are rising and joining forces to hit Joe and his team with one devastating blow after another. What is the end game for all of this madness and terror? Outnumbered, outmaneuvered, and outgunned, Joe Ledger has to find a way back from the fires of grief in order to make a stand between these enemies and millions of potential innocent lives. But Joe has allies, too. His team, the vicious fighters of Arklight, and friends who may or may not be entirely human.

A war of darkness and light is coming. Who will stand? Who will fall? And how will anyone ever survive?


Burn to Shine sounds like another excellent addition to this long-running series, and I cannot wait to dive into it next year.  Featuring another intriguing plot of bioterrorism, it sounds like this is going to be a major entry in the series, especially as Maberry spent a good chunk of Cave 13 building up the plot for this fourth book.  Thanks to some of the hints in Cave 13, as well as the above plot synopsis and even the title of this book, it appears that Burn to Shine is going to feature a familiar array of enemies, with antagonists from previous books set to return.  I have a pretty good idea about who some of these antagonists are going to be, although it will be interesting to see how Maberry brings them back and utilises them in this latest novel.  I am excited to dive into this new plot, and I hope that the author has come up with a particularly dark and complex villainous plan that we get to untangle.

Another aspect of Burn to Shine mentioned in the synopsis that I am really looking forward to is exploring is the continued trauma and damage that the various protagonists of Burn to Shine will no doubt be feeling.  Ledger and his team have gone through all manner of loss and suffering in the Rogue Team International books, and it will be interesting to see how that impacts their ability to fight back, especially when they are once again assailed by the ghosts of their past in the potential returning antagonists.  I have no doubt that Maberry will play this trauma aspect of the plot perfectly throughout Burn to Shine, and I always appreciate how well written and human the author’s characters feel during their unnatural adventures.

Honestly, due to how much I love the Joe Ledger books, there is no way in hell that I am not grabbing Burn to Shine next year the first chance I get.  Jonathan Maberry has been on a brilliant roll with this series for years and I always get so damn engrossed with their elaborate narratives and brutal inclusions.  This next book sounds particularly impressive, and I cannot wait to see how Burn to Shine fits into the larger series, especially as there are some very intriguing hints about who is plaguing the protagonists this time.  There is no way this won’t end up being one of my favourite novels of 2025, and I look forward to enjoying the audiobook version of it, especially as it will be once again voiced by the impeccable Ray Porter.  Until then, keep your eyes peeled for my review of NecroTek which will be out in the next day or two.

Top Ten Tuesday – Ten Favourite Books From Ten Series

On By The Unseen LibraryIn List3 Comments

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature that currently resides at The Artsy Reader Girl and features bloggers sharing lists on various book topics.  For this week, Top Ten Tuesday participants are tasked with choosing ten separate series and then listing their favourite book from that series.  This was a rather interesting topic that really got me thinking.  No matter how outstanding a series is, there is always at least one book that stands just that little bit above the rest, and I was curious to see how a list along those lines would turn out.

To come up with this list, I ran through some of my top novel and comic book series to try and work out what the most glaring examples of my favourite entries were.  I tried to limit my choices to longer series rather than trilogies, and I also went for series that I’m mostly up to date with, rather than those I’ve only made a little bit of progress on.  Despite these limitations, I ended up with a huge range of potential entries and I had to spend a bit of time culling down my initial list.  I’m pretty happy with how the final version of this post came out, as there are some excellent books featured within.  I do note that some of the series I mention below are recurring features in my other Top Ten Tuesday lists, but as they’re my favourites, that’s hardly too surprising.  So let us see what made the cut.

Honourable Mentions:

The Gray Man – Gray Man series by Mark Greaney

An impressive debut that still stands up as the best book in this top spy thriller series.

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Necropolis – Warhammer 40,000: Gaunt’s Ghosts series by Dan Abnett

Featuring an epic siege and deadly action, Necropolis is a particularly bright spot in an exceptional Warhammer series.

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The Grove of the Caesars – Flavia Albia series by Lindsey Davis

There are so many great mysteries contained in this Roman historical fiction series, however, my favourite is The Grove of the Caesars, which contains a particularly dark story.

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Thrawn – Star Wars: Thrawn series by Timothy Zahn

An amazing read reintroducing one of the best characters in the Star Wars canon.  Thrawn is so much fun, and it serves as the best book in the new Thrawn trilogy, as well as Zahn’s other Thrawn related novels in the new Star Wars extended universe.

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Top Ten Tuesday:

Guards! Guards! – Discworld series by Terry Pratchett

Unsurprisingly considering the name of this blog, I’m starting this list off with a Discworld novel.  Written by the late great Terry Pratchett, the Discworld books remain one of my top series, and I cannot emphasise how outstanding these novels are.  While there are many, many great books in this series, if I had to pick an absolute favourite it will probably be Guards! Guards!.  Not only is this Pratchett at his very best, expertly combining a compelling mystery with hilarious fantasy elements, but it also sets up my favourite Discworld sub-series and introduces so many popular characters.  A truly exceptional read and the best book to check out if you want to become addicted to the Discworld.

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The Third Day, The Frost – Tomorrow series by John Marsden

Another formative book series for me is the Tomorrow series by John Marsden.  An iconic Australian young adult series, the Tomorrow books follow a group of teenagers attempting to survive a brutal invasion of Australia.  I honestly love every novel in this series, as Marsden produces an intense narrative that is well spaced out amongst all seven books.  However, I always felt that the best Tomorrow entry was the third book, The Third Day, The Frost.  Following the characters as they embark on their most ambitious mission yet, The Third Day, The Frost, is the darkest entry in the series, and it forces the protagonists to fully grasp the horrors of war.  A masterpiece of emotion, sacrifice and heartbreak, The Third Day, The Frost, lives eternal in my mind for very good reason.

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The Archer’s Quest – Green Arrow (2001) by Brad Meltzer

I have a lot of love for DC comics released around the turn of the century, but to my mind one of the best series that came out around then was the 2001 Green Arrow series.  Bringing back the original Green Arrow after his explosive death, this new series contains some amazing comics focussed on the Emerald Archer, with several outstanding creative leads exploring him in a new light.  While I personally think every arc of this series is exceptional, my favourite is the third volume, The Archer’s Quest.  Written by Brad Meltzer, The Archer’s Quest sees Green Arrow go back to his road-trip roots to recover multiple artifacts from his past.  While on the surface this sounds like a simple narrative, Meltzer turns it into a deep personal journey, that really captures the complex history of Green Arrow in comics.  I love how moving this comic gets at times, and Meltzer layers in the feels to keep the reader emotionally invested in the story.  One of the best comics I have ever read.

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Code Zero – Joe Ledger series by Jonathan Maberry

Fans of this blog will know that I have a lot of love for Jonathan Maberry’s Joe Ledger series, which are some of the best science fiction thrillers out there.  Following a damaged agent charged with protecting the world from unusual and technologically impossible threats, all the Joe Ledger books are addictive, and I love the complex stories, intriguing antagonists, and over-the-top action.  There were several entries I could have mentioned here, but to my mind the best was probably the sixth book, Code Zero.  Not only does it have a great story on its own, but it features one of the more intriguing villains who brings back multiple prior cases to mess with the protagonists.  An amazing thriller that really showcased just how intense and intricate a Joe Ledger novel could be.

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Magician – The Riftwar Cycle by Raymond E. Feist

I have mentioned many times how awesome Raymond E. Feist’s epic Riftwar Cycle is, and I have literally just started reading the next book in this series, A Darkness Returns.  There were several books I considered featuring as my favourite, including the Empire trilogy, but in the end, I went with the original book Magician.  A classic piece of fantasy fiction that perfectly sets up Feist’s iconic worlds, Magician is so damn amazing, and it still stands up to this day.

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The Eagle’s Conquest – Eagles of the Empire series by Simon Scarrow

Few series have impacted me over the years as much as Simon Scarrow’s exciting Eagles of the Empire series.  One of the very best Roman historical fiction series, the Eagles of the Empire books feature some great stories and classic action as the protagonists journey across multiple Roman battlefields.  While there are multiple outstanding books in this series, my favourite is the second book, The Eagle’s Conquest.  Not only does it perfectly continue some of the great storylines set up in the first novel, but it also takes some dark turns that shake the protagonist and make sure the reader knows that tragedy is always ready to strike.  Without The Eagle’s Conquest, I’m not sure I would have become a life-long fan of Scarrow, and it proved to be an exceptional second entry in this series.

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Changes – Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher

I doubt anyone who has followed my blog in recent years will be surprised that I am featuring the Dresden Files series on this list.  As one of the very best urban fantasy series, the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher feature some elaborate and complex storylines, all following Butcher’s rebellious, but heroic, wizard protagonist, and I have deeply enjoyed binge reading all 17 books in the series.  Choosing a favourite Dresden Files book proved to be particularly hard, as there were several epic entries I could have gone with, including Skin Game and Battle Ground.  However, in the end I had to go with the 12th book in the series, Changes.  Not only is Changes a particularly groundbreaking entry that fundamentally alters the trajectory of the series, but it also contains several dark twists that will shock you to your core.  An exceptional read that shows author Jim Butcher at his very best.

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Seasons – Usagi Yojimbo series by Stan Sakai

Another series that I had to feature here were the Usagi Yojimbo comics by Stan Sakai.  I have long loved the adventures of the rabbit samurai, and every volume is a masterpiece in its own way.  While I honestly would rate all the Usagi Yojimbo volumes a full five-stars, if I had to choose a favourite it would probably be Seasons.  Loaded with a ton of memorable adventures, Seasons shows how diverse the Usagi Yojimbo stories can be, while also setting up several impressive future adventures and characters.  I also have a lot of nostalgic love for Seasons, as a chance encounter with one of its stories introduced the Usagi Yojimbo world to me.  As such, Seasons is a very worthy addition to this list, and one that showcases Sakai’s skill as both an artist and a writer.

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Homeland – The Legend of Drizzt series by R. A. Salvatore

It proved very easy to put forth Homeland as my favourite book in R. A. Salvatore’s The Legend of Drizzt extended series.  Homeland starts off a prequel sub-trilogy that seeks to provide valuable background to the life of Salvatore’s most iconic protagonist Drizzt Do’urden.  Set in the underground city of the drow, Homeland expertly explores the early life of Drizzt and shows the events that led to him turning his back on his evil race.  Easily one of the best things Salvatore ever wrote, Homeland is an amazing book I have re-read multiple times.

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The Last Devil to Die – Thursday Murder Club series by Richard Osman

The final book in this list is part of the amazing new Thursday Murder Club series by Richard Osman.  A clever, funny and sweet crime fiction series that follows four retirees who solve murders in their spare time, the Thursday Murder Club books are quite exceptional, and I have loved every single one of them so far.  While both The Thursday Murder Club and The Bullet That Missed are outstanding entries, if I had to choose a favourite it would be the latest entry, The Last Devil to Die.  The fourth book in the series, The Last Devil to Die has one of the most emotionally charged stories behind it, especially as Osman chooses to end several tragic plot points in incredible fashion.  I cannot emphasise just how good this book is, and it remains my favourite in the series so far.

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Well that’s the end of this latest list.  As you can see, I have had an awesome time diving into some of my favourite series and choosing the best entry, and it produced a pretty cool collection of books.  I hope you find the above entries interesting, and I would strongly recommend them, and the series they are associated with, to anyone looking for a new obsession.

Cave 13 by Jonathan Maberry

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, Five-Star Books, Science Fiction, Thriller14 Comments

Cave 13 Cover

Publisher: Macmillan Audio (Audiobook – 29 August 2023)

Series: Rogue Team International/Joe Ledger – Book 3/13

Length: 19 hours and 5 minutes

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

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One of my favourite twisted authors returns with an outstanding new entry in one of his best series with Cave 13 by Jonathan Maberry.

It has already been a massive year for fans of thriller/horror author Jonathan Maberry, who previously released the exhilarating and intense dark fantasy novel Son of the Poison Rose.  The awesome sequel to Kagen the Damned (one of my favourite novels and audiobooks of 2022), Son of the Poison Rose was one of my favourite books and audiobooks from the first half of the year, and if that had been the only Maberry novel I’d received in 2023 I would have been content.  However, Maberry chose to spoil us by providing us with another epic Joe Ledger novel, which is so damn amazing.

The Joe Ledger novels are an amazing science fiction thriller series that follows titular protagonist Joe Ledger as he attempts to stop a series of insane world-ending threats initiated by compelling group of villains.  The initial Joe Ledger series featured 10 epic books with some outrageous and addictive stories around them, including Patient Zero, The Dragon Factory, Code Zero, Predator One and Deep Silence, just to name a few.  Maberry followed up these novels with a new Joe Ledger focused series, the Rogue Team International books.  This series has so far featured Rage (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2019) and Relentless (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2021), both of which were pretty exceptional in their own ways.  As such, I have been quite excited to see a new Rogue Team International book and Cave 13 was one of my most anticipated books for 2023 as a result.

To many, Jason Aydelotte, better known to the world as Mr. Miracle, is a smiling and beatific public figure celebrated for his archaeological endeavours and his vast antiquities business.  However, beneath the smiles, Mr. Miracle is a far more ruthless and sinister operator.  Smart, determined and ambitious, Aydelotte has entered the world of international arms dealing and is willing to sell his advanced weapons to anyone who will buy them, including ISIS, and his latest product might be the scariest thing ever created.

Thanks to discoveries made in a hidden ancient Egyptian tomb, Aydelotte’s team has developed a powerful new bioweapon that drives its victims insane with a mere breath.  Its effect is terrifying and its potential for destruction in the wrong hands is immeasurable.  With the world going insane and chaos rising in the Middle East, the only people who might be able to stop such a potent weapon are Joe Ledger and the highly specialised agents of the independent intelligence agency, Rogue Team International.

However, the release of a deadly bioweapon soon proves to be the least of Ledger’s problems in the Middle East.  Far more dangerous materials were recovered from the tomb, including bizarre books of magic dating back to the time of Moses.  At the same time, greater secrets have been pillaged from a hidden cave containing even more Dead Sea Scrolls, some of which could alter the very fabric of the universe.  With threats piling up all around them, and enemies on all sides engaging in their own dangerous plots, can Ledger survive both the carnage and his own fractured mind to save the day, or will a new ruthless opponent destroy everything?

Cave 13 was another outstanding and captivating Joe Ledger adventure from Maberry that sets his troubled protagonist against another brilliantly elaborate world-ending plot.  Slick, intense and loaded with complex characters, Cave 13 was an amazing read that gets an easy five-star rating from me, especially in its audiobook format.

Maberry produced another unique and compelling story for Cave 13 that is once again perfectly told in his unique writing style.  Utilising a vast number of shorter chapters, Maberry quickly starts the story off, reintroducing the protagonist and his team, while also setting up the compelling antagonists and their complex evil plan.  A series of well-placed and absolutely fascinating interludes throughout the book provide greater context to the events that are about to unfold, and you get to see the entire genesis of the antagonist and their plans, which adds a lot to the overall story.  Maberry artfully blends this together with the main storyline that sees Ledger and his team investigate several unique occurrences, including conflicts in the Middle East, increases in unique weapon trafficking, the recovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, as well as mysterious events that could only have been done by certain biblical magic (“you’re playing with the big boys now”).  The intriguing blend of science, mysticism, faith and mystery gives Cave 13 a particularly fun edge, and I really liked the intriguing set-up surrounding the antagonist’s plot and its full potential for destruction. At the same time, the author also dives back into the complexity surrounding his protagonist’s damaged psyche, and how this new case might affect it.

While I loved all the set-up in the first third or so of the novel, it does ensure that the initial plot is a tad slower.  This changes once Ledger and his team arrive in Israel and find themselves under attack in a particularly brutal action sequence right off the bat.  Maberry’s action scenes are always extremely awesome, and you have to love the attention and detail he puts into making them as intense as possible.  This cool action sequence is well balanced at this point by some further background, as well as a compelling sequence of events surrounding recurring side-character Toys, who finds themselves at a different side of the conflict following an undercover operation gone wrong.  This part of the story, especially the twist about the antagonist’s true plan, really increases the stakes and intensity of the story, and Maberry has a lot of fun creating some intense visual horrors for the readers, especially when it comes to a series of twisted and brutal hallucinations.

The final third of Cave 13 is probably the strongest part of the book, and I honestly was hooked the entire way through, desperately trying to get to the end.  All the great set-up, intriguing interludes, and multitudes of well-established characters comes together for the big confrontation at the end as the antagonist’s plan goes full circle and Ledger and his team once again find themselves in hell.  Things get so damn dark, desperate and freaky at this point in the book, and you are left completely worried about all your favourite characters as Maberry doesn’t have the best track record of keeping likeable cast members alive.  There are some brutal scenes here, as well as a ton of tragedy, and the reader is left on the edge of their seat right until the very end.  While I came away from parts of this book a bit shellshocked, I was overall very happy with the conclusion, which was dark, had a good twist around the villain, raised a lot of questions about the protagonists, and left you with a little ray of hope that will no doubt get snuffed out in the future.  An overall pretty epic story that really came to life in Maberry’s hands, especially thanks to his unique set out and brilliant ability to write an action sequence.

Cave 13 ended up being quite an interesting Joe Ledger novel, especially as it presents a great story and the first original villain of the Rogue Team International era, while also cleverly diving into the prior events of the series and utilising them to enhance the characters and narrative.  I really enjoyed the step away from the villains of Rage and Relentless for this one book, although I also appreciated how well the author examined the aftermath of these novels and the dark things they’ve done to the protagonist.  Like most of the Joe Ledger books, Cave 13 can be read as a standalone novel, and Maberry does a good job of recapping all the relevant prior events and characters to ensure that new readers can fully understand and appreciate everything going on.  However, established fans of Maberry are going to get the most out of Cave 13, and there are a ton of unique hints or suggestions about what is to come.  I found it particularly interesting that Maberry chose to include multiple scenes in Cave 13 that were clearly intended to set up certain events for future entries.  While these scenes are a tad disjointed from the main story, I won’t lie and say it didn’t make me excited for the next book in the series, especially when it comes to those hints about certain villains returning.  I was a little less impressed that several storylines or mysterious events from Cave 13 were deliberately left unanswered by Maberry, but I guess I’ll just have to wait and see what happens with them in the next exciting Joe Ledger novel.

As with all Maberry’s work, one of the main highlights of Cave 13 was the excellent and complex characters.  Maberry features a pretty massive cast in this novel, including a range of recurring figures from the previous novels, as well as several intriguing new figures who I really enjoyed.  As usual, Maberry does a remarkable job of showcasing all his characters, diving into the compelling histories and minds, and showcasing just how crazy or morally dubious they are (you have to be in order to survive in this universe).

Naturally, the most prominent character is protagonist Joe Ledger, who has been the leading figure and main point-of-view character in this series since the beginning.  An unstoppable action man and natural leader, Ledger is always a fun character to follow, especially as Maberry installs an overwhelming level of snark and disrespect in his personality, ensuring that every scene he’s in is full of quips, jokes and very funny observations about the crazy things he encounters.  While this alone makes him a great character, and the source of much of Cave 13’s humour, Maberry ensures that Ledger is one of his most complex protagonists ever due to the sheer amount of trauma the character experiences.  Ledger has gone through so much damage, darkness, loss and despair during the course of the series, and Maberry spends a substantial part of the protagonist’s chapters diving into this, showcasing just how emotionally and mentally battered Ledger is.  While I always love how effectively Maberry showcases the building trauma surrounding his character, it is even more poignant and important in Cave 13, as this is Ledger’s first adventure since the events of Relentless, where Ledger was taken over by a murderous personification of his own inner darkness and went on a deadly revenge trip.  Some of the most emotionally powerful parts of the book revolve around Ledger and his friends coming to terms with his terrible actions in the last book, and it is clear that Ledger has been extremely changed by the events of the prior book.  Naturally, Maberry decides to twist the knife even further in Cave 13 by subjecting Ledger to a series of traumatising visions and hallucinations thanks to the book’s big bioweapon.  This drives Ledger even further over the edge, and there are some fascinating and highly revealing scenes that give you further insights into just how cracked this protagonist is and the dangers lurking just beneath his mental surface.  Honestly one of the best and most compelling action protagonists out there, I really love how Maberry showcases Ledger in this gripping novel.

In addition to Ledger, Cave 13 features a range of other compelling characters who get their moment to shine.  My favourite would have to be the always mysterious Mr Church, the head of the secretive Rogue Team International.  A highly elusive and deadly figure whose origins and full capabilities are only hinted at; Church is easily one of the best characters featured in the entire series.  Maberry makes exceptional use of Church in Cave 13, and there are so many more tantalising hints about who or what this character might be.  This actually proves to be one of the most substantial Church novels in the entire series, and Maberry goes out of his way to not only show that this seemingly unstoppable figure is actually vulnerable, and is in some ways just as much of a bastard as the book’s villains.  There are several amazing and highly powerful monologues from Church in Cave 13 that give you some fascinating insights into his mind, especially when it comes to Ledger and the constant war that he and Church are fighting, and I loved getting an idea of just how ruthless this figure can be.  Several of these monologues are delivered to another awesome figure in Cave 13, the team’s psychiatrist, Rudy Sanchez, a notoriously calm figure who finally loses his cool in this novel after Ledger goes back into the field, straining their relationship.  I loved seeing Rudy particularly passionate and angry in Cave 13, especially when he stands up to Church, and Maberry’s portrayal of his concern really helps to highlight just how much damage was done to Ledger in the previous book.

Another major figure from Cave 13 that I need to highlight is the intriguing figure of Alexander “Toys” Chismer.  A former villain turned repentant ally, Maberry set Toys on a redemptive arc several novels ago, and it has been really paying off as Toys has turned into a fascinating figure trying to atone for his past.  His impressive long-running storyline is extremely well featured in Cave 13, and indeed he is one of the major protagonists, leading his own team and experiencing some substantial additional trauma.  Toys honestly has one of the darkest and most impressive character arcs in the entire novel, and the scenes he shared with Ledger are particularly moving and play into their complex antagonist history perfectly.  The various recurring members of Rogue Team International are well featured again in Cave 13, and it was fascinating to see how some of their character arcs have developed over the course of 13 novels.  My favourite fuzzy assassin, Ledger’s dog, Ghost, was of course awesome in this book, and I always loved just how in touch with his human’s emotions Ghost is.  There was even an intriguing extended cameo from F. Paul Wilson’s iconic protagonist, Repairman Jack, who Maberry utilises extremely well in Cave 13’s story, simultaneously working them into the plot while also diving into the Repairman’s unique life in his own series.

Finally, I must highlight some of the villains in this book.  Maberry always excels in creating complex and insane antagonists for each of his novels, and Cave 13 is no exception, as you are introduced to several intriguing villains who are set to unleash chaos upon the world.  I won’t give away too much about them and their plans here, but I will say that Maberry did an exceptional job of introducing them and diving into their various quirks, plans and desires, in some cases humanising them.  This actually helps to make them even more sinister as you start to understand and appreciate some of their actions, even if they are reprehensible.  I deeply enjoyed the complex examinations of each of Cave 13’s main villains, especially as the various interludes showcase their intriguing histories as well as the genesis of their current plans and schemes, allowing you to fully appreciate everything about them.  These villains, as well as a couple of seemingly returning antagonists hidden in the shadows, ensure that Cave 13’s stakes are always extremely high, and I loved how well the various complex character arcs mixed together to create an outstanding and powerful read.

As with every Jonathan Maberry novel I have so far had the pleasure of enjoy, I chose to check out Cave 13 on audiobook, which is the only way to enjoy one of Maberry’s epic tales.  Not only does the author’s awesome writing style and action sequences really come across well in the audiobook format, but the exceptional narration of acclaimed voice actor Ray Porter, who narrates all of Maberry’s projects, is so damn awesome.  Porter has such a brilliant handle on Maberry’s great characters, and it is always fun to hear the familiar voices of the main cast come out of Porter’s mouth again.  I particular love Porter’s take on main character Joe Ledger, as Porter always manages to capture the key parts of his personality, including the humour, mental instability and the pure rage contained within.  This, and other excellent performances, really helps to turn Cave 13 into an amazing listen, and I had such a brilliant time getting through it, and its 19-hour runtime just flew by.  Indeed, it really helped to ensure an extended road trip in an uncomfortable van was actually pretty tolerable, so kudos for that.  Easily one of the better audiobooks of 2023 so far, I cannot recommend this format enough to anyone wanting to check this epic novel out.

Unsurprisingly, I had fun with the latest Rogue Team International novel by Jonathan Maberry and it is always so damn epic to get another Joe Ledger adventure.  Cave 13 was a particularly awesome and intense entry in the series that expertly brings together an elaborate narrative, evil villains, exceptional action and complex character in an impressive overall read.  Fun, exciting and oh so darkly addictive, Cave 13 was a powerful and gripping novel that I cannot recommend enough, especially for established fans of Ledger’s amazing books.

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Waiting on Wednesday – Cave 13 by Jonathan Maberry

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Thriller, Waiting on Wednesday2 Comments

Welcome to my weekly segment, Waiting on Wednesday, where I look at upcoming books that I am planning to order and review in the next few months and which I think I will really enjoy.  I run this segment in conjunction with the Can’t-Wait Wednesday meme that is currently running at Wishful Endings.  Stay tuned to see reviews of these books when I get a copy of them.  In my latest Waiting on Wednesday, I dive into one of my most anticipated books for the second half of 2023 with the awesome new thriller by Jonathan Maberry, Cave 13.

Cave 13 Cover

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I have made no secret over the last few years that I am a massive fan of talented thriller author Jonathan Maberry who always wows me with some elaborate and over-the-top novels.  I first got into Maberry when I started reading his iconic Joe Ledger series, which follows a paramilitary agency who take out villains with ambitious technological plans.  The Joe Ledger series was so damn cool and featured a range of stories that set the protagonist against zombies, realistic vampires, eldritch horrors, alien spacecraft and insane terrorist groups.  All the books in this series were extremely epic and I loved all of them, including Patient Zero, The Dragon Factory, The King of Plagues, Assassin’s Code, Extinction Machine, Code Zero, Predator One, Kill Switch, Dogs of War and Deep Silence.

Maberry has also dived outside the thriller genre many times and I have had the pleasure of reading several of these books recently.  This includes the fantastic horror novel Ink (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2020) and his recently released Kagen the Damned dark fantasy series.  This series includes the outstanding and brutal novel Kagen the Damned (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2022) and his early 2023 book, Son of the Poison Rose.  I have had a wonderful time with each of these novels, and I honestly expected that the next Maberry novel I would have the opportunity to read would be the third Kagen the Damned book probably coming out next year.  However, it looks like we’re going to be lucky to get two Maberry books this year as there is a very intriguing thriller coming out in a couple of months.

This upcoming book is Cave 13, which will be the third book in Maberry’s ongoing Rogue Team International series.  The Rogue Team International books are a sequel series to the Joe Ledger novels which follows the same protagonists as they engage in more international escapades against some very deadly foes.  This sequel series has proved to be an excellent continuation of the Joe Ledger books and I have had a lot of fun with these new novels, including Rage (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2019) and Relentless (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2021).  I have been waiting for the third book in the series for a while now and I was very excited to discover that Cave 13 is coming out in late August 2023.  I mentioned this book in my Winter TBR list last week, and I thought this would be a good opportunity to highlight it again in a Waiting on Wednesday post.

Plot Synopsis:

Joe Ledger and Rogue Team International plunge into mortal peril as this new and deadly arms race threatens to ignite new wars throughout the Middle East.

After years of searching, a new cave filled with Dead Sea Scrolls is found, and among them are bizarre books of actual magic. Terrorist groups and multinational corporations scramble to acquire these treasures in the hopes that magic is the true WMD of the 21st Century. But everyone who goes near those scrolls goes insane. The fabric of reality is shredding. Is this the result of ancient magic, or is it a new bioweapon that fractures the mind of anyone exposed?

Cave 13 pits Joe Ledger against warring factions of ideological terrorism, corporate greed, and massive international crime syndicates in what might well become a new Age of Miracles.

While the details in this plot synopsis are a tad light, it definitely sounds like Cave 13 is going to be another epic book.  Crazy diseases in an ancient cave filled with the Dead Sea Scrolls is a very intriguing concept, and it is one that I know Maberry can do some amazing things with.  Pitting Joe Ledger and Rogue Team International against a group of deadly arms dealers, terrorists, criminals and corporate types should be pretty damn epic, and I look forward to seeing if any recurring enemies or organisations make an appearance.  Maberry always makes such elaborate plots and conspiracies in his novels, and I am very interested in seeing how he manages to work this archaeological discovery into a world ending narrative.

On top of this awesome sounding story, I also am very keen to see what is happening to the main characters featured in the series.  Maberry always does such a good job of building up his various cast members and dealing with their complex problems, and there are several ongoing storylines that I hope he picks up on again.  I particularly want to see more of protagonist Joe Ledger, who has been going through even more trauma than usual in recent books, including going off the murderous deep end in the last novel.  I am sure that this is something Maberry will dive into in some detail, and I am highly invested in finding out how this character is going and what mental chaos he is experiencing.  It will also be very cool to see what new complex and motivated villain appears in Cave 13, especially after some of the compelling and unique figures Maberry has created in the past.  While I am assuming that Cave 13 will probably feature a new antagonist, there is always the possibility that certain recurring bad guys can reappear here, and I love seeing the author diving into the deadly histories they have with Ledger and his team.  There is one particularly deadly and chaotic villain I would love to see more of, although he might be a bit busy over in the Kagen the Damned universe to make an appearance here.

Look, if I am being honest here, there is absolutely no way in hell that I am not going to have an incredible time with Cave 13 when it comes out.  Maberry’s trademark combination of elaborate storylines, over the top violence, and complex characters never fails to enthral me, and I have very little doubt that he won’t do that again in Cave 13.  I am also already extremely hooked on the Rogue Team International books and any new entry that Maberry produces is going to be epic.  As such, I am predicting that this will be one of my favourite books of the year and I cannot wait to get my hands on a copy as soon as possible, especially in its audiobook format with Ray Porter narrating it.

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Relentless by Jonathan Maberry

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, Five-Star Books, Science Fiction, Thriller28 Comments

Relentless Cover

Publisher: Macmillan Audio (Audiobook – 13 July 2021)

Series: Rogue Team International – Book Two / Joe Ledger – Book 12

Length: 18 hours and 29 minutes

My rating: 5 out of 5 stars

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One of my absolute favourite series returns with an absolute bang as Jonathan Maberry produces another incredible, intense and thrilling Joe Ledger novel with Relentless, the second novel in the Rogue Team International series.

Readers of my blog will be well aware of how much I love Jonathan Maberry’s Joe Ledger series.  This science fiction thriller series, which follows the titular protagonist and his team of elite soldiers as they fight all manner of crazy scientific and supernatural threats, is so much fun and is one of my favourite series.  After reading one of these fantastic books a few years ago, I sat down and listened to the entire series, from Patient Zero, all the way to the final entry, Deep Silence.  It also led me to some of Maberry’s other novels, including last year’s excellent horror novel, Ink, which was one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2020.  The author also started the Rogue Team International series in 2019 as a sequel series to the original Joe Ledger books, featuring the same characters and universe.  The first entry in this sequel series, Rage, got a five-star rating from me and was one of the best books and audiobooks of 2019.  Due to Rage’s epic conclusion, as well as how much I enjoy Maberry’s writing, I have been eagerly awaiting Relentless for some time now and I ended up being blown away by how awesome it was.

During Rogue Team International’s (RTI) first mission, Joe Ledger and his team faced off against the dangerous pairing of criminal mastermind Kuga and his fearsome enforcer Rafael Santoro, barely managing to stop their insidious, world-changing plot.  However, their victory came at a terrible price, as Santoro delivered fiery vengeance on his foe by killing every member of Ledger’s family in a revenge attack at Christmas.  Santoro and Kuga hoped that their destructive blow would mentally destroy their hated enemy forever; instead, it unleashed their worst nightmare.

After returning to the field, Ledger leads an RTI team to an advanced laboratory where terrible genetic, biological and cybernetic experiments are being performed.  While the mission begins as a textbook RTI operation, everything changes when Ledger comes across a room full of deformed lab subjects and their cruel tormentors.  With his already fragile psyche pushed to the limit by the death of his family, Ledger finally snaps and lets something dark and dangerous from deep within take control.  With blood and bodies trailing in his wake, Ledger abandons his team and goes truly rogue.

Accompanied only by his loyal combat dog, Ghost, Ledger rampages across Europe, killing and destroying anything related to Kuga’s operation and questioning anyone who knows where he and Santoro are.  Even more concerning for the villains, Ledger is also beginning to get close to their next major operation.  Utilising cutting edge technology, Kuga’s group have developed biologically enhanced super soldiers, equipped with some of the most destructive weapons available.  Their next plan will unleash a devastating attack within America that will change the political and social landscape for generations to come.  However, not even their most advanced troops may be enough to stop the dark thing that Ledger has become, and Kuga is soon forced to make a Faustian deal with someone, or something, whose evil eclipses Ledger’s insanity.  Can Ledger defeat his hated foes and save his own soul at the same time, or will he finally be overwhelmed by his own inner darkness?

Once again Maberry shows why he is one of the most exciting and impressive thriller writers out there as Relentless was another epic and wildly captivating novel.  This latest Rogue Team International novel contains a complex and thrilling narrative that sets its already complex main character into a horrific quest for vengeance and redemption.  Throw in an incredible amount of action, a very clever and well-written story, and some memorable characters, and you have an outstanding novel that gets a full five-star rating from me.

In Relentless, Maberry produces an extremely intense and fast-paced novel that is both character driven and loaded with some of the best action you will ever read.  Following up from the dramatic conclusion of Rage, Relentless is one of the darker and more inventive books in the Joe Ledger franchise, presenting the reader with a brutal revenge story as the protagonist puts the rogue in Rogue Team International to kill anyone associated with his foes.  Maberry once again makes great use of the unique writing style that has been such a hallmark of this series, with the novel made up of shorter chapters told from a vast number of different perspectives, including several interludes set in the past, to produce a more complex and multifaceted tale and showcase the elaborate plans of the antagonists.

However, the author also tries something new in this book, with a noticeable change of focus away from the protagonist for a good portion of the early novel to highlight some major character developments.  This results in a bit less humour during the first part of the book, but this is more than made up for with a darker and more powerful storyline.  The story focus does eventually revert to the series’ usual form about halfway through the novel, just in time for the protagonist to find himself with information about a complex and intriguing evil plot that only he can stop.  This leads to a pretty epic conclusion with some fun twists and several major moments of worry and surprise, especially as you get some massive concurrent scenes as Ledger and his allies battle the enemy in several destructive and dangerous battles.  The action throughout Relentless is typical Maberry, with some very detailed and graphic depictions of the techniques and damage done, and it is near impossible not to get sucked in the combat as the powerful scenes unfold.  Readers should be warned that parts of this novel can get a little dark and gruesome as Maberry pulls no punches, but it is very much worth sticking through the blood and guts to see the captivating narrative unfold.  I quickly became sucked into his awesome story, and I loved every second of it, managing to finish it off in extremely short order.  It looks like Maberry has some intriguing plans for the future of this series, and I for one am extremely excited for that.

Like most of the Joe Ledger/Rogue Team International novels, Maberry has made Relentless extremely accessible to new readers.  While I personally would suggest reading Rage first, due to the tragic ending that plays into the events of this novel, people unfamiliar with the preceding books can jump in here and still have an excellent time reading this book.  Maberry does an amazing job recapping all the key events of the prior novels, including character bios, descriptions of technology and summaries of various cases.  As a result, the reader is never left in the dark about what is happening and who is being talked about, although the certain significance of some characters or revelations might be slightly tempered until the protagonist describes them.  One thing I would note after having read all the Joe Ledger books in the last couple of years is that Maberry tends to reuse the same phrases and terms when it comes to describing certain characters or events.  While this was fine the first few times, by book 12 in the overall series, it is very noticeable and slightly detrimental to the flow of the story.  However, this was an overall incredible novel with more than enough unique features to make it really stand out from the rest of the books in the series.

One of the best parts of any of Maberry’s novels are the complex and likeable characters featured within them.  Over the years Maberry has produced some truly great and memorable characters for the Joe Ledger novels, and it was great to see so many of them return for Relentless, especially as most of them go through some major development.  The most prominent of these is titular protagonist Joe Ledger, who has one of his most significant roles here in Relentless.  Ledger has always been an extremely troubled and damaged protagonist, which has grown more and more apparent as the series progressed as he is forced to deal with additional traumas.  However, this is the book where he truly snaps, as he is dealing with the brutal death of every member of his family.  While Ledger starts the book mostly fine (by his already low standards), it doesn’t take him long to lose the plot.  Fans of this series will understand Ledger’s mind is already broken up into three distinct personalities, the Cop, the Modern Man, and the Killer, which together form his mostly balanced psyche.  However, the events of Rage have resulted in a fourth personality, the Darkness, which subverts Ledger’s mind and leads him to commit acts of terrible violence and destruction while massively freaking everyone out.  The Darkness completely takes over Ledger, ensuring that you don’t see into his head for a good portion of the novel, which is an interesting change considering that Ledger is the only character in the series with a first-person perspective.  While this really changes the tone of this novel, it perfectly highlights just how far-gone Ledger is.  Even when he regains control of his mind and becomes a prominent point-of-view character again, the Darkness is still there, and he has to fight hard to control it.  All this makes for quite a fantastic and deep read, and it was captivating to see the protagonist deal with the traumatic events of a previous novel in such a dramatic and destructive manner.  Maberry really amps up how dangerous Ledger can be in this novel, and there are some truly disturbing and concerning scenes when the Darkness takes over.  It will be really interesting to see how Ledger comes back from the events of this book in the future, and I am extremely curious to see what happens to the character next.

In addition to the outstanding central protagonist, Maberry fills up Relentless with great supporting characters, most of whom have been introduced in previous Joe Ledger novels.  Maberry really likes a wide spread of characters throughout his novels, resulting in an interesting group of perspectives as the various supporting characters and minor inclusions experience the events of the narrative.  It was great to see many long-running side characters return in Relentless, especially as they are severely impacted by Ledger’s walk on the dark side.  While a couple of usually major characters only have a couple of scenes in this book, the usual DMS/RTI mainstays are all there.  Ledger’s squad mates, Top and Bunny, have a particularly intriguing storyline in this novel, which sees them go undercover to infiltrate Kuga’s operation while being conflicted about Ledger’s actions.  It was also great to see more of mysterious RTI leader, Mr Church, the guy who totally isn’t some sort of avenging angel or benevolent god (those are my two top guesses at this point).  While Church doesn’t get as much focus as he has in previous books, he is still a major presence, and there some more hints at his past with one of the antagonists.  There are also a couple of fun new unique characters introduced who Ledger meets up with as he pursues his quest for vengeance.  Several of them are cool, and I look forward to seeing if they show up again.

Out of all the many supporting characters, there are two that I particularly want to focus on as they had some very strong arcs within this book.  The first is Alexander Chismer, better known as Toys, the former villain who is seeking redemption and is now a close friend of Ledger’s partner Junie.  Toys goes back into the field to find Ledger, even though they really dislike each other.  Toys is a pretty smooth operator, and it was fun to see him go back to his criminal roots, even though it was for a good cause.  When he eventually catches up to Ledger, their meeting doesn’t go amazingly well (someone gets shot), but they do end up having a rather fantastic and entertaining heart-to-heart.  The comparison between their respective paths to redemption is rather deep and fascinating, and it was very intriguing to finally see these two characters interact in an extended way.  The other character I absolutely must talk about is Ledger’s dog, Ghost, the bestest boy in all of fiction.  Ghost has a pretty rough time in this novel, as he is Ledger’s only companion during his master’s dark spells and ends up getting into some very violent confrontations.  Maberry is extremely good at writing canine characters, and most readers will find it next to impossible not to fall in love with this savage, sassy cuddle monster.  Due to the many bad circumstances that Ledger and Ghost finds themselves in, I found myself feeling a lot of worry for Ghost, especially as Ledger seemed crazy enough to hurt him at times.  The fact that I felt strongly anxious for a fictional dog should tell you all you need to know about Maberry’s ability to write likeable characters, and readers should be warned that they will be experiencing feels in this novel.

It wouldn’t be a Maberry book without some impressive and complex antagonists, and this novel is chock full of villains with an intriguing master plan.  The main antagonists of Relentless are the same as Rage, with the fun combination of Kuga and Rafael Santoro.  Both Kuga and Santoro are recurring Joe Ledger antagonists (Kuga was the main villain of Kill Switch under a different name, while Santoro was a significant antagonist in The King of Plagues).  As a result, they have an amazing amount of history with Ledger and the RTI, which makes them quite dangerous foes.  Both are a bit more unhinged in this novel, especially once it becomes clear that a deranged Ledger is on their tail, and it was great to see them slowly become a little more desperate.  Despite this, they have a pretty intense and detailed plot to make a large amount of money through the sale of their advanced weapons, technology and enhanced mercenaries.  Their master plan for destruction and manipulation is very clever and takes a while to fully become apparent to the protagonist and the reader.  Maberry lays the groundwork for this plan perfectly throughout his narrative and the eventual reveal of what they are hoping for is pretty cool and leads to several amazing scenes that play off current events really well.

In addition to the antagonists that appeared in Rage, Relentless also features one of Maberry’s most mysterious and sinister villains.  Going by the name of Mr Sunday in this book (which I assume is a fun little nod to Mr Church’s fake name), this antagonist is a very creepy and dangerous being who has had some impressive appearances before (Assassins Code, Predator One and Dogs of War for example).  The moment he appeared in this book, I knew that I was going to be in for a good time, as this character is essentially the devil incarnate (there is a strong chance he is the devil).  Maberry does an incredible job building him up once again in this novel, and he ends up terrifying his potential allies just as much as his enemies.  This character’s appearance has some major implications for Ledger and Mr Church, and it is highly implied that his appearance is causing some of Ledger’s instability.  While he is mostly just coasting off Kuga and Santoro’s plans in this book, he also has his own sinister plans which come into fruition perfectly.  As a result, he is a pretty fantastic addition to the plot, and I loved the entertaining interludes that featured his elaborate sales presentations.  It looks like Maberry has some big plans for this character in the future, and I am very excited to see what chaos he has in stall for the world next.

Aside from the main villains I mentioned above, Maberry also utilises some great supporting antagonists who act as assassins and henchmen.  This includes the deranged Eve, who was introduced in Rage and who lost her partner and lover, Adam, to Ledger.  This loss has driven her even more insane, and there are several crazy chapters shown from her perspective, and she represents the typical sexual degenerate antagonist that Maberry likes.  There is also a new henchman character in Michael Augustus Stafford, a hired gun considered one of the best assassins in the world and is often referred to as the anti-Ledger due to his similar appearance to the protagonist.  Stafford leads Kuga’s hunt for Ledger throughout Europe and America and is a dogged tail for much of the book.  There are some very intense cat-and-mouse scenes occurring between the two as they attempt to get the upper hand on each other.  I really appreciated the way in which the author took the time to building up these less prominent antagonists throughout the novel, and you get a great sense of their personalities and abilities.  I would say that they don’t live up to their full potential at the end of the novel, but it was still fantastic to see their entire storyline unfold.

Another hallmark of a great Maberry book is some of cool technology featured in the story, especially as it results in some excellent and over-the-top fight scenes.  The villains get some impressive and over-the-top toys in this novel, including biological enhancements, advanced body armour that has a lethal kick to it and massive armoured exoskeletons loaded with giant guns.  Maberry has some fun building up the capability of these devices through several of the interludes, and they do not disappoint, causing all manner of chaos and destruction around the world.  That ensures that when the protagonists encounter them they are in for a real fight, as it gives their enemies an edge against RTI agents who usually have the most advanced tech.  It was really cool to see this technology in action, and Maberry dreams up some outstanding scenes around them.  All the fight sequences featuring them in Relentless are ultra-impressive, and readers are in for some great scenes, especially as many of them involve the less destructive and sleeker RTI technology versus the purely destructive Kuga weapons.  I really enjoyed seeing these advanced weapons in use, and it helps to give some of the action scenes a major boost.

Just like I have with every other Jonathan Maberry book I have enjoyed, I ended up grabbing the audiobook version of Relentless.  I have a lot of love for the Maberry audiobooks, and in my opinion it is the best way to enjoy these cool novels.  The main reason for this is the amazing recurring narrator, Ray Porter, who has lent his voice to the audiobook versions of nearly every single one of Maberry’s novels.  Porter is one of my absolute favourite narrators, and if he is voicing something, I know I am going to love it.  This narrator always manages to deftly drag the listener in and keep their complete attention throughout the entire production.  He really dives into the various characters, ensuring every one of them has an appropriate voice, with cool accents and relevant speech patterns.  He is also extremely good at portraying emotion, and he always goes out of his way to highlight a character’s feelings in their speech patterns, whether it be excitement, grief, anger, or something darker.  This is particularly noticeable with protagonist Joe Ledger.  I have noted before at how effortlessly Porter inhabits the role of this complex character, ensuring that the reader gets his full range of feelings, including his boundless rage and outrageous sense of humour (he really gets Ledger’s sarcasm).  Porter does another amazing job in Relentless, and it was really cool to hear his take on the more unhinged Ledger, and he really helps to add an extra sense of menace and anger during the scenes where Ledger is out of control.  Each of the voices used in this book are extremely good (I would critique the voice of one Australian character, but it’s a fairly minor role), and it was an absolute joy to once again listen to his narration.  With a run time of just under 18 and a half hours, this is a rather long Joe Ledger novel, although I powered through it in less than a week due to how much fun I was having.  This version of Relentless comes highly recommended, and it is already one of the best audiobooks I have listened to all year.

Well, that was a damn impressive novel.  As you can see from my rather long and happy review above, I had an outstanding time reading Relentless by Jonathan Maberry, and I found it to be an incredible read.  The Rogue Team International series continues to be one of the most thrilling series out there, and I loved the complex damaged characters and intense storyline this latest novel contained.  Easily one of my favourite books of the year, Relentless gets a five-star rating from me and is highly recommended to anyone wanting guaranteed action, fun and comprehensive darkness.

Amazon     Book Depository

Waiting on Wednesday – Relentless by Jonathan Maberry

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Science Fiction, Thriller, Waiting on Wednesday11 Comments

Welcome to my weekly segment, Waiting on Wednesday, where I look at upcoming books that I am planning to order and review in the next few months and which I think I will really enjoy.  I run this segment in conjunction with the Can’t-Wait Wednesday meme that is currently running at Wishful Endings.  Stay tuned to see reviews of these books when I get a copy of them.  In this latest Waiting on Wednesday I take a look at next upcoming book from the incredible Jonathan Maberry, Relentless, which will continue the exciting adventures of his long-running protagonist Joe Ledger.

Relentless Cover

Long-term readers of my blog will know that I have a lot of love for Jonathan Maberry’s books; indeed I am currently in the middle of listening to his latest novel, the standalone horror book Ink.  However, the Maberry novels that I have most enjoyed over the years has been the extraordinary Joe Ledger series, which follows a covert military operator, the titular Joe Ledger, as he attempts to counter several elaborate plots and terrorist attacks by sophisticated and high-tech adversaries.  I absolutely fell in love with these books the moment I read one of the later novels in the series and I have spent the last couple of years going back and reading every single Joe Ledger book, finishing it off earlier this year.  Each of these books was extremely well written, deeply compelling and full of intense action, and I ended up rating every single one of them extremely highly.

The original Joe Ledger series came to an end in 2018, but the storylines and characters from this original series continued with the Rogue Team International series, which started in 2019 with Rage.  The Rogue Team International books are written in a similar vein to the original Joe Ledger novels and they continue to follow Ledger as he takes on international terrorists and criminal masterminds.  I had an outstanding time reading Rage last year and it ended up being one of my favourite books (and audiobooks) of 2019.  Needless to say, I have been eagerly awaiting news of any upcoming Joe Ledger novels for a while and I was extremely excited when I heard that the second Rogue Team International novel, Relentless, is coming out next year.

Relentless is currently sent for release on 13 July 2021 and it looks set to continue some of the excellent storylines set up in the first novel.  Both the cover art and the synopsis for Relentless are already out, and if I wasn’t hyped up for this book before I found out what was going to happen in it, I sure as hell was once I read the following:

Synopsis:

Rogue Team International joins Joe Ledger in a new hunt that spans the globe and journeys deep into the terrifying landscape of the human heart.

JOE LEDGER’s world has been torn apart. The people closest to him have been savagely murdered and Ledger is on the hunt for the killers. His already fragile psyche has cracked apart, allowing a dangerous darkness to overwhelm him.

His hunt takes him deep into the world of the deadly black market weapons sales, and standing in his way are a new generation of private military contractors. These mercenaries have been enhanced with cutting-edge cybernetics and chemical enhancements, transforming them into real-world super soldiers. Stronger, faster, harder to hurt, and fitted with built-in weapons. They are beyond anything Joe has ever faced.

But he is not the Joe Ledger they expected to fight. He is defined by the Darkness now. The attempt to destroy him–to break him–has backfired. Instead his enemies have turned him into a far more fearsome weapon.

Everyone is out for blood.

This is an extremely cool synopsis, and there is a lot of detail in there about what amazing features the reader can expect when Relentless comes out.  Not only is the protagonist going to come up against a group of cool new villains, enhanced super-solider assassins no less, but there is going to be a huge focus on the protagonist’s psyche after the traumatic ending to Rage, in which his entire family was killed before his eyes.  This should make for some really intense moments, especially as Joe Ledger has always been a particularly damaged individual who turns his severe childhood trauma (and no author writes trauma as well as Maberry) into supreme murderous rage and an impressive fighting spirit.  Having him even more unhinged than before is going to be extremely fascinating and terrifying, and I cannot wait to see how deep and far Maberry dives into his character and what carnage will result from his actions (a fight between a super pissed Joe Ledger and super-soldiers will definitely be worth seeing).  It will also be interesting to see if Ledger catches up with the antagonists behind the attack on his family in this novel, or whether they will be an alternate antagonist in the story.  Either way, the reader is in for a lot of fun and a lot of hyper-violence when Relentless comes out.

Like many novels I feature in my Waiting on Wednesday articles, I know well in advance that I am going to love Relentless when it comes out.  Based on how much I have enjoyed the author’s prior books, I very confident that I am in for a real treat with Relentless and I am deeply excited to find out what sort of impressive narrative he comes up with this time.  Maberry is such an incredible author and I have grown to really enjoy his fantastic writing style and ability to come up with captivating storylines and fascinating characters.  I cannot wait to see what happens in this awesome upcoming novel and this next chapter in the life of Joe Ledger is sure to be a good one.  I am planning to grab the audiobook version of it (especially if it is narrated by the always impressive Ray Porter) and I have no doubts that Relentless will end up being one of my top novels and audiobooks of 2021.

While I am waiting for Relentless to come out (it is going to be a long eight months), make sure to come back in a week or so to read my review of Ink.  You should also make sure to check out my reviews of Maberry’s Joe Ledger series, including Patient Zero, The Dragon Factory, The King of Plagues, Assassin’s Code, Extinction Machine, Code Zero, Predator One, Kill Switch, Dogs of War and Deep Silence.

Throwback Thursday: Dogs of War by Jonathan Maberry

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, Five-Star Books, Science Fiction, Thriller, Throwback Thursday17 Comments

Dogs of War Cover

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

Amazon     Book Depository

For this week’s Throwback Thursday, I check out Dogs of War by Jonathan Maberry, the 9th 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 10th 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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Top Ten Tuesday – Books that Should be Adapted into Netflix Shows/Movies

On By The Unseen LibraryIn List8 Comments

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme that currently resides at The Artsy Reader Girl and features bloggers sharing lists on various book topics.  For this week’s Top Ten Tuesday, participants need to list the books that they think need to be adapted into a Netflix show or movie.  My first thought when I heard about this topic was, is Netflix sponsoring this post somehow?  Are they that desperate for new ideas that they are conducting some sort of sneaky market research on us?  If they are, I am personally fine with it.  Netflix has a pretty good track record of turning some popular books and comics into some fun shows and movies, many of which I have enjoyed.  An obvious recent example is The Witcher, although other great examples include The Umbrella Academy (I just binged the second season over two days), A Series of Unfortunate Events, You, The Last Kingdom, and Orange is the New Black.  So if Netflix is looking for some more books to turn into awesome shows, I am all for it and I definitely have some ideas for them.

In order to do this list, I scoured through some of my favourite books and comics to try and decide which ones would make the best television series.  I already had a few on my mind the moment I found out what this week’s topic was, as several of these novels have television potential that really stands out when you are reading.  As the topic was Netflix shows and movies, I did try to exclude any series or universe that had already been bought by another streaming company or which is already in development at Netflix (such as any of Mark Millar’s comics).  As a result, you won’t be seeing The Lord of the Rings or The Wheel of Time on this list, as both are already in production in some form or other, and I have also excluded any comics or books owned by Disney or DC Comics (although a Doctor Aphra Star Wars series would be pretty epic).

I eventually came up with quite a few books, series or comics that I thought would make a good television series, and I was able to whittle away a few options to make a Top Ten List.  I am actually rather happy with how this list turned out, as there are some interesting options on this list.  People familiar with my blog will not be surprised by some of the entries I included, but I think there are some good surprises in there that will make this stand out a little.  So let us see how this turned out.

Honourable Mentions:


The Kingkiller Chronicle by Patrick Rothfuss

The Name of the Wind Cover

As one of the best fantasy series ever written, The Kingkiller Chronicle is an obvious choice for this list, as its potential to be an awesome series is hard to deny.  However, due to the fact that an adaption for this series is already in the works, I decided to leave it as an honourable mention.  The Kingkiller Chronicle is a special case, as the last I heard about the adaptation was that it was going to avoid the main story of the novels and instead do a whole new narrative in the same universe.  As I personally think a good Netflix adaptation of the main story would be much better, I decided to include this series on the list and hope like heck any adaption turns out alright.


Orphan X series by Gregg Hurwitz

out of the dark cover

This is a fun and exciting spy series that features a rogue super-agent on the run fighting criminals and helping people as a vigilante.  I have been absolutely loving these books, including the last two novels Out of the Dark and Into the Fire, and I think that these novels could be turned into something really cool, for example: Out of the Dark features the protagonist going up against the entire Secret Service in order to kill a corrupt President, which is pretty damn awesome.


The Cleric Quintet by R. A. Salvatore

Canticle Cover

It’s apparently quite hard for me to do a Top Ten Tuesday list without mentioning one of my favourite fantasy authors, R. A. Salvatore.  I am a major fan of Salvatore’s writing and I think many of his books would make awesome shows or movies.  However, as it would be pretty impossible to adapt any of his Drizzt Do’Urden novels into movies of television shows (you can imagine the issues they would have trying to cast and portray any Dark Elf characters), I have instead featured The Cleric Quintet fantasy novels.  The Cleric Quintet follows a young priest and his unusual friends and companions as they attempt to defend their region of the Forgotten Realms from all manner of evil.  This is a great piece of classic high fantasy fiction and I think that viewers would love the intriguing tales included within (I personally loved the second book, In Sylvan Shadows, the most), as well as the fantastic development shown by the main characters throughout the course of the series.

Top Ten List:


The First Law series by Joe Abercrombie

The Blade Itself

When I was coming up with the entries for this list, the first books I thought about were The First Law novels by Joe Abercrombie.  This is because The First Law books are an outstanding dark fantasy series that features all manner of blood, brutality and manipulations, which would translate extremely well into a powerful and addictive television series.  The real strength of these novels is their unique collection of complicated and flawed characters, each of whom is doing their best to survive in an extremely harsh world.  There are some great protagonists in these novels, each of whom has the potential to become an iconic television character if portrayed right, including a deadly warrior with severe rage issues, a pompous dandy who has greatness violently thrust upon him and an exceedingly manipulative mage whose wisdom and plots are entirely self-serving (think an evil version of Gandalf).  The main reason these books could be adapted into an epic show is thanks to the character of Sand dan Glokta, a dark and ugly character, physically and mentally twisted by years of torture by the enemy, who now dishes out torture himself as an inquisitor, when he finds himself investigating some of the strange events troubling his nation.  Glokta is an incredible character, and with the right actor he could easily be the next Tyrion Lannister.  As a result, I really want to see an adaption of this series, and Netflix can easily make something pretty epic from these books, including the recent sequel novel, A Little Hatred.


Joe Ledger novels by Jonathan Maberry

Patient Zero Cover

Now these are some books that would make for an exciting television series.  Jonathan Maberry’s action-packed Joe Ledger novels are a compelling thriller series that sets government agents against some of the weirdest things that science can create.  There are some amazing stories contained within the Joe Ledger novels, including weaponised zombies (Patient Zero), ancient vampires (Assassin’s Code) and genetically modified killers (The Dragon Factory), and the clever way that Maberry sets out each novel with interludes and chapters told from the antagonists perspective would translate very well into a television series.  These books also have some fantastic characters, including some insanely brilliant villains, a damaged protagonist and a mysterious spy master, that are just waiting to be brought to life by a group of talented actors in order to become something iconic.  Out of all of the entries on this list, this one might have the most potential to get made as Maberry already has connections with Netflix, after his V-Wars series of comics were turned into a show last year.


The Gentleman Bastards series by Scott Lynch

The Lies of Locke Lamora Cover

This is another exceptional series of fantasy novels that I thought would make an incredible show as I was reading it.  These books follow a group of con men who attempt to swindle and steal from some of the most dangerous people in their fantasy world.  These books are amongst some of the best pieces of fantasy fiction out there, and their unique blend of fantasy and crime fiction elements would definitely make for a memorable and exciting television series.


World War Z by Max Brooks

World War Z Cover

Now this was an entry that my editor/wife Alex wished me to include on this list.  I have to admit that I have not read this book (I’ll get to it at some point), but I did enjoy the movie.  I understand that this awesome book is substantially different to the movie, comprising of several vignettes detailing different experiences of the zombie apocalypse, as opposed to the rather narrow perspective represented by Brad Pitt in the film.  Alex seems to think that a Netflix series would probably be a much better way to translate this fantastic story to the screen, and from what I have heard about the book I think I agree, especially after I really enjoyed Brooks’ latest book, Devolution.


Legend by David Gemmell

Legend

Legend is an amazing classic fantasy novel that contains an incredible storyline that depicts an epic siege, as the largest army ever assembled attempts to conquer an impenetrable fortress.  This was such an awesome read, filled with large amounts of action, adventure and memorable characters, including the world’s most legendary hero, who chooses to die here rather than wither into obscurity.  Legend has so much raw potential as either a limited series or a movie (I think a six episode series might be good), and it also serves as an excellent entry into Gemmell’s wider fantasy series, which would also make for some great shows.

Vespasian series by Robert Fabbri

Rome's Sacred Flame Cover

Netflix already has some great historical fiction adaptions, such as The Last Kingdom television series, but if you want to see some wild and troubling bits from history, then they need to adapt Robert Fabbri’s Vespasian series.  The Vespasian series follows the titular Emperor Vespasian from the beginning of his career as he navigates the deadly minefield that is ancient Rome.  Watching the protagonist attempt to gain power and influence in this outrageous city would make for an incredible show, especially as Fabbri spent a lot of time highlighting all the insanities of the various Emperors who ruled Rome during Vespasian’s lifetime.  I am a major fan of this historical fiction series (make sure to check out my reviews of Rome’s Sacred Flame, Emperor of Rome and Magnus and the Crossroads Brotherhood) and I believe that Netflix could make a very crazy and impressive television adaption of these books.


The Powder Mage trilogy by Brian McClellan

promise of blood cover

This is another dark and epic fantasy series that would definitely make for a good television series.  The Powder Mage books (starting with the awesome Promise of Blood) are set in the aftermath of a bloody revolution and follow several key figures as they attempt to keep their nation intact, while also uncovering ancient secrets and terrible plots.  There are a ton of amazing elements to these books that would translate extremely well into television awesomeness, but I personally would love to see the unique gunpowder magic brought to life, as all the resultant explosions and displays of power would be quite a spectacle to behold.


Chew by John Layman and Rob Guillory

Chew Volume 1

I had to include at least one comic series on this list, and I could think of nothing better than this weird and wonderful series.  Chew is an action/comedy hybrid series that follows a detective who gets physic impressions from anything he eats, allowing him to solve crimes in the most unique, and often disgusting way.  Chew is an incredibly creative series, with a lot of fun elements to it, all of which would work extremely well as a live action adaption, and I really think that Netflix could turn this into quite a magical and entertaining television series.


The Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson

WAY OF KINGS MM REV FINAL.indd

When you think ‘epic fantasy’ these days, you really cannot exclude the massive and extraordinary series that is The Stormlight Archives.  Sanderson is one of the best fantasy/science fiction authors in the world today, and each of his books are an absolute joy to read.  While I was strongly tempted to include his young adult novels Skyward and Starsight on this list, in the end I had to feature his main body of work, The Stormlight Archive.  Starting with the exceptional novel, The Way of Kings, this is a deeply impressive series of fantasy novels that feature massive wars, incredible characters and a huge interconnected universe.  While any adaption might need to tone down some of the connections to some of Sandersons’ other series, a television version of The Stormlight Archive easily has the potential to become the next Game of Thrones, and Netflix would be smart to jump aboard that as soon as possible.


Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant

Into the Drowning Deep Cover

Into the Drowning Deep is a fun horror novel that would make for an awesome Netflix movie.  Written by the exceedingly talented Mira Grant, this book and its preceding novella, Rolling in the Deep, set humans against the most dangerous predators in the world, mermaids.  This book was one of the best novels of 2018, and I loved the way that Grant was able to make the mermaids so dangerous and frightening.  You would need to combine Into the Drowning Deep with Rolling in the Deep to get the full story, and there is a really outstanding movie waiting to be made when you do.  Plus, it would also be really cool if it encourages Grant to write a sequel to Into the Drowning Deep, which is something I really want to see.

 

Whew, that is the end of that list.  As you can see, I have put a lot of thought into what books and comics Netflix should adapt, and I honestly believe that each of the above books could become something really incredible.  I really hope we see some form of adaption of each of these in the future, and if any of them ever get made, then they would be at the top of my to-watch list.  In the meantime, make sure to let me know which of the above books and comics you enjoyed, as well as which novels you think Netflix should adapt in the comments below.