Rogue Force

I found this book disappointing. I actually had trouble finishing it. Unusually for me with a Mike Newton Bolan, I was bored and just wanted the book to be over. Although this lists as a SuperBolan, it really is more in the tradition of The StonyMan Doctrine as the entire roster of characters is present tackling a really big threat (the first moves of a coup within the US military). This book is a bridge that brings the character of Mack Bolan back into the good graces of the US President. At the end, he is still "the outsider", but has offered to handle sensitive missions for the US government on a "case-by-case" basis with an explicit offer of government sanction (including a pardon for his illegal activities if he wishes it). The sequence of Mack's return to Stony Man farm was interesting to see. This book introduces the character of Barbara Price, who is such a replacement of April Rose that she slids into Mack's bed the first night he's at the Farm...an occurrence I didn't not find credible for the characters and the situation. There are a number of factual mistakes that irritated me. Carl Lyons is described as a Vietnam veteran. Some of the more recent BolanVerse writers seem to have this opinion. I'm not sure that Pendleton ever explictly said Carl was not...but if you read The Death Squad - which introduces Carl - it is pretty clear that he never had military service. He makes a statement that describes the Death Squad members as "they became men in a different sort of world - entirely different". The context of the statement makes it pretty clear that Carl is differentiating himself from these men...that they have combat service in Vietnam which changed them to be unlike himself and the law-enforcement officers he makes this statement too. Unusual for a Mike Newton novel in my reading, he got confused about firearms. He describes a G-11 as firing at 2000rpm, so fast a 3 round burst is discharged before the gun can recoil. The customized weapons that Able Team is carrying have been "detuned" to fire at only 600RPM. This is clearly a derivative of the Pendleton lore that the MAC-10 Bolan frequently liked to carry was detuned from 1200RPM to more like 700RPM to make it more controllable. The screw up is that a G-11 actually does fire at 600RPM normally when it full automatic mode. The 3-round burst mode is discharged at 2000RPM, which does result in the no-felt recoil state described by Newton....but that effect would disappear if the Able Team guns were detuned to 600RPM in a 3 round burst. There also was a major glitch in that Rafael's weaponry in the big shoot-out at the end suddenly is what Gary Manning is armed with. I suspect it is somewhat due to the characters being almost interchangeable in that scene...even Newton forgot who was whom. To the long-time Newton reader, it feels like "old home week" as Gary/Rafael is armed with a MM-1 40mm rotary grenade launcher, which - despite careful description of the exact sequence of 40mm grenades loaded in the drum - is always prepared to discharge exactly the next type of 40mm grenade that the story-line calls for (which does not matched the predescribed loadout). I suppose that in real life you could tag the back of the cylinders of a MM-1 with something like nailpolish for the various grenades you've got loaded and then manually rotate the cylinder to bring the correct round up under the hammer (I've read about people doing things like that with revolvers with mixed loads like Glaser Safety slugs and FMJ in the cylinder for different purposes), but it would be nice to see that described literally if that is in fact what is being done...with time allowed for the couple of seconds it would cost you to do this between rounds. The book has a bunch of nice small references back to Mack's life so far. The Colorado Killzone and the events of Wednesday's Wraith are spoken of as examples where Mack has already encountered rogue military units. #39 The New War is mentioned as a instance where Bolan undertook a "retrieve or terminate" mission of his own similar to what Able is attempting at the beginning of the book. A rogues gallery of "looney-tune messiahs" that Bolan has encountered during the New War is also listed out. I liked that Newton was actually able to acknowledge Mack's age at this point. Mack himself tells Barbara that "I'm old enough to be your father", a statement you wouldn't see the character making in "the modern era". Newton actually makes better usage of the entire roster of characters than some manage. His biggest focus after Mack himself is Able Team. Blancanales probably gets more "screen time" than either of his partners and Gadgets is actually the character that puts away the main villian in the end - rather than Mack. Phoenix Force is less well represented...but is still present in critical scenes. I found the idea that Mack had frequented houses of prostitution during his service in Vietnam a little "jarring". Definitely my own personal tastes, but I always saw Mack as a "white knight" and those two images are hard to make line up. I also found the end with Mack and Barbara buzzing away in her car as she "takes the warrior home", just too darn cute to really tolerate easily. For me, the book really seemed too blasted long. Newton took a plot that might have worked in a shorter book and stretched it by a lot of exposition and non-interesting character moments. Newton has written some good stuff with minimal combat and a lot of character moments...this is not one of them. Having the Stony Man operators play "let's infiltrate the enemy and figure out in 2 days or less what the plan they've been developing for the last three years is" reflects a plot-device I always have found hard to stomach. Newton's delivery of it here doesn't really change my opinion that this is not the correct way to use these characters. if I re-read this book, it would probably just be the sequence where Mack arrives back at Stony Man Farm.

Bit of a timeline title this one which tells of Mack's return to Stony Man farm for the first time since the attack which took April and Andre's lives and there is some fine reading on his thoughts and emotions at this time. The introduction of Barbara Price occurs and goodness me she and Mack become friendly in record time. Both of the other Teams feature and Hal and Jack are along for the ride. Calvin meets the big guy for the first time. The plot is okay and interest is maintained pretty much throughout and some excellent action scenes are included with the standout the San Felipe battle is superb. A glaring error here for me anyway being a bit of a Rafe fan as he really doesn't appear at all in this title until page 294 where he is located with two LAW's and a MM-1 projectile launcher for the upcoming battle and I'm thinking good on you mate you are going to feature big time. Bugger me page 308 the battle is on in earnest and what happens Manning drops the second empty LAW and picks up the MM-1 launcher? Maybe Rafe was out picking up takeaway but he does get shot near the end so does feature. Pretty good ending as I guess the author was trying to convey how insane McNerney had become and what he ended up trying to do was up there with one of the more crazy things you would attempt to do. Good read recommended.

For a 384 page book I was really expecting more from it, it didn't grab me the way most of Newton's books do, even times where I was confused a little by the plot but nevertheless, a book well worth reading. There is some conspiracy in here, along with the usual good action and dialogue from Newton. What is important about this entry in the series is the introduction to Price, who I took to be a replacement for April Rose on the Stony Man farm team. Mack and her got along pretty good, it seemed. She doesn't have a very big role in any books I've read though. Also this is a turning point in Mack's lone wolf/arms length alliance as well. This book isn't as good as Flesh and Blood, which is a better Newton superBolan.

There were some really good parts to this novel and some equally as bad. Good: 1) Mack going back to his old stomping grounds - Stony Man Farm. This was a truly emotionally written scene. I loved how Newton went through Mack's emotions about going home. Then meeting Bear and all his old friends. The reunion with Jack was rather funny. 2) The battle scene between the rogue military officers and the contras against Stony Man forces and Honduras troops. Newton really knows how to write a battle scene. Easy to follow and did not get lost. Poor Mack and Pol stuck on the wrong side and trying to get back. The bad: 1) Mack and Barbara barely meet and the following evening Barbara is surprising him in his bed. Sorry but this was so juvenily written. It begged the question "ok Barbara really doesn't at this point know Mack's history so does she sleep with all the members of Stony Man"? Plus Mack is not Bond I swear I have seen this countless times in Bond movies. Although I did find the last scene with Barbara picking Mack up in Washington a nice rather adult written scene. 2) Pol being such a babe magnet and the juvenile triangle story he got himself into. Ruiz a smart strategist was also the stupidest man when it came to women. 3) The head bad guy who was earlier portrayed as a rather cautious prudent man albeit psycho suddenly decided to kill the president in a rushed matter. This seemed to contradict the first intro to his character. I also found the story way too dragged out. I would have dumped the entire Pol triangle story and concentrated solely on Mack's mission. Maybe some mention of what Pol was doing but not in such detail. A very average novel except for the exceptional scene with Mack's reunion at Stony Man. That was very well written along with the final battle. But that was it. Price surprising Mack in bed just insulted my intelligence as a reader - that scene dropped the novel a few points

The action in this book was very very good, but the only problem I had with it was that there was too much space between action scenes and an overemphasis at times on characterizations. Otherwise a great read!

I can say I really enjoyed this book from start to finish. Macks first visit back to the farm in quite a while. Also the introduction of Barbara Price was interesting. So was the fighting in south America. over all a great book.

This has been on of the best superbolans i have read. i have over 200 of the Executioner and superbolans all together. I'd like to thank the authors of this book for making it so gripping and on the edge of your seat action.

#4 on my list of favorite SuperBolans. This is the first time since "Stony Man Doctrine" that all the commandos fight together and the first time Phoenix Force member Calvin James gets to meet Mack. This novel also introduces Stony Man's new mission controller, Barbara Price.

A good entry by Newton. The inclusion of Able and Phoenix was great!

Again another solid entry from Mighty Mike newton.