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lmmountford's review
4.0
I had thought this would be a direct sequel to StrikeBack, however, it feels more like a prequel, only it's set somewhere in the time space that seperates Strikeback's two parts. As such, i would recommend reading that book before this, it's not required but it would give away something that happens.
This is a damn good read, dark and gritty, but i felt the ending sequence was killed off a bit too quickly. The characters are rather 2d with little in the way of development, but this isn't that sort of read so if that's what your looking for then stay away. Great if you enjoy action and thrillers.
This is a damn good read, dark and gritty, but i felt the ending sequence was killed off a bit too quickly. The characters are rather 2d with little in the way of development, but this isn't that sort of read so if that's what your looking for then stay away. Great if you enjoy action and thrillers.
kirstyreviewsbooks's review
3.0
Deathlist by Chris Ryan
Blurb
1999. A bitterly cold morning in the Brecon Beacons, and the soldiers trying out for SAS Selection are preparing to face their toughest test yet. Overseeing the soldiers is John Porter: once a promising young Blade, now a broken man and a drunk, seeing out his days in the Regiment Training Wing.
But before the Fan Dance can begin, six masked gunmen carry out a devastating attack. Dozens of soldiers are killed. In the aftermath of the massacre, and with a government desperate for action, Porter and another surviving operator, John Bald, are taken to a secretive briefing in London. Their orders - to hunt down and kill those responsible for the attack.
What follows is a deadly game of kill or be killed as Bald and Porter lead a Strike Team across Europe on a blood-soaked mission of revenge. But as they draw closer to their ultimate target, the men discover that there is a greater threat - much closer to home...
My Opinion
This is not a book I would have chosen for myself, it was given to me in a bag of books that I am reading and then passing on. This was an okay book, but it didn't grab me. I have a few more backs to read by Chris Ryan so I will have to see if I can get used to the writing style. Looking at the reviews for this, there is a mixture with the majority of people really enjoying it - sadly it just wasn't for me.
Rating 3/5
Blurb
1999. A bitterly cold morning in the Brecon Beacons, and the soldiers trying out for SAS Selection are preparing to face their toughest test yet. Overseeing the soldiers is John Porter: once a promising young Blade, now a broken man and a drunk, seeing out his days in the Regiment Training Wing.
But before the Fan Dance can begin, six masked gunmen carry out a devastating attack. Dozens of soldiers are killed. In the aftermath of the massacre, and with a government desperate for action, Porter and another surviving operator, John Bald, are taken to a secretive briefing in London. Their orders - to hunt down and kill those responsible for the attack.
What follows is a deadly game of kill or be killed as Bald and Porter lead a Strike Team across Europe on a blood-soaked mission of revenge. But as they draw closer to their ultimate target, the men discover that there is a greater threat - much closer to home...
My Opinion
This is not a book I would have chosen for myself, it was given to me in a bag of books that I am reading and then passing on. This was an okay book, but it didn't grab me. I have a few more backs to read by Chris Ryan so I will have to see if I can get used to the writing style. Looking at the reviews for this, there is a mixture with the majority of people really enjoying it - sadly it just wasn't for me.
Rating 3/5
simonmee's review
2.0
This feels stretched far too thin over 300 pages. Characters drop in and out with little development; the protagonist's multi-year alcoholism is dealt with between scenes; the plot veers toward incoherency. The final antagonist manages to simultaneously have connections in the highest places yet finds herself artificially constrained in her ability to obstruct the heroes. The villians always possess the necessary information that they fall over themselves give up, allowing us to hustle on to the next set piece.
The action is ok, but hardly exceptional. Large parts read like torture porn. Finally, of the SAS members, the book's cream of the cream:
- one is lazy and cries off training
- one is a "retread" and therefore less worthy of membership
- one is a barely functioning alcoholic
- one commands a team where its members literally kill each over
- one is a traitor
I struggled to root for the good guys with this one.
Also, having a guy tell us he hates "darkies" every second chapter makes it pretty easy to guess he'll be a turncoat.
The action is ok, but hardly exceptional. Large parts read like torture porn. Finally, of the SAS members, the book's cream of the cream:
- one is lazy and cries off training
- one is a "retread" and therefore less worthy of membership
- one is a barely functioning alcoholic
- one commands a team where its members literally kill each over
- one is a traitor
I struggled to root for the good guys with this one.
Also, having a guy tell us he hates "darkies" every second chapter makes it pretty easy to guess he'll be a turncoat.
alexecho's review
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
I presume at some point Chris Ryan changed his ghost writer. The early stuff I loved. But this is full of logical holes, physical impossibilities and no inteligable plotline. I'd recommend re-reading the Geordie Sharp books, rather than wasting time with this.
bookworm_brad's review
3.0
This is the first book I've tried by Chris Ryan, thinking it was the first book in the Strike Back series since it's shown as Strike Back #1, though I then found out that there was a previous book called Strike Back from several years previously, set in a time before this book.
No matter, I liked the sound of this book and quite enjoyed the story, the characters and the plot. While the foul language, violence and gore didn't concern me I was put off by the endlessly repetitive use of "mucker" and the spy boss who calls everyone "Old Fruit" in almost every sentence. Does anyone really talk like that? It just seems like a poorly done and unfunny caricature to me but maybe the author knows weird people that talk that way.
There were a number of abbreviations and acronyms that might make perfect sense to anyone in the forces or who watches military type TV shows but some of them baffled me and had to resort to Google to figure them out. Maybe an initial explanation on the first use would have helped.
I have mixed feelings about the narrator. He was pleasant enough to listen to and did a good job with numerous accents, male and female voices and appeared to pronounce foreign words and locations without difficulty. Sadly he messed up some pretty basic english words and phrases that were quite cringeworthy. For example, he pronounced "op", an abbreviation for operation, as "O.P." and Frigid was pronounced with a hard G instead of a soft G, so FriGid etc. Schoolboy errors that let the narration down.
I hope the next book in the series is improved as I'd like to hear what happens next, though perhaps I'll go and find the earlier "Strike Back" to learn of the character's history first.
No matter, I liked the sound of this book and quite enjoyed the story, the characters and the plot. While the foul language, violence and gore didn't concern me I was put off by the endlessly repetitive use of "mucker" and the spy boss who calls everyone "Old Fruit" in almost every sentence. Does anyone really talk like that? It just seems like a poorly done and unfunny caricature to me but maybe the author knows weird people that talk that way.
There were a number of abbreviations and acronyms that might make perfect sense to anyone in the forces or who watches military type TV shows but some of them baffled me and had to resort to Google to figure them out. Maybe an initial explanation on the first use would have helped.
I have mixed feelings about the narrator. He was pleasant enough to listen to and did a good job with numerous accents, male and female voices and appeared to pronounce foreign words and locations without difficulty. Sadly he messed up some pretty basic english words and phrases that were quite cringeworthy. For example, he pronounced "op", an abbreviation for operation, as "O.P." and Frigid was pronounced with a hard G instead of a soft G, so FriGid etc. Schoolboy errors that let the narration down.
I hope the next book in the series is improved as I'd like to hear what happens next, though perhaps I'll go and find the earlier "Strike Back" to learn of the character's history first.
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