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innae's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
4.0
Forward by Tony Eldridge
Introduction: The World of Joe Ledger by Jonathan Maberry It is kind of brave to give over your characters, your world, to others. I like that the audio book is read by the voice of Joe Ledger, Ray Porter, as it gives a nice continuity.
The Honey Pot by Steve Alten Meh. Not my favorite Ledger tale, but still okay. And it FELT like a Ledger tale.
Confusion by Nicholas Steven A nice addition to the Ledger, Top and Bunny saga. If I was writing a Ledger tale I would want to include Top and Bunny, so happiness with this tale. A continuation of the Deep, Dark story.
Target Acquired by Christopher Golden and Tim Lebbon I really like Christopher Golden, and this story from the view of someone other than Ledger solves any issues with it not having Ledger’s “voice”, but I’m not sure it needed the safety net. Felt very Joe to me and it’s a really good story too.
Vacation by Scott Sigler Ok..I had little doubt that I would love this story. Sigler is my FDO after all. A Ledger/Nocturnal crossover? Yes please!! This story did not disappoint.
Banshee by James A. Moore I liked the premise of this one..but it didn’t really get resolved…
Red Dirt by Mira Grant A bit of a departure from the other stories thus far. More artistic than most Joe stories
Black Water by Weston Ochse A look back into Joe’s past. Interesting
Instinct (A Ghost Story) by Bryan Thomas Schmidt and G.P. Charles I wasn’t sure I would like this one…but it grew on me.
No Guns at the Bar by Aaron Rosenberg an entertaining story that barely even features Joe.
Strange Harvest by Jon McGoran this one felt like it needed more time, I really liked where it was going, and then it was over
No Business at All by Javier Grillo-Marxuach an interesting look at what happens when Hollywood gets just enough right
Ganbatte by Keith R.A. DeCandido a very nice look at Lydia’s history and into her character. Liked this one a lot
White Flame on a Sunday by James R. Tuck I hope the followers of the Deacon Chalk series appreciated this as much as I did the Nocturnal cross-over. This may get me to check out some Deacon stories.
Wet Tuesday by David Farland one of the dark sides of self driving cars..told very much in the world of Ledger. Another good one
Prince of Peace by Jeremy Robinson I like the addition of a new thread to the Ledger mythos
Rookie by Joe McKinney what was Joe like before the DMS? This story takes a look and gives some ideas.
Three Times by Jennifer Campbell-Hicks this one had me crying..such a good tribute to Grace
Psych Eval by Larry Correia this one was creepy and ended without resolve…I would be interested to see where this one might go
Crash Course by Dana Fredsti a decent story, but Joe didn’t feel authentic in this one
Atoll by Jonathan Maberry a fine time travel tale
Introduction: The World of Joe Ledger by Jonathan Maberry It is kind of brave to give over your characters, your world, to others. I like that the audio book is read by the voice of Joe Ledger, Ray Porter, as it gives a nice continuity.
The Honey Pot by Steve Alten Meh. Not my favorite Ledger tale, but still okay. And it FELT like a Ledger tale.
Confusion by Nicholas Steven A nice addition to the Ledger, Top and Bunny saga. If I was writing a Ledger tale I would want to include Top and Bunny, so happiness with this tale. A continuation of the Deep, Dark story.
Target Acquired by Christopher Golden and Tim Lebbon I really like Christopher Golden, and this story from the view of someone other than Ledger solves any issues with it not having Ledger’s “voice”, but I’m not sure it needed the safety net. Felt very Joe to me and it’s a really good story too.
Vacation by Scott Sigler Ok..I had little doubt that I would love this story. Sigler is my FDO after all. A Ledger/Nocturnal crossover? Yes please!! This story did not disappoint.
Banshee by James A. Moore I liked the premise of this one..but it didn’t really get resolved…
Red Dirt by Mira Grant A bit of a departure from the other stories thus far. More artistic than most Joe stories
Black Water by Weston Ochse A look back into Joe’s past. Interesting
Instinct (A Ghost Story) by Bryan Thomas Schmidt and G.P. Charles I wasn’t sure I would like this one…but it grew on me.
No Guns at the Bar by Aaron Rosenberg an entertaining story that barely even features Joe.
Strange Harvest by Jon McGoran this one felt like it needed more time, I really liked where it was going, and then it was over
No Business at All by Javier Grillo-Marxuach an interesting look at what happens when Hollywood gets just enough right
Ganbatte by Keith R.A. DeCandido a very nice look at Lydia’s history and into her character. Liked this one a lot
White Flame on a Sunday by James R. Tuck I hope the followers of the Deacon Chalk series appreciated this as much as I did the Nocturnal cross-over. This may get me to check out some Deacon stories.
Wet Tuesday by David Farland one of the dark sides of self driving cars..told very much in the world of Ledger. Another good one
Prince of Peace by Jeremy Robinson I like the addition of a new thread to the Ledger mythos
Rookie by Joe McKinney what was Joe like before the DMS? This story takes a look and gives some ideas.
Three Times by Jennifer Campbell-Hicks this one had me crying..such a good tribute to Grace
Psych Eval by Larry Correia this one was creepy and ended without resolve…I would be interested to see where this one might go
Crash Course by Dana Fredsti a decent story, but Joe didn’t feel authentic in this one
Atoll by Jonathan Maberry a fine time travel tale
tarheel99's review against another edition
5.0
A collection of short stories that have been put out in various formats over the years. Most of these I'd read before, but enjoyed them just as much the second time around. As for the new ones, there were a couple that I wished were longer, and one in particular that I can't wait for there to be a full-length book about, maybe more than one book. That story was Artifact, and the directions that could go as a full book are something I look forward to reading in the future. If you're a Joe Ledger or Jonathan Maberry fan, this is a good addition to the collection.
vailynst's review against another edition
4.0
Notes:
3.5 Stars Round Up for Excellent Narration by Ray Porter
- None of these will stand well by themselves. They are fun additions to the whole.
- Some of the stories were like informal briefings. I liked that. Others were snippets that add to the overall series and events.
- Great Narration by Ray Porter. He's definitely Joe in my head.
- Range of 3 to 4 Stars on Stories
3.5 Stars Round Up for Excellent Narration by Ray Porter
- None of these will stand well by themselves. They are fun additions to the whole.
- Some of the stories were like informal briefings. I liked that. Others were snippets that add to the overall series and events.
- Great Narration by Ray Porter. He's definitely Joe in my head.
- Range of 3 to 4 Stars on Stories
trevert's review against another edition
4.0
I am not a fan of short story collections but this was way better than expected, owing mostly to the familiar audiobook narration of Ray Porter and the semi-connected nature of many of the stories, which made it feel less like a random collection and more like a series of "Day in the Life" tales of the DMS. A few were real clunkers but overall, they were good and several were excellent.
buildhergender's review against another edition
5.0
Joe Ledger: Unstoppable
This is a collection of short stories set in the world of Joe Ledger, a creation of Jonathan Maberry. For those who don't know Johnathan Maberry is a cop who was recruited by a secret government organization. His new job is to help fight threats that come up from science. His job interview was to kill a terrorist that he had already killed once...yes zombie. Not all of the stories are zombies but all contain products of science gone awry. A word of warning, if you have not read the first of his three novels you should not read these short stories as they contain spoilers about events in them.
The Honey Pot by Steve Alten (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Alten) No not Steve Alten!!! He has written some of the worst books I have ever reviewed (The Meg Series and Domain Trilogy). I was really worried going into this one. But overall it wasn't as bad as I was worried. One of the books I read from this guy, well I tried I never finished it, was about how 9/11 was planned by America. The MacGuffin in this story is the result of another far paranoid conspiracy, that there is an energy source that can get automobiles 1000's of miles per gallon but the big oil companies are keeping it hidden. (By the way, why would the automobile manufacturers agree to this. Do you know how many of a car a manufacturer would sell if it got 500 miles per gallon?)
Confusion by Nicholas Steven I do not have a Wikipedia or an artist page for this writer because it is the pen name of an author. The book states that he will be releasing a new novel under this name, but so far nothing. A decently entertaining story that is a sequel to one of Jonathan Maberry's short story. The first contained roach human hybrids. This one has wasp humans, butterfly humans, and minotaurs.
Target Acquired by Christopher Golden (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Golden) and Tim Lebbon (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Lebbon) Lesbian Assassin!!! Someone frames Joe for the death of a hit woman's girlfriend. She carefully stalks him to learn his route thinking she is going to avenge her lover and stop a terrorist. Unfortunately, Ledger tips off to her and manages to sneak up on her during one of her stalks. Once he realizes she is after him for a crime he stopped he gives her the choice to kill him or maybe get some answers. This story I wished was cannon so that there would be a further mention of how it turned out.
Vacation by Scott Sigler (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Sigler) I liked Scott Sigler's novel Nocturnal if you haven't read it check out his site you can get the podcast version for free. This story takes place a few years after the conclusion of the novel and it was nice to see what some of the characters were up to. And he did a good job of balancing his protagonist, who is superhuman in ability, with Joe Ledger who is baseline human.
Banshee by James A. Moore (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_A._Moore) This one read a lot like one of Ledger's novels as far as the use of science. A hit woman has designed a suit that makes her virtually invisible and able to walk through walls. With just a touch she is able to liquefy the insides of someone. Joe must fight an enemy he can not shoot and whose touch is deadly.
Red Dirt by Mira Grant (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seanan_McGuire) I love Mira Grant, her Deadline series is great so I am happy to see her contributing to short story collections. In one of the previous novels for Ledger, a group had planned on weeding out the weaker specimens in humanity by putting a scientifically tailored organism into bottles of water. It would cause anyone with a recessive gene of deadly genetic traits to spontaneously get the disease. Some of the water ended up sitting in a warehouse. One day one of the employees of the warehouse steals the water and donates it to his church, as it is well past the date they were supposed to be picked up. The members of the church start to die. There is no miraculous save in this one. It's a sad thoughtful read. Joe Ledger does not appear in this one.
Black Water by Weston Ochse (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weston_Ochse) A story of Joe as a teenager. He finds that the spot he used to go with his girlfriend has turned into a polluted pond and decides to see if he can stop it. Also, he is spending his nights trying to find targets for his rage over the rape and death of his girlfriend. A nice twist at the end.
Instinct (A Ghost Story) by Bryan Thomas Schmidt (http://bryanthomasschmidt.net/) and G.P. Charles (http://www.gpcharles.com/) This is not a ghost story as far as talking about spirits. It is instead about Joe Ledger's dog, "Ghost." At first, I was disappointed when I saw this, thinking that a supernatural story would be more interesting, but a reading of one of Joe's adventures from the dog's point of view makes it a good story. And doggies!!!!
No Guns at the Bar by Aaron Rosenberg (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aaron_S._Rosenberg)
Another story that does not include Joe Ledger, but instead some of his supporting cast. After a tactical strike turns to a bust three of team Echo decide to stop at a bar on the way home and let off some steam. Their break is interrupted as they start to notice people watching. Then all three of them notice that their guns are gone. The people who are watching them approach and it is revealed that they are part of a clandestine group that Echo has been hunting. They use science for world domination and used teleporters, microrobots, and metal dissolving guns to track down Echo, surprise them, and render them weaponless. But despite not having weapons the team shows that Echo is more than guns. One question I have that was left open in this is how that at the end of the story the team drives off. However, if they no longer had metal on them how did they start their cars?
Strange Harvest by Jon McGoran (http://www.jonmcgoran.com/) A crossover with Ian McGoran's detective Doyle Carrick, the story involves both of them running into each other while searching for missing people who are friends of friends of each other. Eventually, they track down the disappearance to a trip the two took to the woods where they found a strange fungus. Tracking down a scientist that the two missing people had visited Joe and Doyle find that there is a possibility that the fungus is of extraterrestrial origin. One clue leads to another until the two find themselves in a building full of weird acting, eerily similar guards. They find their friends and get free. Plans are made to follow up on the company behind the building but within a matter of minutes, all traces of the company disappear offline and all personal vanish. The story ends at a point where either one of the characters could pick it up for another novel, but it was one of the weaker stories in my opinion.
No Business at All by Javier Grillo-Marxuach (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Javier_Grillo-Marxuach) A movie is being filmed and there are some striking coincidences between its plots and elements and that of the DMS that Joe works for. He is given a cover to go into the film set as a technical adviser on the military special forces. Not long after arriving it becomes obvious to Joe that the coincidences are just that. However, while on the set he witnesses the star of the movie take a terrible tumble off of a motorcycle resulting in a compound fracture. Yet hours later when he is introduced to the star he has not a scratch on him. Looking further into it he soon discovers that the star is using banned Chinese technology to keep himself young and healthy. The technology is banned because to be used it has to drain the blood of a healthy person. In this case, a crew member who accidentally spilled oil that caused the motorcycle wreck. Joe leaves Hollywood after a series of horrible "accidents" that kill the star and his entourage, content that even if he could not save the crew member she was avenged.
Ganbatte by Keith R. A. DeCandido (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keith_DeCandido) This is a story that focuses on Lydia Ruiz a member of Team Echo taking a short vacation. She returns to the Florida Keys and the town she grew up. The story reviews her past and the events that made her go from a potential juvenile delinquent into a bad ass special forces operator. It is intercut with the current predicament of her former mentor who is dealing with sexual harassment and worse to keep a job. Lydia uses her special forces training to help her mentor get back up and running.
White Flame on a Sunday by James R. Tuck (http://www.jamesrtuck.com/) A team-up between Joe and James Tuck's Deacon Chalk, a man who specializes in occult practices in Atlanta. The two of them independently come upon a cult that is trying to resurrect a long-dead elephant god. A bad thing as the prophecy of this god is that it will trample the world flat in its wake. A lot of shooting and manly men doing manly things later the cult is dead and the two men are strong allies.
Wet Tuesday by David Farland (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_Wolverton) A pretty standard plot of middle eastern terrorists planning on a series of car bombs in London. But this being a Joe Ledger novel there is a lot of science fiction going on here. The bombers rather than using suicide drivers have stolen a program made to allow self-driving cars make life easier for the blind and others unable to drive. Joe tracks down the maker of the program and is readily convinced that while she made the program she did it for good and that it is used to deliver bombs is not part of her plans. He tries to warn her that this is happening but she is so shocked that someone would use her invention for this purpose she ignores him and walks back into her office to be blown up. Joe uses fly cameras, literally cameras shaped like flies to track down the terrorists and sends a few laser-guided bombs their way. Happy that he has done his job but also a bit more wise to the fact that there might be some people too innocent for this world.
Prince of Peace by Jeremy Robinson (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeremy_Robinson)
Another story where Joe works with an existing character of another author. In this case, it is Jack Sigler written by Jeremy Robinson. Of the crossover stories, this one was the best. Both of them are lured into a trap when they are looking for friends who have gone missing. The story has a good take on the villain monologue where he confronts them and starts to tell them what he wants them to do, fight each other to the death with the winner becoming a member of the group Prince of Peace. Before he can get more than 10 words out both of the protagonists attack him. From there the man administering the test watches as all his plans go to pieces as he can't even tell the two the rules of the fight. Along the way, the heroes learn that the Prince of Peace is a group of people who are texted a name of a target. A few bits of information of the target is included and a planned action, such as kidnapping, assassination, etc. They all vote on what should happen to the target, with the ultimate goal being that this group will eventually turn the course of humanity to good by eliminating the bad with group consensus. After a lot of close calls, they find themselves across the field from the member of the group administrating their test. He has the two friends tied up and despite his words, both men know that there is no way to save their friend. Instead of playing this game they both shoot him as he tries to escape a fire he set to kill their friends. They are sad to find the corpses of their friends, but sadder still when they find their cellphones and each of them has been texted a request for an answer to a plan of action. Killing the man opened up an opening in the group and now both of them are part of it whether they want to be or not.
Rookie by Joe McKinney (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_McKinney_(author)) A story that takes place before the events of the novels it tells of a time that Joe unwittingly brushed shoulders with the group he would eventually join, bringing him to their attention. While a rookie cop Joe is on a break inside a small bodega. A man walks into the bodega and by his manner and bearing it is obvious that the man is part of some kind of military special forces and he is in some type of trouble. Joe confronts the man in the back of the bodega and they both fight each other to a stalemate. Before this can be broken a group of armed military men comes storming into the store. While this man has fought Joe, Joe notes that despite having a gun he never tried to use it and most of his fighting was to take Joe out of the picture rather than kill him. The new members, however, immediately open fire on Joe despite his cop uniform. Joe and the stranger fight off the group of infiltrators despite being outgunned. Eventually, the cavalry arrives and Joe is surprised that he recognizes at least one of them from his previous military experience. He is left wondering what he was involved in while the DMS agents start to look into his background to see if he might be good for them.
Three Times by Jennifer Campbell-Nicks (http://jennifercampbellhicks.blogspot.com/) Massive spoiler if you have not read the first three novels. This story covers the effects of the events of the second and third novel on a reporter named Emily Grant. In particular, it has to do with how she deals with being saved from certain death by a mysterious military liaison named Major Grace. Her handling of the PTSD that comes as a result of the incident and finally how she comes to terms with the death of Major Grace, which happens in the third novel.
Psych Eval by Larry Correia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_Correia) Starring Joe's best friend Dr. Rudy Sanchez, he is put in charge of interrogating the only survivor of a strike team that was sent into Mexico to bring down a drug lord. The scene of the team's last stand has information that makes no sense and there are signs of strange behavior such as cannibalism performed by the team. Rudy's job is to find out what happened to the team and if the lone survivor, Olivia Carter, had part of their deaths. There is additional pressure put on Rudy as he is told that a specialist has been sent for and if Rudy can't get the answers and determine Olivia's innocence the specialist will handle it. Rudy starts to get part of her story but soon the interview turns weird as Olivia starts to talk about an ancient god that has been raised. Finally during a break that Rudy takes the lights of the building go off and when the lights come back on Olivia is gone. Rudy then learns that the specialist that was on the way was not an enhanced interrogator as she suspected but instead a priest who specializes in exorcisms.
Crash Course by Dana Fredsti (http://danafredsti.com/) The last of the crossovers it deals with Joe in the alternate near-future world of Ashley, a creation of Dana Fredsti. The son of a high ranking politician disappears on an island that has been overrun by a zombie infestation that is part of the world of Dana's novels. The echo team is sent in along with expert Ashley, a woman who has learned the hard way that she is immune to the virus. Both she and Joe are shanghaied from their plane and are dropped off in a remote spot of the island by parachute. It soon becomes obvious that they are being put through a game quite similar to a role-playing game. And with the discovery of cameras, they realize that they have been brought in as entertainment for someone. Fighting across the island they eventually find the missing teen and determine he is the one hosting the games. He is selling the footage of the games for money. Because he is the relative of someone with a lot of pull Joe cannot do what he would normally do with someone like this, kill them badly, but this does not prevent Ashley from beating him unconscious before trussing him up for delivery to his father.
Atoll by Jonathan Maberry (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Maberry) A story that is canon for the series. Dealing with aliens that were discovered in the fourth novel, I believe, it is a weird time-traveling tale where the time traveling may have been more of a bending of reality. Joe is sent to an island where a few ships have disappeared and where right before cutting out satellite cameras grabbed a glimpse of a familiar triangle shaped flying vehicle. Upon arriving Joe is eventually captured and finds himself being mind controlled along with other people who have visited the island for hundreds of years. Their job is to repair the crashed plane, but this adventure does include Joe killing Nazis!
This is a collection of short stories set in the world of Joe Ledger, a creation of Jonathan Maberry. For those who don't know Johnathan Maberry is a cop who was recruited by a secret government organization. His new job is to help fight threats that come up from science. His job interview was to kill a terrorist that he had already killed once...yes zombie. Not all of the stories are zombies but all contain products of science gone awry. A word of warning, if you have not read the first of his three novels you should not read these short stories as they contain spoilers about events in them.
The Honey Pot by Steve Alten (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Alten) No not Steve Alten!!! He has written some of the worst books I have ever reviewed (The Meg Series and Domain Trilogy). I was really worried going into this one. But overall it wasn't as bad as I was worried. One of the books I read from this guy, well I tried I never finished it, was about how 9/11 was planned by America. The MacGuffin in this story is the result of another far paranoid conspiracy, that there is an energy source that can get automobiles 1000's of miles per gallon but the big oil companies are keeping it hidden. (By the way, why would the automobile manufacturers agree to this. Do you know how many of a car a manufacturer would sell if it got 500 miles per gallon?)
Confusion by Nicholas Steven I do not have a Wikipedia or an artist page for this writer because it is the pen name of an author. The book states that he will be releasing a new novel under this name, but so far nothing. A decently entertaining story that is a sequel to one of Jonathan Maberry's short story. The first contained roach human hybrids. This one has wasp humans, butterfly humans, and minotaurs.
Target Acquired by Christopher Golden (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Golden) and Tim Lebbon (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Lebbon) Lesbian Assassin!!! Someone frames Joe for the death of a hit woman's girlfriend. She carefully stalks him to learn his route thinking she is going to avenge her lover and stop a terrorist. Unfortunately, Ledger tips off to her and manages to sneak up on her during one of her stalks. Once he realizes she is after him for a crime he stopped he gives her the choice to kill him or maybe get some answers. This story I wished was cannon so that there would be a further mention of how it turned out.
Vacation by Scott Sigler (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Sigler) I liked Scott Sigler's novel Nocturnal if you haven't read it check out his site you can get the podcast version for free. This story takes place a few years after the conclusion of the novel and it was nice to see what some of the characters were up to. And he did a good job of balancing his protagonist, who is superhuman in ability, with Joe Ledger who is baseline human.
Banshee by James A. Moore (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_A._Moore) This one read a lot like one of Ledger's novels as far as the use of science. A hit woman has designed a suit that makes her virtually invisible and able to walk through walls. With just a touch she is able to liquefy the insides of someone. Joe must fight an enemy he can not shoot and whose touch is deadly.
Red Dirt by Mira Grant (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seanan_McGuire) I love Mira Grant, her Deadline series is great so I am happy to see her contributing to short story collections. In one of the previous novels for Ledger, a group had planned on weeding out the weaker specimens in humanity by putting a scientifically tailored organism into bottles of water. It would cause anyone with a recessive gene of deadly genetic traits to spontaneously get the disease. Some of the water ended up sitting in a warehouse. One day one of the employees of the warehouse steals the water and donates it to his church, as it is well past the date they were supposed to be picked up. The members of the church start to die. There is no miraculous save in this one. It's a sad thoughtful read. Joe Ledger does not appear in this one.
Black Water by Weston Ochse (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weston_Ochse) A story of Joe as a teenager. He finds that the spot he used to go with his girlfriend has turned into a polluted pond and decides to see if he can stop it. Also, he is spending his nights trying to find targets for his rage over the rape and death of his girlfriend. A nice twist at the end.
Instinct (A Ghost Story) by Bryan Thomas Schmidt (http://bryanthomasschmidt.net/) and G.P. Charles (http://www.gpcharles.com/) This is not a ghost story as far as talking about spirits. It is instead about Joe Ledger's dog, "Ghost." At first, I was disappointed when I saw this, thinking that a supernatural story would be more interesting, but a reading of one of Joe's adventures from the dog's point of view makes it a good story. And doggies!!!!
No Guns at the Bar by Aaron Rosenberg (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aaron_S._Rosenberg)
Another story that does not include Joe Ledger, but instead some of his supporting cast. After a tactical strike turns to a bust three of team Echo decide to stop at a bar on the way home and let off some steam. Their break is interrupted as they start to notice people watching. Then all three of them notice that their guns are gone. The people who are watching them approach and it is revealed that they are part of a clandestine group that Echo has been hunting. They use science for world domination and used teleporters, microrobots, and metal dissolving guns to track down Echo, surprise them, and render them weaponless. But despite not having weapons the team shows that Echo is more than guns. One question I have that was left open in this is how that at the end of the story the team drives off. However, if they no longer had metal on them how did they start their cars?
Strange Harvest by Jon McGoran (http://www.jonmcgoran.com/) A crossover with Ian McGoran's detective Doyle Carrick, the story involves both of them running into each other while searching for missing people who are friends of friends of each other. Eventually, they track down the disappearance to a trip the two took to the woods where they found a strange fungus. Tracking down a scientist that the two missing people had visited Joe and Doyle find that there is a possibility that the fungus is of extraterrestrial origin. One clue leads to another until the two find themselves in a building full of weird acting, eerily similar guards. They find their friends and get free. Plans are made to follow up on the company behind the building but within a matter of minutes, all traces of the company disappear offline and all personal vanish. The story ends at a point where either one of the characters could pick it up for another novel, but it was one of the weaker stories in my opinion.
No Business at All by Javier Grillo-Marxuach (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Javier_Grillo-Marxuach) A movie is being filmed and there are some striking coincidences between its plots and elements and that of the DMS that Joe works for. He is given a cover to go into the film set as a technical adviser on the military special forces. Not long after arriving it becomes obvious to Joe that the coincidences are just that. However, while on the set he witnesses the star of the movie take a terrible tumble off of a motorcycle resulting in a compound fracture. Yet hours later when he is introduced to the star he has not a scratch on him. Looking further into it he soon discovers that the star is using banned Chinese technology to keep himself young and healthy. The technology is banned because to be used it has to drain the blood of a healthy person. In this case, a crew member who accidentally spilled oil that caused the motorcycle wreck. Joe leaves Hollywood after a series of horrible "accidents" that kill the star and his entourage, content that even if he could not save the crew member she was avenged.
Ganbatte by Keith R. A. DeCandido (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keith_DeCandido) This is a story that focuses on Lydia Ruiz a member of Team Echo taking a short vacation. She returns to the Florida Keys and the town she grew up. The story reviews her past and the events that made her go from a potential juvenile delinquent into a bad ass special forces operator. It is intercut with the current predicament of her former mentor who is dealing with sexual harassment and worse to keep a job. Lydia uses her special forces training to help her mentor get back up and running.
White Flame on a Sunday by James R. Tuck (http://www.jamesrtuck.com/) A team-up between Joe and James Tuck's Deacon Chalk, a man who specializes in occult practices in Atlanta. The two of them independently come upon a cult that is trying to resurrect a long-dead elephant god. A bad thing as the prophecy of this god is that it will trample the world flat in its wake. A lot of shooting and manly men doing manly things later the cult is dead and the two men are strong allies.
Wet Tuesday by David Farland (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_Wolverton) A pretty standard plot of middle eastern terrorists planning on a series of car bombs in London. But this being a Joe Ledger novel there is a lot of science fiction going on here. The bombers rather than using suicide drivers have stolen a program made to allow self-driving cars make life easier for the blind and others unable to drive. Joe tracks down the maker of the program and is readily convinced that while she made the program she did it for good and that it is used to deliver bombs is not part of her plans. He tries to warn her that this is happening but she is so shocked that someone would use her invention for this purpose she ignores him and walks back into her office to be blown up. Joe uses fly cameras, literally cameras shaped like flies to track down the terrorists and sends a few laser-guided bombs their way. Happy that he has done his job but also a bit more wise to the fact that there might be some people too innocent for this world.
Prince of Peace by Jeremy Robinson (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeremy_Robinson)
Another story where Joe works with an existing character of another author. In this case, it is Jack Sigler written by Jeremy Robinson. Of the crossover stories, this one was the best. Both of them are lured into a trap when they are looking for friends who have gone missing. The story has a good take on the villain monologue where he confronts them and starts to tell them what he wants them to do, fight each other to the death with the winner becoming a member of the group Prince of Peace. Before he can get more than 10 words out both of the protagonists attack him. From there the man administering the test watches as all his plans go to pieces as he can't even tell the two the rules of the fight. Along the way, the heroes learn that the Prince of Peace is a group of people who are texted a name of a target. A few bits of information of the target is included and a planned action, such as kidnapping, assassination, etc. They all vote on what should happen to the target, with the ultimate goal being that this group will eventually turn the course of humanity to good by eliminating the bad with group consensus. After a lot of close calls, they find themselves across the field from the member of the group administrating their test. He has the two friends tied up and despite his words, both men know that there is no way to save their friend. Instead of playing this game they both shoot him as he tries to escape a fire he set to kill their friends. They are sad to find the corpses of their friends, but sadder still when they find their cellphones and each of them has been texted a request for an answer to a plan of action. Killing the man opened up an opening in the group and now both of them are part of it whether they want to be or not.
Rookie by Joe McKinney (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_McKinney_(author)) A story that takes place before the events of the novels it tells of a time that Joe unwittingly brushed shoulders with the group he would eventually join, bringing him to their attention. While a rookie cop Joe is on a break inside a small bodega. A man walks into the bodega and by his manner and bearing it is obvious that the man is part of some kind of military special forces and he is in some type of trouble. Joe confronts the man in the back of the bodega and they both fight each other to a stalemate. Before this can be broken a group of armed military men comes storming into the store. While this man has fought Joe, Joe notes that despite having a gun he never tried to use it and most of his fighting was to take Joe out of the picture rather than kill him. The new members, however, immediately open fire on Joe despite his cop uniform. Joe and the stranger fight off the group of infiltrators despite being outgunned. Eventually, the cavalry arrives and Joe is surprised that he recognizes at least one of them from his previous military experience. He is left wondering what he was involved in while the DMS agents start to look into his background to see if he might be good for them.
Three Times by Jennifer Campbell-Nicks (http://jennifercampbellhicks.blogspot.com/) Massive spoiler if you have not read the first three novels. This story covers the effects of the events of the second and third novel on a reporter named Emily Grant. In particular, it has to do with how she deals with being saved from certain death by a mysterious military liaison named Major Grace. Her handling of the PTSD that comes as a result of the incident and finally how she comes to terms with the death of Major Grace, which happens in the third novel.
Psych Eval by Larry Correia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_Correia) Starring Joe's best friend Dr. Rudy Sanchez, he is put in charge of interrogating the only survivor of a strike team that was sent into Mexico to bring down a drug lord. The scene of the team's last stand has information that makes no sense and there are signs of strange behavior such as cannibalism performed by the team. Rudy's job is to find out what happened to the team and if the lone survivor, Olivia Carter, had part of their deaths. There is additional pressure put on Rudy as he is told that a specialist has been sent for and if Rudy can't get the answers and determine Olivia's innocence the specialist will handle it. Rudy starts to get part of her story but soon the interview turns weird as Olivia starts to talk about an ancient god that has been raised. Finally during a break that Rudy takes the lights of the building go off and when the lights come back on Olivia is gone. Rudy then learns that the specialist that was on the way was not an enhanced interrogator as she suspected but instead a priest who specializes in exorcisms.
Crash Course by Dana Fredsti (http://danafredsti.com/) The last of the crossovers it deals with Joe in the alternate near-future world of Ashley, a creation of Dana Fredsti. The son of a high ranking politician disappears on an island that has been overrun by a zombie infestation that is part of the world of Dana's novels. The echo team is sent in along with expert Ashley, a woman who has learned the hard way that she is immune to the virus. Both she and Joe are shanghaied from their plane and are dropped off in a remote spot of the island by parachute. It soon becomes obvious that they are being put through a game quite similar to a role-playing game. And with the discovery of cameras, they realize that they have been brought in as entertainment for someone. Fighting across the island they eventually find the missing teen and determine he is the one hosting the games. He is selling the footage of the games for money. Because he is the relative of someone with a lot of pull Joe cannot do what he would normally do with someone like this, kill them badly, but this does not prevent Ashley from beating him unconscious before trussing him up for delivery to his father.
Atoll by Jonathan Maberry (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Maberry) A story that is canon for the series. Dealing with aliens that were discovered in the fourth novel, I believe, it is a weird time-traveling tale where the time traveling may have been more of a bending of reality. Joe is sent to an island where a few ships have disappeared and where right before cutting out satellite cameras grabbed a glimpse of a familiar triangle shaped flying vehicle. Upon arriving Joe is eventually captured and finds himself being mind controlled along with other people who have visited the island for hundreds of years. Their job is to repair the crashed plane, but this adventure does include Joe killing Nazis!
vailynst's review against another edition
4.0
Notes:
- Narration: Ray Porter was great! He managed to make all of the stories sound like they were a part of the series. I'm not sure if I would have enjoyed reading the stories and had the same reaction as I had while listening to the audio.
- Story rating ranged from 2.5 to 4.5 Stars. Some were better than others.
- Atoll: What a tease! That one could be a novella or book based on the plot concept. =)
Story List:
- The Honey Pot by Steve Alten
- Confusion by Nicholas Steven
- Target Acquired by Christopher Golden and Tim Lebbon
- Vacation by Scott Sigler
- Banshee by James A. Moore
- Red Dirt by Mira Grant
- Black Water by Weston Ochse
- Instinct by Bryan Thomas Schmidt and G.P. Charles
- No Guns at the Bar by Aaron Rosenberg
- Strange Harvest by Jon McGoran
- No Business at All by Javier Grillo-Marxuach
- Ganbatte by Keith R.A. DeCandido
- White Flame on Sunday by James Ray Tuck
- Wet Tuesday by David Farland
- Prince of Peace by Jeremy Robinson
- Rookie by Joe McKinney
- Three Times by Jennifer Campbell-Hicks
- Psych Eval by Larry Correia
- Crash Course by Dana Fredsti
- Atoll by Jonathan Maberry
- Narration: Ray Porter was great! He managed to make all of the stories sound like they were a part of the series. I'm not sure if I would have enjoyed reading the stories and had the same reaction as I had while listening to the audio.
- Story rating ranged from 2.5 to 4.5 Stars. Some were better than others.
- Atoll: What a tease! That one could be a novella or book based on the plot concept. =)
Story List:
- The Honey Pot by Steve Alten
- Confusion by Nicholas Steven
- Target Acquired by Christopher Golden and Tim Lebbon
- Vacation by Scott Sigler
- Banshee by James A. Moore
- Red Dirt by Mira Grant
- Black Water by Weston Ochse
- Instinct by Bryan Thomas Schmidt and G.P. Charles
- No Guns at the Bar by Aaron Rosenberg
- Strange Harvest by Jon McGoran
- No Business at All by Javier Grillo-Marxuach
- Ganbatte by Keith R.A. DeCandido
- White Flame on Sunday by James Ray Tuck
- Wet Tuesday by David Farland
- Prince of Peace by Jeremy Robinson
- Rookie by Joe McKinney
- Three Times by Jennifer Campbell-Hicks
- Psych Eval by Larry Correia
- Crash Course by Dana Fredsti
- Atoll by Jonathan Maberry
iheartpuns's review
3.0
This was a compilation of short stories (most not written by Jonathan Maberry) that happen before and between the major novels of the Joe Ledger series. There were also a few crossover stories with other book series. It was a fun read and most of the stories were good, but none of them were great.
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