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eternan's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
nancyinoregon's review against another edition
5.0
#10 is a knockout and wow doesn't the ending set up #11?! Can't wait!
mojoshivers's review against another edition
5.0
I once described the way the Gray Man books work, with the odd-numbered books being where Court works alone on personal missions and even-numbered books being CIA assignments with his other teammates in Poison Apple, as being akin to a lawyer taking on pro bono cases between his normal cases for his firm. I honestly don’t know which I like better. The solo missions tend to be more tense and nerve-wracking, knowing he doesn’t have the full resources of the CIA to rely on. But the team missions tend to be grander in scope and against much bigger and better bad guys.
It’s a win-win either way. It’s an easy way to keep things fresh and a way to provide for different parameters for the assignments without it seeming contrived.
And this book is one of the better “team” books in the series. Not only does it have great chemistry between the three Poison Apple operators—Zack and Zoya have never seemed so vital to mission success—but the global conspiracy plot is excellent. It manages to tie together threads in Iran, Israel, UAE, and Germany into a convincing story. It also features American military contractors, Russian assassin squads, and Iranian terrorists as groups in opposition to the team. There wasn’t a second I didn’t want to know what was going to happen next.
But I think the most memorable part, and what Greaney has always excelled at doing, is the stinger in the tail. The last set of chapters turn the whole series on its head, delivering devastating blows to the program and to Court himself. Every so often a good novel series needs a good reset, a good clearing of the board to reestablish the rules of engagement.
This is a major clearing of the board and dovetails nicely into Court once more going on his own for the next installment. I can’t wait.
It’s a win-win either way. It’s an easy way to keep things fresh and a way to provide for different parameters for the assignments without it seeming contrived.
And this book is one of the better “team” books in the series. Not only does it have great chemistry between the three Poison Apple operators—Zack and Zoya have never seemed so vital to mission success—but the global conspiracy plot is excellent. It manages to tie together threads in Iran, Israel, UAE, and Germany into a convincing story. It also features American military contractors, Russian assassin squads, and Iranian terrorists as groups in opposition to the team. There wasn’t a second I didn’t want to know what was going to happen next.
But I think the most memorable part, and what Greaney has always excelled at doing, is the stinger in the tail. The last set of chapters turn the whole series on its head, delivering devastating blows to the program and to Court himself. Every so often a good novel series needs a good reset, a good clearing of the board to reestablish the rules of engagement.
This is a major clearing of the board and dovetails nicely into Court once more going on his own for the next installment. I can’t wait.
kadej's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
brents's review against another edition
5.0
One of my favorite reads of 2020 was Back Blast which was Gray Man #5, and the reason was I thought it was a great end to the first 5 book arc in the series and tied up some awesome loose ends that had been running through the series. I was wondering if we would get something similar for book 10, and I think we did but in a different way that makes it just as good.
Beware the following might have some mild spoilers for books 1-9 of The Gray Man series.
When I started on Gray Man book 6 I kind of got the impression that Greany had created a new normal in the series that would probably run the duration of the rest of the books for as long as they were published. In other words I expected the books to alternate between Court's independent assassin work and his CIA tasked duties going forward. I'm really glad that with Relentless the author was not afraid to shake things up and subvert my expectations.
First the plot of the book starts out pretty standard CIA mission type stuff, but quickly escalates from there to one of the most original military/thriller spy genre plots I have read in a while. I've read so many of these "ticking clock terrorist attack" plots that they have become cliché. Greany takes that trope here and dumps it on it's head by continually misdirecting both his characters and the reader about what is going on until the whole scheme and it's implications are laid bare at the end. To make it even more interesting Greany brings in another plot regarding Zakarova to add to the chaos. Also, the decision to hamper or power down Court a bit at the very start of the book was something I liked since it prevents him from being too OP and it added to the craziness and difficulty of the mission. All of this isn't easy to do without making the plot feel too convoluted even for a spy novel, but it works here because of the talent of the author. In the end it was much more than the standard terrorist attack defeated by OP main character that we've got recently from the likes of Kyle Mills and Brad Thor both of whose latest entries felt like they were phoned in.
However, there is one more thing that makes this book better than just the standard episodic Gray Man book. Even when I didn't think there was much of an arc to these 2nd 5 books in the series after Back Blast Greany proved me wrong. I won't spoil, but the ending of this book is utilized in such a way to make it the culmination of 5 books of build up of shadiness for a specific character that is paid off brilliantly. I'll avoid spoilers, but I'll just say I don't think this series is going into a rut or getting stale any time soon. These books are going to instant-preorders for me going forward.
P.S. The audio version of these books is fantastic. It's so good it's my preferred way to consume these now. Jay Snyder is a brilliant narrator for these action thriller stories. I highly recommend everything about it.
Beware the following might have some mild spoilers for books 1-9 of The Gray Man series.
When I started on Gray Man book 6 I kind of got the impression that Greany had created a new normal in the series that would probably run the duration of the rest of the books for as long as they were published. In other words I expected the books to alternate between Court's independent assassin work and his CIA tasked duties going forward. I'm really glad that with Relentless the author was not afraid to shake things up and subvert my expectations.
First the plot of the book starts out pretty standard CIA mission type stuff, but quickly escalates from there to one of the most original military/thriller spy genre plots I have read in a while. I've read so many of these "ticking clock terrorist attack" plots that they have become cliché. Greany takes that trope here and dumps it on it's head by continually misdirecting both his characters and the reader about what is going on until the whole scheme and it's implications are laid bare at the end. To make it even more interesting Greany brings in another plot regarding Zakarova to add to the chaos. Also, the decision to hamper or power down Court a bit at the very start of the book was something I liked since it prevents him from being too OP and it added to the craziness and difficulty of the mission. All of this isn't easy to do without making the plot feel too convoluted even for a spy novel, but it works here because of the talent of the author. In the end it was much more than the standard terrorist attack defeated by OP main character that we've got recently from the likes of Kyle Mills and Brad Thor both of whose latest entries felt like they were phoned in.
However, there is one more thing that makes this book better than just the standard episodic Gray Man book. Even when I didn't think there was much of an arc to these 2nd 5 books in the series after Back Blast Greany proved me wrong. I won't spoil, but the ending of this book is utilized in such a way to make it the culmination of 5 books of build up of shadiness for a specific character that is paid off brilliantly. I'll avoid spoilers, but I'll just say I don't think this series is going into a rut or getting stale any time soon. These books are going to instant-preorders for me going forward.
P.S. The audio version of these books is fantastic. It's so good it's my preferred way to consume these now. Jay Snyder is a brilliant narrator for these action thriller stories. I highly recommend everything about it.
usbsticky's review against another edition
4.0
Spoilers ahead:
Continuing the Gray Man series. In this one, the Gray Man deals with Iran vs. UAE intrigue where the leader of the SIA (UAE intelligence service) wants to frame Iran with an attack on the American ambassador in Berlin to further religious conflict. By framing Iran, he wants the Western Powers, especially America, to attack Iran by proxy.
As usual there is a lot of non-stop action. It starts with an introductory small side trip to Venezuela, then the action moves to Germany. The plot is a little bit complex with lots of players and double, even triple crossing. I'm not a big fan of the changing POVs, which the author seems to utilize more and more. But overall a solid action/spy thriller.
Continuing the Gray Man series. In this one, the Gray Man deals with Iran vs. UAE intrigue where the leader of the SIA (UAE intelligence service) wants to frame Iran with an attack on the American ambassador in Berlin to further religious conflict. By framing Iran, he wants the Western Powers, especially America, to attack Iran by proxy.
As usual there is a lot of non-stop action. It starts with an introductory small side trip to Venezuela, then the action moves to Germany. The plot is a little bit complex with lots of players and double, even triple crossing. I'm not a big fan of the changing POVs, which the author seems to utilize more and more. But overall a solid action/spy thriller.
jecamp86's review against another edition
5.0
The best yet!
This is my favorite Gray Man book to date. It's got everything from action, humor and politics. It's also got an incredible epilogue that clearly sets up the real villain (if you didn't already know). I can't wait for the next one!
This is my favorite Gray Man book to date. It's got everything from action, humor and politics. It's also got an incredible epilogue that clearly sets up the real villain (if you didn't already know). I can't wait for the next one!
jogden1908's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
chaddnolen's review against another edition
5.0
5.0
Awesome entry in the Gray Man series! Perfect blend of violence, international politics, and spy action, with a bit of humor thrown in.
The convergence of multiple groups of bad guys is fun to watch unfold and while the primarily UAE/Quds plot is intricate, it isn’t unrealistically dastardly. The Russian angle gives off some Red Sparrow vibes.
Teaming up the Poison Apple assets has been a nice development in the series. Whereas I used to only enjoy Gentry, now I love rooting for Hightower and Zoya too.
Awesome entry in the Gray Man series! Perfect blend of violence, international politics, and spy action, with a bit of humor thrown in.
The convergence of multiple groups of bad guys is fun to watch unfold and while the primarily UAE/Quds plot is intricate, it isn’t unrealistically dastardly. The Russian angle gives off some Red Sparrow vibes.
Teaming up the Poison Apple assets has been a nice development in the series. Whereas I used to only enjoy Gentry, now I love rooting for Hightower and Zoya too.