The Orion Team. discussion

Happy New Year Group Members! We come into the new year with more fun spy/political/military thrillers set to be released. So, what books are on your "to read list"?

And on a side note, what were the best spy/geopolitical thriller that you read in 2015? Best protagonist, antagonist, plot, most interesting threat are the categories to name a few.

I'll kick things off.



The first Mitch Rapp continuation novel is also a story of many firsts. One of the most significant ones is an antagonist who can match the borderline omnipotent duo of Rapp and Irene Kennedy.
Ladies, gentlemen, meet General Taj, director general of Pakistan's ISI. Competent to a terrifying degree, he manages to come minutes away from pulling off a win, something almost no other Vince Flynn antagonist has managed to do so.

Best threat for 2015. Clearing By Fire a chunk of the world.
Shockingly few military/counter-terrorist thrillers focus on the question of ending the war on terror. Not Joshua Hood's first novel which bravely touches on the question, in a well meaning but ghastly conspiracy which aims to rewrite the middle east upon a mountain of corpses.

Best plot for 2015.
After a somewhat underwhelming fourth book, Tom Wood took the sequel in an interesting technical direction, lean and mean. What resulted is a splendid bare-bones thriller with contract killer turned CIA deniable asset "Victor", at the top of his game.

Best protagonist for 2015. Renee Hart.
A female special forces soldier, Renee is sharp as a whip and rapidly steals the show from the other protagonists. Her character arc in the introductory novel is splendidly executed and I can't wait to see where she'll be going this year.

Best fictional universe of 2015.
Part military thriller, part dystopian novel, veteran Force Recon Marine veteran Peter Nealen has created a unique series about a private military company in a mad world. The mad world in question is where every single social, security, geopolitical and environmental issue has exploded. It's a beautifully twisted setting and one which is always fascinating.

Best military thriller of 2015.
Lets face it, naval warfare is a complex business. Lots of variables and other factors to consider when going to war on the seas. Many thriller writers have tried their luck at bringing this aspect of warfare to written form. Many have failed to capture the complexity while paradoxically making it understandable and interesting for us mere mortals.

Rick Campbell is part of the few who have succeeded.
His second book, Empire Rising allowed me to appreciate how complicated the business of a fleet waging war can be, and more importantly know what was actually going on. I recommend it completely. His third book comes out this year.

Samuel wrote: "I'll kick things off.



The first Mitch Rapp continuation novel is also a story of many firsts. One of the most significant ones is an antagonist who can match t..."

Runner up and honorable mention.



Winston Cage and Colonel Barnes.

One's a very sympathetic extremist who decides to take drastic action in sparing his country and the civilized world more years in a forever-war, the other's a dangerously savvy operator who wants to play god with the lives of millions of people. Together, they make one heck of a challenge to the protagonist Mason Kane and his allies.

Samuel wrote: "

Best threat for 2015. Clearing By Fire a chunk of the world.
Shockingly few military/counter-terrorist thrillers focus on the question of ending the war on ter..."

Runner Up.



The Dragon Shaking The World.
In the love/hate tango that is China's relationship with the USA, sometimes, it's best to maintain a balance of sorts. When one paints a smart rival into a corner leaving them nothing left to lose, blood and guts will hit the fan as the events of this novel show.

Samuel wrote: "

Best protagonist for 2015. Renee Hart.
A female special forces soldier, Renee is sharp as a whip and rapidly steals the show from the other protagonists. Her c..."



Runner up and honorable mention.

Meet Victor and Raven. He's one of the few amoral antiheroes in the spy fiction genre. She's a rogue Iranian-American ISA operator framed for crimes she didn't commit. For 12 hours, they're forced to work together. Or die trying.

Now for a few of the books I'll be reading and reviewing this year.

Book 2 in the search and destroy series. I hear from extremely reliable sources that the author has dramatically improved as a writer. Due to my tendency to write large reviews I'll be a bit more quiet on this one until the release to avoid spoilers.

Written by a USAF veteran, these books are quite interesting. What happens if the American Airforce maintained their own Tier One Special Forces unit? What results is the surprisingly small but deadly Romeo 7 team headed by counter-terrorist operative Nick Barron.

Got this one on paperback. Heard great thing about the author, he's a member of our group with outstanding critical reviews. North African Jihadists begin waging chemical warfare on the west and a task force headed by the USMC is sent to stop them. Then things go wrong.

Another upcoming military thriller by one of the members of this group. Roll on the new Cold War when an American Submarine and a Russian Submarine crash and sink....in waters of the North Pole.
Both countries send teams to recover their men. The Russians however, have sent a SPETSNAZ team who have murder and robbery on their mind......

Over four books, Courtland Gentry, CIA paramilitary officer/assassin has run around the globe, away from the Company and a increasingly large number of criminals who he's annoyed or shot at over the past few years.

But in this book, Mr Gentry comes home. He walks into the most dangerous place on earth for him, a country where a wrong move will mean certain death for him. The lions den. The United States Of America. His mission, which he has accepted, is to find out why he was burned. And it all begins with an operation designated "Back Blast".

The United Kingdom's SIS pull off a coup of titanic proportions. Successfully cultivating the deniable CIA asset Victor for their own purposes. A project aimed at ridding the planet of one of Europe's biggest scumbags. Conducting the assassination of Europe's biggest human/sex slave trafficker, a man who also happens to be a Serbian war criminal.

Victor tries to do the job but the first shot misses and he's forced to run, with a woman wronged by his target in a ghastly manner. Now, with an unlikely but willing ally, Victor and the woman hunt one of the most powerful criminals on the planet across Europe in one of the most challenging jobs the formidable contract killer has undertaken yet.

Mr Brad Thor is a hit and miss kind of author. This book looks like it will fall into the first category.
An American special forces team, support staff and big-wig are kidnapped and murdered by Daesh. Back in Washington, a bunch of politicians try skewer the man who gathered the intelligence that was used to prepare for that operation. Scot Harvath. Attempting to save his own career and bring justice to the fallen, Harvath heads into Syria in a job where he finds the work of another agent of a foreign country attempting to manipulate events against the USA.

The fourth book in the darkly twisted American Praetorians dystopian military thriller series sees the PMC heading off to Southwestern America. Only in this universe, the Mexican drug cartels have annexed the region and turned it into their own plaything. The main character's mission is to hunt down a powerful criminal who is building a group of spies, killers and computer hackers to shape events from the shadows.

Brad Taylor is easily the most prolific military thriller writer operating today (2 books and a short story per year).
In the new Pike Logan book, Pike, Jennifer and their former "institute" colleagues are sucked into a plot affecting Eastern Europe with a non state actor trying to make the new Cold War turn nuclear hot.

David Hagberg is one of longest running spy fiction writers no one has ever heard of.
Since the 1990's, he's been turn out Kirk Mcgarvey novels involving the middle aged CIA gunman whose paradoxical desires for peace and war always cause him grief.

In the 18th novel, an employee of the CIA goes rogue and successfully convinces the lingering Islamists in Pakistan's government to back him in a coup attempt. Killing the President of Pakistan, he announces his intention to support the Taliban. While he does so, one of four missing nuclear weapons explodes on the Afghanistan border. The American president, understanding things are going to hell, calls for McGarvey to cut the knot and kill the rogue spy, codenamed The Fourth Horseman.

As for the novella, the long lost brother of one of the original antagonists in the series decides to make his move and try kill McGarvey. In a duel stretching from Arlington National Cemetery, to an abandoned castle in Portugal, the young gun and the old pro dance a deadly waltz, which will leave only one of them alive.

Samuel wrote: "

Best military thriller of 2015.
Lets face it, naval warfare is a complex business. Lots of variables and other factors to consider when going to war on the sea..."

Thanks Samuel. I'm glad you enjoyed it.

Overwatch: A Thriller
My 2016 pick is Overwatch by my good friend Mathew Betley. Mark my words, he is going to be a superstar.

The sequel to this stellar thriller is the first and foremost read I'm looking forward to in 2016!



It will be called "Primed Charge" and will see our very gray hero Sean Havens travel to East Asia to unravel the disappearance of some advance force operators, which were send there to investigate a bombing.

Things however are not what they seem and Havens soon stumbles into a deep running conspiracy with global ramifications...

Under the following link you can read a free sample.

http://nebula.wsimg.com/d5983165dec2a...

If the first 3 chapters are anything to go by, the author's writing seems to have drastically improved (which is quite an achievement if one considers the pretty high bar set by his first novel) and we will dive even deeper into the fascinating shadow world, where black and white just don't exist.

Note: If you enjoy the sample, please let the author know via goodreads, twitter or email under [email protected]

I am reading a James Bond comic book series, should make more a great read once the story is completed and collected into a graphic novel. I just could not wait and am reading the issues ONE by ONE, up to 3 issues so far:

David wrote: "I am reading a James Bond comic book series, should make more a great read once the story is completed and collected into a graphic novel. I just could not wait and am reading the issues ONE by ONE..."

Ah, that series. The artists and writers are top notch. Some of the best people in the business.

Bodo wrote: "The sequel to this stellar thriller is the first and foremost read I'm looking forward to in 2016!



It will be called "Primed Charge" and will see ..."
It is great. JT tells such a good story. Have you listened to the interview I got to do with him?

Yes I have. It was very interesting! Did you have the previlege to read more than the 3 sample chapters?

Not yet but we have talked about it quite a bit

Joshua wrote: "Bodo wrote: "The sequel to this stellar thriller is the first and foremost read I'm looking forward to in 2016!



It will be called "Primed Charge" ..."

That interview was fantastic. Especially loved the in-depth discussion on the morality that fictional characters have and the wood chipper chapter.

Samuel wrote: "Happy New Year Group Members! We come into the new year with more fun spy/political/military thrillers set to be released. So, what books are on your "to read list"?"

In 2016, I plan to read all the rest of the Vince Flynn books. I just finished reading "Transfer of Power" by Vince Flynn thoroughly enjoying my 7th reading of this author's books. I included The Survivor because I know Vince wrote at least a couple of pages. Having only caught interest in the last 18 months, I have comparatively read very few authors in this genre vs. others in this group, so I have been enjoying reading posts from this group to discover other compelling authors. I would love to hear how others in this group feel about Vince's body of work vs. other current modern authors in the field.

Also looking forward to this one!



This novella takes part shortly before the book and introduces the main character. It is great fun and marks the start to what promises to be an action packed and exciting new spy series!

http://timtigner.com/free

Here you can download the novella for free!

I don't have anything on my radar in particular, last year I discovered a couple of authors for the first time (Adrian Magson especially comes to mind) and my big hope for 2016 is to discover some new authors.

Spy thriller by an acquaintance which I here from reliable source is coming out. The third full length novel of the Shadow Warriors series. Imagine if the late Tom Clancy and the producers of "24" had collaborated on making a thriller novel. The end result would be the works of Stephen England.....if they were lucky.
Combining the meticulous facts of a Clancy tome and the fast paced, physical and mental brutality of a "24" Season, these books should be among the first fiction one should buy if they get a kindle app.

The third book is set in the UK. It's called "Embrace The Fire". It revolves around a scheme by a Islamist who in the last book trashed the Vegas Strip, to take aim at the most protected people in Great Britain. And in pursuit is a CIA officer with nothing to live for and a desire to bring his prey down to hell by all means necessary.

Hi, all! New member here.



Reading Orphan X right now. It's more vigilante than spy/thriller, though there's plenty of toys and technology involved--and Gregg Hurwitz appears to have done *a lot* of homework to get details right. At this point I'm less than one hundred pages in and it's just getting into the meat of the story. Thus far the premise is compelling, characters are rendered nicely, and the writing is tight. It should be a fun read. UPDATE: Nowhere Man is a vigilante who employs espionage methods and tactics. It's a spy/thriller that incorporates a different set of tropes and puts a new spin on some familiar ones.



The new Gray Man is up next and should be arriving soon. Mark Greaney was on his game with Dead Eye and based on the reviews I've read--for Back Blast--and overall enthusiasm it's been generating, it sounds like it's going to be a *ride*.

Also looking forward to checking out Joshua Hood.

Mac_dickenson wrote: "Hi, all! New member here.



Reading Orphan X right now. It's more vigilante than spy/thriller, though there's plenty of toys and technology involved--and Gregg Hurwitz..."

Welcome Mac, I'm sure you'll enjoy this group, and the wide variety of discussion threads that we've accumulated.




Do check out Mr Hood's books, visceral, brutal and capturing modern warfare in a way other authors sometimes fail to. Good reads, both of them.

Thanks!

Definitely going to checkout CLEAR BY FIRE. There's a gritty immediacy that military veterans have about their writing--the ones who can write, not all of them can--that puts their books in another catagory altogether.

Mac_dickenson wrote: "Thanks!

Definitely going to checkout CLEAR BY FIRE. There's a gritty immediacy that military veterans have about their writing--the ones who can write, not all of them can--that puts their books i..."

Totally agree on both counts. Written up my verdict on Mr Hood's second book on the thread "The Fire Rises", section: Target Deck (my actual review will come sometimes around June when it's officially released). I found the first book is great.
The second book however, I think is a masterpiece.

Mac_dickenson wrote: "Thanks!

Definitely going to checkout CLEAR BY FIRE. There's a gritty immediacy that military veterans have about their writing--the ones who can write, not all of them can--that puts their books i..."

Oh, Mac, I have a recommendation for you.








A spy thriller series written by an Englishman
(above images are the US paperbacks of his work)
They center around the life and times of a nice chap who kills people for large sums of money. His name is Victor, he's a contract killer and he happens to have been cultivated as a deniable asset by the number two man at the CIA's National Clandestine Service. Perhaps one of the top 5 UK writers when it comes to action, his books also boast some very impressive plotting and black comedy. Unlike most white knights in the genre, Mr Wood and his creation also manage to avoid certain tropes which cause his counterparts to trip up, one of the reasons why I like it. Anyway, I recommend you check these out. Book 6 (bottom one) will come out this year.

Samuel: Since you did such a great job explaining the differences of Stephen England's and Brad Taylor's work to me, I wonder if you could do the same with England and Hood, because I will run out of reading material soon and struggle with the question, what I should read next! Hood and England both sound very promising. Thanks in advance!

Samuel wrote: Checkout Tom Wood...

I like Tom Wood. THE KILLER and THE GAME are both in my tbr pile. I've started THE KILLER but haven't finished it yet.

Mac_dickenson wrote: "Samuel wrote: Checkout Tom Wood...

I like Tom Wood. THE KILLER and THE GAME are both in my tbr pile. I've started THE KILLER but haven't finished it yet."

They're both splendid novels. Also I highly recommend book 2 "The Enemy" which has one of the most nightmarish final acts for a spy thriller.

David wrote: "I am reading a James Bond comic book series, should make more a great read once the story is completed and collected into a graphic novel. I just could not wait and am reading the issues ONE by ONE..."

I happened upon this the other day and went, "Holy crap! Warren Ellis is scripting a Bond comic!"

Generally I don't get excited about Bond, in any medium, but with Warren Ellis scripting it I'm in!

Years ago he did a GI JOE animated movie for Adult Swim and it was stellar (GI JOE: RESOLUTE).

Ellis doesn't script big, long established, characters very often--and when he does it's always exciting and interesting. Definitely looking forward to this!

Bodo wrote: "Samuel: Since you did such a great job explaining the differences of Stephen England's and Brad Taylor's work to me, I wonder if you could do the same with England and Hood, because I will run out ..."

Heh. Well, they're quite a few similarities that go with the differences.

Both of them write highly mature portrayals of the war on terror, devoid of any sort of idealism and wish fulfillment
Both of them inject brutal moral ambiguity into their writing, although, I'd hazard to say that Mr Hood's is a lighter shade of gray.

Both of them allow the trope "reality ensures" to occur in their writing, a particularly brave decision, and unique among the current crop of writers. There are no friends in high places for their characters to call for help and their characters have to deal with the blowback that occurs from the previous books.

Both of them do their homework on the real world details that factor into the narrative.

Both of their fictional casts of characters are fleshed out and human. They're extremely competent at what they do, but not immortal from bullets, busted legs or psychological trauma.

Now to the differences:

Mr England is a self-published author. His work can be described as "24" if it had Tom Clancy as the technical advisor. His writing style also has a dash of Jack Higgins, albeit superior due to the larger scale plots Mr England creates.

Mr Hood is a author with the Touchstone imprint of the publishing powerhouse that is Simon and Schulster. His work can be summed up as a journey into a modern day heart of darkness, a trip into the most brutal and depraved parts of the Post 9/11 world. His writing style is influenced by Vince Flynn, Joseph Conrad and I myself picked up a vibe which reminded me of Andy McNab/Chris Ryan.

Mr England focuses on the Paramilitary officers who are members of the real-life CIA Special Activities Division. His characters are a slightly exaggerated version of the men who are the closest thing to a real life Mitch Rapp. They gather intelligence and when Langley gives the order, start pulling the triggers on the various terrorists and enemy intelligence officers they come across.

Mr Hood focuses on the Special Forces teams and the various "Task Forces" they make up. His characters are soldiers trying to do a seemingly impossible job at being the tip of the spear for their country, while participating in various black operations where the line between right and wrong is truly hard to discern
and gets crossed back and forth considerably.

Both do their homework with the details, but while Mr England might have the edge with the technical side, Mr Hood has had hands on experience with the area of tactics as a former Paratrooper in the legendary 82nd Airborne division and as a current serving officer of the law in his native Tennessee. As a result, Mr Hood's action sequences are a lot more visceral and vivid that Mr England's.

I might have forgotten a few more things, but these are the important parts. Hope this helps Bodo.

Mac_dickenson wrote: "David wrote: "I am reading a James Bond comic book series, should make more a great read once the story is completed and collected into a graphic novel. I just could not wait and am reading the iss..."

Seen some stills of the comic. Mr Ellis has done very well with the art and writing (and given Bond back the sidearm which I prefer him to have, the P99, not the PPK as a bonus) Love the villains in particular who give 007 a run for his money.

Now, half the time I'm annoyed with all the research errors that are in a Ben Coes book. The other half, I'm forgiving him due to the sheer entertaining action and explosions he packs into his novels.
These books unashamedly kick reality in the teeth and embrace giving their readers the fun factor.

In this book, Daesh gets annoyed that a shipment of guns gets held up at port due to the quick thinking of CIA shooter Dewey Andreas. So they hatch a scheme, send a small army to Georgetown, a soft target, and storm a dorm containing 500 students. Caught within a catch 22, the only man who can save the day is Mr Andreas.

Mac_dickenson wrote: "David wrote: "I am reading a James Bond comic book series, should make more a great read once the story is completed and collected into a graphic novel. I just could not wait and am reading the iss..."

Thanks a lot, Samuel! As always your ability to summarize the essentials is striking.

Interesting, a book by my second favorite self-published author. South China Sea. A pirate king. Pirate hunters and the PLA SOF naval section. Sounds delightful. https://americanpraetorians.wordpress...

Hi evereybody,
Just finished John Connolly's A Song of Shadows,my first John Connolly.The plot is more than well done I do like these nazi novels because my dad spent nearly 4 years in concentration camps and was a witness at the Nürnberg trials,but fortanately he came out in one piece which is very rare.John Connolly has risen to my favorite authors in a pretty short time and Charlie Parker became my favorite detective.Now I'm reading Alex Berenson Twelve Days(half through and good as ever)thus I can start the wolves directly after.
John Connolly is perhaps not a spy thriller in its genre but Alex Berenson is the spy stoy teller(above all well researched and even sometimes pretty funny
Best regards from Luxembourg
Daniel