Customer Reviews

Diplomacy Directive

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This Super Bolan #131 was written by Jon Guenther, an author of over two dozen GOLD EAGLE books, from years 2000 through 2010. Someone at Worldwide Publishing must have their minds on Puerto Rico for in July, 2009, Executioner (Mack Bolan) book #368 Crisis Nation also showcased the U.S. Protectorate. Both this book, Diplomacy Directive and Crisis Nation show Puerto Rico to have great upheaval in certain areas, to the extent of a civil war waiting in the shadows.

This Super Bolan 131, Diplomacy Directive can be split into two distinct books, the first running 158 pages or so takes place mainly in San Juan, with the second from pages 159-315 taking place in a Georgia swamp area (Okefenokee) within the U.S. proper. The plot of both sections of the book deal with a Lebanese backed operation, funded by Al Qaeda, attempting civil war within Puerto Rico so as to use Puerto Rico as a staging point post civil war for a new war against the United States, similar to the "Missles of October) Cuban situation of the late 1950s early 1960s. Mixed up in this is an old score to be settled by Hezbollah against the CIA and its operative from 20 years back.

This had to be a very tough book to write and I don't envy Jon Guenther the hard effort needed to put this book into print. I began reading these GOLD EAGLE books back in the mid-1980s, having 100s on my shelves, and my feeling is that most of these adventure stories are pretty much middle of the road 3-star efforts, with much over coverage of a very few story lines. For my opinion, this book is a little better than the run of the mill Super Bolans, especially considering the complex elements of the story and some new ground covered. Though the book begins at a slow pace it does pick up and interestingly we find a Mack Bolan taking care of a couple of people with EXP (expedient demise, with prejudice) as we seldom see him do. He acts very hard in this never ending war on terrorism. Following face-to-face encounters, a couple of the bad guys receive a bullet to the head as coup de grace to end their terrorist careers. Also the scenes of Bolan being drugged is something we seldom or ever see, requiring Jack Grimaldi to actually save the big guys bacon. Jon Guenther has stepped into new territory in this book in at least a couple places.

This book though worth 4-stars to me is a long read. As I have stated it is almost like getting 2 books for the price of one. Possibly it would have worked better as a Part One and Part Two book in the Executioner line rather than a Super Bolan. That has been done several times before and works well. Also this Super Bolan may be more for the guy or gal like me who reads everything GOLD EAGLE issues on our man in black. Still it is very much a book worth the time and read.

As Mack would say: "Stay frosty, live Large."

Semper Fi.

SuperBolan #131 was written by Jon Guenther.
Uniformly mediocre from start to finish, but it gets so tedious and absurd near the end that I didn't bother finishing the last thirty pages. A first in a Mack Bolan book for me.

The plot is average for one of these books, although conveyed in a confusing manner; but it could have been interesting - Peurto Rico as a 21st century Cuba, Bolan fighting terrorists in the Okeefenokee Swamp, etc. Unfortunately little or no effort is devoted to atmosphere or character. It's humorless, and suspenseless - we are told that characters are in danger, but there is no tension in the story. One of the escapes in particular is so ridiculous, you could argue that the book is not humorless afterall. Bolan simply has to dial his cell phone every other chapter to get the full resources of the US Govt dropped in his lap on a moment's notice. Stony Man Farm is always working the problem in the background. Jack Grimaldi is always hovering overhead in a chopper. Boring.

Way too much time spent on the author's high school concepts of a budding romance between the two annoying reporters. These scenes are cringe-inducing, but luckily are always cut short by grenades and machinegun fire. It's not good when you're hoping two of the main characters get fragged. Speaking of action, he loves using medical detail as often as possible: intestines protruding, 5th lumbar severed, etc. It's clunky and distancing. The author probably thinks it makes his work 'gritty'.

SPOILER BELOW

The plot hinges on the US cutting an arms deal with Hezbollah to get them to fight the KGB twenty years ago. Are you serious?