Customer Reviews

Holy Terror (Rogue Warrior)

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

 

 

Well, I have finished reading this book and I have to honestly say that I think the Rogue should pack it up and enjoy his retirement. I hate to say that cause the old Rogue was one of my most favorite authors. I have literally read his original books 8 to 10 times apiece, Red Cell 2, Green Team, Option Delta, Designation Gold and Seal Force Alpha. These were great books and I read them over and over because they are written to make me feel like I am there with them in the trenches. You grow attached to the likes of the old Rogue, Stevie Wonder, Bommerang, Gator, Duck Foot, Doc and the others. Where are they now? Yes, Doc has been reintroduced to the new team but I miss the action that the old team mustered up. I have had enough of Trace Dalhgreen (sp?). As I read through this current book, I kept hoping that the next page would bring the end of Trace. Again, Dickie is running with a team that is half his age, if that. The old books, it was great to read when the team would meet up at a restaurant and read the descriptions of the meals. I could almost taste the food they were eating.

I can see that short comings of these new books now after reading from my other favorite authors Vince Flynn and a new author I am reading named Brad Thor. (Takedown, great reading so far). In this book, I wondered why every time Marcinko made a reference to his sea daddies, he never names them. Before it was always Roy Boehm or Ev Barrett but now he just states sea daddies in general. I always wondered after Weisman left if Dickie was not able to use anything from the previous books due to legalities. It is just a haunch. Well, if Dick can get rid of the kids and bring back the plankowners, I will get back to his books. As of now, unfortunately, I think I will have to find another author to read.

This, and all Marcinko's earlier works, are pure mind candy... but that's why we love it! However, this book (and the previous one with the same co-author) lack the pop and detail of his books with Weisman. We do not get as clear a view into Marcinko's mind (re: tactics, insights, opinions, etc... the stuff that really MADE the previous works), the action sequences are drawn out, and the insights into SpecOps are almost non-existent.

I still like "Demo Dick", but wish the Sharkman would partner-up afresh!

I too am one of the readers here that have consumed all of Marcinko's books to date, including the business manuals. The latest installment in the series just isn't as good as the books that got me interested in his books in the first place. None of the "dweeb editor" interjections are present, none of the POV descriptions of the action are to be found. I remember one of his early books having an outstanding description of tachypsychia (tunnel vision, in layman's terms) and the physical effects of surviving a fight. That style and panache are long gone between this tome and his previous one. The only real saving grace is that this book is miles more professionally written than Vengeance was. That book was almost as bad as those hack Mack Bolan novels. This one is a step, and probably two steps, above Vengeance, but it doesn't come close to equalling the first several novels. I have to agree with the sentiment that this series is doomed unless they move A LOT more towards the style that worked when Weisman was co-authoring them.

Politically incorrect Marcinko is a riot but this is a tedious book with an outlandish plot. I'll keep reading the Roguester because he is @ 600 pages shorter than Clancy per book and I keep hoping things will improve. His witty asides are alone sometimes worth the price of admission but the series has reached a stage of predictability. The bad guys rotate in and out. Not terrible but not great, either.

DOOM ON YOU, DICKIE!!

To borrow the TV idiom, the formerly great Rogue Warrior series "Jumped the Shark" about a book ago. This book is filled with unbelievable action sequences, implausible dialogue and miraculous rescues. The series has taken a definite downturn since John Weisman left it.

More weak-minded pulp from the new team of Marcinko and DeFelice. Since he broke his association with a REAL writer, John Wesiman, Marcinko's books have gone down hard. DeFelice seems incapable of writing viable action, dialogue and characters, as did Wesiman. This duo just doesn't work.

Marcinko books (with Weisman) used to be worth the read, but not any longer. Save your money!

Written more like a script for a bad video game (remember Duke Nukem?), this is implausible as a storyline. I feel like each chapter is more like a jump to a new and disjointed level:

Here is some of the narrative. You can see for yourself, I think:

"Someone slammed a rifle butt into my head from behind, and the world went dark...[please wait while the next level loads]...I do know what woke me up, though: the purring of a kitten. Three of them in fact... Then again, four hundred pound pussies have a way of doing that..."

and (after a tango called "Turbanhead" ducks into an airport restroom)

"As I started to leave, I discovered a third option: a [locked] janitor's closet...Guns drawn [we] pulled the door open, revealing...one very suspcious waxer...'The [ceiling] tiles are missing' said Trace....'He got into the ceiling'...I started climbing...Ordinarily, this wouldn't have been strong enough to support anyone, but a double row of steel cables had been added to the straps... and plywood had been laid over the runners to form a crude walkway...[please wait while the next level loads]...A small backpack sat on the edge, I found a pair of night goggles [beep, the night goggles have been added to your inventory]. There were also six big magazines for the weapons [beep, the magazines have been added to your inventory]...[more inane story line while Duke, er, I mean Dick, wonders through the ceiling]...I spotted another knapsack 10 feet to my right. i went to it [beep]... and below the knapsack found a Minimi [beep, the M249 Squad Automatic Weapon has been added to your inventory]..." (Must have been a damn big knapsack to hide an M249!)

Well, I'm near the end of the book and thought it would be good for a cross country flight. I am disappointed.

I have every one of Marcinko's books, starting w/Rogue Warrior.
Holy Terror and the book preceeding it do not have decent plots.
Mostly ramblings and skipping around from event to event with
unbelievable actions and heroics.
Marcinko needs to have John Weiseman co-author with him again
if he continues to write. The plots would be more in line with
reality. Even fiction should be realistic and believable.

I picked up Holy Terror at the bookstore just to leaf through it and see if it was as bad as Vengeance. I was not disappointed. What I was mainly looking for was if they got rid of the totally unbelievable character of Trace Dahlgren. After I saw another reference to her in the new book and another mention of how hot she is and how terrorist's jaws just drop when she walks into a room, I put it back on the shelf. For now I will just reread the "real" Rogue Warrior books.

How to fix it!
1. Bring back John Weisman.
2. Get rid of Trace "G.I. Jane" Dahlgren.

Marcinko must be losing his mind in his old age. Even the so called Rogue Warrior is giving into the pabulum and genuflecting to the altar of politically correct drivel. His book reads like a typical preachy hollywood movie. Don't waste your time with this book. Marcinko, I lost all respect for you after this book.