Pandora's Succession [Kindle Edition]

Russell Brooks (Author)

Book Description

For fans of Barry Eisler, Robert Ludlum, and Clive Cussler. 

CIA operative, Ridley Fox, never stopped hunting his fiancée's killers--a weapons consortium called The Arms of Ares. When an informant leads him to an old bunker outside of Groznyy, Chechnya, Fox is captured, beaten, and left for dead. When the informant rescues him, Fox learns that his capture was no coincidence: someone had set him up--possibly another government agent. Fox barely escapes after learning that Ares has acquired a hyperdeadly microbe--called Pandora--that is believed to have wiped out ancient civilizations. The trail leads Fox to Tokyo where he discovers that people within the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Japanese Intelligence want Pandora for themselves. The only person Fox can trust is a woman from his past who he nearly got killed.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Russell keeps you on your toes waiting for the next awesome action scene which comes quite frequently."

Sarah Coulsey, Amazon Reviewer

"A superb non-stop action thriller set in the world of bio-weapons, chemical warfare and espionage.  I enjoyed the novel, Russell's style is engaging and considering this is his first book is well executed."

Milo's Rambles (UK)

"Brooks's writing style delivers a 40 frames per second video type experience right into your brain, it's like watching a video in your imagination. (Only the top one percent of action thriller writers can do this). "

Paul Kendal, K3Books (UK)

"This book had so many twists and turns that I think I came out of it with whiplash!"

Brittany C, The Cover (and Everything in Between).

"PANDORA'S SUCCESSION is not one that women will have to wonder if men will read it...they just have to make sure they are able to download their own copy! A true literary success for everyone."

Cyrus Webb, Conversations Magazine

About the Author

Russell Brooks is the author of Pandora's Succession, Unsavory Delicacies, and Chill Run. He considers himself fortunate to have been selected to the Canadian Track Team in the 100 metre and 200 metre sprint events and have his degree in Biology from Indiana University. As for his books, Russell has been compared to a young Robert Ludlum. His books have also attracted fans of New York Times bestselling author Barry Eisler.

Product Details

• File Size: 602 KB
• Print Length: 305 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0986751316
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B00486U6O2
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Not Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #79,027 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 32 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Action-packed adventure! November 12, 2010

By GraceKrispy (MotherLode blog)

Format:Kindle Edition

Imagine a biological weapon so incredibly powerful, it can "eat" through a human in mere minutes. Now imagine that weapon in the hands of a terrorist, a terrorist so elusive and terrifying you don't even know where to start looking. Ridley Fox finds himself in the position of hunting down this weapon, and he is misled every step of the way. Never knowing who to trust, he is led on a whirlwind adventure to try to take control of this deadly weapon in order to safeguard all of humanity. Every time Ridley thinks he's made progress, there is a another surprise waiting to smack him upside the head and keep him on the chase. Time is running out; will he be able to accomplish his mission? Or will most of the world be wiped out by a cloud of red?

Russell Brooks has created an action thriller that is immediately engaging, as well as terrifying, quickly drawing in readers. This fast-paced adventure offers a different take on bioterrorism and its potential uses. The results are altogether scary, as you find yourself pondering the potential reality of this plot. This book reads like it was meant to be an action-packed thriller on the silver screen. It is pretty well-edited and the writing is clean and easy to read. The book moves along quickly, but some of the pacing seemed a bit "off" for me. Some of the secrets were revealed a little earlier than I would have expected, and something about the pacing of character introductions threw me off a little. I can't quite put a finger on what it was, but it just didn't "flow" as well as I would have liked.

Although I think that would make a fabulous and entrancing movie- one I would surely line up to see- it left me a little cold as a book. I found the writing to be a little "sterile," leaving it completely up to the reader to do a lot of interpretation to add feeling and emotion to the story. In a movie, this would be the actor's job to interpret. In a book, I like a little more "voice" to help me imagine the characters and the scenes. In that same vein, the characters were not fully developed, and, as a result, their conversations didn't ring completely "true." It's not that the writing style was bad, it really wasn't. I just wanted a little more "flesh" to help me engage more completely in the storyline. I really want to be inside a character's head, or at least be able to imagine what it might be like to be in there. Motivations were explained, but I wanted to actually feel them, not just read about them.

For readers who don't focus on character development and motivation, and are much more interested in events in fast-paced action thrillers, this can be the perfect story for you! There are just a few days left on Russell Brooks' "Stop the Succession" tour, so check it out to find more reviews, interviews, and general book information. Buy "Pandora's Succession" here!

3.5 /5 stars @ "MotherLode" blog

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Impressive action/thriller debut November 2, 2010

By Shelleyrae TOP 1000 REVIEWER

Format:Kindle Edition

Pandora's Succession throws you straight into the action from the opening scene. This thriller follows Operative Ridley Fox as he chases the group who have developed Pandora, a deadly bio-weapon. It's also a personal mission for Ridley, the extremist group murdered his fiance and he wants revenge on those who ordered her killed. Yet things are not all they seem, another shadowy group emerges with a deadly Promise, and Ridley doesn't know who to trust.
The first chapter of Pandora's Succession really drew me into the book, it's fast-paced with an intriguing hook and it gives you a good sense of who Ridley is and what the story is all about. It's a traditional espionage tale involving secret miltary agencies and extreme factions who plan to take over the world. The familiarity of the storyline gives it credibility, Pandora and Clarity are both terrifying bio weapons, and it's easy to imagine that they exist. The plot works well, the pace is fast and escalates to a climatic finale. The tangents and misdirections that are part of the story pull together neatly by the conclusion and I think Russell has room to move if he decides to create a sequel with Ridley and Parris.
Fox could be an action hero cliche, however Brooks has built upon the stereotype to develop an appealing character. Though tough and determined, we are shown his vulnerabilities as well. I liked his wise ass attitude, and felt his voice was distinct.
I'm not sure Parris is as well developed, despite the background we have for her, I felt her part in the story could have been stronger and more deftly weaved into the storyline.
The villians are interesting, there are several groups and individuals that serve as suspects and Brooks maintains the suspicion and tension well. Dr Marx is particularly chilling and her motivations were well thought out.
It's evident that Russell carefully considered and researched the specifics for his book, as a consequence the details are believable. As a thriller there is neccessarily plenty of action as Ridley confronts his enemies. Brooks skillfully details the physical confrontations and in some parts I appreciated being able to `see' the action, in others I think the accuracy stifled the flow of the scene. Though a minor irritant, some of the more ordinary actions of his characters were stepped through and there are quite a few secondary characters for example, that pass through quite quickly. While some of them had their uses, the elaborate characterisation (ie details of their appearance etc) felt like interuptions. It's a difficult balance to get right in a thriller because so often it's the subtle details that count in helping the reader determine the significant events and characters from those that are not, and it can be distracting when there are too many to sort through.
I enjoyed Pandora's Succession overall, it's a fast paced thriller with a strong, credible storyline. Brook's is to be congratulated on an impressive debut.

[...]

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A suspensful biological warfare thriller November 21, 2010

By TicToc

Format:Kindle Edition

After the death of his fiancé, CIA operative, Ridley Fox makes a decision to hunt the killers. Blaming his own ineptness, knowing he should have understood that danger, he goes in deep to uncover their plot and gather his revenge at the same time. The Arms of Ares which he knows as a terrorist group as well as the murderer of his fiancé has set in motion a plot to gain control of the world. He has received information that they have come into possession of a biological weapon called Pandora. In receiving the intelligence necessary to track down one of the labs he is not only compromised but also captured by the killers. Rescued by the wife of one of the biologists involved in the experimentation and later killed, he finds that Ares has infiltrated many of the top organizations of the world, including British and Russian intelligence. Fox tries to secure more information and learn if there are more labs or facilities working on the project but she is killed before he gets the information.

As he communicates within his organization he is also introduced to a Dr. Marx, one of several other Biologists in the CDC with knowledge of the Pandora organism. What he learns causes him and his superiors alarm; this weapon can destroy the world as they know it. In the hands of the Arms of Ares, the entire world is in danger. Following the leads and tracking the sources Ridley Fox, known as a renegade in his organization, finds himself in a position to view the result of this weapon first hand when one of his only friends is killed in action, during a raid on one of the facilities. The organism feeds on DNA and so far they have not found a way to stop the process. They must find a way of destroying Pandora before it can be used to create worldwide devastation.

As Fox is drawn deeper into the dregs of the terrorist organization dealing with and experimenting with Pandora he discovers that there are other groups also after the same organism, each with their own agenda and plans which in either case are not acceptable. He also finds that different factions of the government also have operatives in place working behind the scenes to help bring the danger of Pandora to a close. As he races against time to find the answers, more and more people are being killed. There is more at stake then anyone imagines, and the Arms of Ares as well a group of cultists, lead by the man known to Fox only as the October man, will do whatever it takes to be the one to control Pandora.

What Fox finds is that as each plan is breeched and every action compromised, there is a mole in his own organization as well as those in both the British and Russian intelligence. As bodies continue to drop he finds himself on his own, having to depend on a woman from his past who has no reason to help him. Through an unintentional missed meeting she was almost killed and blamed her current situation on him. But she too understands the importance of stopping Pandora before it can be used. Will they be able to find a way to protect the world from Pandora? Can they do what no one else can?

In Pandora's Succession, Russell Brooks brought to life the very real worry of biological warfare and the possibility of what that would look like in our world. He has developed a group of terrorists, with no care of the human side of their business, but just who or what will bring the highest paycheck. He has then thrown in a group of zealots, a cult, interested in cleansing the world and setting themselves up as the new world order. He has taken different parts of our current history and used that madness to build a more cataclysmic horror, a picture that even the evil of those original perpetrators may not have dreamed of.

The story is fast paced and the characters very real and solid, capable of hurts and emotions, and as human as they could be. While Fox appears to get out of many situations that would seem to be impossible for a normal man, given the circumstances of each and with the thought behind each escape, Russell Brooks makes it seem both likely and possible for this to happen. There is a great deal of technical and biological information throughout the book guiding you though, giving you a great understanding of the science behind the story.

I really enjoyed this book, it was innovative and yet a bit reminiscent of the current events of the world now and in the past. It gives us both insight and motivation into how differences come into play within the different countries of the world. I found it both interesting and exciting, with just enough human emotion to keep it real.

More About the Author

Russell Brooks is a former Indiana Hoosier Track Champion and Canadian Track Team member in the 100 meters, the 200 meters, and the 4x100 meter relay. He has written several essays on his blog, The Big Picture, one of which was published in the online Op-Ed section of the National Post in early 2009. His debut novel, Pandora's Succession, has received rave reviews from book reviewers, espionage and from thriller fans. Unsavory Delicacies and the recently released thriller, Chill Run, have also been well received by thriller and mystery fans. Russell currently lives in Montreal, Quebec.

You can learn more about Russell Brooks at www.russellparkway.com.