Customer Reviews

Rogue Warrior: Dictator's Ransom

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Much better than the last book in the Rogue Warrior series. This one was worth the wait. Demo Dick is back at it again. If he is feeling his age, he sure doesn't let anybody know it. This book is packed with all of the action, excitement, and of course sarcasm we all have grown to love and expext from the frog man himself. A must read.

If you have read and enjoyed any of the prior Rogue Warrior books then be prepared for unadulterated fun. I recommend to all action book readers. Funny as well as action packed.

...over the last couple of titles in this series. The best were the few that immediately followed Demo Dick's autobiographical Rogue Warrior. Lately he has collaborated with Jim DeFelice with so-so results, until now. "Dictator's Ransom" moves fast--maybe a bit too fast when compared to the early books (it moves at a perfect pace in its second half)--and it is such an improvement that any criticism seems like a quibble. The Rogue Warrior books are not literature, and this one is a lot of fun.

Unfortunately, Dick's later books have lost some of magic of the early collaborations w/ John Weisman. Yes-we're used to suspending disbelief with the Rogue Warrior series. This one starts out fairly well, but becomes increasingly ridiculous as it progresses. Without ruining it- the kidnapping and other scenes at the middle end/end are preposterous, even for "Demo Dick".
I also miss some of the "insider" tricks of the trade that were in previous books, and the old male characters. The question is: Can Dick rediscover the winning formula that we used to love with this series ??

I have purchased all of Marcinko's books, however this is more scifi then anything. I know his books are based on fiction, however this was too far fetched. Come on Marcinko you can and have done better, I am still a fan but lets get into more realistic stories.

Dictator's Ransom is mediocre at best. The author really has not been able to repeat his excellent writing beyond Rogue Warrior and Red Cell. I endured the story hoping things would pick up and become intersting, but it just never happened. He now has added hackers, Delta female operators, and army personnel to what used to be a Navy-Seal-exclusive cast. Maybe in the next book he'll add a mind-reading dog, a quick-witted, comical little kid, or even a romantic subplot to appeal to other potential readers. Demo Dick has sold out too much to the commercial interests and has failed to remain bold and true to himself. I think I'm finished buying his books.

The first two Rogue Warrior novels written by/with Jim DeFelice were practically unreadable. Incoherent plots that jump all over the place. Horrible writing. Politically correct. None of the in-depth operational detail from the original Weisman novels. Just embarrassingly bad.

But Dictator's Ransom had positive reviews, so I gave it a try and was pleasantly surprised. It turned out to be one of the best novels in the series. This time around, Marcinko is recruited by the CIA for a mission in North Korea, and he gets involved in a plot involving Kim Jong-Il's kidnapped son, nuclear weapons, the Chinese, the Russians, and the region on the brink of war.

While nowhere near the same level as John Weisman's Rogue novels, the geopolitical analysis and details of operations are definitely more sophisticated than the previous two entries (although these books for the most part shouldn't be taken too seriously, of course). The story is coherent and stays on track. The attempts at humor are actually funny. The action is well-written and vividly described.

Overall, it's just a really fast, fun read.

This book was written in the first person and I believe towards the younger audience such as teenagers. I did not enjoy it. Only two stars for this one. I like action stories and this one had a good idea and would have been great if written properly.

Typical Marcinko book. I enjoyed this book better than his last. More basic ROUGE WARRIOR style. Fast read. If your a ROUGE WARRIOR fan you will not be disappointed.

...I have read some of the other reviews and I agree with some of the comments that he had gone off track of his original books, but it was still a good read. I was just finishing up "Rogue Warrior: Holy Terror" when I ordered this one, I could hardly wait for it to come! I do love the character "Trace Dulgren", but yes his team is growing to the point where it is hard to remember them from book to book if they are even in more than one. Overall, still love the "ROGUE" and I will probably continue buying his books.