Sable [Hardcover]

Mike Grell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 6, 2000

Having been expelled from his beloved Africa for work as just another soul-less mercenary in the war-torn revolutionary African nations, Sable finds his way to New York, and a new life. Only he discovers that the darkness within still threatens his return to his place in civilized society and an enemy from the past with an old score to settle is out to kill him.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The violence of modern African life overwhelms a gamekeeper whose family is murdered by poachers in this fast-moving but hackneyed adventure debut by comics artist Grell. Jon Sable, hero of the comic book Jon Sable, Freelance, brings little depth to his role as the novel's protagonist, living his dream of running a safari company in Tanzania. He is forced to accept a job as a gamekeeper when business turns slow, and he's so good in his new career that poachers take revenge, murdering his wife and children and leaving the wounded Sable near death. Sable survives, but his psyche is shattered, and he goes on a killing spree, taking down poachers and forcing a second confrontation with the man who destroyed his family. That encounter lands Sable in prison. He gets out quickly, however, when invited to join a mercenary group attempting to rescue a wealthy industrialist's son who's surrounded by military terrorists in a game park. After being wounded in the rescue, Sable goes to New York for a break, where he meets the literary agent who rejected his novel but who now accepts his proposal for a series of children's books. Sable's ensuing literary success catapults him into a new life, but his old one returns to haunt him when he's stalked by an assassin, and he must return to Africa to track the man who put a price on his head. Grell supplies a nonstop stream of violent action. His protagonist lacks vibrancy and complexity, however. The author misses the chance to provide an in-depth look at the cultural and economic conflicts of contemporary Africa, and instead pads his book with clich d plot and characters. (July)

Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Review

"Jon Sable--big game hunter on the concrete jungle--I wish I was him."--Gene Simmons, KISS

"Fast moving--a nonstop stream of violent action."--Publishers Weekly

"Fast-moving thrills as one of the great storytellers of comics masters a new medium."--Max Allan Collins, Shamus Award-winning author of Majic Man

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 348 pages
• Publisher: Forge; 1st edition (July 6, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312848722
• ISBN-13: 978-0312848729
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.7 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,279,754 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I hope we see a sequel to SABLE very soon!, February 23, 2001

By 

"me038372" (Indianapolis, IN United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sable (Hardcover)

I have been a fan of Mike Grell's comic work for years. Jon Sable, Freelance is considered by many to be his best work. His first novel, SABLE, takes the story of those first five or six issues and instead of just rewriting it into prose, creates something new. For fans of the series, it does not just rehash events depicted in the comic book. Some minor details are changed, but many of the gaps of Sable's story present in the comic series are detailed here. It also finally answers the question I have had for years: "Who IS the white-haired man?" For people discovering this character for the first time, this is an incredible action/mystery read, with a lot of humanity in the protagonist. Some of the sequences are raw, but match in tone to the environment that two-thirds of the book takes place: Africa. The detail is rich and there are many humorous moments. I recommend this book to anyone, comic and non-comic readers alike.

3.0 out of 5 stars Smart, violent & often funny, "Sable" is worth seeking out, May 5, 2005

By 

Joseph P. Menta, Jr. (Philadelphia, PA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Sable (Hardcover)

I always enjoyed the comic book adventures of freelance soldier of fortune and adventurer Jon Sable, so I picked up this paperback in a used book store when it caught my eye a while back. Basically it's a prose re-telling of Jon Sable's origin story from the comics.

A quick aside: If I remember correctly, the first two issues of the comic book contained single-issue stories showing Jon Sable taking on cases in New York, and issues 3 to 6 revealed how he became the adventurer, soldier of fortune, and righter of wrongs depicted in those first two issues. Then, issue number 7 onward once again told present-day stories of our hero in action. Sable the novel recounts the Africa-based origin story from issues 3-6 of the comics series, only with lots more details, as well as a lot of new material set in present day New York, mostly involving Sable's second job as a writer of children's books!

The Jon Sable series was always good fun and a little more compelling than similar characters out there because he is both ruthless and a down-to-earth, likable guy (trained killer, writer of children's books... you gotta love that). His supporting cast is also likable and quirky, not types you would expect to surround a soldier of fortune type. This dual nature, always a part of the Jon Sable comics stories, is also fully and effectively on display in the novel. The book also gives you lots of interesting discourse about the African political situation (Jon Sable made his living conducting safaris and stopping poachers before his soldier-of-fortune days), discourse only briefly touched on in the comics.

Sable creator Mike Grell probably wrote the novel to create traction for a Jon Sable movie, as evidenced by the cover blurb "soon to be a major motion picture", but that movie never materialized (though I think there was a brief TV series). That said, this unusual, offbeat novel-- like the comics, it's violent, yet often funny- is worth your time.

And if you like it, it's pretty easy to find trade paperback collections of the original "Jon Sable, Freelance" comic books, and the 2005 Jon Sable comic book mini-series, "Bloodline". The new mini-series, in fact, actually uses a lot of the new material that first appeared in this novel.

This review has probably gone on a bit too long for an out-of-print paperback, but the book is still fairly easy to obtain in used book stores and via Amazon's used book network, so I thought I'd take a few minutes to tell you about it.

5.0 out of 5 stars A Damn Fine Read, July 11, 2003

By 

G. N. Smith (Durham NC) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Sable (Mass Market Paperback)

I used to gobble up everything Mike Grell produced in comic format. Jon Sable Freelance was always one of my favorites. Grell's characters and story are engaging. His prose is as vivid as his drawings and reading this book I realize just how much I miss Jon Sable. Mike please give us more in novel or comic format. Either is fine by me.