Customer Reviews

Vengeance (Rogue Warrior)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

My interest in the Marcinko books has tailed off since John Weisman quit writing the stories. Let's face it, Marcinko gives his "ghost writer" the basic outline of a story, then tells him to write the novel. "Violence of Action" was abysmal. "Vengeance" is slightly better, but the bloom is off the rose at this point in time with the Marcinko books. Just go back and read the first two or three novels in the series and see what I mean. I only hope Marcinko stops right now before everyone forgets how the first few books truly excited his fans.

Well, I waited along with everyone else for years for this book to come out. I bought it the day it was released after watching online for the date that it would be released. I have been a hugh Marcinko fan and loved the first set of books he wrote with Weisman. I always felt like I was in the trenches with the Rogue, Boomerang, Stevie Wonder, Nod, Gator and the others. These are the guys I want to read about. I was slightly dissapointed with Violence of Action due to the fact that the original team wasn't in it. Trace was a different take but soon possesed the superwoman portrait and that got old really fast.

With Vengeance, I see the new members of the team that are introduced and have to wonder why is ol Dick surround by a bunch of kids? The ending was really a disappointment with this book. I don't want to give anything away, but the ending really lacked any of Dick's trademark action to me. I kept thinking that I was going to see someone I recognized at the end but what we got was kinda made me laugh. Bring back Weisman and get the original "plank" owners back in the action.

Atleast Doc makes a great return but again I felt that the ol Rogue Warrior comes off more as a baby sitter in this book than a warrior. I will stick with the Rogue, just hope that the next book can find it's roots again.

It's time for Dick to just sit on the porch with his glass of Bombay Sapphire and stop publishing books. Vengeance was extremely tired and boring, no plot and extremely unbelievable. It takes more than glitzy locations and fancy guns to make a story. It also doesn't take a SEAL to make Homeland Security look bad. As Dick has admitted himself, an expert can cause minimum wage flunkies to fail every time. The book just never gets started.

Which is a shame, since the original Rogue Warrior is on my list of all-time great books. Dick had a colorful and heroic past which most of us can only envy.

I have been a Richard Marcinko fan ever since I read his autobiography "Rogue Warrior," but "Vengeance" was horrid and I am suprised that Richard Marcinko even let his name be associated with it. The last two novels, "Vengeance," and "Violence of Action," in the absence of collaborator John Weisman have been abysmal. In "Vengeance" I just couldn't picture the written words ever coming out of Richard Marcinko's mouth - they just weren't in the style of "The Rogue Warrior." Plus what Rogue Warrior novel is complete without hearing about Marcinko's "Sea Daddy" blankety-blank-blanking GMG Ev Barret(sp?) Also, the character of Trace Danhlgren was laughable - lets at least stick to a little reality when creating characters - it makes them more believable. The "concept" of the story was fine, yet, didn't keep my attention like some of the novels like "Red Cell" or Designation Gold. I think what all fans would like to see is a Part II autobiography about Marcinko's life since the "Rogue Warrior" captured our attention in 1992. If this is the caliber of novel that we can look forward to in the future, I think it should just end here - it couldn't get any worse.

Following the series our pleasantly plump former SEAL "collaborated" on with John Weisman, these latest forays into the fiction world are best left alone. Characters are weak, as is the dialgue, and the plot is virtually nonexistant. His new collaboration with DeFelice just does not have the same pizzaz!

I have read all of Marcinko's books. This one doesn't even come close to the others. Demo Dick always seems to have someone placed just right when information is needed and it is usually timely, obtained with no red tape or hassle. The FBI comes off poorly and is the only organization that balks at opening their files to D. Dick. Even the French seem to be more forthcoming. Ha! This story is spread all over the country and lacks cohesiveness. But Dick is always on top of the situation. What is Homeland Security doing? Dick needs to start acting his age. He is constantly doing all of those things that would be a trial for even a younger person. Running, weight lifting and all that PT crap. It doesn't add to the story or make Dick seem tough. More like pathetic. He's not a young man anymore and as long as he continues to write in the first person, doing superhuman things, with a team that wasn't even born when he was a SEAL, the stories will deterioriate. Maybe the change in co-authors is the reason. Dick needs to reign it in a little and be more believeable. I don't argue that he is a tough man but we all get older. His stories should reflect that. Also, try to locate a story in one place, not all over the map.

This was my least favorite book by one of my favorite authors. The writing style was clearly not his. It was a fairly good read, and the ending certainly was interesting. But I found the book generally boring and was happy to be done with it. I've never felt this way with any of Demo Dick's books before.

What in the he** was this about? Of course I knew what it was about. After reading through Dick's latest novel I found myself lost. All those detailed descriptions of battle, weapons, equipment and tactics are gone; and if you know the rogue his books always had excellant descrips. One minute your slogging through some boring narrative then someone ends up dead or some sort of chase commences.
And the team? I miss the plank owners of the past series, excluding Violence of Action. To much time spent writing about superwomen Trace Dalgrehn(?). If you read his previous book: VOA, then you'll know of whom I speak. It's pathetic. I wish I would of waited for paperback- which I recommend.
I really wanted to like this one. I really did. I'm a huge fan of the ol' Rogue. I hope that next time he writes on his own. Jim DeFelice need's to leave.

When Demo Dick first wrote Rogue Warrior, it was good because the first person format was about "his story" (with the characteristic Marcinko lingo). This is latest novel is a sad departure from the DevGru Guru we were entertained by...and some of us worked with.

It takes more than a ghost writer to make a good story. Yes DHS is lame. Yes, a trained chimp could out perform DHS in almost any scenario you could devise. We all know that, and the public endures the mediocrity because no individual knows how to professionalize the machine (witness, Mr. M, how your Red Cell ops embarassed the Navy - pissing off admirals without getting that much to change).

Potential readers -- don't waste your time and money to be disappointed by this story.

Dick -- (with respect, sir) go back to your roots and tell "your story" because it's better than all the make believe and yes, I realize it is more work for you to put it together. Instead of collaborating with a ghost writer, collaborate with Larry Simmons and some of the old Mustangs, or Master Chiefs like Gary Gallagher who can tell the "real story" of how things work(ed). It's not as much published glory for you personally but the end result could be fantastic and a potential "classic" in the way Rogue Warrior was.

You know there is a problem when, Demo Dick himself says, Rogue
Warrior was the best book in the series. And such a TRUE statement
that is. I have read all the RW books and have watched as they have
gone down hill with each new one. Vengeance was like mixing, Indiana
Jones and Murder She Wrote all in one. There is fiction and then
there is comic book fiction. This book is more like the latter.
I have met Mr M,3 times and he is one heck of a guy, but I really
hope the next RW books are better than the last few.