Customer Reviews

The Warlord: A Jackson Monroe Novel

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

 

 

Not a very compelling read. The plot moves in a strictly linear direction with a bunch of green berets and an insufferable two-star general miraculously escaping from one close call after another. The story is so predictible that it lacks any excitement. The characters are stereotypical. This is not a "timely and imaginative military thriller" as one back cover blurb would have you believe. It's a wannabe screenplay in search of a producer. It might make a good movie, but as a book it's AWOL.

A delightful story, especially now that I'm older than I once was. What happens when sauve, sophisticated general Jackson Monroe, who's been flying a desk for a bunch of years is shot down in the mountains of Afghanistan, surrounded by the enemy.

On the fly leaf it says that this book is loosely based on Zenophon's The Persian Expedition, perhaps, but Zenophon was in the company of ten thousand Greek mercenaries, and here there are a lot fewer. I'd say it compares better with the march/retreat led by General 'Vinegar Joe' Stillwell at the start of World War II.

At any case, the story is well written, the situations, the people interesting. The author is a West Point graduate, ex-Air Force, and his military situations are well described. This is his second book. His first, also featuring Jackson Monroe, is The Silent Men.

I'd suggest that you go to Amazon or your favorite supplier and get both books. Winter's coming, and when there's a big storm settle down in front of the fire for a delight.

I read this book with my perspective of a Vietnam veteran. I thought the byplay about the role of a senior pentagon leader with a special forces team was more interesting than the more negative reviews have acknowledged. While the reporter Brie was portrayed in a shallow manner, Jane the photographer had a lot more moxie. The wind, grit, boulders and the shifting alliances of the Northern Alliance were well described. Enough things went wrong that the storyline wasn't predictable. There was more going on than just bullets and bodies, although there were plenty of those. I found the book riveting, and followed the transformation of Gen Jackson Monroe over the six weeks of the story.

I picked up the book at a used bookstore, and checked Amazon to see what else the author had written. I would read more by this author.

Don't waste your money. Despite the fact it was a very fast and easy read, misspellings, factual errors, and odd jumps in the flow of the storyline resulted in this one going in the garbage. I wouldn't wouldn't even consider giving it to someone else to read.