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The King of Plagues (Joe Ledger #3)

by Jonathan Maberry (Goodreads Author)

4.18 of 5 stars 4.18 · rating details · 1,831 ratings · 155 reviews

Saturday 09:11 Hours: A blast rocks a London hospital and thousands are dead or injured… 10:09 Hours: Joe Ledger arrives on scene to investigate. The horror is unlike anything he has ever seen. Compelled by grief and rage, Joe rejoins the DMS and within hours is attacked by a hit-team of assassins and sent on a suicide mission into a viral hot zone during an Ebola outbreak...more

Paperback, 435 pages

Published March 29th 2011 by St. Martin's Griffin (first published March 1st 2011)

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May 12, 2012 Dan rated it 5 of 5 stars

Despite the events of The Dragon Factory, Joe Ledger returns for a different kind of mission. There's a huge terrorist attack in London and Ledger and the DMS are on sight to investigate. Soon they realise this is only the beginning as the mysterious Seven Kings plan to recreate the biblical plagues.

This is another great book where nothing is really as it seems. Ledger and the gang are fighting an invisible enemy whose plans are virtually impossible to work out. Sebastian Gault and Toys from Pat ...more

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Feb 10, 2012 Azel Praer rated it 4 of 5 stars

The Joe Ledger novels are like reading a diehard move that slammed head on into a episode of the x-files.Joe Ledger is the man who gets shit done. a no nonsense hero with bouts of smartass reply's to his boss the mysterious "church". Joe works for the DMS dept of military science a Privately funded government watch dog group that places a well aimed boot up the backside of everyone from mad scientists bent on "cleansing" the earthto supper secret groups that want to unleash plagues that would ma...more

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Aug 05, 2011 Graeme Reynolds rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I have to be honest, after reading Jonathan Maberry's earlier books in the series (the fantastic Patient Zero and The Dragon Factory) I was a little disappointed with this book.
It picks up right where the Dragon Factory left off, with Joe Ledger burned out and recuperating in London. When a massive terrorist attack happens, his boss, Mr Church, brings him back to active duty in an attempt to find out who is responsible.

In many respects, this is a fairly solid thriller. As with his other books, t...more

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Apr 18, 2011 Jason (FNORDinc) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed-on-fnordinc, reviewed

Due to risk of wanting to shout out plot details, I am going to step away from the keyboard pretty quickly.

Buy all three of these books and let me know what you think of them.
They are worth the time, and are an excellent mixture of thriller/horror/military fiction.

Often times, the sequel in a series of novels is difficult to get through. You are left thinking, “This was not as good as the first” or “this is not how I thought the characters would grow”. You get to the third in a series and hit th...more Due to risk of wanting to shout out plot details, I am going to step away from the keyboard pretty quickly.

Buy all three of these books and let me know what you think of them.
They are worth the time, and are an excellent mixture of thriller/horror/military fiction.

Often times, the sequel in a series of novels is difficult to get through. You are left thinking, “This was not as good as the first” or “this is not how I thought the characters would grow”. You get to the third in a series and hit the same road block, often times worse, and are left with an “Okay, but not great” feeling. King of Plagues is the third in Maberry’s Joe Ledger series, and it (as well as Dragon Factory) does not fall into this trap. They are friggin’ awesome.

In a nutshell, The Department of Military Sciences (DMS) tracks is a black book organization in the United States that acts as the last line of defense on key/critical counter-terrorism issues. There are things that the public just doesn’t need to know. There are situations and people in the world that the mere existence of could cause a lifetime of insomnia. The DMS exists to ensure that the people who dream up and carry out these plots are put in the ground and pissed on, twice.

Captain Joe Ledger joined the DMS approximately half a year back (book time). He has been key in stopping multiple high level terrorist acts which would impact not only the US, but the welfare of humanity in general. These are Nasty, Nasty things like biological warfare with 100% airborne communicability, genetic modification/manipulation on a global scale..

Taking a break from what has to be one of the highest stress jobs on the planet, Joe is wandering Europe with his dog Ghost. He receives a call from Church, the mysterious figurehead of the DMS, and is brought into a situation in London where 4000+ people have died in a hospital explosion. Working with Barrier (the UK equiv of the DMS), Joe is immediately consumed with the task of fighting nightmares.

Interestingly enough, fighting intangible nightmares might be easier. You can just wake up and put a nightmare behind you. The shit that is hitting the fan in waking life is amorphous and impossible to track down.

Fans of the series may find this book a bit hard to follow compared to the previous novels. The chapters are laid out in a way that carries the current plot line in conjunction with perspective from the baddies over four months prior to current.After getting used to it, this format works really well. So if it deters you at first, power through it and I am sure you will be loving it.

Not to give any kind of spoiler, but the Ledger series was supposed to be a trilogy. The end of this novel leaves a lot of room for Maberry to expand if he decides to. Honestly, I hope he does. it is not common for me to sit raptly waiting for a book installment, but I would be willing to do so.

-- FNORDinc.com
http://www.fnordinc.com/2011/04-18/re...(less)

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Apr 06, 2011 S.D. rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery-thriller

Joe Ledger fights more than just your common, everyday criminal. He fought zombies in Patient Zero. A former cop, he is now a member of the elite DMS (Department of Military Science). Villains you thought died in Patient Zero are back to reek havoc. There is a shadow organization called the Seven Kings that has infiltrated just about every part of society all the way to the top. And they are duplicating biblical events, metaphorically, to fulfill their goals. By threatening family and loved ones...more

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May 10, 2011 Darcy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011, e-book, zombies, uf

I always love reading Joe's adventures because usually the world is going to hell in a hand basket. This time is no different, but what is different is that Joe is still trying to recover from Grace's death, but there is nothing to get a person out of a funk than Armageddon and that is just what is going down, again.

Joe faces his old enemy, although he doesn't know it, along with a whole slew of new crazies. I think what makes this batch so crazy is the way they are setting themselves up. Give m...more

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Feb 25, 2012 Sara rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: audio, favorites, home

Joe has been a long time healing from the events at the Dragon Factory. He’s actually on vacation in London when the Royal London Hospital is bombed. As the only DMS agent available in Europe he is attached to the investigation. Just as he is starting to make some headway he’s called out to the Orkney Isles to attempt to contain a situation at a bio-weapons research lab. Someone is terrorizing ordinary men and women into committing atrocities; someone who is working for a shadowy organization ca...more

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Apr 02, 2011 Jaime Horio rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: science-fiction, action

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Joe Ledger is back! He has faced zombies, madmen manipulating genetics and lots of people who just plain want to hurt him. Now he is facing a group who is trying to re-create the ten biblical plagues of Egypt, but why?

Staying true to form, Maberry wastes absolutely no time getting into the action. Much like "Patient Zero" and "The Dragon Factory," you'll find yourself immediately immersed in something crazy. And it won't let up. There is always something happening, and it always seems crazy. Thi...more Joe Ledger is back! He has faced zombies, madmen manipulating genetics and lots of people who just plain want to hurt him. Now he is facing a group who is trying to re-create the ten biblical plagues of Egypt, but why?

Staying true to form, Maberry wastes absolutely no time getting into the action. Much like "Patient Zero" and "The Dragon Factory," you'll find yourself immediately immersed in something crazy. And it won't let up. There is always something happening, and it always seems crazy. This is easily one of the best parts of the Joe Ledger series as a whole. You never find yourself getting bored, wondering what the relevance of a certain section is. The story just keeps flowing along.

As a whole, I loved this third installment of the series. Much like the first two books, I had trouble putting the book down, and ended up reading the last half in one sitting. Maberry's writing style in this series keeps you enthralled from start to finish. If you haven't read it, you definitely should!

**From this point on there are potential plot spoilers, so if you haven't read the book yet, you might want to come back after you've read it!!**

The one part of this story that kind of took me out of it just a little bit was the pop culture references. I don't remember them being quite so strong in the other stories. When Circe O'Tree starts explaining to Hugo Vox what a "re-tweet" is, it just felt strange to me. Maybe it's because I'm a regular user of Twitter, so to me that didn't need to be explained, but to others it might have been useful.

It was also a little weird to read about the pop stars who were present, like Avril Lavigne, Taylor Swift and Lady Gaga. Maybe it was just a little surreal to read something with such a strong "This is taking place right now!" vibe since most of what I read tends to be vague on the time (like it could be during any decade), or it's distinctly past or future.

Overall, these pop-culture references did take me out of the story, but just for a brief second, so don't think they are too big of a deal.

Moving on to more important moments: When I realized that Sebastian Gault and Toys were back, I literally had an "Oh shit!" moment. After "Patient Zero" I really thought they were gone. Just sort of drifting off into the sunset never to be heard from again. I'm really glad they were back, it really helped to tie the books together and make Joe Ledger's world more complete.

I really liked that we learned a little bit more about Church. I like the mystique about him, but learning about his family made him a little more real. He was almost like some sort of super human (and in Joe Ledger's world, who knows, maybe he is!), but his vulnerability about his daughter and family made him more human.

I was glad to see Echo Team back. I really like Tops and Bunny, and I enjoyed the new members of the team.

The one person I was was back couldn't be back of course. I really missed having Grace around, I had really grown to like her. I understand that everything can't be perfect, and losing her really has helped to mold Joe's character. The summary at the end of the story showing how short a period of time had passed from the beginning of "Patient Zero" to the end of "The King of Plagues" helped put things into perspective for me. Joe has been through a hell of a lot in a really short period of time, and I think that will continue to show more and more as future stories come out.(less)

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Oct 29, 2012 John rated it 4 of 5 stars

The writing, like usual, in this book was very good and endearing. The way Jonathan Maberry is able to create a scene makes you feel like you are there. Now in terms of the series, this was my least favorite, but it did introduce some new characters I've been waiting to meet. I won't tell you who so as not to spoil it.

Here's a short synopsis of the book without any spoilers:
Joe Ledger is called back to work for the DMS when a tragedy strikes. There is a new team of bad guys working together to m...more

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Jun 07, 2011 Bradshaw rated it 2 of 5 stars

This is a horrible book. I don't know why I'm reading this.

Now that I've finished it I guess I need to justify that statement.

The first two hundred pages or so is spent setting up the action that will happen in the last two hundred pages or so. When he finally hits the second half the action is non-stop and pretty satisfying. I have to confess that I was glued to the second half of the book once things started to happen. An entire book of this would probably warrant at a 4 star rating from me....more This is a horrible book. I don't know why I'm reading this.

Now that I've finished it I guess I need to justify that statement.

The first two hundred pages or so is spent setting up the action that will happen in the last two hundred pages or so. When he finally hits the second half the action is non-stop and pretty satisfying. I have to confess that I was glued to the second half of the book once things started to happen. An entire book of this would probably warrant at a 4 star rating from me. Getting to the action felt like too much of a chore.

The first part of the book covers three different timelines. The present, with Joe Ledger, and then two other timelines that start months earlier and cover events that Joe is not aware of that eventually will bring our bad guys and other major characters into the present day events Joe is experiencing. I found this skipping back and forth pretty annoying. I know that Maberry was just setting the stage for the action of the latter half of the story and trying to build some feeling of how ominous the bad guys plans were but it was just too contrived for me. Back and forth, back and forth. Just tell the story linearly.

I often cringe when I see that an author has pulled in characters from the real world. It rarely works out satisfactorily in my experience. There's a character who's obviously meant to be Osama bin Laden. Maberry never out and out names him but there are so many clues that you start feel uncomfortable at all the hints and wink wink nudge nudges. It didn't help to be reading this a month after bin Laden's been killed by Seal Team 6 and that we now know how he spent the last years of his life and that it probably wasn't being engaged in money making schemes with the primary goal of reaping billions in profit out of the misery that would be caused. Also it's a new book, published in March 2011, and the presence of Prince William (window dressing for the action's climax, note that he's not really in the book, just mentioned as window dressing to indicate how important a big social event is) without mentioning his girlfriend and now wife Kate just falls flat and feels silly.

Finally, I am not fond of books that have part of the story in the first person (Joe Ledger) and major parts of it in the third person. Is Joe telling the story here or what? Some of the other things he couldn't possibly know, so I guess he's not. Then who is, and why is Joe's stuff in the first person? I'll never know. (less)

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Jan 17, 2013 Peep (Pop! Pop!) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: adult-cravings, audio-goodness, audiobooks, books-for-dudes, insane, liked-cause-im-crazy, manly-alpha-man, read-in-2012, really-liked, what-a-creeper

I liked this one just as good as the second book. I liked it more in the end though. I was able to figure out some things, but a lot of things I didn't figure out. I can't believe Joe got beat so bad by (view spoiler)...more

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Apr 14, 2013 Cat Case rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2013

IDEK. I keep reading these. This one had a lot of promise as I liked the plagues set-up and the return of two baddies seemed really promising but then it all went to shit. As others have written the constant name-dropping and pop culture references became too much as did the eluding to certain characters as real people. Just not good. But, my main issue is really ---

Ugh! This drives me insane with Maberry novels and I hate that I have to make it plural. Dude cannot keep track of his own internal...more IDEK. I keep reading these. This one had a lot of promise as I liked the plagues set-up and the return of two baddies seemed really promising but then it all went to shit. As others have written the constant name-dropping and pop culture references became too much as did the eluding to certain characters as real people. Just not good. But, my main issue is really ---

Ugh! This drives me insane with Maberry novels and I hate that I have to make it plural. Dude cannot keep track of his own internal timeline. Supposedly, these first three books (and a few short stories) all happen between June 27 and 17 December of the same year. Joe is first tapped for his DMS on June 27th. Patient Zero's timeline is between June 27th and July 4th. Dragon Factory takes place about 6 weeks later at the end of August with the epilogue set somewhere in September. So far so good. Except in King of Plagues, Maberry blows his own timeline. The current first day in the present day action is December 17th and due to contextual clues about falling in love with Grace and her subsequent death "in August" and that since her death, Joe's been kicking around Europe, I am 99% sure that the reader is to believe that this is about 3 months after the events of Dragon Factory. Again, this is adding up. Except, again, that Maberry writes in a flashback scene about Joe leading a strike on a terrorist cell that came in from their Seven Kings source. The call and the report are dated JUNE 23!!!! That's four days before Joe was scooped up from the beach and taken to the Baltimore Warehouse. He didn't even know DMS existed. I don't know whether to blame Maberry or his editors. After suffering through the continuity errors of the Pine Deep books (don't even get me started on the Ledger/Pine Deep crossover continuity errors as they are massive), I think I blame everyone involved in the publishing process. Maybe readers who read the books as they come out don't notice this sort of thing, but I am setting in to read the current 5 Joe Ledger books in one go so these sorts of mistakes are pretty damned glaring.

About the actual story. So meh. I could not get invested in any of it. The whole Circe character sort of grated on me, but she has potential. Rudy continues to be one-note. Joe is Joe, blech. Randomly, I still continue to enjoy (view spoiler) who I was ecstatic to see return. My one star goes almost strictly to him.(less)

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Mar 24, 2013 David Dalton rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: action

Let's face it, if you have already read the first two Joe Ledger novels: Patient Zero: A Joe Ledger Novel and The Dragon Factory then by now you should be hooked on the series and will pick up The King of Plagues. I love all 3 of these great action thrillers. But, Patient Zero is my all-time favorite Jonathan Maberry novel. From there I spread out to include all 3 books in the Ghost Road Blues series.

But back to The King of Plagues. It might not feature as much as action as the first two, but it...more

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Apr 29, 2012 Katie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: ebooks, spec-ops, war, scientific-experimentation, military

I have to say, I really love how the author handles women being in the military and especially in Special Forces. Given the demographic of these types of novels, they're not in the forefront of the story (Major Courtland being the exception), but they are treated with the very same respect that the men are. When 'Circe shoots someone for the first time, Joe does not treat her shock as if she were a delicate flower of a woman - he treats her as if she were a human who just took the life of anothe...more

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May 06, 2011 Paul rated it 4 of 5 stars

It was the last thing he wanted, but Joe Ledger is back...

Saturday 09:11 Hours: a blast rocks a London Hospital. Thousands are dead or injured...

10:09 Hours: Joe Ledger arrives on the scene to investigate.

I knew going into this review that I was in for a compelling read. The last Joe Ledger novel, The Dragon Factory, ended with an event that was guaranteed to have repercussions in the series going forward and I was curious where the story would go. The members of the Department of Military Scien...more It was the last thing he wanted, but Joe Ledger is back...

Saturday 09:11 Hours: a blast rocks a London Hospital. Thousands are dead or injured...

10:09 Hours: Joe Ledger arrives on the scene to investigate.

I knew going into this review that I was in for a compelling read. The last Joe Ledger novel, The Dragon Factory, ended with an event that was guaranteed to have repercussions in the series going forward and I was curious where the story would go. The members of the Department of Military Sciences (DMS) have suffered a loss and as this third novel begins Joe is on leave in the UK and facing an uncertain future. When an explosion destroys a London hospital Joe is drawn back into the murky world of counter terrorism and global conspiracies.

A new group, called The Seven Kings, are on the rise and it is up to the DMS to try and stop them. Using the ten plagues of Egypt as their template The Kings are trying to generate as much chaos throughout the world as is possible. They are wealthy and powerful group, having near limitless resources. The DMS are finally up against a foe that can match them in skill and training.

After two novels the often mentioned, but previously never seen, Aunt Sallie finally makes her first appearance. I am glad to say it was been well worth the wait. She is a terrific character. I wasn't sure what to expect as the author has been dangling that particular carrot for two books now, suffice to say she very quickly makes her presence felt and I was not disappointed. As an aside I read a rumour that a television series may be in the offing. If Aunt Sallie was a recurring character, you could be assured I'd watch. I have a good idea who should play her as well but I'll not name any names as I want to try and avoid spoilers.

We also finally get just a little light shed on Mr Church, the head of DMS, not too much though. He does still remain very much a man of mystery, which continues to make him one of the most enjoyable characters in the series. Sometimes when I’m reading a novel, I have the criticism that the characterisation is not in-depth enough for my liking. I am always keen to know as much about a character as I can, but Mr Church is the exception to this rule. The air of mystery that surrounds him feels right. He inhabits a shadowy, clandestine world so it is only right that he is an enigma himself.

Additionally, The King of Plagues sees the return of some characters from the first novel, Patient Zero. It’s a welcome inclusion and helps to flesh out the every expanding Joe Ledger universe. There is a growing sense of continuity with each new novel as the series continues. Jonathan Maberry is swiftly becoming my favourite thriller writer.

There is a truly insightful sentiment expressed, regarding the nature of terrorism, in the closing paragraphs of the novel. Based on recent events it could not be more topical if it tried. It details why men and women put themselves in harm’s way to stop others from performing acts of violence. The King of Plagues is like a template for how all thrillers should be. Not only does it have real pace and contains more action than I thought possible, it is also has brains. It's not often that I get to say that I wasn't just entertained, I was educated.(less)

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Jan 20, 2012 Darren Vincent rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012

Man, that was some good reading. If you liked the first two books, you are really going to love this one.

Besides being a great book to read, it is very well written, very well paced and the ending is incredible, believable and very satisfying without it being a complete win for the good guys.

The author excels at humanizing stereotypical heroes. Everyone in this world seems to be cut from a block of granite and soaked in testosterone. Normally, this would get old pretty quick, but the author give...more Man, that was some good reading. If you liked the first two books, you are really going to love this one.

Besides being a great book to read, it is very well written, very well paced and the ending is incredible, believable and very satisfying without it being a complete win for the good guys.

The author excels at humanizing stereotypical heroes. Everyone in this world seems to be cut from a block of granite and soaked in testosterone. Normally, this would get old pretty quick, but the author gives the characters flaws, weaknesses and personalities not normally associated with testosterone soaked granite blocks. And damn if it is not so much fun that you set aside all the reasons you would normally not like a character like this, just to get to the next page.

The stakes are just as high as ever, if not higher, and the plot hovers between something that would be cooked up by either villains in an Austin Powers or James Bond movie, but with a twist of horror that Maberry has brought to his other books. I would not mind at all if the next few books waded in the same pool as the 'Event Series' books. The plot is a bit more complicated than the previous two, but all the different parts are handled (and juggled) very well and no element is left alone for too long that you lose interest in it. Having just mentioned Bond/Powers and the complicated scheme of the antagonists, now would be a good time to mention that this book reads like a movie script.

Flashbacks are one of the reasons that it feels like you are reading a novelization of a movie. One or two flashbacks are OK in a book, but continuously jumping from the present to the past and back is a good way to lose a reader fast. But after recognizing the patter, I realize just how well the author handles them. Thinking of it as a movie helped tremendously.

Though I absolutely loved this book, there is one area that I have a problem with was the gadgets. For as outlandish as the plots have been, the author has taken great care to make sure they still felt like they were taking place in our world. I know that Mr. Church has access to the best toys, but it is beginning to become a crutch, his own Bat Utility Belt if you will, that he uses too often. The book would hold up fine without the gadgets. They should remain in the background where they can serve to remind us that the DMS is cutting edge, nothing more.

A GREAT READ. I can't wait for the next one.
(less)

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Apr 06, 2012 Dave rated it 4 of 5 stars

Expectations are a tricky thing to manage when you're writing series fiction. Over the years I've had a number of writers tell me that if you're not careful books in series fiction can be reduced down to a number of expected actions, instead of a real story with impact and meaning.Then though you have authors like Michael Connelly, Robert Crais, and Jim Butcher who have been writing the same series character for years and virtually every book in these series have been highly entertaining and dev...more Expectations are a tricky thing to manage when you're writing series fiction. Over the years I've had a number of writers tell me that if you're not careful books in series fiction can be reduced down to a number of expected actions, instead of a real story with impact and meaning.Then though you have authors like Michael Connelly, Robert Crais, and Jim Butcher who have been writing the same series character for years and virtually every book in these series have been highly entertaining and developed their protagonists in interesting ways. Writer Jonathan Maberry is only three books into his Joe Ledger series, but so far each one is an argument to include his name among those authors.

I just finished “The King of Plagues” Maberry's third novel starring soldier turned Baltimore Detective, turned agent in a clandestine war on terror, Joe Ledger. Violence is a part of Ledger's life, but he's never been the unflappable and unstoppable killing machine, and that's part of the reason why he's such a fascinating character. He's constantly paying a toll for what he does and the fact that he stands up and continues to do it is what makes him heroic. In “The King of Plagues” Joe is recovering from the biggest toll he's paid yet. I try to keep my reviews as spoiler free as possible, so I won't say what Joe has lost, but when “The King of Plagues” begins that loss has taken him out of the action. He's actually in London with the one friend he's allowed to stick with him in his travels, a highly trained military dog named Ghost, whose a fascinating character in his own right.

Joe isn't kept out of the action for too long though. In the opening pages of “The King of Plagues” a hospital in London is destroyed and it's that attack that has Joe, and his colleagues in the clandestine anti-terrorist agency, the Department of Military Sciences hunting their most elusive adversaries yet, a shadowy group known as the Seven Kings. One of their number has faced Joe and the DMS before, and he has a new plan that if it succeeds will allow him to get revenge on his enemies and turn the world upside down.

Helping Joe hunt for the Seven Kings are the usual collection of fascinating DMS personal that I've grown to love over the last few books like Top Sims, and “Bunny” Rabbit. Plus you get even more insights into the life of Joe's boss, the enigmatic Mister Church. What you learn deepens the character and makes him all the more fascinating.

Maberry also includes some new DMS characters in this volume and I hope they'll become regulars. Ledger's Echo Team gets several new recruits like the fascinating and non-loquacious sniper John Smith. Plus readers finally get to meet another high level member of the DMS command staff whose existence had been hinted at in other books, Aunt Sallie. She turns out to be a fun, memorable and very distinct character.

We of course get some interesting non DMS staff as well. Two military academics, Hugo Vox and his associate Circe O'Tree play significant roles in “The King of Plagues.” At first I wasn't sure about these characters taking some time from some of my other favorites, but when Maberry finally lets you see how significant they are to the story you come to appreciate them. Plus there are the members of the Seven Kings whose ranks include the one returning villain. They are all fascinating characters and good examples of villains you love to hate.

The villains of “The King of Plagues” get their comeuppance in several intense and exciting action scenes including the finale, which takes place in a pretty memorable set piece. To say any more though would spoil some of the books more fun reveals.

Great characters and great action have been a part of the other Joe Ledger novels as well, but “The King of Plagues” is quite different in some ways than the other entries in the series. It might prove jarring to some fans, but if you judge the book on it's own merits it works. Plus Maberry deserves praise for trying some different things, but still maintaining what's great about the series.

How is “The King of Plagues” different? Probably the biggest area is in the world of the fantastic and horror. In the past two Ledger books, Joe and the DMS have come face to face with some pretty strange things, like a virus that turns people into zombie like monstrosities and things genetically engineered to resemble monsters from myths and lore. In “The King of Plagues” Maberry goes in a different direction. His shadowy monsters in the novel are secret societies. The author mines lots of established conspiracy theories and plunges the reader into a world where evil men blend truth and lies to create fearsome legends.

However, having said that, “The King of Plagues,” does include one cryptic scene involving otherworldly horror. It's another scene that I don't want to spoil, but the way it played out suggests Maberry is going to follow it up soon. It also suggests that Joe Ledger and Echo Team have no idea of the evil they're up against. I for one can't wait to see this plot thread developed in later books.

“The King of Plagues” is also different in that it's a little quieter than the other books. It's still full of amazing and intense action sequences, and yes the fate of the world is still on the line. The scope and scale of these conflicts is toned down a little bit though compared to some of the other books. Admittedly I found myself missing some of that hugeness, but Maberry makes up for it in character development. Plus I give the guy credit for once again giving us something different. The character development deepens the series. In some cases an author is best served by giving his readers what they need instead of what they want and we needed a book like this.

So to sum up, “The King of Plagues” is a different but another great entry into a book series that's quickly becoming one of my favorites. I eagerly look forward to reading the next Joe Ledger novel, “Assassins' Code,” which is out in less than a week.(less)

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Mar 14, 2013 Dawn rated it 4 of 5 stars

I think this was my favorite of the three Joe Ledger books, so far. This one was more realistic and less out there than the first two. The realism made it more scary. I could definitely see the events of this book coming true, though of course, I hope they never do. There was something weird at the beginning of the book that I wonder if it was a mistake. It seemed like a spoiler and was really strange. It gave away something that seemed like it was supposed to be a big reveal later in the book....more

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Dec 31, 2010 Earl rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: good-reads-giveaways

This review is based on an ARC supplied by the publisher. No other compensation has been received. Mild spoilers ahead.

"The King of Plagues" is an action packed special forces thriller with a plot that could plausibly be used in a Splinter Cell video game. The over-the-top plotting and villains don't just overcome the insanity of the plot, but are enhanced by it. A word of warning. The back of the ARC I received categorized the book as horror. There is little to no supernatural horror in the boo...more This review is based on an ARC supplied by the publisher. No other compensation has been received. Mild spoilers ahead.

"The King of Plagues" is an action packed special forces thriller with a plot that could plausibly be used in a Splinter Cell video game. The over-the-top plotting and villains don't just overcome the insanity of the plot, but are enhanced by it. A word of warning. The back of the ARC I received categorized the book as horror. There is little to no supernatural horror in the book, barring one character whose abilities, I expect, will be explained rationally in a future book in the series.

This is the third book in a series starring Joe Ledger, a rather generic special forces operative. His only differentiating characteristic is that he works with a German shepherd. Most of the book is written in the first person, but even using that device, Joe could be unnamed and nothing would be lost in the narrative. The book isn't about characters, it's about large set pieces and insane villains.

Those set pieces are impressive. A white knuckle infiltration of a hot bio-weapons facility, a terrorist attack on as large as 9/11, and many, many other shootouts take place, all choreographed carefully and perfectly. These scenes are the heart of the book, and the author knows that, ditching almost all exposition for action, sometimes to the detriment of the plot.

I did enjoy the book, and will probably pass it on to friends who enjoy action and military fiction. However, there are flaws with the ending. To discuss those flaws, however, would lead to major spoilers, so I will leave my complaints in this review to that. The ending was very unsatisfying to me, to the point I lowered my rating from four to three stars.

"The King of Plagues" is a page turning, popcorn style action adventure that narrowly misses being highly recommended by me. If you have an interest in the genre, try it. You'll most likely enjoy it, but will forget it within minutes of finishing the book.
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Jun 25, 2012 Daniel rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: sf

The third of the Joe Ledger books by Jonathan Mayberry. This has been one of my favorite series that I have encountered lately, tightly written and completely engrossing. A delightful blend of SF, horror and action with a bit of detective work mixed in, it is sometimes hard to figure out where this book will lead you.

Joe is both the luckiest and unluckiest Department of Military Sciences employees. Lucky to be alive, but cursed with some of the worst events to occur during his watch. He has enco...more

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Mar 18, 2013 Kat Nove rated it 5 of 5 stars

Finally got around to reading this and didn't realize how much I was jonesing for Joe Ledger. In my world, Jonathan Maberry is to horror/thrillers what Christopher Moore is to satire/humor. I'll give so many books in his genre a try and finally give up and read him. He's one of the best. As usual, Joe Ledger didn't disappoint. He's like a big old amusing teddy bear until it's time to kick some world dominating organization's ass and then watch out! The teeth and claws (not to mention the guns) c...more

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Apr 12, 2011 Schnaucl rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: april, fiction, owned, read_2011, series, thriller

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Nov 13, 2011 Ray Palen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Joe Ledger has vaulted straight to the upper echelon of coolest characters in modern fiction! THE KING OF PLAGUES is the second novel in the Joe Ledger/Department of Military Sciences series (which has since been optioned for TV by Sony Entertainment) and takes the suspense up several notches following the terrific first novel in the series --- PATIENT ZERO.

Combining the science of a Michael Crichton novel with the military thrills of Brad Thor, Jonathan Maberry has created a unique group of cha...more

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May 29, 2012 Matt Winter rated it 5 of 5 stars

Jonathan Maberry again pours out a masterful story on the page in this third Joe Ledger novel. As I read these books I cannot determine which one is my favorite, as each story is unique and the main character, Joe Ledger, must battle his way through countless mental and physical challenges. I especially enjoy the detail the author ascribes to these stories, and his abililty to ensure that the reader is led to believe Joe Ledger is super-human. In fact, there is a great deal of humanity in Joe Le...more

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Mar 10, 2012 Chelsea rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: thriller, a-plus-characters, reviewed, own

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. (Disclaimer--this is a small novel expressing everything I felt about the book. There was no way for me to write about it without including major spoilers, so there are several major spoilers in this review.)

I might be a little biased, but in the third installation of the Joe Ledger saga, Jonathan seems to out-do himself. Instead of cutting-edge science or working off of history, he goes right for the throat and deals with modern evils. Terrorism, to be specific, of the kind we hear about in the...more

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Dec 08, 2011 Thierry Nguyen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Okay, when you just need a purely entertaining airport novel kind of deal, this is pretty boss. A significant improvement over Dragon Factory (the previous installment) -- it feels more like a true sequel (probably helps that some characters from the original Patient Zero that weren't in Dragno Factory make their return here). The pacing has been improved, and the threat is more consistent (rather than the weird "show a little bit of the cool stuff and then not really do anything until the end"...more

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Feb 14, 2013 ZB rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: owned-books, crime-mystery-thriller

The King of Plagues by Jonathan Maberry. This is the third installment in the Joe Ledger series. I listened to the audio version narrated by Ray Porter who is amazing! I have no idea how that guy can have a different voice for all the characters involved. And when he does a woman's voice it sounds like a woman instead of an exaggeration.
The Joe Ledger novels aren't the typical book I'm into with all the black-op special forces and crime solving, but Maberry adds that touch of sci-fi into his n...more The King of Plagues by Jonathan Maberry. This is the third installment in the Joe Ledger series. I listened to the audio version narrated by Ray Porter who is amazing! I have no idea how that guy can have a different voice for all the characters involved. And when he does a woman's voice it sounds like a woman instead of an exaggeration.
The Joe Ledger novels aren't the typical book I'm into with all the black-op special forces and crime solving, but Maberry adds that touch of sci-fi into his novels that I love. The things his villians come up with couldn't exactly happen, but there's enough truth there to make it seem credible. I read the first novel Patient Zero because it had Joe Ledger going up against zombies. I won't review that one here, but maybe later. Basically, a money hungry man funded a mad scientist to create zombies to create pandomonium which would make him rich. Well, money hungry and now completely crazy dude actually shows back up in this installment as... you guessed it- the King of Plagues.
Joe is a cop who was recruited into a secret government group called the Department of Military Sciences or DMS. In this adventure, Joe is in England when a hospital blows up and he is asked to help out the British version of the DMS. There is a secret society of which the King of Plagues is a part, plagues of course (and they use Ebola- my fav exotic disease in as far as it is completely awful), and we get to meet Aunt Sally after hearing so much about her. The author describes her as looking exactly like Whoopi Goldberg, but my version of Aunt Sally is not so much this:
Whoopi Goldberg
but this:
Mrs. Frederic (CCH Pounder) from Warehouse 13
I guess I just can't reconcile the image of Whoopi Goldberg being this super secret agent that everyone is afraid of, but Mrs. Frederic from Warehouse 13 she is scary. Aunt Sally and Mrs. Frederic could even be the same person. If you haven't seen Warehouse 13 you should, it's great. Awesome characters, comedy, ancient artifacts, what more could you need?
I didn't like The King of Plagues as much as the previous two books. Could be I was a little burnt out on Joe after listening back to back for three books in a row or it could be it took me awhile to get through it due to the holidays. I get kind of tired of Joe's being better than everyone and having to be so macho and antagonistic to every new person he meets. First he gets into a confrontation with a terrorism expert and then with Aunt Sally that could have both been totally avoided. I understand he is the best of the best, but no need to act like a terd about it.
The ebola scenario was pretty exciting and I loved meeting Aunt Sally for the first time. Overall, it was okay. A lot like the other two books. Disaster is imminent, we have no idea what is going on, in the final hour we piece everything together, Joe and his team save the world. I'm looking forward to the next one though. We'll see what cutting edge science Maberry uses this time for a terrorist attack and I've heard there are vampires.
See my full review at: http://zombiephilicbookaholic.blogspo...(less)

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Nov 12, 2012 MK (Consultant, Corporal Therapist) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction-thiller, fiction-action-high-octane, city-london, indie-book-reading-110, books-read-2012

I really enjoyed this installment of the Joe Ledger series. It's like watching a favorite uncle that really loves his job, and is the best at, but it's totally killing him.

The London Event as described in the blurb doesn't even compare to what unfolds. True, the end might have wrapped up kind of fast after the dots were connected but I think, in all, the author delivered another winner. Ledger was a broken man.

He lost his lover, Grace Courtland (in The Dragon Factory, Book Two). So he was read...more

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Feb 08, 2013 George-GZM rated it 5 of 5 stars

The novel comes out a bit of pattern series, not in terms of the action that is as exhilarating as always, but by the fact that here you’ll not going to have part by some strange creatures (fantasy?) like zombies as in the book #1, genetic mutants in the second or vampires as in the fourth volume. Instead of obvious monsters we will have to deal with normal physically individuals, but who are mentally... Beasts with a human face, I could not describe them better. The mystery ... mystery will no...more

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Jun 12, 2012 Markus rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012, horror, joe-ledger, action

As a reader of Joe Ledger's previous doings i had a good hunch for what was up on the menu for the third book. Sharply written action scenes, double taps, Ledger's alpha-male inner dialogue, crazy conspiracies and villains. And i got what i ordered, all those things, but little less action and more an inner workings of a bad guys and couple good new characters and a dog. Some reviews has given a lower rating because 'too much time spend with the bad guys', i found it a refreshing and interesting...more

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About Jonathan Maberry

JONATHAN MABERRY is a New York Times best-selling and multiple Bram Stoker Award-winning horror and thriller author, magazine feature writer, playwright, content creator and writing teacher/lecturer. His books have been sold to more than a dozen countries.

His novels include the Pine Deep Trilogy: GHOST ROAD BLUES (Pinnacle books; winner of the Bram Stoker Award for Best First Novel in 2006), DEAD...more JONATHAN MABERRY is a New York Times best-selling and multiple Bram Stoker Award-winning horror and thriller author, magazine feature writer, playwright, content creator and writing teacher/lecturer. His books have been sold to more than a dozen countries.

His novels include the Pine Deep Trilogy: GHOST ROAD BLUES (Pinnacle books; winner of the Bram Stoker Award for Best First Novel in 2006), DEAD MAN’S SONG (2007) and BAD MOON RISING (2008); the Joe Ledger series of action thrillers from St. Martin’s Griffin: PATIENT ZERO (2009, winner of the Black Quill and a Bram Stoker Award finalist for Best Novel), THE DRAGON FACTORY (2010; now available), THE KING OF PLAGUES (March 2011), ASSASSIN’S CODE (March 2012), EXTINCTION MACHINE (2013); THE WOLFMAN (NY Times bestseller from Tor, based on the Universal Pictures film starring Benecio Del Toro, Emily Blunt and Sir Anthony Hopkins; winner of the Scribe Award for Best Adaptation); the forthcoming standalone zombie thriller DEAD OF NIGHT (Oct 25 2011); and the Benny Imura series of Young Adult dystopian zombie thrillers from Simon & Schuster: ROT & RUIN (2011; named in Booklist’s Ten Best Horror Novels for Young Adults, a Bram Stoker and Pennsylvania Young Readers’ Choice Award finalist; winner of the Cybils Award, the Eva Perry Mock Printz medal, Dead Letter Best Novel Award, and four Melinda Awards), DUST & DECAY (Aug 30 2011), FLESH & BONE (2012) and FIRE & ASH (21013).

Jonathan was an expert on the History Channel documentary on zombies scheduled to air October 26.

His nonfiction works include: VAMPIRE UNIVERSE (Citadel Press, 2006), THE CRYPTOPEDIA (Citadel, 2007 –winner of the Bram Stoker Award for Outstanding Achievement in Nonfiction; co-authored by David F. Kramer), ZOMBIE CSU: The Forensics of the Living Dead (Winner of the Hinzman and Black Quill Awards and nominated for a Stoker Award; 2008), THEY BITE! (2009 co-authored by David F. Kramer), WANTED UNDEAD OR ALIVE (2010; Bram Stoker nominee; co-authored by Janice Gable Bashman), and THE VAMPIRE SLAYERS FIELD GUIDE TO THE UNDEAD (2001, written under the pen name of Shane MacDougall).

He writes a variety of projects for Marvel Comics involving CAPTAIN AMERICA, BLACK PANTHER, DOOMWAR, WOLVERINE, DEADPOOL, THE X-MEN, FANTASTIC FOUR, the NY Times bestselling MARVEL ZOMBIES RETURN, MARVEL UNIVERSE vs THE PUNISHER and MARVEL UNIVERSE vs WOLVERINE. All of Jonathan’s comic book collections are released as Graphic Novel collections within a month or two of individual comic publication.

Recent short stories include “Pegleg and Paddy Save the World” (HISTORY IS DEAD, Permuted Press 2007), “Doctor Nine” (KILLERS, Swimming Kangaroo Press, 2008; and reprinted in THE STORIES (in) BETWEEN Edited by Greg Schauer, Jeanne B. Benzel, and W.H. Horner. Fantasist Enterprises, 2009), “Sherlock Holmes and the Adventure of the Greenbrier Ghost” (LEGENDS OF THE MOUNTAIN STATE 2, Bloodletting Books, 2008), “Clean Sweeps” (AND SO IT BEGINS, Dark Quest Books, 2008), “Family Business” (THE NEW DEAD, St. Martin’s Press, 2010), “Like Part of the Family” (NEW BLOOD edited by Patrick Thomas and Diane Raetz, Padwolf Press, 2010), “Zero Tolerance” (THE LIVING DEAD 2, Night Shade Books), “Flint and Steel” (GI JOE: COBRA WARS, 2011), “Saint John”(THE MONSTER’S CORNER, 2011, St. Martin’s), “The Death Song of Dwar Guntha” (Under the Moons of Mars: New Adventures on Barsoom, 2012, Simon & Schuster), and “The Wind Through the Fence” (an original e-story available for all e-readers). His essay, “Take Me To Your Leader” will be included in the nonfiction book, TRIUMPH OF THE LIVING DEAD: Robert Kirkman's Zombie Epic on Page and Screen edited by James Lowder (BenBella Books/Smart Pop, 2011).

All of Jonathan’s novels are available on audio, including the audio-only collection, JOE LEDGER: THE MISSING FILES (Blackstone), which includes the short stories “Countdown”, “Ze(less)

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The King of Plagues (Joe Ledger #3)

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