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Phoenix Force #1
Argentine Deadline
The American travelers in the Argentine were obviously mistaken for wealthy corporation executives. How else to explain their gruesome abduction and humiliation?
The terrorists demanded seven million dollars, and for every day it wasn't paid they threatened to cut off the head of a captive. But blinded by greed and their lust for blood, they overlooked the real threat - Phoenix Force!
These five fighting men of Mack Bolan's hardest-hitting international outfit are always ready to give terror its reward. They are the best of their kind in the world, and they are always one hundred percent effective.
The terrorists demanded seven million dollars, and for every day it wasn't paid they threatened to cut off the head of a captive. But blinded by greed and their lust for blood, they overlooked the real threat - Phoenix Force!
These five fighting men of Mack Bolan's hardest-hitting international outfit are always ready to give terror its reward. They are the best of their kind in the world, and they are always one hundred percent effective.
190 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 1982
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
April 1, 2016
Following a 30 year hiatus, I returned to Phoenix Force earlier this month out of nostalgia and curiosity. As an adult, I see the limitations in these books that I missed as a kid, but I find myself enjoying them for what they are rather than what they aren't.
The book: I found it somewhat dry, but a good intro to the series. There is a bit of character development, which is nice, because not much of that happens in the next few books aside from the few sentences, which you'll see time and again in the series, about surviving Castro's prisons, the Iranian Embassy raid, the SAS, etc. That said, these books are fundamentally about the action and make no pretense about that, so it's unfair to harp on those kinds of limitations beyond mentioning them.
It's apparent that the length of the story is a function of the number of pages the author had to work with as these books are invariably 185-190 pages. Here and throughout the series, scenes often begin and end abruptly, tend to be underdeveloped [pure action notwithstanding]. In fact, this book ends as if it ran unexpectedly into a wall.
Do give it a read and see where it all started. The second book is considerably better, so think of this one as being the right of passage.
The book: I found it somewhat dry, but a good intro to the series. There is a bit of character development, which is nice, because not much of that happens in the next few books aside from the few sentences, which you'll see time and again in the series, about surviving Castro's prisons, the Iranian Embassy raid, the SAS, etc. That said, these books are fundamentally about the action and make no pretense about that, so it's unfair to harp on those kinds of limitations beyond mentioning them.
It's apparent that the length of the story is a function of the number of pages the author had to work with as these books are invariably 185-190 pages. Here and throughout the series, scenes often begin and end abruptly, tend to be underdeveloped [pure action notwithstanding]. In fact, this book ends as if it ran unexpectedly into a wall.
Do give it a read and see where it all started. The second book is considerably better, so think of this one as being the right of passage.
October 15, 2018
Well.....this gets 4 stars just for nostalgia. I read the Phoenix Force series when I was in junior high and got me into reading. The books are short and sweet with lots of action but enough character development to make you care about the cast. Not quite as riveting as I remember as a kid but it was like meeting old friends once again so I enjoyed it.
December 19, 2021
I read this for purely nostalgia reasons as I've read many of these books back when I was young. I was never able to find every book in the series as the only source I had at the time to find them was a local used book seller. I recently bought the complete set on ebay and decided to reminiscence by reading these again.
This book was a fast-paced story and still entertaining even now even though many elements are now very dated. After reading more recent books of this type by Brad Thor and the late great Vince Flynn, where the weapons and tactics are very accurate, this book does show it's age. But, I still recalled the basics of the characters on the team and enjoyed the mission elements and the twists in this book.
This book was a fast-paced story and still entertaining even now even though many elements are now very dated. After reading more recent books of this type by Brad Thor and the late great Vince Flynn, where the weapons and tactics are very accurate, this book does show it's age. But, I still recalled the basics of the characters on the team and enjoyed the mission elements and the twists in this book.
January 17, 2022
Closer to a 3.5. A solid men's adventure tale, the team is split into singles more so then in most of the series but that allows each member to shine a bit. The team after being put together by Bolan and Hal Brognola are thrust into action immediately. A group of Americans were captured in Argentina and being held for ransom that will not be paid, so they have a deadline to find them and free them before the terroists realise that they won't be getting the money.
Recommended, I've read a coupe of dozen of these so coming back to the beginning was interesting. The author Robert Hoskins is mainly known for sci-fi but does a solid job at this genre as well.
Recommended, I've read a coupe of dozen of these so coming back to the beginning was interesting. The author Robert Hoskins is mainly known for sci-fi but does a solid job at this genre as well.
June 1, 2023
Nice introduction to each of the members of Phoenix Force, how the team is formed by Mack Bolan, and their first mission together. I actually liked the way that 3 of the members split up at first to determine where the hostages might be, each member pursuing a different path. The end seems a bit rushed but this is a decent introduction to the series and a good way to get to know each member of the Force.
October 10, 2025
A fun and easy reading jaunt. Written like a classic action flick, the goal of this book is not to challenge your senses but occupy and entertain for a number of hours.
Great book
Great book
July 5, 2021
(FYI I tend to only review one book per series, unless I completely change my mind on a series, so want to change my scoring down a lot)
First time read the author's work?: Yes
Will you be reading more?: Yes
Would you recommend?: Yes -- I'm a fan of these and the tie in series.
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How I rate Stars: 5* = I loved (must read all I can find by the author)
4* = I really enjoyed (got to read all the series and try other books by the author).
3* = I enjoyed (I will continue to read the series)
or
3* = Good book just not my thing (I realised I don't like the genre or picked up a kids book to review in error.)
All of the above scores means I would recommend them!
-
2* = it was okay (I might give the next book in the series a try, to see if that was better IMHO.)
1* = Disliked
Note: adding these basic 'reviews' after finding out that some people see the stars differently than I do - hoping this clarifies how I feel about the book. :-)
First time read the author's work?: Yes
Will you be reading more?: Yes
Would you recommend?: Yes -- I'm a fan of these and the tie in series.
-------------
How I rate Stars: 5* = I loved (must read all I can find by the author)
4* = I really enjoyed (got to read all the series and try other books by the author).
3* = I enjoyed (I will continue to read the series)
or
3* = Good book just not my thing (I realised I don't like the genre or picked up a kids book to review in error.)
All of the above scores means I would recommend them!
-
2* = it was okay (I might give the next book in the series a try, to see if that was better IMHO.)
1* = Disliked
Note: adding these basic 'reviews' after finding out that some people see the stars differently than I do - hoping this clarifies how I feel about the book. :-)
July 14, 2009
An interesting first issue. It introduces you to the characters, first in the middle of the mission, then as they're introduced to one another. At times it feels a little stilted but overall a good start to this series.
Not much group action until the end but I found the scene in which Manning improvised weapons in a hurry one of the better scenes in the book.
Not much group action until the end but I found the scene in which Manning improvised weapons in a hurry one of the better scenes in the book.
July 6, 2011
This was not as good as The Able Team. I sorta struggled through this one and didn't hit any action until towards the end of the book.
February 24, 2016
A spin off series from his Executioner books. This series follows several secondary characters that band together. Recommended
August 3, 2015
A good, if not predictable beginning to a long running series from Gold Eagle. It,s a get to know the 5 men who make up the Force. Nice, but not one of the better one's.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews