Kill Switch by Jonathan Maberry

Kill Switch by Jonathan Maberry is the 8^th book in the Joe Ledger series. In case you do not know, Joe Ledger is part of the Department of Military Sciences a secret military organization which fights the battle against terrorists down in the bloody trenches. So listen, what did I just write? This is the 8^th Joe Ledger book and yes Joe has more than dipped his toe into the horror of fighting zombies, mutants, and even a race of vampire like humans, but these all had a scientific explanation, and although it was a strange Earth Joe’s feet were balancing on it.

Genre:  Thriller/Horror

Publisher: St Martin’s Griffon

Released:  2016

Stars:  5 Stars

Reviewer: Michael D. Griffiths

This is why, after Joe and his allies have experienced so many adventures, when Maberry introduces the Cthulhu mythos into this high tech world of espionage and terrorism, it is beyond wild. There is a huge cast of well developed characters, which now cannot take the existence of the Elder Ones off the page. The novel starts with a modern version of Lovecraft’s, In the Mountains of Madness. Except we have more than a confused pair of men, we see the terror through the eyes of a well equipped trio of elite soldiers but it still is not enough.

While Ledger, Top, and Bunny are recovering from being exposed to a plague, and worse, the rest of DMS is being torn apart. Nightmares of dangerous worlds hunt Joe, but soon the real world becomes a nightmare as people become possessed and start attacking each other. As agents are blamed for suicidal rampages the DMS is shut down by the president. Amidst all of this, they discover a plague is going to be released in ten cities.

A wild ride with threads of Cthulhu mythos slithering through it. To have characters you are so invested in take on Lovecraftian horror, well it does not get much better than this.

I will note the books are becoming grimmer. Hard not to let this happen with all the things Joe faces, but the off work normal person has been stripped away leaving a hero who spends his mental currency to stay tough enough to survive. Joe’s path has always been dark, but he is battling for his own sanity as he falls deeper into the eternal fight.

Again, working the Cthulhu mythos into book eight in a series with no warning. Brilliant.

Ghost Hit!

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Predator One by Jonathan Maberry

Predator One by Jonathan Maberry is the 7^th book in the Joe Ledger series. In case you do not know, Joe Ledger is part of the Department of Military Sciences a secret military organization which fights the battle against terrorists down in the bloody and often surreal trenches. In this novel, Maberry leaves the undiscovered behind and focuses on a true upcoming threat, computer warfare and the dangers of Artificial Intelligence.

Genre:  Thriller/Horror

Publisher: St Martin’s Griffon

Released:  2015

Stars:  4.5 Stars

Reviewer: Michael D. Griffiths

In previous novels Ledger and the DMS have faced off against the Seven Kings, a group which uses chaos and death to swing the stock market in order to make billions. Although it is believed destroyed, one dying crust of a man, who was once one of the Seven Kings, does everything in his power to bring down the United States and gain his revenge on the DMS.

The remnants of the Seven Kings begin by creating horrible terrorist attacks and then moves to attacking DMS employees and their families. Next, they take over the computer systems running most of the U.S. military and begin taking them out which creates huge casualties and threatens to leave the United States defenseless. Without his usual allies and the use of some of their tech, Joe must somehow figure out who is behind this nightmare and stop them before the US becomes a wasteland.

Another insane ride created by Maberry. This one presented the reader with a bleak landscape and led Joe deeper down the path toward darkness. This book felt darker to me, almost pushing toward modern dystopian. These are not thrillers where everyone is yelling woo-who and jumping off a boat before it explodes. These novels deal with the horrors man can bring onto his own and damage being exposed to such villains and evil can create in those who fight them. An adventurous exploration into individuals dealing with and sharing PTSD.

If darker action is your thing, this book delivers. Maberry is not afraid to cross boundaries and blur the edges of reality. This continues to be a great series and I am already reading the next one.

Ghost Hit!

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Monster Lore Tour Interviews Award Winning Physicist David Arnett Shaman Vs. Science

My fellow Search truth Questers have started up this new project…. Monster Lore Tour. I really don’t have much to do with it other than they just interviewed my Father-In-Law. So if weirdness ooooorrrr Science is your thing (I think you are required to like at least one of those) check out what these two have going on.

Monster Lore Tour interviews award winning Physicist David Arnett make sure you are ready to explore these wormholes before you jump into this.

Dive into the Wormhole here

More Monster Lore Tour Here

Cold Steel by Kate Elliot

Cold Steel by Kate Elliot is the third and last book in her Spirit Walker Trilogy. I enjoyed this one much more than the first two. Cat has not only grown stronger but has really stepped up as a warrior who had moved past holding her own to being a person who can change the tides of battle. She has honed her ability to fight, while invisible, to a dangerous art. Yet despite this strength she never loses her youthful and rebellious energy nad her fierce loyalty to her cousin Bee, her brother Rory, and her husband Vai. The depths which they all care for each other is touching and gives them the will to attempt the almost impossible quite often.

Genre:  Fantasy

Publisher: Orbit

Released:  2013

Stars:  5 Stars

Reviewer: Michael D. Griffiths

After rescuing her husband from the spirit world, Cat finds herself in the middle of a delicate dance between her own interests and the wellbeing of the people of Europa. On one hand the uncompromising General Camjiata seeks to create more freedoms for the indentured serfs which toil under the iron boot of a Mage and Prince alliance, but to do so she must let the fierce and murderous fire mage Drake live and serve the general even though he seeks to enslave Cat and murder her husband. Cat must tread carefully to somehow allow Drake to have his way with her countryside, so the general can win, but not have herself and her loved ones abused in the process. When Vai is required to work with the mages this only makes this more difficult.

This trilogy is a wild ride. It might have started a little slow but as you near the end of this almost 2,000 page story Cat uses all the relationships and knowledge she has built through the epic and struggles to make use of every tool she has to get them all through this, free her continent, while keeping her family alive. I have to say the build up made the last 150 pages of this series intense. The reader really grows to love the main characters who are all vibrant and unique. Cat is amazing when she steps up to power and speaks her mind and does not back down even in the face of her potential demise.

If one makes it through the first two books and enjoys them enough to grab the third, there are not any downsides here. Sometimes the situations are frustrating, and the reader wants to shake some of the characters, but I think I am going to miss reading about Cat, Bee, Rory, and Vai. Nearly 2,000 pages is a big trilogy, but the end was worth it. What a great job by Elliott.

I would strongly recommend this series to lovers of fantasy. I think many young women would love these novels. Cat is a powerful woman who speaks her mind and would be a good role model for young women. I have another series by Elliott which I am looking forward to trying soon. I think Elliott might be becoming my favorite female contemporary fantasy author. Nicely Done.

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Code Zero by Jonathan Maberry

Code Zero by Jonathan Maberry is another fantastic action-packed book in the Joe Ledger series. Joe Ledger is part of the Department of Military Sciences a secret military organization which fights the battle against terrorists down in the bloody and often surreal trenches. I had the advantage of attending a panel on Villains which included Maberry at the University of Arizona Book Festival last weekend. I was at the climax of this book, reading in line, to hear the author speak about villains while reading about Bliss tearing it up in one of his novels. Kinda rad.

Genre:  Thriller/Horror

Publisher: St Martin’s Griffon

Released:  2013

Stars:  5 Stars

Reviewer: Michael D. Griffiths

Dr, Artemisia Bliss was a genius prodigy hired by Mr. Church and the DMS. But trapped between her narcissism and self loathing, she begins a descent into emotional darkness. Soon she is collecting data from all the villains Joe Ledger and the DMS have taken down. After getting caught, she fakes her death, assumes the role of Mother Night, and begins enlisting the rejected youths of the United States to rebel and often sacrifice their lives for her.

For Joe Ledger and Echo team in becomes a rematch with the improved bioweapons and mutations they have faced all combined against them. Mutated humans who are more silverback gorillas than man and the dreaded zombie plague. During this the followers of Mother Night are murdering innocents while setting off explosions and bioweapons.

This is another wild ride. Maberry can keep pumping out the tension and energy novel after novel. Some series might slow or get redundant, but each book in the Joe Ledger series delivers a sense of dread which leaves the reader gritting their teeth with each setback Joe and the DMS faces.

Not many downsides here. Bliss is an original villain and a bit scary. His dog Ghost does not appear as much, but you do not want your pet involved in a zombie fight. I guess the only thing which bothered me was the anarchists were the bad guys and I have traveled in those circles. Still, you never want to be the guy in the crowd at a stand-up show laughing at all the jokes until one is poking at you and then get grumpy.  Anyone can be a villain just as anyone can be a hero, as Maberry said at the conference in the end, “There is nature, nurture, and choice. We all have a choice.”

If action packed thrillers are your thing, it delivers like amazon. I will say here though that, if possible, read these novels should be read in order. Enjoy.

Ghost Hit!

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Extinction Machine by Jonathan Maberry

Extinction Machine by Jonathan Maberry is another great book in the Joe Ledger series. Joe Ledger is part of the Department of Military Sciences which is so underground it makes the NSA look like an elk’s lodge. Like most of the books, Maberry stretches the limits, pushing further into Speculative Fiction than any James Bond writer would dare to tread.

Genre:  Thriller

Publisher: St Martin’s Griffon

Released:  2013

Stars:  4.5 Stars

Reviewer: Michael D. Griffiths

In this novel Joe and the DMS find themselves facing MIBs with high tech guns which burst people apart. This soon gets them in too deep with the American and Chinese governments both racing to develop the first aircraft based on salvaged alien technology. When the president is taken and the entire eastern seaboard is threatened if the DMS does not recover the Majestic Black Book which contains the data needed to construct the crafts, Joe needs to take care of this, and quickly. Before things can get better, tragedy strikes the DMS and Joe finds himself alone fighting more MIBs while rescuing the one woman who can help them track down the Black Book.

This book is another wild ride and, as always, the reader is gritting his teeth with Joe as he seeks to take down these villains who disregard human lives. The reader cannot help but root for Joe, who is a damaged hero just trying to help keep people from suffering the way he and so many of his friends have endured. Also, his dog Ghost has managed to stay alive through three books and he is quickly becoming my favorite fictional dog.

Again, Maberry delivers. In fact, he just delivers again and again. He has been known to say, “I write the type of books I would like to read.” So, I guess we must like reading the same type of books. Nothing to throw too many sticks at here. It is very testosterone driven which might not appeal to everyone, but there is a sweet romance in this book, so the author has that covered as well. Personally, I am not too into alien conspiracies so that distracted a little, but it is fun to see Joe have a new mystery to foil him.

I wish some other people I know would read these books. Hot damn they are great. Ghost Hit!

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Cold Fire by Kate Elliot

Cold Fire by Kate Elliot is the second book in her Spirit Walker Trilogy. I think I enjoyed this one better than the first. Cat has matured and takes a greater responsibility for her actions. She is a powerful and inventive young woman who has no problem sticking up for herself both verbally and physically when it is called on. The only real weaknesses Cat has is her heart, for most of the novel, she continues to have confused feeling for Vai, the man she was forced to marry at the beginning of the trilogy.

Genre:  Fantasy

Publisher: Orbit

Released:  2011

Stars:  4 Stars

Reviewer: Michael D. Griffiths

After running into trouble in Europe, Cat, and her cousin Bee, are forced to escape into the spirit world. Once there, Cat realizes she is the only one who can save her cousin the next time the Wild Hunt rides, but instead of having a chance to warn her, she finds herself returning to Earth within the strange lands of the Caribbean. Things get more complex when she discovers her legal husband, and his sister are already working within the local population.

Soon Cat must juggle her feelings for Vai but cannot understand what they are for most of the novel. All the while she is trying to save her cousin, who later shows up on the island with the rebellious General Chartji. Soon her life becomes a political dance while she tries to figure out a way to keep her cousin alive and untangle the true feelings of her heart.

This novel borders on young adult, so if that is not your thing proceed with caution. I like Cat and enjoy following her through her adventures, but sometimes things do seem to go a bit perfectly for her such as when she outfights a shark after unexpectedly being plunged into the ocean or how eighty percent of the cast in the first novel finds it way to the small island she inhabits in the middle of the ocean. Yes, Bee’s dream walker journals got some of them there and Vai dead ancestor helped get him and his sister there, but still, it is a lot.

Great job letting us see the world through young, intelligent, and fiery Cat. A great series if you like social intrigue within a backdrop of the fantastic. I already bought the third book in the series.

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Assassin Code by Jonathan Maberry

Assassin Code by Jonathan Maberry is a wild ride down the action rollercoaster. Yes, I read another Joe Ledger novel, and hell, this might be my favorite so far. Joe Ledger spikes it as a lead character being a mix between ultra competent, fierce, intelligent, and mentally damaged. He has his back up of sidekicks and other colorful characters with the Department of Military Science which is the hidden government agency he works for. The villains are as dreadful as they are powerful. In the end though, it is Ghost, Ledger’s trained dog which might have the most dynamic relationship Joe has within the novel.

Genre:  Thriller

Publisher: St Martin’s Griffon

Released:  2012

Stars:  5 Stars

Reviewer: Michael D. Griffiths

After Joe and his team rescue students on Tehran, Joe finds himself alone with Ghost and targeted by an agent which hands him vague data on seven nuclear weapons hidden around the globe. Then he interacts with a mysterious woman over his cell, but before he can wrap his head around what his next move should be, he gets attacked by a man much stronger than should be possible.

While his team struggles to figure out who might be behind this threat, Joe gets attacked by another group which is acting like they think he is a vampire. They throw garlic in his face and come at him with pistols and wooden stakes. The novel escalates and the tension builds like a piano wire suspending a truck as Joe struggles with only his wounded dog for help and multiple groups and villains seek his death. All the while the woman, Violin, is tracking him and often giving him aid.

This part of the novel where Joe is alone with only his damaged dog and a mysterious woman being his only allies on hand, is just great and exciting fiction. Joe may be tough enough to go a few rounds which Conan or Captain America, but he has certain insecurities and a troubled soul, which can leave him vulnerable. Needing to care for his dog instead of being able to count on it for backup only makes the situation harder. Violin is an interesting character which the reader cannot wait to learn more about.

Another great novel here. If thrillers and action novels which dip into history and the edge of the supernatural are your thing, this series will more than work for you. As with the last novel, the only thing which can frustrate the reader is the wait between Joe’s chapters as we follow his allies and delve into the horror of the villains seeking to ruin the world for their own ends.

I really got into this novel and a few parts got me choked up. What else can I say, this book tears it and Maberry knows what he’s doing. Go get them Captain Ledger.

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If you feel like it, consider looking up my Cyberpunk novel. Detective Dak is asked to hunt down all the clones in New Cluster but is in love with one of them.

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The King of Plagues by Jonathan Maberry

The King of Plagues by Jonathan Maberry is the third Joe Ledger novel. If you are not familiar, Joe Ledger is an American espionage agent who could kick James Bond’s butt and toss him out a window. He leads Echo Team within the Department of Military Science, and they are the first responders to confront those who would endanger our planet.

Genre:  Thriller

Publisher: St Martin’s Giffon

Released:  2011

Stars:  4.5 Stars

Reviewer: Michael D. Griffiths

In this novel Joe and his allies are faced with a group of arch-villains known as the Seven Kings who seek to make a mark for themselves on the world’s stage while making billions in the process. Murder and terrorism are some of their most horrid tools and Joe steps in when things are ramping up after the Seven Kings blow up a hospital in London.

Joe is working blind and from behind as they try to stop the worst terrorist attack the world might ever experience. The novel follows Joe and several of his allies, as well as the point of view of a few of his numerous enemies. Joe is a flawed hero and tries to help manage his battered soul by working with a trained canine named Ghost who is a fun addition to his team.

The Joe Ledger novels are fast paced and as soon as one starts reading you do not wish to stop. You must make sure you do not forget to eat or pick your kids up from school once you begin one of these. I enjoy how Maberry is able to scientifically blur the line between thriller and dark fantasy. As a big fan of Dark Fantasy, I enjoy seeing normal people having to deal with the challenges the darker side brings. Although this novel steers clear of any supernatural elements, it was still a fun wild ride.

The only downside to these novels might be one just wants to follow Joe and must sometimes wait for five chapters before we get back to him.

As long as action and super spy adventures is your thing, you will love these novels. I think most followers of speculative fiction will eat these up. Enjoy.

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If you feel like it, consider looking up my Cyberpunk novel. Detective Dak is asked to hunt down all the clones in New Cluster but is in love with one of them.

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Long Past Midnight by Jonathan Maberry

Long Past Midnight by Jonathan Maberry is the last Pine Deep book I have gotten to read. It is the last one period unless Maberry writes up some more and since he did write Ink recently, here’s to hoping. Yeah, I know, it is after X-mess and here I am reviewing a Halloween book. More bad Boneman, but I moved recently and Blah… here it is. Besides I should be reading horror over all the holidays. Really gets me in the mood for what is to come.

Genre:  Horror

Publisher: Kensington Fiction

Released:  2023

Stars:  4.5 Stars

Reviewer: Michael D. Griffiths

Long Past Midnight is a collection of Horror short stories which all take place in Pine Deep. I strongly suggest you read the first three books first, but you do not have to. I read Ink before the original trilogy, and it did not really slow me down. The compilation contains 12 new stories many of them featuring Pine Deep favorites such as Crow, Iron Mike, and Val. I was also stoked to see Joe Ledger, Top, and Bunny make some appearances. Having Joe need to be saved by Crow is priceless.

Another great thing about this anthology is it wraps up some of the loose ends from the earlier books and makes me wonder if Maberry left them open on purpose just to have some short stories with real investment grit.

The stories themselves range from Crow and Val as kids to introducing Monk, the character from Ink. These are more action/horror, and it is good to see Crow done playing around. In gaming terms, he Mike and Val are some seriously high level characters now. This does not keep the horror from being real and profound.

After reviewing books for so long I tend to steer clear of anthologies. I feel like I have read so… many short stories and really require full books to be happy these days. This book was an exception for me and I’m glad it helped me fill the morning hours as the nights grew longer.

If horror is your thing, not much to poke at here. Again, if you read this without knowing about Crow and Joe it might not have the same impact and some of the comic moments might fall a little flatter.

Love it. If you are a fan of Pine Deep, Joe Ledger, or horror short stories this is a must grab. I spoke to Maberry briefly online and he suggested this book for me, and I am glad he did. And hell, I will just say it, I think he might be my favorite living horror author and his actions novels are damn good too.

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If you feel like it, consider looking up my Cyberpunk novel. Detective Dak is asked to hunt down all the clones in New Cluster but is in love with one of them.

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