Well paced, well written plot, 15 Nov 2008
I've read all of Coyle's books from the start. This one although continuing the Dixon thread is also written in way it works well as a standalone book for those who do not follow the series.

This one takes us to the Phillipines where Nathan Dixon is put on the spot in the manner which his new Commanding Officer arrives in post and the characters spark due to the C.O.'s militatry ambition and Nathan's family background.

The strategy and tactics of the forces are well explained in a well grounded manner for those not familiar with such.

The story is about a well trained political/religious terror group whose leader has ambition to bring together the muslim plans from their current fragmented state. This brings about a plan to destabilise the Phillipino government. The plot centres on the action in the jungle and hence the title of Cat and Mouse.

The pace is tight and pulls the reader along extremely well. Toward the end when everything is starting to bubble there is an event which causes Nathan Dixon to rebel against his C.O. and start planning his tactics completely in opposition to his C.O. but with some encouragement from the Operational Commander. The climax left me wondering who had achieved what. I am tempted to ask for a few more chapters but I suspect this ending leaves the next book with plenty of routes to follow.

A well written, clear and concise plot which is very realistic. Worth the money in my opinion.

Robert Rankin claims he's invented a whole new literary genre, "Far-Fetched Fiction", and his latest novel Web Site Story certainly fits the description. Again science fiction, fantasy and low comedy collide in that most mythic region of the Rankin cosmology, Brentford.

The eternal city has many aspects, each dafter than the last. This time it's joy, joy, happy joy in utopian 2022 Brentford, transformed by the teachings of Hugo Rune (The Most Amazing Man Who Ever Lived) and advanced but nevertheless deeply silly holistic footgear. Every Eden has a serpent, though, and the sinister Mute Corp computers which have replaced PCs can give you the real Millennium Bug:

The Black Death was spread by rats.

But this plague will be spread by a mouse.

The computer mouse.

Symptoms include amnesia--bringing a Brentford Magical History bus tour to a most peculiar end--and then disappearance. Can this be the Rapture, with virtuous Brentfordians translated bodily to heaven in the world's last days? Or can it be (for Rankin is having fun with slippery realities like Philip K Dick's) that the world has already ended?

Incredibly sexy girl investigator Kelly, master of the deadly art of Dimac, brushes off various males panting after her body as she penetrates the suburb's unlikely cyber secrets. Suitably off-the-wall set pieces follow, the most farcical being a pub poetry night that turns into a colossal punch-up. Zippy one-liners abound, and terrible old jokes stagger zombie-like from their graves--not to mention the running gags. (All together now: "I told you not to mention the running gags!") Very indescribable, very Rankin. --David Langford

Well paced, well written plot, 15 Nov 2008
I've read all of Coyle's books from the start. This one although continuing the Dixon thread is also written in way it works well as a standalone book for those who do not follow the series.

This one takes us to the Phillipines where Nathan Dixon is put on the spot in the manner which his new Commanding Officer arrives in post and the characters spark due to the C.O.'s militatry ambition and Nathan's family background.

The strategy and tactics of the forces are well explained in a well grounded manner for those not familiar with such.

The story is about a well trained political/religious terror group whose leader has ambition to bring together the muslim plans from their current fragmented state. This brings about a plan to destabilise the Phillipino government. The plot centres on the action in the jungle and hence the title of Cat and Mouse.

The pace is tight and pulls the reader along extremely well. Toward the end when everything is starting to bubble there is an event which causes Nathan Dixon to rebel against his C.O. and start planning his tactics completely in opposition to his C.O. but with some encouragement from the Operational Commander. The climax left me wondering who had achieved what. I am tempted to ask for a few more chapters but I suspect this ending leaves the next book with plenty of routes to follow.

A well written, clear and concise plot which is very realistic. Worth the money in my opinion.

Play the game, 31 Jul 2006
Robert Rankin's 22nd novel is set once more in Brentford, only this time in the near future of the 2020's, so while there are some familiar locations and aging supporting characters (including a seemingly immortal Old Pete) the bulk of the main cast are brand new. The story revolves around a deadly computer virus that, in a neat turnaround, enable computers to play games with humans, and Brentford's struggle against being turned into a theme park. Typically unhinged Rankin humour abounds, with plenty of running gags and a wild looping plot that wanders all over the place and includes a nice twist finish. It's perhaps not among Rankin's very best books - the plot is perhaps a bit too unhinged for it's own good, and the hero ends up getting shunted off into something of a subplot in the books last third - but this is still deliciously loopy stuff, and very funny.

Very enjoyable, if a bit shallow in places., 01 Feb 2002
I'd read two of Rankin's books before getting around to this one - I found 'The Antipope' very difficult to get into, although it got a lot better towards the end and 'Waiting for Godalming' was rather better (and funnier, IMO).

Of the three books I've read so far, Website Story is by far the best, and manages to be both anachronistic (in the case of Brentford and its denizens) and futuristic (as in Mute Corp - I'm sure that any resemblance to another large computer company whose name begins with M is purely coincidental :-) ), and both serious and laugh-out loud funny, something which can't really be said of the other Rankin books I've read.

People seem fond of comparing Rankin to Terry Pratchett, which isn't really fair to either author. Rankin loses out in terms of writing style, which is often annoyingly disjointed, and character development which is often non-existent. The latter opinion may be revised after I read more of his books (as I most certainly will) but 'Website Story' suffers in that apart from the hero and heroine of the book, there seem to be a lot of bit-part roles.

Criticisms aside, this is very good and often very funny book and a good introduction to Rankin's often off-kilter style, but if you're expecting Pratchett-type material then you may well be disappointed.

The Matrix.... Rankin style!!!, 16 Nov 2001
This book is not one of RR's better works but when you consider the competition it's up against it still deserves 4 stars. If you're new to his work start with something else and work your way up to this one.

The new millenium has come and gone without a problem, or has it? Who is in control? What exactly is going on? And why hasn't it affected the good folk of Brentford?

Another Rankin story of good vs evil, man vs machine, Brentonians vs the forces of darkness. As usual, Rankin takes a little while to get going (this one probably moreso than others) but don't let that put you off. There are running gags aplenty, obscure references to 70's console games, a classic Brentonian character or two and all the local pubs, a holographic creature from Griffin Island, not to mention the Rapture!!!

and everything.

This may be the best rankin yet, 24 Oct 2001
This book is simply robert rankins finest to date. The wonderfully insane story is presented, as in other rankin books, in many splintered sections, all seamingly unconnected until that glorious moment when ten different parts all fit together perfectly. The bulk of the story settles on two opposites, a lonely man and the adventerous lady whose journey through the book together is more human and subtle than the usual rankin characters. oh and it groin grabbingly hilarious as well.

Almost back on form, 26 Jul 2001
The dictionary definition for flawed genius should be "Robert Rankin." His books are nearly always packed with inventive, left of field ideas, and Website Story is no exception. The title (shock, horror!) actually relates to the book in some way, which is very unusual for Rankin. But, his genius is flawed. Website Story is more focused than the last couple of Rankin books, but you can't help but feel that he needs a good editor just to rein him in a little. Not too much, as that would ruin the appeal of his free-wheeling style, but just enough to add more meat to his characters and a sligtly deeper, more satisfying plot. Just enough to turn an excellent comic writer into a truly brilliant comic writer.

Well paced, well written plot, 15 Nov 2008
I've read all of Coyle's books from the start. This one although continuing the Dixon thread is also written in way it works well as a standalone book for those who do not follow the series.

This one takes us to the Phillipines where Nathan Dixon is put on the spot in the manner which his new Commanding Officer arrives in post and the characters spark due to the C.O.'s militatry ambition and Nathan's family background.

The strategy and tactics of the forces are well explained in a well grounded manner for those not familiar with such.

The story is about a well trained political/religious terror group whose leader has ambition to bring together the muslim plans from their current fragmented state. This brings about a plan to destabilise the Phillipino government. The plot centres on the action in the jungle and hence the title of Cat and Mouse.

The pace is tight and pulls the reader along extremely well. Toward the end when everything is starting to bubble there is an event which causes Nathan Dixon to rebel against his C.O. and start planning his tactics completely in opposition to his C.O. but with some encouragement from the Operational Commander. The climax left me wondering who had achieved what. I am tempted to ask for a few more chapters but I suspect this ending leaves the next book with plenty of routes to follow.

A well written, clear and concise plot which is very realistic. Worth the money in my opinion.

Play the game, 31 Jul 2006
Robert Rankin's 22nd novel is set once more in Brentford, only this time in the near future of the 2020's, so while there are some familiar locations and aging supporting characters (including a seemingly immortal Old Pete) the bulk of the main cast are brand new. The story revolves around a deadly computer virus that, in a neat turnaround, enable computers to play games with humans, and Brentford's struggle against being turned into a theme park. Typically unhinged Rankin humour abounds, with plenty of running gags and a wild looping plot that wanders all over the place and includes a nice twist finish. It's perhaps not among Rankin's very best books - the plot is perhaps a bit too unhinged for it's own good, and the hero ends up getting shunted off into something of a subplot in the books last third - but this is still deliciously loopy stuff, and very funny.

Very enjoyable, if a bit shallow in places., 01 Feb 2002
I'd read two of Rankin's books before getting around to this one - I found 'The Antipope' very difficult to get into, although it got a lot better towards the end and 'Waiting for Godalming' was rather better (and funnier, IMO).

Of the three books I've read so far, Website Story is by far the best, and manages to be both anachronistic (in the case of Brentford and its denizens) and futuristic (as in Mute Corp - I'm sure that any resemblance to another large computer company whose name begins with M is purely coincidental :-) ), and both serious and laugh-out loud funny, something which can't really be said of the other Rankin books I've read.

People seem fond of comparing Rankin to Terry Pratchett, which isn't really fair to either author. Rankin loses out in terms of writing style, which is often annoyingly disjointed, and character development which is often non-existent. The latter opinion may be revised after I read more of his books (as I most certainly will) but 'Website Story' suffers in that apart from the hero and heroine of the book, there seem to be a lot of bit-part roles.

Criticisms aside, this is very good and often very funny book and a good introduction to Rankin's often off-kilter style, but if you're expecting Pratchett-type material then you may well be disappointed.

The Matrix.... Rankin style!!!, 16 Nov 2001
This book is not one of RR's better works but when you consider the competition it's up against it still deserves 4 stars. If you're new to his work start with something else and work your way up to this one.

The new millenium has come and gone without a problem, or has it? Who is in control? What exactly is going on? And why hasn't it affected the good folk of Brentford?

Another Rankin story of good vs evil, man vs machine, Brentonians vs the forces of darkness. As usual, Rankin takes a little while to get going (this one probably moreso than others) but don't let that put you off. There are running gags aplenty, obscure references to 70's console games, a classic Brentonian character or two and all the local pubs, a holographic creature from Griffin Island, not to mention the Rapture!!!

and everything.

This may be the best rankin yet, 24 Oct 2001
This book is simply robert rankins finest to date. The wonderfully insane story is presented, as in other rankin books, in many splintered sections, all seamingly unconnected until that glorious moment when ten different parts all fit together perfectly. The bulk of the story settles on two opposites, a lonely man and the adventerous lady whose journey through the book together is more human and subtle than the usual rankin characters. oh and it groin grabbingly hilarious as well.

Almost back on form, 26 Jul 2001
The dictionary definition for flawed genius should be "Robert Rankin." His books are nearly always packed with inventive, left of field ideas, and Website Story is no exception. The title (shock, horror!) actually relates to the book in some way, which is very unusual for Rankin. But, his genius is flawed. Website Story is more focused than the last couple of Rankin books, but you can't help but feel that he needs a good editor just to rein him in a little. Not too much, as that would ruin the appeal of his free-wheeling style, but just enough to add more meat to his characters and a sligtly deeper, more satisfying plot. Just enough to turn an excellent comic writer into a truly brilliant comic writer.

Mike's war on terror, book 5, and it's back in the USA, 21 Aug 2008

This is the fifth and currently (August 08) most recent book in the series which began with "Ghost" and continued with "Kildar." I have seen the series described by the names of both those books and also "Paladin of Shadows." In this book Mike Harmon and his team return to the USA at the request of the President to try to stop a terrorist attempt to attack various soft targets such as Disneyworld with lethal nerve gas.

All the books in this series feature either counter-terror operations or actual pitched battles against Islamic extremists, and have most of the characters vocally expressing very right wing views. All five of the books have villains who enjoy inflicting sexual violence against women, up to and including rape and murder, and the central character also has sexual tastes which range from the kinky to the completely out of order, so none of the books are suitable for anyone squeamish. "A deeper blue" has rather less in the way of sex than the first few books in the series, but the central character appears to like shocking people, for example by openly referring to another character as his "harem manager."

(The reader who has not read the previous books will be thinking "What! Does that mean what I think it does?" The answer is yes.)

"A Deeper Blue", like the second, third and fourth books in the series, is less outrageous, and a bit better written, than "Ghost" but still pushes the envelope hard in several places. It also, for the first time in the series, presents one of the Muslims caught up in the activities of the terrorists as a decent human being who tries to limit the harm caused by his co-religionists. Nevertheless, as a rough litmus test, if you were strongly against the Iraq war, are very pro-feminist, or even slightly prudish, do your blood pressure a favour and refrain from touching this entire series with a ten foot barge-pole.


Former SEAL Mike Harmon, codename Ghost, after fighting and defeating a number of terrorist plots, has settled down in a remote valley in the country of Georgia where he bought the local castle.

The area concerned does not actually exist, but if it did, Russian tanks would have been rampaging through it while I was reading this book. I couldn't help thinking "Typical - as soon as Mike and his troops are off in the states Putin invades!"

It turns out that the castle and associated farmland which Mike bought came with some feudal retainers, the Keldara, who accept him as their liege lord or "Kildar" - and if that sounds wierd and anachronistic at the start of the 21st century you ain't read nothing yet.

Since Chechen terrorists are a major nuisance in the area on both sides of the Georgian/Russian frontier, Mike Harmon has trained some of his Keldara as an anti-terrorist militia with the knowledge and support of the Georgian, Russian, and US governments. (This was written at a time when relations between Russia and Georgia were merely bad, which is reflected in the book, but before they deteriorated into war and invasion.)


During the previous book, an anti-terorist operation in search of stolen WMD (Weapons of Mass Destruction) led that militia into a pitched battle with a brigade of 4,000 Chechens which resulted in heavy casualties on both sides. The Keldara won, but at the start of the book Mike has locked himself away, grieving because a girl he was in love with was one of those killed.

Mike and the Keldara had previously smashed a criminal conspiracy in which senior figures in the governments of most of the world's most powerful governments were implicated. The guilty individuals concerned have been quietly removed from power, but now Mike Harmon has both friends and enemies in all those governments. The pricipal effect of this in "A deeper blue" is that John Ringo can fantasise about his characters being able to say exactly what they think to assorted idiots, stuffed shirts, liberals and left-wingers (I am not associating these concepts, but the book does) and any appeal to higher authority on the part of those outraged at such comments hits a brick wall.

Initially Mike Harmon does not want to respond to the request to go back to the USA and hunt for nerve gas, as he is too busy grieving. But he allows some of his people to go, and when two of them walk into a trap meant for Mike, anger snaps him back to himself: the terrorists soon won't know what hit them.

One or two of Mike's old friends from "Ghost" also make an appearence in this book.

The full "Paladin of Shadows" series currently consists of

Ghost
Kildar
Choosers of the Slain
Into the Breach
A Deeper Blue

John Ringo normally writes military SF and most of his offerings in that genre are extremely good. This series is about a freelance war on terror. In places, and especially in the first book, Ringo seems to be in grave danger of crossing the line between challenging the reader and going out of your way to see how many people you can offend. That goes even for his existing fans among military SF readers, who are probably neither the most prudish or left/liberal of audiences.

In fact the funniest part of "A Deeper Blue" and all the other books in the series from "Kildar" onwards is not part of the main text - it is the disclaimer at the start of the books which at least demonstrates that Ringo understands and has a sense of humour about the controversy "Ghost" stirred up. That disclaimer is worth quoting in full, it reads as follows:


"This is a work of fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this book are fictional, and any resemblance to real people or incidents is purely coincidental. This book and series has no connection to reality. Any attempt by the reader to replicate any scene in this series is to be taken at the reader's own risk. For that matter, most of the actions of the main character are illegal under US and international law as well as most of the stricter religions in the world.

"There is no Valley of the Keldara. Heck, there is no Kildar. And the idea of some Scots and Vikings getting together to raid the Byzantine Empire is beyond ludicrous.

"The islands described in a previous book do not exist. Entire regions described in these books do not exist. Any attempt to learn anything from these books is disrecommended by the author, the publisher and the author's mother who wishes to state that he was a very nice boy and she doesn't know what went wrong."


Incidentally, that line about "any resemblance to real people or incidents is purely coincidental" is a classic example of a blatantly false statement which escapes being a lie only because both author and reader know that it's a legal fiction which he has to write and makes no attempt to fool anyone. Osama Bin Laden and Vladimir Putin appear in these books under their real names, certain other characters will instantly be recognised by any politically aware reader as corresponding to real world US politicians.

As mentioned, all five books in the series contain a great deal of violence, strongly expressed and very right-wing political views, and references to sex which are always utterly politically incorrect and sometimes fairly explicit. My copies of these books are stored where my children can't get at them and will be until they are adults.

Provided you are not offended by the sex, violence and non-PC attitudes, these books can be quite exciting and entertaining in places. But I would advise feminists, left-wingers, and anyone even slightly prudish to save your money for something else.

Just not as good as the others., 18 Jul 2007
I love John Ringo books, one of the few authors I pre-order. I have really enjoyed the previous Paladin of the Shadows novels, but this was just not as good. Don't get me wrong from any other author this would be a solid 5 star book, but I expect more from Ringo.

Ghost seems to try to take on all the bad guys single handed, despite the presence of the Keldara; there is less 'sex', less babes, less believable action, less conflict, less good action, on the whole its just less than the previous books, and less than Ringo can do.

Well paced, well written plot, 15 Nov 2008
I've read all of Coyle's books from the start. This one although continuing the Dixon thread is also written in way it works well as a standalone book for those who do not follow the series.

This one takes us to the Phillipines where Nathan Dixon is put on the spot in the manner which his new Commanding Officer arrives in post and the characters spark due to the C.O.'s militatry ambition and Nathan's family background.

The strategy and tactics of the forces are well explained in a well grounded manner for those not familiar with such.

The story is about a well trained political/religious terror group whose leader has ambition to bring together the muslim plans from their current fragmented state. This brings about a plan to destabilise the Phillipino government. The plot centres on the action in the jungle and hence the title of Cat and Mouse.

The pace is tight and pulls the reader along extremely well. Toward the end when everything is starting to bubble there is an event which causes Nathan Dixon to rebel against his C.O. and start planning his tactics completely in opposition to his C.O. but with some encouragement from the Operational Commander. The climax left me wondering who had achieved what. I am tempted to ask for a few more chapters but I suspect this ending leaves the next book with plenty of routes to follow.

A well written, clear and concise plot which is very realistic. Worth the money in my opinion.

Play the game, 31 Jul 2006
Robert Rankin's 22nd novel is set once more in Brentford, only this time in the near future of the 2020's, so while there are some familiar locations and aging supporting characters (including a seemingly immortal Old Pete) the bulk of the main cast are brand new. The story revolves around a deadly computer virus that, in a neat turnaround, enable computers to play games with humans, and Brentford's struggle against being turned into a theme park. Typically unhinged Rankin humour abounds, with plenty of running gags and a wild looping plot that wanders all over the place and includes a nice twist finish. It's perhaps not among Rankin's very best books - the plot is perhaps a bit too unhinged for it's own good, and the hero ends up getting shunted off into something of a subplot in the books last third - but this is still deliciously loopy stuff, and very funny.

Very enjoyable, if a bit shallow in places., 01 Feb 2002
I'd read two of Rankin's books before getting around to this one - I found 'The Antipope' very difficult to get into, although it got a lot better towards the end and 'Waiting for Godalming' was rather better (and funnier, IMO).

Of the three books I've read so far, Website Story is by far the best, and manages to be both anachronistic (in the case of Brentford and its denizens) and futuristic (as in Mute Corp - I'm sure that any resemblance to another large computer company whose name begins with M is purely coincidental :-) ), and both serious and laugh-out loud funny, something which can't really be said of the other Rankin books I've read.

People seem fond of comparing Rankin to Terry Pratchett, which isn't really fair to either author. Rankin loses out in terms of writing style, which is often annoyingly disjointed, and character development which is often non-existent. The latter opinion may be revised after I read more of his books (as I most certainly will) but 'Website Story' suffers in that apart from the hero and heroine of the book, there seem to be a lot of bit-part roles.

Criticisms aside, this is very good and often very funny book and a good introduction to Rankin's often off-kilter style, but if you're expecting Pratchett-type material then you may well be disappointed.

The Matrix.... Rankin style!!!, 16 Nov 2001
This book is not one of RR's better works but when you consider the competition it's up against it still deserves 4 stars. If you're new to his work start with something else and work your way up to this one.

The new millenium has come and gone without a problem, or has it? Who is in control? What exactly is going on? And why hasn't it affected the good folk of Brentford?

Another Rankin story of good vs evil, man vs machine, Brentonians vs the forces of darkness. As usual, Rankin takes a little while to get going (this one probably moreso than others) but don't let that put you off. There are running gags aplenty, obscure references to 70's console games, a classic Brentonian character or two and all the local pubs, a holographic creature from Griffin Island, not to mention the Rapture!!!

and everything.

This may be the best rankin yet, 24 Oct 2001
This book is simply robert rankins finest to date. The wonderfully insane story is presented, as in other rankin books, in many splintered sections, all seamingly unconnected until that glorious moment when ten different parts all fit together perfectly. The bulk of the story settles on two opposites, a lonely man and the adventerous lady whose journey through the book together is more human and subtle than the usual rankin characters. oh and it groin grabbingly hilarious as well.

Almost back on form, 26 Jul 2001
The dictionary definition for flawed genius should be "Robert Rankin." His books are nearly always packed with inventive, left of field ideas, and Website Story is no exception. The title (shock, horror!) actually relates to the book in some way, which is very unusual for Rankin. But, his genius is flawed. Website Story is more focused than the last couple of Rankin books, but you can't help but feel that he needs a good editor just to rein him in a little. Not too much, as that would ruin the appeal of his free-wheeling style, but just enough to add more meat to his characters and a sligtly deeper, more satisfying plot. Just enough to turn an excellent comic writer into a truly brilliant comic writer.

Mike's war on terror, book 5, and it's back in the USA, 21 Aug 2008

This is the fifth and currently (August 08) most recent book in the series which began with "Ghost" and continued with "Kildar." I have seen the series described by the names of both those books and also "Paladin of Shadows." In this book Mike Harmon and his team return to the USA at the request of the President to try to stop a terrorist attempt to attack various soft targets such as Disneyworld with lethal nerve gas.

All the books in this series feature either counter-terror operations or actual pitched battles against Islamic extremists, and have most of the characters vocally expressing very right wing views. All five of the books have villains who enjoy inflicting sexual violence against women, up to and including rape and murder, and the central character also has sexual tastes which range from the kinky to the completely out of order, so none of the books are suitable for anyone squeamish. "A deeper blue" has rather less in the way of sex than the first few books in the series, but the central character appears to like shocking people, for example by openly referring to another character as his "harem manager."

(The reader who has not read the previous books will be thinking "What! Does that mean what I think it does?" The answer is yes.)

"A Deeper Blue", like the second, third and fourth books in the series, is less outrageous, and a bit better written, than "Ghost" but still pushes the envelope hard in several places. It also, for the first time in the series, presents one of the Muslims caught up in the activities of the terrorists as a decent human being who tries to limit the harm caused by his co-religionists. Nevertheless, as a rough litmus test, if you were strongly against the Iraq war, are very pro-feminist, or even slightly prudish, do your blood pressure a favour and refrain from touching this entire series with a ten foot barge-pole.


Former SEAL Mike Harmon, codename Ghost, after fighting and defeating a number of terrorist plots, has settled down in a remote valley in the country of Georgia where he bought the local castle.

The area concerned does not actually exist, but if it did, Russian tanks would have been rampaging through it while I was reading this book. I couldn't help thinking "Typical - as soon as Mike and his troops are off in the states Putin invades!"

It turns out that the castle and associated farmland which Mike bought came with some feudal retainers, the Keldara, who accept him as their liege lord or "Kildar" - and if that sounds wierd and anachronistic at the start of the 21st century you ain't read nothing yet.

Since Chechen terrorists are a major nuisance in the area on both sides of the Georgian/Russian frontier, Mike Harmon has trained some of his Keldara as an anti-terrorist militia with the knowledge and support of the Georgian, Russian, and US governments. (This was written at a time when relations between Russia and Georgia were merely bad, which is reflected in the book, but before they deteriorated into war and invasion.)


During the previous book, an anti-terorist operation in search of stolen WMD (Weapons of Mass Destruction) led that militia into a pitched battle with a brigade of 4,000 Chechens which resulted in heavy casualties on both sides. The Keldara won, but at the start of the book Mike has locked himself away, grieving because a girl he was in love with was one of those killed.

Mike and the Keldara had previously smashed a criminal conspiracy in which senior figures in the governments of most of the world's most powerful governments were implicated. The guilty individuals concerned have been quietly removed from power, but now Mike Harmon has both friends and enemies in all those governments. The pricipal effect of this in "A deeper blue" is that John Ringo can fantasise about his characters being able to say exactly what they think to assorted idiots, stuffed shirts, liberals and left-wingers (I am not associating these concepts, but the book does) and any appeal to higher authority on the part of those outraged at such comments hits a brick wall.

Initially Mike Harmon does not want to respond to the request to go back to the USA and hunt for nerve gas, as he is too busy grieving. But he allows some of his people to go, and when two of them walk into a trap meant for Mike, anger snaps him back to himself: the terrorists soon won't know what hit them.

One or two of Mike's old friends from "Ghost" also make an appearence in this book.

The full "Paladin of Shadows" series currently consists of

Ghost
Kildar
Choosers of the Slain
Into the Breach
A Deeper Blue

John Ringo normally writes military SF and most of his offerings in that genre are extremely good. This series is about a freelance war on terror. In places, and especially in the first book, Ringo seems to be in grave danger of crossing the line between challenging the reader and going out of your way to see how many people you can offend. That goes even for his existing fans among military SF readers, who are probably neither the most prudish or left/liberal of audiences.

In fact the funniest part of "A Deeper Blue" and all the other books in the series from "Kildar" onwards is not part of the main text - it is the disclaimer at the start of the books which at least demonstrates that Ringo understands and has a sense of humour about the controversy "Ghost" stirred up. That disclaimer is worth quoting in full, it reads as follows:


"This is a work of fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this book are fictional, and any resemblance to real people or incidents is purely coincidental. This book and series has no connection to reality. Any attempt by the reader to replicate any scene in this series is to be taken at the reader's own risk. For that matter, most of the actions of the main character are illegal under US and international law as well as most of the stricter religions in the world.

"There is no Valley of the Keldara. Heck, there is no Kildar. And the idea of some Scots and Vikings getting together to raid the Byzantine Empire is beyond ludicrous.

"The islands described in a previous book do not exist. Entire regions described in these books do not exist. Any attempt to learn anything from these books is disrecommended by the author, the publisher and the author's mother who wishes to state that he was a very nice boy and she doesn't know what went wrong."


Incidentally, that line about "any resemblance to real people or incidents is purely coincidental" is a classic example of a blatantly false statement which escapes being a lie only because both author and reader know that it's a legal fiction which he has to write and makes no attempt to fool anyone. Osama Bin Laden and Vladimir Putin appear in these books under their real names, certain other characters will instantly be recognised by any politically aware reader as corresponding to real world US politicians.

As mentioned, all five books in the series contain a great deal of violence, strongly expressed and very right-wing political views, and references to sex which are always utterly politically incorrect and sometimes fairly explicit. My copies of these books are stored where my children can't get at them and will be until they are adults.

Provided you are not offended by the sex, violence and non-PC attitudes, these books can be quite exciting and entertaining in places. But I would advise feminists, left-wingers, and anyone even slightly prudish to save your money for something else.

Just not as good as the others., 18 Jul 2007
I love John Ringo books, one of the few authors I pre-order. I have really enjoyed the previous Paladin of the Shadows novels, but this was just not as good. Don't get me wrong from any other author this would be a solid 5 star book, but I expect more from Ringo.

Ghost seems to try to take on all the bad guys single handed, despite the presence of the Keldara; there is less 'sex', less babes, less believable action, less conflict, less good action, on the whole its just less than the previous books, and less than Ringo can do.



Cracking Read, 07 Jul 2008
A good book well worth a read no mucking about straight in there sex and violence to the fore

great stuff

Vast improvement on "Ghost" but still pushing the envelope, 17 May 2008
This is the second book in the series which began with "Ghost". "Kildar" is much less outrageous, and rather better written, than the first book in the series but still goes over the top in several places. As a rough litmus test, if you were strongly against the Iraq war, are very pro-feminist, or even slightly prudish, do your blood pressure a favour and refrain from touching this entire series with a ten foot barge-pole.

At the start of "Kildar", having prevented some dire terrorist atrocities in the first book, former SEAL Mike Harmon has gone travelling in various remote parts of the world to keep out of the way of those people who would like revenge on him. Stopping in a remote valley in Georgia ("the country not the state" as he repeats umpteen times during the book) he decides to buy the local castle as a place to stay. It turns out that the castle and associated farmland comes with some feudal retainers, the Keldara, who accept him as their liege lord or "Kildar" - and if that sounds wierd and anachronistic at the start of the 21st century you ain't read nothing yet.

The full series currently consists of

Ghost
Kildar
Choosers of the Slain
Into the Breach
A Deeper Blue

John Ringo normally writes military SF and most of his offerings in that genre are extremely good. This series is about a freelance war on terror. In places, and especially in the first book, Ringo seems to be in grave danger of crossing the line between challenging the reader and going out of your way to see how many people you can offend. That goes even for his existing fans among military SF readers, who are probably neither the most prudish or left/liberal of audiences.

In fact the funniest part of "Kildar" and each subsequent book in the series is not part of the main text - it is the disclaimer at the start of the books which at least demonstrates that Ringo understands and has a sense of humour about the controversy "Ghost" stirred up. That disclaimer is worth quoting in full, it reads as follows:


"This is a work of fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this book are fictional, and any resemblance to real people or incidents is purely coincidental. This book and series has no connection to reality. Any attempt by the reader to replicate any scene in this series is to be taken at the reader's own risk. For that matter, most of the actions of the main character are illegal under US and international law as well as most of the stricter religions in the world.

"There is no Valley of the Keldara. Heck, there is no Kildar. And the idea of some Scots and Vikings getting together to raid the Byzantine Empire is beyond ludicrous.

"The islands described in a previous book do not exist. Entire regions described in these books do not exist. Any attempt to learn anything from these books is disrecommended by the author, the publisher and the author's mother who wishes to state that he was a very nice boy and she doesn't know what went wrong."


Incidentally, that line about "any resemblance to real people or incidents is purely coincidental" is a classic example of a blatantly false statement which escapes being a lie only because both author and reader know that it's a legal fiction which he has to write and makes no attempt to fool anyone. Osama Bin Laden and Vladimir Putin appear in these books under their real names, certain other characters will instantly be recognised by any politically aware reader as corresponding to real world US politicians.

All five books in the series contain a great deal of violence, strongly expressed and very right-wing political views, and a lot of references to sex, always utterly politically incorrect and sometimes fairly explicit. My copies of these books are stored where my children can't get at them and will be until they are adults.

Provided you are not offended by the sex, violence and non-PC attitudes, these books can be quite exciting and entertaining in places. But I would advise feminists, left-wingers, and anyone even slightly prudish to save your money for something else.

Darkly fascinating but BEWARE - will make you hot under the collar!, 05 May 2006
Ringo's Ghost series has sparked controversy over his completely un-PC protagonist. Not only are feminists and religious fractions outraged over his S&B erotica, harem and sexist content of this book and others in the series; the protagonist's right wing politics, blatant "shoot 'em and let God sort 'em out" content, in this climate isn't going to necessarily make comfortable reading. If you're the slightest bit prudish or against macho men... I suggest you forget this book - you'll end up wanting to burn it or have a coronary!

Kildar finds Ghost in a "Lord of the Land" situation with lost or loose women to "take care of", Modern day Viking subordinates to train in a SNAFU all out war with various terrorists and baddies. Just imagine the song; "bodies hit the floor" mixed with hard S&M porn and an American chauvinistic anti-hero protagonist in lead and that sums it up.

As a woman, I was quite taken aback by this series as I hadn't noticed Ringo's characters being quite so offensive in quite so many ways! However, the hero's internal struggle to be "a good guy" despite the darkness of his personal fantasies grew on me. I did find the blatant political messages rather irritating as I am personally against most of what Ghost has to say/believe in and the erotica sections were a little hard to read... However, if you can see past the "shock" factor elements of the book, the character of Ghost is an interesting one; too many such like-minded people exist today and it's not likely I'd ever meet someone like him in real life, only faces of him. After all, that is the function of Literature; to broaden one's horizons. It might not make comfortable reading, you might not agree with it but it's always fascinating to see things from different viewpoints.

Well paced, well written plot, 15 Nov 2008
I've read all of Coyle's books from the start. This one although continuing the Dixon thread is also written in way it works well as a standalone book for those who do not follow the series.

This one takes us to the Phillipines where Nathan Dixon is put on the spot in the manner which his new Commanding Officer arrives in post and the characters spark due to the C.O.'s militatry ambition and Nathan's family background.

The strategy and tactics of the forces are well explained in a well grounded manner for those not familiar with such.

The story is about a well trained political/religious terror group whose leader has ambition to bring together the muslim plans from their current fragmented state. This brings about a plan to destabilise the Phillipino government. The plot centres on the action in the jungle and hence the title of Cat and Mouse.

The pace is tight and pulls the reader along extremely well. Toward the end when everything is starting to bubble there is an event which causes Nathan Dixon to rebel against his C.O. and start planning his tactics completely in opposition to his C.O. but with some encouragement from the Operational Commander. The climax left me wondering who had achieved what. I am tempted to ask for a few more chapters but I suspect this ending leaves the next book with plenty of routes to follow.

A well written, clear and concise plot which is very realistic. Worth the money in my opinion.

Play the game, 31 Jul 2006
Robert Rankin's 22nd novel is set once more in Brentford, only this time in the near future of the 2020's, so while there are some familiar locations and aging supporting characters (including a seemingly immortal Old Pete) the bulk of the main cast are brand new. The story revolves around a deadly computer virus that, in a neat turnaround, enable computers to play games with humans, and Brentford's struggle against being turned into a theme park. Typically unhinged Rankin humour abounds, with plenty of running gags and a wild looping plot that wanders all over the place and includes a nice twist finish. It's perhaps not among Rankin's very best books - the plot is perhaps a bit too unhinged for it's own good, and the hero ends up getting shunted off into something of a subplot in the books last third - but this is still deliciously loopy stuff, and very funny.

Very enjoyable, if a bit shallow in places., 01 Feb 2002
I'd read two of Rankin's books before getting around to this one - I found 'The Antipope' very difficult to get into, although it got a lot better towards the end and 'Waiting for Godalming' was rather better (and funnier, IMO).

Of the three books I've read so far, Website Story is by far the best, and manages to be both anachronistic (in the case of Brentford and its denizens) and futuristic (as in Mute Corp - I'm sure that any resemblance to another large computer company whose name begins with M is purely coincidental :-) ), and both serious and laugh-out loud funny, something which can't really be said of the other Rankin books I've read.

People seem fond of comparing Rankin to Terry Pratchett, which isn't really fair to either author. Rankin loses out in terms of writing style, which is often annoyingly disjointed, and character development which is often non-existent. The latter opinion may be revised after I read more of his books (as I most certainly will) but 'Website Story' suffers in that apart from the hero and heroine of the book, there seem to be a lot of bit-part roles.

Criticisms aside, this is very good and often very funny book and a good introduction to Rankin's often off-kilter style, but if you're expecting Pratchett-type material then you may well be disappointed.

The Matrix.... Rankin style!!!, 16 Nov 2001
This book is not one of RR's better works but when you consider the competition it's up against it still deserves 4 stars. If you're new to his work start with something else and work your way up to this one.

The new millenium has come and gone without a problem, or has it? Who is in control? What exactly is going on? And why hasn't it affected the good folk of Brentford?

Another Rankin story of good vs evil, man vs machine, Brentonians vs the forces of darkness. As usual, Rankin takes a little while to get going (this one probably moreso than others) but don't let that put you off. There are running gags aplenty, obscure references to 70's console games, a classic Brentonian character or two and all the local pubs, a holographic creature from Griffin Island, not to mention the Rapture!!!

and everything.

This may be the best rankin yet, 24 Oct 2001
This book is simply robert rankins finest to date. The wonderfully insane story is presented, as in other rankin books, in many splintered sections, all seamingly unconnected until that glorious moment when ten different parts all fit together perfectly. The bulk of the story settles on two opposites, a lonely man and the adventerous lady whose journey through the book together is more human and subtle than the usual rankin characters. oh and it groin grabbingly hilarious as well.

Almost back on form, 26 Jul 2001
The dictionary definition for flawed genius should be "Robert Rankin." His books are nearly always packed with inventive, left of field ideas, and Website Story is no exception. The title (shock, horror!) actually relates to the book in some way, which is very unusual for Rankin. But, his genius is flawed. Website Story is more focused than the last couple of Rankin books, but you can't help but feel that he needs a good editor just to rein him in a little. Not too much, as that would ruin the appeal of his free-wheeling style, but just enough to add more meat to his characters and a sligtly deeper, more satisfying plot. Just enough to turn an excellent comic writer into a truly brilliant comic writer.

Mike's war on terror, book 5, and it's back in the USA, 21 Aug 2008

This is the fifth and currently (August 08) most recent book in the series which began with "Ghost" and continued with "Kildar." I have seen the series described by the names of both those books and also "Paladin of Shadows." In this book Mike Harmon and his team return to the USA at the request of the President to try to stop a terrorist attempt to attack various soft targets such as Disneyworld with lethal nerve gas.

All the books in this series feature either counter-terror operations or actual pitched battles against Islamic extremists, and have most of the characters vocally expressing very right wing views. All five of the books have villains who enjoy inflicting sexual violence against women, up to and including rape and murder, and the central character also has sexual tastes which range from the kinky to the completely out of order, so none of the books are suitable for anyone squeamish. "A deeper blue" has rather less in the way of sex than the first few books in the series, but the central character appears to like shocking people, for example by openly referring to another character as his "harem manager."

(The reader who has not read the previous books will be thinking "What! Does that mean what I think it does?" The answer is yes.)

"A Deeper Blue", like the second, third and fourth books in the series, is less outrageous, and a bit better written, than "Ghost" but still pushes the envelope hard in several places. It also, for the first time in the series, presents one of the Muslims caught up in the activities of the terrorists as a decent human being who tries to limit the harm caused by his co-religionists. Nevertheless, as a rough litmus test, if you were strongly against the Iraq war, are very pro-feminist, or even slightly prudish, do your blood pressure a favour and refrain from touching this entire series with a ten foot barge-pole.


Former SEAL Mike Harmon, codename Ghost, after fighting and defeating a number of terrorist plots, has settled down in a remote valley in the country of Georgia where he bought the local castle.

The area concerned does not actually exist, but if it did, Russian tanks would have been rampaging through it while I was reading this book. I couldn't help thinking "Typical - as soon as Mike and his troops are off in the states Putin invades!"

It turns out that the castle and associated farmland which Mike bought came with some feudal retainers, the Keldara, who accept him as their liege lord or "Kildar" - and if that sounds wierd and anachronistic at the start of the 21st century you ain't read nothing yet.

Since Chechen terrorists are a major nuisance in the area on both sides of the Georgian/Russian frontier, Mike Harmon has trained some of his Keldara as an anti-terrorist militia with the knowledge and support of the Georgian, Russian, and US governments. (This was written at a time when relations between Russia and Georgia were merely bad, which is reflected in the book, but before they deteriorated into war and invasion.)


During the previous book, an anti-terorist operation in search of stolen WMD (Weapons of Mass Destruction) led that militia into a pitched battle with a brigade of 4,000 Chechens which resulted in heavy casualties on both sides. The Keldara won, but at the start of the book Mike has locked himself away, grieving because a girl he was in love with was one of those killed.

Mike and the Keldara had previously smashed a criminal conspiracy in which senior figures in the governments of most of the world's most powerful governments were implicated. The guilty individuals concerned have been quietly removed from power, but now Mike Harmon has both friends and enemies in all those governments. The pricipal effect of this in "A deeper blue" is that John Ringo can fantasise about his characters being able to say exactly what they think to assorted idiots, stuffed shirts, liberals and left-wingers (I am not associating these concepts, but the book does) and any appeal to higher authority on the part of those outraged at such comments hits a brick wall.

Initially Mike Harmon does not want to respond to the request to go back to the USA and hunt for nerve gas, as he is too busy grieving. But he allows some of his people to go, and when two of them walk into a trap meant for Mike, anger snaps him back to himself: the terrorists soon won't know what hit them.

One or two of Mike's old friends from "Ghost" also make an appearence in this book.

The full "Paladin of Shadows" series currently consists of

Ghost
Kildar
Choosers of the Slain
Into the Breach
A Deeper Blue

John Ringo normally writes military SF and most of his offerings in that genre are extremely good. This series is about a freelance war on terror. In places, and especially in the first book, Ringo seems to be in grave danger of crossing the line between challenging the reader and going out of your way to see how many people you can offend. That goes even for his existing fans among military SF readers, who are probably neither the most prudish or left/liberal of audiences.

In fact the funniest part of "A Deeper Blue" and all the other books in the series from "Kildar" onwards is not part of the main text - it is the disclaimer at the start of the books which at least demonstrates that Ringo understands and has a sense of humour about the controversy "Ghost" stirred up. That disclaimer is worth quoting in full, it reads as follows:


"This is a work of fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this book are fictional, and any resemblance to real people or incidents is purely coincidental. This book and series has no connection to reality. Any attempt by the reader to replicate any scene in this series is to be taken at the reader's own risk. For that matter, most of the actions of the main character are illegal under US and international law as well as most of the stricter religions in the world.

"There is no Valley of the Keldara. Heck, there is no Kildar. And the idea of some Scots and Vikings getting together to raid the Byzantine Empire is beyond ludicrous.

"The islands described in a previous book do not exist. Entire regions described in these books do not exist. Any attempt to learn anything from these books is disrecommended by the author, the publisher and the author's mother who wishes to state that he was a very nice boy and she doesn't know what went wrong."


Incidentally, that line about "any resemblance to real people or incidents is purely coincidental" is a classic example of a blatantly false statement which escapes being a lie only because both author and reader know that it's a legal fiction which he has to write and makes no attempt to fool anyone. Osama Bin Laden and Vladimir Putin appear in these books under their real names, certain other characters will instantly be recognised by any politically aware reader as corresponding to real world US politicians.

As mentioned, all five books in the series contain a great deal of violence, strongly expressed and very right-wing political views, and references to sex which are always utterly politically incorrect and sometimes fairly explicit. My copies of these books are stored where my children can't get at them and will be until they are adults.

Provided you are not offended by the sex, violence and non-PC attitudes, these books can be quite exciting and entertaining in places. But I would advise feminists, left-wingers, and anyone even slightly prudish to save your money for something else.

Just not as good as the others., 18 Jul 2007
I love John Ringo books, one of the few authors I pre-order. I have really enjoyed the previous Paladin of the Shadows novels, but this was just not as good. Don't get me wrong from any other author this would be a solid 5 star book, but I expect more from Ringo.

Ghost seems to try to take on all the bad guys single handed, despite the presence of the Keldara; there is less 'sex', less babes, less believable action, less conflict, less good action, on the whole its just less than the previous books, and less than Ringo can do.



Cracking Read, 07 Jul 2008
A good book well worth a read no mucking about straight in there sex and violence to the fore

great stuff

Vast improvement on "Ghost" but still pushing the envelope, 17 May 2008
This is the second book in the series which began with "Ghost". "Kildar" is much less outrageous, and rather better written, than the first book in the series but still goes over the top in several places. As a rough litmus test, if you were strongly against the Iraq war, are very pro-feminist, or even slightly prudish, do your blood pressure a favour and refrain from touching this entire series with a ten foot barge-pole.

At the start of "Kildar", having prevented some dire terrorist atrocities in the first book, former SEAL Mike Harmon has gone travelling in various remote parts of the world to keep out of the way of those people who would like revenge on him. Stopping in a remote valley in Georgia ("the country not the state" as he repeats umpteen times during the book) he decides to buy the local castle as a place to stay. It turns out that the castle and associated farmland comes with some feudal retainers, the Keldara, who accept him as their liege lord or "Kildar" - and if that sounds wierd and anachronistic at the start of the 21st century you ain't read nothing yet.

The full series currently consists of

Ghost
Kildar
Choosers of the Slain
Into the Breach
A Deeper Blue

John Ringo normally writes military SF and most of his offerings in that genre are extremely good. This series is about a freelance war on terror. In places, and especially in the first book, Ringo seems to be in grave danger of crossing the line between challenging the reader and going out of your way to see how many people you can offend. That goes even for his existing fans among military SF readers, who are probably neither the most prudish or left/liberal of audiences.

In fact the funniest part of "Kildar" and each subsequent book in the series is not part of the main text - it is the disclaimer at the start of the books which at least demonstrates that Ringo understands and has a sense of humour about the controversy "Ghost" stirred up. That disclaimer is worth quoting in full, it reads as follows:


"This is a work of fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this book are fictional, and any resemblance to real people or incidents is purely coincidental. This book and series has no connection to reality. Any attempt by the reader to replicate any scene in this series is to be taken at the reader's own risk. For that matter, most of the actions of the main character are illegal under US and international law as well as most of the stricter religions in the world.

"There is no Valley of the Keldara. Heck, there is no Kildar. And the idea of some Scots and Vikings getting together to raid the Byzantine Empire is beyond ludicrous.

"The islands described in a previous book do not exist. Entire regions described in these books do not exist. Any attempt to learn anything from these books is disrecommended by the author, the publisher and the author's mother who wishes to state that he was a very nice boy and she doesn't know what went wrong."


Incidentally, that line about "any resemblance to real people or incidents is purely coincidental" is a classic example of a blatantly false statement which escapes being a lie only because both author and reader know that it's a legal fiction which he has to write and makes no attempt to fool anyone. Osama Bin Laden and Vladimir Putin appear in these books under their real names, certain other characters will instantly be recognised by any politically aware reader as corresponding to real world US politicians.

All five books in the series contain a great deal of violence, strongly expressed and very right-wing political views, and a lot of references to sex, always utterly politically incorrect and sometimes fairly explicit. My copies of these books are stored where my children can't get at them and will be until they are adults.

Provided you are not offended by the sex, violence and non-PC attitudes, these books can be quite exciting and entertaining in places. But I would advise feminists, left-wingers, and anyone even slightly prudish to save your money for something else.

Darkly fascinating but BEWARE - will make you hot under the collar!, 05 May 2006
Ringo's Ghost series has sparked controversy over his completely un-PC protagonist. Not only are feminists and religious fractions outraged over his S&B erotica, harem and sexist content of this book and others in the series; the protagonist's right wing politics, blatant "shoot 'em and let God sort 'em out" content, in this climate isn't going to necessarily make comfortable reading. If you're the slightest bit prudish or against macho men... I suggest you forget this book - you'll end up wanting to burn it or have a coronary!

Kildar finds Ghost in a "Lord of the Land" situation with lost or loose women to "take care of", Modern day Viking subordinates to train in a SNAFU all out war with various terrorists and baddies. Just imagine the song; "bodies hit the floor" mixed with hard S&M porn and an American chauvinistic anti-hero protagonist in lead and that sums it up.

As a woman, I was quite taken aback by this series as I hadn't noticed Ringo's characters being quite so offensive in quite so many ways! However, the hero's internal struggle to be "a good guy" despite the darkness of his personal fantasies grew on me. I did find the blatant political messages rather irritating as I am personally against most of what Ghost has to say/believe in and the erotica sections were a little hard to read... However, if you can see past the "shock" factor elements of the book, the character of Ghost is an interesting one; too many such like-minded people exist today and it's not likely I'd ever meet someone like him in real life, only faces of him. After all, that is the function of Literature; to broaden one's horizons. It might not make comfortable reading, you might not agree with it but it's always fascinating to see things from different viewpoints.


Another Solid Effort, 17 Mar 2006
Angels of Wrath is the second in Larry Bond and Jim DeFelice's First Team series. Once it again it follows the activities of the CIA's 'First Team', a covert action group who are not as cheesy as their name would imply. Lead as always by the sarcastic, pragmatic and highly effective Bob Ferguson, the team is tasked with monitoring a group of US based fundamentalists. This mission eventually takes them to Israel, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon and Iraq a events spiral out of control.

Which is the beauty of both this book and its predecessor in the series. Whatever complaints you make about First Team (and that name has to be one of them) you cannot include predictable plotting. Events in the team's world evolve organically and often in surprising directions. Unseen connections are identified, dead ends are pursued, plots evolve and unforseen events send the story off in completely new directions. It gives the whole book a ring of truthfulness that is lacking from other, more linear thrillers, although it does demand the reader's concentration. With new characters constantly being introduced, new places being visited and the team being divided into different groups with different tasks it would be easy to become confused if your weren't paying attention.

If you do keep up however, then you're rewarded with a story that is both exciting and believable, with just the right mixture of action and intrigue.

With this being a second novel featuring a recurring cast, there is also a feeling of characters developing. How much this would come across to someone who hadn't read the first book in the series is questionable, but for someone familiar with Ferg, Rankin, Corrine and the others its good to see them grow and become more interesting and complex.

Not that characterisation is necessarily the book's strong point in every case. Whilst the members of the team benefit from being given more time to breath and having appeared in the first novel, some of the supporting players come across as nothing more than cliches or ciphers, there to drive the plot on.

This lack of depth is a consequence of the speed at which the book moves. Written in short, punchy chapters and multiple acts, the action never ceases, with people constantly working or on the move. Some readers might find this sense of restlessness frustrating. It also, like the first book in the series, gives it the feel of a TV or movie script in book form, with lots of short scenes and multiple cuts. At times it feels like the literary equivalent of TV's 24.

These are minor quibbles however, and should not spoil readers enjoyment of what is an entertaining, fresh take on the contemporary thriller. If Bond and DeFelice produce further books up to the same high standard this series should run and run.

Well paced, well written plot, 15 Nov 2008
I've read all of Coyle's books from the start. This one although continuing the Dixon thread is also written in way it works well as a standalone book for those who do not follow the series.

This one takes us to the Phillipines where Nathan Dixon is put on the spot in the manner which his new Commanding Officer arrives in post and the characters spark due to the C.O.'s militatry ambition and Nathan's family background.

The strategy and tactics of the forces are well explained in a well grounded manner for those not familiar with such.

The story is about a well trained political/religious terror group whose leader has ambition to bring together the muslim plans from their current fragmented state. This brings about a plan to destabilise the Phillipino government. The plot centres on the action in the jungle and hence the title of Cat and Mouse.

The pace is tight and pulls the reader along extremely well. Toward the end when everything is starting to bubble there is an event which causes Nathan Dixon to rebel against his C.O. and start planning his tactics completely in opposition to his C.O. but with some encouragement from the Operational Commander. The climax left me wondering who had achieved what. I am tempted to ask for a few more chapters but I suspect this ending leaves the next book with plenty of routes to follow.

A well written, clear and concise plot which is very realistic. Worth the money in my opinion.

Play the game, 31 Jul 2006
Robert Rankin's 22nd novel is set once more in Brentford, only this time in the near future of the 2020's, so while there are some familiar locations and aging supporting characters (including a seemingly immortal Old Pete) the bulk of the main cast are brand new. The story revolves around a deadly computer virus that, in a neat turnaround, enable computers to play games with humans, and Brentford's struggle against being turned into a theme park. Typically unhinged Rankin humour abounds, with plenty of running gags and a wild looping plot that wanders all over the place and includes a nice twist finish. It's perhaps not among Rankin's very best books - the plot is perhaps a bit too unhinged for it's own good, and the hero ends up getting shunted off into something of a subplot in the books last third - but this is still deliciously loopy stuff, and very funny.

Very enjoyable, if a bit shallow in places., 01 Feb 2002
I'd read two of Rankin's books before getting around to this one - I found 'The Antipope' very difficult to get into, although it got a lot better towards the end and 'Waiting for Godalming' was rather better (and funnier, IMO).

Of the three books I've read so far, Website Story is by far the best, and manages to be both anachronistic (in the case of Brentford and its denizens) and futuristic (as in Mute Corp - I'm sure that any resemblance to another large computer company whose name begins with M is purely coincidental :-) ), and both serious and laugh-out loud funny, something which can't really be said of the other Rankin books I've read.

People seem fond of comparing Rankin to Terry Pratchett, which isn't really fair to either author. Rankin loses out in terms of writing style, which is often annoyingly disjointed, and character development which is often non-existent. The latter opinion may be revised after I read more of his books (as I most certainly will) but 'Website Story' suffers in that apart from the hero and heroine of the book, there seem to be a lot of bit-part roles.

Criticisms aside, this is very good and often very funny book and a good introduction to Rankin's often off-kilter style, but if you're expecting Pratchett-type material then you may well be disappointed.

The Matrix.... Rankin style!!!, 16 Nov 2001
This book is not one of RR's better works but when you consider the competition it's up against it still deserves 4 stars. If you're new to his work start with something else and work your way up to this one.

The new millenium has come and gone without a problem, or has it? Who is in control? What exactly is going on? And why hasn't it affected the good folk of Brentford?

Another Rankin story of good vs evil, man vs machine, Brentonians vs the forces of darkness. As usual, Rankin takes a little while to get going (this one probably moreso than others) but don't let that put you off. There are running gags aplenty, obscure references to 70's console games, a classic Brentonian character or two and all the local pubs, a holographic creature from Griffin Island, not to mention the Rapture!!!

and everything.

This may be the best rankin yet, 24 Oct 2001
This book is simply robert rankins finest to date. The wonderfully insane story is presented, as in other rankin books, in many splintered sections, all seamingly unconnected until that glorious moment when ten different parts all fit together perfectly. The bulk of the story settles on two opposites, a lonely man and the adventerous lady whose journey through the book together is more human and subtle than the usual rankin characters. oh and it groin grabbingly hilarious as well.

Almost back on form, 26 Jul 2001
The dictionary definition for flawed genius should be "Robert Rankin." His books are nearly always packed with inventive, left of field ideas, and Website Story is no exception. The title (shock, horror!) actually relates to the book in some way, which is very unusual for Rankin. But, his genius is flawed. Website Story is more focused than the last couple of Rankin books, but you can't help but feel that he needs a good editor just to rein him in a little. Not too much, as that would ruin the appeal of his free-wheeling style, but just enough to add more meat to his characters and a sligtly deeper, more satisfying plot. Just enough to turn an excellent comic writer into a truly brilliant comic writer.

Mike's war on terror, book 5, and it's back in the USA, 21 Aug 2008

This is the fifth and currently (August 08) most recent book in the series which began with "Ghost" and continued with "Kildar." I have seen the series described by the names of both those books and also "Paladin of Shadows." In this book Mike Harmon and his team return to the USA at the request of the President to try to stop a terrorist attempt to attack various soft targets such as Disneyworld with lethal nerve gas.

All the books in this series feature either counter-terror operations or actual pitched battles against Islamic extremists, and have most of the characters vocally expressing very right wing views. All five of the books have villains who enjoy inflicting sexual violence against women, up to and including rape and murder, and the central character also has sexual tastes which range from the kinky to the completely out of order, so none of the books are suitable for anyone squeamish. "A deeper blue" has rather less in the way of sex than the first few books in the series, but the central character appears to like shocking people, for example by openly referring to another character as his "harem manager."

(The reader who has not read the previous books will be thinking "What! Does that mean what I think it does?" The answer is yes.)

"A Deeper Blue", like the second, third and fourth books in the series, is less outrageous, and a bit better written, than "Ghost" but still pushes the envelope hard in several places. It also, for the first time in the series, presents one of the Muslims caught up in the activities of the terrorists as a decent human being who tries to limit the harm caused by his co-religionists. Nevertheless, as a rough litmus test, if you were strongly against the Iraq war, are very pro-feminist, or even slightly prudish, do your blood pressure a favour and refrain from touching this entire series with a ten foot barge-pole.


Former SEAL Mike Harmon, codename Ghost, after fighting and defeating a number of terrorist plots, has settled down in a remote valley in the country of Georgia where he bought the local castle.

The area concerned does not actually exist, but if it did, Russian tanks would have been rampaging through it while I was reading this book. I couldn't help thinking "Typical - as soon as Mike and his troops are off in the states Putin invades!"

It turns out that the castle and associated farmland which Mike bought came with some feudal retainers, the Keldara, who accept him as their liege lord or "Kildar" - and if that sounds wierd and anachronistic at the start of the 21st century you ain't read nothing yet.

Since Chechen terrorists are a major nuisance in the area on both sides of the Georgian/Russian frontier, Mike Harmon has trained some of his Keldara as an anti-terrorist militia with the knowledge and support of the Georgian, Russian, and US governments. (This was written at a time when relations between Russia and Georgia were merely bad, which is reflected in the book, but before they deteriorated into war and invasion.)


During the previous book, an anti-terorist operation in search of stolen WMD (Weapons of Mass Destruction) led that militia into a pitched battle with a brigade of 4,000 Chechens which resulted in heavy casualties on both sides. The Keldara won, but at the start of the book Mike has locked himself away, grieving because a girl he was in love with was one of those killed.

Mike and the Keldara had previously smashed a criminal conspiracy in which senior figures in the governments of most of the world's most powerful governments were implicated. The guilty individuals concerned have been quietly removed from power, but now Mike Harmon has both friends and enemies in all those governments. The pricipal effect of this in "A deeper blue" is that John Ringo can fantasise about his characters being able to say exactly what they think to assorted idiots, stuffed shirts, liberals and left-wingers (I am not associating these concepts, but the book does) and any appeal to higher authority on the part of those outraged at such comments hits a brick wall.

Initially Mike Harmon does not want to respond to the request to go back to the USA and hunt for nerve gas, as he is too busy grieving. But he allows some of his people to go, and when two of them walk into a trap meant for Mike, anger snaps him back to himself: the terrorists soon won't know what hit them.

One or two of Mike's old friends from "Ghost" also make an appearence in this book.

The full "Paladin of Shadows" series currently consists of

Ghost
Kildar
Choosers of the Slain
Into the Breach
A Deeper Blue

John Ringo normally writes military SF and most of his offerings in that genre are extremely good. This series is about a freelance war on terror. In places, and especially in the first book, Ringo seems to be in grave danger of crossing the line between challenging the reader and going out of your way to see how many people you can offend. That goes even for his existing fans among military SF readers, who are probably neither the most prudish or left/liberal of audiences.

In fact the funniest part of "A Deeper Blue" and all the other books in the series from "Kildar" onwards is not part of the main text - it is the disclaimer at the start of the books which at least demonstrates that Ringo understands and has a sense of humour about the controversy "Ghost" stirred up. That disclaimer is worth quoting in full, it reads as follows:


"This is a work of fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this book are fictional, and any resemblance to real people or incidents is purely coincidental. This book and series has no connection to reality. Any attempt by the reader to replicate any scene in this series is to be taken at the reader's own risk. For that matter, most of the actions of the main character are illegal under US and international law as well as most of the stricter religions in the world.

"There is no Valley of the Keldara. Heck, there is no Kildar. And the idea of some Scots and Vikings getting together to raid the Byzantine Empire is beyond ludicrous.

"The islands described in a previous book do not exist. Entire regions described in these books do not exist. Any attempt to learn anything from these books is disrecommended by the author, the publisher and the author's mother who wishes to state that he was a very nice boy and she doesn't know what went wrong."


Incidentally, that line about "any resemblance to real people or incidents is purely coincidental" is a classic example of a blatantly false statement which escapes being a lie only because both author and reader know that it's a legal fiction which he has to write and makes no attempt to fool anyone. Osama Bin Laden and Vladimir Putin appear in these books under their real names, certain other characters will instantly be recognised by any politically aware reader as corresponding to real world US politicians.

As mentioned, all five books in the series contain a great deal of violence, strongly expressed and very right-wing political views, and references to sex which are always utterly politically incorrect and sometimes fairly explicit. My copies of these books are stored where my children can't get at them and will be until they are adults.

Provided you are not offended by the sex, violence and non-PC attitudes, these books can be quite exciting and entertaining in places. But I would advise feminists, left-wingers, and anyone even slightly prudish to save your money for something else.

Just not as good as the others., 18 Jul 2007
I love John Ringo books, one of the few authors I pre-order. I have really enjoyed the previous Paladin of the Shadows novels, but this was just not as good. Don't get me wrong from any other author this would be a solid 5 star book, but I expect more from Ringo.

Ghost seems to try to take on all the bad guys single handed, despite the presence of the Keldara; there is less 'sex', less babes, less believable action, less conflict, less good action, on the whole its just less than the previous books, and less than Ringo can do.



Cracking Read, 07 Jul 2008
A good book well worth a read no mucking about straight in there sex and violence to the fore

great stuff

Vast improvement on "Ghost" but still pushing the envelope, 17 May 2008
This is the second book in the series which began with "Ghost". "Kildar" is much less outrageous, and rather better written, than the first book in the series but still goes over the top in several places. As a rough litmus test, if you were strongly against the Iraq war, are very pro-feminist, or even slightly prudish, do your blood pressure a favour and refrain from touching this entire series with a ten foot barge-pole.

At the start of "Kildar", having prevented some dire terrorist atrocities in the first book, former SEAL Mike Harmon has gone travelling in various remote parts of the world to keep out of the way of those people who would like revenge on him. Stopping in a remote valley in Georgia ("the country not the state" as he repeats umpteen times during the book) he decides to buy the local castle as a place to stay. It turns out that the castle and associated farmland comes with some feudal retainers, the Keldara, who accept him as their liege lord or "Kildar" - and if that sounds wierd and anachronistic at the start of the 21st century you ain't read nothing yet.

The full series currently consists of

Ghost
Kildar
Choosers of the Slain
Into the Breach
A Deeper Blue

John Ringo normally writes military SF and most of his offerings in that genre are extremely good. This series is about a freelance war on terror. In places, and especially in the first book, Ringo seems to be in grave danger of crossing the line between challenging the reader and going out of your way to see how many people you can offend. That goes even for his existing fans among military SF readers, who are probably neither the most prudish or left/liberal of audiences.

In fact the funniest part of "Kildar" and each subsequent book in the series is not part of the main text - it is the disclaimer at the start of the books which at least demonstrates that Ringo understands and has a sense of humour about the controversy "Ghost" stirred up. That disclaimer is worth quoting in full, it reads as follows:


"This is a work of fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this book are fictional, and any resemblance to real people or incidents is purely coincidental. This book and series has no connection to reality. Any attempt by the reader to replicate any scene in this series is to be taken at the reader's own risk. For that matter, most of the actions of the main character are illegal under US and international law as well as most of the stricter religions in the world.

"There is no Valley of the Keldara. Heck, there is no Kildar. And the idea of some Scots and Vikings getting together to raid the Byzantine Empire is beyond ludicrous.

"The islands described in a previous book do not exist. Entire regions described in these books do not exist. Any attempt to learn anything from these books is disrecommended by the author, the publisher and the author's mother who wishes to state that he was a very nice boy and she doesn't know what went wrong."


Incidentally, that line about "any resemblance to real people or incidents is purely coincidental" is a classic example of a blatantly false statement which escapes being a lie only because both author and reader know that it's a legal fiction which he has to write and makes no attempt to fool anyone. Osama Bin Laden and Vladimir Putin appear in these books under their real names, certain other characters will instantly be recognised by any politically aware reader as corresponding to real world US politicians.

All five books in the series contain a great deal of violence, strongly expressed and very right-wing political views, and a lot of references to sex, always utterly politically incorrect and sometimes fairly explicit. My copies of these books are stored where my children can't get at them and will be until they are adults.

Provided you are not offended by the sex, violence and non-PC attitudes, these books can be quite exciting and entertaining in places. But I would advise feminists, left-wingers, and anyone even slightly prudish to save your money for something else.

Darkly fascinating but BEWARE - will make you hot under the collar!, 05 May 2006
Ringo's Ghost series has sparked controversy over his completely un-PC protagonist. Not only are feminists and religious fractions outraged over his S&B erotica, harem and sexist content of this book and others in the series; the protagonist's right wing politics, blatant "shoot 'em and let God sort 'em out" content, in this climate isn't going to necessarily make comfortable reading. If you're the slightest bit prudish or against macho men... I suggest you forget this book - you'll end up wanting to burn it or have a coronary!

Kildar finds Ghost in a "Lord of the Land" situation with lost or loose women to "take care of", Modern day Viking subordinates to train in a SNAFU all out war with various terrorists and baddies. Just imagine the song; "bodies hit the floor" mixed with hard S&M porn and an American chauvinistic anti-hero protagonist in lead and that sums it up.

As a woman, I was quite taken aback by this series as I hadn't noticed Ringo's characters being quite so offensive in quite so many ways! However, the hero's internal struggle to be "a good guy" despite the darkness of his personal fantasies grew on me. I did find the blatant political messages rather irritating as I am personally against most of what Ghost has to say/believe in and the erotica sections were a little hard to read... However, if you can see past the "shock" factor elements of the book, the character of Ghost is an interesting one; too many such like-minded people exist today and it's not likely I'd ever meet someone like him in real life, only faces of him. After all, that is the function of Literature; to broaden one's horizons. It might not make comfortable reading, you might not agree with it but it's always fascinating to see things from different viewpoints.


Another Solid Effort, 17 Mar 2006
Angels of Wrath is the second in Larry Bond and Jim DeFelice's First Team series. Once it again it follows the activities of the CIA's 'First Team', a covert action group who are not as cheesy as their name would imply. Lead as always by the sarcastic, pragmatic and highly effective Bob Ferguson, the team is tasked with monitoring a group of US based fundamentalists. This mission eventually takes them to Israel, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon and Iraq a events spiral out of control.

Which is the beauty of both this book and its predecessor in the series. Whatever complaints you make about First Team (and that name has to be one of them) you cannot include predictable plotting. Events in the team's world evolve organically and often in surprising directions. Unseen connections are identified, dead ends are pursued, plots evolve and unforseen events send the story off in completely new directions. It gives the whole book a ring of truthfulness that is lacking from other, more linear thrillers, although it does demand the reader's concentration. With new characters constantly being introduced, new places being visited and the team being divided into different groups with different tasks it would be easy to become confused if your weren't paying attention.

If you do keep up however, then you're rewarded with a story that is both exciting and believable, with just the right mixture of action and intrigue.

With this being a second novel featuring a recurring cast, there is also a feeling of characters developing. How much this would come across to someone who hadn't read the first book in the series is questionable, but for someone familiar with Ferg, Rankin, Corrine and the others its good to see them grow and become more interesting and complex.

Not that characterisation is necessarily the book's strong point in every case. Whilst the members of the team benefit from being given more time to breath and having appeared in the first novel, some of the supporting players come across as nothing more than cliches or ciphers, there to drive the plot on.

This lack of depth is a consequence of the speed at which the book moves. Written in short, punchy chapters and multiple acts, the action never ceases, with people constantly working or on the move. Some readers might find this sense of restlessness frustrating. It also, like the first book in the series, gives it the feel of a TV or movie script in book form, with lots of short scenes and multiple cuts. At times it feels like the literary equivalent of TV's 24.

These are minor quibbles however, and should not spoil readers enjoyment of what is an entertaining, fresh take on the contemporary thriller. If Bond and DeFelice produce further books up to the same high standard this series should run and run.

Confused, 26 Feb 2007
The two previous 'First Team' novels, which followed the eponymous elite CIA/Special Forces team tasked with tackling global terrorism, were excellent action spy thrillers. Not only were they entertaining but they also maintained a sense of realism and relevance in the way they were plotted.

Fires of War, the third in the series, continues to use the same stylistic beats as its predecessors. There are the short, punchy, 24-style chapters (often amounting to no more that a paragraph) and the multiple plot strands, some of which are deliberate cul-de-sacs that are indicative of the real deadends often encountered by intelligence agents. There is the continuing development of reoccurring characters such as First Team leader Bob Ferguson & his boss Corrine Alston and the sparky, complicated interpersonal relationships between members of the team. In other words Fires of War contains all the ingredients readers have come to expect in First Team novels.

Unfortunately this time, despite the presence of the co-authors of both previous novels Larry Bond and Jim DeFelice, the resulting whole does not live up to the sum of its ingredients. Whereas before the jumpy, cross-cutting narrative felt fresh and gave previous plots a sense of urgent realism, with Fires of War it just creates confusion, with too many plot strands competing for attention.

It doesn't help that the central plot this time around, focused on North Korea and nuclear weapons, is far weaker than previous efforts. Up until now First Team novels have had a very focused feel to them. Whilst past conspiracies may have had geo-political implications they were tight, small scale, unfolded beneath the radar and involved comparatively small casts of protagonists. This time the story drags in whole armies, world changing events and the oldest of thriller chestnuts; the meglo-maniacal billionaire industrialist. It also pulls in political machinations back in the US and internal CIA-infighting, further muddying the waters and pulling the story's focus away from the activities of the First Team.

As a result the book tends to meander, loses momentum and, crucially, its sense of excitement. This is a shame, because despite the overly complex plotting there is still much to enjoy here. The interplay between First Team members is as enjoyable as ever, and much of the incidental detail feels well drawn and realistic. There is also further development of all the key characters that hints at some interesting events in the future. Its just unfortunate that this time around Fergie, Thera, Rankin, Guns, Corrine and the rest aren't supported by tighter, better conceived plotting.