#BookReview: Legends by David Wood

Action Packed Quick Hits. This is a collection of short stories and a novella that work well to both allow long time fans of the series to have a bit more fun reading about the team’s adventures (mostly alone or with just Maddock and Bones) and to allow new readers a chance to sample the overall style of the universe without necessarily committing to an entire book to get a complete story. Overall truly a fun, quick read and great for when you maybe only have a few minutes at a time to read.

A note for those familiar with Wood’s other recent book, SERPENT: VENOM is the novella here, which features the same creature as SERPENT… except it is the same creature in name only. The entire characterization of the creature, from the way it looks to the way it behaves to the secrets behind it, are entirely different between the two tales, and indeed really the only similarities at all are that Bones is in both, they are both set in the same general place on the planet, and they feature a giant snake they both use the same name to denote. So don’t be afraid to read *both* stories. 😀

Excellent collection, and very much recommended.

This review of Legends by David Wood was originally written on December 16, 2020.

#BookReview: Serpent by David Wood

Another Excellent Maddock and Bones Adventure. This is yet another episode in the sprawling universe that is Maddock and Bones, one with at least a few callouts that won’t be obvious unless you’ve read the entire universe of these stories to this point. That noted, it can indeed work reasonably well as an entry point into the series, as most of the callbacks are more tangential than essential. (And the essential ones are explained well, but are slight spoilers for previous books – for those that particularly care about such things.) Overall a fun romp through the Amazon and Inca lore, and very much recommended.

This review of Serpent by David Wood was originally written on November 28, 2020.

#BookReview: Lost City by David Wood and Matt James

Short, Fun, And Typical Maddock-verse… Without The Full Team. If you’re looking for a short taste of an Indiana Jones / Dirk Pitt type adventure… you’ve found one. This is a very quick read at under 150 pages and features a bit more straightforward of an adventure for one Uriah “Bones” Bonebrake than is typical of the larger Maddock and Bones books with the full team. It will be interesting to see if at least one of the revelations here plays a role within the larger universe, but it is always fun to see Bones in his element, with or without the supporting cast. Just a great, fun bit of escapism to take your attention for an afternoon without demanding too much of your time. Very much recommended.

This review of Lost City by David Wood and Matt James was originally written on September 2, 2020.

#BookReview: Sanctum by David Wood

More Mystery But Some Solid Action Too. This book is a short prequel of sorts to Woods’s Crowley books – that alludes to far more possibility of prequels even earlier in the timeline. It is more mystery, with a lot of sneaking around finding clues, with the occasional grenade tossed or bone broken or trial by combat… but given its setting, it very much works. If you ever wanted to imagine what it would be like to unleash Jack Reacher into Hogwarts… this is your kind of book. 😉 Very much recommended.

This review of Sanctum by David Wood was originally written on April 5, 2020.

#BookReview: Shasta by David Wood and CB Matson

Maddock and Bones Back Again. This one has a bit more mysticism than most books in this universe, including one particular chapter that seems completely out of the blue for a bit until it is brought back into the real, but overall is a pretty standard action/ adventure tale in this series. If you’re looking for bullets and explosions while exploring arcane legends… this is your kind of tale. Very much recommended.

This review of Shasta by David Wood and CB Matson was originally written on March 19, 2020.

Featured New Release Of The Week: Destination Sofia by David Wood and Sean Ellis

This week we’re looking at the latest entry in a long running and expansive universe. This week we’re looking at Destination Sofia by David Wood and Sean Ellis.

This was yet another excellent example of Wood and Ellis’ abilities to take seemingly somewhat random real world mysteries and impressive sceneries and combine them into an action tale with just the right combination of adventure, intrigue, and guns blazing action. The intrigue here centers on the real life Tsarichina Hole, and Wood and Ellis truly do an excellent job explaining the real world mystery in the context of the tale, then spinning their own tale around that real world mystery.

Filled with the action and humor long time fans have come to expect from this universe, this is also a good enough entry point for people new to the series – at somewhat shortish (under 200 pages), it is a fairly quick yet highly entertaining read, perfect for trying to squeeze in another book or two at the end of the year to hit some numerical reading target. Very much recommended.

As always, the Goodreads/ Amazon review:
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#BookReview: Blue Descent by David Wood

Amazing Maddock Tale. This book has a foreward by the author where he speaks of seeking to create an enjoyable tale for fans of this long running series while also wanting to give people new to the series a “book 0” to start with that reflects more of his current writing style, and he achieves both of those objectives spectacularly. If you’ve never read a Maddock Adventure before, this one is truly a good place to start and a good idea of what you’re in store for throughout the rest of the series and surrounding universe. If you’re a long time fan, this book is one that sets in motion a few things while also allowing some possibilities for things to come. Truly a fun, action packed adventure, and very much recommended.

This review of Blue Descent by David Wood was originally written on November 1, 2019.

#BookReview: Revenant by David Wood

Solid NYC Action / Mystery. This was truly an excellent action/ mystery book centered in NYC and surrounding areas. Full of rich and disturbing (and apparently real) history, this book does an excellent job of continuing the evolving mythos Wood has created with these characters while still being a mostly self-contained (and thus easy for newbies to enter) story itself. Very much recommended.

This review of Revenant by David Wood was originally published on July 16, 2019.

#BookReview: Contest by David Wood

Another Awesome Adventure. Once again, Wood manages to make a hilarious adventure that touches on some very dark subjects – including the Black Dahlia murder. Long time fans will love this new chapter, and even people new to Wood and/ or Maddock and Bones shouldn’t have any issues picking up the story as presented… so long as you don’t mind references to previous adventures and story lines (none of which are critical to the flow here). Very much recommended, particularly for those looking for some good, solid, Indiana Jones type escapism.

This review of Contest by David Wood was originally published on July 2, 2019.

#BookReview: Bloodstorm by David Wood and Sean Ellis

The End of the Beginning. This was an excellent tale of Dane Maddock and Uriah ‘Bones’ Bonebreak’s final mission as US Navy SEALs. As with the Star Wars prequel series, everything we have known that was specific to this era and would not continue into the next is resolved, while the things that do continue into the next era are set up nicely and alluded to hilariously. Truly an excellent tale that does all that it needs to do yet never feels burdened by the load at all, doing it all organically within the story itself.

This review of Bloodstorm by David Wood and Sean Ellis was originally published on April 12, 2019.