Tag: Jeremy Robinson

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#BookReview: Cannibal by Jeremy Robinson

CANNIBAL picks up shortly after the events of SAVAGE, with the Team facing some doubts for the first time in a long time. Meanwhile, they don’t know it yet but they are about to face one of their greatest, and gravest, challenges yet. Along the way, the Team will be rocked to its very core unlike ever before… So sit down, strap in, and get ready for one of the wildest rides yet from the master of the wild ride.

Oh, and unfortunately you will never look at BBQ the same again – a true shame, if you are a Southerner like me who eats it regularly… 😀

This review of Cannibal by Jeremy Robinson and Sean Ellis was originally published on February 10, 2015.

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#BookReview: Flood Rising by Jeremy Robinson

Robinson and Ellis attempt to out-Bourne Robert Ludlum, and in the process not only do that (and much more enjoyably!) but also out-Scarecrow Matthew Reilly. If you’re looking for an action packed thrill ride full of mystery and suspense, look no further! The explosion on the cover is basically the first scene of the book… and the book never really stops from there. From the Florida Keys to Arecibo to Arizona, we jump over quite a bit of the US as Jenna Flood begins to realize nothing is as it seems. And I do mean *nothing*. Pick this book up – you won’t be disappointed, and you’ll most likely be hooked on Robinson and Ellis!

This review of Flood Rising by Jeremy Robinson and Sean Ellis was originally published on October 7, 2014.

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#BookReview: Savage by Jeremy Robinson

This is the first Chess Team book to occur post-Ridley Saga, and is designed to be much more stand alone. As such, it makes a good entry point into the series for new fans – and they will be fans by the end of the book, mark my words on that one.

The back story here starts with Henry Morton Stanley trying to find the money to get back to Africa. It seems that Dr. Livingstone had told him a fantastical tale that he just had to go see for himself…

Flash forward nearly a century, and a man running from the constant wars of mid 20th century Africa finds a mysterious cave that two of his friends quickly die in.

And then we come to the modern era, where we are quickly introduced to a bunch of tourists in Egypt. One is Chinese, two appears to be a German couple, and two more appear to be tourists from some other Arab country. Of course they are none other than Shin Dae-jung, call sign KNIGHT, Stan Tremblay, call sign ROOK, Zelda Baker, call sign QUEEN, Erik Sommers, call sign BISHOP, and the man who has now lived through millenia, Jack Sigler – call sign KING. Yes, all of these tourists are our Chess Team, and they are on yet another mission to set up yet another book.

The tale this time mostly centers in Africa, but with a couple of side trips – QUEEN and ROOK only – to Europe to save a President and kill some bad guys, CHESS TEAM style. Along the way, we get a spin on the Team that is becoming somewhat the norm in these later books with the story splitting the team up in different objectives before bringing them all back together for the final battle. Along the way, we encounter at least a couple of people who are holdovers from the Ridley Saga, we get some great action, some funny humor… and a gut punch about mid way through.

But that midpoint gut punch is NOTHING like the haymaker that lands in the final 12% of the book. To the tune that I actually sent Jeremy this message via Facebook:

NO. I’m 89% in. If you do what it looks like you’re about to do, there *will* be cursing involved. A lot of it.

Hence the title of this review. But I have to admit, it is *because* of this haymaker that this story stands head and shoulders above any CHESS TEAM book before it. Because of this haymaker, I recommend reading at least a few of the previous books first, just to get the full weight of what is happening, though it isn’t strictly necessary. (But seriously, who starts reading a series with Book 6?? Seriously – you’ll have a LOT more fun if you start off with PRIME or PULSE, then skip ahead and read this one if you must. Hell, go ahead and buy all three!

This haymaker will change the course of the team forever… Or will it? As with Marvel’s Avenger Series movies, make sure you stay through the end credits. Or in this case, the “Coda” after the Epilogue…

This review of Savage by Jeremy Robinson and Sean Ellis was originally published on July 24, 2014.

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#BookReview: XOM-B/ Uprising by Jeremy Robinson

If you like robots… READ THIS BOOK.

If you like zombies… READ THIS BOOK.

And if you’ve never seen the two subjects in one book, as I had never… READ THIS BOOK!

My title wasn’t joking, if anything it was probably an understatement. Jeremy Robinson is an amazing author, and he has said this is his best book yet. I have to agree with him – it truly is. You can get the base description from the description here on Amazon, and all I can add is that you are in for a whirlwind of surprise, grand adventure, epic storytelling, and amazing battle sequences.

What are you doing still reading this? BUY THIS BOOK and START READING IT IMMEDIATELY!

This review of XOM-B (later retitled UPRISING) by Jeremy Robinson was originally published on April 29, 2014.

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#BookReview: Guardian by Jeremy Robinson

First, let me say this: READ OMEGA by Jeremy and Kane Gilmour FIRST. This book, by necessity, has several major spoilers to that book.

Now, if you don’t mind spoilers and simply want a GREAT introduction to one of the best single characters in modern fiction, pick up GUARDIAN even if you haven’t read any other CHESS TEAM book.

In GUARDIAN, we see King being just that – a GUARDIAN – to Nebuchadnezzar’s grandson (yes, that Nebuchadnezzar – as in, Daniel and the Lion’s Den. Writing on the wall, etc etc etc). Now, if you’re wondering how a modern super-Delta soldier is somehow in the time of an old Nebuchadnezzar… READ OMEGA!

Great twist on the monster tale, having a modern soldier go back in time to battle ancient monsters… and make some interesting discoveries along the way. Great introduction to who King is – leader, soldier, guardian, tactician, etc etc etc.

Looking forward to the next in the Continuum Series! 😀

This review of Guardian by Jeremy Robinson and Kent Holloway was originally published on March 25, 2014.

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#BookReview: Refuge by Jeremy Robinson

This book was originally published in 5 parts. The following are the reviews for each part, compiled together here.

Night of the Blood Sky:
Small town New Hampshire. July 4th. Most of the town is emptying out to go to the fireworks in a nearby town, a few are staying behind to either get drunk or get frisky. Nothing too earth shattering.

And then the church bell starts ringing… without anyone pulling it!

When the bell stops ringing, the town itself appears to be the same… except that somehow everything outside the borders of the town has… changed. Buckle in your seatbelts, because things are about to get wild!

Darkness Falls (w/ Daniel S. Boucher):
Book 2 of the Refuge Saga opens with a new primary character waking up from a drunken stupor to the new “reality” of life in Refuge. The church bell has once again sounded, and now a darkness has fallen, along with ash falling like snow and covering everything. Thanks to Book 1 taking care of the setup, this book dives right in to the mystery and action. More creepy, more monsters, and more heartache than Book 1, this is an excellent continuation of the series!

Lost in the Echo (w/ Robert Smartwood):
This series just keeps getting better and better. Each book building on the last, in this one we finally get a few answers, including the last words of the book.

In this one, Refuge starts out fairly peacefully – a welcome respite from the dark and ash of the previous book. Frost decides the town needs heavier weapons in case big bads like the ash monsters come back, and the only place that might have what they need is the abandoned National Guard depot on the edge of town.

But is it really abandoned?

Ashes and Dust (w/ David McAfee):
The Refuge Saga continues, this time the town gets transported to a world that is barren and dusty, possibly from some sort of nuclear explosion that seems to have originated from where Refuge now sits.

But then, the monsters are discovered, along with some startling revelations…

Excellent episode, and def sets up this season’s season finale in book 5…

Bonfires Burning Bright (w/ Kane Gilmour):
This series was GREAT. You start off in a not untypical small NH town that happens to have a few high tech upgrades – the entire town has been switched to solar power, for example, putting the local electrician out of business. The town is getting ready for July 4, including most of the town going to the next town over to watch the fireworks.

And then, the local church bell starts ringing… (Minor point that I’m unsure about: Where I live in the South, there are FAR more than one church per town!)

When the bell stops ringing, the world outside of City Limits is completely different… and very strange. This starts a sequence that repeats throughout the series, with the town bell ringing and the town transporting to a new world filled with its own mysteries and dangers. Along the way, the people remaining in the town are just trying to survive – and later trying to figure out exactly what is happening and how to stop it. By the end of Season 1, they find out WHAT is happening, and even a bit of HOW it is happening…

But how can they stop it? CAN they stop it? Will they ever return home? How will they know it is actually home? All of this needs answered, and for those answers we must wait for Season 2 (at least!)…

These reviews of the components of Refuge by Jeremy Robinson were originally published on January 23, 2014, January 23, 2014, January 28, 2014, January 28, 2014, and February 18, 2014.

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#BookReview: Omega by Jeremy Robinson

Picking up right where RAGNAROK leaves us, we think we know what is coming. Particularly with a title like OMEGA, you’re expecting an ending.

And an ending you get. But it is NOT going to be one you see coming.

Along the way, you get classic CHESS TEAM level kicking of ass. You get old bad guys. You get a couple of new ones. You get old friends. You get new ones. You get old players switching teams.

And in the end, you get…

an end.

Jeremy and Kane throw plenty of loops in that were not expected, as well as a couple of kick ass scenes that are. One fight that you know is coming you do indeed get – but not in the way you expect. One fight that you expect gets one of the players changed – and quite possibly becomes a bit cooler because of it, particularly due to the setup of this particular fight in some regards.

Long time fans may be torn by how this plays out – I know I am. But it is absolutely one of the best books out there and deserving of the full 5 stars and then some. Read this book and you’ll see what I mean about the stars, and possibly understand why I am torn. But then, long time fans are already going to pick this up. For people considering Jeremy and the CHESS TEAM, I’ll say this: Go ahead and buy every single one of them. You’ll want them available as you finish them. Then read them in the order they were published: PULSE, INSTINCT, THRESHOLD, the CALLSIGN novellas, PRIME, OMEGA. You will be in for the ride of your life!

This review of Omega by Jeremy Robinson and Kane Gilmour was originally published on September 25, 2013.

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#BookReview: Prime by Jeremy Robinson

The latest edition of the Chess Team saga takes it back to before it all began – when Jack Sigler was known as “Elvis” and before he had ever met Stan Tremblay, Shin Dae Jung, Erik Somers, and Zelda Baker.

I’m not going to get into the plot on this review, suffice it to say that it is a classic Chess Team rollercoaster that has them travel over much of the globe while explaining the need for just such a team very well.

If you’ve never read a Jeremy Robinson book, particularly from the Chess Team series, this one is the first one in storyline order and serves as an excellent origins story. If you’re a long time fan, this is another wild ride you’ve come to expect, with a few geek out moments thrown in – such as when “Elvis” becomes “King”, and even moreso when Stan, Shin, Erik, and Zelda become “Rook”, “Knight”, “Bishop”, and “Queen”.

The introductions to each character are done very well indeed, and some classic moments that have never before been put in the books are revealed. Among them:

How does Stan get his Desert Eagles?
How do Zelda and Jack meet, and how does Jack gain Zelda’s trust?
Who the hell is this “Richard” guy that seems to be financing the bad guys?

The most important question (as far as the future of Chess Team goes) is left unanswered:

How do the events of PRIME – the story of the beginnings of Chess Team – affect what long time fans know and expect to see in OMEGA – the story of the endings of Chess Team, coming out later this year? I have my suspicions, but at this point the only thing any of us other than Robinson and his coauthor for OMEGA, Kane Gilmour, know for sure:

No matter what happens, it will be one hell of a ride!

This review of Prime by Jeremy Robinson and Sean Ellis was originally published on July 27, 2013.

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#BookReview: Island 731 by Jeremy Robinson

Yet again, Robinson – already one of the greatest authors currently writing – outdoes even himself.

We open in WWII, where we get a sense of what is to transpire throughout the book. After the opener, we find ourselves in the middle of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch aboard the Magellan… about to be eaten by a shark!

It never really lets up from there, though when the crew of the Magellan finds a pillbox inscribed with “731”, anyone who has heard of the real-life Unit 731 of the Empire of Japan during WWII automatically has a skin-crawl moment.

Robinson has written of chimeras before, but never before has he based a story around such an atrocious real world event – and he even gives a real world history lesson during the course of the book.

Just when you think the book is winding down and all the monsters are revealed, you get a plot twist you never see coming. Then the surprises are over, right? Not at all. Indeed, Robinson keeps them coming right until the very last word of this masterpiece.

If you’ve never read Jeremy before, pick this up – you won’t be disappointed.

This review of Island 731 by Jeremy Robinson was originally published on April 21, 2013.