Okay, I'll confess, this was my first Maberry read. I know, I know, shame on me. Having said that, I have sort of a mixed review.
I've found that I enjoy his writing, his snarky action based characters, but alas, I wish would have been more familiar with his work sooner. Having no knowledge of the Joe Ledger series, I feel I was at a slight disadvantage with this one.
Let me tell you what really pushed this from a 3 star rating to a 4 star rating for me... Ray Porter. His narration was FABULOUS. I listen to a lot... I mean A LOT of audiobooks these days, so when a narrator can stand out the way he did for me, well then hats off to you sir! There are many different characters in this novel, and his ability to capture each one shows us just how multifaceted he truly is. I will definitely be on the lookout for novels narrated by him going forward.
As for Maberry, don't worry, I'm off to check out his other work immediately. 464 Easily the best Ledger book to date. There’s not as many one paragraph chapters and there’s a lot more depth and characterization as a result. This is also the most mature Ledger book, dealing with family and love as well as loss and grief in equal measure. The ending was so unexpected I had to start the next book in the series, Relentless, straight away. Another SOLID Maberry read. 464 First, I've got to say that I love me some Joseph Ledger. How often do you laugh out loud while you are reading? The internal and external dialogue is so often funny, sarcastic, biting...often all at once. The closure of the DMS brings our hero to RTI, the same animal in a different environment with different rules. Luckily, we still have the same characters, good and bad.
This world can be quite complicated and characters come in and out of stories. Sometimes years apart. About a year back I reread all of Maberry's books in chronological order, including short stories. I have an actual notebook because my first time through I often had to pull out a previous book to remember who someone was. Now I just consult my little Game of Thrones notebook (really) and I can give you a quick sketch of every member of the DMS and every bad guys/group to date. It could take away from it but it doesn't. It's fun to find yourself going, Ooh, I know who that is, I bet! and then reading on to see if you were right or fooled.
Here we have a lot of Joe. Once a Ledger story starts, it goes full speed until the end. Reading a digital ARC I don't have the physical feel of what's left, but reading this and looking air the percentage I knew there was more to come. I was right. And I was pissed. And I was sad. I need the next book.
Joe and RTI try to figure out who has released Rage, the name they give to something that is causing people to kill each other. This is very similar to previous stories, which is pointed out by characters themselves. It doesn't diminish it. There are enough old characters to feel comfortable but enough new to be interesting. There was not enough Top and Bunny for me and why can't we have more Ghost? There was just enough Junie for me. Meaning little. And maybe a little more Toys. I know Joe hates him but I love the character.
I do think this would be OK for people who never read the original DMS series. I do think, however, that it would lead them to want to go back and read it. This one was quite a ride. Like always, I preferred the character development and all of the nuances of everyone involved than I did the fight scenes, but both had their place and I get that.
In short, thanks to Jonathon Maberry, the punisher, and Netgalley for this advanced copy. Can't wait for the next one. 464 My review of RAGE can be found at High Fever Books.
The DMS may have disbanded, but Joe Ledger isn’t one for resting on his laurels. No longer beholden to the government of the United States, Mr. Church has put together a new organization that exists under, but is not beholden to, the UN: Rogue Team International. Now-Colonel Joe Ledger and his international team of shooters (goodbye Echo Team, hello Havoc Team!) are the first line of defense against global threats involving mad science run amok.
Although Rage is billed as the first Rogue Team International novel, there’s a whole hell of a lot of history behind it thanks to the 10 Joe Ledger books that came previously. While Jonathan Maberry does his best to fill new readers in on the big plot points that came before, seasoned veterans will note the reappearance of two major bad guys from the old DMS days. Much like the last four or five Joe Ledger books, Rage builds off what came before and acts somewhat like a sequel to prior installments. It may not be necessary, but the Joe Ledger fanboy in me highly recommends you start way back at square one if you’re not already familiar with this universe and its characters.
Rage is also, perhaps, the most comic book-like Joe Ledger entry thus far (as a fan of comic books, this is not necessarily a bad thing, mind you). While even the DMS books had a sort of Jame Bond-ian flare about them thanks to the larger-than-life mega-wealthy and ultra-resourceful super-villains hellbent on global domination, Mr. Church seems to have gotten in on the act now, too. Rogue Team International operates out of a secret, super-sophisticated high tech underground lair hidden in an inactive volcano on a privately owned island. Blessedly, everyone involved is in on the joke and absolutely no one, including Maberry himself, are taking it too seriously. In fact, there’s a pretty hilarious conversation between Ledger, Church, and team psychologist, Dr. Rudy Sanchez, about all this, which helps ground things a bit. It’s a welcome touch of self-aware humor that no doubt mimics what the reader is thinking and gets everyone on the same page. Hell, even the bad guys are in on the joke, realizing that they, too, are, in fact, super-villains right off the funny pages and in need of a cool nickname for their brotherhood of evil!
It’s not all fun and game, though. While Rage has a good deal of humor, and Ledger is as much a sarcastic wise-ass as ever, it’s also wicked, dark, and brutal when it needs to be. A weaponized pathogen has been unleashed off the coast of North Korea that causes the infected to become psychopathically, violently enraged murderers. By the time Rogue Team learns of the incident, it’s too late… everyone on the island has brutally killed one another — and it’s only the beginning. What follows is a race against time to find the culprits before they can launch a much larger attack and drag the world into another global war.
The rage virus at the core of this book ain’t no joke, and Maberry doesn’t shy away from the resultant horrors. Some of the scenes in here might be among the most brutal Maberry has written, including a vicious depiction of hand-to-hand combat late in the book that had me squirming (and that’s even on top of a fight scene in the shower that, erm, really goes some places…).
What really put Rage over the top for me, and right into five-star territory, was the last couple chapters. Obviously, I won’t spoil it for you, but I can’t think of the last time as book — let alone a long-running series like the Joe Ledger books — have left me so utterly shaken and surprised by the lengths this author will go to punch us right in the heart (and then, in a brilliant display of sadomasochism that can only exist between an author hellbent on torturing his audience and the readers that love him for it, leave us asking for more, for Christ’s sake!). Yeah, goddamn it… I’m gonna need that next Rogue Team International book right…fucking…now. 464 This Joe Ledger novel starts a new series. It’s the first Ledger book I read, but I soon found out there are a lot of previous books. Still, it was okay to start here. The characters obviously have a lot of history already, and the book does reference previous events that are kind of spoilery.
Anyway, Joe is part of a team of badasses: international spy types. Modern James Bondses. They’re international and don’t answer to a government. They’re highly skilled, they have lots of high-tech gadgets, and they even have a secret lair.
Some bad guys release a plague-like bioweapon that turns people into raging, homicidal maniacs, a little like zombies. This puts the world on the brink of a world war, so it’s up to Ledger’s team to get to the bottom of it.
The book alternates between the present (with Joe in first person) and the past (with the villains in third person). These guys are really, really bad.
The story is full of action—lots of fight scenes—but it’s not nonstop, so it doesn’t get boring. It’s a good balance of action and character development. The ending isn’t quite a cliffhanger, but it does set things up for the next book. (I can’t believe how the author treats Joe at the end.)
Language: Moderate amount of strong language and lewd language
Sexual Content: Moderately explicit
Violence: Lots of violence, often gory: military weapons, bombs, cannibalism, torture, bones breaking in hand-to-hand combat, knife fighting, etc.
Harm to Animals:
Harm to Children:
Other (Triggers): 464
Another great Joe Ledger Adventure/Thriller. These are exceptional fast paced and action filled stories. you are flying through the book like the hero is through danger. Very recommended 464 My favorite Joe Ledger book thus far! It just kicked my ass down the road and back again.
Now I'm experiencing some RAGE waiting for the next book!
Bravo to Mr. Maberry and to Ray Porter!!! 464 RAGE by Jonathan Maberry is the first book in a new series featuring Joe Ledger. This time he is no longer with the Department of Military Sciences, but leading a team of independent troubleshooters, Havoc Team. The new series is called Rogue Team International. This action thriller / military thriller can be read as a standalone novel, but the previous Joe Ledger series would give the reader more of the back stories of the key players.
Joe Ledger and Havoc Team start out by trying to rescue a girl who has been kidnapped and is being held in Syria. From there, this newly formed group is soon trying to stop a terror group that has released a bioweapon on a small island of the coast of Korea. Does this terror group want Korea to unite or tear itself apart? Can Havoc team stop the killing?
The story starts off with a scene that immediately pulls the reader in and never lets him or her off the rollercoaster of action and emotion. The main character, Joe Ledger, is well-developed, compelling and someone the reader can cheer for. His motivation is believable and well-drawn. The secondary characters enhance the story and the relationships are believable.
For an action / military thriller, I loved the style that Maberry used. While there is some discussion of weapons, it does not go into minute detail. I believe this approach makes this more of an action thriller that will appeal to a wider audience. The fast-paced story also takes the reader to many different locations ranging from Syria, Turkey, Greece, North Korea, South Korea, Norway, Arizona, California, Virginia, Sweden, and Maryland to Florida and more.
Overall, this novel is a fresh, entertaining, emotional ride. Be aware that there is plenty of violence in this story, but there is also friendship, family, and brotherhood/sisterhood relationships.
This is the only book that I have read by this author but I am looking forward to the next book in the series as well as going back and reading the original Joe Ledger series. I believe those readers that enjoy action thrillers and military thrillers will enjoy this book.
Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press – St. Martin’s Griffin and Jonathan Maberry for a digital ARC of this novel via Net Galley and the opportunity to provide an honest review. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way. 464 My thanks to St. Martin's Publishing, Netgalley and the amazeballs author Jonathan Maberry! We are now Rogue Team International! That's right! Church, Ledger and the team's are now unofficially of course working internationally! I love it! To Heck with being under the thumb of one whacked out President. Yeah, I'm looking at you, Trump! As always, Joe and his team rock! And as always I can never loosen up because I have learned that in this series many people die! I love that, and I hate that! The best thing about this book wasn't just the lovely and exotic locations.. From Greece, the Korea's, Japan and Norway. It has some returning favorite bad guy's. Some of the scariest of the bunch. Also, many good guys too. Or should I say gals? As always, the ending is freaking bleak. Needless to say, I'm looking forward to some revenge and a whole lot of payback in the next book. 464 'Rage' is the perfect title for this edition of the Rogue Team International series since Joe's done dealing out mercy because he is enraged - now his only interest is dealing out pain and death.
Love every single episode, and I have to say this is my favorite to date. A plethora of deaths, torture, and plotting out the best way(S)to take down some of the most decadent degenerates Joe has encountered to date. Siblings, Adam and Eve are perfectly serpent like and a fantastic addition to stir a pot that's already boiling over with havoc and chaos. The ending blew me away and would never have imagined this outcome in a million years. Disturbing, thrilling and just so well done! Now I'm left itching at the bit more than ever for the next episode.
Much thanks to Mr. Ray Porter for the incredible and consistent job with every single character. Always spectacular and (for me) listening to the narration raises the excitement, intensity and overall experience of the story to whole new dimensions. 464
Rage is the first title in Jonathan Maberry's brand new Joe Ledger spin-off series of international weird science thrillers.
A small island off the coast of Japan is torn apart by a bioweapon that drives everyone—men, women, and children—insane with murderous rage. The people behind that attack want Korea united or destroyed. No middle ground. No mercy. And they are willing to punish any country that stands in the way—the United States, China, and Japan could all be consumed by a plague of pure destructive slaughter.
Joe Ledger leads his newly formed band of international troubleshooters in their first mission to stop the terror cell, fighting alongside agents from North and South Korea. With the lives of billions at stake, Ledger is willing to bring his own brand of terror to this frightening new war.
Rage is the first of the new adventures of Joe Ledger and Rogue Team International. Rage (Rogue Team International #1)