Relentless by Jonathan Maberry was a pretty good book. From the synopsis:
Joe Ledger's world has been torn apart. The people closest to him have been savagely murdered and Ledger is on the hunt for the killers. His already fragile psyche has cracked apart, allowing a dangerous darkness to overwhelm him.
His hunt takes him deep into the world of the deadly black market weapons sales, and standing in his way are a new generation of private military contractors. These mercenaries have been enhanced with cutting-edge cybernetics and chemical enhancements, transforming them into real-world super soldiers. Stronger, faster, harder to hurt, and fitted with built-in weapons. They are beyond anything Joe has ever faced.
But he is not the Joe Ledger they expected to fight. He is defined by the Darkness now. The attempt to destroy him--to break him--has backfired. Instead his enemies have turned him into a far more fearsome weapon.
I have read almost every Joe Ledger book and short story that is out there. This book follows a little bit of a different Ledger than you may have read before, except possibly in Maberry's novel, Rage.
Joe is dealing with depression and a possible psychotic break. The novel takes a few heartbreaking turns as the reader wonders about his psyche and the delightful pup, Ghost. Joe starts the novel on a mission that he may not be prepared for. Later, on this mission, the reader sees him kill someone that seems to cross the line of who does and does not deserve death. The point of this singular killing was an act of mercy, but in reality it may not seem that way. After this killing Joe leaves the team and disappears.
Throughout the novel I was concerned for Ghost, as Joe's psychotic break was so dramatic. I wondered if his demons would be too much for both of them. Throughout the novel the entire team is concerned and tries to help or find Joe. I was a tad bothered by the treatment of Junie, only because I thought at this point she would be a tad bit stronger.
To me the most interesting character in the novel was Mr. Sunday, another character who is not who he seems. He is a man able to sell anything to anyone. I enjoyed reading his scenes, and finding out the secrets behind who he is.
I did not think the end was suited perfectly to the story. I felt that at least two of the characters were killed off and died too fast, especially since so much was built up throughout the novel about them. I don't want to say too much, as I don't want to give anything away. I will say that one character, I would have liked to see go down a little harder.
Overall, I enjoyed this novel. At almost 500 pages it is not a light read. It probably could have been edited in a few places, and still held it's meat, but I enjoyed it and I enjoyed seeing Joe Ledger continue to develop. I also really enjoyed the character of Toys (had to end with that).
Joe Ledger's world has been torn apart. The people closest to him have been savagely murdered and Ledger is on the hunt for the killers. His already fragile psyche has cracked apart, allowing a dangerous darkness to overwhelm him.
His hunt takes him deep into the world of the deadly black market weapons sales, and standing in his way are a new generation of private military contractors. These mercenaries have been enhanced with cutting-edge cybernetics and chemical enhancements, transforming them into real-world super soldiers. Stronger, faster, harder to hurt, and fitted with built-in weapons. They are beyond anything Joe has ever faced.
But he is not the Joe Ledger they expected to fight. He is defined by the Darkness now. The attempt to destroy him--to break him--has backfired. Instead his enemies have turned him into a far more fearsome weapon.
I have read almost every Joe Ledger book and short story that is out there. This book follows a little bit of a different Ledger than you may have read before, except possibly in Maberry's novel, Rage.
Joe is dealing with depression and a possible psychotic break. The novel takes a few heartbreaking turns as the reader wonders about his psyche and the delightful pup, Ghost. Joe starts the novel on a mission that he may not be prepared for. Later, on this mission, the reader sees him kill someone that seems to cross the line of who does and does not deserve death. The point of this singular killing was an act of mercy, but in reality it may not seem that way. After this killing Joe leaves the team and disappears.
Throughout the novel I was concerned for Ghost, as Joe's psychotic break was so dramatic. I wondered if his demons would be too much for both of them. Throughout the novel the entire team is concerned and tries to help or find Joe. I was a tad bothered by the treatment of Junie, only because I thought at this point she would be a tad bit stronger.
To me the most interesting character in the novel was Mr. Sunday, another character who is not who he seems. He is a man able to sell anything to anyone. I enjoyed reading his scenes, and finding out the secrets behind who he is.
I did not think the end was suited perfectly to the story. I felt that at least two of the characters were killed off and died too fast, especially since so much was built up throughout the novel about them. I don't want to say too much, as I don't want to give anything away. I will say that one character, I would have liked to see go down a little harder.
Overall, I enjoyed this novel. At almost 500 pages it is not a light read. It probably could have been edited in a few places, and still held it's meat, but I enjoyed it and I enjoyed seeing Joe Ledger continue to develop. I also really enjoyed the character of Toys (had to end with that).
RSS Feed
