One odd thing: A character in the book is named Sergey Golovko. Shout out to Tom Clancy’s head of the SVR or the serial killer? The dialogue deserves a second mention, as it is really bad. The whole thing reads like a script for a B grade, cheesy 2000's action movie.

Overall, a decent, decently entertaining read. Not quite as desired or expected for this specific reader, but plenty of thrills for others, likely. Dyatlov Pass remains a mystery. Thanks Netgalley. With the fate of the War on Terror hanging in the balance, loyalties are tested and scores settled, as Drake embarks on the fight of his life. Only one side will survive… It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.” For fans of World War Z, a chilling mystery, an ancient threat, and a race against time to save humanity–inspired by the true events of the Dyatlov Pass incidentPor qué me llamó la atención? La compré por su autor, Will Jordan, un escritor escocés con más de diez novelas publicadas, y sobre todo conocido por su faceta de crítico de películas y series a través de su alter ego “The Critical Drinker”. En su canal de Youtube, en el que a diciembre de 2022 tiene un millón y medio de seguidores, Jordan muestra su hastío por las propuestas que tienen más interés en educar que entretener, y cierta nostalgia por películas de acción como “Terminator”, “Depredador”, o “Golpe en la pequeña China”. During one particular film shoot he was required to undertake military boot camp training, as he was to play the part of a World War Two soldier, and it was this training that led to his keen interest in military history and the many conflicts that have occurred. It was this interest that led him to research historical conflicts and, with his love of writing having already been ingrained from an early age, he then went onto write his first novel that was to see the introduction of Ryan Drake as a lead character. Other research included visiting Eastern Europe and America, spending time on the weapon ranges there, a journey which also took him to Washington D.C. Russia, 1959. Nine members of a Soviet mountaineering team on an ambitious expedition into the Ural Mountains are found dead, victims of massive and bizarre injuries. The Dyatlov Pass, as this grisly event came to be known, remains unexplained to this day. For Ryan Drake, this is just the beginning as the sniper is revealed to be Anya – the rogue former CIA agent he helped rescue from prison nearly two years earlier. Now she has allied herself with an elusive but deadly new terrorist group bent on the utter destruction of the Russian government.

Ryan Drake, once a decorated field operative, is now wanted for treason. On the run from the CIA’s corrupt Deputy Director Marcus Cain, he has spent the past six months in a remote French safe house. Drake’s former life seems to be behind him, but the uneasy peace is shattered when Cain moves against him with startling force. A suspenseful, gripping read that transported me into the freezing mountains and had me guessing to the end.” Nicholas Sansbury Smith, New York Times bestselling author of Hell Divers Third gripe is excessive dialogue. This is just a narrative thing for me, and I recognize it is a very subjective gripe. So much of the story is told via characters speaking to one another that I don't feel much of an overall narrative voice going on. I feel more balance between narrative voice and dialogue wouldn't have gone amiss here. This is a solid action adventure with heroes you care about. It has a sci-fi feel to it and what I enjoy most is the author's imagination weaving the Dyatlov Pass event into the story. I hope that this is the beginning of new series!

Publication Order of Short Stories/Novellas

The experience piqued his interest in military history, and encouraged him to learn more about conflicts past and present. Having always enjoyed writing, he used this research as the basis for his first thriller, REDEMPTION. He was able to supplement this with visits to weapon ranges in America and Eastern Europe, as well as research trips to Washington DC. Russia, 1959. Nine members of a Soviet mountaineering team on an ambitious expedition into the Ural Mountains are found dead, victims of massive and bizarre injuries. The Dyatlov Pass incident, as this grisly event came to be known, remains unexplained to this day. You have proven yourself willing to not be one of those timid writers who neither seek to dare greatly or have any vision for their work. There are many of those people out there. It is a pleasure to find someone like yourself who defies such timidity. I wante …more Great question! Yes, Cain is very much the Big Bad of this series, and there were three aspects of his character that were important to me: Second small gripe is the repetition of explanations. Characters spend an inordinate amount of time (or at least it certainly feels that way), explaining and re-explaining the same situation for every new character that comes along. It may be understandable for an author to want to remind the reader if the thought is they may have forgotten or perhaps become confused, but this happened too often and, frankly, not enough happened between these instances for a reader to really forget.

Will Jordan Great question! Yes, Cain is very much the Big Bad of this series, and there were three aspects of his character that were important to me: In conclusion, I thank you for writing such a fine spy thriller which managed to provoke some very passionate reactions from me.People, people, authors, publishers, if you're going to put your books out there for advance reading, take a moment to create a listing for your book on GR. I'm tired of doing it for you, but ok...community service. Now, onto the book itself... The plot is a paint by numbers, formulaic hero-saves-the-world story. The Dyatlov Pass mention is just used to mascarade a bland story we all have seen before hundres of times. With many major publications singing Jordan’s praises, most are drawn towards his sense of suspense. That and his ability to create action set-pieces which are highly visceral and entertaining for his readers to experience, is what many readers have come to appreciate, as he gains fans both far and wide. The career of Will Jordan is growing from strength-to-strength due to this, something that doesn’t appear to stopping anytime soon. However, I found the resolution to be a bit too tidy. I prefer a few loose ends, a little bit left unsaid. Or, dare I say, an unhappy ending and the demise of the main character(s). But maybe that's just me! Maybe I should seek counseling for my sadistic book preferences.