Book Report: Fission Fury The Executioner #214 (1996)

Book coverWell, this is an Executioner novel. Not the worst of the series, but, again, not something memorable to read. Since I’m splitting my time between reading books and watching movies in the evenings, perhaps I should read something more memorable for my books. Well, if I ever finish Pamela, the old English novel that I am putatively reading currently but very intermittently, I will remember that I read it, although very few of the episodes in those epistles will I recall distinctly.

Okay, what’s Mack Bolan doing in this book? He goes to Moscow after some missing nuclear scientists and their innovative new plutonium. They have staged their own kidnapping to get the government to pay their ransom so they can retire comfortably, but the new Russian mafia decides they will collect the ransom and sell the scientists to the Iranians. So Bolan along with a Russian former KGB agent move through some set pieces to find out what’s going on.

As I have mentioned, the plots are starting to get a little more elaborate as we move into the 1990s, perhaps trying to compete with the flavor of more modern thrillers versus paperbacks. This one handles the twists pretty well.

I did flag a couple things from the book for snark, though.

Those notoriously dark-skinned Caucasians.

Donielev stood with his back against a brocaded wall and listened. He was dark-skinned like his ancestors, who came from the Caucasus.

I got all the snark I needed in the headline.

A Little Short on the 7.62

The contents were printed on the outside: 5.45 mm, 5.56mm and 9mm copper-jacketed ammunition; Russian rockets, launchers, AK-47s, a case of Makarov pistols.

As you know, gentle reader, the AK-47 is chambered in 7.62mm, which means this store room has no ammunition for the rifles.

My pointing this out used to lead my beautiful wife to ask me, “How do you know?” She doesn’t ask that of me any more, and she pretty much takes whatever my oldest son, a veteran of Fallout and Call of Duty these days, as firearm gospel.

Also, I flagged a thing about the Iranians and the madman of Iraq and weapons of mass destruction to mention they’re out of date, but c’mon, man, a lot has changed in 25 years, and not that much has.

One final bit of snark: The author was not very good making up Russian names. I’m not really sure how he came up with the names he did, but he has clearly never read a Russian novel even if he did name the former KGB agent that Bolan works with Irina Tolstoy.

Buy My Books!
Buy John Donnelly's Gold Buy The Courtship of Barbara Holt Buy Coffee House Memories