Book Review: Extinction Machine (Joe Ledger, Book 5) by Jonathan Maberry

After 11 long months, I finally have my hands on the fifth book in the Joe Ledger series by Jonathan Maberry - Extinction Machine. This man is a genius. His Joe Ledger novels are unlike any other. I re-read the other books in the series while waiting for the next one to be published. Yes, they are that good. Maberry's books flow quickly so you get caught up in the action right from the beginning.

Brief bio - Joe Ledger, a Baltimore detective assigned to a counterterrorism task force, is recruited by the government to lead a new ultrasecret rapid-response group called the "Department of Military Sciences" (DMS). His job as team leader is to battle monsters, mutants, genetically-altered humans and whatever nastiness is thrown his way. Ledger is the uber-fighting machine. In Extinction Machine, the ever mysterious Mr. Church has promoted Ledger and now he commands 200 people at the Warehouse, the third largest Dept. of Military Sciences field office located in Baltimore, Maryland.

In Extinction Machine, since the alien crash in Roswell, New Mexico, someone has been collecting parts and pieces of all the crash sites around the world including alien DNA. Now the aliens want their technology back. Ledger must locate a kidnapped president and deal with a despised vice-president, China, and a good-turned-evil organization in the U.S. Of course let's not forget the alien/human hybrids that have been breed to fly the alien spacecrafts. When the president is kidnapped, the vice-president takes over and is out to destroy Joe Ledger and DMS and take control of the world's most supercomputer MindReader owned by Mr. Church of the DMS. The vice-president declares Ledger a terrorist, an enemy of the state, and now the feds and soldiers want Ledger dead.

I encourage everybody to read this series. You do not have to be a sci/fi fan - I certainly am not. The books are more action/adventure. The sci/fi in the book is explained well and believable.

I certainly hope this is not the last Joe Ledger book. The ending was too tidy, too sentimenal. It made me nervous. I may have to wait a year to get my latest Joe Ledger fix, but the books need to keep on coming!

Book Review: Like Part of the Family

Like Part of the Family is an outstanding short story by Jonathan Maberry. It's only available on ebook,* but it's totally worth the 99 cents. It was a nice 30-minute read with a very good ending.

Being a short story, it left me hungry for so, so much more. Like his Joe Ledger books, I want - no need - this character to have full-blown character development in a series.

Jonathan Maberry is masterful... He knows how to reel the reader into his story and eagerly awaiting the next book. Although I must say, Maberry's writing is brilliant. If you don't want to read a longer Maberry just yet. Read this entertaining short story for a taste of what's to come. You'll beg for the next book too.

*8/19/12 Update: Check out the comment by Jonathan Maberry himself! How cool is that?! Note that the book is available in hard copy: And if anyone wants a print version of LIKE PART OF THE FAMILY, it's included in the recent anthology BEST NEW WEREWOLF TALES.

Joe Ledger Books by Jonathan Maberry

I am totally, completely, 100% addicted to books written by Jonathan Maberry...and I haven't even read them all. I thoroughly enjoy the Joe Ledger books. Ledger is the main character of the books. The books are action/adventure horror fiction. It is a wickedly cool combination. 

Joe Ledger, a Baltimore detective assigned to a counterterrorism task force, is recruited by the government to lead a new ultrasecret rapid-response group called the "Department of Military Sciences." His job as team leader is to battle monsters, mutants, genetically-altered humans and whatever nastiness is thrown his way. {I don't want to give too much away.} Ledger is the uber-fighting machine. A warrior's Warrior. He's Rambo, Jack Bauer, Jason Bourne all rolled into one, and then better than that.

The first book is Patient Zero. If you're a fan of zombie books, then you already know what "Patient Zero" means. If you don't, read the book. "Chapter One: When you have to kill the same terrorist in one week, then there's either something wrong with your skills or something wrong with your world. And there's nothing wrong with my skill." Deliciously terrifying.

The second book is The Dragon Factory.  This might be the wildest and most difficult to describe novel as there is so much going on. The Dragon Factory steams along at a rapid pace (a global Extinction Clock heads each chapter) as two rival groups of evil genetic experimenters have defied the laws of nature . At the heart of the principle group of geneticists is a team of evil geniuses being led by the Nazi Master Race teachings of the infamous Josef Mengele.

The third book is The King of Plagues. A London hospital explodes, killing thousands. This act of terrorism is only the beginning as the group behind the explosion turns to bioweapons in an effort to unleash a modern version of the biblical Ten Plagues of Egypt. I enjoyed the idea of "the Seven Kings" as a secret society that manipulates events from the shadows. And, with what is happening in the world today, totally believable.

The fourth book is Assassin's Code. Each book gets better and better. This is my favorite so far. Vampires! Vampires with nuclear weapons! This is a freaking awesome book. Seriously. As much as I love Patient Zero, Assassin's Code is one step above. I don't know how to describe the wit, humor, complexity, human moments and surprises that go with each book in this series. It is all so well done and I look forward to each new installment that comes out each year... I hope this series never ends.

If you have a Kindle, don't miss Material Witness, also a Joe Ledger book. If you have never tried one of Maberry's books, this short story is a fantastic place to start. It gives you great look at the star of his Joe Ledger series and the type of excitement and mayhem you can expect from his books. I had forgotten how much I loved the series until I came across this ebook on Amazon.

The only complaint I have for this series is that Maberry releases only one per year. I have to wait until March 26, 2013, for Extinction Machine. I read Assassin's Code when it was released on April 10th. Only four months have passed, but it feels longer than a year. I'm on pins and needles waiting for more Joe Ledger action! And, yes, I have read each book more than once. Now, that I've written this review, I'll read Patient Zero and Assassin's Code yet again.