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Mack Bolan the Executioner #55
Paradine's Gauntlet
Bolan was up against a master adversary - Paradine. The terrorist tsar, presumed dead after an earlier encounter with The Executioner, has returned with a vengeance.
Paradine has hijacked a plane filled with an international array of diplomats. And he has demanded that a ransom of one billion dollars worth of precious gems be delivered by one man, and one man alone. .. Mack Bolan.
Mack mobilizes his new mechanical ally, the Laser Wagon, to roar into the core of the vermins breeding ground. Mack the blacksuit is determined to slay the monstrous parasite, to release humanity from the cold clutch of a madman.
Paradine has hijacked a plane filled with an international array of diplomats. And he has demanded that a ransom of one billion dollars worth of precious gems be delivered by one man, and one man alone. .. Mack Bolan.
Mack mobilizes his new mechanical ally, the Laser Wagon, to roar into the core of the vermins breeding ground. Mack the blacksuit is determined to slay the monstrous parasite, to release humanity from the cold clutch of a madman.
183 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 1983
2 people are currently reading
56 people want to read
About the author
Don Pendleton
1,520 books190 followersDon Pendleton was born in Little Rock, Arkansas, December 12, 1927 and died October 23, 1995 in Arizona.
He wrote mystery, action/adventure, science-fiction, crime fiction, suspense, short stories, nonfiction, and was a comic scriptwriter, poet, screenwriter, essayist, and metaphysical scholar. He published more than 125 books in his long career, and his books have been published in more than 25 foreign languages with close to two hundred million copies in print throughout the world.
After producing a number of science-fiction and mystery novels, Don launched in 1969 the phenomenal Mack Bolan: The Executioner, which quickly emerged as the original, definitive Action/Adventure series. His successful paperback books inspired a new particularly American literary genre during the early 1970's, and Don became known as "the father of action/adventure."
"Although The Executioner Series is far and away my most significant contribution to world literature, I still do not perceive myself as 'belonging' to any particular literary niche. I am simply a storyteller, an entertainer who hopes to enthrall with visions of the reader's own incipient greatness."
Don Pendleton's original Executioner Series are now in ebooks, published by Open Road Media. 37 of the original novels.
Wikipedia: Don Pendleton
He wrote mystery, action/adventure, science-fiction, crime fiction, suspense, short stories, nonfiction, and was a comic scriptwriter, poet, screenwriter, essayist, and metaphysical scholar. He published more than 125 books in his long career, and his books have been published in more than 25 foreign languages with close to two hundred million copies in print throughout the world.
After producing a number of science-fiction and mystery novels, Don launched in 1969 the phenomenal Mack Bolan: The Executioner, which quickly emerged as the original, definitive Action/Adventure series. His successful paperback books inspired a new particularly American literary genre during the early 1970's, and Don became known as "the father of action/adventure."
"Although The Executioner Series is far and away my most significant contribution to world literature, I still do not perceive myself as 'belonging' to any particular literary niche. I am simply a storyteller, an entertainer who hopes to enthrall with visions of the reader's own incipient greatness."
Don Pendleton's original Executioner Series are now in ebooks, published by Open Road Media. 37 of the original novels.
Wikipedia: Don Pendleton
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
December 31, 2017
Paradine's Gauntlet was a hit and miss book all in one. Mack has to deliver a ransom in diamonds to a terrorist that has hijacked a plane full of hostages. He has to drive threw checkpoints set up by Paladine. Along the way more thugs try to take the money.
Michael Newton is one of the better ghost writers of the series. That said, the action was pretty good, but it just feels like Mr. Newton was past his deadline for this book. There is way to much flashbacks. The action starts to heat up, then falls apart. Most of these books are fine at 180 or so pages. This one could of been a hundred or so more if the Gauntlet would of been more thought out and exiting.
Michael Newton is one of the better ghost writers of the series. That said, the action was pretty good, but it just feels like Mr. Newton was past his deadline for this book. There is way to much flashbacks. The action starts to heat up, then falls apart. Most of these books are fine at 180 or so pages. This one could of been a hundred or so more if the Gauntlet would of been more thought out and exiting.
April 27, 2023
Mack Bolan returns to Italy for a third time to deliver a ransom and free a contingent of aid workers from the clutches of Paradine, an evil terrorist bent on world domination. In between Bolan has run ins with his old mafia buddies, reacquires a new war wagon (it’s a “laser” wagon this time), and, as always occurs in the last 3 pages, saves the day, and gets his woman.
If this sounds repetitive to you, you aren’t wrong. Of the new Golden Eagle Executioner books, this has easily been the most formulaic. We’ve seen everything before, and aside from a few decently scripted fight scenes, everything in Paradine’s Gauntlet felt unoriginal and recycled.
Getting to see April (Bolan’s love interest) finally come into her own and kick some ass by herself was a nice touch and something we haven’t seen a lot of before, but overall, this was easily the most forgettable and most pointless up to this point.
If this sounds repetitive to you, you aren’t wrong. Of the new Golden Eagle Executioner books, this has easily been the most formulaic. We’ve seen everything before, and aside from a few decently scripted fight scenes, everything in Paradine’s Gauntlet felt unoriginal and recycled.
Getting to see April (Bolan’s love interest) finally come into her own and kick some ass by herself was a nice touch and something we haven’t seen a lot of before, but overall, this was easily the most forgettable and most pointless up to this point.
August 30, 2023
A solid chapter in the series by series regular Michael Newton. It seems a terrorist mastermind that Bolan thought he had killed is still around looking for revenge. The terrorist hijacks a plane full of diplomats as a way to lure Bolan into a trap. He plans on making it a part of the negotiations that Bolan has to be the one to deliver the loot. However other terrorist organizations have heard about the outcome and would like to have the riches as well. All they have to do is to take out the lone bagman. Which of course that is harder than it sounds.
Highly recommended, a very quick read but a solid story that keeps a good pace. We also get a new battle wagon called the laser wagon and April has a much bigger role in this mission.
Highly recommended, a very quick read but a solid story that keeps a good pace. We also get a new battle wagon called the laser wagon and April has a much bigger role in this mission.
August 12, 2021
Bolan got a new war wagon! April surprises him with it.
Bolan is up against a terrorist whom he thought he had eliminated. On that mission, he couldn't confirm the kill. Well, Paradine wants to take his revenge on Bolan or ruining his mission and reputation so he takes over a plane full of diplomats, kidnapping them. One of his demands is for "the agent codenamed Phoenix to deliver one billion dollars in raw gems" to him personally or he starts killing hostages. With this open challenge, he hopes to trap Bolan so that he can kill him. Of course, Bolan unleashes his 'cyclone of death' and saves the hostages.
Bolan is up against a terrorist whom he thought he had eliminated. On that mission, he couldn't confirm the kill. Well, Paradine wants to take his revenge on Bolan or ruining his mission and reputation so he takes over a plane full of diplomats, kidnapping them. One of his demands is for "the agent codenamed Phoenix to deliver one billion dollars in raw gems" to him personally or he starts killing hostages. With this open challenge, he hopes to trap Bolan so that he can kill him. Of course, Bolan unleashes his 'cyclone of death' and saves the hostages.
March 20, 2025
An old nemesis - check
Mafia - check
World domination ambition - check
Ticks all the right notes and much loved by the 13 year old me over three decades back.
Found a dogeared hardcopy and decided to re-live it.
Formulaic. Abused troupe very similar to other Bolan novels that I have read over the years.
Great action moments with the story moving at a good pace and never pauses. Short novel and still tremendous fun.
Mafia - check
World domination ambition - check
Ticks all the right notes and much loved by the 13 year old me over three decades back.
Found a dogeared hardcopy and decided to re-live it.
Formulaic. Abused troupe very similar to other Bolan novels that I have read over the years.
Great action moments with the story moving at a good pace and never pauses. Short novel and still tremendous fun.
February 23, 2013
The way that Don Pendleton describes the fight scenes is nothing short of awesome. The detail put into every word makes it look more like art than a book. Every book he has written has this element.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews