What do you think?
Rate this book
Lachlan Fox #1
Fox Hunt
High above the earth, death looms. Orbiting slowly and silently, unknown to almost all ...
The White House is only starting to suspect the worst. While most of the world's Intel resources have been tied up in Afghanistan and Iraq, the President of Chechnya has been making plans - and the clock is ticking.
A world away, off Christmas Island, ex-navy operative Lachlan Fox is on a diving trip with this best friend, Alister Gammaldi. From the moment they lift a mysterious metallic object off the sea floor, the two men set in motion a chain of events that will drag them into the corrupt world of international politics and arms races.
From East Timor to Grozny, Washington to New York and Venice to Iran, Lachlan Fox is forced into an adrenaline-fuelled quest to save his friends, himself ... and the world.
The White House is only starting to suspect the worst. While most of the world's Intel resources have been tied up in Afghanistan and Iraq, the President of Chechnya has been making plans - and the clock is ticking.
A world away, off Christmas Island, ex-navy operative Lachlan Fox is on a diving trip with this best friend, Alister Gammaldi. From the moment they lift a mysterious metallic object off the sea floor, the two men set in motion a chain of events that will drag them into the corrupt world of international politics and arms races.
From East Timor to Grozny, Washington to New York and Venice to Iran, Lachlan Fox is forced into an adrenaline-fuelled quest to save his friends, himself ... and the world.
437 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2006
51 people are currently reading
203 people want to read
About the author
James Phelan
35 books257 followersJames Phelan is the award-winning author of twenty-four novels and one work of non-fiction. He first studied and worked in architecture before turning to English/Lit, working five years at The Age newspaper, obtaining an MA (Writing) and PhD (Young Adult Literature).
Hachette has published his five geo-political thrillers: FOX HUNT, PATRIOT ACT, BLOOD OIL, LIQUID GOLD and RED ICE.
From 2010-2011, Hachette published the widely acclaimed ALONE trilogy of Young Adult post-apocalyptic/dystopian novels.
In 2013/2014, Scholastic published James' thirteen-book adventure series about the dream work THE LAST THIRTEEN. The multi-award winning series (2014 YABBA, COOL, KOALA awards) has been highly successful around the world, selling over a million copies in 18 months.
THE SPY (Hachette, 2013), was the first instalment in a new series of suspense thrillers with the protagonist Jed Walker, and is followed by THE HUNTED (2015), and KILL SWITCH (2015).
James is currently working on a follow-up trilogy to THE LAST THIRTEEN, more thrillers, and an illustrated middle-grade series titled GRANDPA SPIES.
James has taught writing at post-graduate level and regularly talks at schools, libraries and universities around the world. Since 2006 he has sold over 4 million copies of his books.
Hachette has published his five geo-political thrillers: FOX HUNT, PATRIOT ACT, BLOOD OIL, LIQUID GOLD and RED ICE.
From 2010-2011, Hachette published the widely acclaimed ALONE trilogy of Young Adult post-apocalyptic/dystopian novels.
In 2013/2014, Scholastic published James' thirteen-book adventure series about the dream work THE LAST THIRTEEN. The multi-award winning series (2014 YABBA, COOL, KOALA awards) has been highly successful around the world, selling over a million copies in 18 months.
THE SPY (Hachette, 2013), was the first instalment in a new series of suspense thrillers with the protagonist Jed Walker, and is followed by THE HUNTED (2015), and KILL SWITCH (2015).
James is currently working on a follow-up trilogy to THE LAST THIRTEEN, more thrillers, and an illustrated middle-grade series titled GRANDPA SPIES.
James has taught writing at post-graduate level and regularly talks at schools, libraries and universities around the world. Since 2006 he has sold over 4 million copies of his books.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
August 22, 2020
One of those enjoyable but totally unrealistic books where the hero and his best friend take on whole squads of the enemy, get totally squashed but bounce back and win. Very similar to Jack Reacher and just as much fun!
Lachlan Fox and his best mate are Australians so I winced a bit at their broad accents in the audio version and switched to the written word which was much better. The book was really one continuous fight and could certainly be described as action packed - and then some. There was humour too between the two friends which lightened things up along the way.
This is James Phelan's first book and as such deserves praise. I have already read his Jed Walker series which he wrote several years later and which is very good. I am certainly going to continue with Lachlan Fox.
Lachlan Fox and his best mate are Australians so I winced a bit at their broad accents in the audio version and switched to the written word which was much better. The book was really one continuous fight and could certainly be described as action packed - and then some. There was humour too between the two friends which lightened things up along the way.
This is James Phelan's first book and as such deserves praise. I have already read his Jed Walker series which he wrote several years later and which is very good. I am certainly going to continue with Lachlan Fox.
April 14, 2013
Not too bad for a first book. But the scenes that should have had me on the edge of my seat, had me laid back waiting for a thrill. James Phelan is no Greig Beck or Matthew Reilly, but he has potential to become one.
A big no no was his reference to a "Judo-chop", not once but twice.
Of all the martial arts Judo is the one where there is no hitting or "chopping" of any kind. See reference below.
This shows that James needs to do more research or get a better editor to pick up stuff that
is just not realistic.
"Effective, Nonviolent Self-protection
Similar to Karate and Tae Kwon Do, Judo teaches self-defense techniques and uses colored belts for promotional ranks. Judo is different from other martial arts, however, in that there are no hitting or kicking techniques used
Instead, Judo teaches a nonviolent way to deal with aggression. Judo incorporates throwing skills–often referred to as trips, flips, or sweeps–takedowns, grappling techniques and submission holds so that students learn to defend themselves on their feet and on the ground.
sourced from: http://www.jushinkan.com/WP/judo-prog...
A big no no was his reference to a "Judo-chop", not once but twice.
Of all the martial arts Judo is the one where there is no hitting or "chopping" of any kind. See reference below.
This shows that James needs to do more research or get a better editor to pick up stuff that
is just not realistic.
"Effective, Nonviolent Self-protection
Similar to Karate and Tae Kwon Do, Judo teaches self-defense techniques and uses colored belts for promotional ranks. Judo is different from other martial arts, however, in that there are no hitting or kicking techniques used
Instead, Judo teaches a nonviolent way to deal with aggression. Judo incorporates throwing skills–often referred to as trips, flips, or sweeps–takedowns, grappling techniques and submission holds so that students learn to defend themselves on their feet and on the ground.
sourced from: http://www.jushinkan.com/WP/judo-prog...
February 15, 2013
Was a good easy to read book. i really enjoyed it, cant wait for the next book by this author.
September 21, 2017
Like Mathew O'Reilly but slower. Military techno-thriller lite. All through this read, I could not help feeling that Fox Hunt was published a couple of edits short of ready. It's almost but not quite, close but no cigar: I just never go the feeling of impending global doom from the plot techno-threat. It feel that credible and even the fictional science was unconvincing. The plot had a ton of potential for a complex, edge of the seat story and it'd be nice if the author revisited it one day. There are some interesting premises in it that beg development into a broader shadow wars 'verse.
Published in 2006, Fox Hunt uses now-famous Australian author, John Birmingham, as a character name. It's really annoying when it is so obviously a 'node to my mate'. Possibly JB was not as well known in 2006 but a decade and more later, it's a trick that grates and may have coloured my review.
My copy was a refugee from the local library disposals table but I am interested enough to probably hunt down at least one other work from James Phelan for comparison.
Published in 2006, Fox Hunt uses now-famous Australian author, John Birmingham, as a character name. It's really annoying when it is so obviously a 'node to my mate'. Possibly JB was not as well known in 2006 but a decade and more later, it's a trick that grates and may have coloured my review.
My copy was a refugee from the local library disposals table but I am interested enough to probably hunt down at least one other work from James Phelan for comparison.
Read
February 25, 2025I found this book enjoyable. Lachlan Fox being an almost James Bond type but from an Australian view point. Also it kind of embarrasses me being a citizen of the U.S. that considering what was at stake that the encounter with the U.S. marines was totally believable. I don't know if I will ever read another in the Lachlan Fox series not because I any aversion to them but because of the number of "to read" books in my personal library.
June 5, 2018
I like this story quite a lot. Basically I like Phelan’s writing especially in audio format. It’s funny to hear Aussie accents and the similarity with Reacher is great. Maybe they will meet up one day. Enjoyable yarn, of course far fetched but it’s fiction and fills an escapist niche in a boring world. More to choose me please.
August 1, 2023
Fantastic story!
Read
January 26, 2016High above the earth, death looms. Orbiting slowly and silently, unknown to almost all ...The White House is only starting to suspect the worst. While most of the world's Intel resources have been tied up in Afghanistan and Iraq, the President of Chechnya has been making plans - and the clock is ticking.A world away, off Christmas Island, ex-navy operative Lachlan Fox is on a diving trip with this best friend, Alister Gammaldi. From the moment they lift a mysterious metallic object off the sea floor, the two men set in motion a chain of events that will drag them into the corrupt world of international politics and arms races. From East Timor to Grozny, Washington to New York and Venice to Iran, Lachlan Fox is forced into an adrenaline-fuelled quest to save his friends, himself ... and the world. FOX HUNT (Hachette, 2006) would prove to be the story to propel Lachlan Fox and Alister Gammaldi into the world stage of successful international thriller characters. FOX HUNT is a bridging novel between the aftermath of the Cold War and the new era of globalisation and War on Terror. It is a book that pays homage to the greats who have defined the genre and reflects the times we now find ourselves in. From Chechnya to New York, Venice to Washington, the storyline looks at the dangers of the Star Wars Missile Shield (aka Missile Defence), and the fragile reality of the remnants of the Cold War: political, military, and personal. Fox and Gammaldi must race against time before an ex-Soviet weapon is used by terrorists against the US.
FOX HUNT (Hachette, 2006) would prove to be the story to propel Lachlan Fox and Alister Gammaldi into the world stage of successful international thriller characters. FOX HUNT is a bridging novel between the aftermath of the Cold War and the new era of globalisation and War on Terror. It is a book that pays homage to the greats who have defined the genre and reflects the times we now find ourselves in. From Chechnya to New York, Venice to Washington, the storyline looks at the dangers of the Star Wars Missile Shield (aka Missile Defence), and the fragile reality of the remnants of the Cold War: political, military, and personal. Fox and Gammaldi must race against time before an ex-Soviet weapon is used by terrorists against the US.
FOX HUNT (Hachette, 2006) would prove to be the story to propel Lachlan Fox and Alister Gammaldi into the world stage of successful international thriller characters. FOX HUNT is a bridging novel between the aftermath of the Cold War and the new era of globalisation and War on Terror. It is a book that pays homage to the greats who have defined the genre and reflects the times we now find ourselves in. From Chechnya to New York, Venice to Washington, the storyline looks at the dangers of the Star Wars Missile Shield (aka Missile Defence), and the fragile reality of the remnants of the Cold War: political, military, and personal. Fox and Gammaldi must race against time before an ex-Soviet weapon is used by terrorists against the US.
FOX HUNT (Hachette, 2006) would prove to be the story to propel Lachlan Fox and Alister Gammaldi into the world stage of successful international thriller characters. FOX HUNT is a bridging novel between the aftermath of the Cold War and the new era of globalisation and War on Terror. It is a book that pays homage to the greats who have defined the genre and reflects the times we now find ourselves in. From Chechnya to New York, Venice to Washington, the storyline looks at the dangers of the Star Wars Missile Shield (aka Missile Defence), and the fragile reality of the remnants of the Cold War: political, military, and personal. Fox and Gammaldi must race against time before an ex-Soviet weapon is used by terrorists against the US.
FOX HUNT (Hachette, 2006) would prove to be the story to propel Lachlan Fox and Alister Gammaldi into the world stage of successful international thriller characters. FOX HUNT is a bridging novel between the aftermath of the Cold War and the new era of globalisation and War on Terror. It is a book that pays homage to the greats who have defined the genre and reflects the times we now find ourselves in. From Chechnya to New York, Venice to Washington, the storyline looks at the dangers of the Star Wars Missile Shield (aka Missile Defence), and the fragile reality of the remnants of the Cold War: political, military, and personal. Fox and Gammaldi must race against time before an ex-Soviet weapon is used by terrorists against the US.
FOX HUNT (Hachette, 2006) would prove to be the story to propel Lachlan Fox and Alister Gammaldi into the world stage of successful international thriller characters. FOX HUNT is a bridging novel between the aftermath of the Cold War and the new era of globalisation and War on Terror. It is a book that pays homage to the greats who have defined the genre and reflects the times we now find ourselves in. From Chechnya to New York, Venice to Washington, the storyline looks at the dangers of the Star Wars Missile Shield (aka Missile Defence), and the fragile reality of the remnants of the Cold War: political, military, and personal. Fox and Gammaldi must race against time before an ex-Soviet weapon is used by terrorists against the US.
FOX HUNT (Hachette, 2006) would prove to be the story to propel Lachlan Fox and Alister Gammaldi into the world stage of successful international thriller characters. FOX HUNT is a bridging novel between the aftermath of the Cold War and the new era of globalisation and War on Terror. It is a book that pays homage to the greats who have defined the genre and reflects the times we now find ourselves in. From Chechnya to New York, Venice to Washington, the storyline looks at the dangers of the Star Wars Missile Shield (aka Missile Defence), and the fragile reality of the remnants of the Cold War: political, military, and personal. Fox and Gammaldi must race against time before an ex-Soviet weapon is used by terrorists against the US.
May 17, 2016
He barely catches his breath after one near-death adventure before being plunged headlong into the next potentially fatal adventure. Lachlan Fox is an Aussie action hero all about saving the world from looming disaster with best friend and sidekick, Al, also along for the globe-spanning ride. I read this novel as I'm hoping to hear author, James Phelan speak at my local Library soon. Not a bad read! Score: 7/10.
December 29, 2016
My first James Phelan and Lachlan Fox book. Perhaps not as fast paced as I would have liked but certainly worth listening to and I will be reading or listening to more from this author.
However an Australian author writing about Australian heroes out saving the world will always keep my attention.
However an Australian author writing about Australian heroes out saving the world will always keep my attention.
December 14, 2016
A great action packed Lachlan Fox and Grimaldi book. One filled with action, twists and turns and with that innate Aussie humour woven throughout the story. A well written story that kept moving with great character backgrounds so that you had a real sense of the heroes in the story.
A great holiday read
A great holiday read
June 9, 2019
Excellent read couldn't wait to pick up on the last chapter I had finished looking forward to following the author
Excellent book just downloaded the next in the series it's an author that I've passed on to my fends to have the same enjoyment the book as giving Kind regards Peter
Excellent book just downloaded the next in the series it's an author that I've passed on to my fends to have the same enjoyment the book as giving Kind regards Peter
February 10, 2020
5/10.A good plot and decent writing style but told in a very disjointed fashion. Nevertheless I did think the book deserved brownie points for cleverly introducing information about the latest weaponry, only to discover, in the authors acknowledgements, that even that praise may not be fully justified. Won’t keep on read again.
August 9, 2014
This was a decent read and a good stand in for James Rollins with less scifi. I enjoyed the action scenes. There was a lot of jumping around between chapters with lots of characters. Overall, a great plot that paced very well. I look forward to reading the others in this series.
Read
June 16, 2008This is the author's first novel, and he shows a lot of promise. "Fox Hunt" is an entertaining page-turner - it's not too deep, but it's an enjoyable action romp.
Read
January 5, 2010This is the author's first novel, and he shows a lot of promise. "Fox Hunt" is an entertaining page-turner - it's not too deep, but it's an enjoyable action romp.
July 2, 2010
A bit cheesy but otherwise a good read. it tasted like some of typical-military-Arnie movies.
Read
August 11, 2011Was average
July 14, 2012
interested by how the diverse locations were strung together, still deciding whether I would read another book by this author
August 25, 2012
Good character, nice pace and plot twists, but a little short (and does not have any romance!).
December 5, 2012
Good action thriller, not exactly in Matthew Reilly or Greig Beck's league but still enjoyable. I' m looking forward to the second one in the series, Patriot Act.
October 18, 2013
Good Audio book in the Mathew Reiley style
August 23, 2015
Great action packed book, really enjoyed the fact that there was always something exciting happening, e.g. someone escaping or a raid on a building. Great book for action lovers!
Read
September 3, 2015I enjoyed this book - read it while travelling. I initially didn't expect too much of it but became quite engrossed and really enjoyed it.
December 13, 2015
Not something I'd normally read but picked this up as an audio book and really enjoyed it. Action packed with good ole Aussie humour and gritty fight scenes.
July 19, 2019
On to the next one
This is the stuff I like. Getting the bad ones to pay for their deeds; lots of action and not so fixated on sexual encounters as many modern authors do.
This is the stuff I like. Getting the bad ones to pay for their deeds; lots of action and not so fixated on sexual encounters as many modern authors do.
May 8, 2015
Good read, fast paced action book.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews