Prime

Chess Team Adventure #0

by Jeremy Robinson, Sean Ellis

America's most elite soldiers are about to uncover one of history's deadliest secrets...

When a raid on an insurgent safehouse leads to a clue to decoding one of the world's greatest mysteries--the Voynich manuscript--which may contain a recipe for creating the ultimate biological weapon of mass destruction, Delta operator Jack Sigler must forge a new black ops team to avert catastrophe. While bullets fly, he recruits a group of deadly warriors with dangerous secrets, assigning each member a chess piece callsign and dubbing them Chess Team.

But nothing is what it seems...and no one can be trusted. As the search for the truth about the manuscript moves across Asia and into the darkest reaches of human history, Chess Team must battle enemies beyond comprehension--nightmare creatures of myth and perverse creations of science--to preserve a secret as old as life itself.

In 2009, bestselling novelist Jeremy Robinson launched the adventures of Jack Sigler and Chess Team. Now, learn how it all began! Witness Chess Team's beginning as King, Queen, Bishop, Rook, Knight and the elusive Deep Blue come together to form the only military force smart enough and dangerous enough to face the world's most deadly, most high tech and most monstrous threats.

Genres: Thriller, Adventure, Fiction, Science Fiction, Action, Military Fiction, Audiobook

327 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Jeremy Robinson is the New York Times bestselling author of seventy novels and novellas, including Apocalypse Machine, Island 731, and SecondWorld, as well as the Jack Sigler thriller series and Project Nemesis, the highest selling, original (non-licensed) kaiju novel of all time. He’s known for mixing elements of science, history and mythology, which has earned him the #1 spot in Science Fiction and Action-Adventure, and secured him as the top creature feature author. Many of his novels have been adapted into comic books, optioned for film and TV, and translated into thirteen languages. He lives in New Hampshire with his wife and three children. Visit him at www.bewareofmonsters.com.

Reviews

[Zain · Rating 4 out of 5]

Outdated?

I was watching a dystopian movie on Tubi tv. The survivors were communicating with “satellite” phones. The phones were the size of a large cat.

Every time Parker Stevenson would put one of the giant phones up to his head, l would scream in horror. It was the scariest part of the movie.

I’m not saying Prime is as outdated as that, but when I read that the “smart guy” had to connect a web cam to his laptop, it really aged the book.

Not that the book isn’t good. It is a great adventure. Jack Sigler, call sign, King, and the members of his “chess team,” are betrayed by their own supervisor, for the theft of an ancient manuscript.

The Voynich Papers has the ability to destroy the world, so they must translate it and keep it away from the bad guys.

There is a lot of technical conversation in this issue, with complicated explanations. Fortunately, it doesn’t deter from the enjoyment of the story.

There is a lot of great activity and glorious violence, for those who love these things. I enjoyed visualizing all the details and action. Thrillers are something that I love.

And if you also love adventure thrillers, this is a fantastic one to try.

[Dee Haddrill · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was such a pleasure to read this book and see the origins of the Chess Team that we have come to know and love. Every time one of the team was introduced into the story, you feel a slight thrill at knowing where this path was going to take them. It's certainly enough to make me want to go back and read them all again. One of the benefits of this book is that you can read it first (as, chronologically, it is first), or read it after "Omega", to see where everything began (the way the books were written).

What I love about Jeremy Robinson's books (and Prime is a 'prime' example of this), is how well he manages to link historical and/or scientific subjects that you never would have conceived of linking. I believe that he does a lot of research on these subjects, so he must be a pretty damn knowledgeable person by now. And whether the facts are perfectly correct or whether there's a great deal of artistic licence employed, you just don't care. Because the ride that you are taken on is just so much damn fun! An exciting, action-packed fun read that you will enjoy immensely.

Read 08/01/2014 Listened to on Audible 19/06/2014

[Julie Carter · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just revisited this story in audiobook form, as I am reading the Chess Team series again. I still thoroughly enjoyed this story, and as always, the narration was on point
What a great story! This fast-paced adventure was an intriguing look into the beginning of The Chess Team. I couldn't help but feel excited as their new names were handed out and they became the characters we know and love. The odds they faced during some of their battles made this book hard to put down!

[Wayne Fielding · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was great to read how the Chess team came together

[David Dalton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been a fan of the Chess Team novels since was first published (in hard back even). I love this series and it was so fun to read their origin story.

Why oh why is this series not being made into a movie? Update: I just read that this series is in the process of being made into a movie. Count me as a day one viewer!

Next up will be (already on my kindle).

I smiled once the story got around to the team going into action as The Chess Team for the first time. Oh yeah, I knew what I was in for and was very satisfied with the results.

Looking to many more years of kick butt action thrillers about this team.

[R. · Rating 3 out of 5]

The thing about jumping into a series late is you get to start with the "prequal." I found this series through the Joe Ledger Books and liked the short story with Joe Ledger and King enough that I wanted to try this series.

I loved the plot and I can already tell it's going to fill my craving for more Ledger books now that those are done.

I'm new to Robinson and the writing style makes for a fast and easy read with a focus on the action and not the technical aspects like some other writers. I mean, I can only handle so many five page descriptions of their Glock before I go a little crazy.

[Dave Edlund · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Prime” is the first of the Jack Sigler Chess Team adventures. In this novel we learn how the team comes together, initially through a desperate desert rescue mission and, later, through official orders. The pace is rapid, and the conflict is constructed well and is believable, as are the characters. I especially like the attitude of Jack—code name King—that is mission objectives come first, everything else is secondary, even innocent lives. Although I have never served in the military, I believe this is a realistic portrayal of priorities.

Queen is a strong female character, a refreshing break from the norm. I expect to see more of Queen and hope her persona will grow to rival that of Mother from the Scarecrow series (Matthew Reilly). The main plot is augmented by a few minor plots, but this is done well and the effect is subtle and natural. The editing is professional.

My only negative—as this is totally personal preferences—is that the ending had too much mysticism for my taste. It reminded me of the ending to Amazonia. Mind you, not a bad comparison for any author. Still, I would have preferred less fantasy. However, I did like this book and have already started the next Jack Sigler adventure!

[Debosophy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The amazing Chess Team go back to basics in this Robinson/Ellis collaboration where the reader can experience how the legendary (Delta) Delta team all came together.

Before Hydra, before the living skeletons and before any of the other strange situations the Chess Team have found themselves immersed in, there is Prime: A force powerful enough to wipe out the human race, and it's up to the newly formed Team, under the reluctant leadership of King to stop it.

During intense moments battling The Triad, human experiments gone wrong and the power of the Earth itself, these five people learn to look out for each other, forge the concrete foundation of trust and respect that is required to function as a unit, and weed out (most of) the bad guys.

If you've never read a Chess Team book, this is a great place to start; but if you've read them all (like me), this will sort of be like The Phantom Menace after A New Hope, except it won't suck and there aren't any inconsistencies to infuriate your intelligence.

Your Jeremy Robinson collection will NOT be complete without Prime.

A must read.

[Reeda Booke · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was great finally getting to know how the Chess Team was begun! Another fantastic roller coaster of a ride! This one goes through how the team first gets introduced to each other by looking for a traitor and unraveling the mystery of the Voynich Manuscript.
If you haven't read the adventures of the Chess Team, you are missing out. I highly recommend this series!

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Prime is an excellent example of a prequel done right. An action-packed story that takes the reader through the wild ride that started everything. Readers of the other 'Chess Team' books will get a kick out it. It's also a great starting point for anyone to start the friendship with Chess Team.

[FictionFreak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jeremy Robinson's Chess Team begins here! This book delivered a good, fast-paced story-action/intrigue laden, with a good splash of sci-fi. You will be drawn to read the rest of the books, but it's an acceptable "curse"! DO IT! DO IT NOW!

[Jes · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is really 3.5. Was a long wait to get to the “how is this going to be a fun Sci-fi-ey long series to endure” stuff, but it got there eventually!

[James Casey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have already read books 1 and 2 but this is book 0 and it tells us how the Chess Team were originally put together in another pulsating and explosive and fairly unbelievable tale from Jeremy Robinson, so just wrap yourself up in a cloak of make believe and enjoy the ride.
During a raid on an insurgent safe house a clue is unearthed of how to decode the Voynich manuscript which could create the ultimate biological weapon of mass destruction and also reveal the meaning of life itself. A top science analyst who thinks that she can crack the code is abducted by a rogue Delta operative and it is put upon Jack Sigler to get her back. He picks a crew of deadly warriors who are both tough and strong and also equally resilient, soldiers he knows he can trust. It is during this operation that he gives each of them a new call sign related to a chess piece and hence the Chess Team is born.
They have to battle against creatures of nightmares and also scientifically created soldiers that will not die, all to protect the code from being broken which could possibly destroy the whole of mankind.
I was gripped from page one as I have been with his previous books. A great read, for me, entertainment at its very best. Thanks Jeremy 5/5

[CallaLily · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is a SciFi Military Thriller. Let me start by saying Special Ops personnel are the real deal. They do amazing things under extremely tough conditions. As a veteran, I often struggle with the depictions of Special Ops in books/movies. More often than not, they’re too over-the-top. The characters are super-duper badass to the point of being farcical.

I really appreciated the balance of reality and SciFi. While action-packed, the story mentions real struggles that normal people face. The MCs deal with self-doubt as a leader; grief suffered at the loss of a teammate; the hard, unyielding drive of a female striving to be accepted and succeed in a male-dominated environment; fear of not making it home to a spouse and young baby pressed down deep inside; mental health issues; reckless behavior, etc.

Then, on the other side of the coin, there’s all the crazy, this-is-not-happening-I-must-be-hallucinating stuff mixed in with the super weapons and narrow escapes from the jaws of death.

It was a fun, well-balanced read. I’ll finish the series.

Kindle
4

[Rabid Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed listening to this sci-fi tech thriller that reveals how the Chess Team was originally formed. I liked how the authors made the military aspect of this story feel realistic, though it was a little hard to follow at times as the call signs for the characters changed as the new team was formed. It is an action packed sci-fi story with battles, camaraderie, treachery, losses, mutated humans and world ending threats. The narrator of the audiobook did a good job of moving the story forward and giving the characters individual voices (which helped id the characters when the call signs changed). I liked how the authors gave the science fiction portions somewhat of a plausible explanations and included bits of realistic history such as the 600 year old Voynich Manuscript, that has actually stumped cryptologists for years. This is an entertaining story that fans of the Chess Team will love.

[Brandon Pellerino · Rating 4 out of 5]

Honestly no one writes chaos quite like Jeremy Robinson, it’s really 4.5⭐️but I had a bit of trouble getting into it knowing that some of the characters I was going to inevitably like weren’t going to make it. I know this is absolutely ridiculous notion given the genre and subject matter. Not everyone can go into an impossible situation against all odds and come out alive… except perhaps Matthew Reilly’s own Jack West….

For fans of Jeremy’s Robinsons chess team books this answers almost every question about how the team formed the chemistry between them and how the team got their name. The only thing we truly never find out is who won in the King vs Queen throw down.

These books will always have a special place on my bookshelf and in my heart. If you’d ever wonder what Indiana Jones meets seal team six mixed with mythology might look like please pick this up and give it a read you won’t be disappointed.

Also fuck Richard Ridley.

[Michael Snyder · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maybe don’t start with this one...

This is my first Chess Team book (I’ve read other Robinson novels) and I enjoyed it. I was taken out of the story at the end when the manuscript’s purpose is finally revealed. I’m all for sci-fi but it was very very far fetched. Beyond that the story flowed, action was well paced and the characterizations were thorough enough for me to invest. You could tell that Robinson didn’t have a lot to do with this book (at least that’s the vibe I got from reading his other works). If you’re curious about the Chess Team novels I’d suggest on going to the actual first one instead of this prequel. From what I’ve read I imagine it’s a superior thriller. This may be a go to for fans only.

[Jordan Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

After Omega and the god awful Ragnarok, I had my fears about Robinson’s ChessTeam novels. What had once been a fun, original, action packed series had become too big, to out there, too weird to be enjoyable.

Thankfully that’s not the case with Prime. Standing as prequel, a reader would expect Robinson and Ellis to get back to basics, and that’s exactly what they did.

As a means to explain the formation of Sigler’s Chess Team, whole at the same time staying true to where Robinson had taken the characters, Prime had a pretty big hill to climb but the authors pulled through and penned a pretty good book along the way.

Prime makes the ChessTeam books fun again. Even better, this one got me excited to finally finish the series.

[Holly Fisher · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was...bad. It's definitely one of those paperback military adventure books that is supposed to be action packed without a lot of substance. But even still, I couldn't get over how bland and one dimensional the characters were and how absolutely ridiculous the villain and his henchmen were. I usually like these "Indiana Jones meets Mission Impossible" type stories, but I had to force myself to finish it. It had an interesting concept with the introduction of the Voynich manuscript and the ending was decent, but everything in between was just bleh.

[M. Sprouse · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was pleasantly surprised that this "genesis" novel was better that I was expecting. I've read at least ten of Jeremy Robinson novels and several of the Chess Club stories. They usually wind up at 4 stars, at least on average. Robinson and Ellis gave "Prime" a good background story and plot. They didn't just rely on action, action, action (I must be getting old). There were a couple of nice twists and yes - action, action, action. I would recommend reading at least "Pulse" before this one and maybe "Instinct" and "Threshold" too, not essential, but helpful.

[juana hernandez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Big Bang...ish

We meet a group of people that survive betrayal and deadly situations that make them become the perfect Chess Team. The story centers on a book and manuscript that will reveal the place where life evolved on earth. The story has action from beginning to end as King and his team race to catch the man that betrayed his team for money. Parker falls in lust at first sight and realized too late his mistake.

[Ankit Jain · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great entry. I read the first entry in the chess team series a long time ago. It was good to come back to the series and know more about how it all started. I was not disappointed. The writing was effortless and the story also moved along at a good pace.

We are introduced to how Jack Sigler became King and how he came to meet all his teammates while saving the world of course. I am going to continue more of the series, for sure.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm very much a stickler for reading a series chronologically. In this case, I don't believe that was the best idea. This story does stand alone as an intro and has its merits, but the military aspects were not my preference. Of course, I haven't gone through the other novels, so I have to reserve judgment on whether this overall series is right for me. Time will tell.

[Hutch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fast paced read

I picked this up as the comparison to Maberry's Joe Ledger series. I wasn't disappointed. It was a fast read with good action. I'm assuming that strong character development happens in book 1 since this was a prequel. Less humor than Maberry but made up for it in his overall quality of writing and page turning ability. Looking forward to continuing this series.

[kevin l johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jack Siglers teams start

I have loved Jeremy's writing style and his weaving of words to develop new worlds is second to none. Now I know the beginnings of the cheesecake. Good read.

[Gio C · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good Book. This is the start of the series and the first one i have read. The story went by fast as it was half story and half setting everything up for the next novels. You have to swallow a couple of crazy things but all in all a great read. Will def be reading the next one.

[Susan McKnight · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a thrill!

I've read all of the Chess Team novels and have loved every one. If you're looking for a world of adventure with some serious sci-fi twists, it's a great series to dive into.

[Christopher Ogden · Rating 3 out of 5]

Standard entry for this style of book.

Feels like several other series. Showed some promise but every time they cut to the autistic character the book stopped. The instant/creepy infatuation was another strike against it. Good enough to get me intrested in the next one.

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this as a good "origins" story for Chess Team. It was a little lacking in some of the wilder aspects of the main books in the series (it was almost believable lol). I also would have loved to see more hand to hand action sequences. Overall it was a good book!

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good story, clunky writing. I listened to the audio, and it was difficult to listen to at times, due to his vocabulary. Someone take away this guy's thesaurus. His choices are high schoolish. If you must read this, read it. Don't listen to it. Still, I'll try reading book 1.