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The Executioner #1
War Against the Mafia
The mafia destroyed his family after driving them to the depths of degradation and depair. Now Mack Bolan has returned from the jungles of 'Nam, burning with one insatiable desire: revenge!
The Special Forces' top assassin has declared war on the cancerous leeches that are draining America's lifeblood. The underworld may have the numbers - but they're no match for his brutal, devastating fury. He is Mack Bolan, the Executioner!
170 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1969
431 people are currently reading
1471 people want to read
About the author
Don Pendleton
1,517 books188 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 - 30 of 272 reviews
January 9, 2020
The men's action novels of the sixties and seventies probably drew their roots from the sudden explosions of action in Spillane's novels. But the late sixties brought a number of action hero novels to the forefront. Among the best of the bunch is Don Pendleton's Executioner series. Mack comes back from Vietnam only to find a mafia loan shark has destroyed his family and he is going back to war - against the Mafia with sniper shots, mortars, knives, & grenades. It is a solidly written action packed series and a pure blast to read. This was the first of 38 novels in the series by Pendleton and countless others by ghost writers using his name.
May 18, 2024
Sergeant Mack Bolan, a sniper with 95 confirmed kills, returns home from his stint in Vietnam to find that his entire family is dead. The local mafiosi is to blame. Upon further research, Bolan discovers that the mafia has ruined a lot of local families, destroyed a lot of lives, is responsible for many unnecessary deaths. Bolan thought the war—-for him—-was over. He now knows that it’s just getting started.
Don Pendleton wrote “War Against the Mafia” in 1969. It was the first of nearly forty books in his series featuring Mack “The Executioner” Bolan. In all of them, Bolan wages a one-man war against all domestic enemies: mafia, drug dealers, pimps, crooked cops, deranged hippies, militant feminists, overzealous environmentalists. (Okay, I just made those last three up, but Pendleton’s political vibes seem to lean to the Right, so I’m guessing that those could be viable enemies.)
If this sounds familiar, especially to comic book fans, it’s because Frank Castle, a.k.a. The Punisher, was a blatant rip-off of Pendleton’s long-running paperback hero. (The Punisher’s first appearance in “The Amazing Spider-Man” #129 was 1974.) The creators really didn’t hide the fact that it was a blatant rip-off, either. One of the co-creators, Gerry Conway, has admitted to the fact numerous times in interviews. Pendleton himself was even interviewed in an issue of the comic book series, clearly indicating that he seemed to be okay with it.
“The Executioner” series ran for almost fifty years, ending in 2020. After Pendleton wrote the first 39 books, a team of writers took over the series. Bolan himself changed from a vigilante outlaw to being recruited by the government to fight the Russkies and Muslim terrorists. Apparently, it pays to be a vengeful psychopath.
Despite its questionable morality, Pendleton’s series is actually pretty damn entertaining, which could explain its fifty-year popularity. Strangely enough, a Mack Bolan movie has never been made, despite several attempts over the past half-century. Actors like Steve McQueen, Sylvester Stallone, Clint Eastwood, Vin Diesel, and Bradley Cooper have all come close to making a Hollywood adaptation but nothing ever got green-lighted.
As men’s action-adventure, this is pretty boilerplate. Bolan himself is somewhat lacking in personality. He’s humorless and, other than a few rolls in the hay, doesn’t seem to have normal masculine needs. He’s obsessed with guns.
I’ll probably read more of these, but I much prefer the other long-running men’s action-adventure series, “Longarm”, a western series featuring a much more likable U.S. Marshall who spends more time bedding the ladies than shooting bad guys. I’ll take the happy horn-dog over the clinically-depressed gun nut any day.
Don Pendleton wrote “War Against the Mafia” in 1969. It was the first of nearly forty books in his series featuring Mack “The Executioner” Bolan. In all of them, Bolan wages a one-man war against all domestic enemies: mafia, drug dealers, pimps, crooked cops, deranged hippies, militant feminists, overzealous environmentalists. (Okay, I just made those last three up, but Pendleton’s political vibes seem to lean to the Right, so I’m guessing that those could be viable enemies.)
If this sounds familiar, especially to comic book fans, it’s because Frank Castle, a.k.a. The Punisher, was a blatant rip-off of Pendleton’s long-running paperback hero. (The Punisher’s first appearance in “The Amazing Spider-Man” #129 was 1974.) The creators really didn’t hide the fact that it was a blatant rip-off, either. One of the co-creators, Gerry Conway, has admitted to the fact numerous times in interviews. Pendleton himself was even interviewed in an issue of the comic book series, clearly indicating that he seemed to be okay with it.
“The Executioner” series ran for almost fifty years, ending in 2020. After Pendleton wrote the first 39 books, a team of writers took over the series. Bolan himself changed from a vigilante outlaw to being recruited by the government to fight the Russkies and Muslim terrorists. Apparently, it pays to be a vengeful psychopath.
Despite its questionable morality, Pendleton’s series is actually pretty damn entertaining, which could explain its fifty-year popularity. Strangely enough, a Mack Bolan movie has never been made, despite several attempts over the past half-century. Actors like Steve McQueen, Sylvester Stallone, Clint Eastwood, Vin Diesel, and Bradley Cooper have all come close to making a Hollywood adaptation but nothing ever got green-lighted.
As men’s action-adventure, this is pretty boilerplate. Bolan himself is somewhat lacking in personality. He’s humorless and, other than a few rolls in the hay, doesn’t seem to have normal masculine needs. He’s obsessed with guns.
I’ll probably read more of these, but I much prefer the other long-running men’s action-adventure series, “Longarm”, a western series featuring a much more likable U.S. Marshall who spends more time bedding the ladies than shooting bad guys. I’ll take the happy horn-dog over the clinically-depressed gun nut any day.
July 25, 2024
The Executioner #1 : war against the mafia
This book isn’t just gold, it’s shiny golden hot garbage!
The Executioner proudly displays every cheesy “one man army” cliche, which you’d expect from one glance at the cover. What makes it great is that it’s not some tired, phoned in cash run; this is the original and completely sincere granddaddy of one man army “men’s adventure” or what have you.
Reading this book today, realizing that it was written in 1969 and was strip-mined by books, movies and shamelessly by marvel’s the punisher ever since.
So Mac “the executioner” Bolan is the greatest sniper in Vietnam. Suddenly he’s called back home because his whole family has been gunned down. When he gets home he finds out that his dad had borrowed money from the mob he couldn’t pay back. When his teenage daughter agrees to “work it off” with them the dad goes HAM and shoots his whole family and then himself, leaving only the little brother in the hospital.
The executioner displays zero emotion at his loss or compassion to his young brother. Instead he declares war on the mafia; because of course the police are helpless. After shooting some mafia dudes, he infiltrates them. Once in, he immediately learns that they keep a low profile and don’t really go in for the old time violence stuff, the guy that was giving his dad a hard time was just a jerk that none of them liked.
Still it’s all their fault, what his dad did was understandable I guess.
Mac starts working security at a brothel where he is so disgusted by the exploitation of the girls that he has explicit sex scenes with several of them just to comfort them because of their poor treatment.
It just gets better and better from there. He’s a cold blooded killing machine who does whatever he wants and takes what he wants and philosophizes that he’s good and they’re evil so it’s all fine.
I won’t say anymore about it. It’s a roadmap for every cheesy 80s action movie you’ve ever seen complete with non stop quips, one liners and awkward sex scenes. Read the executioner and your testosterone levels will increase with each page! If I’m lyin’ I’m dyin’
April 26, 2014
I had to dust this book off and reread it. I have been reading so many larger and epic scale novels this month that my brain needed a break.
True story. When I was a young teen my brothers and I broke into a neighbors house and stole away his porno magazines. Along side the pornos we just so happened to accidentally grab a bag full of paperbacks. I don't think anyone else was interested in the books with all the naked ladies in the magazines to stare at. I did my fair share of staring as well but once the lust for naked flesh subsided I turned my fancy towards a book.. The executioner: War Against the Mafia.
I have never read anything like this before. To me it was like the American version of James Bond. Mack Bolan, The Executioner.
This is a beginning of the action novels. Perhaps Don Pendleton didn't create the genre but he sure as heck transformed it. There are similar attributes to be shared between The Executioner and The Punisher. I am not sure who borrowed from who but the Mack Bolan character seems to be a deeper shade of red.
Ok on to the review.
What works and what doesn't.
The one substantial flaw in this book that I find are the convenient relationships that the main protagonist develops with characters particularly with females. He makes that part of his short novel to simple. Perhaps this is a first novel type of mistake but I suspect that it is his way of making a long story short, which would be quite unfortunate.
What really works. A great plot line: A man takes out vigilante revenge against the Mafia. What better plot for a book series based upon real life action sequences?
The writing is good. Not great. I would say that the story is easily read in one setting and that just about any high school student education would be able to pass through this book easily. The flow of words is typically fast paced and the sentence to paragraph structure moves the story along quite well. There are a few lulls in there but then again every book has that issue.
I am looking forward to reading the entire series and I am hoping that Don Pendleton increases the character development as the series grows.
True story. When I was a young teen my brothers and I broke into a neighbors house and stole away his porno magazines. Along side the pornos we just so happened to accidentally grab a bag full of paperbacks. I don't think anyone else was interested in the books with all the naked ladies in the magazines to stare at. I did my fair share of staring as well but once the lust for naked flesh subsided I turned my fancy towards a book.. The executioner: War Against the Mafia.
I have never read anything like this before. To me it was like the American version of James Bond. Mack Bolan, The Executioner.
This is a beginning of the action novels. Perhaps Don Pendleton didn't create the genre but he sure as heck transformed it. There are similar attributes to be shared between The Executioner and The Punisher. I am not sure who borrowed from who but the Mack Bolan character seems to be a deeper shade of red.
Ok on to the review.
What works and what doesn't.
The one substantial flaw in this book that I find are the convenient relationships that the main protagonist develops with characters particularly with females. He makes that part of his short novel to simple. Perhaps this is a first novel type of mistake but I suspect that it is his way of making a long story short, which would be quite unfortunate.
What really works. A great plot line: A man takes out vigilante revenge against the Mafia. What better plot for a book series based upon real life action sequences?
The writing is good. Not great. I would say that the story is easily read in one setting and that just about any high school student education would be able to pass through this book easily. The flow of words is typically fast paced and the sentence to paragraph structure moves the story along quite well. There are a few lulls in there but then again every book has that issue.
I am looking forward to reading the entire series and I am hoping that Don Pendleton increases the character development as the series grows.
March 31, 2024
Ah, the inspiration for Marvel's the Punisher!
I've been meaning to read this for a very long time and I'm glad I finally did. It's pretty well-written and I'm looking forward to diving into book 2. This is a very long series, but I'll at least try to read the ones by the original author.
Fair warning, there is a lot of sexual content within, but nothing too graphic. Though for those who are familiar with these "men's action books", that shouldn't be much of a surprise.
Recommended!
I've been meaning to read this for a very long time and I'm glad I finally did. It's pretty well-written and I'm looking forward to diving into book 2. This is a very long series, but I'll at least try to read the ones by the original author.
Fair warning, there is a lot of sexual content within, but nothing too graphic. Though for those who are familiar with these "men's action books", that shouldn't be much of a surprise.
Recommended!
October 21, 2019
An excellent men's adventure series from the 60s, 70's and 80's. The first 38 books are outstanding but then the series is taken over by a bunch of new writers, writing under the name of the original creator and they take the series into a new direction I did not care for. The first 38 books are very recommended
November 22, 2009
Ok, we all have skeletons in our closets...maybe these are some of mine. Actually the ones of these written by Pendelton himself aren't bad adventure stories, if they happen to be the type you like. I didn't read nearly all the Pendelton books, but did recently pick up one of the later ones written by Harliquin who bought the rights to the series...I couldn't finish it and took it straight to my favorite used book store (which takes trades) to foist off on someone else.
Before I went in the army back in the early 70s I read several of these books. Being a shooter/gun enthusiast Pendelton's detailed account of the weapons used (something i'm sure drove some people away from the books) I found very interesting. Aside from that the stories were adrenaline charged violent thrill rides and that's all that young men need sometimes.
If you want a good fast exciting read find the early Executioner books. As a point of interest I read that Marvel acknowledged that "some" inspiration for The Punisher came from The Executioner as did "some" for DCs The Vigilante.
Before I went in the army back in the early 70s I read several of these books. Being a shooter/gun enthusiast Pendelton's detailed account of the weapons used (something i'm sure drove some people away from the books) I found very interesting. Aside from that the stories were adrenaline charged violent thrill rides and that's all that young men need sometimes.
If you want a good fast exciting read find the early Executioner books. As a point of interest I read that Marvel acknowledged that "some" inspiration for The Punisher came from The Executioner as did "some" for DCs The Vigilante.
September 30, 2020
This was interesting. It wasn’t good but it also wasn’t bad. I attribute that opinion to the fact that it was first in series and also from another era. I think Bolan has potential, as does the series. It just was very different than what I generally read. Interesting new read for sure for me. I’ll try the second one.
August 6, 2015
Ah, Men's Adventure Novels, it's been too long. This is the first ever book in the long (there's close to 600 books) series of The Executioner. The Executioner being Mack Bolan, a take no prisoners vigilante weaned on the violence of the Viet Nam Conflict. When I was younger I used to read various Mack Bolan novels I'd pick up from the drugstore, but I'd never actually explored the character's roots until I got older. Now that the books are being reprinted as ebooks, I can finally start at the beginning.
For some background, probably my favorite comic book character is The Punisher, who was based directly on Mack Bolan. He even keeps a War Journal, much like Mack Bolan keeps a diary. It was very interesting to compare the characters.
The later Mack Bolan books are almost James Bond type stories, but this was a good revenge tale. Bolan's father get's tied up with a mafia loan shark, which leads to Bolan's sister becoming a prostitute to pay back the debt. Eventually everyone in Bolan's family dies but his younger brother, who is wounded. Mack Bolan is a decorated sniper in Viet Nam, a total bad ass. So when he finds out what's happened, he brings the war back to the states and right to the mafia.
The book did have its faults, as most men's adventure does. Bolan's plan has some weird twists to it. The male/female relationships are also strange, another staple of men's novels. For example, Bolan gets wounded in one of the battles, and even though he's a wanted murderer, a young female stranger helps him hide out. She's in her late twenties, a total knock out, and a virgin. After three days hiding out Bolan, however, she's no longer a virgin. And the two fall in love, again within three days...Yeah, it was a bit of a stretch. The book actually reminded me of a Mike Hammer novel in a way, just with that hardboiled, almost too manly to be real feel to it. There was also the sleaze inherent in this type of book, with some orgies thrown in to keep things trashy. It's never exceedingly graphic, however.
One thing that surprises me is that after 45 years and 600 novels, no one has yet to make an Executioner film. That's really shocking. I think this book would make a pretty decent film, with the right people working on it at least.
Overall I enjoyed it, and if you enjoy Men's Adventure or hardboiled noir you'll enjoy this one. It's not for everyone, but if you think you'll like it, you probably will.
For some background, probably my favorite comic book character is The Punisher, who was based directly on Mack Bolan. He even keeps a War Journal, much like Mack Bolan keeps a diary. It was very interesting to compare the characters.
The later Mack Bolan books are almost James Bond type stories, but this was a good revenge tale. Bolan's father get's tied up with a mafia loan shark, which leads to Bolan's sister becoming a prostitute to pay back the debt. Eventually everyone in Bolan's family dies but his younger brother, who is wounded. Mack Bolan is a decorated sniper in Viet Nam, a total bad ass. So when he finds out what's happened, he brings the war back to the states and right to the mafia.
The book did have its faults, as most men's adventure does. Bolan's plan has some weird twists to it. The male/female relationships are also strange, another staple of men's novels. For example, Bolan gets wounded in one of the battles, and even though he's a wanted murderer, a young female stranger helps him hide out. She's in her late twenties, a total knock out, and a virgin. After three days hiding out Bolan, however, she's no longer a virgin. And the two fall in love, again within three days...Yeah, it was a bit of a stretch. The book actually reminded me of a Mike Hammer novel in a way, just with that hardboiled, almost too manly to be real feel to it. There was also the sleaze inherent in this type of book, with some orgies thrown in to keep things trashy. It's never exceedingly graphic, however.
One thing that surprises me is that after 45 years and 600 novels, no one has yet to make an Executioner film. That's really shocking. I think this book would make a pretty decent film, with the right people working on it at least.
Overall I enjoyed it, and if you enjoy Men's Adventure or hardboiled noir you'll enjoy this one. It's not for everyone, but if you think you'll like it, you probably will.
November 17, 2016
This is the book that started the men's action genre. Mack Bolan launches his one man war against the Mafia. I first read this well over 20 years ago. The original series by Don Pendelton is now available in Ebook format.
September 19, 2007
I remember reading a smattering of Executioner novels as a youngster, and--reminiscing about how much I enjoyed them--I recently bought a bunch of old Pendleton titles. Of the first several novels in the series, War Against the Mafia still stands out as my clear favorite. The action is hard-hitting, and the story moves quickly while still taking the time to establish the characters and settings.
Another thing that struck me while reading this is how morally murky The Executioner's beginnings are. By that, I don't mean that Bolan himself comes across as confused or morally conflicted. Rather, the series of events that leads to him becoming The Executioner are realistically tangled. The mob doesn't kill his family--they drive his father to commit a terrible act of murder and suicide. His sister isn't forced to become a prostitute, she does so because she thinks she's helping her father and her family. And once Bolan infiltrates the Pittsfield syndicate, he grows to like and respect the man whom he originally most wanted to kill--Leo Turrin, who first ushered his sister into the mob's prostitution ring.
All these moral ambiguities aside, what stands out most strongly in this novel is the savage purity of Bolan's warrior code, and his committment to eradicating the cancerous element of organized crime in the United States. Still, I like the little bits of depth and complexity that Pendleton gives to a story that mostly exists on a comic-book level. Also, there's still an element of tension in this novel as far as Bolan being a "wanted man" goes. In subsequent novels, he's able to avoid massive, nationwide police dragnets without breaking a sweat, but in War Against the Mafia, there's the sense that he's very close to being captured at any moment, which adds a great deal of suspense.
For my money, this book is really about as good as pulp adventure writing gets.
Another thing that struck me while reading this is how morally murky The Executioner's beginnings are. By that, I don't mean that Bolan himself comes across as confused or morally conflicted. Rather, the series of events that leads to him becoming The Executioner are realistically tangled. The mob doesn't kill his family--they drive his father to commit a terrible act of murder and suicide. His sister isn't forced to become a prostitute, she does so because she thinks she's helping her father and her family. And once Bolan infiltrates the Pittsfield syndicate, he grows to like and respect the man whom he originally most wanted to kill--Leo Turrin, who first ushered his sister into the mob's prostitution ring.
All these moral ambiguities aside, what stands out most strongly in this novel is the savage purity of Bolan's warrior code, and his committment to eradicating the cancerous element of organized crime in the United States. Still, I like the little bits of depth and complexity that Pendleton gives to a story that mostly exists on a comic-book level. Also, there's still an element of tension in this novel as far as Bolan being a "wanted man" goes. In subsequent novels, he's able to avoid massive, nationwide police dragnets without breaking a sweat, but in War Against the Mafia, there's the sense that he's very close to being captured at any moment, which adds a great deal of suspense.
For my money, this book is really about as good as pulp adventure writing gets.
May 17, 2019
I really enjoyed this book. Well written and engaging. I've only read a couple of the Executioner series but will probably try to read a few more based upon my enjoyment of this one. Quite a lot of sexiness in the book for one written in 1969. Not graphic but well done.
October 13, 2024
A trip down memory lane? ... maybe... But maybe the more apt sentiment is that you can never go back...
OK, I read a lot of these in the 1970's, ... it's possible that I read dozens of them, and, if memory serves and, yes, I realize that memory is a terribly unreliable thing, ... but around the same time I was reading Alistair MacLean (and, yes, those books were older, while these (at the time) were very new), I fear I may have read pretty much all of the original run until it got farmed out to ghost-writers.
Serial revenge fantasy, elite-soldier-turned-vigilante, a half-step above mindless and escapist pulp, easily consumable violence and sex (OK, I concede I don't remember there being that much sex, but the violence is exactly what I recalled) ... but what I can't get my mind wrapped around is that I have these in my head as then-YA fare. I guess Harry Potter is plenty violent, and there's a relatively high body count, but I can't fathom how/why parents (and librarians) weren't steering us away from this stuff. Sure, I grew up in the military - and, a la Alistair MacLean, as I noted above, I have no doubt that, if I were a teenager today, I'd be reading Jack Reacher, but it does seem that maybe someone could or should have tried to interest us in something a little more age appropriate (and, in all fairness, maybe they did). Ah, long ago and far away.
I can't say exactly what persuaded me to look for (and buy) this, but it was a fascinating experience in time travel. Technologically and tactically, it's very much a period piece. (Ah, my kingdom for a mobile phone, let alone a drone.) OK, I'm slightly horrified that I could have read so many of these, let alone so aggressively sought them out ... and enjoyed them.
Curious ... from the photos I've found, the format that seems most familiar to me (or in my mind's eye) - are the paperbacks with cover prices of 95 cents or $1.25 - they're obviously not the original edition, and that makes sense. But, as they say, I digress.
OK, I read a lot of these in the 1970's, ... it's possible that I read dozens of them, and, if memory serves and, yes, I realize that memory is a terribly unreliable thing, ... but around the same time I was reading Alistair MacLean (and, yes, those books were older, while these (at the time) were very new), I fear I may have read pretty much all of the original run until it got farmed out to ghost-writers.
Serial revenge fantasy, elite-soldier-turned-vigilante, a half-step above mindless and escapist pulp, easily consumable violence and sex (OK, I concede I don't remember there being that much sex, but the violence is exactly what I recalled) ... but what I can't get my mind wrapped around is that I have these in my head as then-YA fare. I guess Harry Potter is plenty violent, and there's a relatively high body count, but I can't fathom how/why parents (and librarians) weren't steering us away from this stuff. Sure, I grew up in the military - and, a la Alistair MacLean, as I noted above, I have no doubt that, if I were a teenager today, I'd be reading Jack Reacher, but it does seem that maybe someone could or should have tried to interest us in something a little more age appropriate (and, in all fairness, maybe they did). Ah, long ago and far away.
I can't say exactly what persuaded me to look for (and buy) this, but it was a fascinating experience in time travel. Technologically and tactically, it's very much a period piece. (Ah, my kingdom for a mobile phone, let alone a drone.) OK, I'm slightly horrified that I could have read so many of these, let alone so aggressively sought them out ... and enjoyed them.
Curious ... from the photos I've found, the format that seems most familiar to me (or in my mind's eye) - are the paperbacks with cover prices of 95 cents or $1.25 - they're obviously not the original edition, and that makes sense. But, as they say, I digress.
April 22, 2017
War against the Mafia is probably the most influential Men’s Adventure novel ever. Published the same year as Mario Puzo’s the Godfather, it also deals with the Cosa Nostra (or Italian Mafia). However, this is not a gangster story like the Godfather. This is a revenge story.
The plot is very straightforward. Protagonist Mack Bolan comes home from Vietnam to find his family ruined by Mafia loan sharks. He declares war on the Mafia - in Pittsfield where he lives. He infiltrates them in Act 1. In Acts 2 and 3 he destroys them.
However, Don Pendleton improves the story with a few well placed sub-plots. There is a police mole in the Mafia, and it is a major plot twist when the reader finds out who it is. It works because Bolan comes to close to killing the guy several times, and his cover is so good, I didn’t expect it at all.
In Act 2 Bolan gets seriously wounded, and for several chapters we get a tasteful romance sub-plot and a breather from the “executions” that go on in the rest of the book. This part improves the pacing of the book as a whole.
I think I should mention the rather pointless sex scenes in Act 1. When Bolan infiltrates the Mafia, he gets some action with some prostitutes. These scenes don’t really add anything to the plot. And yet, compared to sex scenes in other Men’s fiction, they are well written. They provide the fantasy of being a man who is an “expert” at sex, which I imagine is the point.
Pendleton’s writing style also needs discussion. He breaks the “show don’t tell” rule, sometimes for entire chapters at a time. Literally, some chapters have no scenes; it’s just Pendleton telling you about a key character or something. However, this helps the pacing of the book, because these chapters are very short and work as effective exposition. The “real” scenes do plenty of showing, so these techniques feel like a conscious writing style instead of amateur mistakes.
I must mention that this book is not an “action movie” in book form like other Men’s Adventure series like “The Death Merchant” and “TNT”. It is a vigilante story, and the violence itself is rather brief and lacking in tension. Instead we get long philosophical monologues about the man’s relationship with justice and violence. The book takes itself rather seriously, and sometimes reads like an instruction manual for a one man war.
I have read about 8 novels in the men’s adventure genre so far, and perhaps this is the only novel I can recommend as a “minor classic” of 1960s literature in general.
The plot is very straightforward. Protagonist Mack Bolan comes home from Vietnam to find his family ruined by Mafia loan sharks. He declares war on the Mafia - in Pittsfield where he lives. He infiltrates them in Act 1. In Acts 2 and 3 he destroys them.
However, Don Pendleton improves the story with a few well placed sub-plots. There is a police mole in the Mafia, and it is a major plot twist when the reader finds out who it is. It works because Bolan comes to close to killing the guy several times, and his cover is so good, I didn’t expect it at all.
In Act 2 Bolan gets seriously wounded, and for several chapters we get a tasteful romance sub-plot and a breather from the “executions” that go on in the rest of the book. This part improves the pacing of the book as a whole.
I think I should mention the rather pointless sex scenes in Act 1. When Bolan infiltrates the Mafia, he gets some action with some prostitutes. These scenes don’t really add anything to the plot. And yet, compared to sex scenes in other Men’s fiction, they are well written. They provide the fantasy of being a man who is an “expert” at sex, which I imagine is the point.
Pendleton’s writing style also needs discussion. He breaks the “show don’t tell” rule, sometimes for entire chapters at a time. Literally, some chapters have no scenes; it’s just Pendleton telling you about a key character or something. However, this helps the pacing of the book, because these chapters are very short and work as effective exposition. The “real” scenes do plenty of showing, so these techniques feel like a conscious writing style instead of amateur mistakes.
I must mention that this book is not an “action movie” in book form like other Men’s Adventure series like “The Death Merchant” and “TNT”. It is a vigilante story, and the violence itself is rather brief and lacking in tension. Instead we get long philosophical monologues about the man’s relationship with justice and violence. The book takes itself rather seriously, and sometimes reads like an instruction manual for a one man war.
I have read about 8 novels in the men’s adventure genre so far, and perhaps this is the only novel I can recommend as a “minor classic” of 1960s literature in general.
March 24, 2009
The first book that I read that I could not put down. This was my hook into the world of reading.
Date read - a long, long time ago.
Date read - a long, long time ago.
March 19, 2018
This is one of the times where it’s okay to judge a book by its cover, as it’s just as cheap and pulpy as it looks. Still, I had fun with this one. I can’t resist a “wronged ultra-badass on an epic mission of revenge” story and this is apparently one of the classics, even going so far as to inspire the fucking PUNISHER (this information gleaned from my Goodreads friend Mike.) I mean, if this dude was the inspiration for the wind of death that is Frank Castle you know I have to check this out. And I was not disappointed! Like I said, it’s obviously not classic literature but I mean, it’s about an unkillable hardman who returns from the jungles of Vietnam to lay a serious fucking up on the Mafia when he’s not making the Beast With Two Backs with beautiful 60s-70s era hotties. HOW CAN I SAY NO?! Only sweetening the deal is the fact that Pendleton is a competent writer who can come up with some memorable passages that transcend the glorious trash that makes up 95% of this book.
August 9, 2024
Really two and a half stars. Over the top pulp Men’s Adventure novel about a Vietnam vet turned vigilante against the mafia. This was written in 1969 and is the first in a long-running series. I read this for GarbAugust 2024 on YouTube, as seen on CriminOlly’s book channel.
May 29, 2018
This is the book that started it all. It is highly imitated but rarely duplicated. This is the beginning of the highly successful men's action/adventure genre.
Mack Bolan is mix of Sherlock Holmes, Mike Hammer and Lew Archer. An Army sniper sent home on emergency leave to bury his family. Mack's father kills his wife and daughter and gravely injures his youngest son before turning the gun on himself.
The reason sets Mack on a new warpath. He brings the tactics he learned in Vietnam against the mobsters that destroyed his father and family.
The series is violent and tinged with sex but the military style ethics helps point out the difference between good and evil. The closest person to copy this style would be Robert B. Parker in his Jesse Stone and Spenser novels.
I am not their judge. I am their judgement. I am their Executioner is the idea that society knows the people killed by Bolan are evil. The judges and juries are simply too scared to put down these rabid dogs. Bolan is not afraid to mete out the justice society refuses to out of fear.
Bolan only targets the known criminals, avoids killing cops and never puts innocent lives in jeopardy.
Mack Bolan is mix of Sherlock Holmes, Mike Hammer and Lew Archer. An Army sniper sent home on emergency leave to bury his family. Mack's father kills his wife and daughter and gravely injures his youngest son before turning the gun on himself.
The reason sets Mack on a new warpath. He brings the tactics he learned in Vietnam against the mobsters that destroyed his father and family.
The series is violent and tinged with sex but the military style ethics helps point out the difference between good and evil. The closest person to copy this style would be Robert B. Parker in his Jesse Stone and Spenser novels.
I am not their judge. I am their judgement. I am their Executioner is the idea that society knows the people killed by Bolan are evil. The judges and juries are simply too scared to put down these rabid dogs. Bolan is not afraid to mete out the justice society refuses to out of fear.
Bolan only targets the known criminals, avoids killing cops and never puts innocent lives in jeopardy.
February 18, 2015
I first read this book back in March of 1973 as a young sailor in the Coast Guard. I went to a bookstore/newsstand and picked it up for about $1.25 or so. Loved it! And I got hooked on action thrillers from that point on.
Classic story that might seem outdated now, but it does reflect the times in which it was written (1969). I think the first 38 or so Mack Bolan books were written by Don Pendleton before he just became a co-writer or director of the series.
I still like this book. Picked up #1 from Amazon on sale. I can pick up the next 5 or so from my digital library. I will re-read as many of them as I can and try to recapture the feelings of action and excitement I had so long ago when I first read them.
Tons of action. These books blazed a trail way back then and shook up the reading public. A killer as a hero? Ruthless, yet caring? Thank goodness they finally became available on e-books (as the Destroyer books as well. A series I read thanks to the Executioner books.
Classic story that might seem outdated now, but it does reflect the times in which it was written (1969). I think the first 38 or so Mack Bolan books were written by Don Pendleton before he just became a co-writer or director of the series.
I still like this book. Picked up #1 from Amazon on sale. I can pick up the next 5 or so from my digital library. I will re-read as many of them as I can and try to recapture the feelings of action and excitement I had so long ago when I first read them.
Tons of action. These books blazed a trail way back then and shook up the reading public. A killer as a hero? Ruthless, yet caring? Thank goodness they finally became available on e-books (as the Destroyer books as well. A series I read thanks to the Executioner books.
January 21, 2023
Pendleton’s first Mack Bolan novel is a wild ride cover to cover. The inexplicable need for justice after what has happened to his family fuels the rampage unleashed upon the unfortunate souls who wronged him. Riddled with action, wit and the occasional romance, War Against The Mafia is a fitting beginning to Bolan’s saga. Thank you to Linda Pendleton and Open Road Media for the muchly appreciated reprint of this epic series.
August 23, 2022
Mack Bolan understands an act of duty and an act of murder as a combat sniper with 90 plus confirmed official kills. His family is ripped apart, his sister sells her body to pay an exorbitant debt to the mob, the father finds out a guns down the family leaving only his kid brother. Mack comes back from Nam and wants to fight the real enemy, the fucking Mafia. Find, Identify, Execute. His first kills are 5 men leaving a building, his speed and accuracy are expertly coordinated and blood spilled beautifully. A contract has been made and Mack will pump bullets in the face and chest of the two looking to collect. His vengeance will slowly melt but the mob are evil and evil must die. As the body count increases so does the killing contract fee. He will send a strong message, burning down their illegal whore houses, stealing large amounts of money. With deadly arsenal he will launch rockets into the mobs compound with their leaders and watch men burn, flying through the air from the explosions, bright flames burning flesh, the police will witness and be in awe of his awesome tactics in eradicating the vermin, the scum, taking money and abusing society. The Exercutioner is born and he is now marked for death and overnight an American hero doing what the police can't. The OG is essential in understanding Mack.
November 11, 2016
A novel that more than fulfills its mandate to entertain.
Donald Pendleton has been dubbed the "father of men's action-adventure," but what about Edward S. Aarons, Donald Hamilton, and Ian Fleming? Mack Bolan belongs to the same pantheon as Sam Durrell, Matt Helm, and James Bond. I see some fans claim The Executioner belongs to a new genre, but I didn't see a clear line of demarcation.
One thing this novel had that its forebears lacked was graphic sex scenes. The encounters with the prostitutes were seamy and sordid and didn't fit with the character or story. I was glad to read on the Glorious Trash blog that Pendleton's publisher insisted he sex-up the story. Later adventures are presumably tamer.
Memorable characters include Lt. Al Weatherbee, who has a begrudging respect for Mack Bolan's audacity and abilities (even if not for his lukewarm instant coffee). One can sympathize with the tension Weatherbee feels between enforcing the letter of the law vs. allowing justice to be meted out to the guilty. I also really liked the character of Leo Turrin. When it looked like Mack was going to blow Leo's brains out I felt deflated--no, not Leo! It did make me smile that Mack wanted them to step outside before shooting to spare his wife the unpleasant task of cleaning blood and brain matter from the foyer.
I wasn't wild about Valentina, but she was a necessary character, providing Mack a base camp out of which to operate and to recover from injuries sustained in the battle. I groaned at the repeated scenes of Mack awakening to find Val staring starry-eyed at him. And I winced when they fell in love. A one-man army dedicated whole heartedly to duty just isn't permitted such luxuries. My hope is her character won't recur and that future stories won't be clouded with wistful remembrances of lost love.
Whatever happened to Johnny Bolan? Mack all but forgets his kid brother once the story gets rolling. And once it's rolling, it unrelenting. Pendleton is skilled at keeping the reader engaged and turning pages. I resisted putting the book down, but since I read it on my bus trips to and from work I had no choice but to reluctantly slip in the bookmark and return to reality.
This was my first foray into the world of Mack Bolan. I owe a debt of gratitude to my old ex-best friend Mike who was reading The Executioner back in the 1980s. The books never interested me then, but recalling his enthusiasm for the series sparked me to buy a few when I saw several for sale at Half Price Books (though I had to go to eBay to secure a copy of this elusive first story in the saga). For my fellow new readers of The Executioner, I would highly recommend reading The Godfather, which is a thrilling page-turner of a novel that also provides readers a fuller understanding of the Mafia. I imported the depth and nuance of Puzo into my reading of Pendleton and found it enriched my appreciation. And I'm confident Puzo's 1969 bestseller inspired Pendleton.
I'm looking forward to reading Death Squad and all the rest of the Pendleton-scribed series, along with the many series it spawned: The Destroyer, The Death Merchant, The Butcher, The Penetrator et al.
PS: The week I read War on the Mafia Donald Trump was elected president, a candidate I'm confident Mack Bolan would have heartily endorsed.
Donald Pendleton has been dubbed the "father of men's action-adventure," but what about Edward S. Aarons, Donald Hamilton, and Ian Fleming? Mack Bolan belongs to the same pantheon as Sam Durrell, Matt Helm, and James Bond. I see some fans claim The Executioner belongs to a new genre, but I didn't see a clear line of demarcation.
One thing this novel had that its forebears lacked was graphic sex scenes. The encounters with the prostitutes were seamy and sordid and didn't fit with the character or story. I was glad to read on the Glorious Trash blog that Pendleton's publisher insisted he sex-up the story. Later adventures are presumably tamer.
Memorable characters include Lt. Al Weatherbee, who has a begrudging respect for Mack Bolan's audacity and abilities (even if not for his lukewarm instant coffee). One can sympathize with the tension Weatherbee feels between enforcing the letter of the law vs. allowing justice to be meted out to the guilty. I also really liked the character of Leo Turrin. When it looked like Mack was going to blow Leo's brains out I felt deflated--no, not Leo! It did make me smile that Mack wanted them to step outside before shooting to spare his wife the unpleasant task of cleaning blood and brain matter from the foyer.
I wasn't wild about Valentina, but she was a necessary character, providing Mack a base camp out of which to operate and to recover from injuries sustained in the battle. I groaned at the repeated scenes of Mack awakening to find Val staring starry-eyed at him. And I winced when they fell in love. A one-man army dedicated whole heartedly to duty just isn't permitted such luxuries. My hope is her character won't recur and that future stories won't be clouded with wistful remembrances of lost love.
Whatever happened to Johnny Bolan? Mack all but forgets his kid brother once the story gets rolling. And once it's rolling, it unrelenting. Pendleton is skilled at keeping the reader engaged and turning pages. I resisted putting the book down, but since I read it on my bus trips to and from work I had no choice but to reluctantly slip in the bookmark and return to reality.
This was my first foray into the world of Mack Bolan. I owe a debt of gratitude to my old ex-best friend Mike who was reading The Executioner back in the 1980s. The books never interested me then, but recalling his enthusiasm for the series sparked me to buy a few when I saw several for sale at Half Price Books (though I had to go to eBay to secure a copy of this elusive first story in the saga). For my fellow new readers of The Executioner, I would highly recommend reading The Godfather, which is a thrilling page-turner of a novel that also provides readers a fuller understanding of the Mafia. I imported the depth and nuance of Puzo into my reading of Pendleton and found it enriched my appreciation. And I'm confident Puzo's 1969 bestseller inspired Pendleton.
I'm looking forward to reading Death Squad and all the rest of the Pendleton-scribed series, along with the many series it spawned: The Destroyer, The Death Merchant, The Butcher, The Penetrator et al.
PS: The week I read War on the Mafia Donald Trump was elected president, a candidate I'm confident Mack Bolan would have heartily endorsed.
November 27, 2018
Pompous machismo fuels every page of this gloriously simple book, propelling its protagonist to new heights of condescension and hyper-competence. It's juvenile wish-fulfillment for people that don't like dragons or tights...and maybe not women either.
It's hard not to feel for Bolan and his acute loss. There he is, serving his country, sacrificing his youth and any potential innocence fighting a dirty war, judging and being judged and ultimately finding himself in the orgy of violence it's all become. This changing of a boy and later of a man is end-capped by the massacre of his family, kicking off the book that follows. These events define him in ways that are hard to imagine for those who have not been there, yet easily empathized with because no one lives life without trauma and violence and the struggle of self-preservation, without loss and sudden, oft-times catastrophic reversals. Any given reader may not identify with the specifics of Mack's psychology, but we all understand his rage and his drive for vengeance, even his ability to ignore the morality of it. As he says repeatedly, there is no morality in war.
But the devil is in the details, always.
The narrative is filled with needy, hyper-sexualized, and largely panicky women who upon taking in the seething manliness of Mack Bolan can't help but immediately drop their panties and beg him for anything he deigns fit to grant them. Lining up to service our hero they come, and then go, most never to be seen again. Until Valentina, who feels like a naive and puritanical child, making her relationship to Mack oily at best.
Mack's enemies are uniformly arrogant, murderous, and ultimately incompetent in the face of his righteous and perfect violence. They stand and they fall, knocked over like so many delicately balanced cards. Like a modern-day FPS character, Mack strides across the land dealing violence, paying lip service to the vagaries of life but ultimately ignoring the inevitable consequences. Mack is always rewarded, never punished beyond the initial instigating act that brings him home. Mack is never wrong. Mack is always prepared. Mack never misses or picks the wrong target. There is no collateral damage. Mack is a testosterone-powered cipher for those who want to be more, for those who want their impotent rage at injustices given release, for those who want a superman with a gun.
I can't say I disliked the book (I quite enjoyed the mindlessness of it), but Pendleton's presentation of women in this book is overwhelmingly and unavoidably negative. So is his presentation of anyone that is not like Mack. Though, if we are being fair, nobody is like Mack, not really. It feels like a product of its time and for that I can look past it. It's Men's Adventure Fiction writ large and for that, I can forgive it its trespasses. But make no mistake. This is every bit the fantasy that Harry Potter is. Instead of realizing you're a wizard, you realize you're a man's man. And sometimes, that's a hell of a lot of fun. Just don't tell anyone I said that.
It's hard not to feel for Bolan and his acute loss. There he is, serving his country, sacrificing his youth and any potential innocence fighting a dirty war, judging and being judged and ultimately finding himself in the orgy of violence it's all become. This changing of a boy and later of a man is end-capped by the massacre of his family, kicking off the book that follows. These events define him in ways that are hard to imagine for those who have not been there, yet easily empathized with because no one lives life without trauma and violence and the struggle of self-preservation, without loss and sudden, oft-times catastrophic reversals. Any given reader may not identify with the specifics of Mack's psychology, but we all understand his rage and his drive for vengeance, even his ability to ignore the morality of it. As he says repeatedly, there is no morality in war.
But the devil is in the details, always.
The narrative is filled with needy, hyper-sexualized, and largely panicky women who upon taking in the seething manliness of Mack Bolan can't help but immediately drop their panties and beg him for anything he deigns fit to grant them. Lining up to service our hero they come, and then go, most never to be seen again. Until Valentina, who feels like a naive and puritanical child, making her relationship to Mack oily at best.
Mack's enemies are uniformly arrogant, murderous, and ultimately incompetent in the face of his righteous and perfect violence. They stand and they fall, knocked over like so many delicately balanced cards. Like a modern-day FPS character, Mack strides across the land dealing violence, paying lip service to the vagaries of life but ultimately ignoring the inevitable consequences. Mack is always rewarded, never punished beyond the initial instigating act that brings him home. Mack is never wrong. Mack is always prepared. Mack never misses or picks the wrong target. There is no collateral damage. Mack is a testosterone-powered cipher for those who want to be more, for those who want their impotent rage at injustices given release, for those who want a superman with a gun.
I can't say I disliked the book (I quite enjoyed the mindlessness of it), but Pendleton's presentation of women in this book is overwhelmingly and unavoidably negative. So is his presentation of anyone that is not like Mack. Though, if we are being fair, nobody is like Mack, not really. It feels like a product of its time and for that I can look past it. It's Men's Adventure Fiction writ large and for that, I can forgive it its trespasses. But make no mistake. This is every bit the fantasy that Harry Potter is. Instead of realizing you're a wizard, you realize you're a man's man. And sometimes, that's a hell of a lot of fun. Just don't tell anyone I said that.
February 23, 2013
It's so hard to rate books like this but I tend to be conservative in my ratings unless a book blows me away completely. I liked it and it was a rather decent pulpy adventure/action story. Mack Bolan, at least in this first volume, comes across as a more righteous Parker with a similar vendetta against the Mob. On the plus side, I found the action sequences gripping and well-written and the character of Mack Bolan agreeable. The major flaw in this novel was that I often found myself unable to suspend my disbelief about Bolan's luck and the ineptitude of especially the police to capture him. There is just a bit too much of the superhero in his circumstances that take away from the believability of what's going on. That said, it is pulp so a lot of the rules of reality are suspended to further the plot.
One other thing, I found the character Val's actions to be utterly incomprehensible and a bit too convenient for the plot's sake.
All-in-all, I thought it was an interesting light read especially recommended for people who enjoy Richard Stark's Parker and Andrew Vachss' Burke.
One other thing, I found the character Val's actions to be utterly incomprehensible and a bit too convenient for the plot's sake.
All-in-all, I thought it was an interesting light read especially recommended for people who enjoy Richard Stark's Parker and Andrew Vachss' Burke.
November 9, 2020
When I was in junior and senior high, The Executioner series was one friends and I grabbed at the library and went through quickly. These were sort of a poor man's James Bond series for teenage boys, and there were many more of them in the series. The action and women were exciting adventures at the time. I eventually wanted more substance in my thrillers and moved on to Forsythe, Clancy, and others in the genre. This is the first Executioner story I've read since high school, and while it didn't disappoint for a story in this series, I expect I will not revisit it any time soon.
March 4, 2020
March 1968. The first Executioner book hits the stands and changes the action genre for ages. The series has been continuously published to the current day and has influenced countless authors and directors. This is the book that started it all and it does not disappoint. Full of action and thrills as Bolan returns from Vietnam to find his family has been destroyed by the Mafia. Now he will bring the skills learned in the jungles of Vietnam to bear in his new war against the Mafia.
May 28, 2012
Before The Punisher there was Mac Bolan. I won’t say these books are great literature, but I loved them as a teen.
October 13, 2020
I loved the book. It takes you back to the 1960s and makes you think of simpler times. No computers, no technology. I enjoyed the book very much and enjoy Don Pendleton's writing style.
June 23, 2021
This is the book that launched the Executioner series. Mack Bolan is a sniper in Vietnam when he learns his father has murdered his family and committed suicide. Only his younger brother has survived. He’s offered compassionate leave to come home where he discovers that his father went crazy because he was in debt to the mob and they had started prostituting Bolan’s sister. Bolan decides to get some straight-forward revenge as only a sniper who cut his teeth in Vietnam can.
Frankly, while I enjoyed the story, I was less impressed with the early Bolan than I expected to be. He starts out strong, but he plays a lot of games with the bad guys that I really didn’t think were necessary. Pendleton does a nice job with a homicide detective who figures out what’s going on and tries to steer Bolan out of what he views as a suicidal direction.
Overall, I think that anyone who has enjoyed an Executioner novel, or one of the later spinoffs like Stoney Man or the Super Bolans, should read this book. It’s nice to see how things began.
If you liked this review, you can find more at www.gilbertstack.com/reviews.
Frankly, while I enjoyed the story, I was less impressed with the early Bolan than I expected to be. He starts out strong, but he plays a lot of games with the bad guys that I really didn’t think were necessary. Pendleton does a nice job with a homicide detective who figures out what’s going on and tries to steer Bolan out of what he views as a suicidal direction.
Overall, I think that anyone who has enjoyed an Executioner novel, or one of the later spinoffs like Stoney Man or the Super Bolans, should read this book. It’s nice to see how things began.
If you liked this review, you can find more at www.gilbertstack.com/reviews.
March 25, 2018
Having read a smattering of randoms Executioners over the years I'm glad that I finally got around to reading the first book in the series. Mack Bolan's motivations and actions are clearly more morally ambiguous in this book, and although Bolan has dedicated himself to a relentless and brutal destruction of "evil", readers may find this somewhat bordering on psychotic. I think that this level of depth makes Bolan a fascinating character, much more than a typical action hero. All in all an excellent action book.
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