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The Executioner #21
Firebase Seattle
Bolan collides with a deadly Northwest Mafia strike force!
184 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1975
42 people are currently reading
149 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
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
May 5, 2023
Not as much action in this one as others in the series but still an interesting story of the Mob making moves in Seattle - that is until Bolan takes an interest in their activities.
January 14, 2016
While the action-adventure genre is pretty much dead today, it was HUGE in the 60's-70's. James Bond started it and kept it (fairly) classy. The Destroyer took it beyond the meat-headed action and made it cerebral. However, if you simply want to read about a man's man shooting up other men in manly ways, you read Mack Bolan. Pendleton is the Hemmingway of action schlock. He wastes no time with meaningless characterization and subplots: if it doesn't further Bolan's quest to shoot, blow up, or otherwise mangle every Mafioso in the universe, it get cut.
Bolan's so awesomely cheesy that you can drop him into any setting and the stories practically write themselves (and in some later cases, I suspect that they did). Mack Bolan is basically the World's Most Interesting Man mixed with the Old Spice guy. Now train him in Vietnam and and arm him to the teeth. He's a guy so awesome that even his worst enemies admire him. All the men have man-crushes on him, all the women have real crushes on him.
So yeah, I can say that the idea of the mob building a secret firebase in Seattle is silly, or that the whole idea of the Mafia being an ultimate evil seems ridiculous today, but it doesn't matter, because MACK BOLAN. If you're thinking about it more than that, you've missed the point.
Bolan's so awesomely cheesy that you can drop him into any setting and the stories practically write themselves (and in some later cases, I suspect that they did). Mack Bolan is basically the World's Most Interesting Man mixed with the Old Spice guy. Now train him in Vietnam and and arm him to the teeth. He's a guy so awesome that even his worst enemies admire him. All the men have man-crushes on him, all the women have real crushes on him.
So yeah, I can say that the idea of the mob building a secret firebase in Seattle is silly, or that the whole idea of the Mafia being an ultimate evil seems ridiculous today, but it doesn't matter, because MACK BOLAN. If you're thinking about it more than that, you've missed the point.
October 10, 2025
I first read this in the '70s, and my teen mind absorbed the action and altruistic cause of the Mafia-buster, Bolan. He's a moral creature, trained in Vietnam to kill every-which-way, but with a heart of gold.
After a family tragedy that brings him back to the states, he starts out on a vendetta that extends through many chapters, this one published in '75.
Throw in a couple of allies, flyboy Grimaldi and triple knife edge Leo Turrin, and you have all kinds of gunplay and intrigue.
After a family tragedy that brings him back to the states, he starts out on a vendetta that extends through many chapters, this one published in '75.
Throw in a couple of allies, flyboy Grimaldi and triple knife edge Leo Turrin, and you have all kinds of gunplay and intrigue.
July 22, 2016
I like the book and the series. This one wasn't as interesting to me as the others. Most of the action seems to come at the end and the buildup didn't lead up to the great ending I was expecting. I still enjoyed it.
December 14, 2019
Loved these books as a kid, so started to re-read a few. Not so great now. But still like the genre and it is still a great non-thinking type of read.
June 30, 2025
Pure Adrenaline
One of the better entries in the Executioner series at least in my opinion. Action packed and does not disappoint.
One of the better entries in the Executioner series at least in my opinion. Action packed and does not disappoint.
March 21, 2016
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
December 29, 2019
Great Action/Adventure But...
As with any of Don Pendletons Executioner series this book delivers tons of action and adventure but... It totally lacks in editing and proof reading as the errors are quite annoying in the digital versions of his books.
As with any of Don Pendletons Executioner series this book delivers tons of action and adventure but... It totally lacks in editing and proof reading as the errors are quite annoying in the digital versions of his books.
November 6, 2015
Definitely not my favorite in the series.
June 16, 2018
Working my way through these as a way of clearing stuff out before the next big book.
May 29, 2019
More
Definite lack of detail. It's like a lack of the complete story. The story line needs a lot more info to complete the mental picture
Definite lack of detail. It's like a lack of the complete story. The story line needs a lot more info to complete the mental picture
Read
June 26, 2021As a creative person, I've never made anything that got very popular, so I've always felt the need to hustle and try really hard to make my stuff (stories, songs, podcasts, etc.) as good as they can be. But I imagine that if you do become popular — with a book series, for example — there may come a point where your focus is not on quality. Maybe it's because you lose your passion for it, you're on a schedule that's too tight to maintain the same level of quality, you just get a little lazy, or some combination. Like I said, I've never had the fortune of being there myself, but it seems to happen at some point to most successful creators.
With Firebase Seattle, it is clear that Don Pendleton, for whatever reason, wasn't doing his best work mid-way through the series.
Here we have another James Bond villain level plot with the mob setting up a secret underground vault to horde the world's gold and silver, presumably to manipulate global financial markets...? The book may have told me but the pacing was so bizarre I found my mind giving up on the plot as my eyes just moved over words on the page. Pendleton holds back information as if he's writing a mystery yet fails to seed Bolan's journey with clues. Nor does he give us the MacGuffin at the beginning to propel Bolan through a thrilling story. It's almost like Pendleton got thrillers confused with mysteries and thus fails at both. Not to mention that much of this so-called "action adventure" book is just characters talking exposition to each other.
We also get another mob-backed anti-Bolan force, this time 200 guns strong and led by a former military combat veteran who is set up to be a significant Talifero level adversary for Bolan, only to be dispatched easily in the book's rushed finale. Man, I miss the Talifero brothers.
Some things I liked:
- The bad guys drink Hamms. In the early 90s my friend and I used to buy 12 packs of Hamms at the CVS in Tempe, AZ for $2.50.
- The cover depicts a scene from the book!
- Bolan parachuting in for combat was fun.
- Bolan does some sniping. Given that's how this whole war against the mafia began, it's always nice to see him pull that tool out of his toolbox.
Other things I wasn't a fan of:
- The warwagon is too powerful. Too contrived also. It allows Bolan to listen in or spy on the bad guys and get all the info he needs. And no one seems to figure out there's always this big RV cruising by whenever Bolan's kicking ass.
- Brognola and Turrin cross the line to full co-conspirators instead of sometimes sympathetic allies. I enjoyed when their relationships were more complicated and problematic.
- I'm completely confused by the timeline now. There's very little to anchor this to the other stories. New Orleans is mentioned but no sense of how much time has passed. Bolan references "whispered words [about a Seattle firebase] gleaned from electronic surveillance devices here and there about the country over the past several months." Has he been cruising the country for months since New Orleans or has he been conducting this surveillance in between the past couple of books?
Sadly, Pendleton seems to be squandering the opportunity to build stories and ideas over the course of several books and opts instead to make a bunch of stuff up at the beginning and then resolve it all in a mere 180 pages. Like a bad 80s cop show.
I'm starting to question why I'm reading these books at this point. I think I need to adjust my attitude and expectations if I'm going to finish the series (well, the 38 Pendleton books, that is). This completist tendency in me can really be a pain in my ass sometimes!
With Firebase Seattle, it is clear that Don Pendleton, for whatever reason, wasn't doing his best work mid-way through the series.
Here we have another James Bond villain level plot with the mob setting up a secret underground vault to horde the world's gold and silver, presumably to manipulate global financial markets...? The book may have told me but the pacing was so bizarre I found my mind giving up on the plot as my eyes just moved over words on the page. Pendleton holds back information as if he's writing a mystery yet fails to seed Bolan's journey with clues. Nor does he give us the MacGuffin at the beginning to propel Bolan through a thrilling story. It's almost like Pendleton got thrillers confused with mysteries and thus fails at both. Not to mention that much of this so-called "action adventure" book is just characters talking exposition to each other.
We also get another mob-backed anti-Bolan force, this time 200 guns strong and led by a former military combat veteran who is set up to be a significant Talifero level adversary for Bolan, only to be dispatched easily in the book's rushed finale. Man, I miss the Talifero brothers.
Some things I liked:
- The bad guys drink Hamms. In the early 90s my friend and I used to buy 12 packs of Hamms at the CVS in Tempe, AZ for $2.50.
- The cover depicts a scene from the book!
- Bolan parachuting in for combat was fun.
- Bolan does some sniping. Given that's how this whole war against the mafia began, it's always nice to see him pull that tool out of his toolbox.
Other things I wasn't a fan of:
- The warwagon is too powerful. Too contrived also. It allows Bolan to listen in or spy on the bad guys and get all the info he needs. And no one seems to figure out there's always this big RV cruising by whenever Bolan's kicking ass.
- Brognola and Turrin cross the line to full co-conspirators instead of sometimes sympathetic allies. I enjoyed when their relationships were more complicated and problematic.
- I'm completely confused by the timeline now. There's very little to anchor this to the other stories. New Orleans is mentioned but no sense of how much time has passed. Bolan references "whispered words [about a Seattle firebase] gleaned from electronic surveillance devices here and there about the country over the past several months." Has he been cruising the country for months since New Orleans or has he been conducting this surveillance in between the past couple of books?
Sadly, Pendleton seems to be squandering the opportunity to build stories and ideas over the course of several books and opts instead to make a bunch of stuff up at the beginning and then resolve it all in a mere 180 pages. Like a bad 80s cop show.
I'm starting to question why I'm reading these books at this point. I think I need to adjust my attitude and expectations if I'm going to finish the series (well, the 38 Pendleton books, that is). This completist tendency in me can really be a pain in my ass sometimes!
February 20, 2021
He would and did tell them simply that he had not chosen this war; it had chosen him. He had not requested permission to kill the enemy; he had been trained and ordered to do so. He did not war against men but for ideals...The new war was born. “I am going to smash them,” declared one lone warrior who had learned to fight alone. “I am going to destroy the Mafia.”
Target was a small island in upper Puget Sound, just clear of the shipping lanes, with a total area of less than five hundred square yards. Smaller still was the desired landing area—a compound one hundred yards wide by two hundred long, a strong security area protected by high voltage fencing and roving patrols. Intelligence estimates put a standing hard force of about thirty men on that island...A new hardsite had been born almost overnight. The only access was via boat or helicopter, and then only by the very highest-level invitation. According to Bolan’s sources, such invitations issued...from mob headquarters itself in New York—la Commissione. All of which would strike the curiosity of a guy like Mack Bolan...He was thinking instead of whispered words gleaned from electronic surveillance devices here and there about the country over the past several months. The word “Seattle” had kept cropping up in tersely guarded and coded conversations…and also the word “firebase,” in the same context of intrigue. And now Bolan’s mind was putting it together.The mob was brewing something big in or around Seattle.
Target was a small island in upper Puget Sound, just clear of the shipping lanes, with a total area of less than five hundred square yards. Smaller still was the desired landing area—a compound one hundred yards wide by two hundred long, a strong security area protected by high voltage fencing and roving patrols. Intelligence estimates put a standing hard force of about thirty men on that island...A new hardsite had been born almost overnight. The only access was via boat or helicopter, and then only by the very highest-level invitation. According to Bolan’s sources, such invitations issued...from mob headquarters itself in New York—la Commissione. All of which would strike the curiosity of a guy like Mack Bolan...He was thinking instead of whispered words gleaned from electronic surveillance devices here and there about the country over the past several months. The word “Seattle” had kept cropping up in tersely guarded and coded conversations…and also the word “firebase,” in the same context of intrigue. And now Bolan’s mind was putting it together.The mob was brewing something big in or around Seattle.
April 24, 2021
Still the master of the men's adventure novel, another solid read from Don Pendleton. Been doing a reread from my teenage years of these and they hold up. In this one he discovers a mob stronghold of an Island being built outside of Seattle with a force of 200 paramilitary types being armed up for something nefarious. Of course he decides it time for both of the problems to go away before they get completed. He has the help of the mob turncoat pilot Grimaldi, who is always a welcome addition to the series.
Highly recommend to read these in order, at least the first 40 or so, mainly the Pendleton ones. They can be read out of order or as one offs but there is a story being told throughout.
Highly recommend to read these in order, at least the first 40 or so, mainly the Pendleton ones. They can be read out of order or as one offs but there is a story being told throughout.
July 14, 2022
I guess starting a new chapter and potential financial doomsday bunker in the Pacific Northwest seemed like
a good idea for the Mafia at the time, but when Mack the bastard Bolan still lives, nothing they do is safe.
Crazy that 21 books in and apparently the
mafia is STILL a thorn in Mack Bolan's
side, even after taking it to their home turf of Sicily like 6 books ago.
This series has definitely gotten repetitive but every once in a while Pendleton keeps it entertaining at the very least.
Firebase was a step back in the right direction, dropping a lot of the mafia drama in favor of a
more action centered book.
a good idea for the Mafia at the time, but when Mack the bastard Bolan still lives, nothing they do is safe.
Crazy that 21 books in and apparently the
mafia is STILL a thorn in Mack Bolan's
side, even after taking it to their home turf of Sicily like 6 books ago.
This series has definitely gotten repetitive but every once in a while Pendleton keeps it entertaining at the very least.
Firebase was a step back in the right direction, dropping a lot of the mafia drama in favor of a
more action centered book.
May 14, 2025
Mack Bolan is back, this time stumbling upon an oddity in the water near Seattle. A small island has been purchased by the mob in a very hush-hush manner, and when he investigates, he discovers that a bunker is being built at the remote location. Bolan surprised me by leaving before he'd fully investigated the site, but he didn't stop pursuing answers to what the mob was trying to do there.
Cargo containers full of arms. a small army of hired guns, and a woman in danger lead Bolan to uncover one of the most notorious mob schemes yet, which he deals with in his normal direct fashion.
This isn't the best of the Executioner novels, but it's still entertaining.
Cargo containers full of arms. a small army of hired guns, and a woman in danger lead Bolan to uncover one of the most notorious mob schemes yet, which he deals with in his normal direct fashion.
This isn't the best of the Executioner novels, but it's still entertaining.
December 1, 2023
Seattle gets rocked by Bolan
Thoroughly enjoyed reading this book from start to finish. It slaked my craving for action. I love going back and reading the earlier Don Pendleton Bolans. A wonderful read.
Thoroughly enjoyed reading this book from start to finish. It slaked my craving for action. I love going back and reading the earlier Don Pendleton Bolans. A wonderful read.
January 30, 2021
A typical, Mack Bolan, explosive adventure. Lots of action and firepower.
October 10, 2021
Action thriller!
I recommend this book to anyone who likes action thrillers. Read the whole series. Mafia lose again and Boland escapes again.
I recommend this book to anyone who likes action thrillers. Read the whole series. Mafia lose again and Boland escapes again.
November 24, 2021
Good Stuff
Well I said it once I will say it again don pendeltons stories have excellent plots and storyline look forward to the next one with gusto x
Well I said it once I will say it again don pendeltons stories have excellent plots and storyline look forward to the next one with gusto x
May 5, 2023
Another solid offering. Pure Bolan magic with a little help from friends. This book reminds you that Bolan has brains as well as brawn.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 23, 2023
I'm not even sure what the end goal of the Mob is in this one- but I do know that the sheer amount of parachuting and moralistic commentary from Bolan is incredible
December 1, 2023
It keeps getting better and better with Mack Bolan. I loved the part when he shut down the Mobs Operation of selling illegal ammunition and weapons to other Crime Syndicates
February 24, 2012
The last man on Earth to figure it out--- 'Diplomacy' is better than 'Honesty.' I'm no longer an 'Observer,' I'm now a 'Participant.'
November 17, 2018
read some time in 1980
Read
January 7, 2017Enjoying this series. Like action, science fiction, mysteries and horror books.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews