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Jack #2
Eagle Rising
A Neo-Nazi magical sect is intent on bringing back the horrors of the Nazis, and only Jack—a modern magician trained in the magical arts and exorcism—has the tools needed to stop them. Jack must infiltrate the closed corridors of big business and reach the core of a conspiracy. He eventually finds a cabal of businessmen with occult interests and an insane hunger for the return of an old and dark order.
272 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2008
1 person is currently reading
55 people want to read
About the author
David Devereux
8 books28 followersDavid Devereux has worked as a mortuary technician, a bodyguard, and a bar manager. He also writes comedy scripts and has provided voices for radio. As hobbies he enjoys cookery, real ale, art, music, messing around with aeroplanes and acts as a senior steward at events across Britain. There's been some rock'n'roll along the way, but these days David is enjoying a slightly more relaxed lifestyle having retired from Athanor Consulting in March 2008.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
August 6, 2014
Maybe, I’m just feeling cranky, but I can see why David Devereux’s Eagle Rising was left in the discard bin at the local library. It’s an excellent example of many of today’s books. The book is a lot of high concept, with so-so execution, and IMO lazy writing.
Here’s the high concept (sounds like a Hollywood pitch meeting). Take a secret division of British intelligence, have them keep a wizard, who’s a bit of a bastard in his own words, around for doing any and all dirty work that involves magic. Toss is a little spycraft and voila! You mashed up Harry Dresden with Tom Clancy, or for those of us who haven’t read Tom Clancy Burn Notice.
Except what is put in about spycraft isn’t all that great (seriously the writers make it more fun and arguably more practical in Burn Notice). The prologue never ties into the remainder of the book at all. The reader receives almost zero reason to understand why Jack, the main character, calls himself a bastard. If anything he is portrayed as the most sympathetic character in the story.
To add to the lazy writing, not forgetting the prologue that makes no sense, the transcriber, because I refuse to term author, reaches for the easiest villains possible. Neo-Nazis trying to use magic, rule the world etc. I mean give me a frakking break. Neo-Nazis and Muslim extremists are the two easiest villain groups to pull out of the desk drawer. I want someone to show me more imagination in creating their villains, or give me a reason why I should care about what is going on.
Why did I finish the book? Really it’s a quick read, and I needed to decide whether to pass it on to my friends or return it to the library’s discard bin.
Here’s the high concept (sounds like a Hollywood pitch meeting). Take a secret division of British intelligence, have them keep a wizard, who’s a bit of a bastard in his own words, around for doing any and all dirty work that involves magic. Toss is a little spycraft and voila! You mashed up Harry Dresden with Tom Clancy, or for those of us who haven’t read Tom Clancy Burn Notice.
Except what is put in about spycraft isn’t all that great (seriously the writers make it more fun and arguably more practical in Burn Notice). The prologue never ties into the remainder of the book at all. The reader receives almost zero reason to understand why Jack, the main character, calls himself a bastard. If anything he is portrayed as the most sympathetic character in the story.
To add to the lazy writing, not forgetting the prologue that makes no sense, the transcriber, because I refuse to term author, reaches for the easiest villains possible. Neo-Nazis trying to use magic, rule the world etc. I mean give me a frakking break. Neo-Nazis and Muslim extremists are the two easiest villain groups to pull out of the desk drawer. I want someone to show me more imagination in creating their villains, or give me a reason why I should care about what is going on.
Why did I finish the book? Really it’s a quick read, and I needed to decide whether to pass it on to my friends or return it to the library’s discard bin.
December 17, 2017
Eagle Rising is the sequel and follow-up to Hunter's Moon. That book established the character of 'Jack', a special forces/wizard fighting the forces of evil on behalf of Her Majesty's Government. Eagle Rising picks up the action a year or two after the first book, again with an unrelated action-packed James Bond-esque prologue before the story proper kicks off.
Jack is given a new mission: his bosses have gotten wind of something occult and dangerous in the offing, apparently linked to a neo-Nazi group operating in London. Jack is assigned to infiltrate the group via one of their money men, who works in a London bank. Jack is successful, but initially finds little evidence of magical involvement amongst the racist thugs and football hooligans whose favourite past-time is to complain at length about Britain being overrun and ruined by immigrants and homosexuals. When this group's tactics turn violent, Jack uncovers a more sinister link to an organisation with a very ambitious plan indeed...
Sadly Eagle Rising features no kinky sex or lesbian bondage witches like its forebear, which will no doubt divide readers on the appeal of the novel. The story otherwise unfolds in a similar manner to the first book, however, with Jack's investigative skills and magical abilities deployed intelligently to investigate a problem and find a resolution. This the author pulls off quite well, resulting in a readable, exciting action-adventure novel with some good thriller elements. The writing shows improvement from the first volume, and characterisation is stronger. Jack's ambiguous feelings towards some of the people in the neo-Nazi movement (some of whom don't seem to really be there but are from peer pressure) are nicely played, and his complex relationship with an MI5 officer from the first book evolves quite well. The story is pretty daft - possibly dafter than the first one if that is possible - but played straight and works due to that.
Eagle Rising (****) is a fast-paced, enjoyable read which improves on the first novel. It's not likely to win any awards or change any lives, but it is certainly entertaining and well thought-out. The book is available in the UK from Gollancz in the USA via Amazon. A third book in the series, Turnabout, is in the planning stages.
Jack is given a new mission: his bosses have gotten wind of something occult and dangerous in the offing, apparently linked to a neo-Nazi group operating in London. Jack is assigned to infiltrate the group via one of their money men, who works in a London bank. Jack is successful, but initially finds little evidence of magical involvement amongst the racist thugs and football hooligans whose favourite past-time is to complain at length about Britain being overrun and ruined by immigrants and homosexuals. When this group's tactics turn violent, Jack uncovers a more sinister link to an organisation with a very ambitious plan indeed...
Sadly Eagle Rising features no kinky sex or lesbian bondage witches like its forebear, which will no doubt divide readers on the appeal of the novel. The story otherwise unfolds in a similar manner to the first book, however, with Jack's investigative skills and magical abilities deployed intelligently to investigate a problem and find a resolution. This the author pulls off quite well, resulting in a readable, exciting action-adventure novel with some good thriller elements. The writing shows improvement from the first volume, and characterisation is stronger. Jack's ambiguous feelings towards some of the people in the neo-Nazi movement (some of whom don't seem to really be there but are from peer pressure) are nicely played, and his complex relationship with an MI5 officer from the first book evolves quite well. The story is pretty daft - possibly dafter than the first one if that is possible - but played straight and works due to that.
Eagle Rising (****) is a fast-paced, enjoyable read which improves on the first novel. It's not likely to win any awards or change any lives, but it is certainly entertaining and well thought-out. The book is available in the UK from Gollancz in the USA via Amazon. A third book in the series, Turnabout, is in the planning stages.
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December 21, 2022Well Jack’s back after battling Lesbian Terrorist Witches in Hunter’s Moon. This time Jack, Undercover Secret Service World Saving Magician, has to a stop a bunch of Neo-Nazi crazies who want to clean up England into something a bit more ordered and controlled, whilst only being a wonderful place to live if you have the right background and breeding – blonde hair and blue eyes might help.
A series is always a strange beast. You generally want as a reader something that is the same but different. And Eagle Rising holds no surprises, so if you liked the first one you’ll like this one.
This one for me did have one slight difference. The level of violence and gruesome detail. For Jack to keep his cover he has to do some unpleasant things – the beating of an innocent couple for example did have my stomach churning.
Devereux though doesn’t make it gratuitous or violence for violence sake in fact he uses these scenes to emphasise that behind those cold eyes Jack has a heart and a soul that cares, even if it has to be locked away to get the job done. A job that involves more gruesome tasks than is healthy.
Secondary characters are also reintroduced with one surprise that unsettles and complicates the mission that was going quite well until then.
I am quite starting to like Jack in spite of his methods. He is a character that has a job that needs doing and someone has to do and thankfully he’s on the side of good guys is merciful thing.
Overall Devereux is doing a great job in carving out his niche in an already crowded market. I have to say that it might not be to everyone’s taste. But if you have a strong stomach and you like action over in-depth character development this is for you.
Oh, and you can also play spot the blogger as their name-sake makes a brilliant guest appearance.
Plus Jack is back in Turnabout and I’ll be making sure I get hold of a copy.
A series is always a strange beast. You generally want as a reader something that is the same but different. And Eagle Rising holds no surprises, so if you liked the first one you’ll like this one.
This one for me did have one slight difference. The level of violence and gruesome detail. For Jack to keep his cover he has to do some unpleasant things – the beating of an innocent couple for example did have my stomach churning.
Devereux though doesn’t make it gratuitous or violence for violence sake in fact he uses these scenes to emphasise that behind those cold eyes Jack has a heart and a soul that cares, even if it has to be locked away to get the job done. A job that involves more gruesome tasks than is healthy.
Secondary characters are also reintroduced with one surprise that unsettles and complicates the mission that was going quite well until then.
I am quite starting to like Jack in spite of his methods. He is a character that has a job that needs doing and someone has to do and thankfully he’s on the side of good guys is merciful thing.
Overall Devereux is doing a great job in carving out his niche in an already crowded market. I have to say that it might not be to everyone’s taste. But if you have a strong stomach and you like action over in-depth character development this is for you.
Oh, and you can also play spot the blogger as their name-sake makes a brilliant guest appearance.
Plus Jack is back in Turnabout and I’ll be making sure I get hold of a copy.
August 22, 2017
I spent a long time waiting to get this book, and despite giving it four stars, I have to say I was quite disappointed in it. It doesn't actually read like a 'story'; it's more like a detailed outline, or a report. Jack spends just over twelve months infiltrating an organisation, and the story just reads like edited highlights of the mission. There's not much getting to know other characters. Ever more disappointingly, there's very little of Jack being the utter utter bastard we sort-of-loved from the first novel.
There's not a lot of magic either, surprisingly for a story that sounds, on the face of it, a bit like Raiders meets Boys From Brazil with a dash of Constantine thrown in. Given the plot, and the characters, there could have been a great story going on, instead of the rather lackluster version we have here.
Having said that, I did enjoy the story. I just would have preferred a bit more 'colour' to the writing, and more 'show' instead of 'tell'.
There's not a lot of magic either, surprisingly for a story that sounds, on the face of it, a bit like Raiders meets Boys From Brazil with a dash of Constantine thrown in. Given the plot, and the characters, there could have been a great story going on, instead of the rather lackluster version we have here.
Having said that, I did enjoy the story. I just would have preferred a bit more 'colour' to the writing, and more 'show' instead of 'tell'.
August 28, 2020
I really didn’t like this book, it’s not A genre I read. (it came in a box of other giveaway books) I didn’t like the main character. I’m continually annoyed with the lack of inventiveness of authors, especially concerning bad guys, and neo-Nazis are the worst, yaw! But like his Writing.
June 21, 2014
Ok now that was an unexpectedly fast read I must admit but once again I got pulled in to an easy to read storyline. However again like its predecessor Hunters Moon this book felt as if it didnt quite pay off.
So to recap - I felt that someone as talented and as interesting as Jack (in a sociopathic remorseless killing machine kind of way that he is) was still not used to his full potential - yes he works for a secret government department which defends the nation from any supernatural advances - a bit like Harry Potter meets James Bond but in a much more grittier and adult manner. But we seem to see more of the Bond and less of the Potter if that makes sense - which I think is a bit of a shame.
Then there is the lack of a suitably big set final piece - In Hunters Moon it was so lacking it felt like an anti-climax but at least here there was such a scene - although falling back on the impressions of James Bond it hardly felt like the assault of the secret volcano base or under sea lair I was expecting for.
These comments aside - it is a very fast paced and entertaining book, the quips and one liners are sharp and fresh without seeming cheesy or contrived and the characters as understandable and identifiable and if and when the print the next in the series (Turnabout) I will be out there looking for it.
So to recap - I felt that someone as talented and as interesting as Jack (in a sociopathic remorseless killing machine kind of way that he is) was still not used to his full potential - yes he works for a secret government department which defends the nation from any supernatural advances - a bit like Harry Potter meets James Bond but in a much more grittier and adult manner. But we seem to see more of the Bond and less of the Potter if that makes sense - which I think is a bit of a shame.
Then there is the lack of a suitably big set final piece - In Hunters Moon it was so lacking it felt like an anti-climax but at least here there was such a scene - although falling back on the impressions of James Bond it hardly felt like the assault of the secret volcano base or under sea lair I was expecting for.
These comments aside - it is a very fast paced and entertaining book, the quips and one liners are sharp and fresh without seeming cheesy or contrived and the characters as understandable and identifiable and if and when the print the next in the series (Turnabout) I will be out there looking for it.
January 19, 2010
I actually really enjoyed this story of an occult spy in England. A man whose best friends are ghosts in a graveyard and who has put a lot of people in various graveyards.
He's not a nice man, Jack, he can't be. This time he's tasked to get himself into a neo-nazi group and find out what they're up to, when he does find out he has to work out how to stay alive and how to deal with the miscreants in such a way as to make it not happen again.
There are some quite brutal scenes in this, but also some moments where I laughed out loud. It's something like if James Bond and Dexter met the Occult and Magic and had a bastard love-child.
He's not a nice man, Jack, he can't be. This time he's tasked to get himself into a neo-nazi group and find out what they're up to, when he does find out he has to work out how to stay alive and how to deal with the miscreants in such a way as to make it not happen again.
There are some quite brutal scenes in this, but also some moments where I laughed out loud. It's something like if James Bond and Dexter met the Occult and Magic and had a bastard love-child.
December 2, 2012
c2009. FWFTB: neo-Nazi, magician, financial, conspiracy, businessman. This book has been categorised as Thriller in my library but I think it should have rather have been horror. There is a lot of gratuitous violence in this book. I am not anti bloodletting per se but there has to be a plot element to it and I am not sure if this is the case in this book. I did manage to finish the book (its not very long) but would not be able to recommend it to the normal crew. The odds were that he'd get beaten up a bit, forced to spill his guts and then taken out for a nine-millimetre sleeping pill - an unfortunate situation, but necessary as far as I was concerned.
January 1, 2015
Short, Sharp And Witty
2nd book in the series, this follows on from Hunter's Moon with many of the same characters making an appearance, again we follow Jack as he infiltrates an undercover covent of businessman/magicians hell-bent on bringing back one of the evil men in history, Devereux shows us some great action and undercover scenes and again writes dialogue which will have you thinking and smirking on a regular basis, a quick read which I had finished in 2 days, there are better out there maybe but for dipping your toes in the water or just a casual read, this hits the spot.
2nd book in the series, this follows on from Hunter's Moon with many of the same characters making an appearance, again we follow Jack as he infiltrates an undercover covent of businessman/magicians hell-bent on bringing back one of the evil men in history, Devereux shows us some great action and undercover scenes and again writes dialogue which will have you thinking and smirking on a regular basis, a quick read which I had finished in 2 days, there are better out there maybe but for dipping your toes in the water or just a casual read, this hits the spot.
May 31, 2009
Beginning in the style which will no doubt become a trade-mark for Devereux, a very high-tech, stealthy mission. Seemingly simple, but is it ever so? From then on the action and intrigue only grows as we're sucked into the undercover world of the protagonist, Jack, a rough and dirty Secret Service agent who is not afraid to get a job done. No matter what. Dive into the facinating underworld of the Neo-Nazi's - with a very dangerous occult twist. Brilliant =)
October 27, 2011
The follow up to Hunter's Moon and another ripping good yarn mixing skin head neo-Nazis, London bankers and black magic to attempt revive the one guy from last century no one wants revived. I enjoyed it but felt the edge was just a bit off compared to Hunter's Moon. It's just that little bit less outrageous and Jack is becoming familiar almost 'normal'. Is it just the newness wearing off? To be seen when Jack turns up again; which I hope he will.
February 24, 2013
The previous volume was weird and fetishy and good ... sex magic mind control sociopath stuff ... at least it was a break from the usual ... this one was like ... I dunno ... a rejected script for a CSI episode ... I'm not saying I love the kink-sex-mind-control-magic thing (oh yeah, send me more of those), but it's always kind of sad to see someone with shoulders heaving lowering his Freak Flag and filling out the naturalization papers for the Federal Republic of Normalstan.
May 22, 2014
This is, without a doubt, one of the worst books I've ever read. It completely lacks character development and, consequently, everyone sounds exactly the same in all the dialogues...to make matters even worse, every character sounds just like the arrogant prick of an author who wrote this awful piece. He writes lazily, almost as if he wrote the entire book in a text message and had to send it before he lost cell phone reception.
December 14, 2012
This was the sequel to Hunter's Moon, and it was very similar- a really pragmatic, ruthless anti-hero who works for a super secret government agency which uses magic as part of its arsenal infiltrates a group of bigots plotting to bring Hitler back from hell to lead Britain to become an Aryan type nation. Very dark and unsentimental.
January 12, 2016
An interesting twist on the spy/ secret government agency story with the addition of extra elements. Add to this a slightly alternative history and it makes for an intriguing story. The only thing I didn't like was that there were some very gruesome activities described, but luckily these were not too long, and they weren't gratuitous but did fit into the story.
August 12, 2011
The follow up to Hunter’s Moon which I enjoyed quite a bit. This one was entertaining but didn’t hold me as captivated as the first one. However, I remain optimistic and I'm looking forward to the next installment.
January 31, 2016
Uninvolving storry. Uninvolving hero. Throw in a dash of torture. Make the bad guys really revolting, so they deserve what the good guy has to to to them. Make the good guy make some passing reference about how it bothers him that he had to do what he did. Not recommended.
April 20, 2009
A bit too similar to the first book. I hope he mixes it up a bit for the next one or else I won't be buying it.
March 24, 2010
Good, honest, dirty, gritty, murderous, occult fun
February 1, 2010
Not a bad spy and magic action novel.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews