War Hawk: A Tucker Wayne Novel

Tucker Wayne #2

by James Rollins, Grant Blackwood

Tucker Wayne hat mit seinem Militärhund Kane die U.S. Army verlassen. Gemeinsam reisen sie ohne festes Ziel durch die USA. Da stöbert sie eine alte Freundin auf, die Hilfe braucht. Irgendjemand versucht, sie und ihr Kind zu ermorden. Wayne will keinen Ärger, aber wegsehen kann er auch nicht. Also stimmt er zu, ein paar Nachforschungen anzustellen. Er ist sich nicht sicher, wie ernst die Lage ist – bis zum ersten Mal eine Kampfdrohne mit einem Maschinengewehr auf ihn feuert! Beinahe zu spät erkennt er, wie gefährlich seine Gegner sind. Doch dann ist er bereit zurückzuschlagen!

Genres: Thriller, Fiction, Adventure, Action, Mystery, Suspense, Audiobook

385 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 19, 2016

About the author

James Rollins is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of international thrillers. His writing has been translated into more than forty languages and has sold more than 20 million books. The New York Times says, “Rollins is what you might wind up with if you tossed Michael Crichton and Dan Brown into a particle accelerator together.” NPR calls his work, “Adventurous and enormously engrossing.” Rollins unveils unseen worlds, scientific breakthroughs, and historical secrets matched with stunning suspense. As a veterinarian, he had a practice in Sacramento for over a decade and still volunteers at local shelters. Nowadays, Rollins shares his home up in the Sierra Nevada Mountains with two furry companions, Echo and Charlie. He also enjoys scuba diving, spelunking, kayaking, and hiking. Of course, he loves to travel and experience new places around the world, which often inspire his next globe-trotting adventure.

Reviews

[Magdalena · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first read about Tucker Wayne in the short story TRACKER and I instantly liked both Tucker and Kane. WAR HAWK is the second book in the Tucker Wayne series, but I yet to read THE KILL SWITCH, which is the first book in the series. However, it didn't bother me much when I started this book. James Rollins starts off the book in such a way that you quickly get a grip on the characters without feeling lost and I was hooked right from the start with an interesting scene from WW2 that has special meaning to the storyline.

READ THE REST OF THE REVIEW OVER AT FRESH FICTION!

[Orient · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's the second exciting Tucker and Kane adventure combined by two global conspiracy masters: James Rollins and Grant Blackwood. Tucker, Kane and their friends must solve the mystery that can change the world.

Another fabulous story about Tucker, Kane, their fascinating bond, breaking the law, global conspiracy, the cyber war, secrets, terror, suspense, risk and a madman determined to control the world. Everything I love and expect from James Rollins. James Rollins is the best to offer a fast paced action thriller with historical facts and a shinning star. This book has it all. The action sometimes was so tense that I feared for Kane’s life. Kane <3. The theme of terror and power is well seen in the world nowadays, when greed, money and distrust lurk in it. This book emphasizes it clearly and this makes it up-to-date.

Oh and the cyber theme. I myself am not a tech fan, so some parts of the story made me yawn and roll my eyes. An intelligent-killing-thinking drone. Ok


Like Tucker said:

I know what you mean. I felt like a dinosaur in there, a dusty relic from another era. All this talk of a new battlefield—an information war fought with digital code and smart drones—I might as well be a knight facing an armored tank.

Anyway, if you want something gripping to read, this book (and the series too) is worth it.

[Ghazaleh · Rating 4 out of 5]

نمیدونم این کتاب سری های بعدی هم داره یا نه؟یا قراره داشته باشه آیا اصلا؟کسی از تصمیم نویسنده خبر داره من رو هم در جریان بذاره لطفا😆
من از سبک نوشتار نویسنده خیلی خوشم میاد،اون مقدمه ای که اول کتاب میاد و آخرِ آخر کتاب میفهمی چه ربطی به کل داستان داشته به نظرم خیلی جالب و جذابه!
ولی من از داستان کتاب قبلی بیشتر خوشم میومد و به نظرم این یکی کتاب چاشنی هیجانش برای من کمتر بود.
و در اخر ممنون از مترجم که ترجمه روون و خوبی رو در اختیارمون قرار دادن!

[Tim · Rating 2 out of 5]

An exciting first half is diminished by its lackluster second half through the conclusion. 4 of 10 stars

[RachelW (BamaGal) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars. There is good and there’s bad in War Hawk, the second entry in Rollins “Tucker Wayne" series. The good is, of course, more Tucker and Kane. The bad is (for me) that there’s too much ‘Sigma Force’ type action. I had hoped this series would concentrate more on Tucker and Kane. In the first book and the prequel short, they read more like Jack Reacher with a war dog companion; travelling around the world getting in the middle of trouble. This story, however, quickly headed into full on out-there Sigma Force. I had hoped for a little more from the new series.

There was a heck of a lot going on here. Basically, it had to do with a rich and powerful man wanting to get more rich and powerful by setting war drones off on enemies and countries he wanted to destabilize for takeover. Tucker and Kane came into play after an old girlfriend asked him to look into the mysterious deaths of the people who had been working with her on programming the drones. The story does make you think, however, about how powerful drones really are or can be; what they can be programmed to do. Here, the drones could not only spy, they could retrieve information, attack, and learn new strategy while they are in the air to avoid detection and destruction. In short, a form of Artificial Intelligence. Ridiculously outlandish, or something that could really be done? I don’t know, but it certainly gave me pause while reading at all the possibilities.

The story went over my head fairly quickly with all the techno-babble. I’m just a lowly high school math teacher. I learned to go with the flow, though, as a lot of it didn’t really matter. It was just who they were, and what they were doing to try to stop the drones. That was enough to know. There were Kane scenes in this book, but not nearly as many as in previous stories. By the end, he and Tucker both were afterthoughts in the story. As Tucker himself thought out loud at one point – they were just glorified bodyguards for the geeks doing the real work of getting into the drones programming to try to stop them. He was there for the action scenes.

This is certainly an exciting story, and if you are looking for Sigma Force type action, it’s in there. If you are looking for a story truly about the adventures of Tucker and Kane (as I was), not so much. If I wanted to read Sigma Force, I’d pick one of those books up, you know? I was looking for something new and different about the former Army Ranger and his faithful war dog companion; and didn’t really get that. Although an enjoyable read, it was just more of the same Sigma Force...

[Tannaz · Rating 5 out of 5]

ریچر ثانی! همین را می توانم بگویم

[Candace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Army Ranger Tucker Wayne and Kane, military dog companion, are fighting a new warfare -- electronic warfare, psychological operations and cyber attacks controlled by corporations. Drones are robotic soldiers used in modern warfare. Information is the new technological source. News stations and social media are the avenues through which it is dispensed. Can Tucker and Kane stop, or at least slow down, this new modern warfare?

This is my first novel by James Rollins and Grant Blackwood. I found the technology code talk difficult to comprehend. It was above my head. The similes and metaphors helped me to understand it. The description in this book is outstanding. The characters are well drawn and I related emotionally to them. The plot is thrilling and suspenseful. I look forward to reading about Tucker and Kane in the next book.

[Wilde Sky · Rating 3 out of 5]

A man and his dog try to stop a dastardly plot.

The basic idea / plotline were reasonable, but the writing was a bit clunky and there were too many “what?” moments in this book for me.

Overall rating 2.5

[Sherry Fundin · Rating 5 out of 5]

War Hawk by James Rollins & Grant Blackwood deals with a lot of issues that get me so involved in the story, at times I forget it is fiction. This bone chilling, action packed suspense novel had my blood boiling, my head feeling like it would explode and my emotions running AMOK.

Tucker is on the run from his past, she is on the run from the present and Kane is along for the ride. Tucker has an ability to, not only read his dog, but people too. With his skills, knowledge and network of people, he embarks on his journey to help Jane.

I love when there’s a critter in the story, and Tucker’s faithful companion, Kane, is very special indeed. Their ability to act as one is remarkable and real.

Tucker is a bit damaged from his time in Afghanistan…he suffers from PTSD and he struggles to come to terms with his past.

I agree that pizza and beer is always a motivation to live.

Kane is like the energizer bunny…he takes a lickin’ and keeps on tickin’. I could picture him, crawling, belly scraping on the ground, head low, paw by paw…scouting. On the verge of death…more than once…James Rollins and Grant Blackwood kept my heart in my throat, not only for Kane and Tucker, but for the entire team that is willing to sacrifice their life for US.

Karl Webster is a fabulous villain who won’t go down.

“Perception is everything.”

Warfare is changing and the front line is technological. Electronic warfare, cyber attacks, psychological operations…

The age of technology has reached epic proportions in its ability to shape our future. Too many people believe everything they see on hear on TV, radio, and online, regardless of the misdirection and distraction tactics used by those who wish to hide the truth.

Could this really happen? Has it already? As I read, all my fears are confirmed. I can’t help but believe there is no way or will be no way to prevent others from stealing information, affecting our presidential election and possibly causing an economic collapse. If I think about it too long, I am left with a feeling of helplessness, seeing no way to protect ourselves. So we must be vigilant and keep on fighting the good fight, with help from those like Tucker and Kane.

Hand to paw, Tucker and Kane face death with a determination to stop THEM. Makes me so angry, the sacrifices they have made and someone, for their own greedy purposes, wants them dead.

This unpudownable, terrifying, realistic thriller pits the warriors against those who wish to rule, and I will be with them til the end!

I voluntarily reviewed War Hawk by James Rollins and Grant Blackwood.

[Skip · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tucker Wayne is kind of wandering around (a la Jack Reacher) when a former military girlfriend asks him to check on a former, close colleague, who has disappeared. Turns out, she is one of many missing, working for a shady military firm and Tucker and his military war dog (Kane) are attacked by drones. There is a lot of craziness, as tests are conducted, leading up to full deployment. I miss the longer POV sections belonging to Kane, which were more prevalent in the short story Tracker than in Book #1 The Kill Switch. Also, there was too much action and too little character development, which is attributable to Wayne being a loner, but unsatisfying to the reader.

[Reeda Booke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great thriller from the author of the Sigma Force series, which I love, by the way!

This one is the second book of the new series with Tucker Wayne, an ex-special forces guy and his amazing war dog, Kane. I love these 2 characters and the special relationship that they have, and I am a sucker for dogs.

Tucker is battle scarred and dealing with PTSD from his time in service, especially after the death of Kane's sister. Now, he is caught up in a conspiracy involving a megalomaniac intent on ruling the world, (there's no end to these people), and the next generation type of drones...and these are scary as hell! Throw in some World War II history involving Alan Turing and we've got an action packed, page turning thriller! Loved every minute of the ride and can't wait for the next adventure with this great team. I want that dog!!

*I received this book for free on Goodreads First Reads Giveaway.

5 thrilling stars and recommended!

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was Action/War/Mystery. Actually this one touched many different genres. As I started this one, I was pulled in immediately from the first scene. Plus, the MC had a faithful companion (the 4 legged sort) and so extra points for an MC who loves his pet and goes the extra mile for him.

The mystery was kind of fun to follow. Added to that were plenty of fast paced action scenes. That part felt well done. I'd read more by this author just for that. I also liked the different characters and how they all had a turn in the spotlight with their own set of skills.

Now with that said, there are three reasons this one doesn't get an extra star. The first one was kind of a minor detail. At times the dialogue felt awkward. The characters were supposed to be friends/acquaintances and instead of that kind of ease that should have been there, the dialogue felt stiff. The second thing is that there was a fair amount of "magic" in this one (those are air quotes). People, things, skill sets, etc., just magically showed up to save someone's bacon. I can ignore that a time or two, but the author had one heck of a large magic bag to pull things out of.

Both of those things above were little things. But this last one is what really keeps this at 3 stars and not 4. All of the women needed the following: saving, pampering, hugging, shoulders to lean on and lips to kiss. And our MC, was just the guy for the job. That had me rolling my eyes....A LOT!! Plus, listening to the audio kind of amplified that because the narrator made the MC sound like Gaston. Just like in the movie, Belle was always looking for the nearest exit when Gaston was around, I think I felt like that a time or two as well. So 3 stars.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This wasn't as good as the first book. It was just so so. I found it hard to get interested in it.

[Freda Malone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having been introduced to Tucker and Kane in Bloodline, I was curious about how this new series might pan out with the author's known skill with facts and fiction, as he does in all his novels and series.

I LOVE reading about rescue dogs, police k-9's, service dogs, and dogs with exceptional skills. This novel did not disappoint. However, there was a lot of tech involved. Drones, drones, and more drones. It took me a while to get through the story itself and with each page, I felt like I was studying drones. It felt a bit tiresome to hear about the inner workings of the drones, but like any novel, information is essential to the story, so I didn't give up.

Tucker and Kane are unique, and have a unique relationship. I really enjoyed the characters. Strong, brave, intuitive are some words that come to mind when I picture these two. I haven't read the first in this series, Kill Switch, but will most likely pick it up and enjoy more of these two souls.

[Brandy Wilkes · Rating 5 out of 5]

What can I say about this book...

heartpounding

humorous, at times

energetic

racing to the finish

James has seriously done it again...and if Kane wasn't the whole purpose of the books, I would really need him to stop putting him in such perilous predicaments cause seriously my heart was about to pop out of my chest!!!!

This is the second installment in the Tucker Wayne series, which is a spinoff of the Sigma Force series. If you love Sigma Force then you'll love this series too.

[Fredrick Danysh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once started on the book I stayed up into the wee hours of the morning to finish. Tucker Wayne is a former Special Forces dog handler with PTSD and traveling the country. A friend locates him and states that she feels that the lives of her and her son are in danger as everyone who worked with her on a secret project is dead or missing. Tucker and his dog are led into a world of corporate terror and artificial intelligence research.

[Deborah Wall · Rating 5 out of 5]

A man andhis dog

This is a fascinating book about the many ways drones and other technology are changing modern war. And through out the story runs the tale of an amazing dog. I was intrigued by the story and almost didn't want. It to end.

[Ronie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't know why or what it is, but this series really hasn't pulled it off for me. I enjoyed WAR HAWK (as well as KILL SWITCH), but the stories lagged to me. But I read for the sake of the MWD (who can resist a four-legged hero?!?!), since I have a retired MWD. A good story overall.

[Benjamin Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second novel featuring ex-Army Ranger and tracker Tucker Wayne, and his extraordinary military working dog, Kane, was another thrilling adventure with some really cool characters. Set in the world of James Rollins' Sigma Force series, it was nice to see a couple of cameos from characters in those books interacting with the characters of this one and the final chapter indicates their working relationship may become a bit closer in the future.

I enjoyed the premise of this one, that of smart drones with an AI capable of learning on their own, and all of the horrible possibilities that entails if that technology were controlled by the bad guys. I also liked the historical ties back to Alan Turing and the Enigma code resolution, one of my favorite events in history, which served as the forerunner of the AI tech.

I hope this series continues; I'll have them on my TBR list as soon as they come out.

[Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can't wait for the next book, I love this series... DON'T hurt Kane!

[Pierre Tassé (Enjoying Books) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well it was a fun read but also using drones and information gathering. This will be a dangerous way of the future. You don't need to read #1 to read this book, but you'll miss out on a great adventure.

[Avery Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

This grounded Sci-Fi novel never loses its sense of adventure. The technical aspects of the writing and three dimensional characters made this a treat to listen to. If you want well written action scenes and a tense climax I highly recommend it.

Also, “what the dog doin?”

[Joseph · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a pleasant surprise. I had just finished reading The Starless Crown, and was soooo disappointed with that book; my expectations were pretty low for this one. But this book hit it out of the park. The story focuses on drone technology generally, and Alan Turing's work in particular. One of the unsung true heroes of WW2, he along with J. Robert Oppenheimer changed the way wars were fought in the 20th century. While Oppenheimer focused on nuclear fueled bombs, Turing's focus was on quantum computing. That was the historical tie in of the book. A very good read!!!

[Roger · Rating 4 out of 5]

War Hawk features the continuing adventures of a former American serviceman and his dog, a highly trained warrior in his own right. They had me at "and his dog" actually-Kane is one heroic canine. I adore Kane, and enjoy how the narration changes from Tucker Wayne to his "partner in crime." This book was also very thought provoking as one of the main subjects is the use of drones, and by extension the future of warfare itself. James Rollins and Grant Blackwood make the point that with technology as it is today the very way war is waged is changing-perhaps into something we will have even less control over. War Hawk was a thrilling adventure with a great (and sadly all too realistic) villain. This book moves at a terrific pace and is very exciting-this type of writing is why I enjoy James Rollins' work so much.

[Patrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a thoroughly enjoyable read. It was fast paced and filled with action. It contained a lot of interesting concepts about AI and its deployment in drones designed to fight on the battlefield. It also explored the concept of the bond between a man and his dog that transcends that which you might think. The plot built around these concepts makes it interesting as well. Highly recommended.

[Mira Hedge · Rating 2 out of 5]

It is one thing to make a genre out of your own writing and to return to the source of your preoccupations; it is another to litter your oeuvre with the same leitmotifs time and again. James Rollins has been rehashing his own work for years. With this in mind, my advice is this: beware the author of whose work your favourite is the first one you read.

[Felix · Rating 4 out of 5]

These are fast paced novels that explore PTSD, potential cyber wars with drones being the assassins by privatized companies - quite scary and maybe all to real? I love the military dog parts they rock! James Rollins adds to his thriller crown!

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

I could read James Rollins thrillers all day, everyday! Loved War Hawk. The relationship between Tucker and his best friend Belgian shepherd Kane is so appealingly portrayed. Overall, a hugely satisfying adventure thriller. 4.5 stars

[bfilbeck · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting but complex thriller. However, some of the incidents put a real strain on my ability to "suspend disbelief".

[Winter Sophia Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Historical, Fast Paced, Intense, gripping, Refreshing, Heart Breaking, Page Turner! A Outstanding Read! I Loved It!