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Joe Ledger #9
Dogs of War
Dogs of Robots are no longer science fiction. Autonomous, programmed to react like fast, relentless, deadly. From microscopic nanobots to massive self-guided aircraft. This technology is here, it’s assessable, and it’s dangerous. What’s even scarier is that almost anyone can get their hands on it.A freelance terrorist uses the latest generation of robot dogs to deliver WMDs into cities across America. Sophisticated military weapons systems turn on their human masters. A technological apocalypse is coming and we may be too late to stop it.Joe Ledger and a newly rebuilt Department of Military Sciences square off against this new and terrible threat. Dogs of War pits Joe against a merciless new enemy and an army of techno-terrorists in a race to prevent a global destruction.Let loose the Dogs of War.
536 pages, Paperback
First published April 25, 2017
167 people are currently reading
1610 people want to read
About the author
Jonathan Maberry
518 books7,774 followersJONATHAN MABERRY is a NYTimes bestselling author, #1 Audible bestseller, 5-time Bram Stoker Award-winner, 4-time Scribe Award winner, Inkpot Award winner, comic book writer, and producer. He is the author of more than 50 novels, 190 short stories, 16 short story collections, 30 graphic novels, 14 nonfiction books, and has edited 26 anthologies. His vampire apocalypse book series, V-WARS, was a Netflix original series starring Ian Somerhalder. His 2009-10 run as writer on the Black Panther comic formed a large chunk of the recent blockbuster film, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. His bestselling YA zombie series, Rot & Ruin is in development for film at Alcon Entertainment; and John Wick director, Chad Stahelski, is developing Jonathan’s Joe Ledger Thrillers for TV. Jonathan writes in multiple genres including suspense, thriller, horror, science fiction, epic fantasy, and action; and he writes for adults, teens and middle grade. His works include The Pine Deep Trilogy, The Kagen the Damned Trilogy, NecroTek, Ink, Glimpse, the Rot & Ruin series, the Dead of Night series, The Wolfman, X-Files Origins: Devil’s Advocate, The Sleepers War (with Weston Ochse), Mars One, and many others. He is the editor of high-profile anthologies including Weird Tales: 100 Years of Weird, The X-Files, Aliens: Bug Hunt, Out of Tune, Don’t Turn out the Lights: A Tribute to Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, Baker Street Irregulars, Nights of the Living Dead, Shadows & Verse, and others. His comics include Marvel Zombies Return, The Punisher: Naked Kills, Wolverine: Ghosts, Godzilla vs Cthulhu: Death May Die, Bad Blood and many others. Jonathan has written in many popular licensed worlds, including Hellboy, True Blood, The Wolfman, John Carter of Mars, Sherlock Holmes, C.H.U.D., Diablo IV, Deadlands, World of Warcraft, Planet of the Apes, Aliens, Predator, Karl Kolchak, and many others. He the president of the International Association of Media Tie-in Writers, and the editor of Weird Tales Magazine. He lives in San Diego, California. Find him online at www.jonathanmaberry.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 246 reviews
March 20, 2022
This is a review from 2017.
I've been thinking about this review for a month now, and for some reason I'm just befuddled by the whole thing. I'm not usually at a loss for words when it comes to Jonathan Maberry and his Joe Ledger series. Ledger and his team are always fighting the big bad, but this book ended up scaring me in another way. A.I., robotics, and nanotechnology is not my idea of great things to look forward to! But, the way Mr. Maberry has come up with the destruction of humanity in this book is truly terrifying. To say that I'm looking forward to the next few books in this series would be a vast understatement! Yep, I'd recommend this book and author. Thanks to St. Martin's and Netgalley for supplying me with an early e-arc.
I've been thinking about this review for a month now, and for some reason I'm just befuddled by the whole thing. I'm not usually at a loss for words when it comes to Jonathan Maberry and his Joe Ledger series. Ledger and his team are always fighting the big bad, but this book ended up scaring me in another way. A.I., robotics, and nanotechnology is not my idea of great things to look forward to! But, the way Mr. Maberry has come up with the destruction of humanity in this book is truly terrifying. To say that I'm looking forward to the next few books in this series would be a vast understatement! Yep, I'd recommend this book and author. Thanks to St. Martin's and Netgalley for supplying me with an early e-arc.
January 15, 2018
The ninth book of the Joe Ledger series does not disappoint this long time reader, that's for damn sure! And it get's all the stars! Every damn day of the week. Stars for days!
Sure, it follows what has worked for past novels in the series by using a very well known formula (if you read these books). Something horrific is happening, Joe and the DMS come to the party late, shit gets crazy, shit goes down, and it feels like there's just no way the good guys will win.
In DOGS OF WAR, the reader get to see some of the worst technology yet. I didn't think we could see much worse than what went down in The Dragon Factory (which until this book, I believed had the scariest technology/science), but DOGS OF WAR takes the cake. I think what makes this book so much more frightening is how believable all the technology really is (and how much is already out/in development/in process of going live).
And no matter how terrifying it all was, it was awesome to read about. I think that's just how I view technology and new scientific discoveries in general. Terrifying but awe-inspiring. So much good comes out of both fields, that even when the bad stuff hits the market, it's hard to argue against. I mean, just look at all the good it does too? Ya know?
Anyway, the technology is just one of the elements I thoroughly love about the Joe Ledger series, and this one in particular.
The other of course, is our wonderfully damaged main character Joe. From his fucked up humor to his relentless drive to solve any mystery, to his ruthlessness when it comes to the bad guys, I just can't get enough of him. A lot went down in the last book (Kill Switch) that I didn't know if Joe and the Echo team would recover. It's one thing I really appreciate in these books too, the consequences from previous books are not only prevalent in the next book, but part of the larger plot/world building/character development of the next book. It all ties in together.
DOGS OF WAR is no different in that realm, of course. I will say where past books have felt like team books, DOGS OF WAR felt mostly like a Joe story. We got to see some character development for my two favorite members of Echo Team (Bunny and Top), but for the most part, Joe was center stage. Not that I minded. We also got to see Joe at what may have been his most vulnerable in any novel to date.
It did make for a sometimes awkwardly paced book though, because of it. While we got to see what Bunny and Top were doing (plus of course, seeing into the past and present of the big bads), when those have happened in past books, it didn't feel like such a pace destroyer, as it did in this one.
Maybe it was just how I was reading it, and needing to stay in Joe's POV because so much was going down, but this time around when those chapters/interludes happened, the pace of my reading and my enjoyment glitched for a moment. And, I'd have to take a moment to adjust from the edge of my seat to a more comfy position.
Even with that though, it's not enough to knock this down to 4 stars at all. DOGS OF WAR has become my favorite Joe Ledger book to date, and I love that fact!
If you haven't tried this series yet, I really highly recommend it! While I'm sure it's not a perfect series by any means, it's as close to a perfect series as I've ever read.
Sure, it follows what has worked for past novels in the series by using a very well known formula (if you read these books). Something horrific is happening, Joe and the DMS come to the party late, shit gets crazy, shit goes down, and it feels like there's just no way the good guys will win.
In DOGS OF WAR, the reader get to see some of the worst technology yet. I didn't think we could see much worse than what went down in The Dragon Factory (which until this book, I believed had the scariest technology/science), but DOGS OF WAR takes the cake. I think what makes this book so much more frightening is how believable all the technology really is (and how much is already out/in development/in process of going live).
And no matter how terrifying it all was, it was awesome to read about. I think that's just how I view technology and new scientific discoveries in general. Terrifying but awe-inspiring. So much good comes out of both fields, that even when the bad stuff hits the market, it's hard to argue against. I mean, just look at all the good it does too? Ya know?
Anyway, the technology is just one of the elements I thoroughly love about the Joe Ledger series, and this one in particular.
The other of course, is our wonderfully damaged main character Joe. From his fucked up humor to his relentless drive to solve any mystery, to his ruthlessness when it comes to the bad guys, I just can't get enough of him. A lot went down in the last book (Kill Switch) that I didn't know if Joe and the Echo team would recover. It's one thing I really appreciate in these books too, the consequences from previous books are not only prevalent in the next book, but part of the larger plot/world building/character development of the next book. It all ties in together.
DOGS OF WAR is no different in that realm, of course. I will say where past books have felt like team books, DOGS OF WAR felt mostly like a Joe story. We got to see some character development for my two favorite members of Echo Team (Bunny and Top), but for the most part, Joe was center stage. Not that I minded. We also got to see Joe at what may have been his most vulnerable in any novel to date.
It did make for a sometimes awkwardly paced book though, because of it. While we got to see what Bunny and Top were doing (plus of course, seeing into the past and present of the big bads), when those have happened in past books, it didn't feel like such a pace destroyer, as it did in this one.
Maybe it was just how I was reading it, and needing to stay in Joe's POV because so much was going down, but this time around when those chapters/interludes happened, the pace of my reading and my enjoyment glitched for a moment. And, I'd have to take a moment to adjust from the edge of my seat to a more comfy position.
Even with that though, it's not enough to knock this down to 4 stars at all. DOGS OF WAR has become my favorite Joe Ledger book to date, and I love that fact!
If you haven't tried this series yet, I really highly recommend it! While I'm sure it's not a perfect series by any means, it's as close to a perfect series as I've ever read.
April 28, 2017
Wow.....
Just wow....
I'll post a full review once I process everything that happened in this book. Actually I'll read this again & then post a review...
Wow.....
Just wow....
I'll post a full review once I process everything that happened in this book. Actually I'll read this again & then post a review...
Wow.....
May 12, 2025
Before releasing:
Just read the plot summary.
Looks like this time, its Robopocalypse vs Joe Ledger and his Department of Military Sciences.
Hands down my most awaited novel this year (unless Jim Butcher finally decides to release Dresden#16 Peace Talks, for which I'm done waiting).
Today is April 2nd, 23 more long days to go (release April 25).
CAN'T. WAIT.
(insert hyperventilating emoji here).
After finishing:
Looks like I have to update the review so that it actually reads like a "review", don't I?
Just read the plot summary.
Looks like this time, its Robopocalypse vs Joe Ledger and his Department of Military Sciences.
Hands down my most awaited novel this year (unless Jim Butcher finally decides to release Dresden#16 Peace Talks, for which I'm done waiting).
Today is April 2nd, 23 more long days to go (release April 25).
CAN'T. WAIT.
(insert hyperventilating emoji here).
After finishing:
Looks like I have to update the review so that it actually reads like a "review", don't I?
December 13, 2019
My review of DOGS OF WAR can be found at High Fever Books.
One of the hardest parts about reviewing Jonathan Maberry’s Joe Ledger series is finding (hopefully) new and compelling ways to illustrate what makes them so damn good. Maberry’s been at this a while now and although he’s got the formula down pat, the series as a whole has been too entertaining to feel overly formulaic. Yes, I do get a bit tired of all the interludes and Ledger’s recapping of his mental state and the divisions in his personality as The Cop, The Warrior, and The Modern Man, and his backstory as a teenager, but nine books in, I’ve also come to accept that these things are all just part of the formula. It’s tiresome info for the dedicated reader, perhaps, but easily overlooked if you’re willing, and it’s necessary info for new readers who might enter this series at any point. So, that all said, what can I say about Dogs of War?
Well, for starters, Maberry doesn’t do small scale. I noted in my review for Kill Switch that Maberry has an uncanny knack for making each new threat in these subsequent books the biggest and baddest dangers the world has ever faced. I wasn’t sure he could out-size himself anymore, but somehow he’s managed and the problems faced in Dogs of War are even bigger than the last go-round in terms of potential lethality for the world at large. Maberry uses those past threats faced by Joe Ledger and his team at the DMS to build toward something huge and nigh unstoppable, so here we have the dangers of military drones as glimpsed in Predator One but more personally and harshly realized, artificial intelligence, and, as is a prerequisite in these books, a super wealthy megalomaniac who wants to destroy the world.
Also building on those threads from prior novels is the current state of operations of the DMS. Ledger’s Echo Team has taken a pounding over the last several books, leaving what’s left of his heavy hitters with PTSD, and certain issues arising from Kill Switch have left the Department of Military Sciences on the outs with a lot of its sister agencies in the US government. DMS is at the lowest point we’ve seen thus far, having suffered numerous defeats and with so much of the world having grown wise to Mr. Church’s Mindreader super-software that has, for so long, given them an edge in their war on terror.
One particular point of interest I’ve found as I play catch-up with the Joe Ledger series is how it plays given the foreknowledge that the tenth book, Deep Silence, is the last DMS novel as Maberry launches his series character into a new on-going Rogue Team International series. Over the course of the last few books, it’s felt like Maberry has been on a path toward winding down the DMS books and wrapping up loose ends as he revisits past threats and cases. It’s particularly telling that, at one point, Church tells Ledger that the current state of the DMS is not what it was nor what it will become. I can’t help but wonder at the foreshadowing in that and what it means for the future of Joe Ledger to come.
Another neat thing I found in Dogs of War was Maberry’s shout out to other big genre thriller series in the vein of his DMS books. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that DMS exists and operates alongside James Rollins’s Sigma Force, Weston Ochse’s Seal Team 666, and Jeremy Robinson’s Chess Team. They’re fun call-outs for genre fans, and I had a good time catching these little Easter Eggs. I can’t imagine the publishing logistics that would go into it, but how cool would it be have Joe Ledger and Gray Pierce team up for some international, supernatural-laced counter-terrorism hi-jinks?
The biggest win here, though, came from the philosophical discussions surrounding the rise of artificial intelligence and the impending technological singularity. I really love the next-gen science that goes into these Ledger books, and Maberry is right on top of current trends, crafting some believable and all too-real scares about nanotechnology, plague threats, and military applications for robotic dogs. This last aspect was particularly prescient of Maberry in 2017, given that just a few weeks ago news broke that the Massachusetts State Police have already begun testing the use of Boston Dynamics’s autonomous robot dogs. Pardon me if I’m a bit leery at this news…
Maberry is scarily on the cusp of potential threats in our near-future world, and his books leave me hoping that there is somebody like Mr. Church and Joe Ledger out there helping to keep a lid on all the truly weird science and apocalyptic designs of the world’s various misfits and demagogues. Especially since, on this last point in particular, we seem to be losing and could really, really, really use somebody like Joe Ledger to rake up some wins for the good guys here.
One of the hardest parts about reviewing Jonathan Maberry’s Joe Ledger series is finding (hopefully) new and compelling ways to illustrate what makes them so damn good. Maberry’s been at this a while now and although he’s got the formula down pat, the series as a whole has been too entertaining to feel overly formulaic. Yes, I do get a bit tired of all the interludes and Ledger’s recapping of his mental state and the divisions in his personality as The Cop, The Warrior, and The Modern Man, and his backstory as a teenager, but nine books in, I’ve also come to accept that these things are all just part of the formula. It’s tiresome info for the dedicated reader, perhaps, but easily overlooked if you’re willing, and it’s necessary info for new readers who might enter this series at any point. So, that all said, what can I say about Dogs of War?
Well, for starters, Maberry doesn’t do small scale. I noted in my review for Kill Switch that Maberry has an uncanny knack for making each new threat in these subsequent books the biggest and baddest dangers the world has ever faced. I wasn’t sure he could out-size himself anymore, but somehow he’s managed and the problems faced in Dogs of War are even bigger than the last go-round in terms of potential lethality for the world at large. Maberry uses those past threats faced by Joe Ledger and his team at the DMS to build toward something huge and nigh unstoppable, so here we have the dangers of military drones as glimpsed in Predator One but more personally and harshly realized, artificial intelligence, and, as is a prerequisite in these books, a super wealthy megalomaniac who wants to destroy the world.
Also building on those threads from prior novels is the current state of operations of the DMS. Ledger’s Echo Team has taken a pounding over the last several books, leaving what’s left of his heavy hitters with PTSD, and certain issues arising from Kill Switch have left the Department of Military Sciences on the outs with a lot of its sister agencies in the US government. DMS is at the lowest point we’ve seen thus far, having suffered numerous defeats and with so much of the world having grown wise to Mr. Church’s Mindreader super-software that has, for so long, given them an edge in their war on terror.
One particular point of interest I’ve found as I play catch-up with the Joe Ledger series is how it plays given the foreknowledge that the tenth book, Deep Silence, is the last DMS novel as Maberry launches his series character into a new on-going Rogue Team International series. Over the course of the last few books, it’s felt like Maberry has been on a path toward winding down the DMS books and wrapping up loose ends as he revisits past threats and cases. It’s particularly telling that, at one point, Church tells Ledger that the current state of the DMS is not what it was nor what it will become. I can’t help but wonder at the foreshadowing in that and what it means for the future of Joe Ledger to come.
Another neat thing I found in Dogs of War was Maberry’s shout out to other big genre thriller series in the vein of his DMS books. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that DMS exists and operates alongside James Rollins’s Sigma Force, Weston Ochse’s Seal Team 666, and Jeremy Robinson’s Chess Team. They’re fun call-outs for genre fans, and I had a good time catching these little Easter Eggs. I can’t imagine the publishing logistics that would go into it, but how cool would it be have Joe Ledger and Gray Pierce team up for some international, supernatural-laced counter-terrorism hi-jinks?
The biggest win here, though, came from the philosophical discussions surrounding the rise of artificial intelligence and the impending technological singularity. I really love the next-gen science that goes into these Ledger books, and Maberry is right on top of current trends, crafting some believable and all too-real scares about nanotechnology, plague threats, and military applications for robotic dogs. This last aspect was particularly prescient of Maberry in 2017, given that just a few weeks ago news broke that the Massachusetts State Police have already begun testing the use of Boston Dynamics’s autonomous robot dogs. Pardon me if I’m a bit leery at this news…
Maberry is scarily on the cusp of potential threats in our near-future world, and his books leave me hoping that there is somebody like Mr. Church and Joe Ledger out there helping to keep a lid on all the truly weird science and apocalyptic designs of the world’s various misfits and demagogues. Especially since, on this last point in particular, we seem to be losing and could really, really, really use somebody like Joe Ledger to rake up some wins for the good guys here.
January 8, 2025
Audiobook (18 hours) narrated by Ray Porter
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Ray Porter continues being awesome as the badass Joe Ledger.
Wow. This is the second to last book, not including the anthology that was published between books 9 and 10, Unstoppable, which I decided to read after Deep Silence.
This one was an incredible look into Artificial Intelligence.
We have gone through the science and destruction of several different types of world situations from zombies and infectious diseases to terrorism and now we are in the world of A.I.
I cried. I actually cried. Not deep ugly crying, but I felt such a pang of sadness, was choked up and a few tears were shed.
This series is special.
The people, places, Ghost, and ... Well, I was looking up something, nearing the end of book 10, milking it as I didn't want it to end and I learned about Rage! It looks like the Joe Ledger series is now, Rogue Team International! I am on it! There are already 3 books in the new series, or two with one to come out this year... 3'ish.
Where was I. Oh, yeah. The series is awesome. There's more and more to come. Happy days!
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Ray Porter continues being awesome as the badass Joe Ledger.
Wow. This is the second to last book, not including the anthology that was published between books 9 and 10, Unstoppable, which I decided to read after Deep Silence.
This one was an incredible look into Artificial Intelligence.
We have gone through the science and destruction of several different types of world situations from zombies and infectious diseases to terrorism and now we are in the world of A.I.
I cried. I actually cried. Not deep ugly crying, but I felt such a pang of sadness, was choked up and a few tears were shed.
This series is special.
The people, places, Ghost, and ... Well, I was looking up something, nearing the end of book 10, milking it as I didn't want it to end and I learned about Rage! It looks like the Joe Ledger series is now, Rogue Team International! I am on it! There are already 3 books in the new series, or two with one to come out this year... 3'ish.
Where was I. Oh, yeah. The series is awesome. There's more and more to come. Happy days!
December 12, 2025
I just love this cast of characters! Another great thrill ride with Joe and his team.
December 22, 2019
DOGS OF WAR was another hit with me!
Ray Porter gives Joe Ledger heart. When Joe is worried about his family or about completing a mission, I worry right there along with him. Porter brings life to Maberry's work and they both have made Joe Ledger part of MY family.
I would never have thought that this series would work so well. Action and military type stuff is not my bag. Maberry and Porter have MADE it my bag and I'm happy and grateful for that. They have provided a wonderful distraction from real life these last few months. It was just what I needed.
Highly recommended!
*I rejoined Audible so that I wouldn't have to wait on the library's list anymore.*
Ray Porter gives Joe Ledger heart. When Joe is worried about his family or about completing a mission, I worry right there along with him. Porter brings life to Maberry's work and they both have made Joe Ledger part of MY family.
I would never have thought that this series would work so well. Action and military type stuff is not my bag. Maberry and Porter have MADE it my bag and I'm happy and grateful for that. They have provided a wonderful distraction from real life these last few months. It was just what I needed.
Highly recommended!
*I rejoined Audible so that I wouldn't have to wait on the library's list anymore.*
November 18, 2018
This review is going to break my heart.
This is the first book in the Ledger series that I was bored for long periods. It is the first one where I cringed at some of the dialogue and thought a lot of parts were corny.
Maberry is awesome. The Pine Deep trilogy is pimptastic, his zombie books are killer, and 1-8 Ledger are all great too. This one though... eh not so much.
There were glimpses of awsomeness and some action scenes were really cool but for the most part it was just average, sub-par Maberry IMO.
2.7 or 2.8 generously rounded up to 3 stars.
This is the first book in the Ledger series that I was bored for long periods. It is the first one where I cringed at some of the dialogue and thought a lot of parts were corny.
Maberry is awesome. The Pine Deep trilogy is pimptastic, his zombie books are killer, and 1-8 Ledger are all great too. This one though... eh not so much.
There were glimpses of awsomeness and some action scenes were really cool but for the most part it was just average, sub-par Maberry IMO.
2.7 or 2.8 generously rounded up to 3 stars.
May 31, 2017
Joe Ledger always gets 5 stars
September 9, 2024
Overall Rating : B-
"Cry Havoc and let slip the dogs of war."
One of the slower Joe Ledger novels, but when it picked up, it picked up. Things are being pieced together, some of them from the first book! But, despite the title, quote, and summary, not nearly enough robotic dogs, which was a shame ;)
"Cry Havoc and let slip the dogs of war."
One of the slower Joe Ledger novels, but when it picked up, it picked up. Things are being pieced together, some of them from the first book! But, despite the title, quote, and summary, not nearly enough robotic dogs, which was a shame ;)
March 30, 2022
Another great action packed book in this excellent adventure series. Very intense plots and great characters that you can get into the story with. Very recommended
June 1, 2017
Maberry is like a reverse George RR Martin. Every time I look to see if there's a new book out by him, I discover in the past 10 months that he's written three new books, and a short story collection, and edited/contributed to a half dozen anthology volumes. And I only slightly exaggerate.
This got me thinking that huh, yes, I have read a ton of his books too after all these years (for some reason he always seems new to me). 20+ and counting and I'm glad he's so prolific. And beyond just the AMOUNT of material he puts out, I give Maberry even more credit. None of his books are what I'd call slim or patch job padding nor do I sense the author having more in mind their bank balance over the quality of the work. I don't really see his work declining in quality at all--even if I still think the Pine Deep trilogy is his best work--these Ledger series merrily romp on. Really, the usual bane of a Maberry book--insane amount of misspellings and printing errors--was noticeably absent in my edition of Dogs of War--so good job this time whoever was in charge of quality control for this book!
One of the best things about his books is the continuity. I know I have gotten angry about timelines and parallel universes and some easy McGuffins, but the ancillary characters still get a lot of attention. They're not there just to reflect Ledger's glory back at him. Bunny, Lydia, Church, the Arclight gang--events in book 2 still highly figure in all the later ones. He's got 4 distinct different series, all set in different times, with random characters intersecting. Heck, as a Rollins fan, he even has appearances and mentions by Sigma Force (so for Rollins fans, the universe crosses over here too). I still think this would make it difficult to pick up any of his books midway.
Especially since he has a tendency to build on past books, to an almost Jenga like degree. The bad guys in his books--The Seven Kings, the creepy Nazi twins, Mother Night, Hugo Vox--are all formidable, but all completely intertwined with a nasty habit of leaving all their evil research and money to some shadowy apprentice in the wings, which repeats the process. The villain in this one, aided by another villain we've seen for several books, just happens to be Hugo Vox's favorite niece, bought stuff from Night & the Jackobys, and has been dreaming of her very own apocalypse since childhood.
No zombies or beserkers in this one--instead weaponized rabies, which got me looking up rabies info on the internet for a few hours, because I had sooo many rabies questions by the midpoint of this book. So it turns out that no, while thousands die from rabies each year, it does not make you attack or bite other humans. Dogs and other animals yes, go through a biting stage, a la Cujo, but no verified reports in human. Apparently it's also a thing now, where people are anti-vaxxers about having their animals get rabies shots and it's leaving the US vulnerable to rabies again--so yeah, vaccinate your pets. Rabies is awful (though it does not turn you into bath salt maniac--just insanely painful and almost incurable).
Even though the villain seemed a bit recycled, still a great series. Also, like the new addition to the team and more Church backstory revealed!
This got me thinking that huh, yes, I have read a ton of his books too after all these years (for some reason he always seems new to me). 20+ and counting and I'm glad he's so prolific. And beyond just the AMOUNT of material he puts out, I give Maberry even more credit. None of his books are what I'd call slim or patch job padding nor do I sense the author having more in mind their bank balance over the quality of the work. I don't really see his work declining in quality at all--even if I still think the Pine Deep trilogy is his best work--these Ledger series merrily romp on. Really, the usual bane of a Maberry book--insane amount of misspellings and printing errors--was noticeably absent in my edition of Dogs of War--so good job this time whoever was in charge of quality control for this book!
One of the best things about his books is the continuity. I know I have gotten angry about timelines and parallel universes and some easy McGuffins, but the ancillary characters still get a lot of attention. They're not there just to reflect Ledger's glory back at him. Bunny, Lydia, Church, the Arclight gang--events in book 2 still highly figure in all the later ones. He's got 4 distinct different series, all set in different times, with random characters intersecting. Heck, as a Rollins fan, he even has appearances and mentions by Sigma Force (so for Rollins fans, the universe crosses over here too). I still think this would make it difficult to pick up any of his books midway.
Especially since he has a tendency to build on past books, to an almost Jenga like degree. The bad guys in his books--The Seven Kings, the creepy Nazi twins, Mother Night, Hugo Vox--are all formidable, but all completely intertwined with a nasty habit of leaving all their evil research and money to some shadowy apprentice in the wings, which repeats the process. The villain in this one, aided by another villain we've seen for several books, just happens to be Hugo Vox's favorite niece, bought stuff from Night & the Jackobys, and has been dreaming of her very own apocalypse since childhood.
No zombies or beserkers in this one--instead weaponized rabies, which got me looking up rabies info on the internet for a few hours, because I had sooo many rabies questions by the midpoint of this book. So it turns out that no, while thousands die from rabies each year, it does not make you attack or bite other humans. Dogs and other animals yes, go through a biting stage, a la Cujo, but no verified reports in human. Apparently it's also a thing now, where people are anti-vaxxers about having their animals get rabies shots and it's leaving the US vulnerable to rabies again--so yeah, vaccinate your pets. Rabies is awful (though it does not turn you into bath salt maniac--just insanely painful and almost incurable).
Even though the villain seemed a bit recycled, still a great series. Also, like the new addition to the team and more Church backstory revealed!
September 27, 2018
In this ninth outing in the extraordinary Joe Ledger series, the DMS is in flux and reeling after events in the previous novel, KILL SWITCH. Ledger and many of his DMS colleagues suffered losses saving the world yet again and dealing with the aftereffects, the trauma. But as readers can predict, a newer greater threat is brewing ominously and Joe Ledger and the DMS must rise to the toughest, most deadly challenge yet...or risk billions of deaths against an unstoppable technological apocalypse.
No one writes these white knuckle thrillers, a clever blend of scifi horror, weird science, thriller and horror better than Jonathan Maberry. Highest of recommendations!
No one writes these white knuckle thrillers, a clever blend of scifi horror, weird science, thriller and horror better than Jonathan Maberry. Highest of recommendations!
July 28, 2024
So I have finally finished Joe Ledger 9. Only took me like 2 months or close to it. As usual Jonathan Maberry delivers an action packed, on the edge of your seat Novel. Really there is not one book of his that I did not like. At times I thought he was going to kill off a character and I was so close to yelling but like always the DMS team is triumphant over there enemies. A new team member is introduced and from her first experience with what they deal with, She'll make out just fine. Not sure if I will go straight to the next one but he is already releasing a new one in November I believe. As long as I read Joe Ledger 10 before 11 comes out. Sorry for the short review everyone.
January 30, 2022
This is book number 9 in this series. If you do not know how I feel about Joe Ledger and Echo team of the DMS by now, go back and read the first novel in the series, Patient Zero. I was so grateful that this book ended on a hopeful note. Joe and the DMS have been through so much in the last few books, they needed a win.
June 3, 2021
4.5 stars. Every book is this series has been great!
September 15, 2022
At this point Joe has became Naruto. Naruto have Sharingan, Joe have Mindreader. And they throw it around right and left like farts and defeats every other problem. This technology has been mentioned so so many times I particularly am totally tired and wouldn't like to read about it anymore. So many backtrack, so many old references, made me bored. On top of that to incorporate a character in the whole timeline forcefully the story was made further redundant.
I am glad that this series ends with the next book. Enough of freeking Mindreader already.
I am glad that this series ends with the next book. Enough of freeking Mindreader already.
February 10, 2018
All the Stars ok ⭐️ Joe gets every damn star out there 🌟💫🌟⭐️🌟💫💫⭐️💫⭐️⭐️🌟💩
I can even write a review I’m so destroyed over the fact there are no more Joe books for me
Gahhhhhh 😩😭🤧
I can even write a review I’m so destroyed over the fact there are no more Joe books for me
Gahhhhhh 😩😭🤧
July 26, 2020
Better than the previous one in the series but still not the best. For fans of the audiobook series, good escapist entertainment.
October 21, 2025
3.5/5
A bit too long and dragged at times but still a very fun and entertaining read.
A bit too long and dragged at times but still a very fun and entertaining read.
May 19, 2017
The previous book in the series, "Kill Switch", was one of the most punishingly brutal books I can remember this side of the 2nd Dark Tower book. Gripping, yes, but also exhausting, and it left the DMS a mess. Thankfully this book doesn't just push a reset button and a fair chunk of it is given over to processing the rebuilding of the DMS, both in functional and psychological terms. Familiar characters have lost confidence in themselves and friends, relationships are screwed up, and so on. All this means it's not the best time to be facing a global plot to wipe out most of the earth's population, but that's a day in the life of Joe Ledger.
I'm avoiding spoilers because a lot of what makes this fun is the near-future "What if?" nature of the threat, in the form of a multi-pronged assault of drones, weaponized robots, nanobots, and engineered plagues. In some ways it plays like the "Destroy All Monsters" of the Joe Ledger books, with with a lot of individual threats that were almost successful before, now being combined together.
Reporting for duty is Joe's sardonic sense of humor, the bit that makes these books stand out from a legion of similar actionman series, plus the overall camaraderie of the DMS crew. And you've got to love any action series where the hero fights alongside a dog with titanium teeth. While the DMS stays on the ropes for a big chunk of the book, once they get going they are once more a thrillride in print and there's a little personal "Rocky" moment for almost every character. Really my single sole demerit for it is that it follows the same formula of several books previous, which is basically:
BUT, that's a minor grouse on an otherwise blast-of-fun book. If you're a fan of action, monsters, techno-weirdness, and 60's Bond villains (the sort who plotted global domination instead of just making a run on the stock market), then you really can't go wrong with any of the Joe Ledger series.
Thumbs way up!
I'm avoiding spoilers because a lot of what makes this fun is the near-future "What if?" nature of the threat, in the form of a multi-pronged assault of drones, weaponized robots, nanobots, and engineered plagues. In some ways it plays like the "Destroy All Monsters" of the Joe Ledger books, with with a lot of individual threats that were almost successful before, now being combined together.
Reporting for duty is Joe's sardonic sense of humor, the bit that makes these books stand out from a legion of similar actionman series, plus the overall camaraderie of the DMS crew. And you've got to love any action series where the hero fights alongside a dog with titanium teeth. While the DMS stays on the ropes for a big chunk of the book, once they get going they are once more a thrillride in print and there's a little personal "Rocky" moment for almost every character. Really my single sole demerit for it is that it follows the same formula of several books previous, which is basically:
BUT, that's a minor grouse on an otherwise blast-of-fun book. If you're a fan of action, monsters, techno-weirdness, and 60's Bond villains (the sort who plotted global domination instead of just making a run on the stock market), then you really can't go wrong with any of the Joe Ledger series.
Thumbs way up!
July 9, 2021
10/31/2020 Notes:
Kill Switch #8 was great! Dogs of War #9 was good, but it doesn't have the same impact and mind bending insanity. There's a tone of unease and danger from start to finish that is appropriate for the overall story arc but not an easy phase of emotions to hold onto for a whole book.
Some of the flashbacks bring back older characters and I can't help but miss Hugo. He's one of the best gray area bad guys. He's not evil to the point that you hate him. He is relatable and twisted but not in the way that makes him seem completely inhuman.
05/09/2018 Mini-Review:
Strong till the end. The ending was anti-climatic but I really enjoyed how well past events were connected to the current crisis. I found myself missing a few of the characters that have played a bigger role in the last few books and hoping that they will be in the next book. Plus, I have a snippet of an idea that I hope will come to fruit in a later story. If it does, that would be awesome!
Ton of action, madness, touchstones that keep our heroes sane and bloody triumphs are all explored in great detail. Good stuff! I enjoyed it.
Kill Switch #8 was great! Dogs of War #9 was good, but it doesn't have the same impact and mind bending insanity. There's a tone of unease and danger from start to finish that is appropriate for the overall story arc but not an easy phase of emotions to hold onto for a whole book.
Some of the flashbacks bring back older characters and I can't help but miss Hugo. He's one of the best gray area bad guys. He's not evil to the point that you hate him. He is relatable and twisted but not in the way that makes him seem completely inhuman.
05/09/2018 Mini-Review:
Strong till the end. The ending was anti-climatic but I really enjoyed how well past events were connected to the current crisis. I found myself missing a few of the characters that have played a bigger role in the last few books and hoping that they will be in the next book. Plus, I have a snippet of an idea that I hope will come to fruit in a later story. If it does, that would be awesome!
Ton of action, madness, touchstones that keep our heroes sane and bloody triumphs are all explored in great detail. Good stuff! I enjoyed it.
July 21, 2024
Nu știu cum de nu e mainstream și de ce nu e tradusă încă și la noi. Sau măcar să se fi făcut vreun film, chiar serial. Când am găsit-o într-o librărie, habar n-aveam că face parte dintr-o serie. Acum trebuie să le caut și să mi le iau pe toate. Pe scurt, cartea asta e acțiune de la un capăt la altul, iar scriitura este excelentă și "prinde" toate simțurile. Foarte sângeroasă, violentă, dar nu gratuit. Un pic SF, un pic policier, un pic military, un pic supranatural.
September 20, 2020
Such a great book and the end was very fitting to things these days in 2020. Wow. I love the fake craziness of these books but it's scary when there's real issues in our world that parallel. So good, I always love Ledger and these books.
November 17, 2025
Always a rush with Joe Ledger. Amazingly fun and intriguingly entertaining. So so good! Ray Portal and Maberry is a match made in writing heaven.
June 2, 2017
Zephyr Bain has been groomed since childhood to release Havoc, the technological singularity that will cull the world of anyone she determines does not deserve to live. She has spent her life making lists of people who offended her and other who were just not smart enough. She built her AI, Calpurnia, to aid her in this destruction. Calpurnia has spent her life learning and becoming sentient. When Joe Ledger and the Department of Military Science arrive, late in the game, it is almost too late to stop the annihilation of the world. The DMS is down several key personnel after the events of Kill Switch and those who are left have fallen into despair over whether or nor they actually know what they are doing. It is easy to get lost in the horrors the DMS deals with every day. Once again, Maberry has crafted an intricately plotted amalgam of horror, science fiction, fantasy and crime fiction.
June 24, 2019
Just love the Ledger Series
January 31, 2021
Starting off the year with Joe--it's a tradition! Still enjoying Joe's adventures and am taking my time. I don't want to get caught up anytime soon! I like knowing there are more adventures out there.
June 28, 2017
I enjoyed this new Joe Ledger thriller. Tons of action and once again Joe, Top, Bunny, Bug, & Church prevail. New members join, and a whole new Mindreader! Really really bad guys are always a trademark for Maberry and the DMS team. I enjoyed the references to other action teams like:
(Sigma Force),
(Chess Team), and
(SEAL Team 666).
How about a cross-over Jonathan? With any or ALL of the above teams! Yikes! Throw in Scarecrow and his Marines from Matt Reilly (but not Jack West Jr.).
(Sigma Force),
(Chess Team), and
(SEAL Team 666).How about a cross-over Jonathan? With any or ALL of the above teams! Yikes! Throw in Scarecrow and his Marines from Matt Reilly (but not Jack West Jr.).
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