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Stan Lee's The Devil's Quintet #1
The Armageddon Code
In Stan Lee's The Devil's The Armageddon Code , the world-famous architect of the Marvel Universe, teams up with New York Times bestselling author Jay Bonansinga to unleash a bold new superhero series on the world.
A five-person special ops unit, composed of a diverse assortment of former Navy SEALS from all walks of life, are responding to a terrorist threat deep in the Caucasus Mountains when their mission goes south in a big way. Facing certain death and torture, they’re unexpectedly offered a Faustian bargain by the Devil himself, who grants them unearthly powers in order to send evildoers to Hell on his fiendish behalf.
But “The Devil’s Quintet” do things their own way, fighting to protect America and the world, while trying their best not to let their hellish new abilities corrupt them beyond redemption . . .
A five-person special ops unit, composed of a diverse assortment of former Navy SEALS from all walks of life, are responding to a terrorist threat deep in the Caucasus Mountains when their mission goes south in a big way. Facing certain death and torture, they’re unexpectedly offered a Faustian bargain by the Devil himself, who grants them unearthly powers in order to send evildoers to Hell on his fiendish behalf.
But “The Devil’s Quintet” do things their own way, fighting to protect America and the world, while trying their best not to let their hellish new abilities corrupt them beyond redemption . . .
304 pages, Hardcover
Published February 8, 2022
28 people are currently reading
4433 people want to read
About the author
Jay Bonansinga
110 books387 followersThe national best-selling author of ten acclaimed books – both fiction and non-fiction -- Jay Bonansinga has been called “one of the most imaginative writers of thrillers” by the Chicago Tribune.
Jay is the holder of a master's degree in film from Columbia College Chicago, and currently resides in Evanston, Illinois, with his wife and two sons. He is also a visiting professor at Northwestern University in their Creative Writing for the Media program.
Jay is the holder of a master's degree in film from Columbia College Chicago, and currently resides in Evanston, Illinois, with his wife and two sons. He is also a visiting professor at Northwestern University in their Creative Writing for the Media program.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
March 24, 2022
This was written from one of Stan Lee's unproduced ideas. It's about a team of Navy Seal types who are captured by terrorists and on their way to being tortured and murdered. That's when the Devil appears and offers them a deal. Work for him as a hit squad and he'll save them along with giving them super powers. They agree without really knowing what they are agreeing to. The Devil is not at all happy when they try and find a way out of the deal. Now it's the Devil's Quintet vs. the Devil in a battle for the fate of the world.
The writing is OK. I didn't think it was as good as The Walking Dead novels Bonansinga has written. I didn't realize there was such a thing as being too descriptive until I read this book. Some of the writing gets lost in its descriptive detail. That being said, it's an action packed book and I would read a sequel. BTW, this is not your typical Marvel superheroes. There is lots of adult language and horror in the book.
Received a review copy from Tor and Edleweiss.
The writing is OK. I didn't think it was as good as The Walking Dead novels Bonansinga has written. I didn't realize there was such a thing as being too descriptive until I read this book. Some of the writing gets lost in its descriptive detail. That being said, it's an action packed book and I would read a sequel. BTW, this is not your typical Marvel superheroes. There is lots of adult language and horror in the book.
Received a review copy from Tor and Edleweiss.
April 22, 2022
There's a great book in here somewhere but this ain't it. I'm a fan of Bonansinga's prose style and it's perfectly fine here, delivering a cinematic style reading experience, but the plot is a plodding mess, there's huge exposition dumps that destroy any flow the story was trying to maintain, the characters are paper-thin and uninteresting, and the dialogue is forced and incredibly cheesy at times.
To be fair, this would probably make a much better television show than a novel, especially if you put it on one of the streamers like Netflix or Amazon. I would probably be a bit more forgiving of some of its shortcomings if it was. But as a novel it just doesn't work and, unfortunately, I won't be adding the next instalment to my TBR pile.
To be fair, this would probably make a much better television show than a novel, especially if you put it on one of the streamers like Netflix or Amazon. I would probably be a bit more forgiving of some of its shortcomings if it was. But as a novel it just doesn't work and, unfortunately, I won't be adding the next instalment to my TBR pile.
May 16, 2022
Full disclosure, I only read two thirds of this book. It's terrible, just really terrible. The author trips all over himself to constantly describe how hot these people and describes their gear and weapons in excruciating detail but can't manage to find an original thought for the plot. The twist that the whole thing revolves around is that the devil makes a contract with super elite soldiers to blah blah blah but they decide to use their new powers against him and because it's a binding contract for life the devil can't take the powers away, and if reading that made you say "boy that's stupid" then congratulations, you're paying more attention than the editor of this book was. It's also written entirely in the present passive voice and it's infuriating, nothing has any sense of urgency or tension, just an endless string of "this happens and then this happens and then this happens." The characters are both dull and incredibly talkative, that's not great. Stan Lee deserves better than to have his name slapped on this lazy trash pile, entire involved does, except the author who should definitely be connected to it as a warning against anyone letting him write anything else.
February 23, 2022
Meh. I was seriously disappointed. It was soooooo predictable. Way too much focus on the anatomy of the female characters to take as serious.
April 6, 2022
⭐Rating ⭐
3.5 stars rounded up to 4. Prob won’t continue on in the series though. This was my Blind Date with a Book and I probably wouldn’t have picked it up on my own.
👍🏻Turn Ons
Super heroes are cool, and I like that their code names kind of predicted their powers. The action is there and there’s a lot. There’s also a lot of gore and violence. I thought the idea of Satan being behind the evil in the world is basically true so good job on that!
👎🏻 Turn Offs
It took me a bit to get into this. There’s some military lingo/jargon that I had to glaze over. I also found an editing error with Hack’s name being used in the wrong spot (p 105 on my kindle). And please stop calling it a freakin’ “clip”. It’s a magazine. The term was used correctly a bunch of times and then “clip” was throne in there. Ugh.
👵🏻 Safe to talk about with Grandma?
Nope! F words, violence, gore, some descriptive sex but this is not a romance at all. Plus Satan is running rampant throughout. Grandma would skip this one!
📖 What happened in the book so I remember when I look back at this review tomorrow
⚠MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS!!
Spur and his team of special ops are on a mission that goes south. They’re captured and about to be tortured and killed with Satan steps in and saves them. But he’s not doing it because he’s a nice guy. He wants them to become his personal bounty hunters and track down and eliminate those he has made prior deals with, and have gone back on their word. In agreeing to this, they are each granted powers.
Title & Author: The Devil’s Quintet: The Armageddon Code by Stan Lee and Jay Bonansinga
Format: Hardback
Read: 3/28/22-4/4/22
Rating: 3.5 stars
3.5 stars rounded up to 4. Prob won’t continue on in the series though. This was my Blind Date with a Book and I probably wouldn’t have picked it up on my own.
👍🏻Turn Ons
Super heroes are cool, and I like that their code names kind of predicted their powers. The action is there and there’s a lot. There’s also a lot of gore and violence. I thought the idea of Satan being behind the evil in the world is basically true so good job on that!
👎🏻 Turn Offs
It took me a bit to get into this. There’s some military lingo/jargon that I had to glaze over. I also found an editing error with Hack’s name being used in the wrong spot (p 105 on my kindle). And please stop calling it a freakin’ “clip”. It’s a magazine. The term was used correctly a bunch of times and then “clip” was throne in there. Ugh.
👵🏻 Safe to talk about with Grandma?
Nope! F words, violence, gore, some descriptive sex but this is not a romance at all. Plus Satan is running rampant throughout. Grandma would skip this one!
📖 What happened in the book so I remember when I look back at this review tomorrow
⚠MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS!!
Spur and his team of special ops are on a mission that goes south. They’re captured and about to be tortured and killed with Satan steps in and saves them. But he’s not doing it because he’s a nice guy. He wants them to become his personal bounty hunters and track down and eliminate those he has made prior deals with, and have gone back on their word. In agreeing to this, they are each granted powers.
Title & Author: The Devil’s Quintet: The Armageddon Code by Stan Lee and Jay Bonansinga
Format: Hardback
Read: 3/28/22-4/4/22
Rating: 3.5 stars
March 26, 2023
I originally saw this book on the shelf at my local bookstore and was interested - a group of Marvel heroes that I hadn't heard of? That sounded interesting to me, especially since they were being developed in a more modern age. It took me a while before I made the purchase, and I wish I'd read other reviews here first.
It took me a while to figure out what was making this book such a disappointment. At first, I thought it was the detailed explanations of minor background characters, or the overlong environmental descriptions. But no, those could be forgiven if it wasn't for the fact that they were repeated over and over. During a scene where some possessed agents are searching for the main characters, their eyes must have been described as "black orbs" in a dozen different ways.
Add to that the fact that it takes overly long for our Devil's Quintet to obtain their powers, and then they are definitely not used to their full effect. Other than Hack's ability to access computer systems, I don't think any character uses their ability more than twice. Which given the timeline of the book makes sense - they don't have their powers that long. But given the length of the book. I would have liked more to happen.
To cap it all off, two major plot points were robbed of all of their feeling. First, early on, one of the Quintet apparently dies. We are forced to go through the team's grieving and her funeral...but the book is called the Devil's Quintet so it's pretty clear that she's coming back in some way. Second, the Armageddon Code part - which is the Devil trying to use the nuclear launch codes to initiate Armageddon. Which he decides to do...because he's mad at the main characters for not doing as he asks. Which just makes him read like a petulant toddler, and his method of achieving his goals relies on a drug addicted follower traveling from New Orleans to Colorado in under 24 hours to enter the launch codes he hastily scribbled on his arm. There wasn't much reason to make this so hasty, and I was just waiting for the "smeared ink" to save the day.
Overall, the concept for this group was kind of neat. But the execution left a lot to be desired.
It took me a while to figure out what was making this book such a disappointment. At first, I thought it was the detailed explanations of minor background characters, or the overlong environmental descriptions. But no, those could be forgiven if it wasn't for the fact that they were repeated over and over. During a scene where some possessed agents are searching for the main characters, their eyes must have been described as "black orbs" in a dozen different ways.
Add to that the fact that it takes overly long for our Devil's Quintet to obtain their powers, and then they are definitely not used to their full effect. Other than Hack's ability to access computer systems, I don't think any character uses their ability more than twice. Which given the timeline of the book makes sense - they don't have their powers that long. But given the length of the book. I would have liked more to happen.
To cap it all off, two major plot points were robbed of all of their feeling. First, early on, one of the Quintet apparently dies. We are forced to go through the team's grieving and her funeral...but the book is called the Devil's Quintet so it's pretty clear that she's coming back in some way. Second, the Armageddon Code part - which is the Devil trying to use the nuclear launch codes to initiate Armageddon. Which he decides to do...because he's mad at the main characters for not doing as he asks. Which just makes him read like a petulant toddler, and his method of achieving his goals relies on a drug addicted follower traveling from New Orleans to Colorado in under 24 hours to enter the launch codes he hastily scribbled on his arm. There wasn't much reason to make this so hasty, and I was just waiting for the "smeared ink" to save the day.
Overall, the concept for this group was kind of neat. But the execution left a lot to be desired.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 22, 2022
Oh, my heart. In case you hadn't heard, before his passing, Stan Lee teamed up with Jay Bonansinga to create Stan Lee's The Devil's Quintet: The Armageddon Code. As the title states, it's a thriller, but it's also more than that. Don't worry – there are superheroes in the mix, I promise!
What would you do if you were in a horrid position and the devil arrived and offered to make a deal with you? Would you take the deal, or would you let your life slip out of your hands? For these former Navy SEALS, the concept of their life slipping away is more literal, as they face torture and death.
So they took the deal. In exchange, they earned inhuman powers – dare I say, superhero powers. But as we all know, even the best bargains come at a price. Especially when those deals are made, quite literally, with the devil.
This might sound odd, but I sincerely wasn't sure what I was in for with Stan Lee's The Devil's Quintet. I knew that it would have superheroes, lots of action, and presumably that vibe that always comes with Stan Lee's works. But beyond that? No idea.
I ended up having a lot of fun reading Stan Lee's The Devil's Quintet. It's not the most profound superhero story I've read – and that's okay. However, I would have been curious to see how it'd look in a more visual storytelling format.
The title probably gives this fact away, but this is not a book for everyone. It has some heavier tones, such as torture and the prominent battles that come with making a deal with, well...the devil. It's a brilliant read, and I think many other readers will enjoy it. But I can also see it being a bit much for some people.
Thanks to Tor Books and #NetGalley for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.
Read more reviews over at Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks
What would you do if you were in a horrid position and the devil arrived and offered to make a deal with you? Would you take the deal, or would you let your life slip out of your hands? For these former Navy SEALS, the concept of their life slipping away is more literal, as they face torture and death.
So they took the deal. In exchange, they earned inhuman powers – dare I say, superhero powers. But as we all know, even the best bargains come at a price. Especially when those deals are made, quite literally, with the devil.
This might sound odd, but I sincerely wasn't sure what I was in for with Stan Lee's The Devil's Quintet. I knew that it would have superheroes, lots of action, and presumably that vibe that always comes with Stan Lee's works. But beyond that? No idea.
I ended up having a lot of fun reading Stan Lee's The Devil's Quintet. It's not the most profound superhero story I've read – and that's okay. However, I would have been curious to see how it'd look in a more visual storytelling format.
The title probably gives this fact away, but this is not a book for everyone. It has some heavier tones, such as torture and the prominent battles that come with making a deal with, well...the devil. It's a brilliant read, and I think many other readers will enjoy it. But I can also see it being a bit much for some people.
Thanks to Tor Books and #NetGalley for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.
Read more reviews over at Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks
June 9, 2022
Honestly wasn't my favorite read. But I'll try to do a pro/con assessment:
Pros:
- decent storyline, especially once the team starts discovering and learning how to use their powers.
-the support characters are incredibly likeable, especially Boo, Ticker, and Hack.
-the last few chapters are pretty good, and it definitely had me hammering through those pages to see what happens next.
Cons:
-Spur is cringey to read. He was written with every obnoxious Texas country boy stereotype, and I'm born and raised in Texas myself, and I love my home state.
-Some of the scenes depicting Spur and Pin-Up were jarring and came a bit out of nowhere. To drive this point home, Ticker and Boos relationship was better written, and there intimate scenes were done more tastefully, in my own opinion, of course.
-this isn't a book I would ever recommend to my parents, or anyone who can't stomach excessive swearing and graphic descriptions of both sexual and violent content.
-it takes awhile to get into, and to be honest I wanted to be finished well before it started getting good, so I can't imagine too many people will even last long enough to get to the good parts of the story.
All in all, if you want to give this book a shot, by all means do so, and understand that this book won't be everyone's cup of tea. While I'm a fan of Stan Lee, and most of the Marvel universe, this was a story that I could've missed out of and have been perfectly ok.
Pros:
- decent storyline, especially once the team starts discovering and learning how to use their powers.
-the support characters are incredibly likeable, especially Boo, Ticker, and Hack.
-the last few chapters are pretty good, and it definitely had me hammering through those pages to see what happens next.
Cons:
-Spur is cringey to read. He was written with every obnoxious Texas country boy stereotype, and I'm born and raised in Texas myself, and I love my home state.
-Some of the scenes depicting Spur and Pin-Up were jarring and came a bit out of nowhere. To drive this point home, Ticker and Boos relationship was better written, and there intimate scenes were done more tastefully, in my own opinion, of course.
-this isn't a book I would ever recommend to my parents, or anyone who can't stomach excessive swearing and graphic descriptions of both sexual and violent content.
-it takes awhile to get into, and to be honest I wanted to be finished well before it started getting good, so I can't imagine too many people will even last long enough to get to the good parts of the story.
All in all, if you want to give this book a shot, by all means do so, and understand that this book won't be everyone's cup of tea. While I'm a fan of Stan Lee, and most of the Marvel universe, this was a story that I could've missed out of and have been perfectly ok.
December 16, 2021
I downloaded and started listening to Stan Lee's The Devil's Quintet: The Armageddon Code earlier this morning and managed to get about 4% into the audiobook before declaring it not for me. I love Marvel and Stan Lee. I love all things superhero and I really expected to get sucked into this audiobook. Sadly, I didn't.
Some would probably say that DNFing an audiobook at 4% (under an hour running time) is being hasty. I either like something or I don't, it's as simple as that. I think that Stan Lee's The Devil's Quintet: The Armageddon Code would've been much better had the narration been different. It's not that Charles Everett is bad, it just doesn't work as a single narrator because there isn't enough difference between character voices.
I appreciate getting early access to Stan Lee's The Devil's Quintet: The Armageddon Code, but this new superhero world desperately needs dual narration or a full cast. Single narration does not work here.
*Audiobook provided by Macmillan Audio via NetGalley in exchange for honest review*
Some would probably say that DNFing an audiobook at 4% (under an hour running time) is being hasty. I either like something or I don't, it's as simple as that. I think that Stan Lee's The Devil's Quintet: The Armageddon Code would've been much better had the narration been different. It's not that Charles Everett is bad, it just doesn't work as a single narrator because there isn't enough difference between character voices.
I appreciate getting early access to Stan Lee's The Devil's Quintet: The Armageddon Code, but this new superhero world desperately needs dual narration or a full cast. Single narration does not work here.
*Audiobook provided by Macmillan Audio via NetGalley in exchange for honest review*
April 23, 2022
From bestselling author Jay Bonansinga and the legionary Stan Lee comes a new group of superheroes. A five-member Navy Seal team was sold out to the enemy by someone they thought they could trust. Imprisoned in a dungeon of horrors, the team must choose between making a deal with the Devil or certain death. In exchange for their freedom and supernatural powers, they all agree to be a hit squad for Satan. Dubbing themselves “The Devil’s Quintet” they have no plans to honor their deal. Armed with their newly acquired skills, they defy the Devil and save the world from Armageddon.
Stan Lee’s The Devil’s Quintet: The Armageddon Code is not your typical superhero story. This high-action shoot-em-up is much darker than one would expect from the legendary comic book writer and publisher. Teaming up before Lee’s death, Bonansinga expanded on what was to be the icon’s last project. While this novel has all the elements of a Stan Lee story, heroes with real human mannerisms and the evilest of villains, it is meant for a more mature audience. With the creativity of Bonansinga working off themes and ideas from the founder of the Marvel empire, this is one hell of an adventure.
This review was originally published at https://seattlebookreview.com/product...
Stan Lee’s The Devil’s Quintet: The Armageddon Code is not your typical superhero story. This high-action shoot-em-up is much darker than one would expect from the legendary comic book writer and publisher. Teaming up before Lee’s death, Bonansinga expanded on what was to be the icon’s last project. While this novel has all the elements of a Stan Lee story, heroes with real human mannerisms and the evilest of villains, it is meant for a more mature audience. With the creativity of Bonansinga working off themes and ideas from the founder of the Marvel empire, this is one hell of an adventure.
This review was originally published at https://seattlebookreview.com/product...
January 27, 2022
Its time to make way for a new set of action heros. In Stan Lee's The Devils Quintet: The Armageddon Code we are introduced to an undercover team in the middle east. Shortly after their arrival they are ambushed and held captive deep underground but they all keep having this funny feeling something is off. As the first one is to be executed times stops and a figure appears with an offer. The “Devil” offers them each their own special ability to be used to collect the souls of those trying to escape their payment due to the devil. With limited time and out of options their answer is yes. They escape their captors while discovering new abilites that expand on skills they already have. They quickly realize they are in a unique position to take on the devil and maybe win. However the devil is no dummy and they aren’t the first to make this deal. Will the devil have his way and be on to the next ones or will he finally meet his match in The Devil's Quintet?
I enjoyed the action and faced paced adventure like jumping out of planes and high speed car chases. Things happen quick and you can’t be sure where things are heading. With the characters still learning their abilites they are often as surprised as readers when things happen.
One thing I didn’t like was the characters were a little clique like the hacker, pretty girl…i.e. but this may have been necessary to introduce their skills and abilities. Also the story jumps from place to place a bit without a lot of continuity your in one place and the next without much of a story how you got there. The narration was interesting I felt like someone was reading a newstory kind of bland and factual in places.
I would give this audiobook 4 out if 5 stars its actually a great story but could be transitioned better. I could see this as a movie that would do well at the box office also some things are better when read themselves not by someone else.
I would recommend this book for adults as there is detailed descriptions of sex and violence and long with adult language. It would be a hit with comic book fans lovers of superheroes and good versus evil storylines.
I enjoyed the action and faced paced adventure like jumping out of planes and high speed car chases. Things happen quick and you can’t be sure where things are heading. With the characters still learning their abilites they are often as surprised as readers when things happen.
One thing I didn’t like was the characters were a little clique like the hacker, pretty girl…i.e. but this may have been necessary to introduce their skills and abilities. Also the story jumps from place to place a bit without a lot of continuity your in one place and the next without much of a story how you got there. The narration was interesting I felt like someone was reading a newstory kind of bland and factual in places.
I would give this audiobook 4 out if 5 stars its actually a great story but could be transitioned better. I could see this as a movie that would do well at the box office also some things are better when read themselves not by someone else.
I would recommend this book for adults as there is detailed descriptions of sex and violence and long with adult language. It would be a hit with comic book fans lovers of superheroes and good versus evil storylines.
May 18, 2022
The real reason I read this book was because I met the author, Jay Bonansinga, several years ago in Maui and had read some of his earlier works that I liked. I also like Faustian tales. If you like a story that mixes genres, this is your book. If you like Faustian tales with a twist, this is your book. And in this case, the devil wants something else other than souls (or so he says). He offers to save a group of soldiers from death provided they use their skills to hunt down and kill people who are trying to avoid their contract with the devil. In a moment of panicked decision -- either agree or die -- they agree. However, like so many Faustian tales, they attempt to get out of the deal, too. Presumably the fighters have more wriggle room to break the agreement, and they test the waters. In the beginning I said this book mixes genres, which is a very tricky thing to do. At times it reads like a war book ground in hard cold reality and the terrifying consequences of a world war; at other times it is a supernatural romp replete with graphic descriptions of violent and improbable mayhem that, in my opinion, drags on a bit too much. However, one wonders how much the line between reality and fantasy is crossed when the ramifications of what we can do with our military prowess is truly unleashed versus the fantasy violence graphically unfolding in this story. It's an entertaining read and a promising series, and I look forward to any future installments.
Want to read
October 27, 2024In Stan Lee's The Devil's Quintet: The Armageddon Code, the world-famous architect of the Marvel Universe, teams up with New York Times bestselling author Jay Bonansinga to unleash a bold new superhero series on the world.
A five-person special ops unit, composed of a diverse assortment of former Navy SEALS from all walks of life, are responding to a terrorist threat deep in the Caucasus Mountains when their mission goes south in a big way. Facing certain death and torture, they’re unexpectedly offered a Faustian bargain by the Devil himself, who grants them unearthly powers in order to send evildoers to Hell on his fiendish behalf.
But “The Devil’s Quintet” do things their own way, fighting to protect America and the world, while trying their best not to let their hellish new abilities corrupt them beyond redemption . . .
A five-person special ops unit, composed of a diverse assortment of former Navy SEALS from all walks of life, are responding to a terrorist threat deep in the Caucasus Mountains when their mission goes south in a big way. Facing certain death and torture, they’re unexpectedly offered a Faustian bargain by the Devil himself, who grants them unearthly powers in order to send evildoers to Hell on his fiendish behalf.
But “The Devil’s Quintet” do things their own way, fighting to protect America and the world, while trying their best not to let their hellish new abilities corrupt them beyond redemption . . .
May 19, 2022
A long string of cliches and stereotypes interrupted by exposition. Spur's language was just too much and an eyeroll almost every time he spoke. And if his team is so professional why does he have to continue to tell them to "stay focused" or "stay frosty"? So why did I read until the end? I stopped to wonder more than once. The story idea is good, the plot works. The character development is shallow. It's bad enough her code name is Pin-Up, but when they put her in fishnet stockings I almost barfed. I think this story simply shows the age of Stan Lee and the narrowness of Jay Bonansinga. I wanted to give it a pass for being published in the last decade, but no excuses -- published in Feb 2022.
January 8, 2022
SUPER HEROES?! YESSS!
Torture
This is a fresh new look at how 5 regular everyday heroes (X Navy Seals) become actual super heroes! Where else could you possibly get super powers?
The Devil!
And then you trick him.
This was a solid start to a new series. The world is laid out and the new individual powers are on display. The book left me wondering how they will use their powers now.
I look forward to the next installment.
The narrator has a good voice.
This is an adult book, including some horror aspects, swearing & sexy time.
4.5 stars
Thank you Macmillan Audio & NetGalley for access to the audiobook.
Torture
This is a fresh new look at how 5 regular everyday heroes (X Navy Seals) become actual super heroes! Where else could you possibly get super powers?
The Devil!
And then you trick him.
This was a solid start to a new series. The world is laid out and the new individual powers are on display. The book left me wondering how they will use their powers now.
I look forward to the next installment.
The narrator has a good voice.
This is an adult book, including some horror aspects, swearing & sexy time.
4.5 stars
Thank you Macmillan Audio & NetGalley for access to the audiobook.
November 15, 2024
Listen, this had the superhero/vigilante feel i would expect of Stan Lee while also being a pretty good thriller. I really enjoyed the story as it kinda gave me nostalgic comic book vibes but I will say some of the writing needs some help.
Theres several scenes that just... didn't work. Like when Hack and Book hook-up, the way the "spice" is written is almost... childish? Written from the point of someone who's never had smex? Idk but I was laughing at the writing more than reading.
So overall worth a read if you enjoy comic books (vigilantes) and thrillers, and I very much enjoyed the story but before prepared for subpar writing in my opinion
Theres several scenes that just... didn't work. Like when Hack and Book hook-up, the way the "spice" is written is almost... childish? Written from the point of someone who's never had smex? Idk but I was laughing at the writing more than reading.
So overall worth a read if you enjoy comic books (vigilantes) and thrillers, and I very much enjoyed the story but before prepared for subpar writing in my opinion
March 8, 2022
It took a bit for me to get into this book but once invested, it was a good story. The narrator of the audiobook did a fine job reading the content but I think it would have been better with dual narrators to give more definition to the changing of characters. The transitions between chapters was a little lagging. The characters were well developed and the pacing of the action was on point. I feel that there was so much to build in the beginning that some of the potential got lost. I could see this becoming a series and would like to see where it will go in the future.
April 20, 2024
Unexpected dive into the quasi-real world of heroes. With a Stan Lee twist, of course.
To read that he wanted to do work like this, but was so taken into the MEU, is great. Bonansinga did some good work.
There were a few questionable, "that just line up" in a few places, however, if I let that go, the story moved. Seemingly a bit choppy in places, and the main male protagonist, the way Bonansinga wrote him, comes across more as a secondary character, whereas either of the 2 secondary male figures could EASILY step into the leadership role.
To read that he wanted to do work like this, but was so taken into the MEU, is great. Bonansinga did some good work.
There were a few questionable, "that just line up" in a few places, however, if I let that go, the story moved. Seemingly a bit choppy in places, and the main male protagonist, the way Bonansinga wrote him, comes across more as a secondary character, whereas either of the 2 secondary male figures could EASILY step into the leadership role.
January 1, 2022
This super hero book was par for the Marvel course: fast paced, fun, and interesting. Though there were a couple of plot holes, the tale was nevertheless engaging, with potential for future stories. The narrator did okay and did not detract from the telling.
Three and a half stars for a book that was just right for a change of pace. My thanks to #MacmillanAudio via #Netgalley.
#scifi #thriller #fantasy #marveluniverse #booksandcats #catsandbooks #kindlesallthewaydown #ifcatscouldread
Three and a half stars for a book that was just right for a change of pace. My thanks to #MacmillanAudio via #Netgalley.
#scifi #thriller #fantasy #marveluniverse #booksandcats #catsandbooks #kindlesallthewaydown #ifcatscouldread
January 1, 2022
Thank you to NetGalley for a preview listen to this in exchange for my opinion. It’s not quite my cup of tea and not what I was expecting. It started sort of anti Islam with a bunch of American soldiers at their mercy until they get sent away and tucked in their beds by … the devil! The “literal” devil was so silly I couldn’t get into it. And name dropping Kanye west and Kim kard …whatever. I was hoping for something cool and edgy.
January 18, 2022
Stan Lee's The Devil's Quintet: The Armageddon Code: A Thriller (Hardcover)
by Jay Bonansinga
My husband was surprised with the involvement of Stan Lee in this book. I found the story very much like his superheroes books. That the people are given phenomenal powers and learn to help the world with them. The twist at the end may just be the devils work. The audible version is very well preformed and the voices add to the ambiance of the story.
by Jay Bonansinga
My husband was surprised with the involvement of Stan Lee in this book. I found the story very much like his superheroes books. That the people are given phenomenal powers and learn to help the world with them. The twist at the end may just be the devils work. The audible version is very well preformed and the voices add to the ambiance of the story.
April 15, 2023
I'm a big fan of Marvel and Stan Lee but this combination was not in this book. The superheroes. Check. Cheeky phrases. Check. Equality with men and women fighting evil. Check.
The descriptive writing was over the top on the military gear, Pin Up, and just how many different names can you give the devil on one page?
If you are going to read it for entertainment purposes - go for it. If your looking for deeper- reader beware.
The descriptive writing was over the top on the military gear, Pin Up, and just how many different names can you give the devil on one page?
If you are going to read it for entertainment purposes - go for it. If your looking for deeper- reader beware.
April 27, 2023
Audiobook - I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The narrator had a great pace and tone for the storyline, the character development was typical for this genre, and the story itself was interesting and fun to listen to. Three stars only because it was nothing special... I'd give it more like 3.5 because it was better than average, but not quite as wow as 4. I'll def listen to the next in the series!
March 31, 2022
I would give this a three except that the writing style was strange. Using words like caesura, or using the phrase “cross that Rubicon” numerous times besides other fun terms that the dart landed on in the author’s thesaurus. Outside that minor observation it was ok. The characters didn’t really get to develop into their powers in much detail in this novel. Maybe more so if there is a second one.
June 3, 2024
I enjoyed this novel focusing on five soldiers who sell their souls to get powers to send evil-doers to Hell. They later on suffer consequences while trying to get out of their deal. I want to thank the author, the publisher, and Netgalley for giving me an advance copy of this audiobook, in return for an honest review.
March 16, 2022
This book was a fun read! From the start the characters were very special. As they come into their powers, you can see that they want to do more good in the world. Working for the devil can be bit of detriment to this plan.
September 5, 2022
To be able to have a new concept from the brilliant mind of Stan Lee come to life is incredible.
It’s very detailed in a way that allows the reader to fully immerse themselves into the story. It’s thrilling and unique and a real page-turner.
I can’t wait for the next installment!
It’s very detailed in a way that allows the reader to fully immerse themselves into the story. It’s thrilling and unique and a real page-turner.
I can’t wait for the next installment!
March 15, 2024
Cannot wait for the next book! Fast paced, fun mixture of multicultural lore and religions. Some of the dialogue got a bit repetitious and trite, but it doesn't distract too much from the plot. Enjoyed it.
April 24, 2022
Great book. A comic in prose form where you get to use your imagination and draw your own panels. Stan Lee keeps giving. Highly recommended.
May 18, 2022
Interesting premise, executed well
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