Night of the Thuggee

Phoenix Force #18

by Gar Wilson, Gar Wilson (Series Creator)

Americans are dying in India, and an ancient cult of professional assassins known as the Thuggees are staging a deadly return performance. But this time they're being directed by the KGB, who are manipulating the Thugs into doing their dirty work. Phoenix Force takes their show on the road and travels to India to confront a dangerous and fanatic secret society.

Will this be the Force's closing act?

Genres: Action

192 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1985

About the author

Phoenix Force is a series of action-adventure novels first published in 1982 by American Gold Eagle publishers. It is a spin-off of the Executioner series created by Don Pendleton.

Phoenix Force is one of two neutralization teams working for Stony Man, a top-secret anti-terrorist organization. As with The Executioner, the Phoenix Force novels have been written by a succession of authors under the pseudonym Gar Wilson. In 1991, Gold Eagle combined Phoenix Force with another Executioner spin-off series, Able Team, and launched the Stony Man book series, which is still being published as of 2005.

Reviews

[Wayne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another top notch Force book by William Fieldhouse. Five stars all the way! The five men of Phoenix wind up in India trying to find out why Americans, British and other Europeans are turning up dead. Over fifty in a few months. Turns out that a cult thought long gone, The Thuggee's, have resurfaced to worship the Goddess Kali. The victims are found strangled with a scarf. Thuggee's can't spill the blood of their victims, so they must choke the life out of them. But why now? Seems that the KGB seems to want to expand it's empire into India. The hollow out a mountain. Built a mechanical Kali to dupe the followers. Added a destructive laser to the statue to obliterate chosen sacrifices. Throw in a roving band of killer bandits and the action burns up the pages.

Action and intrigue bubble over in book #18. The best so far for me. Maybe because we switch to India instead of Central America or Asian countries like Vietnam and Cambodia. We have KGB foes once again, but this time it's a bit different. Mixed in with the expected action scenes, we have a bit of sci-fi mixed in. A nice change up in these books. Mr. Fieldhouse for me is still at the top of the heap in the men's action books.

[Jim Dunlop · Rating 5 out of 5]

Phoenix Force takes on an ancient order of assassins, the Thuggees in this fast paced and well written edition. They travel to India after Western aid workers, journalists and tourists are murdered in ritualistic fashion by the deadly Thuggees, an ancient order being manipulated by the KGB.

This is more like the PF adventures I enjoyed, though Fieldhouse keeps things formulaic, the pacing and action are well written, giving each member of the team a chance to shine. The hand to hand combat makes a lot more sense as well as most of the Thuggees try to kill without bloodshed, as a sacrifice to their goddess Kali.

The Soviet manipulation is well done too, with scientists rigging up a Kali statue to move and shoot a deadly laser from her head. It tricks the superstitious Thuggees to do the Soviet bidding in an effort to disrupt the country enough for their country to take control.

The team smashes the conspiracy in no time, blitzing across India in fine form.

[Josh Hitch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fun installment of this series, again probably closer to a 3.5 it's fairly average for the series. In this one they are going against a religious cult with backing from the KGB in a bid for Russia to gain control of India and to put more pressure on China. In doing this the cult is killing American and western European visitors to India and that is what first bring them to the notice of the Phoenix Force. Lots of action and gun battles which is normal for the run plus the plot is interesting. Though they have done something similiar earlier on in the series with the Assassins cult but at least they mention that. It gives a reason why they are the force to go in since they have had experience with such cults.

It's recommended for fans of the genre, and not a bad choice for someone just wanting a taste to try the genre out.

[Jose Vidal · Rating 2 out of 5]

Un grupo de comandos contra una secta thuggee, un montón de racismo, anticomunismo de opereta (y unas gotitas de sionismo, que no falten) y un puñado de escenas de acción entretenidas para una historia que no va a ninguna parte. Personajes de cartón piedra, un plan absurdo para dominar el mundo (típico plan en que la unión entre el paso 1, en este caso recrear un culto thuggee con una Kali robot, y el paso 3, dominar la India y con ello el mundo, carecen de un paso 2 que tenga el más mínimo sentido), fetichismo con las armas y lógica argumental a tiros. Al menos se lee rápido y las risas no me las quita nadie.

Casi le pongo una estrella más por la referencia a la película de Alan Ladd, Calcuta (vamos, al menos creo que era una referencia) que deja caer por ahí

[Sierra Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

While it's an interesting and enjoyable read with some intriguing enemies in the Thuggees, it was the ultimate involvement of a laser shooting Kali statue controlled in part by the KGB that sort of made it seem silly.

The action was good and the rest of the book salavaged what could have been a horrid book by a good writer.

[Matt B · Rating 4 out of 5]

On the other hand, the Phoenix Force series is male fantasy garbage of the most entertaining type.

[Timo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kohtuullisen vauhdikasta äijäilyä suoraviivaisella fast-action-speed-metal-juonella.

[Little Timmy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A spin off series from his Executioner books. This series follows several secondary characters that band together. Recommended