Whirlwind

Phoenix #5

by David Alexander

Book by Alexander, David

192 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1988

About the author

David Alexander began writing early in life and began writing uncoaxed and spontaneously. His fledgling appearance in print dates to a sonnet published in a New York City daily newspaper when David was in elementary school in Brooklyn. Between then and today, he has written and published in virtually every literary category, including novels, novelettes, short fiction, poetry, essays and film scripts. He received his early education via the New York City public school system. He later attended Columbia University in New York City and Sorbonne University in Paris, France.

In addition to fiction and creative nonfiction, Alexander has written technical papers as a defense analyst for some of the world's most prestigious international defense publications on high-technology combat systems and their strategic and tactical applications. He is as conversant with the global corporate and civilian defense sector as he is with the military side. Few can justly claim the scope and breadth of his knowledge of and familiarity with the international defense community, ranging from weapon systems to global strategic policy.

As an author, Alexander can justly claim to have pulled himself up by his own bootstraps. Never has he benefited from anybody's patronage. There have been no wealthy relatives with connections, no connections by marriage; no favors traded in secret, no hooked-up friends to fast-track his career. Nor has anybody but David Alexander penned the titles published over David Alexander's byline. Alexander is a resident of Brooklyn Heights, where he has lived and written for many years.

Reviews

[Wayne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whirlwind is right. This book, like all previous ones, rarely takes a breath to slow down. This is also the final volume and best one yet. All the gore. All the sex. All the rude and crude scenes you could want. This left a lot to be desired for an ending, though. I was hoping for more. It was left wide open. Since this was written over thirty years ago, I don't believe we will have another instalment to plug the gaps, but never say die. A five star all the same. This was so good till the bitter end, I had to give it the full five.

Phoenix and his two friends from book 4 are in an armoured bus flying at full tilt into the heavily fortified city of Manhattan. Once inside, Phoenix is captured and told that if he wants his prize, his wife and child, he must go to Brooklyn, Coney Island, to seek out The Child. A mutant baby born in the aftermath that can heal and see into the future.

Is his family alive? Is The Child evil. Will the Dark Messiah take over The US? You find out bits and pieces as the action slows for just a moment, then almost forget because someone else is having their head blown to smitherines. Or some sex starved brute is trying to get it on with a mutant with toxic sex organs. Hate to see this series end.

[Pj007 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book new, in 1987. It was one of the best in Post-Apocalyptic fiction then; there wasn't much better out there. You had the Survivalist and Traveller series competing with it at the time.
David Alexander wrote this series as a big-budget blockbuster film: a cross between Horror and Action movies of the days. It was very entertaining and formulaic, you'll notice this between book #2 and onwards.
If you like action films from Schwarzenegger and Stallone, you should pick up a copy: on the cheap, I mean like a dollar if they're still around. It's for sale on Amazon in a five-pack, e-book. For most readers, I would not recommend it at full price as most readers would not enjoy this series.
This series, Phoenix, is a young-male fantasy combination of all the action movies from the 1960s through 1987. We have guns, knives, martial-arts, porn, gore, and a clear distinction between good and bad guys. Easy to read, direct, plot-driven story: good entertainment!

[Jason Mussett]

I'd like to read this one just to see how the series ends, Alexander was due to write a sixth installment but he went on to write Z-Comm instead. I would like to know if Trench ever found his wife and son. Did they ride off into the nuclear sunset together? Did Tallon ever get his comeuppance? Did Enoch peg out from the plague? There have been many many post nuke books but there is only one Magnus Trench, killing and sexually relieving himself across America, all these years on, we still love him.