Unforgettable characters boost this energetic SF yarn.
Soldiers and scientists fight to prevent an alien invasion of Earth in Thomas’ SF thriller, the conclusion of a trilogy.
Picking up where the author’s Masters of War (2024) left off, injured Homeland Security consultant Maxx King reunites with Green Berets in Afghanistan. With Operation Anaconda underway, the American soldiers aim to capture or kill a rogue Dense Advanced Research Projects Agency scientist. They’re also battling the Taliban, as this story unfolds just six months after the 9/11 attacks. But there’s more to Operation Anaconda, which Maxx eventually reveals: The mission includes securing “the cube,” a smooth-surfaced, metallic device used for communicating with an alien species dubbed the Others. Said aliens are plotting to invade Earth, so blocking any communication is essential. Amazingly, some humans (like that DARPA scientist, alongside a CIA traitor) side with the extraterrestrials. Those who resist the potential invasion seek a virus that may be used as a weapon against the Others, but it is currently missing. Physicist Dr. Xi, along with the mysterious Mr. Green, are in Washington state to get encrypted information (to which only Mr. Green has the encryption key) about the virus. Meanwhile, Maxx sends a couple of his old pals from his days in the military to keep an eye on his girlfriend, Gabby Fisher, in the U.S. Freelance operative Torashi Kage, whom a senator has assigned to track down the virus, embarks on a personal vendetta against Maxx—and because Kage doesn’t know where Maxx is, he first goes after Gabby.
Thomas caters this finale to readers familiar with the previous series installments. Exhilarating action opens the narrative, with multiple groups of people engaged in combat, rushing somewhere, or scheming to take someone out. Despite the series title featuring Maxx’s name, this is definitely an ensemble cast—the spotlight is shared among many characters, from Dr. Xi and Mr. Green to Maxx’s ever-reliable military friends Andres Sandoval and Glen Piper. An unexpected standout is one particular villain who struggles with an all-too-relatable emotional issue; she’s involved in a sinister plan on a global scale but has difficulty overcoming her jealousy, feeling “second best” to the scientist who’s aligned with the man she loves. Maxx makes for a terrific hero and helps to protect Earth, but so do many other characters. The Others, at least in this installment, are mostly an ominous presence—they’re often voiced via the cube, and there’s not much beyond a hint of their specific biology. This doesn’t make them any less daunting, as there seems to be no question that they have the power to devastate the entire planet. The dialogue throughout is rife with cliches (“We’re playing with fire”; “he’s already got one foot in the grave”), but it’s action that truly drives this story, and the author dishes it out in spades.
Unforgettable characters boost this energetic SF yarn.Pub Date: July 1, 2025
ISBN: 9798990672079
Page Count: 332
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: Aug. 7, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
The youngest Ryans will please fans of the genre.
The U.S. president’s son lands in the middle of a West African coup in this latest Clancy thriller.
Kyle Ryan is part of a three-man Defense Intelligence Agency team covertly installing cyber communications in Luanda, Angola. His two colleagues are murdered, and he must “run or die.” The Naval Academy grad isn’t a warrior like his older brother, Jack Junior, who sits out this story. President Ryan doesn’t even know his son is in Africa, let alone how much trouble Kyle is in. Then the unit of Navy Lieutenant Commander (and big sister) Katie Ryan gets the call to rescue Americans as an Angolan man, Victor Baptista, tries to overthrow the current democratically elected president. “Fear was the most powerful weapon in Angola,” and Baptista inspires a great deal of it. Too bad for him that the Ryan family never knuckles under to fear. Captured, hooded, and in danger of execution, Kyle has a steadfast bravery that reflects the Ryan DNA. Baptista doesn’t realize at first that among his American prisoners is President Ryan’s son. Oops. Well, with U.S. warships fast approaching Angolan shores, he thinks he can strike a deal with the “fickle and feckless Americans.” A more tuned-in advisor lets Baptista know that President Ryan will never negotiate, even with his son’s life on the line. So this isn’t just the United States the terrorist is dealing with, but the Ryan family. Katie and Kyle use their intelligence, not brute force, while a pissed-off papa bear wields his awesome executive power from the White House. Meanwhile, Baptista’s murderous cruelty leaves his aides and lackeys trembling in fear. This novel looks like Katie and Kyle’s debuts as central characters, and they are Ryans through and through—they run toward trouble, and they have no faults worth mentioning. Parental and filial loyalty mix well with the action and add interest to an otherwise standard (but good) Clancy thriller.
The youngest Ryans will please fans of the genre.Pub Date: Nov. 25, 2025
ISBN: 9780593718063
Page Count: 464
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: Sept. 27, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A fast-moving story where Bourne is chased but not chaste.
Jason Bourne wants revenge while his Chinese adversaries want dominance in this high-powered thriller.
Johanna, a woman Bourne loved, has been murdered, and he longs for payback. Meanwhile, as an agent for Treadstone, he’s stolen “the Files,” a Chinese AI software engine that collects trillions of data points on just about everything and will convey unlimited power to its possessor. The Chinese want it back, of course, and Bai Ze intends to get it. He’s an agent for the Chinese espionage group Volt Typhoon, which spies in the U.S. Strangely, there is only one irreplaceable copy—what, no backups? Now Shadow, the woman who heads Treadstone, has wrested the Files from Bourne to ruthlessly amass power for Treadstone. As his fans know, Bourne is a man without a past, as he was shot in the head and lost all memory, even of his own identity. Shadow uses him as her “personal agent for off-the-books missions,” and relishes her power over him. She has him see therapist Mo Panov to regress him and try to unlock his earlier memories, while Bourne frets that someone has been manipulating his mind. Poor Jason’s life is chock-full of trouble, as Treadstone owns him and bad guys want to kill him. He has plenty of sex with his boss, but only when she’s her alter ego, Marlen. She’s not his only sex partner, though, which angers her. He can’t resist a damsel in distress, and they can’t resist him. But back to business. Jason must find Bai Ze, whose identity is unknown. Volt Typhoon agents intend to hunt Bourne down, torture him into giving up the Files, and then, of course, kill him. “You can run, Jason, but you can’t hide,” says a billionaire who’s been surveilling him. Readers will barely have time to catch a breath with the nearly nonstop action. What keeps Bourne going is that he “never trusted anyone,” including Shadow. “That was what kept him alive.”
A fast-moving story where Bourne is chased but not chaste.Pub Date: Jan. 20, 2026
ISBN: 9798217046218
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: Nov. 8, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2025
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