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fotoshopguy52's review against another edition
4.0
A New Version of Orphan X?
While I always enjoy Gregg Hurwitz's Orphan X tales, there was something about this book that just didn't sit perfectly well with me. That is not to say I didn't find it especially gripping and intense at times, which I certainly did. Yet there are passages that just didn't seem to fit, that left me feeling, uncomfortable, uncertain! Perhaps this was Gregg's intent, especially in lieu of the craziness of this world, but whether it works successfully in this context is something you will have to decide for yourself.
While I always enjoy Gregg Hurwitz's Orphan X tales, there was something about this book that just didn't sit perfectly well with me. That is not to say I didn't find it especially gripping and intense at times, which I certainly did. Yet there are passages that just didn't seem to fit, that left me feeling, uncomfortable, uncertain! Perhaps this was Gregg's intent, especially in lieu of the craziness of this world, but whether it works successfully in this context is something you will have to decide for yourself.
maggiespages's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Death of parent, Violence, Gun violence, Sexual assault, Blood, Alcoholism, and Injury/Injury detail
hedread's review
5.0
I'm not much of a series readers as they tend to quickly become formulaic. Not so, the Orphan X stories. Each one has a different personality and always very exciting from cover to cover. "Hanging on" for #7.
peneloperea's review
4.0
Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/Mintour Books for providing an arc of Prodigal Son by Gregg Hurwitz in exchange for my honest review.
Nowhere Man, Evan Smoak, is a complicated and intriguing character that I couldn’t get enough of in the first book. Since then Hurwitz has managed to keep the character interesting through 6 other books and Prodigal Son is no different. It’s still gripping and fast-paced with even more character building. If you thought you knew who Evan was, things are about to change.
In Prodigal Son we see Evan as a child, in an orphanage, and what he had to go through to eventually became Orphan X. Evan is retired with a pardon from the government, however that is contingent on him no longer working. But his phone keeps ringing and the woman on the other end claims to be his mother...and, as I’m sure you can imagine, chaos ensues.
Like the other five books in this series, Prodigal Son reads like a movie and it’s shocking to me that no one has tried to make it one, or maybe they have. The character building, attention to detail, and intensity of these books are addictive if you ask me. And the sixth book is a must-read because of its deep dive into the past of its main character, while also providing action, suspense, mystery, and even some romance.
I don’t want to give away any details, but let’s just say it’s a must-read if you’re a Nowhere Man fan, or if you enjoy spy/espionage books or movies. I can’t wait to see where Hurwitz takes this world next.
Nowhere Man, Evan Smoak, is a complicated and intriguing character that I couldn’t get enough of in the first book. Since then Hurwitz has managed to keep the character interesting through 6 other books and Prodigal Son is no different. It’s still gripping and fast-paced with even more character building. If you thought you knew who Evan was, things are about to change.
In Prodigal Son we see Evan as a child, in an orphanage, and what he had to go through to eventually became Orphan X. Evan is retired with a pardon from the government, however that is contingent on him no longer working. But his phone keeps ringing and the woman on the other end claims to be his mother...and, as I’m sure you can imagine, chaos ensues.
Like the other five books in this series, Prodigal Son reads like a movie and it’s shocking to me that no one has tried to make it one, or maybe they have. The character building, attention to detail, and intensity of these books are addictive if you ask me. And the sixth book is a must-read because of its deep dive into the past of its main character, while also providing action, suspense, mystery, and even some romance.
I don’t want to give away any details, but let’s just say it’s a must-read if you’re a Nowhere Man fan, or if you enjoy spy/espionage books or movies. I can’t wait to see where Hurwitz takes this world next.
bianca89279's review
3.0
No. 6 in the Orphan X series was still a decent read, but I never felt as rivetted as I did with previous instalments. A couple of people make an appearance in Evan Smoak's life. I never quite bought the backstories, even though when it comes to this genre I'm more forgiving.
Hurwitz introduced us to military drones and AI (artificial intelligence) and their capabilities. Scary stuff.
I'm sure those who read and enjoyed any of the Orphan X books will enjoy this one as well. It's just not my favourite.
Hurwitz introduced us to military drones and AI (artificial intelligence) and their capabilities. Scary stuff.
I'm sure those who read and enjoyed any of the Orphan X books will enjoy this one as well. It's just not my favourite.
pilebythebed's review against another edition
4.0
You clearly can’t keep a good trained assassin down. And just to prove the point, Gregg Hurwitz brings Evan Smoak, aka Orphan X, aka The Nowhere Man, back for his sixth go round in Prodigal Son. The question is what could be enough, besides boredom at the straight life, to bring Evan out of his forced retirement (forced by a President who does not want to see a loose cannon on the street). The answer, of course, is family.
Evan’s last mission before he went into retirement as the Nowhere Man, Into the Fire ended on a kind of cliffhanger, or at least an ambiguous note: a call to his Nowhere Man emergency number from someone claiming to be his mother. When Prodigal Son opens, Evan is studiously avoiding those calls which have kept coming. Meanwhile a guy called Andrew Duran, in deep debt and separated from his wife and child, finds himself witnessing a bizarre murder and on the run. When Evan finally reconnects with the woman claiming to be his mother the two stories intersect and he agrees to come out of retirement to help Duran. In doing so he ends up digging back into his past and putting himself in the crosshairs of the military industrial complex and a conspiracy involving deadly new drone technology.
Once again Hurwitz delivers over-the-top page turning action, full of well executed action scenes and some Bond-worthy villains. There is also the requisite technical techo-jargon on weapons and explosives like this:
The Kydex was tightly molded for retention, which could cause a striker-fire pistol like a Glock to go kaboom when seating the gun but worked beautifully for the 1911 with external grip and thumb safeties.
But Prodigal Son also has heart. As with previous entries in this series, a central theme in the novel is Evan slowly becoming more human through his connections to the people around him. This progression is super-charged by the addition of a not so angelic, long lost mother who gave him up for adoption as a baby.
As always, Hurwitz gives a potted summary of Evan’s backstory and previous adventures early on for those who are joining the series at this point. But this is an ongoing series and pays to be read in order. So while Prodigal Son could easily be read as a stand alone, with a great back catalogue and another cliffhanger ending (this one almost literally so) it would be hard to stop at just one.
Evan’s last mission before he went into retirement as the Nowhere Man, Into the Fire ended on a kind of cliffhanger, or at least an ambiguous note: a call to his Nowhere Man emergency number from someone claiming to be his mother. When Prodigal Son opens, Evan is studiously avoiding those calls which have kept coming. Meanwhile a guy called Andrew Duran, in deep debt and separated from his wife and child, finds himself witnessing a bizarre murder and on the run. When Evan finally reconnects with the woman claiming to be his mother the two stories intersect and he agrees to come out of retirement to help Duran. In doing so he ends up digging back into his past and putting himself in the crosshairs of the military industrial complex and a conspiracy involving deadly new drone technology.
Once again Hurwitz delivers over-the-top page turning action, full of well executed action scenes and some Bond-worthy villains. There is also the requisite technical techo-jargon on weapons and explosives like this:
The Kydex was tightly molded for retention, which could cause a striker-fire pistol like a Glock to go kaboom when seating the gun but worked beautifully for the 1911 with external grip and thumb safeties.
But Prodigal Son also has heart. As with previous entries in this series, a central theme in the novel is Evan slowly becoming more human through his connections to the people around him. This progression is super-charged by the addition of a not so angelic, long lost mother who gave him up for adoption as a baby.
As always, Hurwitz gives a potted summary of Evan’s backstory and previous adventures early on for those who are joining the series at this point. But this is an ongoing series and pays to be read in order. So while Prodigal Son could easily be read as a stand alone, with a great back catalogue and another cliffhanger ending (this one almost literally so) it would be hard to stop at just one.
joestewart's review
5.0
I liked it in part because the author included the use of drones as well as swarms. Even though some of it was a bit far-fetched, I think warfare is heading in this direction.
abibliofob's review against another edition
5.0
This will be the last book I finish in 2020 and what a book it is. It's not often that I give 5 out of 5 for a book but I actually found two in December. Prodigal Son is the lates book about Orphan X from Gregg Hurwitz and this is one of the best in the series. We have all the usual suspects but this time our heros world will be turned upside down with some remarable revelations and an end with a bang. I am very grateful to @MinotaurBooks #Macmillan and #Edelweiss for giving me this advance copy of one of my favorite authors. #OrphanX @GreggHurwitz #EvanSmoak
bookedandwatched's review
5.0
Orphan X Returns
Prodigal Son by Gregg Hurwitz
I adore the Orphan X series so I couldn’t wait to read this one. Evan Smoak is a great character.
This one picks up as Evan is in retirement ambling through life as a “normal” person. Until he’s not.
This book built on the relationship between Evan and Josephine which was great to see. Both building their own version of a family and reaching for some normality. They work so well together throughout this series.
*warning* spoilers ahead
However, Evan is no longer an orphan. He has a mum and a half brother. Somehow this doesn’t sit right with me. Evan doesn’t trust people and yet he blindly trusts his mum and she has been able to track him over the years and yet world governments and military agencies aren’t? I don’t buy it for a second.
This is the weakest book in the series so far and yet I still loved it. That alone is testament to how much I love this series.
Prodigal Son by Gregg Hurwitz
I adore the Orphan X series so I couldn’t wait to read this one. Evan Smoak is a great character.
This one picks up as Evan is in retirement ambling through life as a “normal” person. Until he’s not.
This book built on the relationship between Evan and Josephine which was great to see. Both building their own version of a family and reaching for some normality. They work so well together throughout this series.
*warning* spoilers ahead
However, Evan is no longer an orphan. He has a mum and a half brother. Somehow this doesn’t sit right with me. Evan doesn’t trust people and yet he blindly trusts his mum and she has been able to track him over the years and yet world governments and military agencies aren’t? I don’t buy it for a second.
This is the weakest book in the series so far and yet I still loved it. That alone is testament to how much I love this series.
pants2406's review
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Another great Orphan X book with more development of Evan's history.