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susbro's review against another edition
4.0
Die Hard at Disneyland is pretty much what you need to know about this book. Enjoyable read.
mschlat's review
4.0
Die Hard in Disney World, with about the level of excitement you would expect and more nuance. I've been iffy on Rucka's recent work, but this is a quick moving thriller that's high on the "$#!? hits the fan" appeal factor.
jefffrane's review
4.0
Typically fast-moving thriller for Rucka, with a new lead character. It reminds me more of his Atticus Kodiak books than the Queen and Country series, which is just what I was hoping for.
bdorf's review against another edition
4.0
Great action, a bit shallow on the character development, and a slightly underwhelming ending. Also slightly cliched, I was expecting a little more from Rucka. Reads like a spec script for a Jason Bourne-style film, which is not necessarily a bad thing I guess. I would totally watch this movie.
ericawrites's review
2.0
Waffling between a 2 or 3... I've read many Rucka books, and this didn't do it for me. Largely because I didn't care more about Jad at the end than the beginning. Not sure if I'll read the sequel (which I already own).
apageinthestacks's review
3.0
Going by the Goodreads system here, and 3 stars being "I liked it."
Unfortunately, I didn't like it nearly as much as I was expecting to, as I'm a huge fan of Rucka's comic work. That said, it was still an enjoyable, fast read, just not the amazing one I was hoping for. Just another run-of-the-mill thriller novel that would probably receive a higher rating if not for the expectations--I didn't want just a good thriller, I wanted a great Rucka novel.
Unfortunately, I didn't like it nearly as much as I was expecting to, as I'm a huge fan of Rucka's comic work. That said, it was still an enjoyable, fast read, just not the amazing one I was hoping for. Just another run-of-the-mill thriller novel that would probably receive a higher rating if not for the expectations--I didn't want just a good thriller, I wanted a great Rucka novel.
kryten4k's review against another edition
4.0
A good start to a new series. Rucka shifts to a slightly different prose style here, blunter, harder, as befits the subject matter. Can't wait for the next one!
ansate's review against another edition
4.0
I've read all the Greg Rucka books. Let's not talk about how many times I read the first 3 Atticus Kodiak. [return][return]And this book suffers in comparison. It's a perfectly good thriller. Fits into present day well without being too fear mongering. But given the standard of character development I'm used to from him... it just doesn't hold up. It felt too short. I felt like we could have skipped one of the viewpoints we rotated through and gotten to know someone else better. Or just had a longer book. [return][return]Wonderful handling of the antagonist and his motivations - but again, it's the comparison that makes Jad suffer. Seems like there will be sequel, and maybe we'll get more then. [return][return]4 stars - recommended if you like thrillers.
writtenbysime's review against another edition
3.0
In both his prose and comics work, Greg Rucka's strength has always been his masterful characterization of the broad range of protagonists he's played with, regardless of whether they're company-owned or his own creations. Not taking anything away from his precise plotting and meticulous research, but those things count for naught if your characters are one-dimensional, cardboard cutouts of the genre. When Rucka signed a book deal with Mulholland Books, I was genuinely excited to jump on board Rucka's new prose series from its first installment; his previous novels haven't been widely released in Australia, which isn't a major problem in these days of Amazon, but as an advocate of brick and mortar stores, I very much lamented my inability to snatch a copy off the shelves at my local, and I thusly read the Kodiak series out of order; not a major problem, because each reads perfectly as separate entities, but ALPHA clearly does not, and this inaugural Jad Bell series establishes a new precedent for Rucka. This is, quite literally, the beginning of a series which must be read consecutively. Don't go buying BRAVO in eighteen months time without having read ALPHA, because this novel feels very much like an Act One of a Three Act structure, which is both its strength and its weakness. As a standalone, this isn't one of Rucka's best, and there's no way of judging it entirely until the series has reached its climax.
Jad Bell feels a rather uninspired protagonist, especially for Rucka, whose character work I've already lauded. Rucka has written about secret agents before - see Tara Chace of the Queen & Country novels - and made them interesting characters, with flaws aplenty, and plenty of quirks that underlined their complexity. Bell feels very familiar; a mishmash of tropes we've all read before, who was involved in a mission that went bad, and now lives alone, separated from his wife and daughter, occasionally bedding beautiful women, and still working for the military. It was a little bizarre to learn more of the antagonist, a sleeper agent working for WilsonVille (think Disney World) than the hero himself, though this feels a consequences of the structure of the series. Ideally, we'll dissect Bell and his past through books one and two. It's not that hel is a bad character; it just reads a little oddly, to focus in on the life of the sleeper agent, and divulge his likes and dislikes, his wants and desires, and leave Bell's so shrouded.
The plot is simple, but effective; a bio-terrorist attack in a family theme park; where Bell's ex-wife and daughter conveniently happen to be visiting that very day. Some of the scenes play out rather ludicrously - good guys and bad guys dressed as cartoon characters, involved in hectic shoot 'em ups - but the tone never shifts from downright serious. Rucka's the master at fast-paced, realistic action scenes, and Alpha is peppered with plenty of memorable conflicts throughout. The added element of Bell's daughter's deafness adds extra spice to shoot-outs, and the scenes played out from her perspective are wonderfully depicted. When the guns are blazing, nobody writes better than Rucka; it's just a shame the novel fails to adequately stand on its own feet. It needs the support of its two sequels, both of which are months - more likely, years - away from publication. As such, we're left with a protagonist in desperate need of deeper exploration, and a powerful villain lurking in the shadows, still unidentified, but with plans for future chaos.
ALPHA is a Part One, and if you're happy to read it knowing every loose end won't be tied up, you'll close it satisfied. If you're after a done-in-one standalone thriller, maybe skip this one and grab a Kodiak novel; maybe come back in a little while, when all three novels are done. I've little doubt you'll be in for a fun ride, but alas, until then, I can't guarantee it.
Jad Bell feels a rather uninspired protagonist, especially for Rucka, whose character work I've already lauded. Rucka has written about secret agents before - see Tara Chace of the Queen & Country novels - and made them interesting characters, with flaws aplenty, and plenty of quirks that underlined their complexity. Bell feels very familiar; a mishmash of tropes we've all read before, who was involved in a mission that went bad, and now lives alone, separated from his wife and daughter, occasionally bedding beautiful women, and still working for the military. It was a little bizarre to learn more of the antagonist, a sleeper agent working for WilsonVille (think Disney World) than the hero himself, though this feels a consequences of the structure of the series. Ideally, we'll dissect Bell and his past through books one and two. It's not that hel is a bad character; it just reads a little oddly, to focus in on the life of the sleeper agent, and divulge his likes and dislikes, his wants and desires, and leave Bell's so shrouded.
The plot is simple, but effective; a bio-terrorist attack in a family theme park; where Bell's ex-wife and daughter conveniently happen to be visiting that very day. Some of the scenes play out rather ludicrously - good guys and bad guys dressed as cartoon characters, involved in hectic shoot 'em ups - but the tone never shifts from downright serious. Rucka's the master at fast-paced, realistic action scenes, and Alpha is peppered with plenty of memorable conflicts throughout. The added element of Bell's daughter's deafness adds extra spice to shoot-outs, and the scenes played out from her perspective are wonderfully depicted. When the guns are blazing, nobody writes better than Rucka; it's just a shame the novel fails to adequately stand on its own feet. It needs the support of its two sequels, both of which are months - more likely, years - away from publication. As such, we're left with a protagonist in desperate need of deeper exploration, and a powerful villain lurking in the shadows, still unidentified, but with plans for future chaos.
ALPHA is a Part One, and if you're happy to read it knowing every loose end won't be tied up, you'll close it satisfied. If you're after a done-in-one standalone thriller, maybe skip this one and grab a Kodiak novel; maybe come back in a little while, when all three novels are done. I've little doubt you'll be in for a fun ride, but alas, until then, I can't guarantee it.
loonyboi's review against another edition
3.0
Alpha is an enjoyable book. It's a great little novel to read on an airplane. Calling it "Die Hard in Disneyland" is pretty much a perfect description.
My one complaint is that it's almost too straightforward. There's no real shockers here, and even the ultimate plot that comes out in the end is not particularly surprising.
Also, the fact that it's labeled, "A Jad Bell Novel" implies we can look forward to more books featuring this protagonist. Which is fine, because as I said, I liked the book, but somewhat surprising, because Jad Bell is actually a pretty boring guy. The book moves so quickly that he isn't really given a whole lot of time to develop as a character. I'm not sure I could name anything interesting about him that isn't because of the people around him. His family seems to be the one interesting bit we're told about here, and he's left to stand as a competent military guy, but not much else.
But again, I liked the book, and recommend it to those looking for a nice distraction.
My one complaint is that it's almost too straightforward. There's no real shockers here, and even the ultimate plot that comes out in the end is not particularly surprising.
Also, the fact that it's labeled, "A Jad Bell Novel" implies we can look forward to more books featuring this protagonist. Which is fine, because as I said, I liked the book, but somewhat surprising, because Jad Bell is actually a pretty boring guy. The book moves so quickly that he isn't really given a whole lot of time to develop as a character. I'm not sure I could name anything interesting about him that isn't because of the people around him. His family seems to be the one interesting bit we're told about here, and he's left to stand as a competent military guy, but not much else.
But again, I liked the book, and recommend it to those looking for a nice distraction.