"The Eighth Trumpet" is Jon Land's eighth technothriller. Like his previous novels, they are quick reads with little to no fluff, complete with heroic characters that defy death on numerous occasions. This one also has the usual double-agent, surprise twist. However, this is my only knock on the book. It's obvious who the double agent is well before it is revealed.

The story involves a madman who tries to destroy the world by attacking a vulnerable area of Antarctica. A submarine is commandeered for its valuable cargo for use in the climactic scene in Antarctica. The hero, Jared Kimberlain, is similar in nature to other heroes created by Jon Land. He managed to escape death at every turn and joins forces with the usual female ally. The female ally is not a strong one in this novel at first, but eventually shows her fortitude in the showdown at the end.

The most enjoyable character is a giant, and former serial killer, named Peet. However, due to his lengthy institutionalization, Peet has changed his ways and aids Kimberlain. His evil double, Quail, is a serial killer who is trying to get out of the shadow of Peet and is determined to carry through his part of the ultimate mission -- the killing of one million people at once. There is an excellent showdown at the top of the Empire State Building between the two large combatants. The reader is not given any clues ahead of time as to who, if either, will survive the inevitable confrontation.

Overall, this book is one of Land's better novels. It's much better than "The Gamma Option", the novel that proceeded this one. This one is non-stop action from the start that also includes a great scene with lifesize killer robots. The book may be out of print, but can be purchased through many used book outlets. If you enjoy technothrillers full of action and intrigue, you'll enjoy this one.

Jon Land continues to amaze with his tales of suspense and action in another Blaine McCracken novel. Although this is not a new book, it was my second Land novel and I'm now a Jon Land fan.

The book is non-stop action from one page to another. Nobody makes you want to keep turning pages like Land. If you like movies like Die Hard and Eraser, you'll love a Blaine McCracken novel.

Blainey, like his big Indian friend Johnny Wareagle likes to call him, is out to stop a misguided preacher and his band of six others who are prepared to end the world as we know it and begin their own kingdom. In the process of stopping this madman, the action takes place in New York City, the California forests, the Arizona desert, an underground Texas cave (the bad guys home) and finally, the Alamo. The action never stops.

Once you read a Jon Land novel about Blaine McCracken, you'll want to read them all. Jon Land is one of Americas biggest secrets.

This was an excellent action book which I think should be made into a movie. I don't usually like books this much but this is one book that I actually enjoyed. Jon Land, the author of the book, has a very exciting way of writing. He gives an exciting way to end a chapter or a very interesting way. His ideas are superbly chosen. He makes you want to read on. I'd like to read another one of his novels. Here is a sample quote from Chapter 3 as he finishes off the chapter : 1. " 'Keep your gold pen handy' 'Why?' ' You've written this boy's death certificate. You might as well sign it' " The way that Jon Land writes his discussions is very boring. He makes the president and his associates talk too much. Most of their discussions are about the story but they carry on with the same subject forever. Almost all the conversations should've been about two to three pages long but they were actually ten to twelve Ibid: 1. The Lucifer Directive, Jon Land, Bantam Books, 1984, Page # 33 pages long. I would think that is a little too much. Sometimes they start talking about something that isn't even part of the main story. Something like this little piece I'm about to give to you. This quote is about Lucifer and how it got it got messed up when Sparrow left. I don't think that has anything to do with the story at all: 1. " I won't bother listening to you deny that you've tried to kill me four times in the past two weeks. I haven't got the spare minutes. When I left Lucifer in the hands of people like you, I always feared it would come to this sooner or later. Too much power for any small group of men devoid of politics and prejudices and ambitions at the helm. You are a man obsessed with all three, Admiral, even more than the men who preceded you in this job after I was forced to step down. But if Isosceles was ever to become active again, I should have known it would have been by your lead."

Ibid 1. The Lucifer Directive, Jon Land, Bantam Books, 1984, Page # 367

I have another peeve that I'd like to share with you. I think that they curse a lot in this book. I don't think these was any need to include this much cursing in a book. It's not like I haven't heard them before but I don't think he should use them so quite frequently. Here's a sample from Chapter 16 where Tommy Lee Hudson was remarking on how serious Dan's problem was.

3. " 'Jesus sh*t, you're f*cking` serious! Where you need to go, man? Just name the destination' "

I like the way that Jon Land puts a lot of action into his stories. The fight scenes were the most exciting part of the book though. There were about three or four good fighting scenes. They were very exciting and action-packed too. They were long but very exciting. Here's a little piece of one of the fight. This fight was between ,the steel-armed Tungsten and giant man Felix.

2. " Tungsten reached for him with his gloved fingers. Felix drove the jagged edge of his broken sword forward and up, both hands Ibid 1. The Lucifer Directive, Jon Land, Bantam Books, 1984, Page # 158 2. The Lucifer Directive, Jon Land, Bantam Books, 1984, Page 419 - 420

tight around the wrapped hilt. The edge ripped into the front of Tungsten's throat and tore through the back of his neck. His eyes bulged but he held his ground, kept reaching with his steel fingers. Felix twisted the blade sharply, was showered in scarlet. Tungsten's arm Slipped to one side. His mouth hung open but all breath and sounds were choked off by the blood pouring from the jagged tear in his " throat where the sword handle still protruded. He keeled over backwards, eyes grasping death with shock and surprise."

One thing that I despise of this story is that just when I'm starting to like a character, they get murdered. Major Bathgate, Colonel Koralski, and even Gabriele LaFontaine. Major Bathgate and Colonel Koralski were only in the book for a few chapters. I liked them when they were entered as characters in the book. Wherever they came in. Gabriele LaFontaine, I only started to be fond of her when she began to work on the good side of the story and try to capture Renaldo Black. Here are Bathgate(First Paragraph) and Koralski's (Second Paragraph) dying words. They both passed on right after these moving words.

1. " Take this envelope. Get out of here. Go.... far.... away. Isosceles active.... again. No one to.... tell. Find.... Sparrow. Only one you can.... trust. Tell him to destroy Isosceles. Find the .... Lion of the ....Night. "

Ibid 1. The Lucifer Directive, Jon Land, Bantam Books, 1984, Page # 111 1." Get your girl. She is good at what she does. She will help you. If you die, it will be together, not alone like an old Russian like me. You must return to America, my young friend. Sparrow... is the only one you can trust. You must find him"

My overall thoughts on the book would have to be that it was a lot better than I expected it to be. This book was hard to get started at first but after I finished a few chapters it started to get really interesting. Once I got started, I couldn't put it down. That isn't something I say about many books that I read. I don't read books a lot but when I was little and didn't know any better I read a lot of books. Now that I'm a little older that has been about the 3rd book that I read since grade seven. Now that I read this book I'm kind of inspired to read other books by Jon Land. It's weird being able to read so many chapters in a single night. I was amazed with myself. This is probably the longest book that I've read in my life. 462 pages of pure action-packed excitement. That would be my slogan for it. It's so exciting and actually fun to read. I love it. Although it was 462 pages it was a quick read once you get started.

"The Omega Command", Jon Land's fifth espionage thriller, is the first one to feature his recurring hero, Blaine McCracken. Like his other novels, this one hits the ground running, contains little to no fluff, and keeps the reader's attention throughout the book.

This one opens with the destruction of a space shuttle by an unknown entity in space. Ground control is unable to see it or prevent it. McCracken comes on the scene with an attempted hijacking. From there, he is recruited without the top U.S. brass knowing of his involvement.

Meanwhile, a high profile reporter is given a disk with information related to a big corporation's actions. Once she decides to pursue this lead, she become embroiled in the big mystery. Eventually, the reporter's and McCracken's worlds collide and they must team with each other to prevent the U.S. from being plunged into chaos on Christmas Eve.

If you like quick reads that are full of adventure, twists and turns, double agents and the like, pick up this novel or any of Jon Land's novels. While this, and many of his other early novels are out of print, they can still be found through various used book sources.

I have used this book as a great reference about almost anything I write about America's endangered ecosystems. It includes an excellent discussion of the Arctic National Wildlife Range for instance. But it also includes really basic stuff, along with quality references, about our natural world that makes it a marvelous resource. A great buy!

Jon Land's books are full of suspense and dialouge. The twists and turns grasp readers and pull them into the plot. This book, as well as his others, show amazing ability. His books are a must read for all thriller lovers. I hope to see even more books from Land soon.

Jon Land, the author of "Vortex", has been writing technothrillers for 20 years. Before Tom Clancy, there was Jon Land. Although he has not achieved Clancy's popularity, his novels are very entertaining. "Vortex" is an absolutely engrossing novel that is hard to put down.

The story begins with the disappearance of a 727 from radar. A friend of the main character observes this, but no one believes him and he is eventually silenced to cover up the larger plan. After the flight returns, some of the passengers have enhanced capabilities. One of those survivors, a 15 year old boy, becomes a wanted target by those behind the infamous Vortex project. The hero, like all heroes in technothriller, avoids a number of traps to eventually unravel the mystery behind Vortex.

The Philadelphia Experiment plays a role in this as well as Albert Einstein. A bit of science fiction is added to the story in this area and, while only proven in theory, it does fit with the overall storyline. A race to prevent World War III begins and ends with the mystery of Vortex. Since this was published in 1984, there's even a mention of Reagan's "Star Wars"/SDI (Strategic Defense Initiative), although it isn't mentioned by name.

The book is long out of print, but definitely a "must-read" if you can locate a copy and are fans of technothrillers.

We are fortunate that this incredible story of Arctic survival has finally been translated from the Russian diary of Valerian Albanov so that we can vicariously share in his adventure. If you are a fan of Arctic or Antarctic exploration, then this book is a must read for you. As in the Endurance epic of Ernest Shackleton in Antarctica, Albanov's ship was also locked in the ice only in the far reaches of the Arctic near Franz Josef Land. Albanov and a few others decide to leave the ship and make their way over the ice to the safety of land many miles away. This account documents their efforts as they encounter one hardship after another. I have been to this part of the world and having seen it first hand, it is almost impossible for me to imagine how they survived. It is interesting to compare this story with that of the Shackleton adventure. Both took place at about the same time in history, yet at opposite Poles. The main contrast I noted was the superior leadership qualities of Shackleton. While Albanov did not measure up to that standard, he, nonetheless, with great difficulty seemed to keep his men going. Unfortunately, he did not have the success of Shackleton. This book is a good addition to any library on Polar adventure stories.

Albanov was a Russian navigator. In 1912 he set sail as second in command of the Saint Anna in the hopes of reaching Vladivostok across the Northeast Passage. His ship was locked in the pack ice in the Kara Sea and drifting northward. After 18 months locked in the ice, with supplies incapable of supporting everyone another winter, he asked for permission to build a kayak and sled to seek land to the south. Others decided to join him, encouraged by the Captain, who with the small remainder of the crew, hope to be spit out of the ice in the Atlantic many months later. They were never found.

Thirteen started the perilous journey and two survived. The remainder on the Saint Anna are perhaps still locked in an icy death above the artic circle.

The book was written in Russian and later translated to French. Only recently was in translated into English after a copy was found in the Harvard library, unread for 68 years.

Albanov's diary, the basis for this later book, describes the ordeal, the wildlife encountered, the snow blindness, and the fatigue that lead to the deaths of many of the men.

I found the book to be a quick read. I was unable to put it down until I finished it.

Strongly recommended.

Conrad B Senior

Albanov was a Russian navigator. In 1912 he set sail as second in command of the Saint Anna in the hopes of reaching Vladivostok across the Northeast Passage. His ship was locked in the pack ice in the Kara Sea and drifting northward. After 18 months locked in the ice, with supplies incapable of supporting everyone another winter, he asked for permission to build a kayak and sled to seek land to the south. Others decided to join him, encouraged by the Captain, who with the small remainder of the crew, hope to be spit out of the ice in the Atlantic many months later. They were never found.

Thirteen started the perilous journey and two survived. The remainder on the Saint Anna are perhaps still locked in an icy death above the artic circle.

The book was written in Russian and later translated to French. Only recently was in translated into English after a copy was found in the Harvard library, unread for 68 years.

Albanov's diary, the basis for this later book, describes the ordeal, the wildlife encountered, the snow blindness, and the fatigue that lead to the deaths of many of the men.

I found the book to be a quick read. I was unable to put it down until I finished it.

Strongly recommended.

Conrad B Senior

Although Walls of Jericho was a terrific and interesting read, I was ecstatic at the return of Blaine McCracken, Johnny Wareagle and Sal Belamo. Even though we did see a fallible side to "Blainey" at first, which was a first for this character, he recovers most dramatically. A bit less intriguing than other McCracken adventures, reading this book was still time well spent.

This was a very good book written by Land. The book starts with Blaine McCracken being wounded severely by a terrorist. He has to go to Florida to recover from his wounds. He is ran through a recovery program by his old sergeant. In the meantime "Jackie Terror" and his gang of psychos has hilacked a truckfull of Devil's Brew(A dangerous explosive).Blaine's old sergeaent has to leave and go help his daughter and is promptly Kidnapped.The bad guys.led by Jackie Terror and his gang also a[[ear. McCracken gathers his old troops(7 foot tall Johnny Wareagle) in order to do battle with Jackie Terror and his gang.This book is action packed from beginning to end. You will find it hard to put down. Another good book from Jon Land.

Once again Jon Land has outdone himself. Dead Simple is full of fast hard hitting action and in depth charactar relationships. Blaine and the Indian once again go up against a totally evil, larger than life villian, with a powerful weapon and an even more powerful past! The assortment of fellow bad guys leaves little to be desired. The government bads guys shine in this one also. And Blaine gets hurt pretty bad for the first time. As an avid Jon Land fan, this book does what all of his books do, they force you to keep on reading on the edge of your seat to the very finalle. And Dead Simple has a wopper of a finalle! Enjoy, people, enjoy.

The author cannot possibly have ever had any contact with Palestinean society, nor been in Palestine -- The scenes in the opening of the book of the family reporting their missing 13 year old daughter were laughable -- Palestineans live in a group of a zillion relatives. NO WAY would there not be mass pandemonium in the house. Also, NO WAY would the husband be holding his wife's hand! NO WAY no one saw the girl on the street at 9 o'clock at night -- there is no such thing as privacy or anonimity, for better or worse. The street would NEVER be empty in the evening....I just groaned when I read this, and gave up -- I really love the premise of a Palestinean detective, and am sorry the author was not up to the task --

Although I think the author plays with the lack of knowledge of the palestinian society from the reader's, he writes very well. I am a big Clancy fan and I think Land's suspense writing is very good. His stories ar complex ones, and in this book he keeps you tied to the pages till the end.

The seething tensions, hatreds, barbarisms and political pitfalls of Israeli-Palestinian relations form the shifting sands of daily life and police work in Jon Land's "Pillars Of Solomon," featuring the second pairing of Palestinian American detective Ben Kamal and Israeli police inspector Danielle Barnea.

Kamal and Barnea, who fell in love in "The Walls of Jericho" but were parted by political realities, are working separately as the book opens; Barnea investigating the murder of an old Jewish shopkeeper and Kamal looking into the disappearances of Palestinian children.
Their paths cross in prickly information sharing but the cases do not converge until Barnea digs into the shopkeeper's war-hero days and Kamal unearths a conspiracy of slavery and child-selling which dates to the early days of Palestinian refugee camps.

The story seethes with political complexities small and large. These realities - hampered movements, sabotaged phone systems, suicide bombers - do much to enhance the action and suspense and Land leads the reader into a labyrinth of past and present where hides a secret so great no one alive can be trusted with it.

Land fuels his thriller with a realistic sense of man's horrifying inhumanity and the glimmers of hope to be found in individuals.