Tag / Queen & Country

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Prolific Authors – Thirteen Books

It is time once again to take a look at the authors I have read the most, dating back to high school.  This year, I’m once again on pace to set a new record for books read in a year, so I thought it would be nice to take a deeper dive into those books I’ve read through August of this year. Since our last check-in, I’ve read an additional 114 books, so there should be some movement over the past two years.  Without further ado, it’s time to take another look and see if my “favorite” authors have changed much over the years.  We continue today with the three authors I’ve read thirteen times, one more than two years ago.

The House of Last Resort – Christopher Golden

Christopher Golden

The prolific author first entered my bookshelf in 1998, thanks to a Buffy the Vampire Slayer tie-in, but his latest was an original concept.

Brad Meltzer

I was originally exposed to Meltzer through his comics work for DC, eventually trying out his prose work in 2002, when I read both The Millionaires and The First Counsel.  Since then, he has been a pretty steady presence as new work is released, last seen in 2022 with The Lightning Rod.

Bravo – Greg Rucka

Greg Rucka

I first became aware of Greg Rucka through his prestigious comic book work.  In 1999, I read the first entry in his Atticus Kodiak series, Keeper.  I followed up with the next three entries the following year, bringing my up to date with his work.  From that point on, I picked up each of his original works as they were released, including three more entries in the Kodiak series, three novels based on his Queen & Country comic book series, one standalone work, and, most recently, the two books in the Jad Bell series.

by admin

Prolific Authors – 13 Books

Way back in December of 2011 (and again every other December since), we’ve taken a look at the authors I have read the most, dating back to high school.  This year, since I’ve far surpassed my reading output of any year on record, I thought it would be nice to take a deeper dive into those books I’ve read through October. Since our last check-in, I’ve read an additional 118 books, so there could be some movement over the past two years, but it’s time to take another look and see if my “favorite” authors have changed much in that time span.  Today, we continue with the two authors I’ve read a total of thirteen times, an increase of one over the past two years.

The President’s Shadow – Brad Meltzer

Brad Meltzer

I was originally exposed to Meltzer through his comics work for DC, eventually trying out his prose work in 2002, when I read both The Millionaires and The First Counsel.  Since then, he has been a pretty steady presence as new work is released, last seen in 2022 with The Lightning Rod.

Greg Rucka

I first became aware of Greg Rucka through his prestigious comic book work.  In 1999, I read the first entry in his Atticus Kodiak series, Keeper.  I followed up with the next three entries the following year, bringing my up to date with his work.  From that point on, I picked up each of his original works as they were released, including three more entries in the Kodiak series, three novels based on his Queen & Country comic book series, one standalone work, and, most recently, the two books in the Jad Bell series.

 

by admin

Prolific Authors – 13 Books

Way back in December of 2011 (and again every other December since), we’ve taken a look at the authors I have read the most, dating back to high school.  This year, since I’ve far surpassed my reading output of any year on record, I thought it would be nice to take a deeper dive into those books I’ve read through August. Since our last check-in, I’ve read an additional 60 books from 54 different authors. There shouldn’t be much movement over the past 2 years, but it’s time to take another look and see if my “favorite” authors have changed much in that time span.  Today, we continue with the only author I’ve read a total of 13 times.

Greg Rucka

I first became aware of Greg Rucka through his prestigious comic book work.  In 1999, I read the first entry in his Atticus Kodiak series, Keeper.  I followed up with the next three entries the following year, bringing my up to date with his work.

Alpha – Greg Rucka

From that point on, I picked up each of his original works as they were released, including 3 more entries in the Kodiak series, 3 novels based on his Queen & Country comic book series, 1 stand alone work, and, most recently, the 2 books in the Jad Bell series.

by admin

Autographed Books – A Gentleman’s Game

gentlemansgameIt’s week 7 of our look back at the novels I’ve gotten autographed over the years and we return to Greg Rucka and the first novel based on his Queen & Country comic book series, A Gentleman’s Game.  Published in 2005, this is the fourth Rucka novel that I’ve covered in this series to date.

Thanks to the publishing date, I can narrow down the source of the autograph to Wizard World Chicago, perhaps one of my last ones.  Queen & Country was a favorite at the time and the move from comic to novel was one I enjoyed.

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Book 13 (of 52) – Bravo

Bravo - Greg Rucka

Bravo – Greg Rucka

2 years ago, Greg Rucka introduced us to Jad Bell and his team of Delta Force operatives in Alpha.  His follow-up, Bravo, picks up a few weeks later, with Bell and his team hot on the trail on the people behind the attack at the Wilsonville amusement park.

Rucka gives us a more straight-laced military thriller than last time, something more akin to his Queen & Country works.  He picks up the threads from his last book and weaves them into a satisfying follow up, while still leaving room for the series to continue.  Will there be a Charlie in our future? I, for one, am looking forward to it.

by jim

Book 2 (of 52) – The Last Run

The Last Run

The Last Run - Greg Rucka

The Last Run is the third novel continuing the Queen & Country story that originated in the Oni Comics series.  Tara Chace is a British intelligence officer who does anything and everything for her country, which doesn’t always do the same for her.  While previous exposure to the world set up by author and series creator Greg Rucka isn;t needed, it does give you a good background going in to this supposed final adventure for Minder One.

After Tara Chace submits her resignation as Minder One, she is sent on one final mission, to pull an old contact out of Iran.  When things don’t go as planned, she needs to find a way out of the country while evading Irani intelligence and staying alive while riddled with bullet holes.

Rucka is one of my favorite authors and this new novel does not disappoint.  If this was truly Chace’s last run, it would be a shame.