Rating: 
Summary: No frills Action.
Review: ECHO PLATOON has several qualities to recommend it to literate action/thriller readers. First, obviously well-researched, it takes the American reader to a part of the world not familiar to most U.S. residents. The action moves along with a believable plot. And, unlike in many action novels, Richard Marcinko and John Weisman recognize the importance of careful planning and yes, even study, before exercising tactical force. The writers always seem to entertain and to inform at the same time. If you want a different perspective on what's really going on in the world, read the ROGUE WARRIOR series. The glossary and index, very unusual in a fiction work, are not only fun, but they attest to the fact readers consume these books also for information. Action books that actually give the reader some credit for being intelligent, will the rest of the publishing world catch onto this? My only suggestion for the writers is don't be afraid to experiment with the formula a tad. Maybe in a future book Richard gets kidnapped by parties unknown? He then has to struggle to escape and get revenge. Food for thought, Richard and John.
Rating: 
Summary: Always the Rogue
Review: Echo Platoon is just like those before it. Lots of blood, guts, cussing and thrill. Nothing here is new except the people who get killed. People should read this book if 1) they want to know more about the capabilities of the military, 2) they want to learn a little more about what happens around the world, 3) the just enjoy plain old action adventures. Stay away from the book if fair writing and extreme use of foul language bothers you. I would prefer Marcinko to quit making asides to his editor during the story. It only seems to help fill up pages. I would also prefer he stay within the action once it starts and identifies people and past events within another part of the book. Once the the hunter is after the prey and the killing begins, stay there. I find myself jumping through some passages just to stay on track with what is happening.
Marcinko will give you a slight sense of the fast-paced action of war and will give you an appreciation for those who still wish to make men of war within our military instead of trying to make the military a social club. I think future books will be even better based on the current status of our country and President Bush's attack attitude favored by Marcinko.
Rating:
Summary: Always the Rogue
Review: Echo Platoon is just like those before it. Lots of blood, guts, cussing and thrill. Nothing here is new except the people who get killed. People should read this book if 1) they want to know more about the capabilities of the military, 2) they want to learn a little more about what happens around the world, 3) the just enjoy plain old action adventures. Stay away from the book if fair writing and extreme use of foul language bothers you. I would prefer Marcinko to quit making asides to his editor during the story. It only seems to help fill up pages. I would also prefer he stay within the action once it starts and identifies people and past events within another part of the book. Once the the hunter is after the prey and the killing begins, stay there. I find myself jumping through some passages just to stay on track with what is happening.
Marcinko will give you a slight sense of the fast-paced action of war and will give you an appreciation for those who still wish to make men of war within our military instead of trying to make the military a social club. I think future books will be even better based on the current status of our country and President Bush's attack attitude favored by Marcinko.
Rating: 
Summary: One of the Best
Review: Hello to all of you Rogue Warrior fans! This is a [great] if you haven't read this book already. I'm not saying that all of them aren't good either, but just to say that this is one of my all time favorites! This story is about the one and only Richard Marckinko and his merry band of hunters, only this time he is in more [situations] than he can stuff in his big old roguish mouth of his. Dick is here in Azerbaijan on some "secret" mission to observe the opposition and to train the Azerbaijanians how to shoot& loot. But that all goes out the window when some professional tangos come in and hijack an oil rig run by some hostile crew. After all the shooting & looting Dick finally realizes he is in deep [trouble]. On top of that, the ambassador is on his case about how he should not be in the country and how it was against the "book" that he could not train the Azerbainians...so all in all this was a good book no matter what others say, despite the language and violence this is absolutely the best series ever!
Rating:
Summary: More Doom on Dickie!
Review: I confess! Richard Marcinko's semi-autobiographical Rogue Warrior
series is one of my peculiar pleasures. "Red Cell" is still, far and
away, my favoite. But "Echo Platoon" is a treat with a new twist.
...It seems the old Rogue Warrior is starting to feel his age these
days. Even though he spends every free moment at Rogue Manor pumping
massive amounts of iron and honing his fighting and sharpshooting
skills, by his own admission he's having difficulty keeping up with
his young hunters. Sometimes enough to FUBAR the missions he leads.
And he's mellowing in other ways too, such as permitting a female
Marine to accompany the team this time out. But he can still kick that tango butt!
You might have caught the author on TV recently, describing SEAL
tactics in Afghanistan. Anyone else notice his splendid physical
condition? You have little trouble believing him quite capable of his
fictionalized exploits. You know he's intimately familiar with all
the weapons and gear he namedrops throughout his narrative. Despite
his ongoing love-hate relationship with the Navy, you can't help
admiring the Rogue for his swaggering patriotism, his fatherly
affection toward his young shooters, and his bantering, even bullying,
camaraderie with his readers. And then there's his trademark "Ten
Commandments of SPECWAR", which can be equally effective in whatever
non-lethal endeavor you might undertake, be it business to
bodybuilding. Credit also goes to John Weisman, Marcinko's co-author,
for the fast-reading, non-stop excitement and often laugh-out-loud
humor of this series. Sure, Dickie's getting greyer, but don't count
him out of the action yet! You know the old Rogue's got a few more
adventures to come!
Rating:
Summary: More Doom on Dickie!
Review: I confess! Richard Marcinko's semi-autobiographical Rogue Warrior
series is one of my peculiar pleasures. "Red Cell" is still, far and
away, my favoite. But "Echo Platoon" is a treat with a new twist.
...It seems the old Rogue Warrior is starting to feel his age these
days. Even though he spends every free moment at Rogue Manor pumping
massive amounts of iron and honing his fighting and sharpshooting
skills, by his own admission he's having difficulty keeping up with
his young hunters. Sometimes enough to FUBAR the missions he leads.
And he's mellowing in other ways too, such as permitting a female
Marine to accompany the team this time out. But he can still kick that tango butt!
You might have caught the author on TV recently, describing SEAL
tactics in Afghanistan. Anyone else notice his splendid physical
condition? You have little trouble believing him quite capable of his
fictionalized exploits. You know he's intimately familiar with all
the weapons and gear he namedrops throughout his narrative. Despite
his ongoing love-hate relationship with the Navy, you can't help
admiring the Rogue for his swaggering patriotism, his fatherly
affection toward his young shooters, and his bantering, even bullying,
camaraderie with his readers. And then there's his trademark "Ten
Commandments of SPECWAR", which can be equally effective in whatever
non-lethal endeavor you might undertake, be it business to
bodybuilding. Credit also goes to John Weisman, Marcinko's co-author,
for the fast-reading, non-stop excitement and often laugh-out-loud
humor of this series. Sure, Dickie's getting greyer, but don't count
him out of the action yet! You know the old Rogue's got a few more
adventures to come!
Rating:
Summary: ROGUE WARRIOR WHAT HAPPENED?
Review: I have read all of the Rogue Warrior series but this book was the worst of the lot, I simply did not enjoy it nearly as much as the previous books.The plot takes bits from Designation Gold, Green Team and Option Delta and it just isn't as well written as the two best Rogue Warrior Novels, Red Cell and Task Force Blue. I just hope that the next book is back on track!!
Rating:
Summary: Awesome! Demo Dick swims again!
Review: Starts out slow, but builds up nicely into the hard-nosed, no-holds-barred action ol' Demo Dick is known for. A bit more intrigue to this one, though, which adds some unexpected suspense to the story. Again, you're there for every explosion, every round of ammo that's spent, all the while trying to keep alive while Demo Dick and his merry band of marauders do their dirty little deeds.
Rating:
Summary: Great fights, clever plots, great voices
Review: This is still one of the best-written series I've read. In a long, long time.I'm still surprised I picked the first one up, but I kept getting each one as they came out, and Mr. Marcinko and Mr. Weisman are now on my hardback list. Each of these novels is consistently entertaining, and I heartily recommend you read the entire series; there are references to events in previous books, and while each book stands alone, it's nice knowing exactly how some things happened. Now, on to Echo Platoon. It follows a similar formula to the other books in the series: Dick winds up in a sticky situation, investigates, identifies the bad guy, and deals with him/her/it in a spectacular fashion. In this installment, we find Dick on a training/intelligence mission to Azerbaijan, where they suddenly find themselves having to rescute hostages from an oil rig. This develops as Dick finds out that Russia and Iran both have agents on scene trying to influence the tiny nation, and between them both is the Sirzhik Foundation, run by a not-entirely-honest Steve Sarkesian. There are familiar faces and new, and lots of political commentary and military insight. We also see loved ones die, and some people who'll never fight again. And, of course, lots of creative and intelligent fight scenes. I like these books; I sometimes use them as fodder for my Shadowrun character to imitate. The only flaw with this novel was, really, that the ending felt a bit chopped off. Other than that, it's a great read.
Rating:
Summary: Great fights, clever plots, great voices
Review: This is still one of the best-written series I've read. In a long, long time. I'm still surprised I picked the first one up, but I kept getting each one as they came out, and Mr. Marcinko and Mr. Weisman are now on my hardback list. Each of these novels is consistently entertaining, and I heartily recommend you read the entire series; there are references to events in previous books, and while each book stands alone, it's nice knowing exactly how some things happened. Now, on to Echo Platoon. It follows a similar formula to the other books in the series: Dick winds up in a sticky situation, investigates, identifies the bad guy, and deals with him/her/it in a spectacular fashion. In this installment, we find Dick on a training/intelligence mission to Azerbaijan, where they suddenly find themselves having to rescute hostages from an oil rig. This develops as Dick finds out that Russia and Iran both have agents on scene trying to influence the tiny nation, and between them both is the Sirzhik Foundation, run by a not-entirely-honest Steve Sarkesian. There are familiar faces and new, and lots of political commentary and military insight. We also see loved ones die, and some people who'll never fight again. And, of course, lots of creative and intelligent fight scenes. I like these books; I sometimes use them as fodder for my Shadowrun character to imitate. The only flaw with this novel was, really, that the ending felt a bit chopped off. Other than that, it's a great read.
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