Jonathan Maberry
St. Martin's Griffin, 2026, 528pp.
As a science and technology guy, a historian, and a lover of good adventure and a man with a military background, I've never found a series that draws me in the way the adventures of Joe Ledger do. The deep dives into history and psychology add to its allure.
Red Empire is the most complex and ambitious novel in the Ledger series, and one of the most gripping. Still grappling with the loss of his family, Joe is surprised, to put it mildly, when his seemingly supernatural nemesis Nicodemus visits him. Nick is apparently dying but determined to see a last plan through and torment Joe and especially Mr. Church as much as possible on his way out. Joe hasn't begun to figure out all the angles when he has to raid a castle and stop a bioweapon (the kind of event also known as "Tuesday" to RTI). He finds himself holding threads to the most dangerous global threat he's ever faced and to the identity of the mysterious Church.
All the allies and enemies are here, and the main adventure
is interspersed with glimpses of the activities of Nicodemus and Church, bound
together by fate and choice, through the centuries. I'd guessed only about one
and half steps of the complex journey that led Church from being a
semi-ordinary man to the most intriguing character in thriller fiction. Maberry
has referred to alchemy many times, and the long quest for the elixir of life
had mixed results that echo through the centuries. Church is older than I thought and has a much
more interesting origin. There's a reason he says cryptic things like "The
war is the war." In a book with many interesting threads, this is the most
compelling.
Meanwhile, Barrier, the UK equivalent to the old DMS, is
under a type of attack they thought impossible, isolating their London HQ and
flooding it with an updated version of the Black Plague. But Nicodemus explains
in a very short, pivotal chapter, he's running a much bigger game. If Church is
always playing a complex game of chess, Nick is playing it on the quantum
level. Barrier is only a side quest to the purpose Nicodemus is pursuing. Joe
and Church have a terrible time trying to figure out the causes and objectives
of his stage management. Almost anyone in these novels can die (except our
favorite war dog, Ghost), and many of them do. Joe is pushed harder than ever,
trying to solve mysteries, fight superior enemies, and do it before he dies of
the disease ravaging his body. Along the way we have philosophical questions,
moments of humanity (big bruiser Bunny's contact with a plague victim is
unforgettable) and new views of old friends like Toys and Bug. We also get the cutting-edge
science and medicine, cool gadgets, and lots of white-knuckle combat.
Red Empire will wrap up many storylines, explain many
conundrums, and set the stage for a quite different world. Maberry has never
been afraid to blow things up in this series, story-wise and literally, and it’s
really impressive when a series this mature can still leave the reader with no
idea what will happen next.
It's not quite perfect. It wraps up a little too fast, and it’s
unclear how some bad guys evaded what should be extensive vetting to pop up in
unfortunate places. Also, as far as I
can figure it out, we have a helicopter flight taking an hour in one direction
and over three in the return. But
followers of this series will find this a very satisfying multi-course meal
where even the garnishes are nourishing, and the desserts and wines are
sumptuous. Clear your day(s) and dig in. You won't want to pause.
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