What do you think?
Rate this book
Mack Bolan the Executioner #43
Mack Bolan - Return to Vietnam - The Executioner No 43
Mack Bolan - Return to Vietnam - The Executioner No 43 - Stated First Edition July 1982
Paperback
First published January 1, 1982
2 people are currently reading
63 people want to read
About the author
Don Pendleton
1,540 books182 followersDon Pendleton was born in Little Rock, Arkansas, December 12, 1927 and died October 23, 1995 in Arizona.
He wrote mystery, action/adventure, science-fiction, crime fiction, suspense, short stories, nonfiction, and was a comic scriptwriter, poet, screenwriter, essayist, and metaphysical scholar. He published more than 125 books in his long career, and his books have been published in more than 25 foreign languages with close to two hundred million copies in print throughout the world.
After producing a number of science-fiction and mystery novels, Don launched in 1969 the phenomenal Mack Bolan: The Executioner, which quickly emerged as the original, definitive Action/Adventure series. His successful paperback books inspired a new particularly American literary genre during the early 1970's, and Don became known as "the father of action/adventure."
"Although The Executioner Series is far and away my most significant contribution to world literature, I still do not perceive myself as 'belonging' to any particular literary niche. I am simply a storyteller, an entertainer who hopes to enthrall with visions of the reader's own incipient greatness."
Don Pendleton's original Executioner Series are now in ebooks, published by Open Road Media. 37 of the original novels.
Wikipedia: Don Pendleton
He wrote mystery, action/adventure, science-fiction, crime fiction, suspense, short stories, nonfiction, and was a comic scriptwriter, poet, screenwriter, essayist, and metaphysical scholar. He published more than 125 books in his long career, and his books have been published in more than 25 foreign languages with close to two hundred million copies in print throughout the world.
After producing a number of science-fiction and mystery novels, Don launched in 1969 the phenomenal Mack Bolan: The Executioner, which quickly emerged as the original, definitive Action/Adventure series. His successful paperback books inspired a new particularly American literary genre during the early 1970's, and Don became known as "the father of action/adventure."
"Although The Executioner Series is far and away my most significant contribution to world literature, I still do not perceive myself as 'belonging' to any particular literary niche. I am simply a storyteller, an entertainer who hopes to enthrall with visions of the reader's own incipient greatness."
Don Pendleton's original Executioner Series are now in ebooks, published by Open Road Media. 37 of the original novels.
Wikipedia: Don Pendleton
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
October 3, 2020
In the pantheon of Mack Bolan stories this book holds a high place for a couple of reasons. First, it returns Bolan to the jungles of Vietnam where his experiences as an extraordinary and deadly soldier led to the creation of the vigilante known as “The Executioner”. Second, it was a precursor and influencer of the POW/MIA movies that soon followed such as “Rambo II”, “Missing in Action”, and “Uncommon Valor”, plus scores of fiction dealing with this issue. The short novel tells the story of Bolan, now a government operative known as Colonel Phoenix, accepting a mission to rescue a POW imprisoned in a modified Vietcong temple. It’s a compressed timeline story with a linear plot and all of the events taking place in a four hour window so the pacing and action is relentless. Bolan is ably assisted by an aging and noble Vietnamese warrior, his beautiful daughter, and a ragtag group of fighters. It’s a definitely a strong entry in the series and I’m thankful to the writer, Stephen Mertz, for helping to bring the POW/MIA issue to the forefront.
August 9, 2024
A little late on this one. This is by far one of my favorite Mack Bolan mission.
We follow The Executioner back to the place that formed him: Nam.
His mission is to rescue a POW who has sensitive info from a temple turned prison camp. He is backed up by the native friendly guerrillas that helped him during the war.
It was AWESOME to see Bolan work in the jungle that has only been referenced up to this point. He lays down hate and gets the job done.
If you like First Blood Part II you’re gonna love this!
We follow The Executioner back to the place that formed him: Nam.
His mission is to rescue a POW who has sensitive info from a temple turned prison camp. He is backed up by the native friendly guerrillas that helped him during the war.
It was AWESOME to see Bolan work in the jungle that has only been referenced up to this point. He lays down hate and gets the job done.
If you like First Blood Part II you’re gonna love this!
February 22, 2023
Returning to the battlegrounds that started Mack Bolan’s career.
As with all of these titles in the 2nd iteration of The Executioner, the story is simple and straightforward with a focus more on the important things like action and violence. Which makes for a fast paced and extremely entertaining read.
I kind of expected a bit more in this one (more along the lines of New War in terms of straight up thrill factor), but Mertz’s handling of the story is well done and actually is better than Don Pendleton’s original run.
And I can’t complain as this series has been a lot more fun than when Bolan was taking on strictly the mafia.
As with all of these titles in the 2nd iteration of The Executioner, the story is simple and straightforward with a focus more on the important things like action and violence. Which makes for a fast paced and extremely entertaining read.
I kind of expected a bit more in this one (more along the lines of New War in terms of straight up thrill factor), but Mertz’s handling of the story is well done and actually is better than Don Pendleton’s original run.
And I can’t complain as this series has been a lot more fun than when Bolan was taking on strictly the mafia.
July 2, 2016
A good, not great Bolan book. Mack goes back to Vietnam to break out an old friend who knows where there are P.O.W.s still held captive. Pretty much non-stop action. Oh yeah there is a sub plot about drug smuggling. When your evil, your evil and Bolan will get you.
May 4, 2021
This mission sends Bolan back to the hellgrounds of Vietnam where he must, with the assistance of the Meo tribe, bust Colonel Bob McFee out from General Trang's maximum security prison that's built into an ancient shrine. Colonel McFee has kept a list of the hundreds of POWs that he's seen. So this is a personally important mission as well.
August 24, 2022
A great chapter in the series with Bolan going back to Vietnam to rescue a American who knows where more POWs are at. He is helped by a small band of local tribesmen and the always fun to see in the Bolanverse, ace pilot, Jack Grimaldi.
Recommended. This is the first one written by Mertz who is a fixture of mens adventure novels. It has a nice Pendleton like feel to it and never got dull.
Recommended. This is the first one written by Mertz who is a fixture of mens adventure novels. It has a nice Pendleton like feel to it and never got dull.
September 13, 2023
Still has not broken the annoying habit of putting "yeah,..." in the middle of sentences.
December 17, 2007
read 05.21.90
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews