I'm not sure if Maberry invented the genre of Weird Shit And Spies / Military.
He did however damn sure perfect it.
A terrorist group develops a toxin that turns people into raging monsters intent on killing anything they see.
Joe Ledger (a surprisingly complex action who fighting skills are actually based on real life. Thanks to Maberry being an actual martial artist. His violence is believable) fights all sorts of bull shit threats with his team of unique bad asses ( think The Howlin' Commandos, but with more Ultra Violence ).
Exciting, thrilling and just plain fun.
Mayberry always delivers.

Wow, just wow, Another great Joe Ledger installment full of action and of course emotion. Havoc Team must trace down a virus that is causing everyone to kill as soon as they see another person and save the world in the process. I can't wait for the next in the series and loved it so much I had to go and add the audio to my collection,

Thank you netgalley, the publisher and Jonathan Maberry.
Action packed thriller you cannot put down.
Cannot put down until the very end.

Rage is another home run by Jonathan Maberry. You will not want to put this one down! As always, this story grabs you by the throat, and doesn't let you go until the end....and that end....oh man, that'll leave you BLOWN away. Damn you Maberry, you did it again you wonderful
The wonderful thing about his writing is the ease in which you slide into the story. It's almost as if you are transported into his world, standing next to him as the adventure and misfortunes hit you like waves.
There is no doubt, Ledger is one of my favorite characters of all time. He's a person who, if he were real, I would love to sit down and have a beer with.
If you want a wild ride that will leave you craving more, check out this book. You won't regret it!

I was really hoping for a revamped and all new and improved Joe Ledger after the last two entries in the series. I didn't get it. I found Rage choppy and I really tried to enjoy it. The first 5 or 6 of the series I couldn't put down, but it seems that some things have gone stale, and I read for enjoyment and when things get political I am turned off. I will still continue to support this author and hope for better things.

I've read all of Jonathan Maberry's books at this point, and I love how each series ties into the next. I will continue to read his books until he stops writing them. And then I will start the Joe Ledger series all over again and read through till the last Rot and Ruin book. I'm here for it. Is Rage the best Joe Ledger book? No. But fans will continue to be fans and enjoy this latest installment.

Nasty unique technologies repurposed to destroy mankind instead of employing them with any remote benefit is the rule! Chock full of the most notorious villains and their henchman run amok with the aid of mad scientists. Enter Colonel Joe Ledger ... warrior, knight and killer .... whose sole purpose is to defend the helpless and innocent. Even if you're not familiar with Ledger's previous exploits .. this gem will be enjoyed as a standalone ... as more than necessary back story is added seamlessly by multiple award winning writer, Jonathan Maberry. Ledger previously was featured on the Echo Team of DMS (Department of Military Sciences) , linked to the U.S. government. Unfortunately he was frequently hampered by red tape and political party "politics". His boss, the infamous and enigmatic, Mr. Church
has rendered DMS defunct and formed the international ultra-rapid response organization of Rogue Team International (RTI) ... now free from their previous encumbrances. Joe is the leader of the first of three strike teams ... known as Havoc team. RTI picks it's own cases and has no oversight.
On Frog Island ... a small island off the coast of North Korea a "designer" type of pathogen has been inoculated into the atmosphere creating an extreme state of violent madness to all ... this "Rage" has lead to the total annihilation of the island's populace. Video footage of these heinous events have been captured by Punk Press ( a Wiki-leaks type of organization in South Korea). What could possibly be the motivation to bring the world to the precipice of World War III? Is there an organization behind the massacre that wants reunification or destruction of Korea ... or merely to push for chaos! Ledger and his team infiltrate the island in ultra-advance Kevlar lined Hasmat suits impermeable to pathogens on the molecular level. Havoc team along with an international representative from both South & North Korea and the U.S. infiltrate the island to investigate the source of the devastation ... hopefully finding clues to its origin. Ledger and his team bring their unique, unyielding talents to meet the dark forces ... naturally resulting in ultra-violent encounters with a myriad of advance technologies.
Maberry proves to be an amazing storyteller ... and weaves a complex and twisted explosive narrative that features multi-dimensional fleshed out supporting cast of soldiers, warriors ... all entering the world of darkness and evil. Maberry delivers an entertaining roller-coster ride that juggles violence with a satisfying blend of motivations fostered by friendship and respect. Thanks to NetGalley and St.Martin's Press that provided an Uncorrected Digital Proof in exchange for an honest review of this highly addictive gem.

I have not read a Joe Ledger book in a while, but I am glad that I picked up this one! It was a complex novel with many moving pieces in terms of people and places but the payoff was worth it. Joe Ledger has grown a lot and the supporting characters are all worthwhile. I was expecting zombies but I got bioterrorism with an unusual delivery system. Loved it.

A new chapter for Joe Ledger and his team. A thriller ride, action packed adventure with a dynamic story! I love Maberry's writing so much!

RAGE by Jonathan Maberry is the first book in a new series featuring Joe Ledger. This time he is no longer with the Department of Military Sciences, but leading a team of independent troubleshooters, Havoc Team. The new series is called Rogue Team International. This action thriller / military thriller can be read as a standalone novel, but the previous Joe Ledger series would give the reader more of the back stories of the key players.

Joe Ledger and Havoc Team start out by trying to rescue a new girl who has been kidnapped and is being held in Syria. From there, this newly formed group on soon trying to stop a terror group that has released a bioweapon on a small island of the coast of Korea. Does this terror group want Korea re unite or tear itself apart? Can Havoc team stop the killing?

The story starts off with a scene that immediately pulls the reader in and never lets him or her off the rollercoaster of action and emotion. The main character, Joe Ledger, is well-developed, compelling and someone the reader can cheer for. His motivation is believable and well-drawn. The secondary characters enhance the story and the relationships are believable.

For an action / military thriller, I loved the style that Maberry used. While there is some discussion of weapons, it does not go into minute detail. I believe this approach makes this more of an action thriller that will appeal to a wider audience. The fast-paced story also takes the reader to many different locations ranging from Syria, Turkey, Greece, North Korea, South Korea, Norway, Arizona, California, Virginia, Sweden, and Maryland to Florida and more.

Overall, this novel is a fresh, entertaining, emotional ride. Be aware that there is plenty of violence in this story, but there is also friendship, family, and brotherhood/sisterhood relationships.

This is the only book that I have read by this author but I am looking forward to the next book in the series as well as going back and reading the original Joe Ledger series. I believe those readers that enjoy action thrillers and military thrillers will enjoy this book.

Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press – St. Martin’s Griffin and Jonathan Maberry for a digital ARC of this novel via Net Galley and the opportunity to provide an honest review. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way.

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read an ARC of Rage.

I first read about Joe Ledger in the Rot & Ruin series which I loved. So when I saw there was a new series featuring him I had to read it. The first half of the book took me a little while to get into, primarily because it references all of the other Joe Ledger books, which I unfortunately did not read. I’m not quite sure why Maberry chose to make this a new series when it is clearly a continuation. Many of the characters appear to have been introduced in those other books along with the situations they continue to find themselves in. I highly recommend reading those first.

Other than that, this book was really entertaining. It features some strong women, terrifying villains and a ton of action scenes. Underneath all of that there’s even a pretty solid story line which I appreciated. I’m excited to see how this story continues in the next book.

<i>Rage</i> follows Joe Ledger and the old DMS team now working independently. They call themselves Rogue Team International and are no longer constrained by political red tape and politicians. The newest threat they’ve been called to investigate is in North Korea on a remote island. But like all of Ledger’s cases things quickly spiral out of control as various other places are hit.

The plot was action-packed and quite intense. The entire novel felt like a roller coaster as the reader was constantly kept on the edge. The death toll was quite high as numerous civilians are killed. This added a sadder element to the novel as the reader got to witness firsthand the true cost of terrorism and greed. I won’t be forgetting the scene with the little kid for a while.

The characters are great, as usual. Although Junie only made a minor appearance in the novel I didn’t really like her. Junie knows exactly what Ledger has to face everyday so it seemed unnecessary for her to criticize him. I also wish Ghost would have made a bigger appearance too as I loved him in the Joe Ledger series but I guess he is getting too old for everyday combat. I hope Mun will become a part of RTI as I think she would be a kickass addition.

The main baddies were amazing, I like the blend of new and old. Since the main villains know Ledger so well you know the will leave many bodies behind and terror on a global scale before they are caught and found.

All I can say about the ending is wow. That was such an intense yet sad ending, great buildup for future novels though. The desire for vengeance and justice means that Ledger will never stop until the baddies are caught.

Overall this was an amazing nvoel but one of my favorite authors. I loved the Joe Ledger series and Rage is just as good. I would suggest this series to all thriller fans.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for the ARC.

I could not read the actual book as it was presented in locked pdf format and the font size and format were not truly readable. A shame as I love the Ledger books.

My thanks to St. Martin's Publishing, Netgalley and the amazeballs author Jonathan Maberry!
We are now Rogue Team International! That's right! Church, Ledger and the team's are now unofficially "of course" working internationally! I love it! To Heck with being under the thumb of one whacked out President. Yeah, I'm looking at you, Trump! Now?
As always Joe and his team rock! And as always I can never loosen up because I have learned that in this series many people die! I love that, and I hate that! The best thing about this book wasn't just the lovely and exotic locations.. "From Greece, the Korea's, Japan and Norway." It has some returning favorite bad guy's. Some of the scariest of the bunch. Also, many good guys too. Or should I say gals? As always, the ending is freaking bleak. Needless to say, I'm looking forward to some revenge and a whole lot of payback in the next book.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this, the characters were great and I enjoyed the plot of the book. It had what I was looking for in this type of book. I liked Joe and thought he worked well as a leader, I look forward to seeing where this series goes.

Rage is another excellent addition to the Joe Ledger series by Jonathan Maberry, perhaps a little slow as it sets up but wow once it builds up steam the story is a cracker and the ending left me gasping and already hanging out for the next in the series which will be bloody I am sure ! These books are sequential and I would recommend reading them in order if possible.

This is a new series name but it really is another Joe Ledger book and we see favorite characters from the previous series along with some new faces. I did initially find the storyline hard to follow as it jumps around between the past and present A LOT and trying to figure out when certain scenes were taking place vs other scenes was initially quite difficult for me. However, as the story progressed and we learn more and more about each character it all came together to make another fascinating Joe Ledger adventure. The action is pretty much non-stop and as per past Ledger books it takes you on an adventure roller coaster as he and his team race to stop by the bad guys. One of my favorite things about the Ledger books is his quips and sarcastic thoughts about whatever he is going through. I did wish there was a little more of characters like his dog Ghost and Violin but was happy to see Toys make a great cameo. If you were a fan of the past Ledger books this is definitely another great read to add to the collection. If you haven't read the previous Joe Ledger series, I highly suggest it!

I've read all ten books in the previous Joe Ledger series, and to be honest, I'm not totally sure why Maberry decided to start a new series with this one. It felt very much like a continuation of the previous series, and I mean that in the best possible way.

This series picks up where Deep Silence left off, with many familiar characters (Joe Ledger, of course, as well as Church, Junie, Top, Bunny) and some new, super interesting characters. There was for some reason a distinct lack of Ghost in this volume, but I'm hopeful he'll play a bigger role in the series moving forward. This one had a more international twist, hence the name of the new series. New bad guys and mysteries to solve, and of course, a craaaazy new terrorist plot complete with diabolical villains and bioweapons.

I love the world of Joe Ledger. Lots of action, as always, but this volume also had a lot of introspection about how violence leaves a lasting mark. Highly recommended for Joe Ledger fans, but also a great place for new readers to pick up. Highly relevant yet escapist at the same time. Loved it.

First, I've got to say that I love me some Joseph Ledger. How often do you laugh out loud while you are reading? The internal and external dialogue is so often funny, sarcastic, biting...often all at once. The closure of the DMS brings our "hero" to RTI, the same animal in a different environment with different rules. Luckily, we still have the same characters, good and bad.

This world can be quite complicated and characters come in and out of stories. Sometimes years apart. About a year back I reread all of Maberry's books in chronological order, including short stories. I have an actual notebook because my first time through I often had to pull out a previous book to remember who someone was. Now I just consult my little Game of Thrones notebook (really) and I can give you a quick sketch of every member of the DMS and every bad guys/group to date. It could take away from it but it doesn't. It's fun to find yourself going, "Ooh, I know who that is, I bet!" and then reading on to see if you were right or fooled.

Here we have a lot of Joe. Once a Ledger story starts, it goes full speed until the end. Reading a digital ARC I don't have the physical feel of what's left, but reading this and looking air the percentage I knew there was more to come. I was right. And I was pissed. And I was sad. I need the next book.

Joe and RTI try to figure out who has released Rage, the name they give to something that is causing people to kill each other. This is very similar to previous stories, which is pointed out by characters themselves. It doesn't diminish it. There are enough old characters to feel comfortable but enough new to be interesting. There was not enough Top and Bunny for me and why can't we have more Ghost? There was just enough Junie for me. Meaning little. And maybe a little more Toys. I know Joe hates him but I love the character.

I do think this would be OK for people who never read the original DMS series. I do think, however, that it would lead them to want to go back and read it. This one was quite a ride. Like always, I preferred the character development and all of the nuances of everyone involved than I did the fight scenes, but both had their place and I get that.

In short, thanks to Jonathon Maberry, the punisher, and Netgalley for this advanced copy. Can't wait for the next one.