Dark Harvest (*LARGE PRINT)

Product Information

So the rest of the plot can happen." -- Said when covering a badly written story element that is only there out of lazy writing to continue the story. MOSTLY..." -- Often said to single out a weak link within an otherwise competent ensemble, accompanied by a picture of said weak link. The experience piqued his interest in military history, and encouraged him to learn more about conflicts past and present. Having always enjoyed writing, he used this research as the basis for his first thriller, REDEMPTION. He was able to supplement this with visits to weapon ranges in America and Eastern Europe, as well as research trips to Washington DC. Will spoke using his normal voice, where his Scottish accent isn't as exaggerated and made to sound drunken.

My one chief complaint is that the characters were nearly superhuman in their efforts to solve the mystery. At one point I laughed because there is no way that real humans could endure the series of events and keep going with the kind of single-minded resolve Cameron and Lori show. They make the Energize bunny look lazy!The language is heavy but not over bearing or out of character I would say. The story is well planned and executed. I couldn’t help comparing his execution to his other analyzations and I’m happy to say, he doesn’t expect of others more than he expects of himself. He also has the belief and makes the argument that all this does is hurt the value of entertainment itself and cause a divide where they would previously unite. Stories of the past featured timeless and universal themes and had applicability to everyone, yet today's stories will inevitably become dated to the period that it's in. The Drinker has set out to help save entertainment, in his own way, by drawing more attention to the failings, and successes, of Hollywood. When I learned Jordan planned to release a new book, I assumed that someone so concerned with good storytelling would ensure that he produced a work that avoided many of the pitfalls he himself so often exposed. No way!" (from Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure), after the Drinker makes a painfully obvious statement, usually in answer to someone else.

However, when he’s not drinking and critiquing the latest slop from Hollywood, Jordan is actually an accomplished novelist who practices what he preaches, having written 11 books of the bestselling “Ryan Drake” series. His books understandably have a cinematic quality, being fast-paced, suspenseful, and efficiently told. Despite his online persona as a drunken Scotsman slurring his speech and trying to fix the latest Star Wars trilogy, Jordan is in reality a disciplined writer who is devoted to tight narrative structures and maximizing reader engagement. For Ryan Drake, this is just the beginning as the sniper is revealed to be Anya – the rogue former CIA agent he helped rescue from prison nearly two years earlier. Now she has allied herself with an elusive but deadly new terrorist group bent on the utter destruction of the Russian government. Time is running out for Ryan Drake. With his enemies moving against him and his allies no longer able to support him, his world is turned upside down by a personal tragedy that forces him to return to the UK. I am pleased to report he’s one of the best authors I’ve read. Or, listened to in the case of this audio book version. Hallelujah!", a choir played along an image of alcoholic drinks like whiskey to express his love for drinking.

Will Jordan lives in Fife, near Edinburgh. He gained an honours degree in Information Technology and currently works in web design for Sky Digital. Aside from writing, his interests include military history, mountain climbing, fitness training, boxing and, of course, reading. Meanwhile Dr Lori Dalton, an epidemiologist also in Iraq with the UN learns of a disturbing occurrence at a village not too far away. There is a report of all the villagers being dead with their eyes bleeding their mouths frothing. Dalton is alarmed and wants to investigate. Her boss vetoes this strenuously but Dalton defies him and takes a small contingent of medical and army personnel to see what is going on. It’s like a zombie apocalypse as not all the villagers are dead and they swarm the investigating team. I would absolutely recommend this book as an entry point to Will's books. I would also recommend searching up the information he adds at the beginning of each chapter. There is some seriously shady sh1t that has happened in the past and Will does a great job of highlighting that. Anthrax Island and the pass in the Urals so central to the story. Yes, I can definitely smell shite!" and "Shiiiite!" (from Chewin' the Fat), used after a sarcastic compliment.

Don't get me wrong; World War Z is my Bible, but I think I prefer stories of smaller outbreaks to world endings. I think that's why Shaun of the dead is my favorite zombie movie. All the action with none of TheWalkingDead depression. That's what this is. Distrustful of this uneasy alliance and with no outside support to call on, Drake gathers his small group of trusted team mates and embarks on his most difficult and dangerous mission yet. However, his plans soon unravel, forcing him into a deadly game of cat and mouse against a vengeful British intelligence officer with an unknown agenda. To reflect the world we live in today." -- Said after pointing out nonsensical modern, politically correct sensibilities and the injection of identity politics into settings where it makes no sense for them to be present. This is based on a quote paraphrased from an interview promoting Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. In the end, the whole body of the book is very enjoyable, satisfying, scary, emotive, and greater than the minor flaws it exhibits. Will Jordan puts a great story out here in a timely way. One odd thing: A character in the book is named Sergey Golovko. Shout out to Tom Clancy’s head of the SVR or the serial killer?

Advance Praise

Will Jordan offers the Youtube video channel known as the Critical Drinker. He opines about science fiction, fantasy, and gaming offerings. I have found his opinions to be invariably insightful and informative. His usual complaint about modern stories is that they either don't make the character engaging or they don't present the story conflict in a way that captures the readers' attention. A middle ground also exists for works slightly older than recent (pre-dating what he thinks of as the "woke") era of the former but aren't quite as old and classic as the latter, such as with Dredd and Whiplash. Tyrion throwing up (from Game of Thrones), expressing the Drinker's disgust at the thought of something. That said, Jordan can’t resist the one-liners and various tropes that one comes to expect in an action thriller. It’s good comfort food for readers who, like Jordan, also like to play “ Resident Evil” and watch James Bond movies. Then again, lines like, “What can I say? I’m a professional pain in the ass,” may be a turnoff for more serious readers.

Taking the mystery of the Dyatlov Pass to the world stage, Dark Harvest will make you think twice before climbing a mountain. Or visiting an airport, or going outside for that matter.

Featured Reviews

Dark Harvest has a decent mix of military action that readers of Jordan's work would come to expect, as well as tendrils within historical events. Some are true to life, and others are fictional. But the lines are blurred just enough to really pull someone into this just after a few chapters. Yet for all the familiar conventions, there are more than a few twists and complications to make the story unpredictable and interesting. The settings — the snowy Ural Mountains, the streets of Baghdad, and the busy terminals at Heathrow — are different and well-described. Examples in full include "But, Drinker, you bastion of intersectional feminism I hear you say." or "But, Drinker, you charming but handsome rogue I hear you say." As indicated above, I reviewed it highly. As a result, I will mention a few critical items before going into the strengths.