Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Laser Battle

The fifth Enforcer novel gets back to its pulp sci-fi roots of the first. In BIO BLITZ, released by Manor Books in 1975, Alex Jason battles swarms of killer insects that have been trained by his archenemy Lochner to attack through ultra-sonics.

Jason still works for "Big John"--the John Anryn Institute--as a security agent of sorts. He is also a clone, but his clone body can exist for only 90 days before he must be transferred into another. Author Andrew Sugar's Objectivist agenda is more pronounced in BIO BLITZ than in previous novels, and I have to admit that getting past the book's politics can be difficult.

Lochner, who has appeared in previous Enforcer novels, but eluded capture, plans to kidnap Big John's leader, the portly Mortimer Flack. His first try is clever, but somewhat of an effort. He sends a swarm of termites to chow down on Flack's summer home. When Flack and Jason arrive and go to Flack's third-floor observatory, their weight causes the entire house to collapse!

Both men manage to escape, killing Lochner's flunkies in the process (with laser pistols!), but the villain eventually gets Flack in his clutches. Jason's rescue attempt is pretty exciting, as he must battle thousands--maybe millions--of bugs on his path to Lochner's stronghold, including a horde of man-eating ants!

Only one more Enforcer novel remains in the series. Though each has its moments, I can't really recommend the series to anyone except the most hardcore men's adventure reader. Not just because of the extreme political slant, but the books also feel padded, and some have barely any action at all.

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