Masters of War (Danny Black #1) by Chris Ryan

Masters of War (Danny Black #1) Reviews

• 
  Jill

  Chris Ryan books are an odd choice for me if you look at the rest of the books that I read but I absolutely love them - they grip you right from the first page and I can never put them down - read this one in just over 24 hours not bad considering I was working for at least 8 of these hours. Danny Black ...........born to be a hero that was clear right from the start but as per usual a great twist or twists at the end that just make the book. Searching for this book on Goodreads I have found a few of Chris's books that I have not read - so they are added to the list - ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT. What does scare me is how twisted and corrupt these books show the world to be - has to be a bit of a wake up call to all of us that this sort of thing goes on...............
• 
  Ross Sidor

  One of the better Chris Ryan novels. A fast paced, somewhat crude book filled with extensive descriptions of graphic violence, as well as ample foul language, many scummy duplicitous characters who are just out for themselves, and a plethora of authentic military and weapons details. All centered around SAS soldiers, spies, mercenaries, and jihadists competing for different agendas in Syria. Very much an action movie or video game in book form, vividly written and very entertaining.
• 
  Tzu

  And here I was thinking there was going to be a happy ending... That Danny would give a special someone a call and everything would be fine, but no Chris Ryan decided I should read the next book to find out what happens next... Very well done. That ending bumped up my rating from a four to a solid five!
• 
  Tammy

  4.2 stars
  The Maters of War is a real military thriller that not only packed with gun fired, and grenades but also greed and betrayal. It's a story of warfare and people who are caught in the middle and some that exploit such conflict to their best interest. I like the subterfuge plot and the depiction of war torn country and its state of anarchy and chaos but the characters are too black and white especially the spook...he could use more subtle personality. And of course since this is about war there are a lot of violent, cruelty and gore in gruesome and graphic details.
• 
  Sebastian

  Spannend boek maar teveel onnodig geweld. Zal er in werkelijkheid misschien best zo wel aan toegaan maar niet voor mij als lezer. De verbeelding is dan al voldoende. Nodigt hierdoor niet snel uit nieuw deel te lezen. Maar misschien zijn die delen anders.
• 
  Yvonne

  Unfortunately, in my experience, some male (action) authors find it challenging to write well-rounded, believable female characters. So, don't expect much beyond physical attributes.
  
  More importantly, this book has scenes of sexual assault and rape.
  Trigger warning.
• 
  Myles (semi hiatus)

  DNF NEVER AGAIN HATE THIS ON A RAMPAGE!!!!!!!!!!!!
• 
  Chris French

  There is a brutalness (if that's not a word, it is now) to this book that may not be for everyone, but it certainly worked for me.
  If you're a fan of Chris Ryan then this is more solid action for you to inhale. If you haven't read him and you like military action, then get into it.
  The plot is current, black ops in Syria, and the foreword where the author explains about his experiences there back in 1991 only adds to the reading experience. Having recently spent some time in Turkey, it's bizarre to think that just next door is a country that is tearing itself apart. Whilst it makes for great fiction, I hope they settle into peace soon.
  This is only the second Chris Ryan book I have read, so I have plenty more to get excited about, and then there is Strike Back (the series), bring on season 4.
• 
  David Thorne

  These are great escapist books. I hope they're more believable in terms of what happens as they are written by someone who was special forces, and we at least don't have to suffer leaping from 3 storey buildings completely unscathed.
  
  Ryan's style of writing isn't for everyone, it's fairly brusk, there are places where the story doesn't scan properly (although plot holes seem limited based off an audiobook listen). Ryan is also quite graphic in some of his descriptions of the violence, explosions etc (I'm trying not to give too much away.) so it isn't one to read whilst eating.
  
  Overall a good bedtime reading/listening book. I've already read Book#4 without realising it (sadly giving away a semi obvious part of the plot) so I'll read the other 3 and see how it goes.
• 
  Christina Rochester

  "So what do we do now, kiddo? Kill each other? Or let each other go?"
  
  Danny Black is an SAS officer, sent on a mission to Syria. His job, escort Buckingham to one of the rebel leaders. Given a team of 5 men that shouldn't be too hard. But from the moment they touch down in Syria things start to go wrong. And that's only the beginning of a messy web of lies and deceit.
  
  This is the first installment in the Danny Black series and I absolutely loved every second. The story flows perfectly and has you hooked right from the prologue.
  
  I can't wait to pick up the next one! Highly recommended if you like a bit of action.
• 
  Gary Jones

  This is my usual genre from one of my most read authors. I’d read book 2 of the series first, so had to go back and read this book 1. I can see why Black doesn’t like Buckingham in book 2!
• 
  Alex Murphy

  This is your standard Chris Ryan book;
  
  . Tough loner SAS super soldier (in this case Danny Black is the recurring character) ✔
  
  . Top secret mission into warzone ✔
  
  . An upper-class public-school MI6 handler who doesn’t care about nothing but himself ✔
  
  . A betrayal by said MI6 agent and or other ‘trusted’ friend ✔
  
  . A ‘damsel in distress’ who is also a tough woman ✔
  
  . A lot and I men A LOT of people being shot in the head ✔
  
  It what seems like the 100th book I’ve read by Chris Ryan, for anyone who has read his books before know what you’re getting, for new comers you can expect hard SAS men shooting up conflict ridden hellholes, being manipulated by snobby intelligence agents, being betrayed and captured and then managing to escape, just before a massive firefight kicks off the conclusion.
  
  Danny Black is dragged from one battlefield in Afghanistan to Syria, on the orders of MI6, to escort an agent to broker a peace between two rival rebel groups on a deniable operation alongside a group of mercenaries led by a long-time family friend.
  Hit by betrayals, double-crosses and enemies from all sides, Black uncovers a dark family secret and the murky decisions of the powers in Syria.
  
  I enjoyed this one more than some of his others I’ve read recently, especially his Extreme series. Full of action, the book was pacey and exciting, it’s just not original and all these seem to fall into the same plot points.
  A decent bullet filled read, its just not that much of an explosive must read.
  
• 
  Beth

  This was my first Chris Ryan book and it did not disappoint. I had previously read a couple of Damien Lewis books that I thoroughly enjoyed to wanted to carry on with the genre.
  
  Masters of War is a great introduction to the Danny Black series; it really helps you sink your teeth into the character. You get a good understanding of his emotionally complex personal life and understand his frustrating family situation.
  
  Alongside the obvious enemies of the story we also have a character with a personal vendetta against Danny who you want to hate and to watch out for. The book is full action, twists and accurate military related details. We are also introduced to a handful of other characters that will be included in future books. Clara is definitely one to watch out for.
  
  I would fully recommend this book; it’s a great gateway book into the genre, although it isn’t for the faint of heart as it is brutal and gory at times. I do appreciate that for the most part the rape scenes are alluded to rather than heavily detailed, although some may have been more detailed than necessary. They weren’t bad enough to be a deal-breaker for me but may be something for readers with certain triggers of trauma to be wary of.
• 
  Grada (BoekenTrol)

  A roller coaster ride of a book.
  In the very beginning there is a warning that descriptions of actions can be found lively. Usually I take that kind of warning with a grain of salt, because mostly it isn't that bad after all. But in this book the warning is an actual warning for what follows in the book.
  
  And even though my stomach turned at times, I don't think the violence was over the top. I think it serves a purpose, to give a reader who's never been in Syria or in a country that's fallen victim to (civil) war or in one that's become a plaything of warlords, mercenaries, religious fanatics, where foreign governments play their games of RISK! by sending in their spies and covert armies, a good idea of what is going on in a situation like that.
  
  I will take a (short) brake though and read something else in between. But I am really curious to find out how Danny's story continues.
• 
  Balthazar Lawson

  Danny Black is the son of a soldier shot in the head, and survived, in Northern Ireland on the same day that Danny was born. His mother was also shot but had died. He joins the SAS on the recommendation of his fathers best friend and he leads the life of a soldier protecting the country.
  
  Then he gets sent to Syria to protect a MI6 agent trying to open up connections with the rebel forces fighting the government. From the beginning nothing goes right and Danny's world is turned upside down. All that he thought was true turns out to be smoke an mirrors and his future, if he survives the mission, will never be the same.
  
  This had promise, but somehow it missed the mark for me. It didn't flow smoothly, some of the characters were just totally weird and unbelievable. It was barely enjoyable.
• 
  John Hodgkinson

  There is a lot of information on the activities of the British SAS and MI6, as Ryan himself was an overseas operative of SAS. However, in spite of the interest I had in these "real life" experiences, written into this adventure book, the fact that a 23 year-old can run an operation in Syria, shielding an MI6 man, and outrun and outgun numerous Syrian army special units as well as quite a few Spetznaz operatives is way OTT. And he gets the Czech ambassador to arrange for his 2 buddies and the MI6 man and an English (female) doctor to be let free by the Syrian torture squad is so far-fetched to be totally unbelievable.
  Sorry, but this is fairy-tale land; OK for kids' comics (apart from the gruesome details), but as serious adventure writing ......NO.
• 
  Franci

  Gory, gruesome and brutal. Did I say gory?
  
  But brilliant!!! So brilliant!
  
  The pacing is breakneck speed, never relenting, never slowing down until the very last chapter.
  
  Few thoughts:
  *Danny Black is my hero.
  *Buckingham is a mucker. Through and through. (Fun new lingo I picked up)
  *Taff....maybe I shouldn't get into that....
  *I want to know more about Clara. (It looks like I'll definitely continue the series)
  
  I watched ALL of the seasons of Strike Back and absolutely loved it!!
  But this is next level.
  Thank you Chris Ryan.
• 
  Oksana

  Коли втомлюєшся від Глибоких Думок, закладених Автором, Важливих Проблем, що піднімаються в книгах, алюзій і інших Прихованих Сенсів, а натомість хочеться простого людського надерти сраки всім поганцям і щоб головний герой в кінці, втомлений, але не переможений, гордо ішов на захід сонця.
  
  Чудовий динамічний бойовик з Хорошим Хлопцем, Поганими Хлопцями, інтригою і драйвом.
  
  Читатиму продовження циклу
  
  (А ще і серіал по ньому є)
• 
  Yemic

  My first Chris Ryan book and it was an incredible read. I found it difficult to put down, picked it up every opportunity I got. Everything about the book was great, the story was believable, character development was good and conversation well paced. there was an instance I shouted YES, (forgetting were I was) after a certain person got dealt with.
• 
  Bogi Zweiundvierzich

  Not bad, solid thriller work.
  
  But Danny seemed to be a little naive for a toughened up regiment boy. And while it sometimes seems to be quite realistic and authentic, a few scenes seemed to be out of step.
  
  But maybe that's just me. My personal reference for thriller about regiment guys is the Nick Stone series. And compared to Nick, Danny had some steps to catch up.
• 
  Sophia Aouichaoui

  At first,I didn't think I'd enjoy this novel...but I loved it.
  The detail (sometimes quite graphic) is so intricate,I cringed and winced ,realising these scenarios do actually occur on the battle field.
  I loved Chris Ryan's first 'Danny Black' novel so much that I am ordering the rest of the series to read too!!
  Great read,highly recommended.