Series
Genres
Collection
Publication
Atria Books (2010), Edition: 1st Edition, 336 pages
Description
A group of female warriors from the nation's most elite counter-terrorism unit-- the United States Army's 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment Delta--deploys on a dangerous international assignment. Their code name: Athena Project.
User reviews
LibraryThing member _Lily_
The Athena Project by Brad Thor
Reviewed by Moirae the fates book reviews.
The forces of counterterrorism never rest in this new full-throttle Brad Thor thriller. The Athena Project engraved in the title is the code name for the training of an elite team of multi-skilled female warriors recruited
(Synopsis provided by goodreads.com)
When I heard about a book that stars an elite all female delta force team I was very excited. I love reading books about strong women that can kick some ass and hold their own. It’s a thing I think we need more of in the literary world.
This is the first book by Brad Thor that I have read, and I must say, I am now hooked! I will be looking for more of his titles on my next trip to the book store.
This was such an intriguing and thrilling ride! Full of action, mystery, suspense and wit. The women are all very strong and not someone I would want to cross! This is a difficult book to review without any spoilers.
TAP (The Athena Project) is the code named given to the women.
The book begins in a “flash back” to 1944 in Europe. When it flashes forward to the present day, the TAP members end up traveling to South America, where they uncover secrets from World War two.
I loved Thor’s writing style and how all his characters are connected. He has excellent dialog and the character development is flawless. Each of his TAP members are very different in their personalities, I never felt as if they were carbon copies of one another.
The way gives the reader just a little bit of information here and there is like a bread trail all the way to the end of the book. I was always on the edge of my seat with this book waiting to see what was going to happen next. This is one of the best books I have read this year. I highly recommend it!
Over all rating
***** 5 out 5 stars
Cover Art:
I really liked the cover art, it gives off a very mysterious vibe.
Obtained:
I was send a copy for review by the publisher thank you!
Reviewed by Moirae the fates book reviews.
The forces of counterterrorism never rest in this new full-throttle Brad Thor thriller. The Athena Project engraved in the title is the code name for the training of an elite team of multi-skilled female warriors recruited
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from world champion athletes. Once deployed, these superlatively conditioned operatives will pursue missions even more dangerous than impossible. Covert action; military intrigue; reader excitement.(Synopsis provided by goodreads.com)
When I heard about a book that stars an elite all female delta force team I was very excited. I love reading books about strong women that can kick some ass and hold their own. It’s a thing I think we need more of in the literary world.
This is the first book by Brad Thor that I have read, and I must say, I am now hooked! I will be looking for more of his titles on my next trip to the book store.
This was such an intriguing and thrilling ride! Full of action, mystery, suspense and wit. The women are all very strong and not someone I would want to cross! This is a difficult book to review without any spoilers.
TAP (The Athena Project) is the code named given to the women.
The book begins in a “flash back” to 1944 in Europe. When it flashes forward to the present day, the TAP members end up traveling to South America, where they uncover secrets from World War two.
I loved Thor’s writing style and how all his characters are connected. He has excellent dialog and the character development is flawless. Each of his TAP members are very different in their personalities, I never felt as if they were carbon copies of one another.
The way gives the reader just a little bit of information here and there is like a bread trail all the way to the end of the book. I was always on the edge of my seat with this book waiting to see what was going to happen next. This is one of the best books I have read this year. I highly recommend it!
Over all rating
***** 5 out 5 stars
Cover Art:
I really liked the cover art, it gives off a very mysterious vibe.
Obtained:
I was send a copy for review by the publisher thank you!
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LibraryThing member JamesterCK
My opinion: I was so excited to get this book. After reading the synopsis, who wouldn't want to read a book about a group of women who kick butt for a living? The four main characters of this book are Julie, Gretchen, Megan, and Alex. They make up part of a faction of the Department of Defense
I wasn't 100% sure I would like this book much when I first started it...there was a lot of government and military in the beginning, and while I felt it was probably important to the story line, I found it hard to get interested in it. Once the women start going out on missions and taking down the bad guys, it got a lot better. There were quite a few intense action scenes and a lot of humor thrown in along with it. All in all it was a good read, and I hope there will be more books in the future with these characters!
My rating: 4/5 stars
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(DoD) called The Athena Project. It basically goes off of the principal that women are better able to carry out some missions, as they are seen as less of a threat and can slip by unnoticed a lot of the time. Gretchen Casey is kind of the leader of this group, but they're all tough cookies. This book pretty much revolves around some potential terrorists getting ahold of some old Nazi technology: a transporter that could be used to move people...or to send bombs to their enemies. The U.S. government knows that if this horrific technology fell into the wrong hands, it could be catastrophic. So they send in the four women to bring down some of the major players, try to get them to talk and find out whatever they can. Will they be able to stop these madmen before they can unleash their weapons on the world? I wasn't 100% sure I would like this book much when I first started it...there was a lot of government and military in the beginning, and while I felt it was probably important to the story line, I found it hard to get interested in it. Once the women start going out on missions and taking down the bad guys, it got a lot better. There were quite a few intense action scenes and a lot of humor thrown in along with it. All in all it was a good read, and I hope there will be more books in the future with these characters!
My rating: 4/5 stars
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LibraryThing member TooBusyReading
A thriller that focuses on a Delta Force team - female undercover, government-sanctioned counter-terrorists who are not above doing some really violent things in their quest to eliminate the bad guys - how can you go wrong? The story is a quick read, filled with action, and never boring. Equipment
The prologue is quite violent, and a mystery until farther into the book. The violence doesn't end there, of course. Do the ends justify the means? There are bad guys galore, and some questions about who is good and who is bad. The women are tough and smart, none of this whimpering, "I need to be taken care of" attitude. The author states "all of the science in this novel is based on reality," and I found the science and history fascinating.
There are a few things that caused me to give the book a lower rating than I would have otherwise. Too many gunfights at the OK Corral, and how is it that with all the automatic weapons fire aimed at them, the important characters seem to manage to never get hit? It didn't seem very realistic, but that is a common peeve of mine in thrillers. The women, and for that matter, some of the male characters, would be called by their first names, their last names, their nicknames, and it was tough keeping them all straight. After reading a comment by a friend who had already read the book, I jotted down some of the names and characteristics of the key players. That helped.
I don't think that would have been necessary if the characters had more depth. Some of the female seemed almost interchangeable. Their conversation was sometimes stilted and too cute. Maybe this one was taller than that one, or blonder, but I never got to really know them. Their conversations were sometimes stilted and too cute. But perhaps I am expecting something of a thriller that does not work in one. Perhaps knowing the characters better would have bogged down the story. All in all, this is a fast-paced and exciting read.
Thank you to the publisher for providing a copy of the book for my review.
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from some truly horrible Nazi experiments has been rediscovered and apparently is being used again. Throw in the whole DIA (Denver International Airport) conspiracy theories, and you have a wild ride.The prologue is quite violent, and a mystery until farther into the book. The violence doesn't end there, of course. Do the ends justify the means? There are bad guys galore, and some questions about who is good and who is bad. The women are tough and smart, none of this whimpering, "I need to be taken care of" attitude. The author states "all of the science in this novel is based on reality," and I found the science and history fascinating.
There are a few things that caused me to give the book a lower rating than I would have otherwise. Too many gunfights at the OK Corral, and how is it that with all the automatic weapons fire aimed at them, the important characters seem to manage to never get hit? It didn't seem very realistic, but that is a common peeve of mine in thrillers. The women, and for that matter, some of the male characters, would be called by their first names, their last names, their nicknames, and it was tough keeping them all straight. After reading a comment by a friend who had already read the book, I jotted down some of the names and characteristics of the key players. That helped.
I don't think that would have been necessary if the characters had more depth. Some of the female seemed almost interchangeable. Their conversation was sometimes stilted and too cute. Maybe this one was taller than that one, or blonder, but I never got to really know them. Their conversations were sometimes stilted and too cute. But perhaps I am expecting something of a thriller that does not work in one. Perhaps knowing the characters better would have bogged down the story. All in all, this is a fast-paced and exciting read.
Thank you to the publisher for providing a copy of the book for my review.
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LibraryThing member MSWallack
I liked the Athena women when Thor introduced them in Foreign Influence and it was clear then that they were destined for a spin-off. I may like this series, but Thor needs to do much more to make each woman individual. Taking a few paragraphs at the beginning of the book (literally) to describe
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each woman and try to explain how she differs from the others simply didn't individualize them enough for me. That said, I did like that they weren't quite as indestructible as Scot Harvath. It will be interesting to see where this series goes. Show Less
LibraryThing member marathoner
The book was confusing and generally unrealistic. Too many shoot outs where the 4 ladies never took a bullet while being totally outnumbered.
LibraryThing member alohaboy
Brad Thor has brought front and center a small team of elite female counter terrorism operatives from a support role in his previous book. The action is nonstop, the plot a bit implausible but Thor makes it work, and the Delta Force team is a breath of fresh air. While I thought the author should
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improve his skill at writing dialogue--the dialogue among the four females seemed forced and occasionally silly--the women handled with military precision all of the dangerous situations they encountered; and there were a lot. It was an enjoyable read. Show Less
LibraryThing member kayceel
This was actually kinda lousy. I had high hopes for a terrorism-fueled story in which a team of specially trained female Delta soldiers take out the bad guys, but Thor jams in waaaay too many characters to flesh out believably and sympathetically.
Disappointing.
Disappointing.
LibraryThing member dmouse77
A decent book, but I had hoped for a lot more. The plot seemed a little confused. There were two or three plot points that could have been explored in much more detail. It seems more a series of action sequences separated by exposition chapters and ends very abruptly.
LibraryThing member cmeilink
Although I found the plot interesting–an all-women Delta team engaged in the search for a secret buried by the Germans after the war–the writing itself was somewhat stilted and lacked flow.
LibraryThing member PatrickJIV
This could have been a comic book, w/all the characters involved. I could call all the "exciting" situations that the girls found themselves involved with, but you knew they was going to either talk their way out of it or shoot it out! Surprised I lasted the entire book and disappointed in the
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story line of Brad Thor. I was generous with a 2½ star rating. Show Less
LibraryThing member ATechwreck
A man's take on women. Read if you like stereotypical "Charlie's Angels" women agents.
The plot and action are good.
The plot and action are good.
LibraryThing member frogprof
Too many names to keep track of, and not a few plots that intertwine, but pretty good -- I like the idea that Brad Thor is using female protagonists in what is ostensibly a man's world.
LibraryThing member pineapplejuggler
Definitely a fun, suspenseful page turner, this was like a cross between Charlie's Angels and James Bond. In fact, the book is pretty much all plot, not that that is necessarily terrible.
I had one main issue. Thor repeatedly switches back and forth between his characters' first and last names, even
Some smaller issues: I thought the resolution could have been a little better, with more justice and all that. This book also includes the overplayed and lazy trope of the bad guys having terrible aim and/or luck with their firearms.
Spoiler:
Seriously, how do the four women that were led into the Engeltor by the evil scientist not appear in the South American forest out of the blue to the American team of investigators. Thor could have made some easy changes to make that work. That would have been hilarious.
And, why doesn't Pence just shoot Matthews in the face at the end? Thor already proved he's a cold-blooded killer.
I had one main issue. Thor repeatedly switches back and forth between his characters' first and last names, even
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in back-to-back sentences. If you're going to be that annoying, the least you can do is not give one of the main characters a last name that could also be someone's first name. Poor job, editors. I really didn't even mind the fact that Thor made the female main characters only just barely different from each other, though I did find it a bit strange. It definitely did not make it easier to remember which character was which.Some smaller issues: I thought the resolution could have been a little better, with more justice and all that. This book also includes the overplayed and lazy trope of the bad guys having terrible aim and/or luck with their firearms.
Spoiler:
Seriously, how do the four women that were led into the Engeltor by the evil scientist not appear in the South American forest out of the blue to the American team of investigators. Thor could have made some easy changes to make that work. That would have been hilarious.
And, why doesn't Pence just shoot Matthews in the face at the end? Thor already proved he's a cold-blooded killer.
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LibraryThing member TomWheaton
I have enjoyed all of Brad Thor's books and this was no exception. I liked the idea that the Athena Project team was made up of all women. The book moved along quickly even though Thor jumped between several storylines. The only negative comment would be about the abrupt ending. It seemed that when
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Thor decided to end the book and conveniently killed the bad guys with an F-16 air strike in the last 20 pages. There was a teaser at the very end that leads the reader to think there might be another book with the Athena Project team. Show Less
LibraryThing member ReaderOfAll
Kind of corny. Decent action. Dialogue was sophomoric.
LibraryThing member steve.clason
Someone discovered that NAZI scientists had developed practical quantum teleportation and that bad people are re-building the technology in order to teleport EMP bombs into a secret and very important facility under Denver International Airport, thereby causing global panic, famine, and massive
The promising concept doesn’t hold up very well. Thriller writers depend on stock characters because they can trust the reader, familiar with the type, to be immediately sympathetic. This allows the author to concentrate on developing an action-driven plot without having to slow the pace to develop characters or explain their motivations.
These women, though, (four of them) don’t fit the mold of the stock thriller protagonist -- the psychologically damaged,sexually irresistible, intensely patriotic ex-special-ops officer with authority issues — and so need some development to earn our sympathy, but the author here wraps them in a standard action-driven plot without providing the necessary additional development. Consequently, the four women remain un-individuated and unremarkable and their behavior inexplicable.
The author doesn’t seem to be able to write a subtle, complex, female character that isn’t a helpmate to a man — or at least he didn’t pull it off this time. The characters’ skill set only allows them to show a little leg to get access to the bad guy, torture him to get the information they came for, and to escape is the nick of time when things go wrong, while cracking wise about, usually, men. Or lack of men. They do this over and over.
I think I’m done with Thor after this one.
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death, from which the perpetrators will somehow benefit. A secret team of attractive, athletic, and ruthless women, recruited into Delta Force under the code name “The Athena Project”, is sent to foil them.The promising concept doesn’t hold up very well. Thriller writers depend on stock characters because they can trust the reader, familiar with the type, to be immediately sympathetic. This allows the author to concentrate on developing an action-driven plot without having to slow the pace to develop characters or explain their motivations.
These women, though, (four of them) don’t fit the mold of the stock thriller protagonist -- the psychologically damaged,sexually irresistible, intensely patriotic ex-special-ops officer with authority issues — and so need some development to earn our sympathy, but the author here wraps them in a standard action-driven plot without providing the necessary additional development. Consequently, the four women remain un-individuated and unremarkable and their behavior inexplicable.
The author doesn’t seem to be able to write a subtle, complex, female character that isn’t a helpmate to a man — or at least he didn’t pull it off this time. The characters’ skill set only allows them to show a little leg to get access to the bad guy, torture him to get the information they came for, and to escape is the nick of time when things go wrong, while cracking wise about, usually, men. Or lack of men. They do this over and over.
I think I’m done with Thor after this one.
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LibraryThing member utbw42
Another quick read...this one falls in the middle of Thor books in terms of quality. The concept of an all-female Delta Force team was intriguing, but I found the characters somewhat thin and topical. Still fun to read, good escapism from the daily grind.
LibraryThing member Philip100
These girls are serious butt kickers. I hope Thor intends to write more story lines that include them. Damn Good Book!
LibraryThing member librisissimo
Emphasis was on Thor's re-boot of the "Charlie's Angels" TV trope, but the plot itself was typical of a Harvath novel with minimal presence of The Man himself.
The plot is convoluted, as it should be, and more science fiction than political.
The plot is convoluted, as it should be, and more science fiction than political.
LibraryThing member Andy_DiMartino
Nice paced espionage thriller.
LibraryThing member aeceyton
Yeah, this is not for me. The writing is simplistic, geared for an 'adult' with a 7th grade reading comprehension. The characters are rudimentary and interchangeable. The premise is that the female characters are 'just as good, just as tough' as their male counterparts in the superspy business.
Otherwise perfectly fine.
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This seems to be proven by repeating that phrase. Otherwise perfectly fine.
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Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2010-11-23
Physical description
336 p.; 9.25 inches
DDC/MDS
| 813.6 |
ISBN
1439192952 / 9781439192955
Similar in this library
Pages
336