| | |  | Terrorism | Home » » Phantom: An Alex Hawke Novel (Alexander Hawke) | | | | | | | Description: | | Counterspy Alex Hawke must catch a villainous megalomaniac—a man obsessed with horrifying experiments in cyberwarfare—in this mesmerizing new espionage thriller in Ted Bell's New York Times bestselling series The first and most bizarre event nearly becomes a monumental catastrophe when something goes awry at an American theme park, wreaking havoc on visitors looking for nothing more than a sun-splashed holiday. In a different part of the country, a USAF F-15 pilot, escorting another jet in the skies over the Midwest, inexplicably loses control of his plane, endangering the lives of several people and deeply puzzling those following his mission on the ground. Then, in the misty calm of a coastal California evening, the world's premier scientist on the subject of artificial intelligence gets a strange phone call. When he hangs up, he quietly grabs his coat and leaves for an after-dinner stroll from which he never returns. It's up to Hawke and the brilliant former inspector Ambrose Congreve to find out what could possibly be happening. But how does one identify—and fight—an enemy one can't see, a real phantom? Even these seasoned operatives are mystified. Is there really such a thing as an ultra-intelligent machine, a cyberweapon that can shift the geopolitical balance of power? In a hunt that takes him from Palo Alto, California, to the Russian frontier, to Cambridge University and the glistening Mediterranean aboard his newly christened and armed super-yacht Blackhawke, Alex Hawke is joined by the unstoppable Stokely Jones and his ex-CIA buddy Harry Brock as he moves closer to unmasking the scientist behind these extraordinary events, going nose-to-nose with an enemy unlike any he's fought before—and may never again. | | | Product Details: | | | Average Customer Rating:
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Average Customer Review:
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8 of 10 found the following review helpful:
 A MUST READMar 29, 2012
By EmilyY1976
Alex Hawke, family man...not a phrase we have used to describe the handsome patriot so far in this series. True, he calls several of his close friends... family; his ever faithful butler Pelham, the astute Ambrose Congreve, and good ole Stokely Jones. With the discovery of his son living in Russia, we witness a new paternal side of Lord Hawke.
Fiercely protective, Alex devises ways to keep his spitting image safe from a Russian group called the Tsarists. These extremists have a price on little Alexei's head. The grandson of a tsar, even though the tsar is dead, is a political threat. Alex puts Alexei in the care of the lovely Sergeant Nell Spooner, a member of London's Trident Operational Command Unit of the Metropolitan Police Service. "Spooner" becomes his fervent protector.
Meanwhile, a computer genius is wreaking havoc on the world. It starts with an accident at Disney World, then a Russian submarine sinks a cruise ship from the United States, and maybe most frightening is an American fighter plane that seemingly turns on Air Force One. What do these incidents have in common? A mysterious force seems to take over the electronic systems rendering the operators helpless. Is this the work of an enemy country or something beyond belief?
A Phantom lurks in the depths. Can Alex Hawke shine light on this dark adversary? Alex never backs down from a challenge. He takes on this one with a glass of Gosling's Black Seal rum and a wry smile on his face.
5 of 6 found the following review helpful:
 FantasyworldApr 21, 2012
By Wendy Bassett
I have enjoyed other books by Ted Bell but and was excited to start reading this one. Everything was going not too bad when all of a sudden this Darius creature emerged with Perseus. Honestly, what a load of crap! If writers would quit trying to inject fantasy into their books, they would be much better off. What a disappointment. I did not bother reading the rest of the book! Waste of money!!
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
 SingularityApr 23, 2012
By hbgyn
Very interesting tale re: AI; Ted Bell once again presents his protaganist Sir Alex Hawke as we have come to expect. Some of the scenarios take literary license, but of course, that's what makes a good fictional read. I hope you enjoy it! Oh, by the way, I'm reviewing his book, Phantom.
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
A Great Addition to the Hawke LegacyApr 04, 2012
By Adam C Erickson
There are many things that I'm thankful my father has shared with me. An interest in politics, my love of sailing, and my love of the Hawke series, just to name a few. Ted Bell's newest book in the Hawke series, Phantom, is a fine addition that includes all of these things.
The difficult balance in any "spy thriller" is to create a story that walks the fine line of believability and outlandish. The story must be just slightly beyond what is something you would expect to hear in the news, but not so outlandish that it's downright unbelievable. Ted Bell has hit this mark on the head with Phantom. The character of Hawke has easily been established in previous books. He's a polite, emotionally connected world superstar with the wealth to do as he would like. He has a fortune and skill set that puts Bruce Wayne to shame. He has the connections that James Bond could only dream to have. He knows how to be there emotionally for the ones he loves, yet has no problem putting those emotions aside to get a job done. In spite of all that, he still is respectful of those that he has to bring to their untimely demise. Thanks to his character's establishment in prior books, the "coincidences" and connections he has are all easily explained within his universe. It comes across as believable that he could afford mansions and mega yachts while rubbing shoulders with world leaders. He is surrounded by individuals who have the skill sets to overcome uncomfortable situations.
Ted Bell has done a masterful job crafting a villain that creates a formidable foe for even Hawke. No stranger to extreme situations, the ultimate foe in Phantom creates situations where the reader will be curious how Hawke and others can overcome. This villain creates an opportunity to evaluate philosophies of Humanism and the potential upsides or downsides of Singularity. What role does Humanity face, both now and in the future? Will current technological advancements in computing present positive or negative opportunities for Humanity? The villain will bring these questions and more to the mind of the reader and force them to be aware of an engage these philosophies. Phantom ends up being more a battle of the minds between Hawke and this villain, a new turn for the series. It is a welcome approach though, keeping the Hawke series fresh and interesting. Don't worry, though, Bell has crafted some of his best action sequences of the series. The contains some thrilling sea battles that had me wanting to head out on my 16' Compac Sailboat and storm the waters of enemies. All of this being said, though, I would have loved to see a little longer of a cat and mouse game between the villain and Hawke and a little less distraction towards the secondary villain.
Ultimately, Phantom is a welcome addition to the Hawke legacy. I once mentioned to Mr. Bell that, in spite of the fact that I buy my books on the Kindle, there are certain books that I buy an additional hard copy of because I want to be sure I have it around no matter what. Phantom easily falls into this category, and it will join the rest of the Hawke series neatly on my physical shelf.
6 of 8 found the following review helpful:
The seventh sonApr 03, 2012
By Moviegal
"KCC"
Phantom
The 7th in a series is never where you want to be. It is certainly not where you want to start out. First thing, Disney-world blows up, then my favorite cruise ship is sunk by a Russian submarine. As a reader, I ask myself, "What next?" Well, there is plenty next, but no more big spoilers in this review, so relax. (Right, like you did not see that stuff coming ahead of time? Come on.)
Anyway, the seventh son is traditionally imbued with mystical gifts from birth, but to that topic later. Phantom, by Ted Bell, is the 7th installation in the life-tale of Alexander Hawke. Recovering from the sudden, tragic, and zeppelin-involving death of his true-love, Lord Hawke (yup, a real lord) finds himself catapulted out of the pit of despair and into a fighter-jet cockpit, right back into action he was born for (manly, warm whisky-drinkin', whooping'-takin', wise-cracking making') action. Adventure and Goslings rum (neat) abound. On the surface, that is Phantom in a nut shell (one really loud, crowded and testosterone-filled nutshell just about to crack wide open). But, of course, that is not all there is to Phantom.
Back to those mystical gifts... Mr. Bell, thank you: for getting the deep South wedding (mostly) right, disposing of the highly-annoying Anastasia quickly and painlessly, not making all the computer experts be skinny nerds in grey tee-shirts, having Stokley Jones drink nothing stronger than Diet Coke, and ending the whole thing at Teakettle Cottage (OK, sorry. That might have been a spoiler. But notice that I did not say whether there was a beautiful sunset to sail off into, or if the whole thing explodes and topples into the sea. So there.) Most of all thank you for the voices. Each character in Ted Bell's novels has his own voice. You can tell them apart by what they say and how they say it. This, for me, is the best gift in these novels, and it is what fuels the Internet discussions of who should play each character, should the movie be made.
But before this turns into a monstrosity of an overly-clever review, let me just say that I found it interesting that, although Mr. Bell does pay tribute to the Ghost in the Machine, no reference is ever made to Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics. (To be brief, usually robots are created with a sort of Hippocratic Oath built in.) Yes, yes, yes, I know that Perseus is not a robot, but my point is that Asimov would have appreciated a shout-out.
Next time, also, please remember that sharks might be toothy, but it is women who are toothsome, no self-respecting American child has ever leapt off the roof into the "hedgerow" (hedges, maybe; shrubs, perhaps; bushes, most likely, but certainly not hedgerows), and what is with the three-year-old who is still taking the bottle? Wouldn't Hawke's spawn go straight for a White Russian? But I digress.
Another milld distraction is that everyone throughout the book is diving here and there, but no one (not once) ever dived. To my mind, a dove is a small peaceful bird. Dived is what you did behind the brick wall when the terrorists lobbed the grenade at you. And let me tell you, everyone in this book is always diving here and there. Everyone except the Lady Mars. She floats most places.
There is heavy armor plating, argyle socks, miles and miles of concertina wire, several different exclusive clubs, and a pair of weathered sailing shorts (but you will have to read the book yourself to find out about them!) Ex-KGB officials get blown sky high by ex-CIA operatives. It's all extra-fun. Sort of reminds me of that soda commercial that is playing these days - the one about how some about movies that are not for ladies because they contain fast jungle chases, machine guns, explosions, snakes and catch-phrases -all the stuff ladies are not supposed to like.
Quick assessment: Phantom is a novel served neat, because you don't want to chill or water down this experience. Not the most glamorous or thrilling of the seven sons, but a solid worker, one who will build the bridge the next episode.
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