Review & Giveaway: Combustion by Steve Worland

Title: Combustion

Author: Steve Worland

Published: Penguin Australia July 2013

Read an Excerpt

Status: Read from July 24 to 25, 2013 — I own a copy {Courtesy the publisher/NetGalley}

My Thoughts:

Combustion is the perfect read for big budget, action film fans. The explosions come thick and fast, planes fall from the sky and buildings come tumbling down as a madman’s twisted environmental crusade wreaks havoc across LA, and NASA astronaut Judd Bell and Australian chopper pilot Corey Purchase are reunited in an effort to save the world – again!

In the first book, Velocity, the pair were forced to work together in an effort to recover a hijacked space shuttle, and Judd’s girlfriend Rhonda, from a group of mercenaries who planned to detonate a dirty nuke.
Combustion opens around nine months after those events as Judd, Corey, Rhonda and Steverson are meeting in LA for talks with the company making a movie about their heroic exploits. While Rhonda and Steverson are still enroute, Bunsen initiates the first phase of his plan to force the world to reconsider their reliance on fossil fuels – releasing a controlled amount of the airborne nanotech virus he spent 20 million dollars developing, which targets combustion engines and detonates their fuel supply. As vehicles begin to explode all over LA, a chance encounter reveals to Judd and Corey the existence of an antidote, and with emergency services crippled it is up to the pair to retrieve it and then stop Bunsen’s plans for global destruction.

Combustion is all about the action that unfolds at a breakneck pace. From a foot chase of a packed school bus, to cycling stunts on the Hollywood Freeway, explosions galore and daring aerial feats as Corey attempts to outrun a surface to air missile (or two). This is cinematic action, unsurprising since Worland has a background in screen writing. I compared Velocity to a Nicholas Cage movie but I think Combustion reminds me most of Die Hard 4 (Live Free, Die Hard).

That makes Judd John McClane (Bruce Willis), I guess and there are some similarities, for example Judd is equally as uncomfortable with the hero tag, though for different reasons than McClane, and it is something Judd has to work through as he and Corey careen around LA. In general though Judd’s motives in Combustion are more altruistic and he curses a lot less (actually I don’t think he curses at all!).
I love the humour of the banter between Judd and Corey and between Corey and Spike (yes his dog).
Corey is more of an equal partner in Combustion than the sidekick he was relegated to in Velocity. He brings specific skills to the adventure and with Judd doubting himself, he steps up to take the lead when needed in his own way. There is also romance for Corey in this novel with film agent Lola whom he rescues from a burning building.

Just like Velocity, Combustion is a fun, exciting, fast paced and action packed novel. I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see either on the big screen sometime soon.

For your chance to WIN signed copy of Combustion and to learn more about author, Steve Worland CLICK HERE

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