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[size=150]Chris Ryan resurrects John Porter for new 'Strike Back' novel 'Deathlist'[/size
June 2, 2015 9:01 AM MST
Strike Back fans will get a blast from the past in January, as Chris Ryan will be stepping back into the universe for the first time since writing the novel of the same name almost a decade ago. The author has penned Deathlist, a new adventure featuring original Strike Back protagonist John Porter, which will be released on January 14.
Porter was portrayed by Richard Armitage in the first series of Strike Back in 2010, but when the show's renewal was announced by British broadcaster Sky, Armitage could not continue in the role due to his commitment to The Hobbit. Armitage was thus replaced as the lead by actors Philip Winchester and Sullivan Stapleton, though he did return to resolve Porter's fate in the first episode of season two (the show's first on Cinemax).
Given how Porter was written out of the TV series, Deathlist would seemingly have to be a prequel, and the description given for the new novel seems to indicate that as well. Here's what publisher Coronet has released:
John Porter, hero of the original Strike Back novel and TV series returns in an exciting new adventure, when old enemies infiltrate SAS selection.
A devastating attack. A government in crisis. A Regiment looking for vengeance. Now the strike back begins.
1999. The hottest day of the year, and eighty hardened squaddies are climbing a mountain in the Brecon Beacons, their bergens loaded down with kit. These men are candidates trying out for Selection, hoping to join the hallowed ranks of the Regiment. They're overseen by an instructor from the Regiment Training Wing, John Porter: a grizzled veteran of more than ten years as a Blade. Suddenly, eight masked gunmen pour out from behind cover. The candidates are under attack.
While the PM hosts an emergency COBRA meeting and his shadowy Communications Director orders a media blackout, Porter and John Bald, one of the Blades, are both taken to briefing at a remote hotel in the country.
Porter and Bald are asked to sign contracts stating that they no longer work for the MoD. They are going to lead a Strike Team to lead a secretive and illegal mission to hunt down those responsible for the attack.
What follows is a deadly game of kill or be killed as the Strike Team sweep across Europe in search of the men who orchestrated the attack and discover that all is not as it seems in the process.
Deathlist would be Ryan's return to the Strike Back universe for the first time since 2007, and coinciding neatly with the conclusion of the TV series, which will have aired its final episode by the time the novel is published. It's not clear if any other characters from the original novel will return for the new book or if there might be other volumes after it, but fans of the Porter character will certainly enjoy his return.
Ryan has shown a preference for writing characters over two or three books. He is currently working on the Danny Black series, which began with Masters of War (2013) and continued with last year's Hunter Killer. The third Danny Black novel, Hellfire, is set to hit shelves in August. Unsurprisingly, Coronet has marketed the last two books with a sticker that reads "No. 1 best-selling author of Strike Back."
One thing you unfortunately are unlikely to see is Ryan picking up wherever the TV show leaves off. While Porter was his creation, Strike Back series characters Michael Stonebridge and Damien Scott were conceived by then-executive producer Frank Spotnitz.
http://www.examiner.com/article/chris-ryan-resurrects-john-porter-for-new-strike-back-novel-deathlist