Scorpion Books In Order

Publication Order of Scorpion Books

The “Scorpion” series of novels written by Andrew Kaplan are generally considered spy thriller novels. They feature a lead protagonist code named Scorpion, who is an orphan raised by the Bedouins that uses his wide array of espionage skills to fight evil around the globe. The first novel of the “Scorpion” series was “Scorpion” that was published in 1985. Kaplan would put the series on hold and finally bring it back in 2012, writing two novels in that year in the still ongoing series. Andrew Kaplan is a world renowned author of several spy thriller novels in the “Homeland” and “Scorpion” series, and several award-winning freestanding novels. Much of the inspiration that he uses comes from his experience working as a war correspondent and journalist, and his work with the Israeli Army and the US Army. His work has topped many bestseller charts across the globe, where it has been translated into more than twenty languages. Some of his freestanding novels were selected by ALA as among the best 100 novels about the Second World War. Besides writing novels, Kaplan has been involved in film writing and is credited with writing “Goldeneye” the blockbuster James Bond Classic. He is also the author of “Homeland: Carrie’s Run” the international bestselling novel written as prequel to “Homeland” the award-winning TV series. He also won the Scribe Award in 2015 for the novel “Homeland: Saul’s Game”.

The lead character of the “Scorpion” series of novels is Scorpion, an American intelligence agent. Scorpion is a martial artist, multilingual, an expert in explosives and firearms, and has contacts in criminal gangs and intelligence agencies across the Middle East and Europe. The man was brought up by the Bedouins of the Arabian Desert, which gives him a lot of knowledge of Middle Eastern culture and thinking. He is a brilliant spy who does not seem to have much of a personal life, and no emotion, which makes most of his actions clinical and efficient. He has excellent knowledge of a lot of the fighting tactics of foreign military and foreign nations from the Israeli Krav Maga to the Brazilian back leg sweep making for highly exciting action sequences and plot lines. While he is not an agent of the US intelligence services per se, he is one of the most trusted freelance agents that often gets called in on some of the most difficult assignments that he will always complete with no fuss.

The plots for most of the novels of the “Scorpion” series have the same themes that can be found in many of the current global politics. Some of these issues include Pakistani operations, terror plots in the Middle East, Russia and their Global activities, and even Iran’s nuclear program. The novels are something of a throwback to the awesome espionage thriller writers of the 1980s by writers we have come to love such as Tom Clancy, Frederick Forsythe, and John Le Carre among others. They are good taut thrillers that employ the classic techniques of espionage that include blackmail, coded messages, secret notes, and disguise to make for an engaging and fast paced reads. What gives the novels such a thrill is that Andrew Kaplan blurs the lines between evil and good to the point that sometimes it is impossible to tell just who you can trust. Like many global political thrillers the author never reveals the intrigue of the story right up to the very end. Kaplan also injects the notion that many governments including the Western ones only act in their best interests, even if their stated aims may be politically correct. Overall the novels of the Scorpion series of novels are tricky, complicated, and superbly crafted narratives that make use of the best of exotic cities, amoral murder, bio weapons, radical Islam, and espionage that will leave the reader highly entertained.

“Scorpion” the first novel of the series is a high octane story that introduces the lead protagonist code named Scorpion, as he navigates a turbulent political situation. Written in 1985, the novel follows the format of many eighties novels with a highly skilled espionage character who works for the US intelligence agencies as the lead. The daughter of a US Senator has just been kidnapped and Scorpion is the best man to take care of the situation for the CIA. He now has to embark on a journey to the Middle East, where rumors of sexual slavery have been rampant in recent months. He has to find the girl and rescue her if indeed she has been sold into slavery. Right from the get go, he suspects the Russian’s involvement in the kidnapping but he cannot establish a reason for their actions. The novel is a brilliant Cold War Style narrative that has many parallels to the current Middle East political intrigues between the US and Russia. The author also includes some information about the lead protagonist’s childhood and upbringing by the Bedouins which makes for quite interesting reading.

“Scorpion Betrayal” the first novel in the Scorpion series after a nearly three decade hiatus is an explosive novel that gets into the action right from the first page and never lets up. Egypt is thrown into a tailspin when its head of Internal Security is shot by the “Palestinian”, a faceless killer who strikes in a café in Cairo. The killing surprises the international intelligence community as it turns out to be the first salvo in a chilling game of terror. The brutal murder is meant to send a message to the intelligence community of a tectonic shift in international geopolitics. Wary of the change to the status quo, the CIA calls upon the Scorpion to track down and eliminate “the Palestinian”. What follows is a breakneck speed chase through the deserts of the Middle East and European capitals and finally to the States. From Damascus to Beirut, from Rome to Utrecht the slippery Palestinian is relentless in his plans for global terror as he always seems to slip away just when his adversary arrives. When the Scorpion catches up with him, it is full out action as they engage in gunfights and car and motorbike chases in the city and country, which makes for a gripping sequences. Besides the action sequences are the chilling espionage activities that are full of danger for the protagonist, who knows that he has to put his instincts and wit into action against one of the best he has ever encountered, if he is to come out of this alive.