You can never go wrong with an Orphan X book. No, scratch that. An Orphan X book will never fail to blow your fucking mind. And Lone Wolf is just the latest example. A tremendous thriller and exemplary piece of writing by Gregg Hurwitz that will exhilarate through action and suspense while provoking thought and introspection on the ethics and usage of innovative technology.
Evan Smoak – aka Orphan X – has begrudgingly agreed to find a little girl’s lost dog. While this mission seems unusual and beneath the world class skill set of The Nowhere Man, it quickly turns kinetic when he enters a home to collect the dog but unknowingly walks in on an assassin murdering a leading AI expert. Now on the run from law enforcement and the highly capable assassin, Evan finds himself in a world of tech billionaires and Artificial Intelligence while still trying to find the lost dog and now needing to protect an innocent young woman caught in the crossfire. Furthermore, Evan is struggling with unfamiliar feelings stemming from the personal nature of this mission. But he will have to put that aside and use every ounce of strength, skill and intelligence he possesses to survive his most important mission to date.
Lone Wolf feels like two books in one. The first book is Orphan X doing what he does best – assisting innocents who need his help. He fully commits to his mission, continuously puts himself in harm’s way and stops at nothing to come through for the people counting on him. And he picks up mission creep along the way that his moral code demands he not ignore, complicating things and increasing the danger but for just causes that he needs to see through. And in the middle of all this, he faces off against an assassin every bit as good as he is. It’s an incredible storyline on its own.
But the second book is equally if not more important. This is a story about Evan Smoak’s personal development. Learning to live outside of the ten commandments passed down to him by his father figure/assassin trainer Jack. Figuring out how to navigate personal relationships and be a member of a regular community. Building a deeper connection with fellow Orphan program member Joey and helping her navigate the perils of young adulthood and trying to find your people. Basically just understanding that he’s a human first and foremost and that “never make it personal” is a commandment in need of modification. It's an amazing continuation of a brilliant development arc over a long running series.
And if that’s not enough, you’ll be faced with a deep dive into the existential threat of AI and technology, tied to the age old problem of the few accumulating power and wealth at the expense of the common person, that will make you seriously consider throwing all your devices in a deep body of water and moving into a log cabin deep in the woods.
To summarize: This book bangs. Get a copy. Thank me later.
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