Description
Product Description
METAL GEAR SOLID: THE BEAST IS BACK.
WHOSE SIDE ARE YOU ON?
In a torrential downpour, former FOXHOUND agent Solid Snake stands on the George Washington Bridge–ready to launch himself onto the deck of the U.S.S. Discovery
as it passes below. Inside Discovery is a new generation of Metal Gear. But in the next hour, Snake’s world explodes.
Two years later, a young, unproven agent code-named Raiden must penetrate the mystery of what went so insanely wrong that night.
In a labyrinthine superstructure in New York Harbor known as the Big Shell, enemies, allies, secret agents, and double-dealers converge: Russian commandos, a cyber Vamp, a long-legged, leather-clad, rifle-bearing beauty named Fortune, a deformed, finely manicured bomber called Fatman, and a mysterious Mister X. Somewhere in the maze, as well, is the president himself–his biometrics coded to a bomb that can take out Manhattan, his loyalties unknown. Now the rookie Raiden is fighting his way to one discovery after another, including the rebirth of Solid Snake himself and a nightmare organization with a history, a plan, and a terrifying superweapon hidden in plain sight.
About the Author
Between 1996 and 2002, Raymond Benson was commissioned by the James Bond literary copyright holders to take over writing the 007 novels. In total he penned and published worldwide six original 007 novels (including
Zero Minus Ten,
Never Dream of Dying,
The Man with the Red Tattoo), three film novelizations, and three short stories. An anthology of his Bond work, entitled
The Union Trilogy, was published in October 2008. Benson's book
The James Bond Bedside Companion, an encyclopedic work on the 007 phenomenon, was first published in 1984 and was nominated for an Edgar Allan Poe Award by Mystery Writers of America for Best Biographical/Critical Work. Benson has also written non-Bond novels:
Face Blind (2003),
Evil Hours (2004), and
Sweetie's Diamonds (2006).
The Pocket Essentials Guide to Jethro Tull was published in 2002. Using the pseudonym "David Michaels," Benson is also the author of the
NY Times best-selling books
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell (2004) and its sequel
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell—
Operation Barracuda (2005). Benson's latest venture is an original series of "rock 'n' roll thrillers." The first title was
A Hard Day's Death, published in April 2008. The sequel,
Dark Side of the Morgue, was published in March 2009. He is also the author of the sixth "Gabriel Hunt" adventure novel,
Hunt Through Napoleon's Web.
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Chapter One
"The Hudson River . . . We had classified intelligence that a new type of Metal Gear was scheduled for transport. The whole thing stank, but our noses have been out in the cold too long . . ."
Solid Snake stood on the middle of the George Washington Bridge in the torrential downpour, overlooking the water below. The tanker U.S.S. Discovery was approaching and nearly at Snake's "Point of No Return." Snake looked out from under the hooded rain poncho and eyed the traffic on the bridge moving in both directions. Just headlights. No other figures on the walkway. If any people in vehicles saw him, they'd think he was just another suicide statistic. No cause for alarm.
That thought made Snake smile wryly.
Visibility was close to zero due to the heavy rain and high winds. The tanker was just a big, black shape moving along the river.
Time to go.
Snake unzipped the poncho and shrugged it off of his body, revealing the dark sneaking suit that was his trademark uniform, the same old gear he had used during the Shadow Moses affair two years earlier. The uniform showed signs of repair in several places, and there were no protectors in place. Snake was armed only with a Beretta, worn on a hip holster.
He adjusted the goggles over his face, careful not to disturb the signature blue bandana that was also as much a part of his body as the black hair on his head