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    Orphan X
    Orphan X
    Orphan X
    Audiobook11 hours

    Orphan X

    Written by Gregg Hurwitz

    Narrated by Scott Brick

    4.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    “Brilliantly conceived and plotted … Read this book. You’ll thank me later.” -- David Baldacci

    The first in the international bestselling series!

    Who is Orphan X?

    The Nowhere Man is a legendary figure spoken about only in whispers. It’s said that when he’s reached by the truly desperate and deserving, the Nowhere Man can and will do anything to protect and save them. But he’s not merely a legend.

    “Excellent…A smart, stylish, state-of-the-art thriller…might give Lee Child’s Jack Reacher books a run for their money.”—The Washington Post

    Evan Smoak is a man with skills, resources, and a personal mission to help those with nowhere else to turn. He’s also a man with a dangerous past. Chosen as a child, he was raised and trained as an Orphan, an off-the-books black box program designed to create the perfect deniable intelligence asset: An assassin. Evan was Orphan X—until he broke with the program and used everything he learned to disappear. But now someone is on his tail. Someone with similar skills and training who will exploit Evan’s secret new identity as the Nowhere Man to eliminate him.

    “Hurwitz melds nonstop action and high-tech gadgetry…in this excellent series opener.”
    —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBrilliance Audio
    Release dateJan 19, 2016
    ISBN9781491551936
    Orphan X
    Author

    Gregg Hurwitz

    Gregg Hurwitz schreibt mit seinen Thrillern rund um Evan Smoak - ORPHAN X einen Bestseller nach dem anderen. Er ist derzeit Co-Präsident der International Thriller Writers (ITW). Als gefragter Comic-Autor arbeitet er für Marvel (»Wolverine«, »Punisher«) und DC (u.a. »Batman«), schreibt Drehbücher für die großen Hollywood-Studios und Artikel über Politik und Kultur für das Wall Street Journal, The Guardian und andere renommierte Zeitungen. Seine Bücher sind mit zahlreichen Literaturpreisen ausgezeichnet und regelmäßig auf der New York Times-Bestsellerliste. Die inzwischen 23 Thriller wurden bisher in 33 Sprachen übersetzt. Die Filmrechte am »Orphan X«- Universum wurden an Warner Bros. verkaufen. Mit seiner Familie und seinem Rhodesian Ridgeback lebt er in Los Angeles, wo er leidenschaftlich Fußball spielt und sich dabei häufig verletzt. Bei der Recherche für seine Thriller hat er sich mit Navy SEALs auf Schießstände geschlichen, ist auf den Galápagos-Inseln mit Haien geschwommen und hat verdeckt in Sekten zur Gedankenkontrolle ermittelt. Zuletzt erschien auf Deutsch „Dark Horses. Ein Orphan X Thriller“ im Ronin Verlag, wo auch die meisten seiner Hörbücher auf Deutsch veröffentlicht werden.

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    Reviews for Orphan X

    4.5/5

    847 ratings65 reviews

    What did you think?

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    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 3/5
      It was okay, I like you’re next so much better. What I detest about this writer is how he portrays women- like what woman is going to even mention persecuting you for saving her sons life-
      Every freaking book this dude writes the reader has to contend with the misogynistic way thiscromagnum author portrays women

      1 person found this helpful

    • 2/5
      2.5 stars
      It was okay. I feel it should have been a novella not a full length novel, for the main plot was good but the side stories felt like unnecessary detail, in fact is felt like TOO MUCH! and some what chaotic.
      Sadly it was a case of Men-Writing-Women, it was not the worse I've read in relation to that, but still it's sad because the author is actually good.
    • 5/5
      Kept me rapped until the bitter end. Going for book 2 now.
    • 5/5
      This started of like a tiny snowball on top of a giant steep snow covered mountain. The snowball rolls down the mountain picking up speed and size and becomes an unstoppable force! Love this book!
    • 2/5
      I made it about 20% into this potboiler before I just couldn't go on. This is the first of a series about Evan Smoak, who was raised by a mysterious man named Jack. Jack trained Evan with methods which were basically child-abuse to act as a vigilante (the author would probably prefer to think of him as a paladin). At the beginning of the book there is a list of much better iconic characters from much better thrillers. It was very daring of this author to present such a list, since the protagonist of this book doesn't hold up well in a comparison to those other characters.We learn that Evan is very rich, we can tell this by the description of the penthouse in which he lives including all the expensive products that he names. This is a very gadget-driven thriller. There was a self-importance about all of this that I did not enjoy. I also did not enjoy the violent action scenes. Most people seem to have loved this book but I found it all incredibly cheesy.This was my first experience with this author and needless to say I will not be continuing with the series. I also didn't like the narrator of the audiobook, Scott Brick, who I thought was excessively melodramatic.
    • 1/5
      The narrator is good. Too bad he's reading from the shallowest vigilante story I've ever read. It could make some sense if it had been rated as 'young adult', but it's more like 'dumb adult'. Just the premise: orphan turned pro-bono killer, socially awkward but with a starts-on-page-4 budding romance with the single-mom-widowed-district-attorney-downstairs neighbor. Come one. Plus the Jordan Peterson quotes squicked me out monumentally. Who on earth would pepper their books with the consanguine offspring of facebook inspirational mush and Ayn Rand's neo-Nietzschean rants?
    • 5/5
      great book can't wait till the next one I hope it comes soon
    • 5/5
      I liked Evan and his dedication to #10. Yeah, Scott!
    • 5/5
      I couldn't stop listening to this white knuckle thriller. So many twists and twists on twists. Evan Smoak is someone I want to follow. Can't wait for the new book coming out in 2017
    • 4/5
      If Jason Bourne and Jack Reacher had a baby, it would be Evan Smoak. Great fun and I look forward to more books featuring the Nowhere Man.
    • 5/5
      The plot of this book had me in the edge of my seat.. the twist and turns. The betrayal .. an that epilogue was everything .. this book has totally sucked me in and I’m off to book 2
      I am so endeared to Evan..
    • 5/5
      Good book. Suspense, action,and violence. Highly recommend to all action junkies.
    • 5/5
      Brilliant thriller. If you like the Jason Bourne films, you'll enjoy this novel.
    • 5/5
      The narration is excellent. The story line made me want to listen as fast as I could. I am on to the next orphan X book and can't wait.
    • 4/5
      Had our attention from the first page to the last page. Excellent book.
    • 5/5
      Starting through all again ... even better this time !!
    • 5/5
      This was one of the best books I have read in a long time! It was very captivating with an interesting plot and great characters. I can’t put my finger on why I liked it so much but I can say that it was very enjoyable to read. Fight scenes that reminded me of. A Reacher novel, other scenes reminded me of Gray Man, others scenes was like a Vince Flynn or Brad Thor book. Really great!
    • 4/5
      Premise was new to me. I was fascinated by the X storyline. I enjoyed the characters, the dialogues, and the different storylines. Albeit sometimes it was busy, it was fitting, and the story flowed.

      I was surprised this is a series, and I'm not sure if I want to continue. I don't want the series to take away from all the enjoyment I had with Orphan X.

      Thank you NetGalley. This was hit with me.

      #NetGalley
      #GreggHurwitz
      #OrphanX
      #ScottBrick
    • 5/5
      The twists I never saw coming My new fav.
    • 5/5
      Excellent writing. Lots of detail but not excessive and lots of action. This would make a good movie.
      Can’t wait to read the next one.
    • 4/5
      Pretty good. Narrator is really good. I have a pet peeve about thrillers where the main character seems to have a lot of money and it's unclear exactly how or why. After his training program is shut down I would think his funding would be cut off, but the author just glosses over this by saying he has a "virtually unlimited bank account". To me that's significant enough to warrant further explanation, otherwise it's hard to find myself immersed in the story. It may seem like a small thing but this kind of thing really bugs me.
    • 5/5
      Now this was a great story. Nice character development and everything flows well. I'm looking forward to the next story.
    • 5/5
      Of all the "thriller" genre of books I have read or listened to, this one kept me attention completely, and despite the violence (always to be) associated with such books, I believe this is my favorite of all time. There are a lot of nuances in the book, and hints of what may happen in the book's future - and a lot of surprises and cliffhangers - pay attention. In addition, it is really heartwarming. I hope you love it as much as I do. It's my first Hurwitz book, but I am going to start on the next one immediately.
    • 4/5
      Evan Smoak, otherwise known as Orphan X or the Nowhere Man, was trained from a young age to be an assassin. When he is no longer interested in following orders he goes out on his own, using his unique skill set to help people in the worst circumstances. The only payment he demands is that they find another person in need of help and direct them to him. After helping a young girl Evan finds that his past may be catching up with him and he may be the next victim in need of help. This was full of action and adventure. Evan is a very likeable character and I enjoyed watching him grow through the novel as he realized that existing as an island might not be the best way to live your life. I look forward to more books about Evan Smoak, all in all a very satisfying read!
    • 4/5
      This is the first book in the Orphan X series, and what a great start to a series. Fast-paced, with a fascinating main character in Evan Smoak. His background is a bit reminiscent of Vince Flynn’s Mitch Rapp character, but Evan Smoak has transformed himself into the Nowhere Man, who uses the skills he learned as a government operative to privately help ordinary citizens who find themselves in extreme danger, and then asks them to “pay it forward” by passing his phone number on to one person who needs his help. But this time he finds himself unsure of who whom he can trust when two different people say his last client has passed his number to them. The end left me anxious to move on to the next book in the series - and to me that’s an excellent recommendation for the first book in a series.
      Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books for providing a copy for an unbiased review.
    • 2/5
      This is the usual sort of lone-assassin turned good-guy (in this case, doing a version of "The Equalizer") having to take on an entire army of other assassins, some of whom are part of their own previous secret government unit. If it is the first time you've read or seen one of these it may be more impressive. If it's the 100th time it feels like just more of the same.An extra point for Evan Smoak's bed which hangs in the air supported by magnets. Presumably that is a symbol of how he is untouchable and is an island alone from the rest of the world. That at least was a memorable image.
    • 4/5
      Having read all of the latest Orphan X Books I somehow was unable to find a copy of the original so many thanks to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for granting me a copy of this book originally published in 2016.Knowing the back story from more recent installments there was not much that came as a surprise. While this is well written, Orphan X is a little more all over the place confronting issue upon issue, reacting without having a breath to regroup and rationalize. Not knowing who to believe and which story rang true was going to be our hero’s downfall - maybe. Not following the commandments was going to be his downfall - maybe. The introduction of other Orphans and pitting them against each other was a symphony in terror, blood and cunning. Very few, if any, do it better than Hurwitz and I was amazed as always by the attention to detail in every part of this story.
    • 4/5
      Book 2 in the #boutofbooks read-a-thon was luckily a whole lot better than the first one. I didn't have many expectations for this one beforehand, and purchased it semi-randomly on Audible to have something to listen to on my walks. Funnily enough, I ended up listening to it while making a scarf, but that's neither here nor there.

      I'm not usually one for the James Bond / Batman type of protagonist, or the story that flies from one action packed scene to another, but something about this was different. Despite being the ultimate hitman (with the weakness of having a conscience) Evan Smoak is not your typical macho man main character. Something about him seems vulnerable and maybe that's what makes him almost relatable. Despite what he is and what his history has been, he's still human.

      This story was not perfect, but where the plot or the characters had their flaws, they were written in a way that made me care for them and above all, to believe them. The story was well written and fast paced (made even more so by the fact that I listened to it in double time.) The final plot twist was not entirely unexpected, but still managed to shock me enough to go from "I'm not sure if I'm interested in the sequel" to "I can't wait for the sequel to come out in January".

      Definitely a great thriller with one of my new favorite male protagonists in a long while.
    • 3/5
      Part of me wishes I hadn't reread this one. I mean, I still enjoyed it but I did get caught up more in the bullshit moments and with just how bad Evan's judgement was. It was pretty bad. I still plan to keep rereading the next two books in the series so I can dive into the fourth. It's been out for a while now and I've been staring at the ARC paperback the publisher sent me. It's taunting me as a symbol of just how far behind I am in my ARC reading. Just so many books and so little time...
    • 3/5
      I enjoy the genre this book is in. The former-government-trained-from-childhood-special-agent-hitman-who's-on-the-lamb-and-is-a-soldier-of-fortune. I assume that's the title of the genre. To make it a great story, the author has to either be really strong in writing and make the world and main character very interesting or you have to twist up the genre to something we haven't seen before.

      This book finds the middle road. It's a fine story that's told pretty straight forward. The main character is interesting enough and has to be what he has to be for the genre but he's not too interesting. For example, Evan lives by a code of commandments however, it doesn't seem like that big of a struggle to start breaking them and there's no real strain over finding out how to do it.

      The plot is what it needs to be with a few twists that have to be in there. It is pretty standard. Evan's surrounding characters tend to be a bit more interesting than the action. The action is fine but I would have liked more detail.

      My biggest issue is with the quick jumps to plot. A happens then B happens then C happens. There are times where Evan has some introspection but most of the time it's impregnated into a quick conversation or a telephone call.

      Overall, it's a fine book that was fine to read. It was pretty standard. Final Grade - C