Chess Team
 First edition cover of Pulse | |
| Author | Jeremy Robinson |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Fantasy, military science fiction |
| Publisher | St. Martin's Press / / |
| Published | 2009 – 2016 |
| Media type | Print (hardback & paperback), audiobook |
Chess Team is a series of 20 military science-fiction fantasy novels written by American author Jeremy Robinson, featuring the ex-Delta Force operator Jack Sigler.
Premise[]
Formed under special order from the President of the United States (Thomas Duncan), the Chess Team faces off against the world's most dangerous threats. Jack Sigler, callsign King, leads a team of operators hand-picked from the best of the best from within the United States Special Forces. Tasked with anti-terrorism missions that take them around the world against any threat, ancient, modern and, at times, inhuman. America's most elite soldiers are about to uncover one of history's deadliest secrets.
Characters[]
Chess Team members[]
The core Chess Team consist of King, Queen, Rook, Bishop, Knight and their handler Deep Blue. Occasionally team members are added to operations and are given the designation Pawn with a number moniker (Pawn 1, Pawn 2, etc.)
Main series[]
The main series consists of eight novels, starting with Pulse and ending with Empire, and an origins title, Prime.
| Order | Title | Author(s) | Publisher | Pages | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | Prime | Jeremy Robinson, Sean Ellis | Breakneck Media | 286 | 0988672537 |
| 1 | Pulse | Jeremy Robinson | St. Martin's Press | 336 | 0312540280 |
| 2 | Instinct | Jeremy Robinson | St. Martin's Press | 368 | 0312540299 |
| 3 | Threshold | Jeremy Robinson | St. Martin's Press | 352 | 0312540302 |
| 4 | Ragnarok | Jeremy Robinson, Kane Gilmour | Seven Realms Publishing | 339 | 0983735093 |
| 5 | Omega | Jeremy Robinson, Kane Gilmour | Breakneck Media | 316 | 0988672545 |
| 6 | Savage | Jeremy Robinson, Sean Ellis | Breakneck Media | 339 | 1941539009 |
| 7 | Cannibal | Jeremy Robinson, Sean Ellis | Breakneck Media | 386 | 1941539033 |
| 8 | Empire | Jeremy Robinson, Sean Ellis | Breakneck Media | 366 | 1941539130 |
Prime (origins novel)[]
Prime is an origins novel published between Threshold and Ragnarok. It is now considered Book 0 in the series.
Pulse[]
When George Pierce finds the decapitated remains of the mythical Lernaean Hydra in a tomb beneath the Nazca plains surrounded by Greek texts he calls on Jack Sigler for help. Shortly after Jacks arrival a Gen-Y security team arrive from Manifold Genetics, killing archaeologist Dr McCabe and taking the remains.
Richard Ridley and Manifold have plans for the Hydra: a serum capable of regenerating tissue with horrific consequences.
Pulse is the Chess Team's first adventure.
Instinct[]
The second book in the series sees the Chess Team operating in the jungles of Vietnam with Dr Sara Fogg (Callsign: Pawn) of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). While being perused by the Vietnamese People's Liberation Army Death Volunteers they must uncover the mystery of the Nguoi Rung.
Acting on information from George Pierce, King and Dr Fogg travel to Siletz in Oregon and find it completely destroyed but for an eleven-year-old girl, she only survivor left behind by the legendary Hercules.
Deep Blue's true identity is revealed to the team.
Threshold[]
Jack Sigler and Alexander Diotrephes, the mythical Hercules, team up to rescue Fiona, the last known speaker of many of the world's ancient languages, from Richard Ridley.
Jack learns about his parents' past. Tom Duncan makes plans to exit his presidency.
The novel explores the concept of the universal language.
Novellas[]
Chesspocalypse[]
The Chesspocalypse series of novellas occurs between the events of Threshold and Ragnarok while the members of Chess Team are scattered around the world.
| Order | Title | Author(s) | Publisher | Pages | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.1 | Callsign: King | Jeremy Robinson, Sean Ellis | Breakneck Media | 188 | 0983601771 |
| 3.2 | Callsign: Queen | Jeremy Robinson, David Wood | Breakneck Media | 112 | 0983601798 |
| 3.3 | Callsign: Rook | Jeremy Robinson, Edward G. Talbot | Breakneck Media | 110 | 098404230X |
| 3.4 | Callsign: King, Underworld | Jeremy Robinson, Sean Ellis | Breakneck Media | 186 | 0984042318 |
| 3.5 | Callsign: Bishop | Jeremy Robinson, David McAfee | Breakneck Media | 122 | 0984042326 |
| 3.6 | Callsign: Knight | Jeremy Robinson, Ethan Cross | Breakneck Media | 136 | 0984042342 |
| 3.7 | Callsign: Deep Blue | Jeremy Robinson, Kane Gilmour | Breakneck Media | 144 | 0984042350 |
| 3.8 | Callsign: King, Blackout | Jeremy Robinson, Sean Ellis | Breakneck Media | 236 | 0984042377 |
Continuum[]
The Continuum series of novella follows Jack Siglers progression through the pages of history as an immortal after being transported back in time during the events of Omega. For 2,814 years, King travels the globe, righting wrongs and generally attempting to stay out of the history books.
| Order | Title | Author(s) | Publisher | Pages | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5.1 | Guardian | Jeremy Robinson, J. Kent Holloway | Breakneck Media | 182 | 0988672596 |
| 5.2 | Patriot | Jeremy Robinson, J. Kent Holloway | Breakneck Media | 188 | 1941539106 |
| 5.3 | Centurion | Jeremy Robinson, J. Kent Holloway | Breakneck Media | 143 | 1941539238 |
Guardian[]
Guardian is set during the time of the Babylonian Empire. The immortal Jack Sigler battles the ancient Tiamat for the life of a small boy.
Centurion[]
Centurion is set during the fall of Constantinople. Sigler, now a Roman Legionnaire, must battle an ancient curse.
Patriot[]
Patriot is set during the American Revolution. Sigler has assumed the mantle of the legendary pirate Lanme Wa. An expedition commissioned by George Washington himself raises him and seeks his help on a threat to the fledgling Americas.
Universe novels[]
Cerberus Group[]
The Cerberus Groups series follows the ongoing exploits of George Pierce and the Herculean Society.
| Order | Title | Author(s) | Publisher | Pages | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Herculean | Jeremy Robinson, Sean Ellis | Breakneck Media | 362 | 1941539068 |
| 2 | Helios | Jeremy Robinson, Sean Ellis | Breakneck Media | 339 | 1941539262 |
Guides and compendiums[]
| Title | Author(s) | Publisher | Pages | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Endgame: A Jack Sigler & Chess Team Universe Guidebook | Jeremy Robinson, Kane Gilmour | Breakneck Media | 234 | 1941539041 |
Endgame[]
Jeremy Robinson and Kane Gilmour, the international bestselling duo behind Ragnarok and Omega, bring this comprehensive guidebook and a short story framing sequence for die-hard Chess Team fans wanting the next book in the series.
The book contains twenty original illustrations of the main characters by Christian Guldager, as well as a section of "eyewitness sketches" of creatures and events by Jeremy Robinson and fans of the series. The book is also wrapped in a short story about the team's handler, Deep Blue, which reveals the aftermath of the new novel 'Cannibal.[1]
Related work[]
Chess Team make an appearance in several other novels either as direct appearances or referenced by name.
| Title | Author(s) | Publisher | Pages | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Divide | Jeremy Robinson | Breakneck Media | 370 | 1941539351 |
| UNITY | Jeremy Robinson | Breakneck Media | 430 | 1941539181 |
| Project Legion | Jeremy Robinson | Breakneck Media | 394 | 1941539165 |
| Dogs of War | Jonathan Maberry | 544 | 1250098483 | |
| Joe Ledger: Unstoppable | Jonathan Maberry | St. Martin's Press | 416 | 1250090806 |
| SNAFU: Survival of the Fittest | Anthology | 334 | 0994302932 |
The Divide[]
This novel is set in a possible future timeline in the Chess Team universe.
Unity[]
This novel is set in a possible future timeline in the Chess Team universe.
Project Legion[]
This novel, the last in the Nemesis Saga, dances across the rift between parallel Earths bringing together many of Robinson's characters including members of Chess Team.
Dogs of War[]
Jack Sigler and the Chess Team are discussed in the ninth book Dogs of War by Jonathan Maberry.[2]
Joe Ledger: Unstoppable[]
Jeremy Robinson contributed the short story "Prince of Peace" to the Joe Ledger anthology work Unstoppable by Jonathan Maberry, which sees Joe Ledger and Jack Sigler from Chess Team working together.[3]
"SNAFU: Survival of the Fittest"[]
In this anthology short story, Chess Team battle giant mutant worms.[4]
Film and television[]
As of 2015, the Chess Team novels, starting with Pulse, are in development as a feature film series with Emmy Award-winning director Jabbar Raisani.
References[]
- ^ "The Jack Sigler Thrillers (aka Chess Team) | Beware of Monsters". Retrieved 2019-09-13.
- ^ "Jonathan Maberry - LP - book - Dogs of War". www.jonathanmaberry.com. Retrieved 2019-09-13.
- ^ "Jonathan Maberry - Joe Ledger Series". www.jonathanmaberry.com. Retrieved 2019-09-13.
- ^ "ANTHOLOGIES | Beware of Monsters". Retrieved 2019-09-13.
External links[]
- American science fiction novels