The Executioner (book series)

The Executioner is a monthly men's action-adventure paperback book series following the exploits of the character Mack Bolan and his wars against organized crime and international terrorism. The series has sold more than 200 million copies since its 1969 debut installment, War Against the Mafia.
The regular series includes 464 novels. Every other month, the Executioner series was complemented by the release of a Super Bolan, which were twice the length of a standard Executioner novel. There were 178 "Super Bolans".
The Executioner was created and initially written by American author Don Pendleton, who penned 37 of the original 38 Bolan novels. In 1980, Pendleton licensed the rights to Gold Eagle and was succeeded by a collective of ghostwriters. Some Pinnacle printings in the middle of Pendleton's original series carried a photo and brief article on the author, showing that Pendleton was not just a "house name".
Pinnacle Books was bought by Kensington Publishing and retained the rights to the original 38 novels; they were briefly reissued in the late 1980s-early 1990s.
After Don Pendleton's passing in 1995, his widow Linda ensured that the 37 books penned by her husband remained in circulation. This is still the case in 2025, as e-books. However since Linda Pendleton's death in late 2021, the publishing future of the series remains uncertain.
Since its inception in 1969, The Executioner series has spawned several spin-off series including Able Team, Phoenix Force, and Stony Man. The Stony Man series began in 1991 with "Stony Man" #2.

Spinoff series

In the Mack Bolan universe Stony Man is an anti-terrorist organization, with two teams—Able Team and Phoenix Force. Each had its own series of books from 1982 until 1991, when the publisher combined both series into Stony Man.
In addition, the Super Bolan series began in 1985, a separate series of Mack Bolan adventures that ran concurrently with the regular monthly series. These books were double the size of a regular Executioner novel and were released every other month. Technically the first "Super Bolan" book was Stony Man Doctrine, which is also considered the first book in the Stony Man series. The Super Bolans then commenced with Book #2 in 1985 and ran a total of 178 novels.
In France, a new spin-off series, Kira B., featuring Mack Bolan's "daughter" Kira, was introduced by the publisher Vauvenargues, in 2012. Written under the pen name Steven Belly, the series follows the adventures of Kira, a young woman who appeared in L'Exécuteur nº300: Le réseau Phénix, where she manipulated Mack Bolan to come out of retirement to fight against cyber-criminals. Since then, she has helped her "father" in his fight against crime and now is the heroine of her own, eponymous series.
There were 464 novels in the original Executioner series, plus the following spinoff series:

#	Series	Number of Novels	Years Active
1	Able Team	51 + 2 Super Able Teams	1982–1991
2	Phoenix Force	51 + 4 Super Phoenix Forces	1982–1991
3	Stony Man	140	1983, 1991–2015
4	Super Bolan	178	1983, 1985–2015
4	Kira B.	5	2012–2013
5	SOBs	33 + 5 Super SOBs	1983–1990

''The Executioner Mystery Magazine''

In 1975, Leonard J. Ackerman Productions produced Don Pendleton's The Executioner Mystery Magazine, a digest-sized, pulp magazine anthology series along the same lines as the Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine. The magazine had little connection to the Mack Bolan books save for the occasional story related to the Mafia. The magazine ran for only four issues, ending in August 1975, with the final issue titled simply The Executioner Mystery Magazine.

Other media

Audio books

Select Executioner titles were distributed on audiocassette by DH Audio through #241, although the company was dissolved in Fall 2001. These abridged versions of the books, read by Richard Rohan performing multiple voices, ran about 3 hours. Stony Man Doctrine was also published as an audio cassette tape.
The first three books in the Executioner series in audio format were published by Books in Motion as cassette tapes.
Cutting Edge Audio published the Executioner & Stony Man series on audio, starting in October 2004 and beginning with Executioner 301 Blast Radius and Stony Man 68 Outbreak. They were available throughout North America and online via Cuttingaudio.com. The company had no plans for selling them through regular retail outlets. They stopped publishing them in 2006.

Movie screenplay

Joseph E. Levine contracted Richard Maibaum in 1972 to write a screenplay, based on the fifth and sixth volumes, Continental Contract and Assault on Soho. Some Pinnacle printings at the time had a strapline in a corner of the cover with "Soon to be a major motion picture from Avco-Embassy."
A later attempt to adapt The Executioner to the screen by William Friedkin was to star Sylvester Stallone and Cynthia Rothrock, but the production was scrapped.
It was announced in August 2014, that Shane Salerno, Hollywood producer and screenwriter, had acquired the rights to turn the novel series into a film franchise. Four days later, Deadline reported that Warner Bros. had acquired the film rights from Salerno, hoping to sign Bradley Cooper to star as Bolan and Todd Phillips to direct. Salerno would write the script and produce.

Comics

Mack Bolan: The Executioner was a comic book adaptation of War Against the Mafia adapted by Don and Linda Pendleton, published in 1993 by Innovation Publishing with art by Sandu Florea. Intended to run four issues, the final installment was not published due to Innovation closing.
The Executioner: Death Squad was adapted by Linda Pendleton with art by Sandu Florea. It was a 128-page black and white comic, published in 1996 by Vivid Comics.
The Executioner was adapted into a five-part comic book series by IDW, written by Doug Wojtowicz and illustrated by S. I. Gallant. It was reissued as the graphic novel Don Pendleton's The Executioner: The Devil's Tool in November 2008. The reissued version contained an introduction by Linda Pendleton, "Don Pendleton's Creation of Mack Bolan, The Executioner".

Podcast

The Executioner books and spin-offs are featured on the August 5, 2019 episode of the Paperback Warrior podcast. The show's hosts, Eric Compton and Tom Simon, discuss the series' origins including its impact on popular culture. Additionally, the show spotlights key authors that contributed to the series and its spin-offs. During that episode, Eric Compton reviews Executioner #88 Baltimore Trackdown by Chet Cunningham.

Series listing

001: War Against the Mafia
002: Death Squad
003: Battle Mask
004: Miami Massacre
005: Continental Contract
006: Assault on Soho
007: Nightmare in New York
008: Chicago Wipeout
009: Vegas Vendetta
010: Caribbean Kill
011: California Hit
012: Boston Blitz
013: Washington I.O.U.
014: San Diego Siege
015: Panic in Philly
016: Sicilian Slaughter
017: Jersey Guns
018: Texas Storm
019: Detroit Deathwatch
020: New Orleans Knockout
021: Firebase Seattle
022: Hawaiian Hellground
023: St. Louis Showdown
024: Canadian Crisis
025: Colorado Kill-Zone
026: Acapulco Rampage
027: Dixie Convoy
028: Savage FireThe Executioner's War Book
029: Command Strike
030: Cleveland Pipeline
031: Arizona Ambush
032: Tennessee Smash
033: Monday's MobThe Great American Detective Anthology
034: Terrible Tuesday
035: Wednesday's Wrath
036: Thermal Thursday
037: Friday's Feast
038: Satan's Sabbath
039: The New War
040: Double Crossfire
041: The Violent Streets
042: The Iranian Hit
043: Return to Vietnam
044: Terrorist Summit
045: Paramilitary Plot
046: Bloodsport
047: Renegade Agent
048: The Libya Connection
049: Doomsday Disciples
050: Brothers in Blood
051: Vulture's Vengeance
052: Tuscany Terror
053: The Invisible Assassins
054: Mountain Rampage
055: Paradine's Gauntlet
056: Island Deathtrap
057: Flesh Wounds
058: Ambush on Blood River
059: Crude Kill
060: Sold for Slaughter
061: Tiger War
062: Day of Mourning
063: The New War Book
064: Dead Man Running
065: Cambodia Clash
066: Orbiting Omega
067: Beirut Payback
068: Prairie Fire
069: Skysweeper
070: Ice Cold Kill
071: Blood Dues
072: Hellbinder
073: Appointment in Kabul
074: Savannah Swingsaw
075: The Bone Yard
076: Teheran Wipeout
077: Hollywood Hell
078: Death Games
079: Council of Kings
080: Running Hot
081: Shock Waves
082: Hammerhead Reef
083: Missouri Deathwatch
084: Fastburn
085: Sunscream
086: Hell's Gate
087: Hellfire Crusade
088: Baltimore Trackdown
089: Defenders and Believers
090: Blood Heat Zero
091: The Trial
092: Moscow Massacre
093: The Fire Eaters
094: Save the Children
095: Blood and Thunder
096: Death Has a Name
097: Meltdown
098: Black Dice
099: Code of Dishonor
100: Blood Testament
101: Eternal Triangle
102: Split Image
103: Assault on Rome
104: Devil's Horn
105: Countdown to Chaos
106: Run to Ground
107: American Nightmare
108: Time to Kill
109: Hong Kong Hit List
110: Trojan Horse
111: The Fiery Cross
112: Blood of the Lion
113: Vietnam Fallout
114: Cold Judgment
115: Circle of Steel
116: The Killing Urge
117: Vendetta in Venice
118: Warrior's Revenge
119: Line of Fire
120: Border Sweep
121: Twisted Path
122: Desert Strike
123: War Born
124: Night Kill
125: Dead Man's Tale
126: Death Wind
127: Kill Zone
128: Sudan Slaughter
129: Haitian Hit
130: Dead Line
131: Ice Wolf
132: The Big Kill
133: Blood Run
134: White Line War
135: Devil Force
136: Down and Dirty
137: Battle Lines
138: Kill Trap
139: Cutting Edge
140: Wild Card
141: Direct Hit
142: Fatal Error
143: Helldust Cruise
144: Whipsaw
145: Chicago Payoff
146: Deadly Tactics
147: Payback Game
148: Deep and Swift
149: Blood Rules
150: Death Load
151: Message to Medellin
152: Combat Stretch
153: Firebase Florida
154: Night Hit
155: Hawaiian Heat
156: Phantom Force
157: Cayman Strike
158: Firing Line
159: Steel and Flame
160: Storm Warning
161: Eye of the Storm
162: Colors of Hell
163: Warrior's Edge
164: Death Trail
165: Fire Sweep
166: Assassin's Creed
167: Double Action
168: Blood Price
169: White Heat
170: Baja Blitz
171: Deadly Force
172: Fast Strike
173: Capital Hit
174: Battle Plan
175: Battle Ground
176: Ransom Run
177: Evil Code
178: Black Hand
179: War Hammer
180: Force Down
181: Shifting Target
182: Lethal Agent
183: Clean Sweep
184: Death Warrant
185: Sudden Fury
186: Fire Burst
187: Cleansing Flame
188: War Paint
189: Wellfire
190: Killing Range
191: Extreme Force
192: Maximum Impact
193: Hostile Action
194: Deadly Contest
195: Select Fire
196: Triburst
197: Armed Force
198: Shoot Down
199: Rogue Agent
200: Crisis Point
201: Prime Target
202: Combat Zone
203: Hard Contact
204: Rescue Run
205: Hell Road
206: Hunting Cry
207: Freedom Strike
208: Death Whisper
209: Asian Crucible
210: Fire Lash
211: Steel Claws
212: Ride the Beast
213: Blood Harvest
214: Fission Fury
215: Fire Hammer
216: Death Force
217: Fight or Die
218: End Game
219: Terror Intent
220: Tiger Stalk
221: Blood and Fire
222: Patriot Gambit
223: Hour of Conflict
224: Call to Arms
225: Body Armor
226: Red Horse
227: Blood Circle
228: Terminal Option
229: Zero Tolerance
230: Deep Attack
231: Slaughter Squad
232: Jackal Hunt
233: Tough Justice
234: Target Command
235: Plague Wind
236: Vengeance Rising
237: Hellfire Trigger
238: Crimson Tide
239: Hostile Proximity
240: Devil's Guard
241: Evil Reborn
242: Doomsday Conspiracy
243: Assault Reflex
244: Judas Kill
245: Virtual Destruction
246: Blood of the Earth
247: Black Dawn Rising
248: Rolling Death
249: Shadow Target
250: Warning Shot
251: Kill Radius
252: Death Line
253: Risk Factor
254: Chill Effect
255: War Bird
256: Point of Impact
257: Precision Play
258: Target Lock
259: Nightfire
260: Dayhunt
261: Dawnkill
262: Trigger Point
263: Skysniper
264: Iron Fist
265: Freedom Force
266: Ultimate Price
267: Invisible Invader
268: Shattered Trust
269: Shifting Shadows
270: Judgment Day
271: Cyberhunt
272: Stealth Striker
273: Uforce
274: Rogue Target
275: Crossed Borders
276: Leviathan
277: Dirty Mission
278: Triple Reverse
279: Fire Wind
280: Fear Rally
281: Blood Stone
282: Jungle Conflict
283: Ring of Retaliation
284: Devil's Army
285: Final Strike
286: Armageddon Exit
287: Rogue Warrior
288: Arctic Blast
289: Vendetta Force
290: Pursued
291: Blood Trade
292: Savage Game
293: Death Merchants
294: Scorpion Rising
295: Hostile Alliance
296: Nuclear Game
297: Deadly Pursuit
298: Final Play
299: Dangerous Encounter
300: Warrior's Requiem
301: Blast Radius
302: Shadow Search
303: Sea of Terror
304: Soviet Specter
305: Point Position
306: Mercy Mission
307: Hard Pursuit
308: Into the Fire
309: Flames of Fury
310: Killing Heat
311: Night of the Knives
312: Death Gamble
313: Lockdown
314: Lethal Payload
315: Agent of Peril
316: Poison Justice
317: Hour of Judgement
318: Code of Resistance
319: Entry Point
320: Exit Code
321: Suicide Highway
322: Time Bomb
323: Soft Target
324: Terminal Zone
325: Edge of Hell
326: Blood Tide
327: Serpent's Lair
328: Triangle of Terror
329: Hostile Crossing
330: Dual Action
331: Assault Force
332: Slaughter House
333: Aftershock
334: Jungle Justice
335: Blood Vector
336: Homeland Terror
337: Tropic Blast
338: Nuclear Reaction
339: Deadly Contact
340: Splinter Cell
341: Rebel Force
342: Double Play
343: Border War
344: Primal Law
345: Orange Alert
346: Vigilante Run
347: Dragon's Den
348: Carnage Code
349: Firestorm
350: Volatile Agent
351: Hell Night
352: Killing Trade
353: Black Death Reprise
354: Ambush Force
355: Outback Assault
356: Defense Breach
357: Extreme Justice
358: Blood Toll
359: Desperate Passage
360: Mission to Burma
361: Final Resort
362: Patriot Acts
363: Face of Terror
364: Hostile Odds
365: Collision Course
366: Pele's Fire
367: Loose Cannon
368: Crisis Nation
369: Dangerous Tides
370: Dark Alliance
371: Fire Zone
372: Lethal Compound
373: Code of Honor
374: System Corruption
375: Salvador Strike
376: Frontier Fury
377: Desperate Cargo
378: Death Run
379: Deep Recon
380: Silent Threat
381: Killing Ground
382: Threat Factor
383: Raw Fury
384: Cartel Clash
385: Recovery Force
386: Crucial Intercept
387: Powder Burn
388: Final Coup
389: Deadly Command
390: Toxic Terrain
391: Enemy Agents
392: Shadow Hunt
393: Stand Down
394: Trial by Fire
395: Hazard Zone
396: Fatal Combat
397: Damage Radius
398: Battle Cry
399: Nuclear Storm
400: Blind Justice
401: Jungle Hunt
402: Rebel Trade
403: Line of Honor
404: Final Judgement
405: Lethal Diversion
406: Survival Mission
407: Throw Down
408: Border Offensive
409: Blood Vendetta
410: Hostile Force
411: Cold Fusion
412: Night's Reckoning
413: Double Cross
414: Prison Code
415: Ivory Wave
416: Extraction
417: Rogue Assault
418: Viral Siege
419: Sleeping Dragons
420: Rebel Blast
421: Hard Targets
422: Nigeria Meltdown
423: Breakout
424: Amazon Impunity
425: Patriot Strike
426: Pirate offensive
427: Pacific Creed
428: Desert Impact
429: Arctic Kill
430: Deadly Salvage
431: Maximum Chaos
432: Slayground
433: Point Blank
434: Savage Deadlock
435: Dragon Key
436: Perilous Cargo
437: Assassins Tripwire
438: The Cartel Hit
439: Blood Rites
440: Killpath
441: Murder Island
442: Syrian Rescue
443: Uncut Terror
444: Dark Savior
445: Final Assault
446: Kill Squad
447: Death Game
448: Terrorist Dispatch
449: Combat Machines
450: Omega Cult
451: Fatal Prescription
452: Death List
453: Rogue Elements
454: Enemies Within
455: Chicago Vendetta
456: Thunder Down Under
457: Dying Art
458: Killing Kings
459: Stealth Assassin
460: Lethal Vengeance
461: Cold Fury
462: Cyberthreat
463: Righteous Fear
464: ''Blood Vortex''

List of SuperBolan books

001: Stony Man Doctrine
002: Terminal Velocity
003: Resurrection Day
004: Dirty War
005: Flight 741
006: Dead Easy
007: Sudden Death
008: Rogue Force
009: Tropic Heat
010: Fire in the Sky
011: Anvil of Hell
012: Flash Point
013: Flesh and Blood
014: Moving Target
015: Tightrope
016: Blowout
017: Blood Fever
018: Knockdown
019: Assault
020: Backlash
021: Siege
022: Blockade
023: Evil Kingdom
024: Counterblow
025: Hardline
026: Firepower
027: Storm Burst
028: Intercept
029: Lethal Impact
030: Deadfall
031: Onslaught
032: Battle Force
033: Rampage
034: Takedown
035: Death's Head
036: Hellground
037: Inferno
038: Ambush
039: Blood Strike
040: Killpoint
041: Vendetta
042: Stalk Line May 1995)
043: Omega Game
044: Shock Tactic
045: Showdown
046: Precision Kill
047: Jungle Law
048: Dead Center
049: Tooth and Claw
050: Red Heat
051: Thermal Strike
052: Day of the Vulture
053: Flames of Wrath
054: High Aggression
055: Code of Bushido
056: Terror Spin
057: Judgment in Stone
058: Rage for Justice
059: Rebels and Hostiles
060: Ultimate Game
061: Blood Feud
062: Renegade Force
063: Retribution
064: Initiation
065: Cloud of Death
066: Termination Point
067: Hellfire Strike
068: Code of Conflict
069: Vengeance
070: Executive Action
071: Killsport
072: Conflagration
073: Storm Front
074: War Season
075: Evil Alliance
076: Scorched Earth
077: Deception
078: Destiny's Hour
079: Power of the Lance
080: A Dying Evil
081: Deep Treachery
082: Warload
083: Sworn Enemies
084: Dark Truth
085: Breakaway
086: Blood and Sand
087: Caged
088: Sleepers
089: Strike and Retrieve March
090: Age of War
091: Line of Control
092: Breached
093: Retaliation
094: Pressure Point
095: Silent Running
096: Stolen Arrows
097: Zero Option
098: Predator Paradise
099: Circle of Deception
100: Devil's Bargain
101: False Front
102: Lethal Tribute
103: Season of Slaughter
104: Point of Betrayal
105: Ballistic Force
106: Renegade
107: Survival Reflex
108: Path to War
109: Blood Dynasty
110: Ultimate Stakes
111: State of Evil
112: Force Lines
113: Contagion Option
114: Hellfire Code
115: War Drums
116: Ripple Effect
117: Devil's Playground
118: The Killing Rule
119: Patriot Play
120: Appointment in Baghdad
121: Havana Five
122: The Judas Project
123: Plains of Fire
124: Colony of Evil
125: Hard Passage
126: Interception
127: Cold War Reprise
128: Mission: Apocalypse
129: Altered State
130: Killing Game
131: Diplomacy Directive
132: Betrayed
133: Sabotage
134: Conflict Zone
135: Blood Play
136: Desert Fallout
137: Extraordinary Rendition
138: Devil's Mark
139: Savage Rule
140: Infiltration
141: Resurgence
142: Kill Shot
143: Stealth Sweep
144: Grave Mercy
145: Treason Play
146: Assassin's Code
147: Shadow Strike
148: Decision Point
149: Road of Bones
150: Radical Edge
151: Fireburst
152: Oblivion Pact
153: Enemy Arsenal
154: State of War
155: Ballistic
156: Escalation Tactic
157: Crisis Diplomacy
158: Apocalypse Ark
159: Lethal Stakes
160: Illicit Supply
161: Explosive Demand
162: Ground Zero
163: Jungle Firestorm
164: Terror Ballot
165: Death Metal
166: Justice Run
167: China White
168: Payback
169: Chain Reaction
170: Nightmare Army
171: Critical Exposure
172: Insurrection
173: Armed Response
174: Desert Falcons
175: Ninja Assault
176: Lethal Risk
177: Dead Reckoning
178: ''War Everlasting''

List of Kira B. books

Kira 1: Ondes de Choc dans l'Oregon
Kira 2: L'Aigle de Brandebourg
Kira 3: Neige de sang sur Oslo
Kira 4: Crisis
''Kira 5: La Quadrature sibérienne''