Orphan X

A tidy but unspectacular thriller. I heard about author Gregg Hurwitz through his association with Jordan Peterson (though he didn't make a good first impression), and Orphan X intersperses some of the rules of "that Peterson guy" (pg. 130) throughout the story. However, this is never more than a novelty – it's from before Peterson became famous – and the characters never engage with the rules, which makes the effect somewhat peculiar and redundant.

Once this novelty is gone, Orphan X is painfully unoriginal: a former government assassin gone dark tries to help ordinary people using his special skills whilst combating shady villains. The pages of Orphan X turn easily enough, but it follows all the routine formulae of action-thrillers show more to the letter. There is nothing to differentiate Hurwitz from any of the other thrillers you could pull down at random from a bookshelf, except perhaps in the obsession with excessive detail. Evan Smoak, the protagonist, does not just drink vodka; he drinks from a "flask-shaped bottle of Jean-Marc XO. Made using four varieties of French wheat, the vodka was distilled nine times, then micro-oxygenated and charcoal-filtered" (pg. 36). This sort of thing abounds in the book: characters do not just holster guns when they could spin a pistol, "clipping up into a tension-hold underarm holster" (pg. 402), and they do not just fight and punch and kick when they could assume "a modified isosceles stance" or attack with "a shotokan lunge punch" or "a muay thai teep" (pg. 382) or "with pencak silat, an open-hand Indonesian fighting style" (pg. 381). The book tries so hard to get the research right that it actually goes in the other direction; it protests too much and makes us realise it's all a bit juvenile. show less

Orphan X by Gregg Hurwitz
Orphan X #1

Grabbed in the first chapter and held firmly till the bitter end…this book was unputdownable! The first chapter introduces 12-year-old Evan and the man who will train him. In the next chapter much has happened and Evan is in his mid-thirties with a whole lot of living that has happened that I wanted to know about. The introduction to the series was superb with flashbacks and snippets that fleshed out Evan illuminating his past and ultimately creating a very compelling story.

What I liked:
* Evan Smoak: orphan, determined, intelligent, professional, skilled, lethal, forged in fire, potential to grow, uses his skills to right wrongs, lives by a set of commandments, intriguing, a bit Zen and a whole show more lot more that I eagerly wait to learn about
* Jack Johns: one of Evan’s trainers, teacher, protector, handler, and a father-figure of sorts
* Mia: neighbor, single parent, attorney - prosecutor, widow, potential friend-love interest for Evan
* Peter: adopted son of Mia, active, aware, intelligent, livewire, may reach a part of Evan that has been submerged over time
* Tommy: arms procurer and provider of arms and other items for the government and for Evan…intriguing person that may show up in future books
* The flashbacks that gave hints to Evan’s life
* The Nowhere Man idea that provides unlimited opportunities for Evan to right wrongs
* The Commandments – had to look them up then copy and paste into a document to refer back to throughout my reading – would love to see them on a page in each of the books to refer to when I forget what they are ;)
* The various training techniques: pain tolerance, meditation, shooting, martial arts, defense-offense, etc
* Being reminded of other characters similar to but not quite like Evan
* Morena: seventeen-year-old who called the Nowhere Man to help save her eleven-year-old sister
* Memo Vasquez: good father to Isa, in a jam, hopes the Nowhere Man will help
* The twists and turns and surprises that popped up making me wonder who might/might not be good/bad
* Feeling I was there with Evan from beginning to end
* The rather surprising conclusion
* Knowing that I will read the next book in the series…soon

What I didn’t like
* That a government would choose to use orphans to create expendable assassins…and wondering if in fact this might exist in the world
* Thinking about how difficult Evan’s life must have been…
* The people and events that I was meant not to like

Did I enjoy this book? Yes
Would I read more in this series? Definitely

Note: Having read books 3, 4, and 6 of the series but never having read book 1…I had to request a copy to read/review to find out how Evan’s series began. Definitely a series I hope to eventually read all of!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan-Minotaur Books for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars show less

Every now and again, I get the urge to take a holiday from myself and spend some time imagining being someone I know I'll never be and someone that, deep down, we know we don't want to be: a disciplined, potent, loner who has all the toys and all the money but is still driven by a code of honour to protect the weak.

"Orphan X" gave me a top-of-the-range opportunity to indulge myself this way. It's a well-written male wish fulfilment fantasy, where I got to be "The Nowhere Man", Orphan X a tough, competent hero in a world where problems can be solved with violence and sacrifice, women need to be rescued and bad people need to be killed.

The hero pays a price, of course, or else he wouldn't be a hero. Orphan X is burdened with isolation, show more the constant risk of death or injury and the need to keep secret who he is.

I liked the fact that Orphan X isn't just a rapidly sketched personae for some kind of be-an-assassin-for-a-day video game. His character as Evan Smoak is well constructed and, with a little suspension of disbelief with regard to skill levels and pain tolerance, very plausible.


While we follow the action-packed plot we learn how he has been groomed to be a weapon since his early teens and how it came to be that he decided that he should be a self-directed weapon and not just a blade to be used by anonymous sponsors.

The question of what constitutes ethical behaviour for a man who spends his time killing people was thoughtfully handled, borrowing something from the "pay-it-forward" mindset.

Smoak's slow, accidental slide into a relationship with a young boy and his working-single-mother, did a lot to fill out Orphan X's character.

I was impressed when Hurwitz turned both Smoak's ethical code and his relationship with the boy against him, turning them into things that could destroy him and making him far more vulnerable than these kinds of heroes usually are.

In the end, I liked Evan Smoak, although I really, really wouldn't want to be him. He's more human than Jack Reacher and more ethical than Jack Bauer.

He's still an emotionally distant, frequently ruthless killer, crippled by the training that took away much, but not all of his humanity.

As an entertainment, within the conventions of the genre, "Orphan X" was first-rate. A strong, clever plot, lots of graphic action scenes, lots and lots of toys with all the technical details provided and just enough emotional content to stop it being weapons-porn without turning into anything mushy or chic-flickish.

I read "Orphan X" as part of my "Thirty Firsts 2019 TBR Reading Challenge." Part of the challenge is to rate my eagerness to read the series(Yes / Probably / Maybe / No). I've rated Orphan X as a Probably. I'm not in any rush but the next time I'm in the mood to play Batman without the melodrama of wearing a cape, I'll visit with Evan Smoak and see what he does next. show less

I bought this on a whim (and also because I was looking for a book title that had the letter X), and, well, it was good fun. Evan Smoak is a bit of James Bond meets Jack Bauer/Jack Reacher, and the book sets up what hopefully is a riveting set of thrillers. Smoak has the requisite mysterious past, and Hurwitz gives us just enough to be sated for the time being, but knowing that we will need to know more soon (and the end of the book helps with that).

Not surprisingly, the thriller is quite violent, bordering sometimes on the edge of gratuitous description, but there's a lot of substance too, particularly in the dynamic nature of the "cat and mouse" scenario(s). Hurwitz keeps us on our toes in terms of characters too--who is to be show more trusted? Even Evan seems to have trouble deciding. A young character, Peter, and some sundry members of the Homeowner's Association, bring some levity and charm to the cast, with an occasional outright chuckle. Evan himself is at his most endearing as he attempts to navigate the vagaries of human sociability. And yeah, there are gadgets and guns galore, if that's your thing.

Scott Brick does a great job with the voicing, although I much preferred Candy McClure and Mia Hall to the other woman whose name I've already forgotten because I found "her" voice so cloying. But overall, a great ride for the genre, and I'm likely to continue the series because sometimes that level of escapism is what's needed. show less

Did I really need to add another series of books to my ever growing TBR? Of course I did! A few years ago, I read Gregg Hurwitz’s novel, They’re Watching, and I thought it was incredible! Since that time, I’ve been collecting his other stand alone novels in my Audible library. I have seen a lot of praise for the Orphan X series over time. I honestly avoided reading it because I am working my way through a few other series of novels and I didn’t want to add another one to my rotation just yet. Well, Orphan X caught my attention the other day when I was scouting for my next Audible selection from my massive ‘not started’ library. I figured that was the universe giving me a nudge to start listening. And I’m so glad I did!

Evan show more Smoak, AKA Orphan X, AKA The Nowhere Man, began his training as an orphan child to become an assassin. He was part of a secret squirrel program that trained exceptional children in all types of surveillance tactics, combat, tending to one’s own medical needs, controlling one’s mind, and managing relationships. The list goes on and on. To me, Evan’s skills were beyond anything I’ve seen in a James Bond movie. Following a tragic event, Evan leaves the program and uses everything he was taught to disappear and go completely under the radar. He decides to use his unique skill set for good. When he receives a call from someone desperate for help, Evan will do anything to protect them and help them out of their dangerous situation. His routine is disturbed when he learns someone is after him.

I loved everything about this book! Evan Smoak is a fascinating character. He keeps everything close to his chest and really can’t allow anyone to get close to him to protect his identity. So it’s interesting to follow his interactions with other characters he can’t avoid. He’s extremely clever and insightful. Portions of the book focus on Evan’s training during his upbringing which also illustrate his big heart. My favorite trait of Evan’s is that he’s a meditating assassin!

The story is fascinating! The writing is outstanding! Hurwitz provided a nice foundation for the story; I like how he described Evan’s role and his living environment. From there, the story gradually evolved to include the first person Evan is called on to help, to the person after him, and his training. All of these aspects were weaved together perfectly.

One of the book series I am working my way through is Lee Child’s Jack Reacher, which I love. Orphan X has a similar vibe, but yet is so different. If you like Reacher, you will be a fan of Evan Smoak. I’ve already added the rest of the Orphan X series to my Audible wishlist. I’m fully committed to this series!

I have photos, videos, and additional information that I'm unable to include here. It can all be found on my blog, in the link below.
A Book And A Dog show less

I was in the mood for a good thriller and liked the synopsis of Hurwitz's Orphan X. This fast-paced story did deliver, but not quite as much as I'd expected. Hurwitz doles out Evan's backstory sparingly, which only makes readers want more. However, it is enough to wow you with the character's abilities and to make you want to hug the little boy he once was. As a result of his training, Evan really doesn't know how to play well with others. Actually, he doesn't know how to play with others at all, and we see this during his interactions with the other residents of the building in which he lives. There's the grumpy old lady who seems to lay in wait for him at the elevator so she can complain non-stop, but we normal folk would have show more problems with her, too. No, it's when Evan becomes acquainted with divorced lawyer Mia and her inquisitive eight-year-old son Peter that we see how much he has to fight against that long-ago training of his.

Where the soufflé fell for me was in the too-numerous-to-count fight scenes. Hurwitz wants us to know exactly how extensive Evan's hand-to-hand combat skills are, and each fight scene is laced with mixed martial art terms like "wing chan oblique kick." Over and over and over again. This is all well and good if you are a fan and want to be able to picture the fight in your mind, but I definitely do not fit that category. One movie scene comes to mind. Raiders of the Lost Ark. Indiana Jones is cornered in a bazaar by a sword-wielding showoff. Jones doesn't have time to wait for the nitwit to stop strutting his stuff, so he pulls out his gun and shoots him. Problem solved. Since this is the fight scene category I belong in, you can see where these minutely-described scenes in Orphan X made my eyes cross in boredom.

Since I have a feeling that these fight scenes will continue as the series progresses, I will leave Evan Smoak here in book one. But I am certainly glad that I made his acquaintance, and I wish him well. show less

Book source ~ KU Audible

The Nowhere Man. He’s got skills. Mad skills. And he’ll use them to help a person out. But only once. No repeat customers. He’s just living his life to the best of his ability when his past comes knocking. Things are about to get hairy.

Ho-ly Shit. I saw a review for this series on Twitter and wondered how I had never heard of it. I was happy it was listed on Kindle Unlimited but then I noticed something I had no idea about. KU has some books you can get with Audible. WTF?! So I grabbed it and listened on my drive home to North Carolina from Ohio. I have to tell you, it made the trip fly by! I was engrossed from the start. Orphan X is one hell of a rip roaring, action-packed, character driven book that will show more entertain and surprise. Evan Smoak, the Nowhere Man, is a character that will grab your heart and not let go. I love him. I love him for his skills, his faith in the Commandments taught to him by his mentor, his uncertainty in trying to live like a “normal” person, and his loneliness. He’s a character you can really sink your teeth into. Not in a kinky way or anything. The plot, the world, the writing are all great, but Evan is the reason this book is one of my favorite reads of the year. I said I love him, right? Just sayin’.

The story is awesome, but having Scott Brick do the narrating makes it sublime. As far as I’m concerned he is Evan Smoak. And I’ve listened to two more books since. I know of which I speak. I told my husband about this book and he was all, meh. Then we traveled to Ohio together and I convinced him to listen to book 2, The Nowhere Man, with me. He was hooked from the start. See? I know what he likes even when he’s skeptical. LOL We even listened to Orphan X on the way back home even though I’d already read it. I didn’t mind though. If you’re a fan of books with the likes of Jason Bourne, Jericho Quinn, or Scot Harvath then this should be right up your alley. show less