Greg Rucka Books In Order

Publication Order of Atticus Kodiak Books

Publication Order of Whiteout Graphic Novels

Publication Order of Queen & Country Graphic Novels

Publication Order of Queen and Country Books

Publication Order of Perfect Dark Books

Publication Order of Jad Bell Books

Publication Order of Lazarus Graphic Novels

Publication Order of Old Guard Graphic Novels

Publication Order of Journey To Star Wars: The Force Awakens Books

Publication Order of Star Wars Disney Canon Junior Books

Publication Order of Call of Cthulhu RPG Books

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Publication Order of Black Magick Graphic Novels

Publication Order of Grendel Books

Publication Order of Spider-Man: Quality of Life Books

Publication Order of Stumptown Books

Publication Order of Wonder Woman Graphic Novels

Publication Order of Non-Fiction Books

Publication Order of Alexander Freed Collections

Publication Order of Dragon Age: Magekiller Books

Publication Order of Spider-Man's Tangled Web (Collected Editions) Books

Publication Order of Black Magick (Single Issues) Books

Publication Order of The Punisher (2001) Books

Publication Order of Lois Lane (2019) Books

Publication Order of Gotham Central trade paperbacks Books

Publication Order of American Vampire Books

Publication Order of Batwoman Books

Publication Order of Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Tales of the Slayer Books

Publication Order of Elektra II Books

Publication Order of Anthologies

Greg Rucka is a popular American comic book author and novelist. He is particularly famous for his works on comics such as Batwoman, Action Comics, and the DC Comics miniseries Superman: World of New Krypton. Although he has written several other fictional works, one of his earliest and most critically acclaimed works is a novel series titled Atticus Kodiak, which to date consists of seven novels. These early works have been compared to other acclaimed elite writings on crime fiction.

Besides Atticus Kodiak, Greg Rucka’s other popular works include two series (Jad Bell, and Queen and Country), a stand-alone novel titled “A Fistful of Rain”, a comic tie-in titled “Batman: No Man’s Land”, two video game tie-in novels (Perfect Dark: Initial Vector and Perfect Dark: Second Front), and a couple of short stories.

Early Life

Greg was born in San Francisco and grew up in an area popularly known to locals as Steinbeck Country on the Monterey Peninsula. It is during these early years, at the age of five, that he discovered comics in Salinas at the Nob Hill market. While shopping with his mom, he set his eyes on some digest-sized black and white reprints of Jack Kirby and Stan Lee’s work on “The Incredible Hulk”. He managed to convince his mother to buy one. He started writing at the age of 10 and won a county-wide short-story contest. He went to college at Vassar College and graduated with an A.B. in English and later enrolled for Master of Professional Writing Program at the University of Southern California where he graduated with a M.F.A. before he became a professional writer, he got into various occupations, including restaurant work, house painting, security guard, emergency medical technician, fight choreographer, and technical writer. He cites Douglas Adams as his greatest influence.

Writing Career

Greg Rucka’s career in writing began with the Atticus Kodiak series in 1996. The series is about Atticus’s career as a professional bodyguard, and it consists of a series of seven novels that include Keeper, Finder, Smoker, Shooting at Midnight, Critical Space, Patriot Acts, and Walking Dead. The novels gained immense critical acclaim as well as comparisons to popular elite writings on crime fiction. The “Atticus” series are notable due to their attention to detail and realism, which is attributed to the author’s experience as a fight trainer and an emergency medical technician. He has also written several other works that include novels, comics, video game tie-in novels, and short stories. He has also featured as a character in the Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) comic book miniseries “Dying in the Gutters”.

Keeper

Keeper is the first novel in the Atticus Series. It was published in1 996 and it’s based on Atticus, a professional bodyguard who is hired to protect a woman (Felice Romero), a director at a Manhattan abortion clinic that is targeted by militant pro-lifers. She is expected to give a speech at an abortion conference. The advantages and disadvantages of abortion are discerningly presented as Kodiak attempts to protect his client as well as his daughter, who is suffering from Down’s syndrome. Kodiak, whose girlfriend has just procured an abortion, soon finds himself personally dedicated to Felice Romero. The action is heated up by a series of shootings, bomb threats, and murders (one particularly devastating), which drive the story toward a volatile and intense culmination at a cemetery. Greg’s prose is not only clean, but also visual. His portrayals and dialogues are economical, while his storytelling dashes along a fast paced clip. Greg delivers a narrative that is as tense, taut and brutally real and timely as modern day headlines. This first novel marks the beginning of a talented writer of tough and unflinching prose.

Finder

Finder is the second novel in the Atticus series and it was released in 1997. As a professional bodyguard, Kodiak is still finding a hard time to come into terms with the death of his best friend in the previous book “Keeper”. In this novel, Atticus attempts to protect the runaway daughter of his former boss/commanding officer. As a bodyguard, Kodiak understands that danger is always part of the job. However, he is still at pains to shake off his guilt over the death of his best friend in the last assignment. While working as a bouncer at a hard-core club called the Strap located on the Lower West Side, Kodiak’s responsibility is nothing more than to keep the scene in order. This is however not the case when he spots Erika Wyatt, a teenage daughter of a former client Kodiak once worked for. The daughter to the Army colonel is being stalked by a mean-looking commando wielding a wicked knife, and Erika draws Kodiak back into the protection business. In a story built on vengeance, lies, and sins committed in the past, Kodiak is sucked into a vicious cycle of treachery and violence. He soon learns that the most dangerous weapon could be a simple promise. He manages to save Erika from a kidnapping by the British SAS by enlisting the assistance of friends who also work as professional bodyguards. He sets up a safe house for Erika in the nick of time. Attica however gets wounded in a midtown Manhattan shoot-out, and this is just the first shooting in a series of explosive episodes. The plot churns even faster when Erika escapes. The story is full of exciting and surprisingly suspenseful events highlighted by bloody violence while pulling the reader to a somewhat satisfying conclusion.

Summary

The “Keeper” is undoubtedly an impressive debut that is riveting and full of surprises. The plot is not only crisp and tight, but also tough and pulls at the heart-strings to elicit deep emotions and connection with the narrative. It is simply a remarkable novel. On the other hand, “Finder” is full of realism and masterful intensity. The characters are so alive and the emotions conveyed are deep and surreal. The second book seems even better than the first one as Kodiak maintains a style of his own while in the midst of all the chaos. After reading the first two books, Greg Rucka can simply be described as a talented writer who can deliver a rather unflinching prose.