• The Athena Project

  • A Thriller
  • By: Brad Thor
  • Narrated by: Elizabeth Marvel
  • Length: 8 hrs and 43 mins
  • 4.1 out of 5 stars (2,441 ratings)

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The Athena Project  By  cover art

The Athena Project

By: Brad Thor
Narrated by: Elizabeth Marvel
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Publisher's summary

Tucked away in a remote corner of North Carolina's Fort Bragg, behind rows of razor wire and heavily armed guards, lies the headquarters of the nation's most elite counter-terrorism unit: the United States Army's 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment Delta. Here, a brilliant new approach to combating terrorism has just been born. Its codename: The Athena Project.

The novels will follow an elite team of female warriors from their recruitment as top-level athletes, through their training, to their deployment on some of the most exciting and dangerous international assignments the fiction world has ever seen.

Brad Thor's listeners will be electrified as he employs his vast knowledge of covert operations and military intrigue to bring to life his most heart-pounding, globe-trotting thrillers yet.

©2010 Brad Thor (P)2010 Simon & Schuster Inc.

What listeners say about The Athena Project

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
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    1,165
  • 4 Stars
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  • 3 Stars
    383
  • 2 Stars
    153
  • 1 Stars
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Performance
  • 4 out of 5 stars
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    1,106
  • 4 Stars
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  • 3 Stars
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  • 2 Stars
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    74
Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
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    1,016
  • 4 Stars
    530
  • 3 Stars
    348
  • 2 Stars
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  • 1 Stars
    93

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars

Just Not Good

I'm a big Thor fan but I wish I would have listened to the other reviewers and passed on this book. This one lacks the realism of his other books. Character development is lacking, there is zero suspense, his females operatives don't come across as professionals with all the discussion of who's dating who, fashion choices, etc. It's just....not good, and not a representation of Thor's usual ability.

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15 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

At 3.9 stars this novel is seriously underrated!

Brad Thor took a brief time away from his Scot Harvath series to write about the fictional Project Athena which is a top secret effort to take several of America's top level female athletes and train them to become a fighting force in the war on terror. This novel takes the group from recruitment through training and their suspense filled first mission. The Athena Project is an outstanding novel. Several of the women from the Athena Project play significant roles in novels in the Scot Harvath series.This is book 9.5 in the Harvath series.

As a fan of Brad Thor from his first novel forward I object to 2 of his older Harvath series audio novels (Blowback and Takedown) being re-recorded and re-released earlier this year. The old versions released a decade ago were perfectly fine. Lee Child has used the same tactic with several of his Jack Reacher novels. I object!!

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

Nice spin-off, good listen

OK, I'm a Mitch Rapp, Scott Harvath, Alex Hawk, Jack Ryan, James bond fan. Yes, this book does not compare to those, but I believe the Project has promise. These ladies were introduced in "Foreign Influence" by Thor, so you should read that if you want more info on the new characters. I enjoyed the new addition to Harvath's circle of friends. I will definitely give this group of ladies another chance when Thor releases the next volume.

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

Only okay

This was an okay listen, although it seemed pretty formulaic. The "all ladies team" was an interesting idea, but the author's understanding of how women interact with each other is very, very limited. The story was fine and the narration was fine. One thing: although this is unabridged, it sounds abridged to me. It has odd little jumps and if it truly is unabridged, then it has some editing issues.

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Athena Harvath lite?

Well after months of waiting for another heafty dose of Thor, we get this female alomost thriller. Why?
It was an alright story but come on Brad, hows about a little meat next time please.

Still a fan in Houston.

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Horrible narrator; too much focus on sex

First, let it be said that Brad Thor is a first rate writer. I have loved his books. However, the narrator for this book is HORRIBLE. She reads as though reading to children, uses way too much expression. Think the opposite of George Guidall. In addition, the story focuses on sex, sex, sex. I stopped listening after a couple of chapters. Not what I want in a spy novel. Going to turn this one back in.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Apparently women only think about sex...

Weak female characters who can't seem to focus on anything other than sex. These are supposed to be elite soldiers? How come they weren't written that way? Very disappointed

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Another Charlie's Angels

What would have made The Athena Project better?

Take the fluff out. I was tired of reading how beautiful the four women are and how they strut their stuff. I thought it would have carried the same weight as a Scott Harvath novel.

Would you ever listen to anything by Brad Thor again?

Yes as long as it isn't about women.

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

Nothing it was the writing.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from The Athena Project?

Bantering is fine but the endless preoccupation with their clothes and beauty was more than redundant. Expand on the story and suspense.

Any additional comments?

Stick with the men.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

The Athena Project

I have listened to over 400 audiobooks, most of them thrillers. This is a great start to a new series (hopefully). As with most, the narrater makes the book and Marvel is great. I look forward to book #2 of The Athena Project.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

It's not terrible

Its alright, but I definitely agree with some other reviews that have suggested Brad stick with keeping his main character as male. (Scot Harvath)

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2 people found this helpful