Scan barcode
downby1's review against another edition
3.0
I am not entirely sure Moscow Rules was the best book to pick up as my first brush with either Daniel Silva or Gabriel Allon. On a whole, Moscow Rules was not bad, but I found it incredibly difficult to find any outstanding marks. This is a pulp spy novel that will make for good beach reading or something to take in while putting up with the hectic task air travel has become.
susangiardina's review against another edition
5.0
Moscow Rules is fantastic! It had me riveted from the beginning, and left me very concerned. One of Daniel Silva's strengths is his ability to entertain, while he scares the hell out of you about what could be happening geo-politically. He did this in Moscow Rules very skillfully. Though written in 2008, recent events in Syria and Iran, coupled with Vladimir Putin's clearly focused efforts at reactivating the Cold War, makes Moscow Rules very prescient. Silva has managed to cultivate some incredible sources to get so close to the truth. This book is definitely in the can't-put-it-down category!
andrewg's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
rosemariew's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
ryodragon20's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
jefecarpenter's review against another edition
4.0
I’m afraid Silva got a little too comfortable churning this one out; towards the climax he makes a few slips.. and then my connection to the players was the victim.
thegreekie's review against another edition
4.0
I think the Gabriel Allon novels in the series that deal with non-Middle Eastern enemies are generally better. The characters are better fleshed out and more memorable. And Russians are definitely new in this series so far, though something tells me this isn't the last we've seen of Ivan Kharkov. Plus, this novel features the return of favorites such as Sarah Bancroft and Adrian Carter.
Plot (Story / Pacing / Ending): 4/5
Characters (Characters / Development): 4/5
Writing (Prose / Dialogue / Style): 4/5
Other (Enjoyment / Read Pace / Worldbuilding / Etc): 4/5
Plot (Story / Pacing / Ending): 4/5
Characters (Characters / Development): 4/5
Writing (Prose / Dialogue / Style): 4/5
Other (Enjoyment / Read Pace / Worldbuilding / Etc): 4/5
olinko_galis's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Even though this book is fictitious, it brought me valuable political (and sometimes social) commentary. Silva’s background in journalism definitely shines through here. This, for me, is easily the best and most enjoyable part of the book. I found the passages of the commentary to be well timed (as to not slow down the pace of the book) informative and overall very interesting. Even though there is a fair amount of biased and subjectivity in the statements, the way the author implemented them into the story was seamless. As a newcomer to the genre of espionage I’m willing to guess this is what separates the good spy books from the great. The book brought me knowledge I’m thankful to have.
Another part where Silva’s journalistic past showed is with the writing style itself. I would call it more flowery than most. While it added an air of originality it sometimes felt like the author is showing off his vocabulary. Most of the book I was on edge whether I liked it or not. I’m pretty sure now that I like it a bit more than I dislike it. His pride When it comes to the story is pretty good aswell. Even though he substitutes normal words with unnecessarily complex words, you fly through the book.
This brings me to the pace of the book. A book like this relies on it’s fast speed and Moscow rules delivers. There is a constant speed which the story follows and essentially it’s nonstop action. The twists that are scattered in the work keep the structure of the story fresh and save it from mediocrity.
Now we need to talk About the espionage part of the book. I think its handled, explained and implemented into the book well. The “spy vibe” is really pleasant. It’s not too (too being the key work here) on the nose or romanticized. I enjoyed seeing the convaluted techniques, manuevers pulled of by Allon and His companions. Silva’s writing style speaks volumes since its quite descriptive and goes into details with precision.
Now onto the weaker parts of the book. The characters. In this novel it’s very apperant that it is plot driven. I wouldnt mind if there werent any major character developments (since Moscow rules is a part of a series) but the characters themselves were extremely one-sided. They were boring husks of actual characters. There was an attempt made by the author to give some depth for me it didnt work. I was not really interested by any character of none if them were very endearing. None except one. Elena Kharkov. This person not only undergoes a beautiful character arc but is a complex human being. Shame theyre the only one. If Silva developed His characters more, i would surely rate this much higher.
One smaller issue I had with the work is the plot devices. There seems to be a character that was just made to save Allon from a situation they were in. Even though these points bothered me what I took away was more impactful. With also some bigger themed being touched upon (like religion) I learned a lot. The political commentary overshadowed this book’s faults.
So to sum it up, if you’re looking for a plot driven, fast paced espionage story with researched oponions at it’s core, this is for you.
P.S I read this book out of order (I.E my first) and had no troubles. Also Silva sometimes lets out a slighty problematic comment, But keeps it at a minimum, But still beware
Another part where Silva’s journalistic past showed is with the writing style itself. I would call it more flowery than most. While it added an air of originality it sometimes felt like the author is showing off his vocabulary. Most of the book I was on edge whether I liked it or not. I’m pretty sure now that I like it a bit more than I dislike it. His pride When it comes to the story is pretty good aswell. Even though he substitutes normal words with unnecessarily complex words, you fly through the book.
This brings me to the pace of the book. A book like this relies on it’s fast speed and Moscow rules delivers. There is a constant speed which the story follows and essentially it’s nonstop action. The twists that are scattered in the work keep the structure of the story fresh and save it from mediocrity.
Now we need to talk About the espionage part of the book. I think its handled, explained and implemented into the book well. The “spy vibe” is really pleasant. It’s not too (too being the key work here) on the nose or romanticized. I enjoyed seeing the convaluted techniques, manuevers pulled of by Allon and His companions. Silva’s writing style speaks volumes since its quite descriptive and goes into details with precision.
Now onto the weaker parts of the book. The characters. In this novel it’s very apperant that it is plot driven. I wouldnt mind if there werent any major character developments (since Moscow rules is a part of a series) but the characters themselves were extremely one-sided. They were boring husks of actual characters. There was an attempt made by the author to give some depth for me it didnt work. I was not really interested by any character of none if them were very endearing. None except one.
One smaller issue I had with the work is the plot devices. There seems to be a character that was just made to save
So to sum it up, if you’re looking for a plot driven, fast paced espionage story with researched oponions at it’s core, this is for you.
P.S I read this book out of order (I.E my first) and had no troubles. Also Silva sometimes lets out a slighty problematic comment, But keeps it at a minimum, But still beware
kahawa's review against another edition
3.0
It was ok, but I think I'll take a break from Silva. Too much of the same thing.
lmcneil's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
3.0
The ending of how they get out of the situation was too convenient for me this time. Felt like he didn't know where this was going, so a plot twist that got the writer out of a story jam rather than making it a great moment.