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4.03 AVERAGE
4.03 AVERAGE
A thrilling book of murder, espionage, and terrorism in a post 9/11 world.
Hayes does an unbelievable job of weaving together several story lines that are all converging to a single place in time. He is constantly foreshadowing moments but only tying them in 300 pages later once you have almost forgot about it.
The story starts in the middle of a life. A retired spy who is helping a friend review the crime scene of a perfect murder, but Hayes is able to outline each character in depth with their back story and their motivations while keeping the story moving and thrilling and engaging. These are real people with real histories and reasons for their actions.
The preeminent theme is about how unsafe we really are. Security is an illusion. Defeating the bad guys takes extraordinary skill and resources and a lot of luck so it's just a matter of time before a new and different 9/11 happens.
“A writer called Robert Louis Stevenson once said that ‘sooner or later we all sit down to a banquet of consequences.”
This is my favorite "spy" novel of all time.
Hayes does an unbelievable job of weaving together several story lines that are all converging to a single place in time. He is constantly foreshadowing moments but only tying them in 300 pages later once you have almost forgot about it.
The story starts in the middle of a life. A retired spy who is helping a friend review the crime scene of a perfect murder, but Hayes is able to outline each character in depth with their back story and their motivations while keeping the story moving and thrilling and engaging. These are real people with real histories and reasons for their actions.
The preeminent theme is about how unsafe we really are. Security is an illusion. Defeating the bad guys takes extraordinary skill and resources and a lot of luck so it's just a matter of time before a new and different 9/11 happens.
“A writer called Robert Louis Stevenson once said that ‘sooner or later we all sit down to a banquet of consequences.”
This is my favorite "spy" novel of all time.
Loved it! One of the best books I've read this year. Hayes is a brilliant writer, I thoroughly enjoyed his style. The book ate me, I was totally immersed in its world. And the details! Jesus.. every single detail was in place so immaculately. I'll miss reading it.
One of the reviews on the jacket of the book described it as a 12-course meal of a book... I think that about sums it up. There's a LOT here, many peripheral stories and back stories but it's so well written I didn't mind any of that. And it all wove together to make a very strong and exciting and enjoyable thriller! Definitely one of the best I've ever read in the genre.
adventurous
dark
informative
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Wow, what a book. What a story. Terry Hayes has written a real blockbuster here. It is engaging from page one, and I could barely put it down for the whole 900-odd pages. The way numerous plots are intertwined and told in a way that draws the reader in is compelling. I really enjoyed how clever this book and some of the characters in it are. Sublime storytelling.
Great book, lots of detail which added to the very topical storyline, I can see a series coming! A very likeable set of characters.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Where to start? I wanted a big stupid novel for my holiday and I certainly got it. The positives. Terry Hayes is a better writer than Dan Brown. The crime investigated at the beginning of the novel is intriguing but really has no bearing on the overall plot. Hayes could have dropped it and constructed a tighter story. Parts of the book are thrilling and move frantically. Hayes background in action films is clear. But... His dialogue is poor. Everyone, regardless of nationality, with the exception of a 'comical' Turkish hotel manager, speaks exactly the same.
The main character becomes increasingly irritating as the novel progresses. He, and perhaps Hayes (although British/Australian), seem to consider every non-American inferior. These stereotypes include Turks (corrupt and smelly like all Ottomans in history), Russians (MOST Russian business disputes are solved by murder), Japanese (whose torture techniques our hero emulates but of course "to the Japanese it was sport"; the implication being that Pilgrim is employed on the side of RIGHT), and all of Europe (lax immigration policies...). Without irony Pilgrim champions US torture and invasion of privacy but when employed by the Turks "for anyone who values privacy and freedom, it's a terrifying thing to behold."
The novel is narrated in the first person and Pilgrim obviously has a high opinion of himself, but so do other characters, even in scenes in which our narrator is not present. He imagines one character describe his as "a brilliant investigator, certainly the best she had ever known."
Some of the writing is clumsy, at one crucial point "the sun shifted slightly on its axis", not something you see every day.
I enjoyed parts of this but I'm glad it is over and I'm unlikely to pick up any sequels. Another quote from the book seems to sum it up - " 'lots of violence and killing but not much plot.' 'Sounds like a Hollywood movie,' I said."
The main character becomes increasingly irritating as the novel progresses. He, and perhaps Hayes (although British/Australian), seem to consider every non-American inferior. These stereotypes include Turks (corrupt and smelly like all Ottomans in history), Russians (MOST Russian business disputes are solved by murder), Japanese (whose torture techniques our hero emulates but of course "to the Japanese it was sport"; the implication being that Pilgrim is employed on the side of RIGHT), and all of Europe (lax immigration policies...). Without irony Pilgrim champions US torture and invasion of privacy but when employed by the Turks "for anyone who values privacy and freedom, it's a terrifying thing to behold."
The novel is narrated in the first person and Pilgrim obviously has a high opinion of himself, but so do other characters, even in scenes in which our narrator is not present. He imagines one character describe his as "a brilliant investigator, certainly the best she had ever known."
Some of the writing is clumsy, at one crucial point "the sun shifted slightly on its axis", not something you see every day.
I enjoyed parts of this but I'm glad it is over and I'm unlikely to pick up any sequels. Another quote from the book seems to sum it up - " 'lots of violence and killing but not much plot.' 'Sounds like a Hollywood movie,' I said."