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4.03 AVERAGE
4.03 AVERAGE
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A really good read even though it was a bit sentimental and far fetched at times
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
I Am Pilgrim is a long book and the author is honest enough to admit this may not be to everyone's taste in a postscript. The first half especially feels slow and over written, with endless backstory scenes explained in detail. Fortunately patience pays off and once the plot is set in motion and the story strands come together, the 2nd half picks up the pace and speeds through to a thrilling climax. There are some nitpicks along the way - Pilgrim is the best spy of his generation, yet seems to make a lot of simple errors - and there does appear to be a tinge of xenophobia in the author's writing - every non-US Arab person and place seems to be defective or disparaged in some way. However, a decent thriller for all that.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
DNF’d a quarter of the way thru due to non-stop grossness about women and Muslims. Like I can tune out a lot of BS but this was just beyond the pale
Using the word “thriller” quite loosely, the book's first half only exuded fleeting moments of ‘thrill’. Understandably setting the scene for the mammoth chronicle ahead (890 pages), the pace faltered at times and left me wondering where the five-star acclaim had come from.
As I approached the 500/600 page mark, I wasn't feeling amazed by the book. It wasn't bad, it wasn't good, it was just okay. Which was fine, but I was expecting more. More did eventually come, and was worth the wait.
While the start was slow, the final few hundred pages certainly were not. Picking up pace before we finally hit the big crescendo. An excellent finale had me hooked, if the rest of the book followed suit it would have no doubt been a five-star read.
The story carried the book, despite personal preference. The writing was solid but nothing special. A few weird or unnecessary moments, which felt more like an author's projections rather than a plot-enhancing tool, left me a little unsure, but this was passable.
While he fits the story perfectly, the main character is the typical fictional spy, possessing the same traits and unique skills as your other ‘best in the business’ heroes. See James Bond or Jack Reacher among others. This did detach from the story slightly and ruined a few key moments, but it's what you expect with a spy novel.
Overall a really enjoyable read despite hitting a plateau midway through, it ploughed through the wall of mediocrity and ended with a captivating finish to earn four stars.
As I approached the 500/600 page mark, I wasn't feeling amazed by the book. It wasn't bad, it wasn't good, it was just okay. Which was fine, but I was expecting more. More did eventually come, and was worth the wait.
While the start was slow, the final few hundred pages certainly were not. Picking up pace before we finally hit the big crescendo. An excellent finale had me hooked, if the rest of the book followed suit it would have no doubt been a five-star read.
The story carried the book, despite personal preference. The writing was solid but nothing special. A few weird or unnecessary moments, which felt more like an author's projections rather than a plot-enhancing tool, left me a little unsure, but this was passable.
While he fits the story perfectly, the main character is the typical fictional spy, possessing the same traits and unique skills as your other ‘best in the business’ heroes. See James Bond or Jack Reacher among others. This did detach from the story slightly and ruined a few key moments, but it's what you expect with a spy novel.
Overall a really enjoyable read despite hitting a plateau midway through, it ploughed through the wall of mediocrity and ended with a captivating finish to earn four stars.
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
One of the best thrillers I've read in a very long time. Highly recommended!