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uutopicaa's review against another edition
5.0
This is the best book I've ever read (related to WWII). One of my friends got a used copy of it like ten years ago and recommended it to me. It took me a few years to find it and, when I did, I just couldn't stop reading it.
The story, the plot, the characters, everything in this book is exceptional and magnificent.
I'm not a big fan of historical fiction but, this book it more than worth reading.
I certainly recommend it.
The story, the plot, the characters, everything in this book is exceptional and magnificent.
I'm not a big fan of historical fiction but, this book it more than worth reading.
I certainly recommend it.
emerygirl's review
5.0
This book grabbed my attention from the very first chapter. I knew it would be a good book...but after the riveting chapter 1 it does take a little while to get the characters all figured out and determine exactly what is going on....but don't give up. It is so worth it in the end. This was a book I couldn't put down. The characters are well developed. The plot is well thought out. I loved the very last line of the ackowldgements at the end where Iles says for the younger generations to remember that 50 years is not that long ago. It amazes me that not so long ago the atrocities of the concentration camp were happening.
billymac1962's review against another edition
3.0
In 2001 I conversed a bit with Greg Iles through emails and after reading The Quiet Game I told him I was torn between reading 24 Hours or Black Cross next. He told me he felt Black Cross was his best novel, so dilemma solved. Normally I wouldn't pick up this type of novel; wartime
action novels just don't appeal to me from a reading standpoint but I love war movies.
But as you know by now I'm a big fan of Greg Iles so I owed it to myself to read this. It's pretty good. It's about an Allied mission to avert a lethal gas attack by the Nazis with the Soman, the deadliest gas known. It did hold my interest, but like I said, novels with plenty of action tend to bore me a bit. I'm much more interested in character interaction
and psychological suspense than dodging bullets, so I still consider Mortal Fear his greatest work.
Now having said that, if this type of novel appeals to you, I doubt you'd find much better than Black Cross.
action novels just don't appeal to me from a reading standpoint but I love war movies.
But as you know by now I'm a big fan of Greg Iles so I owed it to myself to read this. It's pretty good. It's about an Allied mission to avert a lethal gas attack by the Nazis with the Soman, the deadliest gas known. It did hold my interest, but like I said, novels with plenty of action tend to bore me a bit. I'm much more interested in character interaction
and psychological suspense than dodging bullets, so I still consider Mortal Fear his greatest work.
Now having said that, if this type of novel appeals to you, I doubt you'd find much better than Black Cross.
btwhitney's review
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
elwoodradley's review against another edition
4.0
4.25. Greg Iles can write one hell of a historical fiction thriller. Awesome book with an insane plot, that is based off of fact.
aaronboyes19's review against another edition
5.0
Amazing. One of the best books I have read in some time. It was suspenseful, action-packed, and so vivid. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys fiction about the Second World War.
liedora's review against another edition
5.0
If you have a weak stomach, this is not the novel for you. However, if you do decide to pass it over, you will be missing an incredible read.
What characters there are in this book, from real life to fictional, and all are woven together to create people that the reader will either be 100% with throughout, or really want t see them come to a grizzly end. Despite them all been based in the WWII era, and everyone knows the outcome of this war, it doesn’t stop the reader from immediately connecting with anyone of a number of the principal players in this plot. It does take some time to get to know the characters but the wait is well worth it and the journey to the reader learning about them and their motivations adds a great deal to the plot. There really isn’t a great deal more I can say about the characters in this book without beginning to include spoilers in this review; one thing I will say though is that it was very refreshing to read some very strong female characters and to travel their path with them to its conclusion, and many times the ‘who will you choose?’ question raises its ugly head, and they have to make that choice.
This novel is a very solid and well researched piece of historical fiction with, as I mentioned earlier, fact woven seamlessly into the fiction. Some of the facts included actually had me doing research myself into them once I had finished the book and this is always a good thing. Although this could be listed as a holocaust book, the action does not take place entirely in a camp and when it does it is not the usual kind of camp we read about. The descriptions of the horrific things that took place in this camp to not just Jews actually made my stomach turn at some points and I am far from being squeamish. It is not a fast paced book by any stretch of the imagination, but this is good as when the action takes place it leaves the reader breathless and wanting to read on. I loved the ending to this book, in fact I think it was my favourite part; there were no neat ribbon tied packages that gave closure, but a image of hope for the future which epitomised everything those had participated in this war fought for.
I would highly recommend this book to any and all readers.
Originally reviewed on: http://catesbooknuthut.com/2014/09/19/review-black-cross-world-war-two-1-greg-iles/
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
What characters there are in this book, from real life to fictional, and all are woven together to create people that the reader will either be 100% with throughout, or really want t see them come to a grizzly end. Despite them all been based in the WWII era, and everyone knows the outcome of this war, it doesn’t stop the reader from immediately connecting with anyone of a number of the principal players in this plot. It does take some time to get to know the characters but the wait is well worth it and the journey to the reader learning about them and their motivations adds a great deal to the plot. There really isn’t a great deal more I can say about the characters in this book without beginning to include spoilers in this review; one thing I will say though is that it was very refreshing to read some very strong female characters and to travel their path with them to its conclusion, and many times the ‘who will you choose?’ question raises its ugly head, and they have to make that choice.
This novel is a very solid and well researched piece of historical fiction with, as I mentioned earlier, fact woven seamlessly into the fiction. Some of the facts included actually had me doing research myself into them once I had finished the book and this is always a good thing. Although this could be listed as a holocaust book, the action does not take place entirely in a camp and when it does it is not the usual kind of camp we read about. The descriptions of the horrific things that took place in this camp to not just Jews actually made my stomach turn at some points and I am far from being squeamish. It is not a fast paced book by any stretch of the imagination, but this is good as when the action takes place it leaves the reader breathless and wanting to read on. I loved the ending to this book, in fact I think it was my favourite part; there were no neat ribbon tied packages that gave closure, but a image of hope for the future which epitomised everything those had participated in this war fought for.
I would highly recommend this book to any and all readers.
Originally reviewed on: http://catesbooknuthut.com/2014/09/19/review-black-cross-world-war-two-1-greg-iles/
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
ethannorwoodbooks's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5