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markopdx's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-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? It's complicated
gabmc's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed the fifth installment in the Gabriel Allon series and reading it while the current conflict in the Middle East is happening was interesting. There is a lot of history in the book about Israel and Palestine and while I enjoyed it, it did slow the plot down. Gabriel has now moved back to Israel after his cover in Venice was blown in the last book. His girlfriend Chiara comes with him, but Gabriel can't bring himself to divorce his wife Leah to marry Chiara. Yasir Arafat is the 'godfather' of the latest man Gabriel is hunting, putting him at risk because of the powerful people he's dealing with. There are three generations of the same Palestinian family who are suspected of being terrorists and it is Khaled, the grandson of this dynasty that Gabriel and his team are hunting. Khaled is incredibly well protected and it will take all the team has to uncover his true identity.
jacki_f's review against another edition
3.0
The Israeli embassy in Rome is attacked by a car bomber. It becomes apparent that the attack was part of a wider conspiracy to target Gabriel Allon, who has to track down the terrorists before they can track him down.
This is a perfectly readable thriller but maybe because I read it straight after "A Death in Vienna" I felt irritated by how lazy the writing is.
For example, in A Death in Vienna this is how Gabriel Allon is described:
"(His) gait was smooth and seemingly without effort. The slight outward bend to his legs suggested speed and surefootedness. The face was long and narrow at the chin, with a slender nose that looked as if it had been carved from wood. The cheekbones were wide, and there was a hint of the Russian steppes in the restless green eyes. The black hair was cropped short and shot with gray at the temples."
This is how he is described in "Prince of Fire":
"His walk was smooth and seemingly without wffort, and there was a slight outward bend to his legs that Isherwood always associated with men who could run very fast or were good at football...The face came into focus - long, high at the forehead, narrow at the chin. The nose looked at though it had been carved from wood, the cheekbones were wide and prominent, and there was a hint of the Russian steppes in the green, restless eyes. The black hair was cropped short and very gray at the temples."
This is but one example of many elements that feel completely recycled from previous books. The plot is also extremely pro-Israeli and anti-Arab, to the point that starts to feel less like a thriller and more like a lecture.
I do like this series but I think the moral is not to read them too close to one another!
This is a perfectly readable thriller but maybe because I read it straight after "A Death in Vienna" I felt irritated by how lazy the writing is.
For example, in A Death in Vienna this is how Gabriel Allon is described:
"(His) gait was smooth and seemingly without effort. The slight outward bend to his legs suggested speed and surefootedness. The face was long and narrow at the chin, with a slender nose that looked as if it had been carved from wood. The cheekbones were wide, and there was a hint of the Russian steppes in the restless green eyes. The black hair was cropped short and shot with gray at the temples."
This is how he is described in "Prince of Fire":
"His walk was smooth and seemingly without wffort, and there was a slight outward bend to his legs that Isherwood always associated with men who could run very fast or were good at football...The face came into focus - long, high at the forehead, narrow at the chin. The nose looked at though it had been carved from wood, the cheekbones were wide and prominent, and there was a hint of the Russian steppes in the green, restless eyes. The black hair was cropped short and very gray at the temples."
This is but one example of many elements that feel completely recycled from previous books. The plot is also extremely pro-Israeli and anti-Arab, to the point that starts to feel less like a thriller and more like a lecture.
I do like this series but I think the moral is not to read them too close to one another!
heidenkind's review against another edition
Uhg that ending was so annoying. This is definitely my least-favorite Allon book so far.
aoosterwyk's review against another edition
4.0
I appreciated all the historical information lodged in the story. It enhanced the action for me and never felt slow.
Themes of vengeance, both personal and political drove the plot.
Themes of vengeance, both personal and political drove the plot.
fotoshopguy52's review against another edition
5.0
Daniel Silva has shown that he is not only a master story teller, but at the same time has the ability to provide historical facts in a manner that is often fascinating and riveting. What I find especially interesting about this fact is that I was never a great student of history, yet when I read his novels I am engrossed and amazed at how it often drives me to do my own research on these historical events.
Obviously, if this type of fiction does not interest you your feeling towards this novel may vary greatly from mine. Even so, I found The Prince of Fire to also be thrilling and fast paced, and I will continue to read the remainder of the novels in the Gabriel Allon series.
Obviously, if this type of fiction does not interest you your feeling towards this novel may vary greatly from mine. Even so, I found The Prince of Fire to also be thrilling and fast paced, and I will continue to read the remainder of the novels in the Gabriel Allon series.
sandin954's review against another edition
3.0
An entertaining spy thriller that had a fast paced plot and an appealing reluctant hero.
historybooksandtea's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
informative
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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? It's complicated
4.0