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3.57 AVERAGE
3.57 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
medium-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:
Complicated
adventurous
funny
mysterious
reflective
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
Loved how vibrant and alive the characters were.
dark
emotional
sad
tense
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
The Plotters was... slow. The first half of the book consists primarily of flashbacks, with some present-day scenes interspersed in between; it wasn't until I was almost 65% of the way through that I could finally say "The Plot's begun." The story is marketed as a thriller, but it's really more of a character study of the main character-an assassin, to be sure, but a contemplative one-as well as of the power structure of society as a whole. There's really no tension in the book; after all, in what book would the main character die 2/3 of the way through, even if he's about to do something extremely stupid? The plot that does come in the second half of the book seems more like a means for the author to further explore those points than an attempt to infuse the book with compelling action, and the "why" of it all (at least, of his connection to the main plot) is never really explained.
This book started out very promisingly, with a lovely impressionistic vignette aptly titled "On Hospitality". Unfortunately, the book never manages to reach that height again, and all the promises of a sort of Tortilla Flat set against the backdrop of a "hostile takeover" of one assassination firm by another fall away. What we're left with is a story that occasionally verges on the dreamlike but squanders any of the magic that accompanies it. It isn't a bad book, and if I were more a fan of noir drama I'm sure I would have been far more charitable.