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4.02 AVERAGE
4.02 AVERAGE
After Vince Flynn's death in 2013, his publishers entrusted thriller author Kyle Mills to carry on with the long-running Mitch Rapp series. The Survivor is the fourteenth entry and, after Flynn's last two prequel novels, returns readers to the present-day, following up on the enormous amount of fallout from the finale of The Last Man.
A CIA turncoat has, in the wake of his death, begun unleashing data that could cripple America's intelligence community and end the careers of CIA Director Irene Kennedy and uber-assassin Mitch Rapp. Their enemies are pining for this data, chasing any lead they can, with the hopes of usurping the United States. Naturally, Rapp isn't going to allow that.
Series creators leave a long shadow in the wake of their passing, and die-hard fans can be hard to please when the torch is passed. For his part, Mills writes a solid continuation and builds a novel that fits well with what came before, sufficiently tapping into the same voice of each character and expected levels of violence and American rah-rah-rah jingoism as previously written by Flynn.
While it's an entertaining enough read, I can't help but find Mitch Rapp growing increasingly one-dimensional as the years go on. Fans expect a big, heroic tough-guy, of course, but the level of fervor and almost-fundamentalist mentality that's been bred into the man over time has reached increasingly pscyhopathic levels in the years following his wife's murder. Rapp is no longer a man content with eliminating only America's enemies abroad, but at home as well, to the point that virtually anyone that dares disagree with, or even simply annoys, him is construed as needing a bullet to the back of the head.
The fact that Mills is able to interject some degree of self-reflection in Rapp is a bit of a win. I don't think we're in any danger of Rapp suddenly turning into a cuddly comedian, but the man is ripe for some personal growth and much-needed maturity before he descends into pure caricature. While I've liked, and at times even loved, this series under Flynn's guiding hand, I'm hopeful that Mills can put his own stamp on the series and give these character some fresh perspectives and breathe new life into them in subsequent entries.
Nobody will ever mistake Mitch Rapp for the calm, cool, collected CIA pros of Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan series, but if you're looking for a fun bit of fictional sabre-rattling, these books, and The Survivor in particular, are certainly enjoyable enough reads.
A CIA turncoat has, in the wake of his death, begun unleashing data that could cripple America's intelligence community and end the careers of CIA Director Irene Kennedy and uber-assassin Mitch Rapp. Their enemies are pining for this data, chasing any lead they can, with the hopes of usurping the United States. Naturally, Rapp isn't going to allow that.
Series creators leave a long shadow in the wake of their passing, and die-hard fans can be hard to please when the torch is passed. For his part, Mills writes a solid continuation and builds a novel that fits well with what came before, sufficiently tapping into the same voice of each character and expected levels of violence and American rah-rah-rah jingoism as previously written by Flynn.
While it's an entertaining enough read, I can't help but find Mitch Rapp growing increasingly one-dimensional as the years go on. Fans expect a big, heroic tough-guy, of course, but the level of fervor and almost-fundamentalist mentality that's been bred into the man over time has reached increasingly pscyhopathic levels in the years following his wife's murder. Rapp is no longer a man content with eliminating only America's enemies abroad, but at home as well, to the point that virtually anyone that dares disagree with, or even simply annoys, him is construed as needing a bullet to the back of the head.
The fact that Mills is able to interject some degree of self-reflection in Rapp is a bit of a win. I don't think we're in any danger of Rapp suddenly turning into a cuddly comedian, but the man is ripe for some personal growth and much-needed maturity before he descends into pure caricature. While I've liked, and at times even loved, this series under Flynn's guiding hand, I'm hopeful that Mills can put his own stamp on the series and give these character some fresh perspectives and breathe new life into them in subsequent entries.
Nobody will ever mistake Mitch Rapp for the calm, cool, collected CIA pros of Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan series, but if you're looking for a fun bit of fictional sabre-rattling, these books, and The Survivor in particular, are certainly enjoyable enough reads.
I had trouble following the action in the book, it seemed like there were too many characters with intertwined stories. I would love it a 3.5 if I could.
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I have to admit, I couldn't tell it wasn't written by Vince Flynn. While Vince will be missed, this would suggest the series has been left in capable hands.
Man I missed Mitch Rapp. The new author did a great job of capturing the essence of the character and the interplay with all his friends and enemies around the world. Loved it.
When I started to get back into reading around five years ago I fell in love with Vince Flynn's Mitch Rapp series. It's a pretty straightforward CIA thriller with a great lead character and some passable side characters. Each of the four of five novels I've read in the series have been great fun reads.
The Survivor is the first novel in the series after the passing of Flynn. It's written by Kyle Mills and he doesn't a fantastic job keeping the feel of a Mitch Rapp novel alive and well. My problem with The Survivor is more about how I've fallen out of love with the ideals of this series. Mitch Rapp as a character is too perfect. He's dulled out even more in The Survivor to a point that he's basically Superman with a badge. I never really cared about the plot or the moving pieces in the book, as expertly woven as they were.
I really struggled to get through The Survivor. It felt heavy handed. The inter conflict in the CIA that drives the majority of the plot just wasn't compelling. The other problem I had with the novel was that it felt clumsy with its political leanings. Flynn has always had Republican rhetoric in his novels, but Mills didn't feel as skillful with his approach. That might have been magnified for me because of the election happening while I was reading.
When I finished The Survivor I realized that I'm officially done with this series. As fun as they can be to read, they've completely lost their luster for me. There's never a real sense of stakes with these books and the more I read them the more I struggle with finding them fun or enjoyable. This is a well written Mitch Rapp novel but not enough to keep me going forward.
The Survivor is the first novel in the series after the passing of Flynn. It's written by Kyle Mills and he doesn't a fantastic job keeping the feel of a Mitch Rapp novel alive and well. My problem with The Survivor is more about how I've fallen out of love with the ideals of this series. Mitch Rapp as a character is too perfect. He's dulled out even more in The Survivor to a point that he's basically Superman with a badge. I never really cared about the plot or the moving pieces in the book, as expertly woven as they were.
I really struggled to get through The Survivor. It felt heavy handed. The inter conflict in the CIA that drives the majority of the plot just wasn't compelling. The other problem I had with the novel was that it felt clumsy with its political leanings. Flynn has always had Republican rhetoric in his novels, but Mills didn't feel as skillful with his approach. That might have been magnified for me because of the election happening while I was reading.
When I finished The Survivor I realized that I'm officially done with this series. As fun as they can be to read, they've completely lost their luster for me. There's never a real sense of stakes with these books and the more I read them the more I struggle with finding them fun or enjoyable. This is a well written Mitch Rapp novel but not enough to keep me going forward.
I really like the storyline though you would have to read the previous work to understand all the events of this one.
In terms of the storyline, I like the fact that Mitch Rapp is chasing a ghost in terms of information release about the CIA, and being set up to fail, and they are always one step behind.
The ending is also interesting in terms of poisoning. Would have been nice to know more about the list of operatives.
Definitely a good read.
In terms of the storyline, I like the fact that Mitch Rapp is chasing a ghost in terms of information release about the CIA, and being set up to fail, and they are always one step behind.
The ending is also interesting in terms of poisoning. Would have been nice to know more about the list of operatives.
Definitely a good read.
adventurous
tense
fast-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