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limeyspud's review
3.0
I have read all of Wrights apocalyptic fiction novels and enjoyed the self contained universe he was creating, so I was intrigued when he announced a new direction with Soft Target.
If you know 24 then you know this story, race against time for our hero to stop a major terrorist attack and aided by a merry band of followers all of whom have the typical skill set, medical doctor, pilot, solider, bureaucrat etc but Wright introduces a few intriguing concepts into his novel and its for these that makes this book worth reading.
There is the Major Crimes Unit which is no longer quite so Major. Funding has been cut and we see what was once the jewel in the crown of our post 9-11 intelligence world in quite a sad and pathetic state but yet quite contradictory still has political clout. This is revealed by a cell phone that has the Prime Minister on speed dial. We also have the hero who is a woman and refreshingly surprisingly she is not a single mum balancing counter terrorism work with being a parent. Additionally she doesn't fall in love with her colleagues which allows Wright to develop her character. Finally he describes quite a depressing Britain. It certainly made me think.
Overall it's a fun race against time thriller with a few twists thrown in. If you are a Wright fan or like the thriller genre then pick it up and you will have an enjoyable few hours.
Thriller fans be warned there is no real political intrigue in this novel. So don't go expecting a Brad Thor or Vince Flynn style book or even 24 type political shenanigans.
This book proves that Wright is capable of more than just horror and I suspect this was his aim with a 24 esque thriller.
My only advice is change the name of the hero. If it became a popular book then google searches would bring up some interesting results.
If you know 24 then you know this story, race against time for our hero to stop a major terrorist attack and aided by a merry band of followers all of whom have the typical skill set, medical doctor, pilot, solider, bureaucrat etc but Wright introduces a few intriguing concepts into his novel and its for these that makes this book worth reading.
There is the Major Crimes Unit which is no longer quite so Major. Funding has been cut and we see what was once the jewel in the crown of our post 9-11 intelligence world in quite a sad and pathetic state but yet quite contradictory still has political clout. This is revealed by a cell phone that has the Prime Minister on speed dial. We also have the hero who is a woman and refreshingly surprisingly she is not a single mum balancing counter terrorism work with being a parent. Additionally she doesn't fall in love with her colleagues which allows Wright to develop her character. Finally he describes quite a depressing Britain. It certainly made me think.
Overall it's a fun race against time thriller with a few twists thrown in. If you are a Wright fan or like the thriller genre then pick it up and you will have an enjoyable few hours.
Thriller fans be warned there is no real political intrigue in this novel. So don't go expecting a Brad Thor or Vince Flynn style book or even 24 type political shenanigans.
This book proves that Wright is capable of more than just horror and I suspect this was his aim with a 24 esque thriller.
My only advice is change the name of the hero. If it became a popular book then google searches would bring up some interesting results.
amia's review
5.0
As with every other Iain Rob Wright tale, Tar is gripping, terrifying, well-written and, in this case, entirely too possible. I enjoyed it very much. I also found that even though Tar is a novella, the characters are well-rounded and pulled on my emotions. I have a lot of sympathy and empathy for the three primary players.
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