Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
One of my blogger-buddies is a big fan of this series and my husband has recommended it to me on various occasions over the years, so I finally decided to pick it up and see what all the shouting was about. After all, the series has been very popular since this first book was published in 2001. There are many who love it, so it must have some interesting qualities to recommend it.
Of course, the only way to read a series, in my opinion, is to start at the beginning, so here I sit with the first of the Gabriel Allon spy thrillers, The Kill Artist in hand, and, overall, I did find it to be an interesting read.
For those unfamiliar with the books, Daniel Silva's creation, Gabriel Allon, is a former agent with the Israeli Mossad. He left the spy service some years before this first book and settled down to become an art restorer. He was very successful at this profession and has become one of the most acclaimed restorers of damaged art in the world, but he keeps getting pulled back into the world of espionage by the man who originally recruited him.
Allon has a tragic past. His wife and son were blown up by a car bomb in 1991 in Vienna. It is eventually revealed that the Palestinian agent who was responsible for that bomb is named Tariq. Years before, Allon had assassinated Tariq's older brother, Mahmoud, so the car bomb was another case of tit for tat in the seemingly endless cycle of mindless revenge which seems to govern Israeli/Palestinian relations.
Incidentally, one of the things which I found interesting about Silva's writing was that he did seem to make an effort to fairly depict both sides of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, even though much of the story was riddled with cliches of the victimization and suffering that are familiar to anyone reading or watching the news from that war-torn part of the world.
In this present story, Allon is contacted by his old boss at the Mossad and offered a chance to finally take Tariq out - that is, kill him. A chance for more revenge. An elaborate operation, involving a beautiful model with whom Allon has worked with and had an affair with before, is put in play in order to accomplish the killing of Tariq.
The tale is told in third person. The all-seeing eye follows the various characters around and reports on their activities. It was a bit disconcerting to me that the action jumped rapidly between the various characters and settings. Just when I was getting used to Allon in Cornwall, suddenly we are off to Israel of Paris or London or some other setting and some other character. It was enough to give me mental whiplash.
All of the characters here seem entirely ruthless and willing to do whatever it takes to accomplish the mission at hand. The depiction of both the Palestinian and the Israeli agents really depressed me, but I think it's just the whole Middle East situation that I find depressing and the fact that there seem to be so few people of good will on either side who are willing to take a risk for peace. Those who do often find themselves targets for assassination. In the end, nothing is really accomplished; nothing ever changes.
And that seems to be the end result in this book as well. It was a fairly quick read, good for hot summer days. It did keep me turning the pages. All in all, I thought it was a pretty good effort for an introduction to a series. I'm sure I will be reading more.
Of course, the only way to read a series, in my opinion, is to start at the beginning, so here I sit with the first of the Gabriel Allon spy thrillers, The Kill Artist in hand, and, overall, I did find it to be an interesting read.
For those unfamiliar with the books, Daniel Silva's creation, Gabriel Allon, is a former agent with the Israeli Mossad. He left the spy service some years before this first book and settled down to become an art restorer. He was very successful at this profession and has become one of the most acclaimed restorers of damaged art in the world, but he keeps getting pulled back into the world of espionage by the man who originally recruited him.
Allon has a tragic past. His wife and son were blown up by a car bomb in 1991 in Vienna. It is eventually revealed that the Palestinian agent who was responsible for that bomb is named Tariq. Years before, Allon had assassinated Tariq's older brother, Mahmoud, so the car bomb was another case of tit for tat in the seemingly endless cycle of mindless revenge which seems to govern Israeli/Palestinian relations.
Incidentally, one of the things which I found interesting about Silva's writing was that he did seem to make an effort to fairly depict both sides of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, even though much of the story was riddled with cliches of the victimization and suffering that are familiar to anyone reading or watching the news from that war-torn part of the world.
In this present story, Allon is contacted by his old boss at the Mossad and offered a chance to finally take Tariq out - that is, kill him. A chance for more revenge. An elaborate operation, involving a beautiful model with whom Allon has worked with and had an affair with before, is put in play in order to accomplish the killing of Tariq.
The tale is told in third person. The all-seeing eye follows the various characters around and reports on their activities. It was a bit disconcerting to me that the action jumped rapidly between the various characters and settings. Just when I was getting used to Allon in Cornwall, suddenly we are off to Israel of Paris or London or some other setting and some other character. It was enough to give me mental whiplash.
All of the characters here seem entirely ruthless and willing to do whatever it takes to accomplish the mission at hand. The depiction of both the Palestinian and the Israeli agents really depressed me, but I think it's just the whole Middle East situation that I find depressing and the fact that there seem to be so few people of good will on either side who are willing to take a risk for peace. Those who do often find themselves targets for assassination. In the end, nothing is really accomplished; nothing ever changes.
And that seems to be the end result in this book as well. It was a fairly quick read, good for hot summer days. It did keep me turning the pages. All in all, I thought it was a pretty good effort for an introduction to a series. I'm sure I will be reading more.
Typical espionage/thriller novel. Interesting slant given the Israeli - Palestinian component. The book moves fairly fast and kept my attention which is what I would expect from books of this genre.
This one was just okay for me. I was interested, but had no problem putting the book down. I'm a big Tom Clancy fan (the stuff he actually wrote, not the stuff he put his name on) so this seemed like a good fit. Sadly, the writing just wasn't as good. The POV hops around a lot at the beginning and I just never got to know or care about the characters enough to be invested. The other thing that didn't work for me was the idea of Gabriel as a hero. Nothing he actually does in this book can be considered heroic - he lets the woman take all the real risks and .
I don't feel like I wasted my time, but there are so many other good spy novels out there, I don't think I'll continue with this series.
Spoiler
when the time comes to really show up and perform, he freezes. (Meaning he doesn't actually take the shot at Tariq).I don't feel like I wasted my time, but there are so many other good spy novels out there, I don't think I'll continue with this series.
Mini-Review:
4 Stars for Narration by George Guidall
2.5 Stars for 2D Characters
3 Stars for Plot
There were parts of the story that felt very atmospheric and like I should be diving into a deep story full of conflicting emotions and suspense. I never quite got to that point. The point of views changed frequently enough to keep me from ever getting into any of the characters. I thought I would end up liking Gabriel as a tragic figure but the deadly allure never made itself apparent or lure me into fangirl mode.
Guidall is a great narrator. I love him as Longmire. For this? If the story had been told more from Gabriel's POV, there would be more elements to connect with in the story via setting, actions, etc. The story came across as a wannabe epic and ended up being a shallow dip into the darker side of human drive.
4 Stars for Narration by George Guidall
2.5 Stars for 2D Characters
3 Stars for Plot
There were parts of the story that felt very atmospheric and like I should be diving into a deep story full of conflicting emotions and suspense. I never quite got to that point. The point of views changed frequently enough to keep me from ever getting into any of the characters. I thought I would end up liking Gabriel as a tragic figure but the deadly allure never made itself apparent or lure me into fangirl mode.
Guidall is a great narrator. I love him as Longmire. For this? If the story had been told more from Gabriel's POV, there would be more elements to connect with in the story via setting, actions, etc. The story came across as a wannabe epic and ended up being a shallow dip into the darker side of human drive.
My first Daniel Silva book, and a solid start. The concept behind the main character is particularly noteworthy, as well as using a setting of the Israeli and Palestinian conflicts. It's wonderful to see a deviation from the standard CIA/FBI-American-Superhero spy.
The book has some awkward plot points and shaky character development, but that may be on account of this being Silva's first Gabirel Allon book. Points awarded though for accurately describing Vienna with streets that connect together, and not just mashing through it. The Kill Artist was well written and planned out enough that I'll look into the next few Allon books, particularly for daily commute reading.
The book has some awkward plot points and shaky character development, but that may be on account of this being Silva's first Gabirel Allon book. Points awarded though for accurately describing Vienna with streets that connect together, and not just mashing through it. The Kill Artist was well written and planned out enough that I'll look into the next few Allon books, particularly for daily commute reading.
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
This was a very difficult book to read, Mostly because of the super graphic descriptions of the brutality that is taking place in that region. I read it, knowing that in some form or another this had to be close to the truth. It was very disturbing, as far as the story itself, I expected some twist and it didn't surprise me.
I love Daniel Silva’s books, and it’s been a while since I’ve read them from the beginning. As such, I started over.
It’s fun to see how Silva has changed as an author, and Gabriel as a character. In his newer books, there is less language, and more nuanced scenarios.
It’s fun to see how Silva has changed as an author, and Gabriel as a character. In his newer books, there is less language, and more nuanced scenarios.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I’ve already read a few books from the Allon series and I really enjoyed them, so naturally I wanted to read the book that started it all. Daniel Silva’s writing is very fluid and detailed, which is something I appreciate in this genre of books, because it provides the reader with a lot of important information for understanding the whole story. Even though this is a work of fiction, a lot of the political and historical events that occur are based or inspired by real things. I’ve been learning a lot about the Middle East and it has been very interesting.
The Gabriel Allon we meet in this first book is so different from the one in future books, it’s incredible to see the character development through all the books. I found the plot clever and loved that twist at the end. I will definitely read more books in this series.