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A review by writteninthestarwars
Assassin Eighteen by John Brownlow
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
3.25
3.25/5
It's been a while since I've read a modern setting action/thriller book, but Assassin Eighteen was a pretty good one to get me back into it! The last time I read one of these that was written by a man had to have been back in the early early 2010s, and the vibes back then were not my cup of tea. I was happy to see that John Brownlow has obviously gone to lengths to make his contributions to the genre more welcoming while still providing a lot of excitement. The action is non-stop and the ending genuinely took me by surprise, which I always appreciate.
However, I have to say that a few smaller details woven throughout the book made me a bit frustrated. Like one of the characters, I'm mixed race, and the way this character was spoken about, even by the main character, was annoying. "I realise I was right. She's mixed race, part white, part something else." There are a few things about this that bother me. First, the use of "part something else". We are not things, our races are not things. Second, how does Seventeen know she's part white? Why does he think she's mixed race? Is it because her skin colour is lighter? Or is it because she looks like the stereotypical mixed race person, even though not all mixed race people look the same? Not once did we get an actual description of Mireille beyond her being mixed race and having her hair tied in a bobble. It's lazy and unintentionally offensive writing. Non-mixed-race writers tend to fall down this route when writing mixed race characters, and even though I have come to expect it, it's still frustrating to read.
There is also a short scene where Seventeen is quickly passing a woman he does not know who he still describes as Jewish. How does he know she is Jewish? What about her tells him she is Jewish? Things like this and the above always feel like lazy attempts at inclusivity that, like I said, run the risk of doing the opposite of what the writer wanted. They unfortunately left a bad taste in my mouth.
Still, I mostly enjoyed this book, and the ending made me intrigued for any follow-ups. I'll definitely keep this series on my radar.
Many thanks to Hodder & Staughton for sending me a copy for review.
It's been a while since I've read a modern setting action/thriller book, but Assassin Eighteen was a pretty good one to get me back into it! The last time I read one of these that was written by a man had to have been back in the early early 2010s, and the vibes back then were not my cup of tea. I was happy to see that John Brownlow has obviously gone to lengths to make his contributions to the genre more welcoming while still providing a lot of excitement. The action is non-stop and the ending genuinely took me by surprise, which I always appreciate.
However, I have to say that a few smaller details woven throughout the book made me a bit frustrated. Like one of the characters, I'm mixed race, and the way this character was spoken about, even by the main character, was annoying. "I realise I was right. She's mixed race, part white, part something else." There are a few things about this that bother me. First, the use of "part something else". We are not things, our races are not things. Second, how does Seventeen know she's part white? Why does he think she's mixed race? Is it because her skin colour is lighter? Or is it because she looks like the stereotypical mixed race person, even though not all mixed race people look the same? Not once did we get an actual description of Mireille beyond her being mixed race and having her hair tied in a bobble. It's lazy and unintentionally offensive writing. Non-mixed-race writers tend to fall down this route when writing mixed race characters, and even though I have come to expect it, it's still frustrating to read.
There is also a short scene where Seventeen is quickly passing a woman he does not know who he still describes as Jewish. How does he know she is Jewish? What about her tells him she is Jewish? Things like this and the above always feel like lazy attempts at inclusivity that, like I said, run the risk of doing the opposite of what the writer wanted. They unfortunately left a bad taste in my mouth.
Still, I mostly enjoyed this book, and the ending made me intrigued for any follow-ups. I'll definitely keep this series on my radar.
Many thanks to Hodder & Staughton for sending me a copy for review.