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A review by colinmcev
The Godfather's Revenge by Mark Winegardner
4.0
Much like the previous entry, The Godfather Returns, this is an extremely readable and enjoyable book, and any fan of The Godfather films or the original novel by Mario Puzo is basically guaranteed to enjoy it. Mark Winegardner is a very strong writer who understands this fictional universe well, and does an excellent job of tying all the various characters and subplots together with the events of the past and future films and novels. As with The Godfather Returns, the two most interesting characters in this novel to me are Tom Hagen and Nick Geraci. Hagen is obviously a well-established character from the original novel and films, but I think it;s Winegardner where this character really develops into his full, rich potential. And Geraci, unlike Hagen, is an invention of Winegardners, but fits in perfectly with these other better known, time-tested characters. Geraci's attempted return and revenge against Michael is well-orchestrated and fascinating to watch unfold, and his character is so engaging that you almost root for him to come out on top against Michael Corleone, even as you already know it is not meant to be.
I also particularly enjoyed how this book once again draws upon real-life history of organized crime, particularly in the characters of Carlo Tramonti, President James Shea, and Attorney General Daniel Shea, who are obviously allusions to New Orleans crime boss gangster Carlos Marcello, President John F. Kennedy, and Bobby Kennedy. Tramonti's deportation and subsequent scheming against the Sheas made for an interesting subplot. Overall, The Godfather Returns was perhaps slightly better than this new entry, if only because Revenge seemed to take a slightly longer time to build up before getting to the action. But both are equally fun reads and excellent novels that live up to the high level of quality Mario Puzo himself set in the original.
I also particularly enjoyed how this book once again draws upon real-life history of organized crime, particularly in the characters of Carlo Tramonti, President James Shea, and Attorney General Daniel Shea, who are obviously allusions to New Orleans crime boss gangster Carlos Marcello, President John F. Kennedy, and Bobby Kennedy. Tramonti's deportation and subsequent scheming against the Sheas made for an interesting subplot. Overall, The Godfather Returns was perhaps slightly better than this new entry, if only because Revenge seemed to take a slightly longer time to build up before getting to the action. But both are equally fun reads and excellent novels that live up to the high level of quality Mario Puzo himself set in the original.