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A review by _onemorechapter_
The Terminal List by Jack Carr
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
๐ญ The Terminal List deals with LCDR James Reece, SEAL Team 7, whose entire team is killed in an ambush in Afghanistan when they are forced by the National Command Authority to assault an objective without proper reconnaissance and battlefield preparation.
James Reece goes out on a personal vendetta tracking down and taking out those responsible for the deaths of his men on SEAL Team Seven and his wife and daughter. Going from a Navy SEAL to a modern-day vigilante who takes justice into his own hands, James Reece goes after the highest echelons in power responsible for the deaths of his SEAL Team brothers and family.
Carr's background as a former Navy SEAL lends an authentic edge to the novel, capturing the intricacies of military life with precision.
The story was entertaining enough but definitely hindered by the fact that James' character was preposterously one-dimensional with emotions that seemed flat and superficial.
I also had trouble with the pace. There were some HUGE moments for the character described within a sentence or two, where I would have preferred a much more intense and detailed description. Similar to emotional circumstances, not that I wanted to see James suffer more, I just felt his lack of suffering a bit unbelievable despite his hardened SEAL blood. Little things like flirting with a female friend within days of his wife and daughter being brutally murdered? Now there are inclusions of emotional stress at points like these, but they fell real short for me.
The last 1/3 of the story is its best aspect. When James Reece finally gets to start throwing lead and getting revenge, the action sequences, while still subpar to similars in my opinion, are very enjoyable and do carry some mental fist-pounding moments.
Considering this is Carrโs debut, I thought the book was good enough, even though it sometimes got bogged down by the cornucopia of gun specifications which was overwhelming and surplus to requirement, IMO. Overall the writing was fine, I guess, but some of it justโฆwasn't. Needless details were a big one like Weapons/military info and slang was well beyond civilian interest level and I dare say beyond what readers of this subject prefer? Disclosure I am not prior military, but at times there are full paragraphs describing a weapon thatโs not all that important to the coming action, I imagine most felt this was a bit heavy. I sure can understand the need of an author who is an ex-Seal to show his expertise, but it is adding useless information to the flow of the story. Despite all this, I think I will try another book, with the hope it will be just a story, not a training book.
IMO, It was a book in need of a much better editor!!
So my overall opinion is โGoodโ not โGreat.โ There were good parts and bad parts which somehow managed to deliver a story that would be just interesting enough for you to finish the book but isn't so brilliant that you would be really satisfied after finishing it.
๐.๐ I picked it up because of the TV show on Amazon Prime. I loved it. After completing the series I started with the book. As a person who has read the book as well as watched the show, I can say with certainty that the story made a good popcorn action flick but As a book? It needs a little more work and polish.
I would DEFINITELY recommend watching the show on Amazon Prime FIRST. The changes they made to the show add depth and make it a more thought-provoking story. The showrunners did Mr Carr a great service - removing some of the less savoury parts of his writing while improving the flow of the plot. Not wanting to spoil anything, I'll just say they know how to incorporate twists -- as opposed to the author, who does not appear to have the patience to let us like the bad guys just a bit before breaking our hearts.
๐ธ๐ด๐ ๐น๐๐๐๐๐: โญโญโญ.5
๐ธ๐ฎ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐น๐๐๐๐๐: 4.27 (48201)
๐ธ๐ฎ๐๐๐๐:Thriller, Military Fiction, Political Thriller, Suspense and Mystery
๐ธ๐บ๐๐๐๐๐: Terminal List (Book 1)
๐ธ๐น๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐: Yes!
๐ธ ๐ญ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ธ๐๐๐๐๐:
โSometimes the most important shots in battle are the ones not taken.โ
โNever let a tragedy go to waste.โ
James Reece goes out on a personal vendetta tracking down and taking out those responsible for the deaths of his men on SEAL Team Seven and his wife and daughter. Going from a Navy SEAL to a modern-day vigilante who takes justice into his own hands, James Reece goes after the highest echelons in power responsible for the deaths of his SEAL Team brothers and family.
Carr's background as a former Navy SEAL lends an authentic edge to the novel, capturing the intricacies of military life with precision.
The story was entertaining enough but definitely hindered by the fact that James' character was preposterously one-dimensional with emotions that seemed flat and superficial.
I also had trouble with the pace. There were some HUGE moments for the character described within a sentence or two, where I would have preferred a much more intense and detailed description. Similar to emotional circumstances, not that I wanted to see James suffer more, I just felt his lack of suffering a bit unbelievable despite his hardened SEAL blood. Little things like flirting with a female friend within days of his wife and daughter being brutally murdered? Now there are inclusions of emotional stress at points like these, but they fell real short for me.
The last 1/3 of the story is its best aspect. When James Reece finally gets to start throwing lead and getting revenge, the action sequences, while still subpar to similars in my opinion, are very enjoyable and do carry some mental fist-pounding moments.
Considering this is Carrโs debut, I thought the book was good enough, even though it sometimes got bogged down by the cornucopia of gun specifications which was overwhelming and surplus to requirement, IMO. Overall the writing was fine, I guess, but some of it justโฆwasn't. Needless details were a big one like Weapons/military info and slang was well beyond civilian interest level and I dare say beyond what readers of this subject prefer? Disclosure I am not prior military, but at times there are full paragraphs describing a weapon thatโs not all that important to the coming action, I imagine most felt this was a bit heavy. I sure can understand the need of an author who is an ex-Seal to show his expertise, but it is adding useless information to the flow of the story. Despite all this, I think I will try another book, with the hope it will be just a story, not a training book.
IMO, It was a book in need of a much better editor!!
So my overall opinion is โGoodโ not โGreat.โ There were good parts and bad parts which somehow managed to deliver a story that would be just interesting enough for you to finish the book but isn't so brilliant that you would be really satisfied after finishing it.
๐.๐ I picked it up because of the TV show on Amazon Prime. I loved it. After completing the series I started with the book. As a person who has read the book as well as watched the show, I can say with certainty that the story made a good popcorn action flick but As a book? It needs a little more work and polish.
I would DEFINITELY recommend watching the show on Amazon Prime FIRST. The changes they made to the show add depth and make it a more thought-provoking story. The showrunners did Mr Carr a great service - removing some of the less savoury parts of his writing while improving the flow of the plot. Not wanting to spoil anything, I'll just say they know how to incorporate twists -- as opposed to the author, who does not appear to have the patience to let us like the bad guys just a bit before breaking our hearts.
๐ธ๐ด๐ ๐น๐๐๐๐๐: โญโญโญ.5
๐ธ๐ฎ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐น๐๐๐๐๐: 4.27 (48201)
๐ธ๐ฎ๐๐๐๐:Thriller, Military Fiction, Political Thriller, Suspense and Mystery
๐ธ๐บ๐๐๐๐๐: Terminal List (Book 1)
๐ธ๐น๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐: Yes!
๐ธ ๐ญ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ธ๐๐๐๐๐:
โSometimes the most important shots in battle are the ones not taken.โ
โNever let a tragedy go to waste.โ