Book Review: Takedown (Scot Harvath Series #5)

 

Takedown, published in 2006, is the fifth book in the now long-running series of action-adventure thriller novels set around the character of Scot Harvath written by author, Brad Thor. As he has in the prior novels in the series, Thor continues to blend real-world elements with his fictional storylines in this novel. The main storyline in this book involves a terrorist attack on New York City by fictional Al-Qeada members. Harvath essentially becomes trapped in the city and follows a group of terrorists who are hitting what appears to be random targets while seemingly looking for something or someone. The other main storyline in the book involves political fighting and maneuvering and brings the real-world enhanced interrogation technique controversy (which was just coming to light around the time Thor was writing the book) into the story. The book ends on a fairly large cliffhanger that will almost certainly affect one or more subsequent books in the series. 

The hardcover version of the book is just under 400 pages. The book has a good blend of action and suspense. There are a couple of side stories here and there, especially early on. But the main storylines are the focus. If you like the first four novels in the series you will probably like this one. If you are a fan of the genre but have not yet read the other books in the series, it is a good idea to start with the first book because the main characters are fairly established by this point and the author only does minimal character development on a couple of characters that are newly introduced in this book. It is absolutely worth the time to read.

Book Review: Star Wars: Crimson Climb

 

Crimson Climb is a young-adult novel centered on the character of Qi'ra (who was the character played by Emilia Clarke in the movie Solo: A Star Wars Story). The book begins immediately after the events of the beginning of Solo (still a very underrated movie) when Han escapes Corellia and Qi'ra is captured. It tells the story of what happened after Qi'ra returned to Lady Proxima and how she ended up in and worked her way up through, the Crimson Dawn crime syndicate to become a major player under Dryden Voss. The story also helps explain why she made the choice she did at the end of the movie.

The hardcover version of the book is just over 350 pages. The book includes new and unfamiliar characters, which may make it a bit slower to read than the novels involving more established characters. It has a good blend of action and suspense and definitely adheres to the "no honor among thieves" saying. Since the chances of a sequel movie to Solo are pretty much shot, if the story of the characters is going to be continued it will be in the novels. This is absolutely worth the time to read.

Book Review: Blowback (Scot Harvarth Series #4)

 

Blowback, published in 2005, is the fourth book in the Scot Harvath series of thrillers created by Brad Thor. The plot of this book involves a bioweapon threat from the Middle East. Much like Vince Flynn did in the Mitch Rapp series, which is in the same genre, Thor blends real-life events (such as the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks) with his fictional storylines. This one specifically involves an Al-Queada plot being aided by a tangential member of the Saudi Royal family.

The hardcover version of the book is a little under 450 pages. Like the previous three books in the series, it has a good blend of action and suspense. It has a few different storylines going on that intersect at different points. The main storyline is the bioterrorism storyline, but there is also a story arc involving an ambitious Senator who is looking for a VP spot on the next Democratic ticket who is clearly modeled, at least in part, after Hillary Clinton. If you liked the first few books in the series and/or are a fan of spy novels, international thrillers, or the like, it is absolutely worth the time to read.

Book Review: Return of the Jedi Novelization

 

This is the novelization of Return of the Jedi, the hardcover version of which was re-released in the mid-1990s when Lucas was working on the prequel trilogy and the special editions of the original movies.  Like the other two re-published novelizations for the original trilogy that were released around the same time as this one, this has a short introduction that was written by George Lucas.

The hardcover version of the book is very short, coming at just under 230 pages, and it reads very quickly. As is the case with the novelizations of A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back, what is in the book is very close to what ended up in the movie, with mostly just some minor tweaks to scenes or dialogue. It does, however, include what was a deleted scene from the movie in which Luke is finishing his new lightsaber before Artoo and 3P0 go to Jabba's palace. As with the other original trilogy novelizations, I would not say that this is a must-read, but for people who are more than just casual fans, it is worth the time to read.

Book Review: Mentats of Dune (Dune # 5)

 

Mentats of Dune, published in 2014, is the fifth book in the Dune series chronologically, and the second book in the "Schools of Dune" trilogy. It was again written by Brian Herbert, the son of the creator of Dune and author of the original Dune Trilogies, Frank Herbert, and Kevin J. Anderson.

This book does have a time jump from the prior novel, but not as large as the time jumps that occurred in the Butlerian trilogy. In this book, the sisterhood is picking up the pieces after the Butlerians and Emporer Salvador Corrino's forces attacked the school. Gilbertus is trying to walk the fine line between keeping his background secret and appeasing the Butlerians so he can continue to operate his school, and Josef Venport is working to try to take down the Butlerians and their leader, Manford Tornodo. Valya Harkonnen and her sister Tula are trying to figure out how to hurt Vorian Atreides, who is trying to finally live a normal life. Anna Corrino is living at the Mentat school with Gilbertus vowing to keep her safe and try to fix her mind from the effects of the poison she consumed at the end of the last book. 

The hardcover version of the book is just under 450 pages. It does take longer (at least for me) to read than other books of a similar length because, as has been the case with the prequel novels, the book jumps from storyline to storyline and has a lot of characters to keep track of. Sometimes storylines intertwine with one another and some of the storylines stay separate. The climax of the book involves a cat and mouse escape within a standoff and is very well done. The book definitely sometimes feels like the middle chapter of a trilogy, but it does advance the storylines very well and continues to set up themes in the original Dune novels. It is absolutely worth the time to read.

Book Review: Star Wars: Tales from the Death Star

 

Tales from the Death Star is a collection of short stories in comic/graphic novel form. The main premise is that one of the kids living on the ocean moon Kef Bir in the Endor system where the remains of the second Death Star crashed is attempting to go out to the crash site to prove his bravery. A mysterious figure warns him against going by telling him stories of strange things that happened on the first and second Death Stars.

The hardcover version is short, coming in at just 96 pages, so it can easily be read in an hour or two, give or take. I will be the first to admit that graphic novels and comics (with a few exceptions) are not really my thing. I pre-ordered this before the cover art was available and from the initial description, I thought it would be a collection of short stories like what was released in the "From a Certain Point of View" novels. While the illustrations were great and I do like the fact that tales from both Death Stars were included, I do not think that the stories really added anything significant to what has already been put out there in the movies and books that have come before this one (unlike the Darth Vader comics, for example). So, unless you are really into collecting the comics, this is easily one you can skip and you will not miss anything.

Book Review: State of the Union (Scot Harvath Series #3)

 

State of the Union, published in 2004, is the third in the long-running series of thriller novels by author Brad Thor set around the character of Scot Harvath. The plot of the book involves a threat from Russia, specifically, to detonate a series of suitcase nukes hidden in the United States unless President Rutledge announces a series of concessions during the State of the Union address. The events of the book are set in Germany, Russia, and the United States. Some of the characters from the two previous novels appear in this book, and a couple of new characters are introduced. We also get more character development and backstory for both Harvath and Gary Lawlor.

The hardcover version of the book is a moderate length, coming in at just over 330 pages. This book has a very similar tone and style to (and is a similar length as) the first two books, and has a good blend of action and drama with some humor mixed in. Thor balances the action with plot development well and as a result the book has a good pace. The chapters are kept relatively short so there are a lot of natural stopping points for those who take more time to read. If you are a fan of the first two books, or generally a fan of the genre, this is absolutely worth the time to read.

Book Review: Sisterhood of Dune (Dune #4)

 

Sisterhood of Dune is chronologically the 4th book in the Dune series of novels, and the first in the Schools of Dune trilogy. The book was published in 2012 and written by the duo of Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson. 

This novel is set approximately 80 years after the victory over the machines at the Battle of Corrin. Some of the characters from the Butlerian era such as Vorian, Raquella, and Gilbertus do carry over into this book. There are two major themes in the book. The schools run by Raquella, and Gilbertus, and the hatred of Vorian by the heirs of Abulurd Harkonnen. Raquella formed the Bene Gesserit School (or the Sisterhood) and Gilbertus formed a school for people (known as Mentats) to learn to think like the machines did. The anti-machine Butlerian movement is still around and trying to destroy all remnants of technology, while underground groups are trying to bring machines back.

The hardcover version of the book is just under 500 pages long. The authors do a good job of moving in and out of the various storylines and intersecting them at key points. The authors do give signs as to where some of the storylines will go in the subsequent novels but do not telegraph the exact direction for any of the main arcs. It is absolutely worth the time to read.

Book Review: Star Wars: The High Republic: Tales of Light and Life

 

Tales of Light and Life is a book set during the two (so far) High Republic eras of Star Wars. The book published in 2023, is a collection of short stories from multiple authors who have written the High Republic era novels, that occur between or after the major events during Phase 1 (the middle) and Phase 2 (the beginning) of the High Republic. Some of the stories involve new, non-Jedi, non-Nihil, or non-Path members who were present during the events in the books, and other stories involve the main characters from the books. 

The hardcover version of the book is a little over 300 pages but reads very quickly, especially for those who have read the other High Republic novels. To me, the best stories are the last few that detail events that occurred after the events of the novel, The Fallen Star. Those stories will likely serve as the setup for the Phase 3 novels that detail the end of the High Republic era. The other stories in the book really felt like filler that did not add a lot to what was in the existing books. Ultimately, I think this is a book that most die-hard fans would read one time, but it is not a must-read and you will not miss a lot if you don't read this one. 

Book Review: Path of the Assassin (Scot Harvath Series #2)

 

Path of the Assassin is the second book in the long-running series of novels by Brad Thor set around the character, Scot Harvath. This novel, which was published in 2003, is mostly a reset of the story but does tie into the first book, The Lions of Lucerne, at the beginning. The events of this book are set about a year after those of the prior novel. Harvath is up for a promotion within the Secret Service, but he is also tracking down the remaining conspirators who were involved in the kidnapping of the President from the first novel. During a mission, one of his targets is taken out by a mysterious assassin who has ties to terrorist attacks throughout the Middle East. From there, the storyline involves a cat-and-mouse game between Harvath and the assassin.

The hardcover version of the book is a little under 400 pages. It reads very similar to novels that are in the same genre such as the Red Sparrow novels and the Mitch Rapp novels. It has a very good blend of action and suspense and Thor does set the fictional events of the book within the real world as much as possible (e.g., referencing the 9/11 attacks and the very real unrest in the Middle East and the pissing contests between different US agencies). It is a very good follow-up to the first book and even surpasses the first book in terms of quality. If you liked the first book or are just a fan of the spy novel or international action thriller genres, this is absolutely worth the time to read. 

Book Review: Dune: The Battle of Corrin (Dune #3)

 

The Battle of Corrin is the third novel in the Legends of Dune trilogy. The book was written by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson and published in 2004. The book's events start approximately 60 years after the events of the prior novel, The Machine Crusade, and conclude the war between humans and machines. There are some time jumps in the book that make keeping track of characters a bit tricky.

The hardcover version of the book is long. It is a little over 600 pages and could have easily been split into two smaller books with a bit tighter storylines. In fact, it is separated in the novel into Book I and Book II, but there are really three stories in the book that kind of interweave. The first is the thinking machines deploying multiple weapons to kill off humans, the Titans working against the thinking machines and the humans, and the humans trying to take out both groups of machines while bickering among themselves. I will not go into the fine details to avoid spoiling the plot, but it is not spoiling anything to say that the humans ultimately win. By the end of the book, it is revealed how the three main "Houses" in Dune came about and why the Atreides and Harkonens are rivals in the original Dune novel. 

The book is good, but it seems like it would have been better had it been split into two books. The actual defeat of the various machines is detailed in the last few chapters and felt a little bit rushed to me. Had the book been split into two novels I do not think the authors would have had to jump from storyline to storyline as much and would have made everything a bit easier to follow. That said, it is still worth the time to read to find out how the events that would set up the original Dune novel played out.

Book Review: The Lions of Lucerne (Scot Harvath Series #1)

 

The Lions of Lucerne, published in 2002, was the start of what has become a prolific series of novels in the spy novel/political thriller genre set around the character Scot Harvath, written by author Brad Thor. It is similar to the Mitch Rapp series in that Harvath is not a spy, but rather he is an ex-navy seal who is now on the presidential Secret Service detail. 

The plot of the novel involves the kidnapping of the fictional President, Rutledge while he is on a ski vacation with his daughter. Harvath is injured in the kidnapping and then sets off to find the President, while on the run from the law when he gets too close to the truth, and the planners and organizers of the kidnapping start going after him.

The hardcover version of the book is just over 400 pages, but the pace of the story is good and does not drag out. It does have what seems to be the requisite twists and turns in the story that most novels in the genre do. Some of them are a bit silly, but for the most part, they work and do not detract from the overall story. There are a lot of action sequences in the book with some character setup and development in between them. Overall, the book is very good, but not perfect. The imperfections do not lessen the quality of the overall story for me, but for some, however, they might.  If you are a fan of the genre, it is definitely worth the time to read. 

Book Series Review: Mitch Rapp Series - The Kyle Mills Novels

 

The Mitch Rapp series was left in limbo in 2013 after the death of its creator, Vince Flynn. At that point, it consisted of 13 novels and one partially written novel, and it seemed like the series may have died with Flynn. Mills was hired to finish Flynn's last book, The Survivor, which was finally published in 2015, a couple of years after Flynn's death. Mills would stay on to write 8 more books in the series, deciding to step away after 2023's, Code Red.

Mills was definitely in an unenviable position, picking up the wildly popular series after the death of its creator. On The Survivor, Mills has said during interviews that his intent was to be a carbon copy of Flynn so that you could not tell where the material Flynn wrote ended and where Mills' work started. Mills has said that Flynn wrote three pages of The Survivor, and I have read reports that Flynn finished three chapters, but however much Flynn wrote, I, personally, could not tell what Flynn wrote versus what Mills wrote. After the first book, it seemed like Mills was in a feeling-out process, trying to figure out how to put his own stamp on the series. Mills' second book in the series, Order to Kill, felt a bit off to me, but after that novel, it seemed like Mills found the balance between honoring what Flynn did with the characters and also not being beholden to the direction that Flynn may have gone. For the most part, however, I do think that had Flynn decided to take the storylines in the direction Mills did, the end result would have been something like what Mills produced.

I think that Mills' best contribution to the series is probably the novel Oath of Loyalty, which is the 21st book in the series, but his last entry, Code Red, was very good as well. Mills finished Code Red in a way that the next author, who will be Don Bently (who has continued the Jack Ryan novels after Tom Clancy's death) can take the series in whatever direction he wants. While there are certainly some who will not accept any Rapp stories told by anyone other than Flynn, I think Mills did a great job keeping the characters going and honoring what Flynn created.

Book Review: Code Red (Mitch Rapp Series #22)

 

Code Red is the 22nd book in the long-running Mitch Rapp series of novels started by Vince Flynn in the late 1990s and continued by Kyle Mills after Flynn's death in 2013. This is Mills' 8th (and final) book in the series, including the book that was started by Flynn and finished by Mills.

This book is partly a continuation of the story from the prior novels and partly a reset of the storyline. In this book, Damien Losa, the cartel kingpin, calls in the favor that Mitch owes him, specifically to investigate a drug originating in Syria and threatening Losa's European network. Of course, things go sideways pretty early on, and as the cover of the book implies, Rapp discovers that the drugs are part of a larger Russian plot.

The hardcover version of the book is just over 330 pages, which is similar in length to Mills' other contributions to the series. It has a good blend of action and suspense. Some of the main characters get pushed to the side for most of the book, but by the end, most of the characters you expect to make an appearance do appear. The book is a quick read, and chances are most fast readers will be able to finish it in a day or two, at most. It is a good swan song for Mills' contribution to the Rapp series and sets up possible future storylines well. It is absolutely worth the time to read.

Book Review: Star Wars: Starlight Stories

 

Starlight Stories is a book about the High Republic era of Star Wars, set around Starlight Beacon, the space station that is included in many of the High Republic novels. It is a cross between a coffee table picture book and a novel. In the beginning, there is a summary of the High Republic era stories, and then in the middle, there is a series of short stories written by 4 or 5 different authors, generally set around non-Jedi characters. Finally, the book ends with profiles of the authors who submitted stories for the book.

The Hardcover version of the book is very short, coming in just under 100 pages. The text is extremely small, and in some places, it is very light, so it is not always easy to read, especially if you are older and you are at the stage in life when you need reading glasses or bifocals/progressive lenses. It is not a book that I would describe as a must-read by any means, as it does not really add much to the High Republic storyline. I think it is a book that most people would read once and then put on a shelf.

Book Review: The Rise of the Dragon: An Illustrated History of the Targaryen Dynasty, Volume One

 

Rise of the Dragon is an illustrated and condensed version of the novel Fire & Blood, detailing the history of the Targaryen rule of the 7 kingdoms in the Game of Thrones universe created by George R.R. Martin. It is the primary source material for the Game of Thrones prequel series, House of the Dragon. In fact, if you have watched the first season of House of the Dragon, that story appears about halfway through this book. This book will, in broad strokes, spoil what is likely to be the ending of that series (depending on at what point in the story the showrunners decide to end the series), as it outlines what will come next. Given that the book did not include all of the details that we saw in the first season of the show, it is not likely to spoil everything that will be seen in the show, but you will get an idea of where the story will go. This is probably the first of what will be at least two books, as this one ends before the events of Danyeres' father's rule and his downfall.

The hardcover version of the book is 342 pages, a lot of which are illustrations. As was the case with the book Fire & Blood, it can be hard to keep all of the characters straight, especially since many of the Targareyn characters have similar-sounding names, and names get reused over and over. Having illustrations that show some of the scenes that are being described in the text does help a little bit, but it definitely makes this a slower reading book than it would normally be. 

The book is very good, and the illustrations are great. Of course, many of us would prefer that Martin focus his time and energy on actually finishing the final two books of the Game of Thrones story, but the reality is that he is going to jump around from project to project and he seems content to finish GoT in his own good time. One good thing about this story being mostly finished is that the House of Dragon TV series will have a clear guidepost for where it is going whereas the later seasons of GoT did not, which will hopefully allow that series to end in a more satisfying manner.

Book Review: The Art of Star Wars: The High Republic – Volume 1

 

The Art of Star Wars is a book that is what I would call a coffee table book. It is a mix of artwork/pictures and text. The text talks about how the concept of the High Republic era (which is set a few hundred years before the events of Episode I) came to be, how various characters and creatures were conceived, etc. The pictures range from very rough sketches (almost scribbles in some cases) to the final artwork that appeared on the covers of the various novels and in the graphic novels. The text is written from interviews with the artists/illustrators and the authors of the various High Republic era novels as well as bigwigs at Lucasfilm. It also includes some concept art from the movies and TV series as well.

The hardcover version of the book is just under 230 pages. You can read it from cover to cover, but chances are a lot of people will skim it and mainly focus on the pictures. Either way, it is something that most people can get through in a few hours, or a day at most. It is also a good way for those people who do not get the graphic novels to see some of the characters who are described in the books but are not on the covers (or are not easily identifiable on the covers). It is probably not something that will appeal to casual Star Wars fans, but for the more "die-hard" fans, it is worth checking out.

Book Review: Dune: The Butlerian Jihad (Dune #1)

 

The Butlerian Jihad is a prequel novel to the classic sci-fi novel, Dune, written by Frank Herbert in the 1960s. This book, published in 2002 was written by Frank Herbert's son, Brian, and is co-authored by Kevin J. Anderson. It is the first novel if you read the books in chronological order, and it tells the story of events that were referred to in the original Dune Trilogy of novels.

This book (and the other two books in the trilogy) is set thousands of years before the events in the Dune novel (and movies). At the time, machines had enslaved humans on Earth and many planets that would eventually make up the guild. The machines were a combination of artificially intelligent thinking machines and cyborgs who used to be human but were able to preserve their brains in canisters that they could transfer from one mechanical body to the next. This book details the start of the war between humans and machines that was referenced in Dune and also details the beginnings of the relationship between House Harkonnen and House Atreides.

The hardcover version of the book is a little over 600 pages. That consists of about 612 pages of the actual story and then a character glossary that is about another 20 pages that gives a short explanation of the characters in the book. The story is very good but can be a bit hard to follow at times. The story jumps around from planet to planet, and shifts from the point of view of one character to another. Since there are a ton of characters in the book until you can keep straight who everyone is, it can get confusing. As you get deeper into the book, the story really focuses on just a handful of characters and the story is easier to digest. I have not read the original Dune trilogy yet (as of this writing) as I am reading the books in chronological order. So, I cannot say how this book compares to those written by Frank Herbert, but, it is a very well-written story that blends action, suspense, and drama. If you are a fan of the Dune movies or even just Sci-Fi books, movies, or TV series, this is worth the time to read.

Book Set Review: The Complete Sherlock Holmes (Easton Press)

 

This is a three-set collection of the complete Sherlock Holmes mystery stories and novels, written over the period of time from the late 1880s to the late 1920s by Sir Authur Conan Doyle. The volumes are titled The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, The Later Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, and The Final Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. Between the three volumes, the 56 short stories and four novels are spread across nearly 1800 pages. The first volume is the longest, at 753 pages, the second volume is just over 450 pages, and the third volume is just over 550 pages. As is the case with all of the Easton Press books, they are leather-bound with gold-trimmed pages, and have a built-in cloth bookmark. There are 160 illustrations (and the illustrated pages do not count toward the overall page count of the books), many of which were in the original publications in which the stories were printed.

Most of the 56 stories and 4 novels are written from the perspective of Dr. Watson, who introduces and then narrates the cases. Watson, of course, plays the more straight-laced sidekick to Holmes' quirky and offbeat lead. This is the first time I have read any of the Sherlock Holmes stories in years, and the first time that I have read the entire collection. A few of the observations that I have are:

1.    The old English style of writing and dialect definitely takes some getting used to. For example, Doyle will use the word ejaculate like we would use the word exclaim. Even if you are a relatively fast reader, you may have to slow down as you are reading these. 

2. The various stories are relatively disconnected. From time to time events from other stories will be referenced, but for the most part, this is a collection of stand-alone procedural mysteries. 

3. Unlike what you might expect if you have watched the BBC TV series or the recent movies starring Robert Downey Jr., Moriarty is not as big a foil for Holmes as you might think. He only appears in one of the stories and is referenced in a few others. 

4. The TV series that starred Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman heavily adapted the stories from the books. If you watched all of the seasons of the show you will definitely recognize some of the elements from the stories easily, and others seem nothing like what the show depicted. 

Overall, the stories are good but very quirky.  They are probably not necessarily the easiest stories for someone in the modern-day United States to read and easily pay rapt attention to every word. But they are classic mysteries that are worth reading.

Book Review: My Heart is a Chainsaw

 

My Heart is a Chainsaw is a novel written by Stephen Graham Jones and published in 2021. The book is set in a lake town in Idaho called Proofrock, with a story centered around a character named Jade Daniels. Jade basically sees life through the lens of every horror movie ever created and compares all of her life experiences to her favorite horror movies like Halloween and Friday the 13th. 

Most of the book deals with the development of the character Jade. The book starts out with a mysterious murder on the lake. Then, about 2/3 of the novel is just about Jade's life, dealing with finishing High School, dealing with her abusive father, and avoiding most people. Toward the end of the book, it basically becomes a slasher/horror story as the plot circles back to the murder at the beginning of the book and reveals many more.

The hardcover version of the book is what I consider a moderately long book at just over 400 pages. My only criticism is that the story gets very slow in the middle. I think that the character of Jade could have been built up and developed the same amount in fewer pages. Had the climax of the book come a little sooner, I do not think that anything from the story would have been lost, or the quality of the book compromised. That said, once you do hit the climax of the story it is very good and very entertaining. It is definitely worth the time to read it.