AGAINST ALL ENEMIES
Written by: Tom Clancy
It’s hard to convey the mixed feelings I have about this book. First, I did enjoy the action and quick pace of the scenes. There isn’t a lot of what I call “flowery” prose. The guns are blazing and there is a bomb under the seat. Hold onto your hats because it’s a wild ride.
If you’re looking for a military novel with a lot of specific jargon and detail oriented prose, this is the book for you. It’s not only educational but it’s entertaining.
My main concerns with this book are that there were too many point of views. At times I found it difficult to keep up with all the characters and all of their motivations. Honestly, it may have been better served as two separate novels. Both plot lines are strong and would have worked as their own novels and it would have saved the book from being over seven hundred pages long. Besides, they didn’t overlap so much that they wouldn’t have worked on their own.
At the end of the day, I couldn’t bring myself to give this book anything more than a 7/10 rating. It’s too busy, too much is going on with too many characters and unnecessary side stories.
FEAR NOTHING
Written by: Dean Koontz
Intricate, devious, suspenseful, give this book praise. This is my first Koontz book. His work came highly recommended from a friend. She loved his work in college and swore by his books. I wasn’t disappointed. In this instance, I didn’t even read the piece on the back because I didn’t want to be swayed in any direction. I wanted to go in as blind as I could.
Koontz has the goods. He is a great storyteller and paints a Mona Lisa with his words. My biggest complaint, the unnecessary use of big words. I understand you are a smart man, but the layman doesn’t know what half of those words mean. I struggled with some of them and thought there was an easier way. This book was thought-provoking and sinister in ways I hadn’t expected. Koontz kept me on the edge of my seat for nearly two hundred pages of tantalizing build.
Never in all the books I have read, did I read one where a dog was a dominant character, which came as a big surprise, although a risky move, it paid off immensely. I loved the dog Orson and how he interacted with the main character Chris Snow. Their relationship is certainly book-worthy. I tip my cap to you Mr. Koontz, good work. If it weren’t for the use of such confusing language and the predictability of the ending, it would have gotten a higher score. 8/10.
THE DEAD ZONE
Written by: Stephen King
Without spoiling too much of the plot, the book is about a young man who goes into a coma. The plot picks up after he comes out of the coma with a special gift. I loved the idea of the plot and the lack of heroism. He has a gift and doesn’t let it go to his head, or sink into the fame.
Unfortunately for me, I watched the movie before the book. Don’t judge the book by what you saw in the movie. I was a fan of both, but one far more than the other. The book was a good read. It was adventurous and compelling. I think my favorite thing about this book was the honesty. It isn’t often that you come across people, especially not in literacy that speaks such brutal honesty. Some of the things the characters say and do are too true to be fiction. The love interest in this book was something, unlike anything I have read before. It was complicated, but bittersweet in its unique way.
The book is interesting. The story is easy to follow, and more thrilling than the movie. Johnny Smith is a very dynamic character, and you can’t help feeling his life in peril. The story explains the repercussions of one accident and how it affects everyone in the book. It is something unlike anything else I have read from King. The scenes are well described and brilliant. I liked the book I reviewed before this one, Gerald’s game, a little more. I would recommend it and give it a 7/10. If you haven’t seen the movie, read the book first.
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