Ambler Alert : An Engaging Mystery About A Man Out To Prove That He Does Exist

The Ambler Alert By Robert Ludlum Smoothie Review

Long long ago, I was a Ludlum fan. Starting with the Bourne Identity and then venturing out into his other work. I found I loved his work. But spy novels, even the best ones, can only go so far as they wear out their welcome. So began a search for more variety, I left Ludlum behind to find other things which have been both good and bad. Yet you can not stay away from a good author forever. After a while, you start to miss the author’s work. So years later, I returned to Mr. Robert Ludlum with a book called the Ambler Alert.

So what is it about? Well it starts on Parish Island. There is a psychiatric facility for CIA and special operations members who become mentally ill with the inability to keep government secrets secret. There is a patient named Harrison Ambler, who has been thrown in there, drugged with dozens of psychiatric medications and is told over the course of two years that he is not who he thinks he is. Given the chance, Ambler escape. He makes his way off of the island into the real world to reclaim his life. But that is not easy as he hopes when he finds that everything he remembers does not exist. People he knows does not recognize him. His house is gone. Any trace of a man named Harrison Ambler is gone. And on top of that, when he looks in the mirror for the first time since he was admitted to hospital to see his face and finds that he does not recognize it. So as the mystery reveals itself, Ambler must find out if the life he remembers is real or if he is really insane. That is not where the trouble ends. Government men from Parish Island are after him. Also as a ex special ops agent, he is recognized by a number of people as the code name Tarqin. The moment that he is on the loose, private sectors and organization see the assassin on the market for hire. These various groups are trying to grab him, as well. He is able to avoid it, until he meets an operative he remembers working with on the job. A old friend who said he can work for someone who can tell him about who he really is. Ambler takes it, falling deep into a world of trouble with his much needed answers getting farther and farther out of reach the harder he tries to get it.

So the good? Ambler was a realistic character. Where an spy would be portrayed as some thing cold hearted, Ludlum makes Ambler real. Ambler is a man coping with the fact that his whole life might be fake and a man who was abused as a child. The fact that he may have been betrayed by the very country he worked for also adds something to the emotional depth of this character. Its something a reader can relate to. Like always, action is good. Also Ludlum, having served in the CIA himself, portrays the espionage world in a realistic fashion. He can describe the way that world works without confusing the reader. There are no James Bond elements. It is very real world.

The bad? Given it starts out with a bang, it does slow down a lot surprisingly just after the halfway point. It could just be me comparing this to the Bourne and Covert One novels that I read from Ludlum before, but I must realize that this is the only story. It just was not as exciting as past Ludlum books I read. Also there was one unrealistic issue concerning the internet. The book was written in and is set in 1992, yet there are parts of the book where they look up video files through the internet on certain people. I remember playing with the internet for the first time in 1994. And found it took up to three minutes to get page of text to show up. The government might had more powerful computers back then, but I highly doubt they had video that came up as quickly as it did in this book. It felt that Ludlum didn’t know much about computers when he wrote this , breaking up the realism.

Overall, its not perfect but it’s a interesting read and one hell of a mystery. Its a pleasant reminder of why I love Ludlum’s work so much. If you like spy novels it’s a must read. If you like action, and/or mysteries you might want to give it a try. Its most definitely is worth the read.

Four smoothies out of 4

Overall Rating: An Engaging Mystery About A Man Out To Prove That He Does Exist

P.S. If you like books then check out my book and ebook website Lelue’s Realm. Google it or go directly to http://www.freewebs.com/lelue/

Small Favors : A Surprising Fun Paranormal Thriller

Small favors By Jim Butcher Smoothie Review

Here is yet another book I pulled from the mount of the “To read,” books I own. This time it’s a Dresden Files novel. And with that said I never read a Dresden Files novel. I have been recommended the series for a very long time but never tried it. I think the reasoning behind that the only previous exposure I had it was a very boring TV show. But sooner or later I had to give it a try so it is either now or never. The book is Small Favors by Jim Butcher.

So what is the Dresden Files? It is a about a paranormal detective who happens to be a wizard. Or to simplify things further he is practically the male counter part version of the Anita Blake series in a sense. The book Small Favors is the tenth book in the series (Yes. I entered a bit late in the series) In this one, Harry Dresden is pulled into a deal with the winter court’s Ice Queen of the fairy realm Mab, because he owes her a favor. He must investigate the disappearance of a crime lord. While this is happening, summer court of the fairy realm believes Mab hired him as a knight and sent these crazy goat men after him to stop him. During the investigation he seeks the aid of his friends who is made up of a very colorful cast of characters and find that he desperately needs them as the case quickly turns into a war against fallen angels.

So the good? This is a fun, light hearted and never takes itself seriously. Imagination is fantastic. Harry Dresden is just such a likable character. The story fell deeper on a emotion level than I would have first thought by the end. I was so worried about who would die, and I cared about their relationships. Another thing that is most impressive of it all, is that this is the tenth book in the series and this book had enough detail about what was going on, that I had a clue of what was going on. The writer did not assume that I knew the back history of everything and laid things out perfectly. Though the red court and white courts were just names to me, but the book made their importance very clear. So the author was doing a good job on that.

The bad? Well to be honest there isn’t much. The biggest problem I had was the attempts of the witty comments, that Dresden would throw in throughout the book. Some are funny and witty but half of them are lame and down right corny. I rolled my eyes who Dresden said, “Talk to the hand” after a punch. But the rest of the book does make up for that.

Overall, reading this book is like tuning into a random episode of a TV show that you never heard of. You don’t know the back story, but what’s there is a hell of a lot of fun. And since Anita Blake has taken the route of paranormal erotica rather than paranormal investigating lately, I’ll give Harry Dresden a shot. So you should know by now from the review if this is your thing. If you like this paranormal mystery adventures this book is a good one. I can’t say how it compares to the rest, but this book was fun.

P.S. If you like books then check out my book and ebook website Lelue’s Realm. Google it or go directly to http://www.freewebs.com/lelue/

The Thief Lord : Despite Its Imagination Originality, It Can’t Save The Story From The Lack Of Action.

The Thief Lord By Cornelia Flunk Smoothie review

So another book from my giant “to read” list is pulled at random. It has been read now and is ready for a review. What is it this time? Its called the Thief Lord by Cornola Funke. Where it came from? I’m not sure. I just know my edition is a very battered paperback and with the imagination this author put into her previous Ink Heart novels, I could only hope that this would be just as good.

So what is the story about? It’s about a number of different things. A great number of story lines intertwine into one by the end. The main focus is the band of orphans living inside a abandoned movie theatre and doing what they can to live on the streets of Venice. The gang is a likable bunch who gets some things they value from being thieves. But most things come from this shadow in the night, Scipio, the thief lord who robs from the rich and give to the orphans in Venice. Two of these orphans are brothers, who ran away from their rich aunt. Their aunt wanted to keep the younger boy named Bo and then throw his older brother in a boarding school. Not wanting to be separated, they went on the run to a place that their late mother called magical, “Venice.” So anyways their aunt hires a detective to find Bo. So the kids run into trouble when the snoop starts chasing after them. Meanwhile Scipio, and the gang are offered a great deal to rob a expensive house and revenue the equivalent of $500,000 in return So they start to get to work on the house, but odd events unfold as Scipio is not who he says he is. Even odder things happen when they uncover thee mystery that ties a old Venice fairy tale and their client together.

This story is a mix of elements taken from Robin Hood, Oliver Twist, and oddly enough toward the need it has a little bit of “Something Wicked Comes This Way.” It has a lot nods to those earlier works. So if you read the classics, you’ll know what sort of book it is.

Anyway onto the good and bad? Let’s start with the good. It is a young adult novel that manages to stand out from the rest. With an over saturation of supernatural teen romances and epic Harry Potter and Percy Jackson like fantasies, it s nice to see some do something that does not fall in with all the others. Though written in a simple fashion, the characters are enjoyable. And most of all, the book is unpredictable, which is great. I hate knowing the ending of a book.

The bad boils down to one real element that hurts the whole story. Since it is oriented for a younger audience, the author was very hesitant about inserting any violence. There were parts, where they were leading you to something exciting and then it turned into a kid friendly solution and I would sadly find myself disappointed. There was so much more potential with the story than what the author did.

Overall its original and interesting. But it is directed toward a younger audience, so it’s not for everyone. So I say its great for kids, and if you are a lover of classic you might get something out of it too. Despite my praise for originality it gets a mediocre score.

2 smoothies out of four.

Overall Rating: Despite its imagination Originality. It can’t save the Story From the Lack of Action.

P.S. If you like books then check out my book and ebook website Lelue’s Realm. Google it or go directly to http://www.freewebs.com/lelue/

The 10th Kingdom: A Charming Fantasy Made Up Of Fractured Fairy Tales

The 10th Kingdom By Kathryn Wesely Smoothie Review

When it comes to films and television, I’m pretty a big fantasy junkie. Tin Man. Alice. Neverland. Grimm. Once Upon a Time. Stardust. I can’t get enough. But somehow I managed to miss one. It is a ten year old miniseries that was called the 10th Kingdom. How it got by me? I’m not sure. And even though I can’t find the DVD at the moment, I managed to find the book.

So what is The 10th Kingdom? Well in the book, the 10th kingdom is our world. Through the looking glass is a whole another world consisting of nine kingdoms. The world is made up of scrambled fairy tale elements. There’s the Beanstalk Forest and the Snow White memorial prison. A place where the fairy tales were all true and our land is a fairy tale to them. But the story starts with Snow White’s grandson, prince Wendell, who is about to be king. Before that happens the evil step mother Queen with help of her trolls, captured him and have him switch bodies with a golden retriever, so she can manipulate the prince’s body in plot to take over his kingdom and wage war on the other eight. She commands trolls to kill the dog with prince’s soul. As the trolls do a terrible job with the task and lose the job, she hires a wolf (half human / half wolf) to track down the dog. Wendell accidentally stumbles through a magic mirror as he is on the run. And as he stumbles into our world, the lead character Virginia crashes into him as she rides her bike to work.

Virginia is a common sort of character. She is a girl who’s trying hard and wishing for a better life, but is stuck running in place. She’s in her mind twenties. She was waitress and still lives with her gambling drunk father. Something that we can all relate to. Life doesn’t go as planned. Everything changes toward the strange as she tries to help the dog. He starts writing messages trying to warn her of danger. Trolls are chasing her. Her father takes magic beans, that in a odd chain of events leads him to running from the police. And the bounty hunter Wolf find his conscience as he is struck by the magical “Love at first sight” when he meets Virginia. He sides against the evil queen to help Virginia, her father, and prince Wendell.

So the good? It’s fractured fairy tales. And even though this is a topic that has been done to death, the book done it well keeping things fresh while adding throwbacks to things such as Snow White and Repunzel. Also the characters are fun. The book is never boring because you like them so much. They are so quirky and flawed but lovable at the same time. They make many mistakes throughout the book, that would have been unforgivable, but because there is so much depth, and chemistry does work it isn’t a problem here. Chemistry is amazing in this book and that’s what gave it it’s charms. Something always happening. Dull moments do not exist. Even the love story is engaging. And for someone like me, who doesn’t like romances all that much, that’s saying a lot. I found myself turning every page to find out what would happen next.

That bad? Well the detail could be better. And the ending I felt to was very rushed. I felt maybe the author was tired ( And that is understandable at a 500 page mark) and wanted to do another project. I just felt that the ending lacked the detail and emotion it should have had. But then again I can be a pretty tough critic.

Overall, this is one of my favorites fantasies. It is up there with Percy Jackson, The Golden Compass and Looking Glass Wars. Is it new and original? No. But it surely is a inventive and wonderful read. So if you like fantasy ( that goes a step beyond the dungeons and dragons format) and you love fairy tales then this is what you need to read. It is perfect.

4 smoothies out of four.

Overall rating : A Charming Fantasy Made Up Of Fractured Fairy Tales.

P.S. If you like books then check out my book and ebook website Lelue’s Realm. Google it or go directly to http://www.freewebs.com/lelue/

Deep Fathom : Take A Dive Into Another Archeological Adventure With Rollins

Deep Fathom By James Rollins

Nothing much to say here. I just decided to read a bit of Rollins work after a couple mediocre books. This time it it Deep Fathom.

So what is it about? That is kind of hard to answer because it has such a convulsed plot. The story begins with a Earthquake. A earthquake so big that it effected the whole world. And when the Earthquake happens, a lost ancient city surfaces. Meanwhile a American plane crashes in the Pacific. The story focuses on two different characters. One is Karen, who is investigating the new archaeological city, trying to prove her great grandfather’s theory right about a ancient long lost city. But she is quickly pursued by a ancient order who don’t want her to research there. The second is Jack, a treasure hunter and part of a salvage crew. He is hired by the US navy to extract parts of the plane with his sub. But as he does so he finds a great crystal tower that is connected to the lost civilization. It also has energy flowing through. Jack has a enemy though. A David Spangler who works for the president, but is also working behind his back framing the crash on China starting World War III. And as the war erupts, he has personal agenda to kill Jack, (Who let his sister die long ago) who in, in a odd turn of events decided to help Karen with her research.

Well the good? Well if you’re one of those people who have been waiting for a novel adaptation of Uncharted, this is it. Like most of Rollins Books. Once the action starts, it never stops. Beside running from the feather serpent order, Spangler’s men, they must avoid the chaos of the warfare erupting around them. Things are as bad as they can get and it keeps you entertained because it is just one adventure scene after another. But Rollins did so somewhat more realistic than most authors. Unlike Clive Cussler’s novels people do get injured and die. So there is a sense of danger throughout.

The bad? The story here is silly. Though it’s all based upon theoretical science, I felt it was too theoretical to some degree. Also, there is little emotion. For this kind of story, I know it might not mean much. But sometimes, I wish the author would slow down and let us look into the character’s heads. Then there’s the magical computer Gabriel. A all knowing, all seeing super computer that serves as a character. I thought it was dumb in a sense and I wish the could have connect the dots in the story without something so magical.

Despite it flaws, it was still fun, and a absolute page turner. Still not as good as Rollins first novel, but very good in general.

Overall Rating 3 1/2 smoothie out of four

Overall Rating : Take A Dive Into Another Archaeological Adventure With Rollins

P.S. If you like books then check out my book and ebook website Lelue’s Realm. Google it or go directly to http://www.freewebs.com/lelue/

Shakespeare’s Counselor: Yet Another Bland But Light Hearted Mystery

Smoothie review

Shakespeare’s Counselor By Charlene Harris

Okay I’m always looking for something new. And I decided to give Charlene Harris a try. Why? Because it seems everyone one in my family is obsessed with her True Blood series. But borrowing those books is apparently is forbidden and they must be printed in golden ink because they are super expensive. So instead of that I ended up with a Lily Bard Mystery novel called the Shakespeare’s Counselor.

So what is it about? It focuses on a woman named Lily who had clearly had a hectic past. So to clear things up, she goes to a weekly counsel group to confers and talk about her rape incident from a while ago. But at one of these meetings, Lily and the other group members discovers a body. And Lily awakens her inner detective and gets the aid of her detective boyfriend to solve the murder. It is a very straight forward plot.

So the good? It’s a fun little mystery. It never does take itself seriously. Despite that, there are some heavy issues that show up. They don’t darken the story, but strengthens the characters. The relationship between Lily and her boyfriend, Jack is believable and adorable to some extent. Yet sadly in comparisons, the rest of the characters fall flat and shallow. And like good mysteries should, it keeps you guessing until the end There was also a fun sense of sarcasm throughout.

The bad? Well I had a hard time finding out who Lily really was. I’m not sure if this is not the first book in the series or one deep into a book series. So that threw me off. It wasn’t until half way through I put together that she really just a cleaning lady and karate expert. I felt she might had been a actually detective for the longest time. But I guess that’s the price I pay for jumping into a series in the middle. There were also some elements that seemed silly and corny, like a scene where she wants to put karate moves on a man she hates. But it wasn’t anything that hurt the story too much.

Overall it’s a cute fun story. If you like Lily Bard or light hearted mysteries check it out. If you’re not one of these people, it may be a pass. Because, hey its just another mystery. There is nothing to make it different than the rest. Very Mediocre.

2 smoothies out of four.

Overall rating : Yet Another Bland But Light Hearted Mystery

P.S. If you like books then please check out my book and ebook website Lelue’s Realm. Google it or go directly to http://www.freewebs.com/lelue/

Cutthroat Island: A Tale Of What Could Have Been Epic Witty Fun

Cutthroat Island: A Tale Of What Could Have Been Epic Witty Fun

Cutthroat Island By John Gregory Betancourt

Yes. Another novel from church book give away. This time the novel is called Cutthroat Island and it is written by John Gregory Betancourt. Well I call it a novel, but I’m not sure it really counts. It is a novelization of the screenplay to apparently a old movie I never seen with the same title. So it is a movie tie in. I typically don’t read these things, but when i’ts free, Why not try it?

Anyways, what is the story? The story focuses on a woman pirate Morgan who upon her father’s death inherits the crew and pirate ship he once had. He was killed by her evil uncle Dawg, who is looking for Cutthroat Island and it’s mysterious treasure. Each of his brothers has a piece to the map, so the evil Dawg (who never was given any pieces) is killing his brother for these pieces. Meanwhile Morgan is trying to find the treasure first by stealing the pieces of the maps before her uncle finds them. But because the map is written in Latin, she finds she must break a Latin reading con man/thief out of prison, William Shaw. Together Will and Morgan go on a adventure to find this treasure and fight Dawg along the way.

So I’ll start with good. It’s a pirate book. There are so few of these so I’m glad when I find a pirate book in general. It also has a lot of adventure.

The bad? The book is very shallow. Both the character and story is. It moves quickly and refuses to give is detail during action scenes. There is a complete lack of ambitions and character depth. There is a subplot which is this story between Shaw and Morgan. It is so flat, empty, and emotionless. It just seems to fly out of nowhere. I wasn’t quite sure why this happened. The story had everything going for it. I’m guessing it because it is a movie tie in. And oddly enough there were typos. Not a big complaint. Often times I never do because I care more about the story than grammar. Also as a self publish author I understand how hard editing could be. But this had a lot of typos. But it was a movie tie in so I feel that there was little effort involved. Very odd.

Overall, the control story is good and fair. But the lack of detail and character development pulls it down. This makes it very mediocre when it could have been something much greater.

2 smoothie out of four.

Overall Rating: A Tale Of What Could Have Been Epic Witty Fun.

P.S. Like books? Then check out my book and ebook website, Lelue’s Realm. Google it or go directly to http://www.freewebs.com/lelue/

The Strange Case Of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde: The Real Story Is Somewhat Shallow Compared To Other Adaptations

The Strange Case Of Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Smoothie Review

Okay if you have been reading the smoothie reviews up until now, then you clearly know I love the classics. Jules Verne. HG Wells. Robert Lewis Stevenson. I love them all. But despite my love, there are still a few that I have not read yet. In this case I decided to read “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,” by Robert Louis Stevenson.

So what is it about? Well given the world we grew up in, we should all have a clue. We’ve seen this tale from many versions of media, ranging from plays to horror movies to Bugs Bunny to bad hallmark adaptations and most importantly the very silly one off of the Van Helsing film. We all know it is about a man who creates a potion that triggers his dark half and transforms his figure. And I’m not spoiling anything here. But I now realize that the story is not centered on that only. Unlike all the adaptations I’ve seen, the original follows Mr. Utterson his kind hearted lawyer (Yes. You read that right) who investigates into the mystery of Mr Hyde when Dr. Jekyll leaves his inheritance to him. He is a evil man finds Mr. Hyde and as he digs deeper he feels that Dr. Jekyll may be in danger. Evidence suggests at first that Hyde may possibly be threatening Dr. Jekyll, so Mr. Utterson continues investigating until he reveals the bizarre truth.

The good? Well it’s a classic. Its paced well. It doesn’t hang up on small things and stays focused. And I have to say keeping it in the format of a mystery did help it a lot.

The bad? The story is very short. Detail of environment is minimal. But I won’t complain to much about it because the story is 150 years old. I was a bit disappointed by the ending. It ended with Utterson reading the doctors journals discovering how the doctor ruined himself by dwelling the form of a monster. Yet after the letter I felt there should be more. The family of Dr. Jekyll or even Utterson’s reaction were flat in emotion about the whole situation. I felt there should be no reaction and there was none.

Overall, it is still a classic. Is it as good as The Worlds of The Worlds, or Treasure Island? Not really. But it does fair providing that it is a very intriguing short read.

Overall Rating : The Real Story Is Somewhat Shallow Compared to Adaptations

Three smoothies out of 4

P.S. Like books, then check out my book and ebook website, Lelue’s Realm. Google it or go directly to http://www.freewebs.com/lelue/

A Clean Sweep : Sadly, A Very Mediocre And Shallow Story In Laurell’s Collection

A Clean Sweep By Laurell K Hamilton

This yet another short out of Strange Candy collection by Laurell K Hamilton. So here is a review of “A Clean Sweep.”

So what is it about? It is about a superhero called Captain Housework. Despite the silly name he had saved lives and cities from man eating mildew, Dr Grimes, evil storms, and the dust bunny gangs. And within the last decade all the villains had went into retirement. Given his name people are now calling him through the superhero hotlines and then reveal they just want him to clean the house. He had became the emergency maid. And he hates it. He misses the good old days of crime fighting and can not stand being used like this. And lets just say this is the story where Mr. Housework reaches his snapping point.

So the good? It’s light hearted. And its one rare occasion where we get a chance to see Laurell K Hamilton try her hand at new material. Something that doesn’t involve monsters. So in a sense it’s like a breath of fresh air. Also she kept her wry sense of humor. I loved the ending.

So the bad? Well it’s sad, but I have to regrettably say Laurell was lazy with this one. Yes. I say lazy. There is hardly any detail at all. The sense of being pulled into the world that she uses on the reader in all of her other works is not here. And I’m not sure why. It just doesn’t feel like her. It’s a skeleton of a story not fleshed out. Therefore, it is shallow and very short.

Overall it’s nice and cute. But I can’t recommend it to anyone. It’s not bad. It just should have been so much better.

2 smoothies out of four.

Overall rating: Sadly a very mediocre and shallow story in Laurells’ collection

P.S. Check out my book and ebook website at Lelue’s Realm. Google it or go directly to http://www.freewebs.com/lelue/

Ice Hunt : A Very Well Written Tale Of A Bunch Of People Stuck Between A Rock And A Hard Place Over A Pit Of Lava Holding A Tiny Umbrella To Protect Themselves From Acid Rain.

Smoothie Review Ice Hunt By James Rollins

Quick warning. There is a spoiler. It is broken away from the rest of the article with “*********”s. So if you don’t want spoilers, just skip over that section when you see the stars.

Sometimes you can stumble across something you want without not even looking for it. Early this summer a lady down the road had this gigantic book sale. Her daughter finished college and was moving out leaving boxes of books. And it was there where I found James Rollins entire collection of adventure novels. So far I’ve read two. One is Subterranean which I absolutely loved. And then a Sigma Force novel called Sandstorm which I really couldn’t tolerate because it tried too hard to play out as a Indiana Jones story with James Bond like spies. And I like spy novels, but only if they’re set in a form of reality. I mean James Rollins had tones of archaeological science in there, but the unbelievable and somewhat silly spy characters pulled me out of it. So I grabbed the novels that were not Sigma Force related. And here is a smoothie book review of the next novel I read out of the batch called Ice Hunt.

So what is the story about? It is about the top secret Russian ice station that was abandoned somewhere in the 1960’s. The military, archaeologist, geologists, and every other scientist imaginable open it up to investigate. Inside, they find it is a large research facility. And in the lower level cavern of ice (This is built into one giant ice berg) there are frozen specimens of these, great never seen before monsters called Grendals are discovered. They are essentially Great Dane sized killer whales with clawed arms that will tear anyone to pieces. Meanwhile, the story shifts to a divorced couple, Matt and Jenny. Matt witnesses a plane crash in the wilderness and rescues a reporter from the wreck. But as he does so, he finds that men are flying over head to kill them with a plane, and others are coming through the forest to do the same. The two run and seek Jenny for help because she is a pilot and are in the need of plane to get away. They manage to land at a research base near the ice station only to find that they are framed for bombing another. The group is then transported to the ice station to be interviewed by the commander and chief in the military.

That is the set up. From there on out, it’s pure chaos. The research and melting of the ice in the snow caverns thaw out the monsters who were hibernating. They start slaughtering and eating all they can. Meanwhile on the upper levels, the men who were after the trio return. Turns out they are ( at first) homicidal Russians who are trying to take over the base killing everyone in the way. Then comes along American delta forces who come to fight the Russians with suspicious intentions of their own. Along with all of this, is a huge scientific plot twist that feature human experimentation. The whole thing is pure action once it get rolling with at least a dozen plots twist to keep you interest.

So the good? Well it does have a story. Though it does show up late in the book, it had a strong driving force behind all that is happening. The explosions and action are not mindlessly put there. The action is fun as hell. Chaotic at times, but you’ll never get bored. It’s also realistic as well. It’s nowhere near as silly as a Clive Cussler novel where the main character is perfect and spotless after a fight. These main characters have flaws. They get hurt. They make mistakes. And some die because of it. Lastly the characters are a strong. Matt and Jenney’s broken relationship is real. A deaf character named Amanda is portrayed in a fashion where her disability adds to her character. And as for the Russian Admiral, I have to say he is one of the strongest villains I ever seen in a book. At the beginning you see a one dimensional evil character stereotype. But by the end you’ll learn why he’s doing what he’s doing. It delves into his past and his morality. That’s right. A villain with a conscience. A bad guy who is not that bad. So bravo to Mr. Rollins to decide to make him real and blur the lines of good and evil.

The bad? Not much to say. Though I felt a plot twist felt out of place. Its happens late with a character you follow throughout the whole book. A reluctant character that you may even feel sorry for because he can’t hardly handle anything. Then in the last past part……….

***********************Spoiler********************************
He is a evil secret CIA spy operative
************************End of Spoiler**************************

……It just came out of nowhere like the author was stumped and just randomly decided to change the character all together. But the rest of the story is good, so I’ll forgive the author.

Overall, it’s a very well written tale of a bunch of people stuck between a rock and a hard place over a pit of lava holding a tiny umbrella to protect themselves from acid rain. Their chances rely with luck alone and its the second book by Rollins that I love. I really really hope the rest of the books I got are just as good. It may help fill the gaping hole left behind when my favorite author died a few years back. I recommend this book to everyone.

4 smoothies out of four

Overall Rating: A very well written tale of a bunch of people stuck between a rock and a hard place over a pit of lava holding a tiny umbrella to protect themselves from acid rain.

P.S. Like books. Check out my book and ebook website Lelue’s Realm. Google it or go directly to http://www.freewebs.com/lelue/