Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 6-10 of 52
 Ingenious plot May 18, 2008
Lee Boyland (Melbourne, FL United States)
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
Having read several of Thor's novels, I think this is his best one to date (May 2008). The back drop for the story is Hannibal's crossing the Alps to attack the Roman Empire, and a book called the Arthashastra (which is actually a 15 volume Indian treaties on government written by Chandragupta Maurya around 300 BC).
Thor weaves an imaginative and interesting story with several surprises for the reader. The plot is based upon a fanatical Islamists, Akrep, who wants to bring back the caliphate, with a few hidden caveats. But to do so, Akrep needs a suitable man to be caliph, and he needs to find Hannibal's secret weapon, an ancient biological weapon mentioned in the Arthashastra. Oh yes, the Great Satan must be destroyed, along with a few hundred million kafirs in other places. Only pure Muslims can remain--but who exactly is a "pure Muslims?" How can Allah protect the pure Muslim? Thor comes up with an interesting solution. The method to be used to dispense the agent is unique and plausible. Hannibal's biological weapon is mostly fiction, but similar bio-agents were developed and stockpiled by the Soviet Union, and terrorists could find one of these.
Scot Harvath, the protagnists, with the aid of a beautiful scientists, Jillian Alcott, unwind the sinister plot. Ancient weapons, modern technology, political intrigue--including a woman senator who will stop at nothing to become the next president--some insights on Islam and its internal conflicts, and what goes on in Saudi Arabia, add flesh to the bones of the story.
As the author of the first two novels of a trilogy with a somewhat similar theme, I found Thor's book to be fascinating, and in most cases accurate. Like all fiction authors, he took some liberties, but overall BLOWBACK is believable, educates the reader in several areas, and is a great read.
I am looking forward to reading Thor's next novel, The Last Patriot: A Thriller.
Lee Boyland author of two techno-thrillers dealing with current events: Behold, an Ashen Horse and The Rings of Allah.
 Professional By-the-Book Book Writing, A Read and Leave on the Plane Book February 25, 2008
KC (Northern CA)
2 out of 5 found this review helpful
It's all very professional but very much by the numbers and following some how-to-write-a-book template. It's worth a skim on a plane as a time-killer but beyond that - not very much.
The author tries to pull off emulating Tom Clancy, Daniel Silva & of course Dan Brown but is unconvincing. From Tom Clancy, he uses policy & intelligence-gathering wonk as his foundation but unlike Tom Clancy who manages to give you real insight in what feels like secrets (whether they are or not) and technology in driving the story, Brad Thor's delivery style is never quite convincing that he and his characters knows more than the reader.
This book is also filled with weakly defined characters (as no traits are revealed in the story-telling, just what he spells out for us) and some How-to-write-a-thriller class or book that says to be more deeply involved, we must have disturning backstories as motivation for the characters so we get them randomly shoe-horned with zero payoff. The inept dialogue between characters is never convincing because it's not dialogue but exposition.
The character travels around the world but you never get a feel they are anywhere other than inserting a random comment from a travel book.
The undelying premise is intriguing (while a stretch, but acceptable) and crosses into Dan Brown territory but is strangely buried after until about 80 pages into the story - mainly because the author is so convinced we want to read about DC politics and he wants his character to be a lone wolf against all odds "with no backup." but it seems there are less dull ways to set that up. The premise and the concepts are fine, they just need to be organized by a better editor and not be sidetracked by the author's bigger interest in DC politics.
So, if you want more convincing wonk & intel details, read Clancy. If you want spy stores that are fully fleshed with real characters and simply better writing, read Daniel Silva or to a lesser extent, Barry Eisler ... and he's certainly no Dan Brown when it comes to mixing sci-mystery into intrigue ... it's all very professional by the numbers but ultimately instantly forgettable.
 America's James Bond February 22, 2008
N. Bilmes (Vernon, CT United States)
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
America's needed its own super secret agent for a while, and Brad Thor's created him: Scott Horvath. Horvath can get in and out of any country in the world, bed any woman, and find a way out of any situation he finds himself in, no matter how impossible the odds.
In this book Horvath must find a way to stop the spread of a biological weapon that could spell the end for the Non-Muslim world. His journey takes him from the mid-East to Great Britain to France to Switzerland to Saudi Arabia and many other places. Along the way there are gunfights, chases, bombs, mountain climbing, hang gliding, and political subterfuge.
This is a very entertaining novel with a fairly plausible plot line. Recommended!
Realistic and frightening.... December 17, 2007
Anne Deaton (Teague, Texas)
2 out of 5 found this review helpful
A thriller straight out of todays headlines and frightening in its realism and intensity. This book needs to be required reading for adults of all political creeds as well as for the "Capitol Hill Crowd"... Brad Thor is a superb author with an all too frightening grasp of todays issues in the world.
Over the mountain November 8, 2007
David A. Spearman (Harbor Beach, Michigan United States)
2 out of 5 found this review helpful
Brad Thor never fails to not only write a exceptional thriller but to include in his fiction some fact such as the bio-chemical possibilty of Hannibals armys from centurys ago. I also enjoy his own visions of the world we live in today and how foolish we as a nation are dealing with people that are still living in caves and eating with their hands considering bringing Democracy to them. As he expresses in a underlying way we are wasting our time. A good book everyone looking for a thriller will certainly enjoy.
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