Blood and guts on the street, and me without a spoon to eat
Written: Mar 19 '01 (Updated Mar 19 '01)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Pure, fun-filled, mindless entertainment
Cons: None, if you're looking for pure, fun-filled, mindless entertainment.
The Bottom Line: Classic struggle of good versus evil. Action packed, exciting read. Excellent blend of humor and tension.
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| rich2003dm's Full Review: Nelson Demille - The Lion's Game |
I’m often criticized by my peers (at least those that can read) because my choice of reading material runs to contemporary fiction, and in particular, crime, adventure, and science fiction novels. No rocket scientist is rich2003dm.
I don’t look for intellectual stimulation. I get enough of that in my work and in the news. When I read, I want to be entertained.
And not just entertained… I want to sit literally on the edge of my seat, eyes bugged out and mouth agape and, as if against my will, be compelled to frantically turn pages to find out what happens next. I like my books fast-paced and full of action. I want to be stunned, shocked, and even revolted by what I’m reading. I want constant sensory and visceral stimulation. Think action movie that I can hold in my hand.
I’m not big on complex characters.
Heroes must be heroic. Villains must be evil personified. No gray areas.
Good versus evil, and hopefully, in the end, good prevails.
And in prevailing, if good utterly, completely, and violently eliminates evil, so much the better.
Throw in some sexual situations and humor, and I’m in empty-headed heaven.
Pure escapism?
You’ve got it. That’s exactly what I’m looking for.
And “The Lion’s Game” provides it.
Having read and been disappointed with Nelson DeMille’s novel “Spencerville”, I hesitated to read this book. In “Spencerville”, DeMille set up the perfect combination of good versus evil. But by having his carefully developed characters act out of character, his plot lost credibility causing the book to fall flat.
This is no “Spencerville”, and DeMille does not disappoint.
To encourage those of you with similar taste in novels to read this book, I will divulge as little as possible about the plot in this review.
This is a novel of international terrorism rearing its terrifying and bloody head in the United States.
The main character, John Corey, is an ex New York City detective working as a Special Contract Agent for the Federal Anti-Terrorist Task Force (ATTF). Corey is a tough, middle-aged, wise cracking New Yorker, whose irreverence provides a constant source of tension releasing humor throughout this book.
And why does this book need tension releasing humor?
Enter our villain, Mr. Asad Khalil, Soviet-trained Libyan terrorist on a murderous jihad in this country. DeMille’s treatment of Khalil is masterful. He is coldly confident and supremely competent. A most worthy villain who is ruthless as only an individual convinced that his cause is just and that God is on his side can be. His vendetta is intensely personal, arising from an event in history that destroyed his family and preordained his future. As deadly as he is, and as horrible as his actions are, DeMille almost manages to evoke respect and understanding, if not empathy, for him. Almost, but not quite.
Asad Khalil successfully takes his revenge, again and again, with John Corey and the ATTF in hot pursuit.
That’s pretty much it for plot. As I mentioned, reading this book will not be an intellectual exercise worthy of minute dissection.
But DeMille has a winner here.
DeMille, unlike other authors, has a chameleon-like ability to totally change his style of writing from novel to novel. It’s almost as if there was more than one author writing under the same name. In “The Lion’s Game”, DeMille writes in a casual, straightforward, colloquial style with few artistic embellishments, which makes this novel a no frills, easy reading experience despite its length (926 pages). It also assures a fast pace, unencumbered by lengthy descriptive passages and unnecessary prose, which maintains a high level of tension throughout.
Mindless entertainment?
You betcha!
Predictable?
Perhaps. But these novels often are. But so are roller coasters. Both will give you an exciting ride. And in both, it’s the ride itself that’s fun and entertaining and not the destination.
Take the ride. It’s more than worth the price of admission.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
rich2003dm
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Location: New York City
Reviews written: 61
Trusted by: 171 members
About Me:
I broke my pencil so I'm probably done here.
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