A Devil is Waiting by Jack Higgins

There are certain characters that are quite well known in crime fiction. It's Jack Reacher for Lee Child, Alex Cross for James Patterson, Shane Schofield for Matthew Reilly and Cotton Malone for Steve Berry. In the same way, it's Sean Dillon that is the principal character of action thriller series books authored by Jack Higgins. I'm quite a fan of the character, that no-nonsense, ruthless, carefree killer who is a protector of justice and part of the Prime Minister's personal army, so to speak.

This book however wasn't one of my favorites, so to speak. This is the first book that I've picked up where a main character is missing. On checking, I found she had been killed in a previous book that I missed. Guess the dialogue from the series Castle comes to mind. Perhaps the author got bored of the character. Maybe Hannah Bernstien started to become a little predictable to him. It was sort of a repetitive character, with Dillon's affection for her and her affection for the rules dominating almost every novel's plot and character sketch. That being said, the new characters of Daniel Holley and Sara Gideon were quite interesting. The war background, the similarity in character to Dillon and the love angle between the two new characters was quite nice to read.

The villains Mullah Ali Selim and the Frenchman Henri Legrande were ruthless too, the former especially. The action shifts from the USA to London to Pakistan, and then to Persia etc. much like a Jack Higgins novel usually does. The old known and loved characters like Roper, Ferguson, Blake, Lacey and Parry, all return and play their parts seamlessly. It's a thriller alright!

Did I love it? Yes, I did. Not the best, but it's got quality. Here's to more of Sean Dillon and his antics.

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Book Details:
Title: A Devil is Waiting
Author: Jack Higgins
ISBN: 9780007479870
Genre: Action Thriller
Publishers: Harper Collins
Price: INR 299

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Reviewed by Leo

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Assassin's Creed : Brotherhood

ASSASSIN'S CREED : BROTHERHOOD

Book 2 of Assassin's Creed

ISBN - 978-0-241-95171-2
FIRST PUBLISHED - 2010
PAGES - 538
PUBLISHERS - Penguin
GENRE - Adventure/Action
BINDING - Mass Paperback
SOURCE - Secret Santa

AUTHOR - Oliver Bowden

SYNOPSIS - [From the back cover]

‘I will journey to the black heart of a corrupt Empire to root out my foes. But Rome wasn’t built in a day and it won’t be restored by a lone assassin. I am Ezio Auditore da Firenze. This is my brotherhood.’

Rome, once mighty, lies in ruins. The city swarms with suffering and degradation, her citizens living in the shadow of the ruthless Borgia family. Only one man can free the people from the Borgia tyranny – Ezio Auditore, the Master Assassin.

Ezio’s quest will test him to his limits. Cesare Borgia, a man more villainous and dangerous than his father the Pope, will not rest until he has conquered Italy. And in such treacherous times, conspiracy is everywhere, even within the ranks of the brotherhood itself…

FL Speak - The verdict is : the game is much better than the book. Seriously disappointed by Mr. Bowden.

The story is what you expect in the game. Since its a game to book adaptation, the story more or less runs true. But what fails is the writing. It feels you're reading the game, without actually feeling it. Character development is zilch. Nada. I don't blame the author much, especially since its the second book of the series and I haven't read the first. But no harm done, as of now. Nevertheless, world building could have been a tad more better.

The action is awesome as usual. Ezio has performed the famous "leap of faith" quite a number of times in the book and every time I come upon that phrase, I picture Ezio in the game flinging himself gracefully from the rooftops. Coming back to the story, for those of you, who haven't played the game - 

Ezio is an assassin. An awesome assassin for the Brotherhood. Ezio made a fatal error in the last book by showing mercy to the head of the Borgia family. Now his son and daughter are after his blood. And they managed to kill the head of the Brotherhood, Ezio's uncle Mario. Swearing vengeance and his duty for the Brotherhood, Ezio now travels to Rome which is slowly coming under the influence of the Borgias.

Lovers of the game will love this book as this will give them a chance to revisit their memories. This is where his sister Claudia formally joins the Brotherhood ranks. Her actions and strategies are applaudable. I loved her role. Claudia is superb. But this is not her book. As in the game, this is Ezio's story and he's in every page.

What I didn't like about the book was how it was written. The continuity and flow is depressing. In one page Ezio is planning to rile up the peasants. In the next page, the story fast forwards to 6 months later. What was Ezio doing in that time frame? Mr. Bowden, you can do better. 

I don't know if I should complete this series. I never leave a series unfinished. But disappointment is a strong motivation to not continue. Only time will tell.

My Rating - 3/5 stars

PRICE - INR 350/-

Requiescat in Pace

Zombiestan by Manik dhar

 Zombiestan was a fresh change from all the romance / drama I have r ead in the last month. Not entirely the kind of fantasy fiction or thriller I am used to but still a page turner. It has all the ingredients you love in a fictional story on war and survival - action sequences , chases , escapes , brave decisions , tactics of war and combat , a young hero , a hope , a seasoned soldier , a heroine and a caring (grand)mother figure.

And oh, the sacrifices and the price you pay when you don the hat of becoming a hero.

Mayukh is the big guy Pete (of micky mouse clubhouse sort) for the 3 year old abhi and his sister swati. Having lost his parents to the zombie attack , mayukh had the company of old preoffesor Hina and US army soldier David (who witnessed this zombie fever begin and spread from Afghanistan) before he met swati and the kid. Abhi is the only ray of hope humans can think about while the zombies bite and infect any one they come across. This book is the journey of these unlikely survivors together from delhi to ladhak and the hurdles they come across.

Even in darkest hour there is always a hope , always a ray of light to pull you through. Humans can change yet humanity lives on in many ways. the book is a work of imagination and belief that if some day we are faced with such hell on earth, there would be people to help each other. Like David says , "watching out for the guy next to you". And that is what keeps these people moving ahead inspite of all challenges.

Manik's writing is fast yet easy to follow. The characters almost beleivable so you feel the connect with their feelings. The little flashes or insights into the person's life make you have a general idea of familarity with them. Not only zombies are the dreaded enemy but the greedy and selfish human beings too. The Zombiestan is a bleak world to even imagine living but with love , once can find roots even in the most depressing places. Life is about finding your purpose and doing it well till the very end. Also glad for the fact that the book sticks to the action plot and does not go much into the romance. I always have this trouble when I have to pass the book to my brother to read.

Though I feel, the creation of zombies and their intentions should have been a little more clear to me. Except that one doubt / curiosity in my head , I was satisfied with the way book ended.

David is my favorite character in the book and I did feel a little sad at the thought of losing him in the storyline.

Rating : 4/5

Definite recco for people who like action books.

Manik dhar, You are an author I would be looking forward to read again.
:)

Other Details :

Pages: 248

Price: INR 199

Publisher: Duckbill Books

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