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Formulaic, tedious, and tied up quickly with a neat bow Aug 29, 2008 (14 of 16 found this helpful)
I really thought Silva would develop his Allon character in this outing, but it was not to be. I had a feeling of deja vu throughout most of the book. "Been there, read that," the script was often repeated verbatim from previous novels. How many times must we read that Shamron "fingers his old Bic lighter?" This is a small thing, but it's repeated in a multitude of ways. I could have lived with these irritations (and skimmed) perhaps, but larger issues were present.
I thought perhaps my copy was missing a chapter at the end of the book. But no, the pages were intact. It seems that Silva met his quota of necessary pages and decided to tie the story up with a brief summation, much like a bad movie. He gave us the "what," and then cheated us out of the "how."
The other issue that I couldn't get past was that Allon was warned of multiple death threats at the beginning and again at the end of the book--all for naught. The only reason for these mentions are very obviously to set the stage for the next book. It wasn't necessary for the content of this story and it never evolved--what's the point???
I'll buy the next book, though, still hopeful that the character will evolve. He has to eventually, right???
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Moscow Rule: "Death solves all problems. No man, no problem Jul 22, 2008 (75 of 101 found this helpful)
(4.5 stars) In his eighth Gabriel Allon espionage thriller, Daniel Silva moves from investigating the historical crimes of the past, often related to the Holocaust, and their effects on the present, to crimes of the present and their possibly catastrophic effects on the future. In this intense and absorbing novel about uncontrolled arms sales, the biggest threat to the future comes from Russian arms dealers, aided by Russia's president and former KGB operatives who are now unimaginably wealthy independent brokers and contractors. These arms merchants operate with impunity, selling all manner of weapons to terrorist organizations throughout the Middle East and Africa.
Gabriel Allon, formerly with the Israeli Mossad, is on his honeymoon in Italy when he is contacted by Ari Shamron, the grand old man of Israeli security. Allon, a trained art restorer, has been working for the Pope, but the recent assassination of a Russian journalist who may have had information he wanted to reveal to the West brings him out of retirement and back into action. When the murdered man's Russian editor-in-chief is also murdered, Allon travels to Russia, where he learns the name of a Russian arms dealer, Ivan Kharkov, who has been supplying Hezbollah, and who now appears close to selling sophisticated weapons to al-Quaeda.
Kharkov and his wife are collectors of Mary Cassatt paintings, and the fascinating art world which has added so much life to other Gabriel Allon thrillers in the past is also a major aspect of this novel. Art dealers, down-in-their-luck gentry who own prized artwork, and, in the case, of Allon, restorers, all play unexpectedly major roles in this effort to prevent Kharkov from selling advanced weapons to al-Quaeda. As the high-stakes plotting by the conjoined security services of England, the US, Italy, and France builds to a crescendo, Allon follows the action through various countries leaving multiple murders, beatings, car crashes, and betrayals in his wake. Always, the fine hand of the Russian mafia is pulling the strings, purportedly with the aid of the Russian president.
Silva keeps the action moving briskly, and his ability to convey the atmosphere of disparate locations adds depth and drama to the plot. The characters, even the minor ones, are paradigms of the countries they represent, imbued with the cultures of their homelands, rather than mere stereotypes. His major characters are complex and carefully drawn, and the action and underlying themes of the novel are intelligent and thought-provoking. As always, Silva creates a complex and exciting story, but this time the focus is on contemporary politics, rather than on the past. Providing evidence that future catastrophes are shockingly easy to inspire, given the venal nature of unscrupulous international arms dealers, Silva employs his formidable talents to create a terrifying picture of a cynical world--and a warning for the future. n Mary Whipple
The Marching Season: A Novel
The English Assassin
A Death in Vienna
Prince of Fire
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I hoped for something more Jul 26, 2008 (76 of 104 found this helpful)
Being a former Soviet I had high hopes for this book as I am used to the large amount of research Daniel Silva usually goes through for his novels. Having read most, if not all, of the Gabriel Allon series, and, at the same time, having read about some of the operations described in Silva's books (operation Wrath of God, etc) I was looking for an accurate assessment of today's Russia. Sadly, while the story was good enough and moved at the usual pace that Allon novels do, I was very much let down by the author/editors of this book in a variety of ways.
First, the Russian newspaper represented in the book is entitled "Moskovsky Gazeta", it should be "Moskovskaya Gazeta." The character Olga Sukhova has a grandfather with the same last name, Sukhova. Sukhova is the feminine form, if it is a man, it should have been Sukhov. I also noticed that the AK-47 is purported to have been one of the reasons the Soviets won against the Germans. I could only interpret this as a reference to WWII, yet, the AK-47 was not developed until after WWII. These are just a few of the errors I found, there weren't many more, but they did take away from the usual interest I have when delving into the world the author is trying to create.
The major "mistakes" that I noticed, and, to a degree, one might not be a mistake per se but rather something I do not agree with the author on. Russian journalists feature highly in this book and there have been a number of journalists killed, from a variety of causes. Yet I cannot agree that all the journalists killed, Silva claims 14 have died during Putin's time as President, died because of the work they have been doing (be it against the government or a government agency). In truth, few have been killed in such a way as to raise suspicion that they might have died under "professional" hands. Others have been made to seem that way for a variety of propaganda purposes. What I vehemently disagree with the author on is the idea that a character like Ivan Kharkov, a gun runner and former KGB operative, could be one and the same and an oligarch to boot. The oligarch's in today's Russia (and of the 90's) are not former KGB (Berezhovsky, Gusinsky, Abramovich, Khodorkovsky, Smolensky, Luzhkov, Chubais, etc) but they do have former KGB and spetsnaz forces as their security. These men made their money through banks, speculation, natural resources (gas, oil, etc), TV channels, real estate, etc. I'm more than sure that all of them took illegal steps in one way or another, but that is the natural order of things in capitalism.
Lastly, I resent the fact that just because Russia is using her resources as a bargaining chip means she wants to become a super power once more. Russia has a sphere of influence just like the US, their actions in foreign policy are dictated by self interest - just like every other country in this world. While it is true that they helped arm the Middle East during the cold war when the Soviet Union was in existence, it was the US that helped arm Islamic extremists the world over (especially those who flooded Afghanisan during the 80's to take up the war against the USSR, this of course doesn't take into account all the other covert operations undertaken by the US). I am not here to preach if what either country did/does is right or wrong, I just hate seeing a double standard at work.
My apologies if this review didn't cover the book as others have, I figure they did a good enough job and there was little I could add as to what the book was about/encompasses. But I do feel what I mentioned above will take away from the usual accuracy Silva tries to delivery in his books. Russians want and can live normal lives, otherwise how do you explain the millions living around the world? But it won't happen so soon, especially in a nation which has been around for less than two decades and has been living off of perverted capitalistic idea
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BEST SILVA YET!!!! Jul 23, 2008 (17 of 22 found this helpful)
Thrilling and entertaining! I read it in one sitting. It is my favorite Gabriel Allon book yet. Love the Russia setting. Love the return of Cold War intrigue and the female heroine of this book [...] is irrestible! I feel as if I really know these characters and thats what set these books apart.
The good news is I read it in one sitting, the bad news is I cant wait another year for the next book. There has to be a sequel to this book! Please also write more Michael Osbourne books! Please write faster.
Your #1 Fan from NYC!
Loved you on Glen Beck tonight! The pitchfork was hysterical!
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A Dissapointment Aug 11, 2008 (9 of 11 found this helpful)
I have read all of Daniel Silva's Gabriel Allon stories with great enjoyment but found that he has fallen into a formula approach with predictable plot elements that are pretty much the same from book to book. Substitute Russia for Saudi Arabia, one villain for another and it's pretty much the same story. The Vatican is always there, so is the damsel in distress, as is the obligatory scene where Allon is brutally beaten but survives. It is enjoyable but now very predictable and thus dissapointing.