Review: Terrific - read it in one sitting
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 09 18, 2012
Halstead has created one of those rare works that I devoured in a single sitting!Now, 'Wanted' is not high art. And it's not even sci-fi really; the post apocalyptic USA is just the backdrop for classic stereotypes to come together in a manner similar to a Spaghetti Western.But it clips along at a great pace with a lot of well written dialogue and consistent, conflicted characters who fight their own moral shortcomings every step of the way.I liked that apart from an off-stage villain, most of the characters played good and bad, depending on the situation. They also rationalised their behaviour - good and bad, but mostly bad - as a legitimate reaction to extenuating circumstances.  In this case, extenuating is the seemingly wholesale collapse of civilisation which has tipped all but a privileged few into an unfamiliar and very frightening dog-eat-dog world.And I enjoyed the sparseness of the Man's Man leading character, Sergeant First Class Carl Waters, who plays the resisting hero to a small band of stragglers which he comes to admire and perhaps even love.Halstead even managed to kill off some key characters, which I felt was gutsy because they were moving neatly toward a sequel (and beyond) plus they were likeable in their own right. Have to admire that degree of commitment to the plot because it made perfect sense for the situation where other authors might have contrived a less-satisfying get out of jail card.Finally, when I purchased 'Wanted', it was FREE!! Thank you Mr. Halstead, you've given me a terrific read and charged me nothing for the experience. But that's OK, I will happily pay forIce Princess (Wanted), that sequel I expected was on offer.