Review: An enjoyable action-packed techno-thriller.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 03 13, 2013
This book scores high on action and suspense.Peter von Bleichert strikes a good balance between technical accuracy and good storytelling. A must-have in my opinion for a techno-thriller.The story focuses on the escalating tensions between China and Taiwan. Although fictitious, the author does a great job of making it seem so real. It is very well written and the author comes across as being very well informed. I was therefore not surprised to discover that the author has served as a staff writer with the Royal United Services Institute for Defense Studies - although frankly I'm amazed he does not seem to have real-life war experience since he certainly gives the impression he has in this novel. So this is impressive.I've read a number of techno-thrillers in my time. All too often, authors of this genre focus too much on technical aspects and not enough time developing the characters, making them seem real. On one hand, Peter von Bleichert avoids this by providing us with lots of action and suspense. On the other, I would have liked a little more character development, although even here the author shows clear potential. This is the only area I could suggest some improvement, leading me to rate this a 4.4.If this is Peter von Bleichert's first novel, it's a cracker showing great potential.