Review: An enjoyable, if not an overly long read
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 04 29, 2014
"Xenophobia" has an intriguing premise that I was drawn to. I found it a bit of a difficult and slow read in the beginning and middle. Too much time was dedicated to political socioeconomic conditions in Africa and too much detail put into the "pre-story".  One could assume the author was working toward deep character development as well as a supporting basis for the "anti-war" / "conservation" message. Ultimately I didn't really need the detail. I would have been happier if this book was 50-60 pages shorter. I was shocked to read in the authors notes that a friend had convinced him to reduce the size of the book by 25,000 words. I can only imagine the amount of unnecessary detail that was removed, from the length and color of the Rangers shoelaces, to the species of flies surrounding the field hospital patients heads.All of that being said, the author CAN write, and the story was promising enough that I kept reading. The last third of the book was excellent, perfectly paced, and entirely original in approach. I thoroughly enjoyed it and had problems putting it down. If the first two-thirds of the book was shorter and better paced this would be a five star review...but hey, I'm just one guy...read and decide for yourself.  You'll enjoy the premise and the story...promise...