Review: A great idea with a little execution problem
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 06 24, 2013
Full disclosure: I received a free copy of this book for reviewing purposes. All opinions below are entirely my own.Let me start off by saying that while Amazon and many of its members consider 3 stars to be a "critical" review, I don't want to give the impression that I did not genuinely enjoy this book - I did, and fans of the concept will as well. However, there were some major problems I had with its execution that couldn't be ignored. The good, the bad, and the ugly to follow:The good: Mr. Katz has a brilliant mind for plot. A twisting, curvy, but always-comprehensible beast that wove its way through the past and present with mighty implications for the future, his work in this regard was masterful right to the end. In one sense, it ended just as it had to, and on the other, it did so in a way no one saw coming. Truly, exceptional work.Further, most of the characters were interesting and relatable (which I found surprising, given the nature of the cast - well done!) Not every one was a smash hit as overall characterization was limited (more on that in a bit) but generally, complex heroes and villains (or ARE they heroes and villains?) thrived.The bad/ugly: Where this book really suffered was in its execution. Most of the story was told through dialogue - in itself, not a bad thing, but taken to this extreme, highly problematic. This political thriller novel is a little too into the "political" and rather light on the "thriller", as much of it consists of people, in a room, talking. This drained the color from the author's world, causing bland settings (with a few very vivid exceptions, props for those!) and a dull pace. It is further complicated by significant editing woes. In a novel based on dialogue, when you can't always tell who's talking, or what's a played recording, or who's talking ON a recording, well, things get very tricky. However, my copy was a PDF, so it's my hope that this problem doesn't appear in the Kindle version.I was on the fence with 3.5 stars, but unfortunately, a few plot holes sent me to the "3" side. I can't go into details here (Spoilers!) but after some thought, I had to raise an eyebrow at a few points.Conclusion: Seriously talky, but there's a great story to be told here. It gives the sense of raw talent in need of honing. Fans of conspiracy theories will be very much intrigued by the ideas set forth here, but those outside of that group may have a hard time getting into this.As always, feel free to contact me with questions or comments via the comment box below or at SeanOnAmazon@gmail.com.