The One with The Confessor

159. Title & Author: The Confessor by Daniel Silva (401 pages)
Genre: Fiction--Action & Thriller

Completed: 26 September 2010

Summary & Review:

Israeli spy/art restorer Gabriel Allon is torn away from his work in Venice to help track down the murderer of his friend Benjamin, a fellow Mossad agent. Soon, Allon discovers the reason why Benjamin was killed: he was writing a book exposing that the Catholic Church was complicit in the deportation of Jews during the Holocaust and met secretly with the Nazis to ensure that the Pope would not speak out against the atrocities occurring under the Third Reich. As Gabriel pursues the killers, they make a desperate attempt to keep the truth a secret, even planning to assassinate the newly elected Pope.

Daniel Silva is what Dan Brown wishes he could be: a talented writer. This plot was very much something Dan Brown could have written using his wet-blanket protagonist Robert Langdon, but in Silva's hands it was thrilling and intelligent. As always, Gabriel Allon proved to be an excellent lead. He is consistently more than just the tough, alpha-male spy that is found in so many contemporary thrillers, and that makes this series stand out even more than it already does with Silva's above-par writing.

Rating: 9.0

The One with Mockingjay

158. Title & Author: Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins (390 pages)

Genre: Fiction--Young Adult

Completed: 19 September 2010

Summary & Review:

The incomprehensible terror that was the end of Katniss’ second trip to the Hunger Games has left her in a stupor of nightmares and medicinally induced unconsciousness. When she finally is able to understand what has happened to her, the situation is bleak: her home of District 12 has been completely destroyed, Peeta has been captured by the Capitol, and the rebellion is in dire need of a motivational leader. With the help of Gale and Haymitch, Katniss grows into her role as the Mockingjay, the symbol of the rebellion, and uses her influence to get the rebels of District 13 to rescue Peeta. Peeta, however, has suffered terribly at the hands of the capitol and now kindles an overpowering desire to kill Katniss. Beneath the brainwashing, Katniss can still see the boy who saved her life time and again, but can she save Peeta, navigate her relationship with Gale, and lead the rebels to victory?

This book was my least favorite of the series. During the opening chapters it was a little frustrating, it seemed like the refugees of 12 had escaped the tyranny of the Capitol only to live under the communism of District 13. And really, that feeling kind of persisted throughout the book. What were these people fighting for any way? They only had faint promises of freedom once the war was over.

Also, the pacing of the book seemed a little off. Much of the beginning was very slow and prolonged, yet the climax and resolution was so rapidly paced it was hard to make sense of it all. This was most damaging though because it left little time for Katniss to really come to terms with her dueling relationships with Gale and Peeta. When her decision was finally made (which was the right decision in my mind, by far), the reader didn’t quite get the fulfillment expected considering how critical that triangle was to the series.

Actually, that is my major complaint about this book, I just wasn’t satisfied with how everything ended, especially since I slogged through three books to wrap it all up. Collins really didn’t leave it on a happy, hopeful, or contented note. I felt like the reader deserved more at the end.

Rating: 6.5

The One with First Family

157. Title & Author: First Family by David Baldacci (639 pages)*

Genre: Fiction--Thriller

Completed: 12 September 2010

Summary & Review:

The niece of the First Family is kidnapped by a man who holds both a deep, abiding grudge against them and a secret that could destroy them. To help locate the young girl, Jane Cox, the First Lady, enlists her friend Sean King and his partner Michelle Maxwell. As the pair track down the kidnapper and uncover the reasons behind his deed, Michelle's mother is murdered, adding yet another question to their growing list. Who killed Michelle's mom? Where is the First Family's niece? Why are Jane Cox and her husband, the President of the United States, desperate to the hide the truth that the kidnapper wants to expose?

Eh. This book was a mediocre thriller. I'm not much of a fan of Maxwell and King, and the books of Baldacci's that I have read that feature them have not been my favorite. I think Baldacci's other recurring characters, the rag tag bunch called the Camel Club, are much more entertaining and have been written into more interesting plots.

Rating: 5.5

The One with Brisingr

156. Title & Author: Brisingr (Book 3 of the Inheritance Cycle) by Christopher Paolini (763 pages)

Genre: Fiction--Fantasy & Adventure

Completed: 5 September 2010

Summary & Review:

The battle against the Empire and the Black King Galbatorix continues. Eragon, the last free Dragon Rider, returns to the service of the Varden, the combined rebel forces, after helping his cousin Roran rescue his betrothed deep in enemy territory. The leader of the rebel army sends Eragon to the mountainous home of the Dwarfs to ensure that they elect a king sympathetic to their cause. His journey is long and lonely without the accompaniment of his dragon and help-meet, Saphira, but it is ultimately successful. With the Dwarfs on their side, Eragon needs just one last thing in order to prepare to slay the Black King: a sword worthy of a Dragon Rider.

At first, I felt like this book was little more than a rip off of Tolkien's master works. The Elves and Dwarfs were essentially identical to those in The Lord of the Rings, and so much of Alagaësia felt like it was torn from Middle Earth. After I got over that, however, I enjoyed the book quite a bit. Paolini definitely writes firmly in the Fantasy genre and style. He has very formal prose when writing dialogue, he crafted rich histories and customs for all his many races and cultures, and his story was equal parts mystery and adventure. Not to mention the fact that this was a hefty tome. I remember sitting in the Sampler Reading Room in the Brigham Young University (Provo) library and looking at the Fantasy section. All of the books were huge, and this book would fit right in.

Although this series revolves around the character of Eragon, my favorite parts of the novel were those that followed Roran, Eragon's cousin. Roran was a great character and the events that he was involved in were action packed and immensely entertaining. To me, the best part about fantasy books is that they can transport you to another world, and the scenes with Roran were the portions of the book that I felt that the strongest.

I didn't think I would enjoy this book as much as I did, so I wasn't too worried about the fact that I started the series on book 3, rather than going back and starting on the first book. But, now I have to backtrack and read books 1 and 2 and hope that I can still fully enjoy those despite knowing what comes later.

Rating: 8.0