Gideon's War
Howard Gordon, Touchstone, $24.99 (336p) ISBN 978-1-4391-7581-1
This loosely plotted thriller, Hollywood screenwriter Gordon's first novel, lurches unpredictably from backstory to frenzied present-day action, employing a 24-hour ticking clock for suspense. The U.S. president dispatches professional peacemaker Gideon Davis, whose career as a special envoy has taken him around the world, to the sultanate of Mohan, a small Pacific island nation, where a rising Islamist insurgency under the leadership of terrorist Abu Nasir threatens to overthrow the local, American-friendly government. That Gideon's beloved brother, Tillman, is caught in the deadly conflict raises the personal stakes. Gideon ends up on a giant deep sea oil rig, the Obelisk, where he must battle insurgents bent on destroying the platform. Frantic action featuring miraculous escapes isn't enough to compensate for a silly plot, grandiose characters, and unbelievable twists, though fans of the TV show 24, of which the author is the executive producer, may be satisfied. (Jan.)
Details
Reviewed on: 11/08/2010
Genre: Fiction
Compact Disc - 978-1-4423-3582-0
Downloadable Audio - 978-1-4618-0698-1
Downloadable Audio - 978-1-4423-3583-7
Mass Market Paperbound - 420 pages - 978-1-4391-7597-2
Other - 336 pages - 978-1-4391-7599-6
Paperback - 448 pages - 978-1-4767-8828-9