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Summary: What a great movie this novel would make!
Review: I've just discovered Nelson Demille (having read "Charm School" first) and what a marvellous discovery he is! BY THE RIVERS OF BABYLON is a timely story that feels more like news than fiction. I was overwhelmed with anger, rage, pity, fear, compassion while reading this book: I hated for it to end (and plan to read it again). It's an incredibly moving story that should remind us all which side we're on since 9/11!Even after visiting the Demille homepage, the only thing I can't figure out is how one man can know so much about flying, bombs, weapons, war strategy, terrorist organizations, the Israeli government, and human beings. Demille's prose is so authoritative and convincing--even in the minute details. I plan to read as many Demille novels as I can get my hands on.
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Summary: By the Rivers of Babylon
Review: THis review is short and sweet - the book is FANTASTIC! Ranks right up there with Word of Honor, which I also loved. I stayed up until 2AM because I couldn't put this book down. By the Rivers of Babylon goes one better in delving into the ancient history of Babylon, and the Jewish-Arab conflict, and plays it against a modern plot of an Israeli airliner forceably downed at the ancient site of Babylon. A really GREAT read!
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Summary: Would Be Better As A Movie
Review: This book would would probably be better as a movie than it was as a book. In fact, it would make a great movie. It's easier to stretch reality to its limits in a film. In the book, it becomes almost ludicrous. I did like the book though, particularly the last third or so when it begins to rock. I would definitely recommend reading it, but it's not nearly the best in its genre.
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Summary: 'Die Hard' for grown-ups
Review: The premise is nothing original: when a super-terrorist attempts to seize a Concorde, Israeli diplomats, soldiers, and spies resist heroically. What makes 'Babylon' so complelling is the quality of the writing, the empathy the reader feels for DeMille's eclectic and fallable cast, and the novel's assertive political overtones.
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Summary: A little Weak
Review: this book was a little weak in content. a lot of characters and tough to identify with most of them. not truly developed. And i'm a big Demille fan - this one fell short along w/cathedral
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Summary: Awful politics
Review: Had to be one of the worst books that I've read on quite some time. First off, I'm a HUGE Demille fan. However, as many people have written here, I was not able to suspend reality (Especially given 9/11/2001) and the book appeared to me nothing more than a politcal agenda. I can see how this book would rock if it was written in another pretense, but I can't read about good guys in a book when they're not necessarily nice in real life!
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Summary: My most favorite page turner ever!
Review: I have read this book three times now and would happily read it again. The only thing I don't understand is why it hasn't been made into a movie? Come on, Hollywood! How about Jack Nicholson as Gideon Hausner?
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Summary: By the Rivers of Babylon
Review: Demille lovingly describes the minds and hearts of the people of Israel both the modern and ancient.
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Summary: DeMille is the master of the game
Review: THE PLOT Peace in the Middle East is almost assured and two concordes are flying to New York with delegates for the negotiations. Terrorists against the peace conference plant bombs on board and try to take them hostage. After destroying one plane and killing all on board, the plane is forced to land near Babylong but at the last minute manages to get the hostages to the top of a small hill which they attempt to defend against the hostages through several days of sorties, knowing that the military probably doesn't know where they are and therefore can't swoop in and rescue them. WHAT I LIKED Long before there was Clancy, there was De Mille. This book takes the international realm and stands it on its ear -- the relations between the characters on both sides of the peace conference who are forced to work together to fight the hostages are brought to the surface in excruciating detail. The battle tactics are first-rate, the writing is almost perfect, and the story is superb as the "hostages" fight in small groups with every weapon they have -- gas bombs from the plane's fuel tanks, sounds from a war movie blasted over speakers to simulate larger weaponry, etc. WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE The ending is a little over-the-top, resembling a scene from a Die Hard movie more than keeping with the slightly more realistic tone of the rest of the book. As well, there is a meeting between the hostage-leaders and the terrorist-leader that is absolutely surreal. The likelihood of both parties treating it like a military battle with truces, etc., is virtually nil but it was at least interesting. At the end, there was a lot less fewer characters left and that helped the plotting speed-up. Up until then, there were too many small sub-plots -- not all of which were necessary. Some were good, and necessary to flesh out the experience, but not all of them. OVERALL RATING A good solid book for the international mystery field, and if it wasn't for the fact that De Mille published long before Clancy, it would be appropriate to say "Move over, Tom!". But, since Clancy's marketing machine is bigger, suffice it to say that it is better than anything Clancy has ever produced in the same field. Give it a 4.5 out of 5.0.
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Summary: Baby-LoAn this one out
Review: Good action tale of terrorist proportions. You can tell it's an earlier piece for DeMille because it lacks 'meat' to the story but is another good book by DeMille.
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