Rating: 
Summary: Average Hunter
Review: See book summary above.I find myself drawn to Stephen Hunter and have always liked the Swagger novels. This one is a little different as it takes place mostly in Cuba. The action is here, as is Earl Swagger and his penchant for getting in trouble, and when the odds are mostly against him he still seems to come out on top. Quite a hero.
This is not my favorite Hunter novel but it was still exciting to read. Recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Not His Best, But Still Worthwhile
Review: I've read them all and was really looking forward to this one -
Havana in it's heyday, Lansky, Batista, Castro, the CIA, and of course Earl - probably one of the most righteous dudes in all of
bookworld! I tracked this book for months, and couldn't wait. Well, they're here ok, and it's an interesting story, especially with the interface of the CIA and Russians - but it lacks the passion, excitement, and intensity of his previous 'smashes'. Give yourself a treat and pick up 'Hot Springs', or 'Pale Horse Coming'. Then after you have totally loved 'em, you're ready for 'Dirty White Boys'. And you'll understand what I said about Earl!
Rating: 
Summary: this one is bit weirdly and poorly written
Review: the whole writing form and type of this novel is kinda weird, and not too seriously written, sometimes even read like a comic book, very hollow, so terribly constructed like salsa dancing, simply horrible. unlike before, i just failed to read along word by word, sentence after sentence, paragraph after paragraph, 'cause this time, hunter seemed to have alienated himself and earl swagger from the depth of a great personality and great novel, and he's tried too hard to mimic cuban atmosphere but failed so miserably and so pathetically, well, i have to take a long sigh to this comic book. hunter's writing style this time is not as attractive and absorbing as before, 'cause i've found myself leapfrogged and skipped over paragraphes, sometimes even pages and tried very hard to land on the more readable parts. i just don't know but only feel this havana is definitely a letdown and well, i just turned all my watches and clocks backward one hour, and i really don't wish that hunter would turn this great 'earl swagger' saga backward too much, and next time, sir, pls don't take any suggestion or direction from your editor who should read your creation afterwards instead telling or suggesting where your hero and story should be landed beforehands. Landing on the salsa island is an awful decision, might be only better suggestion on hawaii. i just wish that i didn't pick this one up and read it. i definitely will not include it in my collection. bad, very bad after taste. sigh.......
Rating: 
Summary: This Marvelous Novel is Chockfull of Unforgettable Sentences
Review: I normally don't care to quote passages from the books that I review for Bookreporter.com. I'm always afraid of giving something away, or having it make little sense out of context, or (the most likely occurrence) making a mistake in the transcription. There is a passage in HAVANA, Stephen Hunter's new novel, that blew away all such reservations and resistance, and that illustrates perfectly why, when this man publishes a new novel, all other activity at casa de Hartlaub ceases until the tale is read from cover to cover. This particular paragraph is found near the end of the book, an unforgettable collection of sentences in a novel full of them: "It is 4 a.m. on Zanja Street, the hour of Odudua, the dark mistress of the underworld according to the cosmology that is Santeria. Odudua is married to Obatala, whose job is to finish creation; hers is to destroy it. As you might imagine, it is not a happy marriage. So she wanders alone at night, deciding who to take." In these sentences, Hunter sets up the carnage that is to follow and at the same time presents a cosmic rationale for what has gone before, providing the reader with some inside knowledge in the bargain and getting the job done with some unforgettable prose. Hunter writes prosaically of death; his protagonist, Earl Lee Swagger, is a walking contradiction, a man capable of great and terrible violence yet who is not a violent man by nature. He simply does that which must be done, and frequently is called upon to do it. HAVANA is set in 1953, when the island of Cuba is the subject of business interests, legitimate and otherwise. A young would-be revolutionary named Fidel Castro has attracted the interest of the right and wrong people, and it is decided by some that he should be done away with as an example. Others, however, feel he should come under their protection. Swagger is recruited as the bodyguard for an Arkansas congressman who is traveling to Cuba, ostensibly on a fact-finding mission. This duty results in Swagger being dropped as unwitting chum into a choppy diplomatic ocean, aware of his duties on the surface but unaware of his real purpose in Cuba. In actuality, Swagger has been brought to Cuba to assassinate Fidel Castro before the young firebrand attracts too much of a following. When events take an unexpected turn, however, Swagger finds himself stranded in a land he doesn't know, with nothing but his wits --- and the unexpected honor of a worthy adversary --- to see him through. Hunter continues his practice of placing Swagger within a historical setting and letting each play off of the other. Swagger's meeting with Ernest Hemingway, which takes little more than a page to relate, is worth the price of admission alone. Hunter's attention to detail makes the Havana of the 1950s come alive. His style is interesting; he can be extremely funny at times, but when describing Swagger his tone is unrelentingly grim, and appropriately so. The contrasts, the change-ups, help move the story along (not that it needs such assistance). Hunter continues to expand the Swagger mythos with HAVANA, further developing his character while keeping him true to what has (recently) gone before. I cannot wait for what is to come. --- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
Rating:
Summary: I kept looking for the 'good parts' .....
Review: ... if you're reading HAVANA, and looking for the good parts, be prepared to be as disappointed as I was. It's not that Stephen Hunter can't create appealing characters; the 'Russian Spy', Speshnev, is as charming as the title character in "The Jewel Of The Nile". And of course, Earl is admired by all of Mr. Hunter's fans. Unfortunately, in this offering Mr. Hunter works so hard to show Earl as a more complex personality that he (Earl) doesn't seem to coelesce as a defined person. I found myself wishing he would just take the damned drink and bugger off. And take that boringly idiotic Castro with him. This work might be considered the second book of a trinary work, defining the period between "Hot Springs" and "Black Light". For those of us who just can't stand NOT to have read everything that Stephen Hunter writes, it's a must-have. You may decide that doesn't mean you have to actually READ it. I bought this at an airport bookstall, and read it all the way from Oregon to Las Vegas, and halfway back. I must admit it was the motivation for a first-time experience: never before have I been able to fall asleep on an airplane.
Rating: 
Summary: Not his best
Review: Let me qualify my title by saying that if I hadn't read all the previous Swagger novels by Hunter, I probably would not have been disappointed with this one. It is a good book unto itself but not nearly as good as his previous efforts which have somewhat spoiled me I guess. The action here as well as the plot and character development isn't up to the same level that I am used to from Hunter. Every other book I have read by him took effort to put down, not so here. That being said, I did enjoy the book, and Earl and Bob Lee are still the ultimate multi-layered, flawed heroes, and getting to know them alone is worth the price of admission. I anxiously await Mr. Hunter's next installment in the series.
Rating:
Summary: Strong entry in Earl Swagger series
Review: In an afterword, Hunter explains that he got the book from his well known editor, Michael Korda. Korda gave it to him in four words: "Earl Swagger in Havana." This allows Hunter a rich set of characters to draw on, such as Castro and Meyer Lansky. It also allows him to throw Swagger into a multi-sided situation -- the CIA and Cuban government, the gangsters with ties to both the CIA and the Government but pursuing their own interests as well, and the Soviets, with their interests in creating unrest. Castro plays an important role as a bumbling revolutionary with a gift for speechmaking, some courage and not much else (I doubt that this is an accurate picture of Castro). Swagger is brought to Cuba on pretext, as a body-guard for a ridiculous Congressman and his aide -- the real reason is that the CIA wants to have Swagger kill Castro. What follows is typical Hunter, gun battles with the weapons described in detail; Hunter's odd ability to create tension by describing events out of chronolocial order (you'll read a vague description of what happened, followed by a flashback that shows what actually happened); and Earl Swagger's ability to one-up any man around him. John Wayne would have loved to have played this character. There's more humor in this book than usual; an argument between between the terrified Congressman and his even more terrified aide when under fire had me laughing out loud. Castro is also a subject for many jokes, although whether this is deserved or not I can't say. Hemingway makes a brief, but disastorous cameo that unfortunately is in keeping with his behavior, particularly at that time. I find Earl Swagger a more interesting character than his son, Bob Lee, who was the subject of Hunter's first three novels in the Swagger series. Bob Lee was laconic to the point of making Clint Eastwood in his early westerns sound like a chatterbox. Earl is not much more talkative, but our knowledge of his hard life (see Hot Springs) and his desperate hope that his son will have an easier life (of course he won't) gives him more depth than one would expect for a thriller hero. There is also the knowledge that, unless Hunter engages in a major rewrite of history, that he does not have long to live. Hunter killed off Earl Swagger in 1955 in his first appearance, Black Light. For those who have read other Swagger books, you will find Hunter reusing to good effect a character from prior books. Frenchy Short is back, and is as devious and crooked as ever. He hero-worships Earl but doesn't hesitate to try to have him killed to serve his own purposes. The Congressman who Earl acts as a bodyguard for is Harry Etheridge. At a later point, Etheridge tells Earl that if Earl signs on the CIA their boys can be friends (the chronology on this won't work but Hunter has admitted that to revising the chronology between books). In fact, Etheridge's son will be the cause of Earl's death and will be involved in trying to kill Bob Lee. Finally, a Soviet spy named Pashin has the same last name as a former spy about to become President of Russia in A Time to Kill, but different first name. However, the character in Havana claims to have many relatives in Soviet intelligence, so maybe they are related. I'm no gun expert, but did spot a couple of small mistakes Hunter makes. Frenchy Short inexplicably switches guns within a few pages -- Hunter is always very specific about the guns his characters carries. Also, a Russian involved in the Spanish Civil War contempously compares Sherman tanks to the German tanks he saw in Spain. Hunter is thinking of the Panther and Tiger II tanks used by Germany at the end of World War II; those used in Spain may have only been equipped with machine guns. While I gave this book four stars (it would have been 3 and half if Amazon allowed this), I have to wonder what Hunter will do next. A fourth Earl Swagger book will be hard to write; Hunter's done about as much with this character as he can. It may be that he goes to a stand-alone book like Dirty White Boys orginally was (it was later written into the Swagger books in a way that explains the great Lamar Pye's gunfighting skills. Too bad about Lamar; he's my favorite Hunter character of all time). In any event, I look forward to whatever Hunter produces next. He's shown a sure sense when to move on, as he did when he wrote the first real Earl Swagger book Hot Springs, one of his best.
Rating:
Summary: Top notch thriller!
Review: In 1953 Cuba the rise of a young Castro would upset the interests of the U.S. Blue chip corporations, the Mafia, the CIA all have a piece of the action and like the status quo. Ambitious Arkansas politicos recruit WWII Medal of Honor winner Earl Swagger to eliminate the Castro problem. Earl is the ultimate tough guy---fearless, fierce, highly decorated---a violent man at home in a violent world---Earl always seems to be looking for a war. He is also a decent man haunted by his warrior past, full of self-doubt, misjudgments and flaws. Speshlev, the highly competent Russian intelligence agent dispatched to control and educate Castro is a match for Earl---seemly keeping Castro one move ahead. In this epic of good vs evil, is Earl being betrayed from within---are ally and enemy who they appear to be? Surprisingly complex relationships between the Mafia, the CIA, the Russians and big business make it impossible to know friend from foe. Is anyone in cold war Cuba who they appear to be? Stephen Hunter's picturesque period detail, unforgettable characters in vivid settings, biting dialogue, believable violence and stunning reversals bring this sweeping story with multiple themes to life. A superbly paced, powerful narrative, Stephen Hunter's "Havana" is explosive, fascinating and tantalizing. It will shock, excite and enthrall you.
Rating:
Summary: powerful historical thriller
Review: In 1953, the don't say his name boss arrives in Havana with a dossier on a charismatic threat to the currently American supported dictator. He orders Roger St. Johns Evans and Walter Short to eliminate Fidel Castro before he causes problems like regime changing and Communist government building. Walter suggests they use Earl Swagger of Arkansas on the assignment. The Boss sends a loyalist to Siberia to reassign 4715 from the North Pole road building to mentoring Castro in Cuba. Speshan takes a shower for the first in seemingly centuries before, he, the former and perhaps future 4715, travels to Havana to indoctrinate Castro. Though he only wants to go hunting with his son, when the Feds come recruiting, Earl accepts the mission and journeys to Cuba. However, nothing is quite like it seems and instead of a simple job, Earl is caught in global politics with little hope of expediting himself from this mess. This is a powerful historical thriller that brings to life the era just before Castro takes over Cuba. The story line is fast-paced and filled with action, but contains much humor (Bill and Ted?). Earl is a great protagonist who also serves as a role model for a caring nurturing yet all male man. Stephen Hunter escorts readers back five decades in Havana in a numero uno tale. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: Strong entry in Earl Swagger series
Review: In an afterword, Hunter explains that he got the book from his well known editor, Michael Korda. Korda gave it to him in four words: "Earl Swagger in Havana." This allows Hunter a rich set of characters to draw on, such as Castro and Meyer Lansky. It also allows him to throw Swagger into a multi-sided situation -- the CIA and Cuban government, the gangsters with ties to both the CIA and the Government but pursuing their own interests as well, and the Soviets, with their interests in creating unrest. Castro plays an important role as a bumbling revolutionary with a gift for speechmaking, some courage and not much else (I doubt that this is an accurate picture of Castro). Swagger is brought to Cuba on pretext, as a body-guard for a ridiculous Congressman and his aide -- the real reason is that the CIA wants to have Swagger kill Castro. What follows is typical Hunter, gun battles with the weapons described in detail; Hunter's odd ability to create tension by describing events out of chronolocial order (you'll read a vague description of what happened, followed by a flashback that shows what actually happened); and Earl Swagger's ability to one-up any man around him. John Wayne would have loved to have played this character. There's more humor in this book than usual; an argument between between the terrified Congressman and his even more terrified aide when under fire had me laughing out loud. Castro is also a subject for many jokes, although whether this is deserved or not I can't say. Hemingway makes a brief, but disastorous cameo that unfortunately is in keeping with his behavior, particularly at that time. I find Earl Swagger a more interesting character than his son, Bob Lee, who was the subject of Hunter's first three novels in the Swagger series. Bob Lee was laconic to the point of making Clint Eastwood in his early westerns sound like a chatterbox. Earl is not much more talkative, but our knowledge of his hard life (see Hot Springs) and his desperate hope that his son will have an easier life (of course he won't) gives him more depth than one would expect for a thriller hero. There is also the knowledge that, unless Hunter engages in a major rewrite of history, that he does not have long to live. Hunter killed off Earl Swagger in 1955 in his first appearance, Black Light. For those who have read other Swagger books, you will find Hunter reusing to good effect a character from prior books. Frenchy Short is back, and is as devious and crooked as ever. He hero-worships Earl but doesn't hesitate to try to have him killed to serve his own purposes. The Congressman who Earl acts as a bodyguard for is Harry Etheridge. At a later point, Etheridge tells Earl that if Earl signs on the CIA their boys can be friends (the chronology on this won't work but Hunter has admitted that to revising the chronology between books). In fact, Etheridge's son will be the cause of Earl's death and will be involved in trying to kill Bob Lee. Finally, a Soviet spy named Pashin has the same last name as a former spy about to become President of Russia in A Time to Kill, but different first name. However, the character in Havana claims to have many relatives in Soviet intelligence, so maybe they are related. I'm no gun expert, but did spot a couple of small mistakes Hunter makes. Frenchy Short inexplicably switches guns within a few pages -- Hunter is always very specific about the guns his characters carries. Also, a Russian involved in the Spanish Civil War contempously compares Sherman tanks to the German tanks he saw in Spain. Hunter is thinking of the Panther and Tiger II tanks used by Germany at the end of World War II; those used in Spain may have only been equipped with machine guns. While I gave this book four stars (it would have been 3 and half if Amazon allowed this), I have to wonder what Hunter will do next. A fourth Earl Swagger book will be hard to write; Hunter's done about as much with this character as he can. It may be that he goes to a stand-alone book like Dirty White Boys orginally was (it was later written into the Swagger books in a way that explains the great Lamar Pye's gunfighting skills. Too bad about Lamar; he's my favorite Hunter character of all time). In any event, I look forward to whatever Hunter produces next. He's shown a sure sense when to move on, as he did when he wrote the first real Earl Swagger book Hot Springs, one of his best.
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