Rating: Summary: "Sleeper" is a keeper! Review: "Sleeper" by Steven Harriman is an exciting, "hard-to-put-down" read! The book starts out a little slowly as Harriman sets the plot up, but by page 75 you'll be hooked and will find yourself pouring through the book. The characters are well fleshed-out and each have a "story" to tell. Harriman has done impressive research as evidenced by his detailed explanations of the workings of the Pentagon (a great site for a novel, by the way) and the Nazi secret organization known as the Abwehr. Transitions back and forth from each plot locale are done seamlessly! The plot revolves around grisly deaths of Pentagon workers that begin to mount up with no apparent explanation. As Pentagon "Mayor" Ed Jeffers tries to find reasons for the deaths, he is aided by herpetologist (and soon to become romantic interest) Dr. Andrea Deluca and Navy SEALS under the command of Lt. Terrill Hodge. As the trio begin to unravel the clues leading to the deaths of the Pentagon workers, they find a killer they're unprepared to deal with - a mutant amphibian who's origin may have stemmed from secret experiments dating back to Nazi Germany of the early 1940's. Without giving away any plot details, let me just say that Harriman has taking a fairly unbelievable concept and pulled it off. The hard-edged Hodge is a perfect compliment to the self-conscious Jeffers character and both play well off the Dr. Deluca character. There's plenty of chills and thrills throughout the book and Harriman knows how to pile up the suspense. A fairly satisfying ending also leaves the door open for a sequel that many readers will demand after finishing the book. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED (especially for Crichton and Preston & Child fans)
Rating: Summary: Cliched, contrived, unsurprising - so why did I like it? Review: "Sleeper" is an odd book to review. The story itself isn't that special, coming across as a sort of blend of "Alien" and Peter Benchley's "White Shark," and the characterization of almost everyone (save Terrill Hodge) is laughable. Yet I blazed through the book, and I actually enjoyed it.
For those who are curious, the plot concerns a strange cylinder unearthed in the Pentagon, and at the same time this is found, a strange beast begins stalking the corridors, killing. Sort of. The body count is actually fairly low for this kind of book.
Anyhow, a daredevil Navy SEAL (the only well-drawn character in the book) teams up with the "mayor" of the Pentagon and a beautiful female herpetologist (for this sort of novel, is there any other kind?) to solve the problem. Their search uncovers some secrets dating back to World War 2, things reach a crescendo, and so on...you know the drill.
Yet for some reason, "Sleeper" was really fun. Take it on the plane. Read it before you go to bed. It's a really great book when you have just an hour or two you want to kill. It isn't particularly good, but it is enjoyable.
Rating: Summary: Poorly written and silly Review: 'and that about sums this book up. Terrible sub story about a pentagon official who has lost his arm who thus becomes the focus of the "mosters" sympathy (they are both different, see?) There are many unintentionally funny passages, corny, uninspired writing, and the plot never really engages.
Rating: Summary: Sleeper Hit Review: A very pleasing "monster" story with your typical heroes, villians, scientists and military types. Quite a fun and easy read. I found it interesting that a Steven Harriman book is copyrighted by Steven Spruill. Perhaps Harriman is a pen name for Spruill, whose works I've also enjoyed very much. Whoever wrote it, give it a try.
Rating: Summary: Sleeper Hit Review: A very pleasing "monster" story with your typical heroes, villians, scientists and military types. Quite a fun and easy read. I found it interesting that a Steven Harriman book is copyrighted by Steven Spruill. Perhaps Harriman is a pen name for Spruill, whose works I've also enjoyed very much. Whoever wrote it, give it a try.
Rating: Summary: Cross THE RELIC with BENCHLEY'S CREATURE aka WHITE SHARK Review: and you get SLEEPER.If you like the genre this is decent entry. Harriman makes you care about the characters. I didn't find it as propaganda filled as another reviewer but, I too was a bit put off by the 9/11 elements.I read this type of novel to escape from reality not be reminded of it. With more distance (time) from the actual event I suspect this aspect of the story will be less intrusive.It's used in an entirely non gratuitous manner.
Rating: Summary: An action-packed winner! Review: Author Harriman has put together a novel of suspense, science fiction, characterization, plot, current-day reality, and just enough GENUINE science to make this novel a winner. There is something for everyone: complex and believable characters, real current events in a real place (the Pentagon), a forward-leaning plot of great action coupled with suspense, excellent science based on genetics, psychology, and medicine, with only the slightest suspension of disbelief required (as is required in most good fiction, science- or otherwise). The novel ties together several disparate elements: The Abwehr and the Gestapo from WWII, modern medical science, current day events surrounding the events of September 11, 2001, and more, all expertly done. I read this in just two sittings, and I am now looking forward to more of the same from this author. Highly recommended.
Rating: Summary: Eh, Whatever...... Review: Author obsessed over details of characters, kinda reminded people that a jet smashed into the Pentagon every 5-6 pages, spent way too much time on the backstory of creation of "Monster", and left a few good lose ends to the story. Good read though.
Rating: Summary: Very entertaining Review: Despite a somewhat ridiculous love story subplot and an almost cut and paste plot from the Relic, this was a really good story. The pace starts out fast and never lets up. Although the book is a quick read, the characters were surprisingly well developed. The creature itself steals the show. The physical descriptions were fantastic. I had a hard time putting this book down; Mr. Harriman owes me a few nights of sleep.
Rating: Summary: A monster stalks the Pentagon. Review: Despite having a premise ripe for either satire or metaphor, the monster on the loose novel Sleeper just does what every other monster on the loose novel does, albeit slightly better than average in some departments. The premise mixes elements from Lincoln Child & Douglas Preston's novel Relic with Peter Benchley's White Shark and sets them in the Pentagon. The book could have been set anywhere for all the meaning the location brings the story, but the characters are well developed. You have Ed Jeffers (the Brody character), the "Mayor" of the Pentagon and who is the first to discover the beast, Dr. Andrea Deluca (the Hooper character), the lovely scientist that also creates some romanitc tension between the two male heroes, and Terrill "Terror" Hodge (the Quint character), the adrenaline junkie Navy SEAL sent in to fight the beast. Sleeper is a quick read, but, in the end, there is nothing in it to separate it from the monster pack.
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