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Summary: Havana by Stephen Hunter: Audio Book
Review: I have been a big fan of Stephen Hunter novels for several years. Most of them I've listened to as audio books. The dialog and voice characterizations by Beau Bridges have always been superb and the plot riveting. However, for the audio book Havana, Stephen Hunter must've been asleep at the wheel! The dialog is inane, uninspired and unimaginative. I don't know whether Stephen Hunter wrote the audio book dialog or if it was transcribed by another but it is pitiful. William Dufris as the reader does a poor job at best of voice characterizations and only shows glimpses of getting it right. Castro is portrayed as a whiney and unintelligent buffoon. I can't even begin to think why Hemingway was even mentioned in the book. Frankly, it was a chore to get thru it(unlike all the others which were superb). I hope that Beau Bridges is brought back to read these books again and Stephen Hunter throws himself back into his work. I would have to imagine that the hardback version of the novel is better but I would not recommend the audio book.
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Summary: My first Swagger novel; a great ride
Review: This was my first experience with Stephen Hunter's fiction writing and with Earl Swagger, and I didn't come away disappointed. Hunter has created a simple, but loveable character in Earl Swagger who -- in his simplicity -- is probably everything that young men aspire to become: A hero. Hunter does a great job of creating a hard-boiled good guy who isn't ham-fisted or cliched. An admirable task.More than that, Hunter has carefully and successfully walked the tightrope of writing a fictional story using a historical character as an integral figure in the plot. When a lesser author attempts this task, the effort often comes across as forced and incredible, forcing the reader further outside of the imaginary world that's been crafted. Here, however, Hunter's use of Fidel Castro blends perfectly with the story at hand and lends a true depth to the plot. Prehaps the only shortcoming of this book is that the plot elements are entirely predictable and ordinary. That is not to say that the story itself isn't wonderfully entertaining, only that there wasn't an element to the story that threw me for a loop or kept me on the edge of my seat. In a way, that's perhaps appropriate for a story starring a character that's a wonderfully straightforward as Earl Swagger. The rich characterization makes up for any shortcomings in originality of plot.
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Summary: A STRONG VOCAL PERFORMANCE
Review: Listeners can almost taste and feel the hustle of 1950s Havana in these superb vocal characterizations rendered by voice actor William Dufris. A master of phrasing and intonation he brings vibrant life to this powerful story. Hero Earl Swagger, topnotch gunfighter and former Marine Medal of Honor recipient, is as tough as they come. He'll need all the strength and prowess he can muster when the government asks him to protect a Congressman whose mission it is to check on purported wrong doings at an American naval base. Remember, this is Havana in the 1950s - Fidel Castro is in power, gang lords thrive, and every stripe of criminal activity is taking place. Rather than doing much investigation our Congressman seems more intent on sampling all the temptations Havana has to offer, little knowing that Swagger also has a mission - to dispose of Castro. Stephen Hunter writes as strongly and chillingly as he did in "Hot Springs" and "Pale Horse Coming." William Dufris is his vocal equal. - Gail Cooke
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Summary: Comic book sans pictures
Review: Silly and sophomoric "guy" writing; needs to study John D. McDonald or even Donald Hamilton to see how it's supposed to be done.
No character development, absurd plotting, cardboard hero and cheesy action. Give it a rest. There are so many superior books and authors who do this sort of thing. It gets a star for the jacket design alone.
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Summary: First-grade level reading
Review: And the first-graders would say it belonged in the kindergarten class.
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Summary: Odudua may be close
Review: One thing for sure Stephen Hunter always pleases. I enjoy a novel that is close to true history and Havana is. I was at Gtmo and stood that famous inspection by Castro when he came out of the hills after ousting Batesta. Seems he poisoned our water a few weeks after that. CIA will always remember that won't they. I found Havana to be pretty much as I remembered it back then although I was only there twice before it was closed to us. Anyway back to the story, another great one and I will always look forward to each as they arrive on the scene.
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Summary: Restrained by facts
Review: The history limits what Earl can do, but the trip is entertaining and informative about Cuban history. Where can Hunter go now? If Bob Lee had kids, would one have followed him into the service and some adventures in the recent past?
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Summary: An excellent entry in the Swagger family saga
Review: I really enjoyed this novel a great deal, as I have all of Hunter's novels about the three generations of Swagger gunmen. It seems that Mr. Hunter is improving with age and his prose gets better and better. My two favorite Swagger titles so far have been this book and Hunter's last one, Hot Springs. What makes this book good is, of course, Mr. Hunter's powers of description of scenes involving gunplay . The reader can really feel the percussive blast of gunfire and hear bullets pang off metal. What sets this author apart is that he combines great authenticity regarding firearms without going into geek detail about weaponry. I can't think of a current mainstream author that can come close to Hunter for firearm knowledge, but the general reader need not beware. There will be no blur of calibers, model numbers, or military abbreviations in his work, or just enough to make things real. Also, the characters in this novel are well drawn and very interesting. Speshnev, the Russian agent in Cuba is a particularly good creation. He is a thin, grey haired man who can realistically pose as a vacuum cleaner salesman (which he does)until there is some hard, dirty work to do, whereas he transforms into a very effective professional. There is something almost flippant and poetic in his nature that makes him even more disarming. For those of you who have read Hot Springs, the character Frenchy Short returns as a CIA agent, as smart and hungry as ever, loyal only to his own overwhelming hunger for power. Finally, I found the scenes involving Bob Lee Swagger and his Father, Earl Swagger very touching. Hunter does a good job in describing a son's overpowering need to get love from a father and all the small things that shape a boy into a man.
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Summary: Solid Hunter
Review: Stephen Hunter is a special writer. There really are few like who can mix such murderous violence and mayhem with extremely taut and complex storylines. You never feel really "dirty" when you read a Hunter novel, as the massive amounts of shooting and gunplay always seem to have a classy edge to them, an inner elan that seems to justify the amazing body count in some abstract way. Hunter's most popular series, that dealing with the Swagger clan, has always managed to cling to a polite sense of literature while blasting away at all villains, evildoers whom Hunter writes so well. Havana is no exception, as the adventures of Earl Swagger continue in bloody fashion, albeit in a far away place. While this book was not Hunter's best, nor is it perfect, it carries on the Swagger tradition very well. Havana in 1953 is a novelists dream. Hot weather, mobsters, sunglasses, communists, CIA, tons of petty criminals, rogue cops, tin pot dictators.....there's no limit to what a talented writer can do! The raucous town has not seen anything yet however, as Earl Swagger comes to town, charged by politicians in Arkansas to protect a congressional delegation. His protectee soon turns out to be a raving alcoholic with a penchant for Cuban street women, an inclination which brings Earl into various violent disputes. His savior, so to speak, comes in the form of the nefarious Frenchy Short, a shadow character that has plagued the Swaggers in numerous ways. Frenchy is the conniving assistant CIA man in Havana, who plots and schemes with various thugs to keep the island, now controlled by American corporate interests, a peaceful and safe place. In order to do this, Frenchy needs someone to be killed, and from experience, he knows Earl is the perfect man for such jobs. Earl's communist foil comes along in the form of KGB agent Speshnev, a calculating clandestine warrior who is given a protection mission as well. He is to guard and cultivate a young revolutionary by the name of Fidel Castro, who is beginning to let his presence be known. Frenchy is very interested at seeing Speshnev fail, and sics a somewhat blinded Earl on him. Through a series of encounters, the two cold war guns begin to learn respect for each other, which leads to a very interesting dynamic by the end of the book. Bordering the main plotline is a violent bunch of subcategories, as the various forces inhabiting Cuba make their own moves. The most entertaining of these are the adventures of Franky Carbine, a jittery but ruthless mob enforcer, and his partner in crime Ojos Bellos, a horrifying and violent secret police officer. The two psychopaths engage in missions for themselves and for Franky's boss, Meyer Lansky. Of course, the island is not big enough for everyone, and the trail of death the two leave will lead directly to Earl. This book does a lot of things right. The characters, as a whole, are just amazing. Earl is his solid self, while we are introduced to wild and entertaining characters such as Ojos Bellos, who is one of the best villains Hunter has ever thought up. What stood out for me along the lines of character development was Frenchy Short, who has always been one of the most fascinating characters in the Swagger novels. Here, Frenchy is described in his pure blue collar fanatic manipulator self, one that we have only peaked at before. He is probably the best part of the book. The settings are wonderful, the atmosphere, the shootouts, and the writing are great. The reason why I did not give this book a five star rating is that I felt Hunter tries to throw a few too many storylines into one book. It gets a little silly at points, and some scenes seem kind of devoid of reality. The characterization of Fidel Castro was a bit too comical for my tastes, especially since the likes of Frenchy Short are trying desperately to kill him. For long time fans of the Hunter books, there are plenty of clever little allusions to future events in the Swagger universe. There is not a serious Hunter fan alive who will not raise his eyebrows in dark humor as Earl hopes that his boy Bob Lee will never have to pick up a gun in violence. It lends to the almost Greek tragedy that we all know is coming, and gives us a clearer vision of Earl himself.
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Summary: No "swagger" in this one
Review: I knew better than to buy a book when you know how it ends.We know Earl can not kill Casto, so what's the point?
This book limps along with plenty of filler to get us in the mood for Havana when Castro was getting weened.
Since the end of the plot is a given it is difficult to turn the pages.
I have read every Hunter book and enjoyed them. Save your $$ on this one.
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