Transfer of Power

Rating:
Summary: 4 1/2 Stars -- A Pulse-Pounding Political Thriller!
Review: Transfer Of Power is about a group of terrorists that have taken over the White House but avoided capturing the President due to the quick actions of the Secret Service. The President has been evacuated to his underground bunker, although almost 100 hostages have been taken. This story reads like it could (but hopefully never will) be on the front page of tomorrow's newspapers. Keep in mind, however, that Vince Flynn wrote this book almost 2 1/2 years before 9/11. From the first to the last page, Transfer Of Power kept my eyes glued to the pages and my heart beating faster than it probably should have been. While the plot has some predictable elements, some of the characters are slightly stereotypical and the ending is a bit abrupt, these are very minor flaws. This book is great fun, filled with non-stop action and perfect for when you are in the mood for pure escapism. If you enjoy books like The Last Jihad by Joel Rosenberg or Clancy-like books but without all the technical details, do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of Transfer Of Power. You'll be glad you did. I have copies of all of Flynn's other books featuring Mitch Rapp, the CIA's top counterterrorism operative, and, after taking a brief respite to "catch my breath", am looking forward to going on my next terror-filled adventure with Rapp. Enjoy!

Rating:
Summary: Excellent story, fast paced, well read, would make a movie.
Review: This adaption of Vince Flynn's excellent novel, is well read, and is a fast paced story of a potential terrorist scenario (given the current political climate and this current administration). Fortunately, for us, this is merely a work of fiction. The crack anti-terrorist team, led by Mitch Rapp, to "take back" the White House, after an attempt is made to kidnap the President. The characters are strong, the terrorists are as one might expect, brutal and sadistic so and sos, and the hero (Rapp) is a clever, strong guy. Would make a movie, if handled correctly, though some might say the story is stereotypically portraying Arabs as terrorists. [Sorry folks, 9/11 changed the reality, but there it is.] I don't want to say more beyond this, as not to deter anyone from reading/listening to this excellent book/audio. I have and plan to read/listen to other Vince Flynn titles, including, The Third Option, Executive Power, and others. Well worth the listener's/reader's time.

Rating:
Summary: Disturbing, Fascinating, Riviting, Prophetic.
Review:
This is one of the most disturbing books I have ever read. Fascinating, a page-turner and very upsetting. A great read.

In 1993, terrorists tried to take down the Twin Towers in New York and failed.
In 2001, they tired to hit three targets. They succeeded with the Twin Towers and the Pentagon. The plane headed for the White House crashed into a field in Pennsylvania.

This book is about unfinished business-their next target.

Vince Flynn writes of the takeover of the White House. The military detail is much like Tom Clancy. The fast pace is much like James Patterson. With each page, things go from bad to worse to even worse.

As a skydiving expert (D-454 and author of seven books on parachutes), I found the details of jumping into the Nations Capital not completely accurate.

Read this book, turn on the TV and get scared.
Then you will discover that Flynn wrote this book back in 1999. Prophetic.

Dan Poynter, [e-mail]


Rating:
Summary: DieHard in the Whitehouse
Review: Transfer of Power has a little mix of everything and author Vince Flynn really breaks no new ground in this terrorism thriller. Still, the book was a real page turner and fun to read.

The action revolves around terrorists overtaking the White House and then making demands upon the American people while the President hides for safety in his bunker below the White House. Written in 1999 before 9/11, the plot seems to be more of a fantasy that it does now, and that's how you have to read it. I don't want to read a fictional account of something horrible that happened, like 9-11, and Transfer of Power would fail if it seemed to close to reality. It's scary to think that what the terrorists did was even possible, and I don' think in real life it would be. So, accepting the terrorists could capture the White House allows this to be a good novel.

CIA man Mitch Rapp is inserted into the White House to find out as much as he can. Meanwhile, the army, the politicians and the secret agents do battle over what is the right course of action. Flynn obviously takes a conservative angle to the story, portraying the vice-president and attorney general just like the stereotypes that many conservatives think of them as. Vice President Baxter is weak and poll driven and beholden to the United Nations and afraid to use military force. Given the similar situation in real life, I doubt liberal politicians would act as weak as the characters in this book. As a conservative, this portrayal doesn't bother me, especially since it is so obvious.

The characters in the novel are plentiful and all are cardboard cutouts of military men and politicians. None of them have any type of depth, except for maybe Anna Reilly. She is the new national NBC Whitehouse correspondent. Her character shows some potential to be interesting, but in the end, she serves the purpose of fulfilling every man's fantasy of being a hero.

I don't think Flynn does a good job of grasping the national outrage if a scenario like this were to take place in real life. In one scene, the terrorist Aziz tunes into the NBC nightly news to see what Brokaw has to say. In real life, the news would be on 24 hours a day covering this catastrophe.

Still, this book serves its purpose as a exciting military thriller where the bad guys get what they deserve. Yet there is nothing that stands out to make it memoriable, except the fact that it contains so many dated references in the war on terror. But it isn't insensitive and so I reccommend it to lovers of this genre.


Rating:
Summary: Another Great Thriller From Flynn
Review: Well, this is the first time readers meet Mitch Rapp, a James Bond, Jack Ryan, Dirk Pitt, etc. type-character.

I don't like to give a full book report, because I feel that spoils the plot. So all I can say is this: If you like Tom Clancy, then you'll also enjoy Vince Flynn's books. This is an excellent political thriller that I think you'll enjoy.

I can't really say much else.

Rating:
Summary: An average, second-rate, somewhat okay, lackluster spy novel
Review: I have mixed feelings about this book. I have never read anything else by Vince Flynn, and my first impression of him as a writer is mild at best. I picked up a copy of Transfer of Power because I thought the storyline sounded interesting, not realizing initially that it was part of a series. So much of the story- the whole terrorist plot in general, and just about all of the specifics of the mission- are implausible and not very well thought out by the author. Sometimes, it's so bad, it's laughable. Sometimes the characters are so dumb, it makes you want to cry. In spite of that, though, if you are able to set aside common sense and coax yourself into agreeing with the poorly conceived ideas and concepts, it's a pretty exciting story!

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Thriller
Review: As a fan of the great tv show, "24," I have been searching for an author that writes drama and tension in a similar manner to that show. Flynn expertly weaves political intrigue with action, and introduces characters that you root for and want to learn more about. If you like "24" and it's main character Jack Bauer, you will find much to like in Flynn's hero Mitch Rapp and the world he inhabits.