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Summary: Best Audio Tape I've listened to in Years
Review: This was another audio book purcahse to keep us entertained in the car for a 12 hour road trip. I has turned out to be one of the best audio books that either one of us has listened to in years. My son has heard a portion of the audio book and wants me to purchase the hard copy so that he can read it on an upcoming trip of his own. This is a must read/listen for the summer.
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Summary: A new Salman Rushdie case?
Review: Hey, who's reviewer S. Sultan Al-Sharif? I think we have a problem there: has DeMille been warned? I would be worried about personal safety... call Corey immediately! And then again, look at what Ghaddafi's doing with Haider and oil prices. Whoops
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Summary: The Lion's Schizo Style
Review: I enjoyed "Plum Island" quite a lot, so I expected this second novel to be on the same track: good pace, ironic style, a John Corey always argute and funny in his approach to everyday life. You tend to empathize with him, since the author uses the 1st person to narrate his plot: you in fact have much fun in following him, and share his adventure. Why change, then? What's this double dimension of Corey/Khalil? Why split the book into two areas of storytelling? I wanted Corey, not Khalil: I liked Corey's way of acting, talking, cracking jokes. I should see the story from HIS point of view, always: this was the strength of Plum Island. The schizoid way of structuring the novel left me dissatisfied, disappointed and, to tell you the truth, not compensated by the actual story content - which was mediocre. In this often depressing world, we need the original Corey: give it a third try, please!
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Summary: Lion's Game
Review: This book was disturbing. After reading through page after page of "meaningless details about the hero and his girl" I found the plot eventually be unrewarding and the ending absolutely assinine.I will never pick up another DeMille book.
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Summary: By The Rivers of Plum Island
Review: DeMille has become my favourite author. There seem to be a lot of people who didn't like Plum Island. What made Plum Island so enjoyable was the character of John Corey. In Lion's Game, John Corey seemed like a fish out of water..DeMille should have done what he has done for his other novels and used a different character. Lion's Game definately built up the excitement but lacked the punch of a face-to-face. I felt cheated, I don't want a sequel when a novel is already 677 pages long. (although it seemed short) Lion's Game seemed too commercial and lacked the intelligence of DeMille's previous works (Gold Coast, Plum Island).
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Summary: Hey what happened?
Review: This was my first Nelson Demille read. It started out very strong & gripping. The whole sequence of events from the mysterious landing...scary stuff. I was even into the whole chase but I felt let down by the ending. It seemed like you were at the climax & he just gives you the short & sweet conclusion. I guess that's the setup for a sequel but I could've used some more meat & potatoes. Otherwise, a great read.
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Summary: Needs Editing
Review: Nelson Demille can spin a story and has an intriguing imagination. Unfortunately, he can also be redundant, long-winded, and fill pages with extraneous words and opinions best left unstated, i.e., his blatant anti-female comments. This could have been a compelling, suspense-driven 600-plus page novel, but it's far more than that. I yearn for the days when an editor had or took the time to go through a manuscript with a red marker. THE LION'S GAME desperately needed such an editor. But, even with that criticism, I look forward to the next DeMille suspense. Hopefully, it will be better edited.
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Summary: Brilliant, Funny & Exciting!
Review: "Plum Island" was one of the best books I've ever read, and I did not expect Nelson DeMille to come up with another one THAT good. But "The Lion's Game" really delivers, even though the end is a bit disappointing.John Corey's witty monologues/dialogues are something I never tire of, and the cat-and-mouse chase is pretty exciting throughout. This book will make you laugh and keep you thrilled at the same time. Great stuff! Thanks, Mr. DeMille, can't wait for the next one - especially if John Corey gets to have his say again!
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Summary: A book for summer reading
Review: I had always enjoyed Nelson DeMille until he wrote Plum Island. When I read that one of the central people in this book was John Corey of Plum Island fame, I was less than thriled. However, the book hooks you quickly at the beginning when a 747 full of dead people lands itself at Kennedy International. Well, not everyone is dead. There is a Libyan terrorist on board who was being brought to the United States in handcuffs who has managed to remain alive and also to escape from the plane, from the the airport and embark on his Jihad. In my opinion, when the story focused on Asad Kalil, "The Lion" it is an interesting and well paced read. When it turns to John Corey, as it does in alternating chapters until the final section of the book, the reader is asked to endure a level of wise-cracking, needling and irreverence on the part of the former NYPD officer that is very distracting and unnecessary. David Letterman he isn't, but it is not for lack of effort. Notwithstanding this annoying trait that Mr. DeMille has given Corey, the story moves along quite well as The Lion prowls the country eliminating a series of targets for reasons that are eventually made clear, even to those pursuing him. The last section of the book contains surprises and the promise of another sequel. Summer is coming. You won't regret taking this one to the beach. You could do a lot worse - like a paperback copy of Plum Island.
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Summary: Good airplane reading
Review: Maybe I shouldn't say that about airplanes because the gripping first 150 pages are likely to make one think twice about flying. I'd say the first part of DeMille's latest is excellent and the dialogue is great throughout, but the plot does seem rather mundane and predictable and the book could have easily been 200 pages trimmer. The ending is too reminscent of a cheap movie announcing the sequel before the final credits scroll by. Still, I was definitely entertained and would still keep reading DeMille's books. The Charm School is by far his best book to date -- if he'd pare down the length and come up with a less stereotypical plot, he'd be better off. A great beach book though and a page turner despite my small gripes.
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