Vortex

Rating:
Summary: A very strong effort from Bond
Review: Having read and enjoyed three other novels by Bond, I have been working my way through his previous works. With Vortex, I was not disappointed. Vortex was a very strong effort, albeit not quite as good as Bond's Red Phoenix which was truly outstanding. Bond presents another high-tech military thriller -- in this case set in South Africa. The storyline is entirely plausible, with a key event putting the country in turmoil and setting the stage for all of the fast and furious action that is to follow. As in Bond's other works, character development is solid, diverse and believable. The reader truly understands not only the emotional turmoil of battle, but also the underlying political issues of South Africa and the surrounding region. If you like Bond or the military thriller in general, Vortex will be a worthwhile read.

Rating:
Summary: A very strong effort from Bond
Review: Having read and enjoyed three other novels by Bond, I have been working my way through his previous works. With Vortex, I was not disappointed. Vortex was a very strong effort, albeit not quite as good as Bond's Red Phoenix which was truly outstanding. Bond presents another high-tech military thriller -- in this case set in South Africa. The storyline is entirely plausible, with a key event putting the country in turmoil and setting the stage for all of the fast and furious action that is to follow. As in Bond's other works, character development is solid, diverse and believable. The reader truly understands not only the emotional turmoil of battle, but also the underlying political issues of South Africa and the surrounding region. If you like Bond or the military thriller in general, Vortex will be a worthwhile read.

Rating:
Summary: Slipped a little bit
Review: I am a great fan of Mr. Bond, however, I must admit that this book lacked the punch of some of his previous works. I started my Bond adventures with Red Phoenix, so I compare all to it. This time I draaaaaaaged through the first part of the booked bored, and uninterested. The plot as well as the characters seemed to be undeveloped. Although I only gave this book three stars, I'm devoted, and will be picking up his next book.

Rating:
Summary: Couldn't Put It Down!
Review: I found this book to be very interesting and I simply couldn't stop reading it. I know quite a bit about South Africa and its history so I found the plot and the storyline quite plausable. A great read!

Rating:
Summary: The best war story in years
Review: I like Clancy. I like Coonts. But Iove Larry Bond's writing. He is well-written without being too techie and never bores the reader. The large cast of characters reminds me of classic war films like The Longest Day and A Bridge Too Far. The action sequences are suspenseful and very realistic; the amount of detail put forth is staggering. Without a doubt, you should pick this one up.

Rating:
Summary: mmmm 1000 pages in one DAMN go - this book is BRILLIANT
Review: I live in SA, and trust me people, this could have happened. Not a single character in this book, bar the cubans, could not be made up of characterstics of people I know

Vosters hatred, Sherfields feelings, Emily's torn confusion - all of it I see in my freinds and enemies here in SA. Hell - I know how it feels to be the only white in a sea of black faces, but I also have black freinds and stuff. plus, the warzones are not just far of places - I know people in ellisras (radar control) petersburg (battle ground) wits (rioting)

scary thoughts - but a brilliant read. I would make it required reading for uni students. Well, to sum it up - read the book!

Rating:
Summary: mmmm 1000 pages in one DAMN go - this book is BRILLIANT
Review: I live in SA, and trust me people, this could have happened. Not a single character in this book, bar the cubans, could not be made up of characterstics of people I know

Vosters hatred, Sherfields feelings, Emily's torn confusion - all of it I see in my freinds and enemies here in SA. Hell - I know how it feels to be the only white in a sea of black faces, but I also have black freinds and stuff. plus, the warzones are not just far of places - I know people in ellisras (radar control) petersburg (battle ground) wits (rioting)

scary thoughts - but a brilliant read. I would make it required reading for uni students. Well, to sum it up - read the book!

Rating:
Summary: Best Book Ever!
Review: I think that Larry Bond is among the best military style thriller writers in the world-better than Tom Clancy, etc. I think that this one is better than the only other one I've read, Red Phoenix in that he's been able to make it longer and so the story is masterfully drawn out and is very holding to the reader. A definite good read!

Rating:
Summary: The greates detailed book I have ever read
Review: I think that Larry Bond puts you in the shoes of the generals and soldiers during the whole book. He gives great descriptions and everything. The book really seems to be like a dairy of a soldier because it is so lifelike. If I was to recommend this book or not, I would give it a 5 star rating because I never wanted to put the book down and I got really involved with his book. So definitely read this book.

Rating:
Summary: Great techno-thriller
Review: In "Vortex" Larry Bond once again proved that he is a master of combat writing. Aside from a superb appreciation of weapons and strategy, bond has a gift for character writing. He does a superb job of capturing the tension and terror of war and crisis, from the president down to the lowest private. But he also knows when to advance his plot through narrative rather than dialogue. When reading Bond's books, one never gets the feeling that the dialogue was written solely to reveal information rather than to expand on the character.

The other key area where Bond shines is his use of original locales. In "Red Phoenix" when everyone else was writing about war in Europe, he was writing about a much more likely war in Korea. In "Vortex" he writes about South Africa and what might happen if the Apartheid system had led to revolution and war. Although the dynamics of the region have changed since its writing, "Vortex" still captures the dynamics of a major conflict in sub-Saharan Africa and how poverty and social injustice might lead to war.

In the end "Vortex" while dated, is still an excellent read. Bond captures the intensity of combat like no other writer, and his appreciation of the machinations of geo-politics is second to none. In the end, Bond's novels are good because the make the reader think about unexpected situations in the world, what they might result in, how they would want their leaders to react, and what the consequences of that action might be.