Rating: 
Summary: Most Enjoyable Book in Hunter's Books
Review: I am the person who earlier marveled that Hunter's best book was out of print. I almost didn't take my copy of the book back to the Library. It is a book that you can open to a page and begin re-reading it and just enjoy the flow of words and the great deal of humor Hunter puts into the story. I laughed and laughed as the author lampooned many of our sacred Cows in the intelligence community. The story is excellent and I wanted it not to end. I felt I had lost a couple of friends when it did, but now in May,1998 I will see them again.
Rating: 
Summary: fuhgedaboudit ditto
Review: I concur that this is not the most exciting book Stephen Hunter ever wrote. And also that this is MUCH better than "Spanish Gambit". It's not as good as "Master Sniper", but that shouldn't be interpreted as a recommendation for that THIRD of Stephen Hunter's three 'learning novels'. Your Stephen Hunter collection isn't complete without these 3 novels, so go ahead and buy them. Keep them by your bed to read when you need to go to sleep because you want to get up early in the morning. Works for me. Do NOT keep any of the Bob Lee Swagger/Earl Swagger books in the same room where you're suppose to be sleeping. They call you in the middle of the night, you find yourself turning on the bedlight, clamping reading glasses to bleary eyes, and reading just ONE more chapter before I go back to sleep, honest! Jerry the (Yeah, but it's never just one, is it?) Geek PS: Hunter's single non-Swagger novel that I can recommend is The Day Before Midnight. Store that with Bob the Nailer books; it's non-putdownable.
Rating:
Summary: Contrived and Disjointed
Review: I couldn't wait for the end on this one. Unfortunately this was not because I was excited , but rather I only to move on to something else. The plot itself was extremely contrived and very disjointed. It offered no suspense whatsoever. On the positive side, character development was strong with Spreshnev's dialogue particularly chilling. I'll wait awhile to try another SH novel.
Rating:
Summary: James Kirkwood imitation
Review: I guess it is hard to find reviewers of a book when it is very hard to find until it is re-published in May. As I was laughing ,I kept thinking that this slightly bizarre humor in this Hunter book seemed just like another author. I wonder if PS -YOUR CAT IS DEAD came out just before Hunter started to write Saladin. For anyone who enjoys James Kirkwood, this book is an an adventure novel written in the style of Kirkwood with his quirky but to me ,at least, very funny -never take yourself too seriously Style .I guess I liked the somewhat slower middle section of the book with its character development and pot shots at the entire US Intelligence Establishment and to me it rang true with the amazing courage and incompetence existing side by side in these agencies. I also liked the way the FBI and the CIA are shown screwing each other up most of the time. Remember this book was written almost 20 years ago. .I hope none to the Kurds, whom we encouraged in 1991-92 to revolt against Saddam ,order this book and gets some ideas.
Rating:
Summary: Why is this book out of print-Best book and Funny to Boot
Review: I had to borrow this book from the Main Library in Boston- no other local library seemed to have a copy.I was surprised at how good the novel was and that it is out of print (1982) when an earlier book-Master Sniper(1980) is in vigorous print and his weakest book-Tapestry of Spies is also easily available.Very Different But also very good
Rating: 
Summary: You may be disappointed...I was
Review: I made the mistake of reading this novel after such great Hunter novels as Dirty White Boys, the Bob the Nailer trilogy, and the Day After Midnight. With those books as my point of reference, this one didn't have a chance. It's painfully obvious that the Second Saladin is one of Hunter's early works (but believe me...he gets MUCH better). The novel starts out with some great action as Ulu Beg heads across the Mexican Border into SW United States on an unmentioned covert mission to assasinate a major political figure. Enter Paul Chardy, who lived and killed with Beg in Afganistan several years earlier. However, fate entered and Chardy had to double-cross his friend and now must enter back into the world of covert operations to thwart the assasination. Great premise, but lacking in the energy and action that becomes Hunter's trademark in his later works. This novel just seems to kick back and relax. We don't really get to know Beg or Chardy too well, a strength of Hunter's later works as well. Overall, this isn't a bad piece of work, but definitely pales in comparison with Hunter's other novels. If you've read any of the books referenced above, you may want to take a pass on this one.
Rating:
Summary: You may be disappointed...I was
Review: I made the mistake of reading this novel after such great Hunter novels as Dirty White Boys, the Bob the Nailer trilogy, and the Day After Midnight. With those books as my point of reference, this one didn't have a chance. It's painfully obvious that the Second Saladin is one of Hunter's early works (but believe me...he gets MUCH better). The novel starts out with some great action as Ulu Beg heads across the Mexican Border into SW United States on an unmentioned covert mission to assasinate a major political figure. Enter Paul Chardy, who lived and killed with Beg in Afganistan several years earlier. However, fate entered and Chardy had to double-cross his friend and now must enter back into the world of covert operations to thwart the assasination. Great premise, but lacking in the energy and action that becomes Hunter's trademark in his later works. This novel just seems to kick back and relax. We don't really get to know Beg or Chardy too well, a strength of Hunter's later works as well. Overall, this isn't a bad piece of work, but definitely pales in comparison with Hunter's other novels. If you've read any of the books referenced above, you may want to take a pass on this one.
Rating:
Summary: You may be disappointed...I was
Review: I made the mistake of reading this novel after such great Hunter novels as Dirty White Boys, the Bob the Nailer trilogy, and the Day Before Midnight. With those books as my point of reference, this one didn't have a chance. It's painfully obvious that the Second Saladin is one of Hunter's early works (but believe me...he gets MUCH better). The novel starts out with some great action as Ulu Beg heads across the Mexican Border into SW United States on an unmentioned covert mission to assasinate a major political figure. Enter Paul Chardy, who lived and killed with Beg in Afganistan several years earlier. However, fate entered and Chardy had to double-cross his friend and now must enter back into the world of covert operations to thwart the assasination. Great premise, but lacking in the energy and action that becomes Hunter's trademark in his later works. This novel just seems to kick back and relax. We don't really get to know Beg or Chardy too well, a strength of Hunter's later works as well. Overall, this isn't a bad piece of work, but definitely pales in comparison with Hunter's other novels. If you've read any of the books referenced above, you may want to take a pass on this one.
Rating:
Summary: You may be disappointed...I was
Review: I made the mistake of reading this novel after such great Hunter novels as Dirty White Boys, the Bob the Nailer trilogy, and the Day Before Midnight. With those books as my point of reference, this one didn't have a chance. It's painfully obvious that the Second Saladin is one of Hunter's early works (but believe me...he gets MUCH better). The novel starts out with some great action as Ulu Beg heads across the Mexican Border into SW United States on an unmentioned covert mission to assasinate a major political figure. Enter Paul Chardy, who lived and killed with Beg in Afganistan several years earlier. However, fate entered and Chardy had to double-cross his friend and now must enter back into the world of covert operations to thwart the assasination. Great premise, but lacking in the energy and action that becomes Hunter's trademark in his later works. This novel just seems to kick back and relax. We don't really get to know Beg or Chardy too well, a strength of Hunter's later works as well. Overall, this isn't a bad piece of work, but definitely pales in comparison with Hunter's other novels. If you've read any of the books referenced above, you may want to take a pass on this one.
Rating: 
Summary: Major Let Down
Review: I must say I was disappointed by this book. I will always pick his work up but this one just did not have the punch I have come to expect. I give him credit, he does try to venture out and do new things but this one did not work. I would not spend too much time on this one and move to some of this other work.
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