Extraordinary Powers

Rating:
Summary: A spy story with an SF twist
Review: An enjoyable novel that puts a PSI twist (with a scientific bent) on spy-thriller novel. Once I started this novel I couldn't put it down. Great story with a lot of twists and turns. I have a soft spot for both SF an spy stories, so for me this killed two birds with one stone. It's sort of like Stephen King in a way. It brings to mind "firstarter" with a completely different story.

Rating:
Summary: Finder is a Political Visionary
Review: Extraordinary Powers is the second in Finder's collection of four (to date) outstanding novels which, upon investigation, reveal some of the most enlightening political info and predictions of our time. His first book, Moscow Club, accurately predicted the Soviet coup just before its occurrence. His second, Extraordinary Powers, accurately predicted the exposure of a high ranking CIA mole. His third, Zero Hour, explains the pitiful security of the world's finance system (and thank God it hasnt come true yet!), and his latest High Crimes pre-dates by three years a remarkably similar tale as the one recently uncovered concerning former Senator Bob Kerrey's command in Vietnam. A truly informative and knowledgeable man with a knack for fantastic presentation, Finder's books are some of the finest around. Pick them up, and you won't ever want to put them down.

Rating:
Summary: Finder is a Political Visionary
Review: High Crimes is the latest (last?) in Finder's collection of four (to date) outstanding novels which, upon investigation, reveal some of the most enlightening political info and predictions of our time. His first book, Moscow Club, accurately predicted the Soviet coup just before its occurrence. His second, Extraordinary Powers, accurately predicted the exposure of a high ranking CIA mole. His third, Zero Hour, explains the pitiful security of the world's finance system (and thank God it hasnt come true yet!), and his latest High Crimes pre-dates by three years a remarkably similar tale as the one recently uncovered concerning former Senator Bob Kerrey's command in Vietnam. A truly informative and knowledgeable man with a knack for fantastic presentation, Finder's books are some of the finest around. Pick them up, and you won't ever want to put them down.

Rating:
Summary: EXTRA GOOD THRILLER
Review: I am not going to bore you with the details of this book. All I will say is… this book keeps you guessing all the way until the last page. Some of you know of Finder’s works and know how good he is, but for those of you who do not… then there is no time to waste. Mr. Finder’s work, and he only has written 4 books, are becoming hard to find. This book was first published a while ago and reissued. My good reader you must not hesitate, and you must rely on my good faith as a reviewer that this guy is good… real good. I have ordered his first thriller, The Moscow Club, from old book dealers on the web. There are even rumors that Mr. Finder has a new thriller upcoming, but I have no knowledge of this. There are many people waiting for a Finder thriller, including me.

I recommend all of Mr. Finder’s work; ZERO HOUR, HIGH CRIMES. Also, when you see his books, buy it. You will be surprised at how good Joseph Finder’s books are. Please be assured that these books will be some of your best reading at anytime. Check my other reviews [...]

You will not be disappointed

Tripp

Rating:
Summary: A Dissenting Opinion
Review: I beg to differ with the other reviewers; I must be a little less charitable. Mr Finder seemed to have written this book by cutting and pasting snatches from old L.L. Bean and Brooks Brothers catalogs, Michelin tour guides, and old tourist phrase books. We are bombarded by constant references to what the hero and his wife were wearing (labels, always labels), what they were eating or drinking, what they were driving, and what they were speaking. I am sincerely glad that Mr. Finder is an accomplished linguist but dismayed at the condescension and arrogance of his blurting out foreign sentences and then translating them for those of us who are not significantly enlightened or do not have the benefit of an Eastern education. As to plausability, how could someone as intelligent as the hero (who is supposedly is a brilliant intellectual properties attorney) be so dense as to put all of his fortune in one institution with a questionable reputation and how he keeps vowing he would never get sucked back into the intrigue of espionage but nonetheless does. Needless to say, the web of coincidences boggles the mind. One of the worst books ever written.

Rating:
Summary: High Quality Story
Review: I thought his first book was just great so I had high hopes for this one. I would say that it is a bit of a let down but still a very good work. It delivers just a fun read that keeps a real good pace through out. There are a fair number of course changes and sub plots that keep it interesting. As he did in Moscow Club, he writes very smart characters that keep you involved. I also am very pleased with the political detail he places in the books and the tension that tends to bring. Overall a good effort and a book well worth the price.

Rating:
Summary: High Quality Story
Review: I thought his first book was just great so I had high hopes for this one. I would say that it is a bit of a let down but still a very good work. It delivers just a fun read that keeps a real good pace through out. There are a fair number of course changes and sub plots that keep it interesting. As he did in Moscow Club, he writes very smart characters that keep you involved. I also am very pleased with the political detail he places in the books and the tension that tends to bring. Overall a good effort and a book well worth the price.

Rating:
Summary: What next? A book that appeals to many!
Review: Joseph Finder's books are unbelievably entertaining to read. True spy adventure stuff that never lets up from cover to cover! Had to send Extraordinary Powers to my father who raved about it too! Now he is a Finder Fan also! A must read if you like espionage!

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Book! One that you won't want to put down!
Review: This was a terrific book that I couldn't put down. The plot races along with plenty of twists and turns. Great characters and a plausable story line. A wonderful read.

Rating:
Summary: Good page-turner with sci-fi twist.
Review: Two things caught my attention when I first picked up this book: First that it seemed to be a standard espionage thriller, treading a well-worn path; Second that it obviously isn't.

The difference is the sci-fi slant that the novel takes, whereby the hero (Ben Ellison) acquires the ability to read minds. It introduces a welcome break from the standard fare and gives the book an interesting twist, without which it might not have been quite the entertaining read it turned out to be.

If I have one critisism of Finder, it's the annoyingly explicit detail he goes to in describing a scene or event. You are bombarded with line after line of irrelevant detail that seems to do little to build characters or locations.

This aside, 'Extraordinary Powers' is an exciting read, with the pace and plot building up steam as the story progresses. As you near the end of the book you'll find it becomes irresistable, demanding that you finish it to iron out all of the plot's wrinkles.

An enthralling, captivating read with a clever plot and engaging characters. Highly recommended