Rating: 
Summary: Psychological thriller
Review: A US secret agent (one of their best) gets caught after blowing up a Russian nuclear plant, thus killing thousands of innocent people. The Russians place him in their prison for six years and then release him back to US. This agent simply lacks any emotion and US wonders if he can fit into their or any society, so they place him in a European psychiatric institution, where he is observed and tested. He escapes and all hell breaks loose. Excellent debut novel from Steinberg, very psychological. Great ending.
Rating: 
Summary: Not Steinbergs Best
Review: Gemini Man is a good bood but lacks a lot of direction. While the main charachter is interesting and very "deep", we never get to see much because the book is muddled with non essential plot. I much prefer and would recommend Steinbergs The Four Phase Man, as it depicts the insides of lethal assassins actually doing what they are trained to do and in the midst struggling to find peace. Much more interesting and the story actually ends and doesn't leave you asking yourself, "Why in the world did I just read this book?" Great main charachter, just wish we could have seen more of him in action.
Rating: 
Summary: Different point of view
Review: Having just read a set of biological thrillers, I came into this novel with a different perspective from the other reviewers. I was expecting more of a discussion of the science, and less focus on the events and actions. From my perspective, it was a thoroughly enjoyable novel, because it did some different things from a standard novel. It was scientific enough to stand as a novel in that genre, yet there was enough action to make it a thriller in its own right - a bit of a dull one, admittedly. Having read about another of the author's works on the back cover, I discovered I should have been reading it as a action novel, not a scientific one. That I could make that mistake all through the novel should say something about the quality of thought that went into it. It would have been all to easy to write a story of how Newman escaped and ran amuck until he was tracked down by a team of brilliant forensic psychologists (something like _Red Dragon_). The author chose to write another story, and in doing so, made it more interesting. The thing that interested me the most was the sliding viewpoint. We are introduced to what appear to be the central characters in the beginning of the novel, yet when all is said and done, some of the central characters are repudiated. This alone makes the book a step away from the formula, and as such, fairly interesting. Walking halfway between scientific thriller and action, yet with some thought and a lack of formula, this book is worth picking up and reading. Not just because it will make you wonder if our government would really do something like that (they probably would), but because it will make you wonder why more authors can't break away from formula to write novels that are this original - in certain senses.
Rating:
Summary: An engaging novel that is well worth your time
Review: I have to admit, I had some doubts about the book before I started reading it, but I ended up a fan.
The first chapter or two was a little slow going but shortly after the book took off and didn't stop.
I really liked the characters, especially Patricia (the main female character). The play that goes on between Patricia and Brian (the main character - who's as compelling and dark as Hanibal Lechter) is done very well.
My favorite line from the book..."Nod for yes, die for no." A perfectly twisted line.
There are some really good characters here as well as a nicely driven plot.
It's a good ride and well worth the read.
Rating:
Summary: Not Steinbergs Best
Review: I was walking through one of the outlets of a bookshop chain that had gone bankrupt when I came across Gemini Man. Seeing as how everything was 50% off, I picked it up along with several other books. For a few weeks it just sat there on my bookshelf until finally, with nothing left to read, I picked it up. I took it down the shore with me and two days later, I was a Richard Steinberg fan. Even the beautiful scenery of the ocean (and the women that play in it) couldn't pull me away from this book. It was utterly amazing. The whole concept of the book is so new and fresh that you have no choice but to read it. But be warned. Once you pick this book up you won't put it down. It's great from start to finish. A must for anyone interested in a good story with just the right amount of action. The Gemini Man is by far one of the best books I have ever read.
Rating:
Summary: A Must Read Author
Review: If you, like myself, have been searching for an author that captures you like the early Ludlum, Morrel or Lustbader, then look no further. I enjoyed this book so much that I bought the audio version for a trip to Houston. I have always enjoyed the "antihero" with a dark past, and you can't get much darker than this one. I hope there is a sequel out there in the future! also recommend: All Richard Steinberg's and Steve Alten's books
Rating: 
Summary: Awful
Review: Relatively little suspense; ridiculous characterizations, extremely unlikely plot. Steinberg's _Nobody's Safe_ shows he can write; this book just shows that he needed some more practice after he wrote it.
Rating:
Summary: A Good Read
Review: Richard Steinberg managed to grab my attention in the first few pages with this well-written and crafty novel. I enjoyed the plot line and Steinberg's ability to only feed the reader as much information as was needed to keep the story flowing. There was never really a point in the novel where I knew EXACTLY where Steinberg was leading me.
I liked the fact that this book demonstrated the ability for humans to be formed by instruction and/or manipulation, which can lead to unbelievable changes and amazing behavior. The American espionage agent Brian Newman makes for a great character. But it was even more interesting to read about how the people around him reacted to his reputation when they came in his presence. He is a man to be feared, respected, and quite possibly killed for the safety of mankind (or at least the people who have to be around him).
This is a novel that delves deep into the recesses of government plots and the human mind; and does both very well. This is a hard book to stop reading, and with a few small failures - corny lines like Newman saying, after six years of captivity, "I must say, I approve of the direction skirt lengths are going." or the fact that the guards pulled back the hammer on their weapons, when in all likelihood the guards would have had hammerless weapons. None of this takes away from the overall really awesome writing style of Richard Steinberg. As soon as I finish writing this review, I am going to see what else this author has written. I hope there's more out there!
If you looking for a captivating read, you've found it! Buy a copy, new or used, and if you can't find that, check it out at the library. It is a good read!
See ya next review.
Rating:
Summary: Reads like the Wind!
Review: Steinberg has crafted a crackerjack good read. The theme has gravitas, and the plot features nifty twists that keep the pages turning. I particularly liked Steinberg's layered characterization of Newman as harbinger of a new breed of amoral man. The action is swift and has the gritty feel of authenticity. I suspect Steinberg has walked, in one form or another, some of the scenes he creates. The resulting muscular narrative gives us a book brimming with a power and honesty missing from many other works in the genre. Steinberg's no kidder, and he doesn't josh anyone with this, a superb first novel.
Rating:
Summary: More of a psychological thriller than an action one
Review: The central plot of "The Gemini Man" can be summed up like this: a U.S. covert operative (i.e., a spy/saboteur) with an IQ of 186 and no apparent moral conscience to speak of has just spent six and a half years in a horrible Russian prison. He had been caught after sabotaging a Russian nuclear power plant, causing it to explode and killing thousands of people. Now he is being released to the United States. But the U.S. wants to see if he belongs in society, so it puts in (involuntarily) into a psychiatric ward in Europe, where he is observed by a group of psychologists. He, of course, wants out; after all, he escaped twice from the Russian prison before being recaptured. You might expect that with this set-up, the novel would be a slam-bang action thriller about his escape and revenge against those he perceives as having wronged him. And yet, that isn't really the direction that Richard Steinberg seemed interested in writing about. Instead, much of the novel covers a sort of a psychological chess match between the operative (Newman) and his captors/observers. Along the way, the psychologists tasked with figuring Newman out come up with different theories to explain his seemingly lack of moral empathy, a condition generally described as sociopathic -- which doesn't apply to him because he doesn't have sociopathic tendencies. One psychologist in particular believes that Newman is the next evolutionary step -- a human who is able to act and think without the hinderance of morality, excessive emotionalism, and so on. A sort of Mr. Spock. Or, as you can see from the name, a "New man." Curiously, Newman is not a particularly interesting character, although the psychologists are. One reason for this is that Steinberg writes in a third person omniscient narration, so that the reader is privy to the thoughts of the characters, but he hides much more of Newman's thoughts from us than those of other characters. Thus, we get less of a sense of what Newman is thinking, and hence understand him less. The psychological aspect of this novel reminded me somewhat of Philip Kerr's excellent "A Philosophical Investigation," while the evolutionary debate was reminiscent of Frank Robinson's "Waiting."
| 
