KCR: Memorial Day (novel, terrorism)

Image via WikipediaMemorial Day is another Mitch Rapp novel by Vince Flynn, and its premise is chilling enough to make you wish that Mitch Rapp is real. With enough twists and turns, Memorial Day is a tout thriller if a bit formulaic.

Premise: Mitch Rapp is hunting Al-Qaeda with US troops in Afghanistan, and their raid turned up something very serious... evidence that a nuke is being smuggled into the US by bad guys. With a bit of help from Rapp, a team successfully intercepted the nuke, and everyone relaxed... Except Rapp, as he knew that the bad guy must have a backup plan, and indeed, they do. A second nuke is being smuggled through Mexican border. When a truck driver was found dead due to radiation poisoning, Rapp is relentless in chasing down the leads. The obvious target is the Memorial Day Parade...

Vince Flynn have a knack in portraying the power plays in Washington as politicians maneuver without regard to their consequences, and how real "heroes" such as Rapp are there to save the politicians when they screw up. This book is no exception. The hunt is intense and even though it is somewhat formulaic it is still a great read.

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KCR: Transfer of Power, a Mitch Rapp novel (terrorism)

Cover of Transfer of PowerTransfer of Power introduced Mitch Rapp to the world... The uber-operator, that is NOT a soldier, but is what best described as an assassin... to kill bad guys. In this book, there is the ultimate high concept... Terrorist attack on the White House itself. The book could easily been turned into a movie, it is that good.

Premise: CIA operative Mitch Rapp is undercover in Iran... to snatch local head of Hezbollah. The operation went without a hitch, and soon interrogation yielded a bombshell... Top terrorist Rafique Aziz is in the US planning an operation against Washington D.C.. However, they don't know the threat vector. That was soon realized when a coordinated assault (enemies snuck past security in linen truck, plus sniper on a rooftop, AND Aziz, with plastic surgery, pretended to be an Arab prince and somehow bypassed security background check) hit the White House. Only through dedicated secret service agents who put their lives on the line did the President escape to his bunker, but was out of communication, but over a dozen secret service agents lost their lives and 100 hostages were taken, various staffers and such. The terrorists quickly rigged the West Wing with explosives, and proceed to issue various demands. What is the terrorist up to? While the politicians fight for power and spin control, and military and law enforcement bicker over who's in charge, CIA pulled out their ultimate weapon: Mitch Rapp, who is ordered to infiltrate the White House, and if possible, rescue the hostages AND save the president...

Vince Flynn have a flair of writing about political intrigue that sounds so cold-blooded it'll make you squirm and wonder how can people just "burn" others like that in order to give themselves a tiny advantage. In this book, the Vice President is a pushover who keep waffling over what to do, and his chief of staff keep giving him spin control advice that somehow makes himself (and his principal) look better, instead of the right thing. The actual 'fighting' is short, and yes, many people get killed, esp. bad guys, but plenty of good guys as well.

The villains are pretty much cardboard cutouts, albeit smart ones. The politicians are portrayed with a bit more character. There are a few too many characters though.

Still, the high concept makes this book irresistable read. I've been tracking to track down this book for a while, having discovered Mitch Rapp series rather late (Memorial Day was actually my first.) and this book, IMHO, was worth it.

Rating: read it (at least once)

NOTE: this is the new cover. There's an older edition that has a blue cover.

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KCR: Collateral Damage (movie)

Collateral Damage is almost a "last hurrah" for Arnold, as he is no longer acting an action hero, and the movie is basically formula Arnold, with a couple twists and turns that borders on the absurd. However, he's also more... "human", and less action hero. It's not that bad.

Premise: Fireman Gordon Brewer watched his wife and son die in a bombing of downtown LA Pavilion. Despite several warnings from FBI and CIA, Brewer managed to get infiltrate the perp's Colombian hideout, and have to work his way to stop the next bombing, in Washington D.C.

This revenge fantasy basically have Arnold, supposedly just a firefighter, was simply TOYED with by the bad guy, as if the bad guy is amused that some moron dare come after him. It simply makes little sense. In other words, this movie has Arnold running AWAY from fights instead of toward it. It is the most un-Arnold of all Arnold movies. Some even remarked that Arnold looks rather lousy, but then he's not playing an action hero here, is he?

Not quite good enough to buy, maybe watch once.

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KCR: Dead Shot (sniper, war, novel)

Dead Shot is a very good "shooter" novel, with a great premise, and a great showdown at the end. My only problem is it is too much of a spy thriller, with the bad guy moving almost at will, little if any tension until when the "hero" gets on his tail.

Premise: Juba sniper, a true Al Qaeda assassin, managed to assassinate an informant in the middle of allied Green Zone in Iraq, in order to silence him from revealing Saddam's WMD cache location. The now-declared-dead Kyle Swanson, part of Task Force Trident, is asked to hunt down this guy, since clearly someone knows enough to access that WMD, and someone will be accessing it. Soon, a horrific attack in London (that made the bus bombings look like a picnic) proved him right, and Swanson tracked Juba down to a rural village in Iraq, where sniper meets sniper in an ultimate showdown, shot to shot...

The problem with this novel is the bad guys are just too good at their job. SWAT team at the door? Booby trap. More SWAT? Blow up the whole block. There was no "close calls". There is no tension... the bad guys always get away. EVERYTHING falls within their plan, EXCEPT the hero. This is often a problem when the plotting is a bit too clever. Why would the good guys be the only ones making mistakes? Still, the duel is neat, though not that satisfying, as there are two more novels after this in the series.

Rating: worth reading at least once

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KCR: True Lies

True Lies is an action movie with several elements of comedy. It is as hilarious today as it was back in 1994. There are so many impossibilities that makes you go "did that really happen?"  but that's Hollywood for you.

Premise: Harry Tasker is a spy who chases down terrorists and do other spy things with help of his team. He kept his professional life separate from his home life, but he is having trouble at home. He thinks his wife may be having an affair with a smarmy car salesman, and his daughter is apparently a pickpocket and of relatively low morals. Unfortunately, he really has no time to take care of stuff at home when some terrorists may be smuggling in nukes into Florida...  Then everybody in the family got involved, and things got VERY complicated indeed...

The idea of secrets and multiple identities are used for comic relief very effectively in this movie. The scene where Tasker got the truth serum is hilarious.

The movie could be improved on several levels, but it is great fun. And admit it, you don't watch Arnold films to get educated or have deep thoughts...

KCR: Extreme Measures, a Mitch Rapp novel (terrorism)

Image via Wikipedia

Central Intelligence Agency Logo

Extreme Measures is another in a series of thrillers from Vince Flynn featuring his "Mitch Rapp", counter-terrorist in extremis. Unfortunately, this one is not one of his best works, as the plot is just a bit too contrived and some bits are way out of place.

The Setup: Two top Taliban officers were picked up by accident, but before they can be interrogated a few senators found out and ordered they must be treated with velvet gloves. Mitch Rapp jumped in, impersonating an Air Force colonel, and interrogated the prisoners any way, and that lead to his own arrest, and wrath of one of the Senators, who decided to go after Rapp and CIA as rule breakers. Rapp got out thanks to his boss, head of CIA Irene Kennedy, but is forced to go to congressional hearings. In the meanwhile, group of terrorists, hiding in South America and smuggled through Florida, is entering the US, with full SWAT gear and explosives. Their target: Washington D.C., and the Counterterrorism Center itself...

The plot itself just doesn't have that "ticking bomb" feel that other books in the series have. There is little action until the very end, and then it was over in a flash, maybe 5 pages at most. Clearly it's a setup for the next book, but it's still not a satisfactory ending.

Rating: read if you're a fan, skip otherwise

KCR: A Deeper Blue, Paladin of Shadows #5 (novel, terrorism, hero)

Image via WikipediaA Deeper Blue brings the Kildar back to the US, at least temporarily. A bad guy is importing VX nerve gas into South Florida, probably through drug smugglers, but other than a vague hint, there is no information available. The Kildar and his merry band of Keldara is summoned to South Florida and work. However, Kildar, don't feel like going. He's still morose after death of one of Keldara girls that he actually fell in love with, and death of so many Keldara while destroying the the Chechen threat in the area. However, when the enemy ambushed one of the teams and put two of his best friends in the hospital, he "woke up" and got right down to business... In the meanwhile, Katya former prostitute, now an ultra undercover operative, has penetrated the inner sanctum of the drug smuggler king in the area, under the tutelage of spy master "J". Will they discover the plot in time and put a halt to it with minimal casualties?

The plot isn't quite as sex-ed up but there is a lot more action. Let's just say there is a shootout in the parking lot of... Disney World, sniper on top of the Magic Castle tower... a Black Hind (gunship) in the skies of Miami, car chases on the Florida highways (think CSI: Miami) plus takedown of a freighter (and then it "disappeared"). However, this book is still NOT for the squeamish or politically correct, as Mike "Jenkins" basically ran roughsod over everybody, including law enforcement, bureaucrats, AND enemies. And there is a bit of torture near the end (to a masochist, hah).

Again, this is another big of jingoistic fantasy, but well-done. Again, the guy outrights, outthinks, and when needed, outf***s everybody too. :)

Rating: if you like the series, check it out

KCR: Unto the Breach, Paladin of Shadows #4 (novel, terrorism, hero)

Image via Wikipedia

Rockwell B-1 Lancer supersonic bomber

Unto the Breach, volume 4 of the "Kildar" series (i.e. Paladin of the Shadows), is yet another jingoistic adventure where the hero outfights and outf***s everybody, but dealing with bazillion issues about the team, relationships, foreign policy, and even something as simple as staying alive. John Ringo managed to deliver a taut tale of good men doing bad things to bad people.

The Setup:  a special request through both the US President and Russian President... a Russian WMD scientist was forced by Chechen rebels to betray his country. His daughter was kidnapped and he was forced to smuggle out several samples of deadly smallpox. Mike "Jenkins" was asked to assemble a force to get it back... whereever it is, and destroy it, AND rescue the scientist, AND his daughter. And just in case he fails, there will be a B-1 bomber overhead if the WMD got away. Then the Chechen rebel army got the news and went after them...

This time the character of Kildar finally got some depth and the 'setup' in the previous books were put to good use. While there are still some sex, there are much more fighting this time, and the end fight, while a bit cliche'ed, is still excellent. Addition of several characters (the helicopter pilots) and death of several characters (sorry, no spoiler!) means the world evolves, and more secrets of the Keldara are revealed.

Lots of fun, definitely read it if you like the series. Again, for mature audiences only.

Rating: Read it (esp. if you are a fan of John Ringo)

KCR: Act of Treason (Mitch Rapp series) (terrorism, hero)

Vince Flynn's uber-operator Mitch Rapp is basically the ultimate weapon against bad guys... He speaks fluent Arabic and several other languages, survives almost any situation, and hates double-crossers. In this book, Mitch Rapp is out to investigate a presidential candidate whose motorcade was attacked by a terrorist bomb. Everybody thought it was Al Qaeda. However, something does not fit. Could the bomb be an inside job solely to manipulate public opinion? Is it treason? Mitch Rapp investigates, and will get to the truth...

The problem with this book is it's not quite as exciting. Unraveling conspiracies is not as exciting as saving people's lives, finding weapons of mass destruction, and so on. There is just no feel of "sense of doom", or a "ticking bomb" if you will. Still, this is one of the better escapist novels about terrorism without falling into "campy" feel like "Ghost" (reviewed earlier)

KCR: Kris Longknife, Intrepid (novel, scifi, space, adventure)

The more I read Kris Longknife, the more the stories blur together, and there is an itch in my head, about how I've seen this sort of plot before... then I realized.... This is a typical A-team plot... very often.

Why? Let's describe the setup for this book. The Wasp Q-ship is out on the rim, hunting pirates, but showing not much luck. They visit a planet of recluses, but there's hint that they are up to no good. They visit another planet, and promises to take one guy to a frontier colony along with his cargo. Upon arrival, they found the planet was taken over by a bunch of mercs. Kris Longknife and her marines, along with some volunteers, must defeat the mercs, and figure out how this may be tied into the planet's recluses and what nefarious plot they may be hatching.

Why did I say it's like A-Team? The Kris Longknife team did all sorts of tricks and tactics to hurt but not kill the mercs, right up to the point where the final battle is joined... Then things got deadly. Before then, they got goats and sheep as infra-red lures, firecrackers to disorient, snipers to kill trucks and tires... so on. Basically, she did everything to avoid casualties... and give the other side a way out, but they won't take it.

The problem with this book is it has two separate plots but almost no link between them . There's a secondary plot about that planet of recluses. Somehow when the primary plot, about the mercs, concluded, that secondary plot all of a sudden turned into a main plot. So the book feels... disjointed.

Still, all in all, not a bad read.

Rating: borrow it

KCR: Ghost, Paladin of Shadows #1 (terrorism, hero, novel)

Image via WikipediaDespite the series title, this is NOT a fantasy novel, but rather, sort of novel you'd think are more... pulp. And you can guess by the cover. And yes, it does involve OBL. Now that OBL's dead, this book is still a lot of fun to read.

Story: Former navy SEAL "Mike" was just going about his business when he witness a girl snatched off the street. He could have left it to local cops, gave a license plate number, and called it quits. But he was cast adrift, going to school when he wish he can be at war. So he trailed the bad guys to a warehouse... where he discovered a nefarious plot... Al Qaeda, lead by none other than OBL himself, has hatched a decidedly evil plot... They will kidnap 50 girls from the US, put them in a base somewhere in Syria, surrounded by commandos and air defenses, and torture and rape them to death, one at a time, on live TV and streaming over the Internet, unless US agrees to withdraw from the Middle East. With no time to contact authorities, he infiltrated the operation, saved a girl, and stowaway on the aircraft and infiltrated the base. Let's just say it's a funny read, and bloody, complete with songs and heavy metal and death.

Don't take this book seriously. It's written as sort of revenge fantasy, and there are plenty of bodies, ridiculous situations that's both serious and laughable, and thus, perfectly entertaining.

People who are easily offended should not read this book.

Rating: Get it!

KCR: The Assassin (novel, terrorism)

Image via WikipediaThe Assassin by Stephen Coonts is a finely crafted tale of wit-matching between Adm. Jake Grafton (ret.) and his team, including the narrator Tom Carmellini, former thief, now CIA "spy", against the Al Qaeda lead by Abu Qasim. Abu Qasim had nearly destroyed the G8 meeting last time. When a group of the wealthiest industrialists in the world pooled their resources to help curb terrorism, they became targets of Abu Qasim. Carmellini was sent to infiltrate the plot and his focus was on Marisa Petrou, daughter-in-law to one of the industrialists in danger... but she just may be Abu Qasim's daughter... Whos is on which side? And what is Abu Qasim's ultimate target?

Stephen Coonts is an amazing writer. His first book: Flight of the Intruder, was one of the best books on Vietnam War and Naval Aviators available ever written. He had followed up with several books, with Grafton turned into a spy master matching wits with terrorists and such. The characters are detailed, and the motivations make sense. The whole novel reads like a mystery, as you peel back one layer, then another, then another, while you consider false leads (red herrings) and misdirections, and so on. Carmellini is an interesting narrator (this wasn't his first appearance) as he's a former "bad guy" turned to the side of light. He is not a nice nice person, but he will do the right thing when given a choice.

The only problem I have with this book is it is sometimes very "slow" as you are confused as to which way the plot is going, but that is a part of the tension and unease, and part of the charm.

Rating: read it at least once

KCR: Stealth (movie, war, terrorism, scifi)

Image via Wikipedia

Flag of North Korean Army

Stealth is one of those big-budget productions that looks good, but full of holes... typical Hollywood production. The problem is it left a lot of "reality" out and the result requires you to leave your brain behind when it is supposedly about near-future.

The short summary: US Navy has deployed 3 experimental fighters called Talons, and they are amazingly effective. They were joined by an even MORE experimental plane, called EDI, and unmanned plane driven by Quantum computer AI. They attacked a terrorist HQ. They returned, but EDI was hit by lightning, which seem to trigger a change. Later, on another mission attacking rogue warlord with nuclear warheads, EDI disobeyed direct orders and went rogue. The three fighters chased it but one crashed into a mountain, another was damaged and ejected over hostile space. Third somehow convinced EDI to fly with him back to Alaska, but plane was damaged by crash landing. It is where the pilot discovered there's a huge coverup and he must risk it all to save the pilot behind enemy lines...

Geography is a major problem in this movie. If you need details, please consult the Goof section on IMDB for this movie. Computer goes rogue and was talked down was cliche. None of the pilots actually ACT like pilots... they talk way too much. I mean, who the **** talks about her ejection, giving blow and blow accounts of her falling out of the sky? ****. Then the idea of one person outsmarting an entire patrol of North Korean military, armed with everything, with just a PDW, is just idiotic and unrealistic. Then there's the problem with of Gannon flying EDI without a G-suit.

So, remember, leave your head at the door for this movie.

Rating: Rent it

KCR: The Weapon (war, terrorism, scifi)

The Weapon by Michael Z. Williamson is a companion book to Freehold. In Freehold, the Graine Colony is getting invaded. In The Weapon, a special operations team had been spread around the cities of Earth. At one command, they will cause so much havoc (and civilian casualties) on Earth cities that will make people cringe...

The book raises a very interesting question: in what circumstances is terrorism a valid tactic? This book postulates a situation that such tactics may be justifiable if there is no other hope. And this is not a few incidents of terrorism... This is coordinated full-scale layered attack aimed at causing MILLIONS of casualties, and full breakdown of a city's support structure (which will cause even MORE casualties in the rioting, and other aftermath). UN security forces aren't going to take this lying down, of course, so the members are hunted, and safehouses destroyed one by one, and only this one member manage to make it off Earth...

The action is interesting, as the attack are intricately planned. Electricity grid is buzzed with an EMP bomb, then thermobaric explosives were detonated in glass buildings to spread tons of shrapnel all around, THEN the explosives in basement collapse the foundation... then random fire trucks and ambulances blow up... then add poison gas in subways, hallucinogen in water, and multiple teams in multiple cities, cities are not ready for huge number of casualties. It's scary. And it forces you to ask the question: does the ends justify the means?

Rating: get it

KCR: A Desert Called Peace (novel, scifi)

A Desert Called Peace by Tom Kratman is a book that is meant to cast a parallel Earth... a planet called siply Terra Nova. All the major nations here have an exact parallel on Earth, and one of the nations, Federated States of Columbia, was hit by a Salafist suicide strike involving three airships crashed into major buildings. So the head honcho, Hennesey, whose wife and children died in the attack, started a mercenary unit and vowed to rid the planet of Salafism, by fighting wars that others have problem with.

The problem with this book is it is incredibly brutal. Torture was mentioned several times in the book. The character of Hennessey was so dark, so miserable, he's drunk when he's not on duty. One woman that loved him was practically raped... while he's mostly drunk... AND he called her by the wrong name. (I said he was drunk).

On the other hand, Hennesey's brutal but honest tactics was portrayed as the solution to terrorism. Enemy fired from the mosque? Was it documented? Good, give them warning, then level the mosque. Enemy fired from the hospital? Blow up that floor of the hospital. If enemy pretend to be wounded to kill the medics, no quarter will be given. If enemy don't follow the rules of war, then we won't either.

It was like revenge porn (like those old Charles Bronson "Death Wish" movie series).

The technology was completely earth like, no major changes. All countries / nations have their Earth exact equivalents. This novel is part of multi-novel arc, so reading stuff in order may help you enjoy it more.

Rating: Try it (not for the politically squeamish)

A Desert Called Peace (on Amazon)

You may also want to check out Carnifex, the next book in the series

Carnifex (sequel to A Desert Called Peace) (on Amazon)