Reviews

The Wind Guardian by Frank Scozzari

nataliejcase's review against another edition

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3.0

There is a lot I liked about the story. The characters were well drawn, if a little cliched. The story itself was suspenseful and the plot believable (at least as far as what I "know" about nuclear power plants). The identity of the inside man actually surprised me a bit.

I did have a lot of trouble with the constant switching of the point of view, and the sheer number of points of view in the book was exhausting. There was a lot of "telling" instead of showing, which when combined with the constant shifting of the point of view made it difficult to truly connect to any of the characters enough to actually care about them.

Cameron, as the hero of the piece was inaccessible to me. His flippant attitude, his behavior was more what I'd expect in a teenager than someone who was about to save the world. Grace is more a cardboard cutout than a character. She is attributed all of the cliche's of what passes as a woman, but has no agency, no independent motivation and her blind following of Cameron's clearly poor decision making was very off-putting.

m_j_webb's review

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5.0

The Wind Guardian is a thoroughly enjoyable, action-packed thriller which is well written and researched. The author's knowledge of the the main subject, as well as the obviously well-researched ancillary points/plots/sub-plots comes shining through as you read. When Mr Scozzari writes of the weapons used or the local coastline and it's wildlife, the history of the indigenous Chumash Indians, or the thought processes and experiences of terrorists, one feels that it is almost from a position of personal experience, the descriptions are so intense and vivid.
This is an edgy, gripping tale which consumes the reader right from the very beginning. The nuclear industry provides the fuel we need to live, thrive and survive. It is essential in the modern era, some would argue a necessary evil due to population growth and global warming. However, it is also intensely vulnerable to attack. A fact known to friend and foe alike.
The basic premise for this novel is everyone's worst nightmare; a terrorist attack on a nuclear power plant. The only thing standing in the terrorist's way are a bunch of highly trained but, as we soon come to realise, flawed security guards. An attack is launched and it's anyone's guess as to how it will turn out.
What follows is a dangerous game of cat and mouse, where the lines are drawn and blurred beyond recognition at times, and it's hard to tell the bad from good.
The characters are so very well developed they draw you in to the story. The suspense builds slowly and effortlessly at first, but it is then unleashed mercilessly onto the suspecting reader. You know what's coming and yet there are surprises and twists which keep you reading on for more.
Highly recommended.
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