jaxgirl007's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed this book quite a bit...it was a very fast read and the pacing was well done so that it kept my interest.
It was refreshing to see that Eisler was willing to spend so much time on developing the characters. The only thing that he could have done better was not to repeat the same themes over again. I got the feeling that Eisler was pushing these themes to exhaustion and then wrapped everything up in about 10 pages because he was focusing on the ending to the rest of the plot.
The plot was good and the end was fresh although it did strain a bit of credulity. But not so much that it ruined the rest of the story.
The good: A decent attempt at character development and the character of Ben was very interesting to read. The pacing was also well done.
The bad: Some of the themes repeated too much and the end seemed very quick and a little beyond credulity.
I would recommend this book to other readers who are fans of the thriller genre.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
It was refreshing to see that Eisler was willing to spend so much time on developing the characters. The only thing that he could have done better was not to repeat the same themes over again. I got the feeling that Eisler was pushing these themes to exhaustion and then wrapped everything up in about 10 pages because he was focusing on the ending to the rest of the plot.
The plot was good and the end was fresh although it did strain a bit of credulity. But not so much that it ruined the rest of the story.
The good: A decent attempt at character development and the character of Ben was very interesting to read. The pacing was also well done.
The bad: Some of the themes repeated too much and the end seemed very quick and a little beyond credulity.
I would recommend this book to other readers who are fans of the thriller genre.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
ingypingy2000's review against another edition
3.0
I "read" this book via audio book in one sitting and I'll admit that it took me quite awhile to be able to get into because the narrator was awful. Eisler should stick to writing and leave reading to the professionals. Anyway, I finally shoved the narration flaws aside and found the storyline. True to most of Eislers books, this one was a multidimensional suspense novel that has just enough intrigue and action to keep you interested. Out of the three main characters, I despised two. Thankfully, Ben was the saving grace character who kept me going. Overall, it was an entertaining book, but not one of best I've read. I appreciated the pretty awesome twists in it though.
joemacare's review against another edition
2.0
I first heard of Barry Eisler through political bloggers like Glenn Greenwald - who, unless it’s an unlikely coincidence, is one of several people who get a somewhat cringe-inducing homage in the form of a lawfirm called Sullivan, Greenwald & Other Bloggers. There's also a minor character named Jane Hamsher, and several other blogs are explicitly named in one of many exposition dumping ground dialogue exchanges. Anyway, Greenwald and a few others have plugged Eisler's most recent novel, Inside Out, as a welcome alternative to all the tough-guy spy/action thrillers out there that have plots rooted in some kind neo-conservative, colonialist, war-mongering and/or xenophobic worldview/ideology. Since Inside Out is apparently the second novel in a series featuring the protagonist Ben Treven, I thought I'd start with its predecessor.
Yes, it's preferable to have an action-espionage thriller in which the conspiracy targeting American citizens turns out to be orchestrated by their own government. But I don't even think that at this point it's that much of a novelty. God knows comic books have been doing for decades now. And other than that, Fault Line does not have a huge amount going for it. Fixing the politics alone does not remove all of the other problems of this genre of novel. Oh, it's competent enough, and the tragic family conflict backstory is reasonable engaging. The sex scene which occurs about three-quarters of the way through, though, sinks the whole thing. It's just terrible. Clumsily telegraphed, embarrassingly executed, and it highlights how thinly drawn the lead female character is. "Brainy, feisty Iranian-American babe" is not much of a character, and while it might be passable in a summer blockbuster, I do demand a little more from my reading material.
Oh, and it's never explained why it’s called Fault Line, which is a small peeve but nevertheless a nagging one. I guess just because of where the majority of the book is set? But there are no earthquakes. I was hoping the computer program at the center of the plot would turn out to be able to trigger earthquakes. Shame.
Yes, it's preferable to have an action-espionage thriller in which the conspiracy targeting American citizens turns out to be orchestrated by their own government. But I don't even think that at this point it's that much of a novelty. God knows comic books have been doing for decades now. And other than that, Fault Line does not have a huge amount going for it. Fixing the politics alone does not remove all of the other problems of this genre of novel. Oh, it's competent enough, and the tragic family conflict backstory is reasonable engaging. The sex scene which occurs about three-quarters of the way through, though, sinks the whole thing. It's just terrible. Clumsily telegraphed, embarrassingly executed, and it highlights how thinly drawn the lead female character is. "Brainy, feisty Iranian-American babe" is not much of a character, and while it might be passable in a summer blockbuster, I do demand a little more from my reading material.
Oh, and it's never explained why it’s called Fault Line, which is a small peeve but nevertheless a nagging one. I guess just because of where the majority of the book is set? But there are no earthquakes. I was hoping the computer program at the center of the plot would turn out to be able to trigger earthquakes. Shame.
grandgranini's review against another edition
1.0
I should really stay away from american thrillers. The action was fairly well written, but the protagonists were cardboard cut outs and the description of cryptography and information technology perfunctory at best. Also, if there's an american equivalent to http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/badsexaward, "Fault Line" should definitely be nominated.
simsian's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
claudetteb's review against another edition
3.0
2 1/2 stars.
Big brother Ben is an assassin for the American army. Younger brother Alex is a scientist/lawyer who lives in his childhood home. A family tragedy some years ago has caused an estrangement, and that haven't communicated for 6 years. Suddenly, Alex finds himself embroiled in murder and mayhem, so of course he calls his big brother, who of course comes immediately to his aid. Actually, the relationship between the brothers was the one thing in this book that rang true and might convince me to read the second in the series, just to see how they're doing.
There are some pretty good plot twists, and if the author had just stuck to the darn story it would have been a much better book. Unfortunately, he felt the need to pad it with a) good vs evil lectures ad infinitum and b) a love interest that added absolutely nothing to the story and in fact detracted in a number of ways
Now, I'm a huge fan of Jack Reacher, Bob Lee Swagger, etc., and I'm sure most people reading this book already accept the "American badass soldier who can do anything" concept. Honest, it doesn't have to be justified in this type of book. As to the love plot, I'm not even sure why that's in there. It adds nothing, as we are getting the girl's pov and know she's not a spy, and can tell early on this is just added to get some sex in the book.
And then we have the ending. Hahahahahaha. Seriously? I'm expected to swallow this? It's insulting, after having devoted my time to the rest of the book, to have this ending. Ugh.
Just. Ugh.
Also, I would much have preferred the epilogue to deal with the two brothers, rather than the girl, who was just very bland throughout.
Big brother Ben is an assassin for the American army. Younger brother Alex is a scientist/lawyer who lives in his childhood home. A family tragedy some years ago has caused an estrangement, and that haven't communicated for 6 years. Suddenly, Alex finds himself embroiled in murder and mayhem, so of course he calls his big brother, who of course comes immediately to his aid. Actually, the relationship between the brothers was the one thing in this book that rang true and might convince me to read the second in the series, just to see how they're doing.
There are some pretty good plot twists, and if the author had just stuck to the darn story it would have been a much better book. Unfortunately, he felt the need to pad it with a) good vs evil lectures ad infinitum and b) a love interest that added absolutely nothing to the story and in fact detracted in a number of ways
Now, I'm a huge fan of Jack Reacher, Bob Lee Swagger, etc., and I'm sure most people reading this book already accept the "American badass soldier who can do anything" concept. Honest, it doesn't have to be justified in this type of book. As to the love plot, I'm not even sure why that's in there. It adds nothing, as we are getting the girl's pov and know she's not a spy, and can tell early on this is just added to get some sex in the book.
And then we have the ending. Hahahahahaha. Seriously? I'm expected to swallow this? It's insulting, after having devoted my time to the rest of the book, to have this ending. Ugh.
Just. Ugh.
Also, I would much have preferred the epilogue to deal with the two brothers, rather than the girl, who was just very bland throughout.
vaderbird's review against another edition
3.0
5 star - Perfect
4 star - i would recommend
3 star - good
2 star - struggled to complete
1 star - could not finish
4 star - i would recommend
3 star - good
2 star - struggled to complete
1 star - could not finish
afuerstenau's review against another edition
3.0
A good book. Nice story. Not too deep. Not too long.
jasonoffer's review against another edition
2.0
I have not got alot to say about this book, the action and story were ok at best. But the brotherly infighting was so ridiculous, constant and so over done it became annoying to read.