The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! đ
macymcbeth's review
3.0
This is not Daniel Silva's best work. And, you know me, I am all-in on the Gabriel Allon fandom. But this book felt so discombobulated. The premise for the espionage (the murder of Victor Orlov) wasn't very interesting to me and it was a little tricky to track why he was killed in the first place. It almost blew out of proportion to where we ended up in Switzerland, when justice was (kind of) served.
Then, Parts 4 and 5 take a strange shift to the USA right before a 2021 presidential inauguration. It was abrupt, and I understand how Silva tried to tie the two together, but it didn't really convince me. It felt like reading a completely separate Gabriel Allon book.
This book also had a lot of political undertones and they were not subtle. It is absolutely Silva's right to write about his opinions (and those opinions are naturally going to show up in his expositions), but I didn't much care for being reminded about how bleak the COVID pandemic felt and how terrifying the January 6th Capitol Insurrection was. And, honestly, the COVID details didn't really feel that relevant to the story itself.
Because of how it ends, I don't think this book can be outright skipped in the series. And it wasn't bad, per se, it just wasn't very good. It doesn't live up to the Gold Standard that I expect from Silva or Gabriel. In the 20+ backlog of books in this series, it falls to the bottom, if not dead last.
Then, Parts 4 and 5 take a strange shift to the USA right before a 2021 presidential inauguration. It was abrupt, and I understand how Silva tried to tie the two together, but it didn't really convince me. It felt like reading a completely separate Gabriel Allon book.
This book also had a lot of political undertones and they were not subtle. It is absolutely Silva's right to write about his opinions (and those opinions are naturally going to show up in his expositions), but I didn't much care for being reminded about how bleak the COVID pandemic felt and how terrifying the January 6th Capitol Insurrection was. And, honestly, the COVID details didn't really feel that relevant to the story itself.
Because of how it ends, I don't think this book can be outright skipped in the series. And it wasn't bad, per se, it just wasn't very good. It doesn't live up to the Gold Standard that I expect from Silva or Gabriel. In the 20+ backlog of books in this series, it falls to the bottom, if not dead last.
tammyw14's review against another edition
2.0
I rarely write reviews, especially negative ones, and I have never written a negative review about a favorite author. And Daniel Silva is still a favorite, but heâs on âthin ice.â
As I read through my eagerly-awaited copy of âThe Orderâ (book 20) in July 2020, I found myself wondering how Silva would handle the pandemic. âThe Orderâ had been completed prior to the spread of Covid-19, and contained no references to it. âThe Orderâ left me a little dry. I was thinking that he was in need of shaking some things up a bit. Itâs like he has built a chassis on which to create Gabriel Allon books, so that they look very different but they are essentially the same vehicle. The pandemic, I thought, provided an opportunity for Daniel Silva to do something truly creative with the series. Iâm sure Iâm not alone in having wondered numerous times in the last 18 months about how the pandemic and its varying restrictions have affected espionage and counterterrorism efforts. How would the pandemic affect Gabriel Allon and team?
The answer is, not much at all. The author admits as much in the authorâs note, in which he says, âI granted myself the license to tell my story without the crushing weight of the pandemicâ after acknowledging that he made the effort to locate the story primarily in Switzerland due to its relative lack of lockdown restrictions. So we were given the same old story built on the same chassis, and only perfunctory commentary such as : âunmaskedâ or âAre you vaccinated?â as window dressing to locate the story during the time of the pandemic. Because that matches the world that I live in in August 2020, a world that is divided into masked vs unmasked, vaccinated vs unvaccinated, virtual vs in-person, I found the window dressing comments to be annoying reminders of my daily life, and the story gave me none of the pizzazz or escapism that I was seeking.
Overall, I was disappointed by what I felt was a missed opportunity to take a series that is in danger of becoming tired and rote, and to do something inventive.
It only got worse when the final 56 pages turned into a summary rebuke of the final two months of the Trump presidency.
I truly donât mind when novels turn political, as long as they make me think. I donât care if the commentary matches my personal politics, but make it worth my while. Make me think. If I want the same-old political commentary, I can turn on cable news or any number of podcasts. If youâre going to turn a novel into a retelling of events that are still relatively recent and still very burned into the memories - and therefore still painful - of the average US reader, you had better be ready with something new to offer. If youâre going to hijack my entertainment with current events, youâd better offer me something new, a fresh perspective. This did not happen, and I was left feeling cold. Worse, I felt bored and uninterested.
Ultimately, I rated 2 stars because I will still read the next novel. I have enjoyed this series for many years and do not want to let it go. So many authors I love are making this mistake, that of feeling as though they need to use their platform to make the same points that are being made so many other places, and itâs my dear hope that this is a short-lived phase in popular fiction. So I will read the next one in hopes that reader feedback reaches the author, and he considers a new direction for the next novel.
As I read through my eagerly-awaited copy of âThe Orderâ (book 20) in July 2020, I found myself wondering how Silva would handle the pandemic. âThe Orderâ had been completed prior to the spread of Covid-19, and contained no references to it. âThe Orderâ left me a little dry. I was thinking that he was in need of shaking some things up a bit. Itâs like he has built a chassis on which to create Gabriel Allon books, so that they look very different but they are essentially the same vehicle. The pandemic, I thought, provided an opportunity for Daniel Silva to do something truly creative with the series. Iâm sure Iâm not alone in having wondered numerous times in the last 18 months about how the pandemic and its varying restrictions have affected espionage and counterterrorism efforts. How would the pandemic affect Gabriel Allon and team?
The answer is, not much at all. The author admits as much in the authorâs note, in which he says, âI granted myself the license to tell my story without the crushing weight of the pandemicâ after acknowledging that he made the effort to locate the story primarily in Switzerland due to its relative lack of lockdown restrictions. So we were given the same old story built on the same chassis, and only perfunctory commentary such as : âunmaskedâ or âAre you vaccinated?â as window dressing to locate the story during the time of the pandemic. Because that matches the world that I live in in August 2020, a world that is divided into masked vs unmasked, vaccinated vs unvaccinated, virtual vs in-person, I found the window dressing comments to be annoying reminders of my daily life, and the story gave me none of the pizzazz or escapism that I was seeking.
Overall, I was disappointed by what I felt was a missed opportunity to take a series that is in danger of becoming tired and rote, and to do something inventive.
It only got worse when the final 56 pages turned into a summary rebuke of the final two months of the Trump presidency.
I truly donât mind when novels turn political, as long as they make me think. I donât care if the commentary matches my personal politics, but make it worth my while. Make me think. If I want the same-old political commentary, I can turn on cable news or any number of podcasts. If youâre going to turn a novel into a retelling of events that are still relatively recent and still very burned into the memories - and therefore still painful - of the average US reader, you had better be ready with something new to offer. If youâre going to hijack my entertainment with current events, youâd better offer me something new, a fresh perspective. This did not happen, and I was left feeling cold. Worse, I felt bored and uninterested.
Ultimately, I rated 2 stars because I will still read the next novel. I have enjoyed this series for many years and do not want to let it go. So many authors I love are making this mistake, that of feeling as though they need to use their platform to make the same points that are being made so many other places, and itâs my dear hope that this is a short-lived phase in popular fiction. So I will read the next one in hopes that reader feedback reaches the author, and he considers a new direction for the next novel.
mrsmangoa's review against another edition
4.0
This book was a journey. Honestly itâs been a while since I picked up a book and wanted to cruise to the finish like this one. The plot line was good and the characters well thought out and generally well planned.
The reason I gave this 4 instead of 5
The reason I gave this 4 instead of 5
kfrig's review against another edition
4.0
Another engaging, fast paced Daniel Silva book, perfect for audio on a long drive. Excellent story. Interesting characters. I always learn something about the world as a result of these books. The voice of the audiobook reader is perfect for the story.
hphipps's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
nesita's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
durantedianne's review against another edition
2.0
I've read all the Gabriel Allon books, most as soon as they were published. They've always had good, twisty plots and interesting characters. This one has a twisty plot, but not much character development. What knocked it down to 2 stars, though, is the frequent political commentary on the 2020 elections and the pandemic. In the Author's Note, Silva sets out his interpretation of these events in lengthy detail. If you still like to draw the line between your fiction and nonfiction reading (alas, not everyone does), this is NOT the book for you.
orygunn's review
3.0
In the afterward, the author notes he rewrote part after 1/6/21. And you can tell. I liked it up to the clear change for inclusion of that date. It didnât need to go there.
maddiebisek's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0