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A review by mackenzi
The Jungle by Clive Cussler
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-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
Got this from the library because my mom and grandma constantly go on and on about how great Clive Cussler novels are. This was just alright- a little good and a little bad. Probably not gonna get any more of these, but if I ever do it'll probably be another Juan Cabrillo, just to see if the supercomputer shows up again.
Many fans will hate me saying this, but Juan Cabrillo is super gay. Like if he had a deviantArt account it would be 100% bara beefcake art, and good quality art too because Juan has taste. It has been a long time since I've read some hyper-machoism that circles back around to homoromanticism and boy is it refreshing.
The action was interesting, if never quite edge-of-seat, because we never actually worry about any of these characters. They're all Resident Evil 5 levels of boulder-punching super-soldiers, especially our lead, so you're not for a second wondering if they're gonna make it. They obviously are, so rather than a thriller it's a popcorn munching showcase of action in beautiful and exotic locations.
The settings were interesting and fun, and it was cool to read about the nitty-gritty of missions being carried out. Many details that would never make it into a film are written carefully into this book, and it really makes a difference as to the quality of the story.
To top it off, the end pulled into some kinda insane ridiculous sci-fi territory that ALMOST makes me want to read the next book, because that shit was cool as hell. Seriously, a supercomputer? On top of the supership with the supercrew that we're already reading? I am digging the dorky sci-fi aspects, never would have expected it going in.
Unfortunately this is all wrapped up in some of the expected but still disappointing gobbldygook. The first 2/3 of the book gets away with little enough Islamaphobia that it might be bearable, if it's something you can deal with in a book anyway, but by the end it's laughably bad. Even the supposedly redeemable Muslims were evil. There's a list of demands given by a terrorist which includes stopping aid to Isreal (you know, the country attempting genocide over all Palestinians) and stopping the banning of headscarves for Muslim women in European countries. They should have left it at declassifying extremists as terrorist groups. The sprinkles on the cake are the little moments of fawning over the American military, the unabashed praise for "nine-twelvers" and all the mentions of third world countries being so much shittier than 'Merica- the very irony, when they even set a portion of the book in post-Katrina Louisiana. But hey, thinking critically about America is not something that comes naturally to these characters, even when(view spoiler). Is this a hint of doubt? Somehow our character is still torn as to whether or not the CIA deserves to have almost total and complete power over the entire globe, politically and ecenomically, and that remains an open thread for future books in this series to handle.
Also laughable was the couple paragraphs near the end where Blonde Boy Next Door Supersoldier MacD muses on his daughter's life- where he is essentially an absentee dad, and "as long as she's happy he's okay with it." Pat on the back for this dude, having his own parents raise his kid so he doesn't have to think about her. Moments after this observation, the literal head of the CIA helicopters into his backyard and tells him the fate of this great country and possibly the world (not paraphrasing there) is relying on him, so he's gotta jet off to shoot more Muslims. For 'Murica! It all just goes to show that this is fantasy fluff for deadbeat assholes, the kind of guys who fantasize about having a family somewhere ~over there~ that they can get all worked up imagining having to protect from jihadists (or trans people in public bathrooms, or gay people at pride being "too sexual" as it more often is these days) but god forbid they have to imagine even for a second being in their kids life on a daily basis. But that's the target audience, so Clive's estate will not have to worry if these things will keep selling.
Mostly it's just embarrassing to read, which is a shame because there was plenty great stuff to enjoy too. Ah well, it got me through a few days at work and that's something.
Many fans will hate me saying this, but Juan Cabrillo is super gay. Like if he had a deviantArt account it would be 100% bara beefcake art, and good quality art too because Juan has taste. It has been a long time since I've read some hyper-machoism that circles back around to homoromanticism and boy is it refreshing.
The action was interesting, if never quite edge-of-seat, because we never actually worry about any of these characters. They're all Resident Evil 5 levels of boulder-punching super-soldiers, especially our lead, so you're not for a second wondering if they're gonna make it. They obviously are, so rather than a thriller it's a popcorn munching showcase of action in beautiful and exotic locations.
The settings were interesting and fun, and it was cool to read about the nitty-gritty of missions being carried out. Many details that would never make it into a film are written carefully into this book, and it really makes a difference as to the quality of the story.
To top it off, the end pulled into some kinda insane ridiculous sci-fi territory that ALMOST makes me want to read the next book, because that shit was cool as hell. Seriously, a supercomputer? On top of the supership with the supercrew that we're already reading? I am digging the dorky sci-fi aspects, never would have expected it going in.
Unfortunately this is all wrapped up in some of the expected but still disappointing gobbldygook. The first 2/3 of the book gets away with little enough Islamaphobia that it might be bearable, if it's something you can deal with in a book anyway, but by the end it's laughably bad. Even the supposedly redeemable Muslims were evil. There's a list of demands given by a terrorist which includes stopping aid to Isreal (you know, the country attempting genocide over all Palestinians) and stopping the banning of headscarves for Muslim women in European countries. They should have left it at declassifying extremists as terrorist groups. The sprinkles on the cake are the little moments of fawning over the American military, the unabashed praise for "nine-twelvers" and all the mentions of third world countries being so much shittier than 'Merica- the very irony, when they even set a portion of the book in post-Katrina Louisiana. But hey, thinking critically about America is not something that comes naturally to these characters, even when(view spoiler). Is this a hint of doubt? Somehow our character is still torn as to whether or not the CIA deserves to have almost total and complete power over the entire globe, politically and ecenomically, and that remains an open thread for future books in this series to handle.
Also laughable was the couple paragraphs near the end where Blonde Boy Next Door Supersoldier MacD muses on his daughter's life- where he is essentially an absentee dad, and "as long as she's happy he's okay with it." Pat on the back for this dude, having his own parents raise his kid so he doesn't have to think about her. Moments after this observation, the literal head of the CIA helicopters into his backyard and tells him the fate of this great country and possibly the world (not paraphrasing there) is relying on him, so he's gotta jet off to shoot more Muslims. For 'Murica! It all just goes to show that this is fantasy fluff for deadbeat assholes, the kind of guys who fantasize about having a family somewhere ~over there~ that they can get all worked up imagining having to protect from jihadists (or trans people in public bathrooms, or gay people at pride being "too sexual" as it more often is these days) but god forbid they have to imagine even for a second being in their kids life on a daily basis. But that's the target audience, so Clive's estate will not have to worry if these things will keep selling.
Mostly it's just embarrassing to read, which is a shame because there was plenty great stuff to enjoy too. Ah well, it got me through a few days at work and that's something.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Torture, Murder, and War