A review by simmoril
Chaos in Kabul by Gérard de Villiers

2.0

I don't normally expect too much from the fiction books that I read, and given how prolific a writer de Villiers was I understand that a certain amount of variance is to be expected between his novels. But in spite of all that, I truly feel like Chaos in Kabul missed the mark on a number of levels. The overall storyline to me felt very fractured; events came and went with little to no coherence between them. Subplots were started, explored, and then vanished without a trace. The ending felt incredibly rushed, which was surprising given that this is the longest de Villers novel I've read so far. But probably the biggest misgiving I have about this book is that it doesn't do the Malko Linge character any justice at all. For all the bungling and 'bad luck' he and his allies seemed unable to avoid, they read more like Maxwell Smart than James Bond, and I for one couldn't see a clear reason why. Inept protagonists, overly sadistic antagonists, and a supporting cast that can't decide who exactly they're supporting, skip this one unless you're trying to complete the set.