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Pandora's Grave (2000)

by Stephen England(Favorite Author)

4.01 of 5 Votes: 4

languge

English

genre

Fiction

series

Shadow Warriors

review 1: The realm of covert action is one popular for thriller writers. There is a certain allure to hard men dealing death behind the scenes, probably because of the knowledge that it really does happen and it is rare that those deeds are uncovered. Thus, we settle for fiction. Some of it is more down to earth and realistic, while others is stylistic and flashy, chock full of gunplay and martinis.Stephen England not only answered the question of which path to take--one many thriller authors grapple with when entering the genre--but he elected to add another variable to the equation: he set out to write, as he termed it, a "Christian spy thriller."I know what you're thinking. I was thinking it when I read his second book, the first work of his I've ever read (DAY OF RECKONING). "I... more'm not sure about this. Men and women in tactical lines of work usually have colorful vocabularies. How is he going to reconcile that with his faith? Is he going to be preachy with his faith a la Ollie North and his thrillers? And this is coming from a guy whose debut novel was a Medieval historical epic? How is this going to turn out?"Well, to break down those concerns, from the top:-yes, in PANDORA'S GRAVE, there's a lot of "blessed this" and "confound that." Thankfully, he opted not to use "dagnab it." That would have been a dealbreaker.-the scenes of faith were actually portrayed pretty straightforward. As somebody who is not a man of faith, I did not feel as if England was preaching to me or blaming my lack of faith for the state of the union or anything like that.-yes, England did make a few mistakes. I'll break one out right now, but only if you promise to withhold judgment until you read the rest of my review. I have your word? Good, because I take my pinky promises seriously. Now, having settled that: at one point, an Israeli agent safed her Glock. If you're a gun guy like me, you probably feel like I slapped you in the face.Hey! Where are you going? Sit back down. You made a promise to hear me out. If you value your pinky, sit yourself back in that chair.Now, two of the three points above raised concern.And guess what?I enjoyed the hell out of the book anyway.Anybody can be taught the technical aspects of tactical fields, of tradecraft, of internal politics. Give me a few hours with you and I'll have you believing you're ready to storm northern Iraq to hunt for ISIL scalps (though you most certainly won't be).What can't be taught is raw writing talent, and pound for pound, Stephen England is one of the best thriller writers I've ever read. I'll say that again, now that a version can be used as a byline for the more genteel crowd: Stephen England is one of the best damn thriller writers I have ever read.England sets the plot from page one, then immediately plunges us into the world of the Special Activities Division. We watch as Harold "Harry" Nichols, Alpha Team leader, is deployed on what appears to be a high-stakes yet straightforward hostage rescue mission inside of Iran, then watch how it quickly devolves into something much, much more sinister.Harry Nichols has the intensity of Jack Bauer with the professionalism of Jason Bourne and the violent capacity of both, all wrapped up into a straight-edged Christian package that you can take home to your mother. The other characters--Tex, Parker, Davood, Hamid, Kranemeyer, Director Lay--all have their own personality traits as well, and none are cardboard cutouts that can be easily replaced. I especially found myself thinking violent thoughts while watching President Hancock constantly impede the Agency men's mission with concerns for his reelection campaign.The prose is tight and gripping, and leaves you turning the page quickly so you can see what happens next. This is coming from a guy who had a general warm and fuzzy on what happens next because I read Book 2 (DAY OF RECKONING) first. When you already know what happens and yet you find yourself breezing through the pages to see it for yourself, you know that the author has done a fine job, and England has done exactly that.The best part? This was his debut into the genre. Remember the two reservations I opened up with? Completely absent in later books. He only gets better from PANDORA'S GRAVE, which even with the minor gripes I have corrected is difficult to do.England's knack for the written word is Harry Nichols incarnate, and that temptation to facepalm when you read the occasional error in PANDORA'S GRAVE is a watchlisted terrorist with a Presidential finding in its name.Read PANDORA'S GRAVE now. You won't be disappointed.
review 2: When I first opened this book, I grew very excited. A thriller lover at heart, I began a ride that kept me belted in my rollercoaster car from the very first page. All the while I kept thinking, ohmigosh, this story is great! Stephen England has written an intense, powerful and exciting thriller that seems so realistic that you feel as though he has seen it with his own eyes and survived it to sit down and tell the tale. Meet Harry Nichols, a CIA operative, sent all over the world with his team to prevent a terrible attack that could kill millions. His job is not easy. His life is not perfect. Yet, his loyalty to his country sees him willing to kill and be killed to save it. While Harry is completing his job, governments, military agencies and other operatives are all working either for him or against him.England has written a thoroughly researched story that is so vivid and realistic that you will truly believe you are reading a first-hand account. His characters are human, his governments are shallow and tricky webs of lies and personal ambition woven among the brave and stouthearted, and his agencies are a tenuous balance of trust and mistrust. On top of that, Mr. England has also integrated the different ideologies and religious beliefs of the Middle East in such a knowledgeable way that I could not believe how well thought out and brilliantly written this book was. Move over Steve Berry, James Rollins and Lee Child! less

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