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But really, it is a thriller novel, you shouldn't go into it expecting Faulkner, expect Hemingway. Brad Thor's novels are extremely fun to read and quite captivating, a la Matthew Reilley, but just like the aforementioned author, he writes with such a simple, action-packed prose, that it is hard to reccomend to others, unless of course that is what you are looking for.
Also, I enjoy how the end of the third book gets you ready for the fourth book (at least I assume that it does as I have not read Blowback: the fourth book in the series) I really enjoyed reading this book and I would recommend it to anyone who has interest in this series or these types of political/military thrillers. State of the Union is Brad Thor's third book in his Scot Harvath (ex-Navy SEAL, ex-Secret Service) series.This book deals with a resurgent Russia lead by old communist die-hards. The plot is interesting and fresh, with Russia's comeback both logical and comprehensible.
I just picked up the book and opened to a random page to find an example. At times the book reads like a Special Forces equipment catalog. His descriptions are clumsy, full of clichés, and loaded with superfluous references. Every page has at least one clunker like that. First the good news: the book has an interesting plot, the author keeps things moving at a brisk pace, and the technical details are well researched.Now the bad news, and there's a lot of it.
I would get so frustrated and annoyed by the writing that I couldn't continue reading for more than a few minutes at a time. "State Of The Union" took me two weeks. Techno-thrillers aren't known for brilliant prose, but even by the standards of the genre, this is just terrible writing.Thor goes into exhaustive detail about every single weapon and gadget his characters use, at great expense to the development of the story and the characters themselves. How did this guy become a best-selling author.It typically takes me 3-4 days to devour a book of this size and type. You don't say. People just don't talk like Brad Thor's characters. Eight hours before the nation is incinerated in a nuclear inferno, and they're in a hurry. I can look technical specs up on Wikipedia.Finally, the dialog is completely implausible.
Brad Thor's writing style is incredibly clunky and awkward. I like techno-thrillers, and I like tactical hardware, but please, give us a story. Having finished it, I'm not sure if I should be proud of my persistence, or angry with myself for wasting so much time on this awful book. Here's one: "The message had come down loud and clear: Harvath and Alexandra were in a hurry and there was no time to waste." Really. An obvious reference, a punctuation error, and four clichés in ONE SENTENCE.
Every book is a suspensful page turner. Brad Thor has fast become one of my favorite writers. Brad Thor is truly a master story teller. Every book offers a different, politically relevant veiw and outcome. Can all 7 of his books on terrorisim truly be that different. Yes they can.
I've read the preceeding books in Brad Thor's Scot Harvath series. I really liked the plot twists and turns and the insight into Russian culture and current events. And if I have to read about Scot Harvath's rugged good looks and muscular 5'10" frame, with sandy brown hair and piercing blue eyes one more time I'm going to barf. State of The Union was much better.
But I did enjoy State of the Union. It kept me hooked and guessing. The next one, Blowback, not so much. I'm taking a break from the Scot Harvath books for a bit. Kind of ridiculous and a little tedious. They usually read like they were meant to be easily adapted to silly Hollywood action films--except they are too patriotic to be made by Hollywood.
Good stuff. At some point I'll go back to them because I've heard good things about Take Down, The First Commandment and The Last Patriot. Enjoyable for a fun read, but not really too believable. Scot even began to feel run down and tired, rather than superhuman like usual.
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