8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Continued Agreement - A Terrible 24, February 20, 2006
The 24 show is twisted into an unrecognizable pretzel in this middling thriller. I completely agree with the other bad reviews and warnings for 24 fans on this book. It's a fairly pedestrian, generic thriller as thrillers go but what's awful is it isn't 24. Whatever you think about Jack's worrying and agonizing in this book, "Kelly Sharpton" is the hero, hands down, not Jack Bauer. Was this guy a minor walk-on character from somewhere in season's past or did the author make him up? Whatever. I didn't sign up to read about that dude. I cracked the book open because of Jack.
It's sad to see Jack relegated to a boob for a lot of this book. Yeah, sure, he wins in the end, proves Ryan wrong, etc...but it's a heck of a long time to wait and a heck of a lot of pages to read to get there. Not like the show at all that let's you see Jack being a badass and heroic in every episode. And...(again, you have to be a fan to understand) that's the defining characteristic of the show.
There's an awful lot of "snarling" and eyes "popping open" and hearts beating against chests for what's being characterized as a well-written book. I also thought the evil ex-military white supremacist racist villains were...uh, cliche? (in concept and execution, yes). And also a missed opportunity to deal with more interesting threats in a geo-politically complicated world (Marc Cerasini's books are far superior to this one on all points--better written, better plotted, better villains, better grasp of the threats facing the U.S. and the world today. He's got Jack locked down, and is on target with what 24 should be. Vince Flynn's books are closer to the spirit of 24 than Veto Power--Flynn is consulting with the 24 writers this season.)
But back to Veto Power. It's interesting to see the Patriot Act characterized as some sort of time bomb that's a bigger threat to the U.S. than the enemies that have killed 3,000 of its citizens and wish to kill the rest. But forget the politics of whether you agree with the author's strident, constant, and less than subtle handling of his anti-Patriot Act theme. My question is: does that strike you as 24? Does 24 strike you as a show that lectures us all on how we need to worry about men like Jack Bauer and his threat to our freedoms? Do you think maybe this author thought he was writing a West Wing novel? There are certainly enough jarring and obvious (borderline juvenile) caricatures for Bush and Rove and Ashcroft (more of the author's agenda being shoved down my throat so awkwardly and obviously I had trouble getting through this book).
In sum: what I love about the 24 show is that Jack Bauer is heroic. As Joel Surnow said in an interview (Cigar Aficionado mag., check it out)--this is the only show on TV that deals with the war on terrorism in a heroic manner. I'm sorry to warn 24 fans that Jack is not heroic in this book. He's not Jack to me. It's a letdown to keep expecting Jack to take control and be the man he is in the show...but it just doesn't happen. I also miss Tony (a missed opportunity to really use him in this book) and the less said about this author's ridiculous depiction of the excellent character Nina, the better (but she isn't in it much, anyway. Most of the book features made up characters never seen in 24). Too bad. This book is a missed opportunity for a good 24 read.
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11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Beware!!!!!!!!!!!!, January 8, 2006
Although I am a huge 24 fan, I was very disappointed with this book. This is not 24. First, there is too much vulgarity and profanity. I do not remember Operation Hell Gate being that way. Also, I was distracted by the writer's left-wing political views. Clearly, this is a person who opposes the Patriot Act, and the way we are fighting the war against terrorism. Can you really see this Kelly person being at CTU? Can you really see Senator Drexler being a "good guy" on a 24 episode? There were times when I felt like I was reading something by Michael Moore. Someone who thinks that the Patriot Act is the greater threat to our freedom, not people who want to kill us. The action was great, but when looking at the total picture, I would advise you not to buy/read this book. Marc Cerrsini has a new 24 novel coming out this Spring. He wrote Operation Hell Gate. I look forward to it.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Not really related to the show, June 29, 2006
I agree that this book wasn't very well written. As a thriller, it wasn't that bad of a book, but as an 'episode' of 24, it wasn't good at all. The characters may have been named Jack Bauer, Nina Meyers, Tony Almeida, etc., but they weren't at all the same as the TV characters. They might have been named Joe Smith and Mary Jones for all the resemblance they had to their TV counterparts, which is none. Also, some of the mistakes made in this book were just plain stupid (check the president's itinerary, people!), and Jack and CTU really came off looking bad more than once. Lastly, there was no conclusion or closure, no tying up of loose ends; it just.... ended. I've read "Hell Gate," and it was pretty good, and I'm looking forward to "Trojan Horse." I'm sure I'll be able to give it more than two stars.
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