36 of 38 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A thinking man's spy story and persuasive political argument, April 30, 2009
This review is from: Banquo's Ghosts (Hardcover)
BANQUO'S GHOSTS by Rich Lowry and Keith Korman is great entertainment. Witness Stewart Banquo, a man who conducts espionage like a chess-master. Some reviewers on these pages have complained that they wanted more of Banquo, as he is just one of many memorable characters represented in this powerful thriller. Or perhaps they want something different; a 007-type who pitches knock-outs with every punch, makes love to every run-way model he meets and finally dispatches the bad guys with great explosions. But Banquo does little of that. He is a thinking man's spy for the 21st century. This reader found the measured development and final display of Banquo's wisdom and ability to impose order on chaos to be ultimately, inspiring and completely satisfying.
The plot involves a "rogue" C.I.A. operation to assassinate an Iranian nuclear scientist, followed by an Iranian terrorist attack on New York City. The action develops at break-neck speed and for those who want pure fun this summer, this is your book.
But BANQUO'S GHOSTS transcends its genre. Literature has the power, like UNCLE TOM'S CABIN of the 19th century, to affect the progress of nations, and this might be just such a work. I wish every American and European would read it.
Mr. Lowry and Mr. Korman advance an important political argument here. They seem to admit that the Bush administration's rush to war with Iraq with its supposed "WMDs", was a blunder. But they maintain, and remind us that nonetheless, we must remain vigilant and fearless to act, even outside our borders.
This book reminds us that even now, as we deal with a world economic crisis, we must keep in mind the ignorant Islamic extremists who admit their profound malice for the west and claim divine sanction for their evil deeds, even as they use their own naïve, young people in suicide attacks to express their hatred for their perceived enemies. And late at night in his New York office Banquo contemplates the lessons of September 11:
"... the death of innocents and smoky ruins splattered in blood."
This book is a powerful warning to those liberals who, as the Iraq fiasco winds down, tend to view conservatives as unreasonably warlike. We are in a war whether we like it or not. Can we accept a nuclear-armed Iran? The authors' argument here, although not explicitly stated, seems to be not in favor of all-out ground war but rather to suggest that the west should use surgical, well informed strikes to prevent fundamentalist Islamists from obtaining possession of nuclear arms. Bomb Iran? Thoughtful readers of this work will find themselves inspired to debate this subject over their dinner tables.
In one of the most challenging scenes for lefties like me, Lowry and Korman conjure a scenario in which we are forced to root with guilty pleasure as Banquo directs the torture of despicable Iranian terrorist leaders, forcing them to identify their agents who are in the act of spreading deadly radioactive material throughout New York City. With this episode, Lowry and Korman can proudly take their place as the pre-eminent bad boys of contemporary American literature. And I bet they had lot of fun writing it!
The writing is smart, crisp and funny. Mr. Lowry and his ruthless, wordsmith-henchman, Korman, take every opportunity to skewer liberal media types. In one hilarious scene, a socialite publisher (who looks suspiciously like Arianna Huffington) conducts a press conference to welcome an Iranian mission to the United Nations. The reporters toss rhetorical questions like slow-motion mushballs over the plate:
"In your experience with international inspecting bodies have you ever had the opportunity to raise the question about nuclear inspections of United States facilities or Israeli facilities? And if so, when and with whom both in Washington and Jerusalem?"
Hah! (It's ok. We liberals still have Al Franken for payback.)
Whether you are looking for pure fun or serious political argument, I heartily recommend BANQUO'S GHOSTS. Enjoy. P.S. Can't wait to see the movie.
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25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wow, What A Great Read!, March 19, 2009
This review is from: Banquo's Ghosts (Hardcover)
You may have read Rich Lowry in the National Review and your local paper, or even seen him on Fox, but now he has written as he's never written before. With Keith Korman, Lowry has the CIA recruiting a magazine reporter to assassinate a scientist in Iran. Liberals beware as Lowry and Korman leave few unscathed. But better yet, the book's damn good and will appeal to anyone who likes a good, international, adrenaline boosting thriller. Very highly recommended.
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17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Ghostly Pawns, April 1, 2009
This review is from: Banquo's Ghosts (Hardcover)
In Shakespeare's play Banquo's ghost is a haunt to Macbeth for the crime he committed. By contrast, in Lowry's and Korman's new novel, Banquo's ghosts are the memories or actual persons which spur heroically maverick action, action Banquo plans, then proceeds to fulfill via his ghosts.
Despite the craven complacency of flesh in government bureaucracy, Banquo manages to move his ghostly pawns, especially liberal journalist Peter Johnson, to victory over the kidnappings, torture, and mass terror coming from the enemy government of Iran. The story of these adventures is delightful entertainment. But it also provides a sobering education to the possibilities in ripening scenarios for dangers (kidnappings, tortures, and mass terror) all too real and close to home since 9-11.
BG (Banquo's Ghosts, not Battlestar Galactica) flows quickly for a fast read. Besides possessing the thrill of action along with purposeful instruction, the novel is seasoned with pinches of timeless truth and wisdom--a characteristic reserved for the better works of fiction. One example comes from page 249, in the eponymic chapter:
"How did Banquo know about Husseini? The way he knew about so many other things: human frailty. Never be surprised by frailty, for without it you're out of the spy business. And when such frailty hit him
by surprise--when he was let down or tricked--he never cursed human nature, but only his own naivete."
The passage oozes with a self-command: Be wise and know--the nature of man. Not knowing is one's own frailty.
Insight like this makes one anticipate quality work from the author(s) in the future. I believe Banquo's Ghosts is the first attempt in published fiction for Mr. Lowry. We're likely to receive more from him as he matures as a story-telling author. Of course BG has its weaknesses, but a diverting vivisection is not necessary. The stalwart promise the novel displays overwhelms any detractors.
It's a worthy investment to get this first (in Rich Lowry's case) work of fiction, Banquo's Ghosts, as a beginning foundation for a future collection.
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