Customer Reviews

The Day Before Midnight

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

A previous reviewer refers to the fact that the plot elements of "The Day Before Midnight" have been done before. Those of us who are thriller devotees have realized this already; the trick is to find a writer who can take these familiarities and still keep you interested. The time-running-out-to-avoid-a-nuclear-catastrophe storyline has indeed been used, but, even though I was confident things would work out in the end, I still was glued to the pages. This was my first Stephen Hunter novel, but certainly not my last. I can't say enough about the characterizations (I loved Walls!), the storyline, and the finale, literally a last-second cliffhanger. I can't read Clancy; he has the attitude every word he writes is precious. Hunter can tell the same type of story far, far better. He has taken his place with Sandford, Ridley Pearson, Joseph Finder, et al. Now that it seems Ludlum may be done, and DeMille writing infrequently, it is wonderful to know such talents as Hunter are out there! This is one of the best books I have read in ages.

After reading The Master Sniper, I took me a while to get back to reading Stephen Hunter. I wish it hadn't. Upon finishing the last Bob Lee Swagger novel, I was leary about reading The Day Before Midnight since I loved the Swagger character so much. WOW - was I wrong. Let's just say this - NOBODY can develop a character like Stephen Hunter. While reading his books, you feel connected to the people he is writing about. Regardless of the number of central characters (in this book, there were at least 9), he is able to make every one seem lifelike and important. You remember his characters and you root hard for them or against them.

As far as the plot goes, yes, it has been done before. None have done it as well as Hunter. Period.

Stephen Hunter is perhaps the most unassuming and underated author writing thrillers today. While I love Clancy, Dale Brown, et. al, their work usually takes me half the book to get into. I can read Hunter from page one and be on the edge of my seat. This book, while not as good as Point of Impact and Time to Hunt, has all the elements of a great tale; heroes, villians, reluctant heroes, self-serving individuals, reformed criminals, cheating spouses, and a pulse-pounding finale that goes on for about 100 pages. A great read!

This is my first experience reading Mr. Hunter's work, but it surely will not be my last. It's hard to see how he can top this novel, though. I went in expecting a good "airport novel," and found myself figuratively grabbed around the collar by this book and compelled to read it every spare hour. In what is for me a short time, I was allowed to put it down, out of breath and feeling like I'd just had a fantastic steak dinner -- filet mignon, I'd say. THE DAY AFTER MIDNIGHT is "just an airport novel" only in the sense that DIE HARD is "just another action movie." In other words, you have here a familiar genre and set-up (here, the "countdown to Armageddon") being taken to a peak level by expert craftsmanship.

A large part of the book's success is that it's a fascinating, deeply-researched book that refuses to settle on just technojargon... or even get by on its tightly-woven, brilliant plotting or technicolor-vivid prose. Instead, Hunter constantly takes the time to pull the reader into the heads of his characters, so that even the most seemingly stock characters take on a life of their own. With one exception (the unfortunately profane use of "Jesus" by every individual, it seemed) each character has his or her own unique, individual voice and patterns of thought. And none of them are perfect, not even the greatest hero in the batch. This alone puts Hunter's work on a whole other plane above, say, Tom Clancy, whose characters have essentially the voice of that self-impressed author but with different names.

I was also struck by Hunter's very thoughtful use of violence; one the one hand, it's a very violent book... but on the other, there's a very authentic sense of loss, of the gruesomeness and after-effects of murder and the absurd glories and horrors of combat. In other words, Hunter comes off as having a true human heart beating underneath the kevlar vest. One death in particular, in a suburban house (readers of the novel will know what I'm speaking of), left me stunned and created a real sense of danger -- a sense that anybody could die in this story -- that is rare amidst the TV-movie predictability of so many suspense stories.

If I have any nitpicks, they are more along the lines of some suspense elements being milked just a little too well, a bit too contrivedly, of some payoffs just being *too* perfect... but in the end, Mr. Hunter has taken liberties in order to tell the best tale he can, and to almost dare you to put down his novel. If that was his aim, he knocked it out of the park with this one.

If you have any taste at all for suspense and action with a tough-as-nails edge to it, this is a must-read.

This might be Hunter's best plotted novel and contains deeper themes than many might think or are apparent from a cursary reading of this novel. Hunter is the master of the plot twist and his novels would make great movies. A group of well armed and superbly trained commandos take over a nuclear missle silo with the intention of starting World War 3. They are not holding the world hostage for Ransom, they are not demanding anything, all they are doing is trying to jumpstart a nuclear war they feel is inevitable. Who are these dedicated terrorists? Not who you think they are at first and I will leave it at that. Dick Puller, an Army General with a sterling record but who was accussed or hesitating at the cruical moment of his career and thus dooming a potentailly sucesful military operation, is put in charge of elimanting the terrorists. Dissension in his own ranks threaten to undermine his authority for many remember his earlier "failure" and think him unfit for his current responsibilities. They might be right and they might be wrong, one has to read the novel to find out. Meanwhile, the brillant nuclear stratigist who designed the missle silo which has been overtaken, Peter Thikol, is called in to consult with Puller and the army forces planning to storm the silo and kill the terrorists. Thikol's turbelent love life, demonstrated through his dysfunctional marriage to his beautiful, artistically talented, but self absorbed and arrogant wife Megan, might end up indirectly destroying the world in a wonderful metaphor that intertwines personal self destruction with nuclear holocaust. See Thikol designed the silo so that no one could ever break into it, so that those defending it would be able to hold off an army, literally. Thikol ended up outsmarting himself because now that an enemy force has taken over the silo the U.S. government cant get in. Oh, and did I mention that this silo is independently launch capable, meaning that it cannot be shut down from the petagon or from any other government location. Only those who are inside the silo have the power to launch. Thikol was a mad scientist who created a monster on a scale that drawfs Frankestien and now it is up to him to defeat his own creation, to breach the unbreachable fortress, to crack the uncrackable safe. Meanwhile inside the silo the terrorists have a kidnapped welder who is slowly but surly burning through the safe that contains the nuclear start keys which will ignite armageddon. The U.S. government finds itself having to recruit an ex-vietcong soldier now living in America and a black convict currently in prison but with a great service record. These outcasts from society will now play a role in deciding the fate of the world. Sub plots include a likeable, acholic failure of a Soviet spy and his misadvetures. Although he does has a pivotal role to play in the story. This novel all occures in less than 24 hours and the tension gradually builds to a maddening pitch. The subtle point that all of this was completley uncessary is evident in this story for this silo never should have been built in the first place, it is a manifestation of Thikol's ego, his intellectual self absorbed arogance that made him belive that constructing a nuclear launch facility independent of all other U.S. facilities was a good idea simply because it was orginal and he came up with it. It looked good on paper but proves disastourous in reality for his greatest acomplishment, the physical incarnation of his magus opus of nuclear strategic thought, is now being utilized agianst him and the world by other men not as intelligent, but more clever then he. Hunter is clearly making the point that pride comes before the fall and that humanity has outsmarted himself, no matter how good strategic nuclear superiority might look on paper in reality no good can come of it. The Day Before Midnight is a tale of the most dangerous game ever played in human history, the fate of the entire world hanging in the balance, failure means a nuclear holocaust beyond imagination, sucess only its prevention. On one side are the resources of the entire U.S. government, on the other an extreemly formidable team of commando terrorits assembled and trained speciflicly for this sucide mission. On one side the creator and on the other his creation, the man and the machine. Will people on the same side be able to work together or will mistrust, mutal suscpision, racism, and arrogance cause everything to fall apart? Thikol belivied himself intelligent enough to play God, to play the most dangerous game of all, the game of nuclear war, and win, now the world must pay for his arrogance and he must redeem himself by using the same asset that got the world into this mess, his superior but dangerous intelligence. The terroists inside the silo might be outnumbered but they are completly united in their purpose and resolve. Can Thikol outdo himself and penetrate his impenterable prison? Will tension between Puller and his disgruntled commandos lead to bruised egos that will lead to violence that will lead to a complete breakdown in the army forces attempting to storm the silo? Can humanity hold it together and save itself from itself? Those are the questions raised and answered in Hunter's impressive and distrubingly believable novel. Well there it is, I've explained the outline of the story, the framework that the characters must operate in, now the game starts. Both sides have plenty of moves to make and both sides have a few tricks up their sleeve, just imagine a chess match with all life as we know it hanging in the balance. Or game seven of the world series entering the 30th inning. Somebody wins and somebody losses. But that is for the reader to discover for themselves. Let the greatest game of all begin. Oh, and did I mention? The CLOCK IS TICKING!!!

A great read. Stephen Hunter has done it again. I really enjoyed this book. It is a thriller from the first page to the cliff hanger at the end. The Delta Force, the National Guard, the Inf. all trying to stop a rocket from going up. And the tunnel rats, boy I could not do that. I would die of fright. But, you can really feel what they are going through. Throw in a couple of spies and you have a great book. I really did not want to put the book down. It is a race against time and you are held in suspense until the very end. Would recommend for any who likes a lot of excitement.

Hunter has produced several outstanding novels about the amazing Bob Lee Swagger, and I have loved every one, but as a stand alone work, I say this is his masterpiece. The characters are believable and the dialogue and descriptive writing is so down-to-earth that I feel as if I know everyone involved, and almost feel grief at thier occasional demise. Special Agent Uckley is my favorite, though. He is an ordinary man who rises to the occasion in the worst of times, and shows us all what the definition of hero is. Keep up the good work Mr. Hunter, and I look forward to "Pale Horse Coming" with great anticipation.

Stephen Hunter is a fine author, quite capable of writing gritty crime noir like 'Dirty White Boys' and then technothrillers such as this. It certainly goes off like every good blockbuster should - I am reminded of a book whose back cover blurbs featured the phrases 'gorilla of a book' and 'firecracker of a suspense novel'. Cliches, but phrases that well suit this fast paced read. Only thing is - Col Dick Puller?? I can only hope Hunter was having some mickey taking fun with that one. And the blurb I read elsewhere: "Will Delta Force veteran Dick Puller be able to penetrate state-of-the-art
security system?" Awww, that really does sound like somebody with something on their minds, right?

This is my first experience reading Mr. Hunter's work, but it surely will not be my last. It's hard to see how he can top this novel, though. I went in expecting a good "airport novel," and found myself figuratively grabbed around the collar by this book and compelled to read it every spare hour. In what is for me a short time, I was allowed to put it down, out of breath and feeling like I'd just had a fantastic steak dinner -- filet mignon, I'd say. THE DAY AFTER MIDNIGHT is "just an airport novel" only in the sense that DIE HARD is "just another action movie." In other words, you have here a familiar genre and set-up (here, the "countdown to Armageddon") being taken to a peak level by expert craftsmanship.

A large part of the book's success is that it's a fascinating, deeply-researched book that refuses to settle on just technojargon... or even get by on its tightly-woven, brilliant plotting or technicolor-vivid prose. Instead, Hunter constantly takes the time to pull the reader into the heads of his characters, so that even the most seemingly stock characters take on a life of their own. With one exception (the unfortunately profane use of "Jesus" by every individual, it seemed) each character has his or her own unique, individual voice and patterns of thought. And none of them are perfect, not even the greatest hero in the batch. This alone puts Hunter's work on a whole other plane above, say, Tom Clancy, whose characters have essentially the voice of that self-impressed author but with different names.

I was also struck by Hunter's very thoughtful use of violence; one the one hand, it's a very violent book... but on the other, there's a very authentic sense of loss, of the gruesomeness and after-effects of murder and the absurd glories and horrors of combat. In other words, Hunter comes off as having a true human heart beating underneath the kevlar vest. One death in particular, in a suburban house (readers of the novel will know what I'm speaking of), left me stunned and created a real sense of danger -- a sense that anybody could die in this story -- that is rare amidst the TV-movie predictability of so many suspense stories.

If I have any nitpicks, they are more along the lines of some suspense elements being milked just a little too well, a bit too contrivedly, of some payoffs just being *too* perfect... but in the end, Mr. Hunter has taken liberties in order to tell the best tale he can, and to almost dare you to put down his novel. If that was his aim, he knocked it out of the park with this one.

If you have any taste at all for suspense and action with a tough-as-nails edge to it, this is a must-read.

Stephen Hunter knows exactly how to mix character and technology to weave a story that grips you from beginning to end. Having spent time in a missile silo, I can say that his descriptions are dead on. Unlike some others, his characters are developed in enuf depth that you really care about them, grieve with them or for them when they die (and a lot do die in this novel.)

Some of his narrative is so dead on that you think you're watching a movie. Wall, a "tunnel rat" is crossing a six-foot rope at the top of the missile silo.

"The only way he could manage it was upside down like a sloth, his boots locked over the rope, eyes closed as he pulled himself along. Jesus, he felt the give and stretch of the rope bouncing as it fought against his weight, and the dead steel of the twelve-gauge pumpgun hanging off his shoulder and all the little pouches on his belt swinging and the pockets full of loose twelve-guage shells jingling."

Page after page of narrative like that makes me dissatisfied with any other author. I own all of Hunter's books but one, and I will order that. Down here in Belize, I keep re-reading them, finding new jewels each time I read.