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72 of 77 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Some missions don't have the option of failure..., July 26, 2011
Def: "Black Operation" or "Black Ops" is a covert operation typically involving activities that are highly clandestine and often outside of standard military protocol or even against the law.
Def: "Full Black" - a black operation on a six-pack of Red Bull.
Harvath is back and he's in the rare position of having worked a couple of operations that have gone horribly wrong. Because of this, the sand cowards will unleash an attack on America that shocked even me. The maniacal nutcase in this book is named James Standing; a billionaire that hates capitalism (figure THAT out). He has the power, the money, the connections, the strategy, and the brain damage to plan for the destruction and forced socialism of America.
The amount of destruction reeked in this book is pretty staggering even for Thor. As with all of Thor's books, your reading will struggle to keep up with the pace as danger and honor come from all sides and every corner of the globe. `Full Black' is Thor doing what Thor does best; stomping the hell out of the radical Islamic terrorist cowards by our favorite human superhero, Scot Harvath. Thor's books are always current, political, steeped in action, and more than a little controversial. This one is going to tick off a LOT of people. On the menu this time, socialism.
Now, I will be honest and say that this book was the first time that I've ever felt that Brad was preaching at me. I know that a lot of people (usually the ones who don't agree with him) have felt that way about his work in the past. It's no secret as to where Brad stand politically but I never felt like it took away from the story until now. There is a small section near the middle of the book where he just goes off! And I don't mean like your backyard 4th of July going off, I'm talking the six barge San Diego 4th of July bang-slam-a-jamma going off!! Usually Brad does his "preaching" within the context of the story amongst the bullets and blood, but this time I felt it was different.
The paradox here is that I agree with Brad but as a reader it caught me by surprise. That's the only hiccup but I felt it was worth mentioning. He does some more preaching in this book but it was within the context of the story. The conversation between James Standing and Julia is just pure brilliance! I think he needs to cut and paste that into an email and send it to the yahoo's in Washington. The difference was that it was within the context of the story and that's what made it powerful. Some of you may think that I'm off my rocker but I'd love to hear what you think when you read it.
The Carlton Group comes across information about a series of attacks that will not only collapse America financially but collapse us... period. The plans of the terrorists are bold in scope and they have the full backing of socio-psychopath (is that a word)? It's hard to believe that Washington could get any friendlier to the terrorists... but they have. Harvath has had enough and devises a plan so dark and so off the books he must go "Full Black". (No spoilers) Unfortunately, despite his best planning and his dance with lady luck, things happen that will make you wonder how things can ever be the same again in America. Despite that little hiccup in the middle, I highly recommend this next installment of the "don't `F' with America cause Scot Harvath is back" series.
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82 of 90 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
With "Full Black", Thor pays off the promises found in "Foreign Influence" and delivers a thinking man's thriller., July 25, 2011
With "Full Black", Thor pays off the promises found in "Foreign Influence" and delivers a thinking man's thriller. There's plenty of action, military insight, and even more action - but there's also a cogent political, social, and economic story woven into the fabric of the book. Taking a step back and looking to the horizon, we find that while still dangerous, radical Islam is not the only enemy we face. At times nuanced and at other times blunt, Thor pulls no punches in deconstructing the broader adversaries aligned against us in the world today. It's a story about layers, and serves to lay the foundation for the continued evolution of both Thor as a storyteller and Scot Harvath as a character.
When last we saw Harvath (aside from a brief cameo in "The Athena Project"), he was beginning to pull at the strings of a larger conspiracy behind recent terrorist attacks in the United States. Betrayed by someone within the intelligence community, Harvath has nonetheless continued to track down and disrupt terror cells. As he works his way down the rabbit hole, he makes a stunning revelation about the driving force behind further planned attacks.
Where the book really shines is in its exploration of current geopolitical realities as seen through the lens of fiction. Thor has said all good thrillers are rooted in reality and this is no exception. From the threat of radical Islam, to the institutional shortcomings of our intelligence apparatus, to the asymmetrical warfare being waged on us by the Chinese and others, to the frightening reach of our own government, to the elements in our society who want to see us fail as a nation - it's all here.
There's a good reason this book is called "Full Black". Not only does it deal with a black op conducted completely off the books - it also takes an unflinching look at the dangers we face in this country, with a populace still stuck in the soft slumber of willful ignorance. Sure, the bad guys get brought to justice at the end of the story and the extant threat is addressed - but the underlying issues remain. There are still enemies out there, and they are patient:
"You still have your name. You still have your flag. You still believe you have your freedoms, though in reality they have been slowly siphoned away. You still believe you have a Republic when, day-by-day, what you have been left with is merely an illusion of a Republic. Your entire house, as it were, has been rebuilt one brick at a time and no one has even noticed. No one has done a single thing about it."
Not a simple "stop the plot, save the world" story, "Full Black" is instead an intelligent examination of current events and a wake-up call for free thinking people everywhere. It shines the light on a world order I don't want to live in. The America described above is not the America I want to leave for my kids. In this book we are given a glimpse of what real danger looks like. It may only be fiction, but it's a book you should read. Consider it an alarm clock. We've hit the snooze button one too many times already. It's time to wake up.
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105 of 120 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Bigger and better than ever, July 26, 2011
Like the phenominal financial thriller I just finished reading, Chaos and Kingdom, Full Black brings up the same dramatic questions of what it means to be American and conspiracy-esque who can you trust in government or society today? Chaos is 100% local while Thor spans the globe in his intricate plot, but the depth of story and philosophy behind the story are right up there.
What could make 9/11 look like a mosquito bite? What the enemies of America (not just the Jihadist) have been planning since well before that fateful day (since the 1940s), according to the latest thriller by Brad Thor, The Dark Knight of the author's career. Full of fantastic but believable international intrigue from China to Sweden and the crux of it boiling down to a plot to completely bring the United States to its knees. How? By pulling the plug. Thor uses the brownout in the Northeast a few years back to illustrate the importance energy has on American society. We can't live without it. After a few hours, we freak out. After a few days, we run out of water and start dying. After enough time, the entire society would collapse--pretty scary stuff. When it's done from the inside, it's even scarier.
Along the way, Thor drops gems of knowledge on the reader making him or her reflect on politics and economics. There are certainly layers in this book--it's deep. In this way, I think Thor is turning more heady and bold in his writing approach. I for one am glad for that.
If you have read Thor in the past, get ready for a shocking eye-opener of a book. This will be your favorite of his works. It's the same detailed Thor but with much more bite. It's a step up in Harvath as a character and Thor as a writer. I've liked Thor's stuff before, but this one I will tell my friends to read.
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