Customer Reviews

By the Rivers of Babylon

5 star:		(39)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Nelson Demille consistently surprises me with his research, knowledge and laser paced action in his books. He just has a way of drawing me in to his characters with their transitional dialouge. I want to know them, care about them, and of course despise horrific villains. And as for action adventures, well, let's just say he moves a plot around like a Chinese acrobat with an inner ear problem!

In "By The Rivers of Babylon", we meet an extensive group of characters who begin a journey of peace for the Middleast. Two Concordes take off from Lod airport. A mysterious Lear jet invades their flying space. Not known to the pilots and passengers is the fact that a rebel Palestinian guerilla, Rish , has had bombs planted in the tails of each bird as they were being built a year before. Leading to an exciting kidnapping and forced landing.

What I enjoyed the most in this compelling book were the strategies of war. How different eras as well as nations handled nightime invasions for example. And how one must do anything to survive--anything. This seemed to be a pre-cursor to "The Lions Game" by DeMille. Similar themes, however, I was intrigued with the setting of Babylon. The history involved, the colorful descriptions of the Euphrates river, how Mesopatamia had been a glorious city and it's ironic downfall.

Highly recommended reading for the adventure lover.

Your interest & comment votes are appreciated--CDS

Nelson Demille is a master. By the Rivers of Babylon is the most amazing thriller I have ever read. Once you are gripped by the plight of the passengers to the UN Conference you will never let them go. Their lives and deaths are visualized in full. Demille has given America a treat that should be enjoyed by all. It is Tom Clancy with the elitist confusing technology. It is James Patterson if he ever took a writing class. It is a gem.

Demille is the Best and in my opinion this book along with Cathedral, Word of Honor and Gold Coast are his best works. I could not put this book down. On an interesting note, I met Mr. Demille at a book signing and he told me that he himself is not a fan of this book. Interesting! A great read

One of my favorite all time books. An excellent plot with oustanding characters. After being forced to land by Arab terrorists an Israeli peace delegation is forced to survive unsurmountable odds. One jet full of the peace conference attendees is exploded in midair. The second jet then lands in Iraq. From there on out the arts of survival begins. The Israeli delegation fights for their very lives. It is a tremendous battle against tremendous odds. Some of the tactics employed by the Israelis are very good. The Isrealis show that the strong will indeed survive. An outstanding book by DeMille.Buy this book and keep it under lock and key.

This book will show you why Israel is one of the most powerful nations on the planet. Intelligent dialogue, at least one character every reader can identify with, a solid Middle East history lesson - all wrapped up inside an entertaining and thrilling story. This book is strongest when it concentrates on how the 50 resourceful Concorde passengers set up their defense against 150 well armed Palestinian terrorists. Even hard-to-please readers finding certain aspects of this book "flawed" will find that the time reading it was very well spent.

I couldn't put it down. Now that I've finished reading this fantastic story Perhaps I can get back to my other life. Thumbs up and hats off to Nelson Deville for the best book I've read this year.

Although this is one of the better first novels I have ever read, it is by no means great. Demille's action sequences are taught and propell the plot, rather than extend it. However, it is his lack of detailed characterization that drags this book down.

Being unfamiliar with the countries and regions that populate this book, I would have liked more background on the different cultures' relations to one another. As it is, this book did little for my understanding of the area and its antecedents.

A handful of main characters are explored fully, but all others are so indistinct that I frequently found myself confused on who was who and exactly what country were they all from, anyway?

Then there is the matter of divine intervention, such as one character in particular suffers from. That sense of "I know where there are! Sure, there's no logical reason I should know," and the writer is not going to attempt to explain it as anything other than a message from God (or whatever divine entity fits your particular faith), "but still, I know!"

This book has its problems, but it is still a good first attempt. If you don't care about characters and just want to read a good action book, this is for you. If you're a Demille fan, you'll likely enjoy it as well.

I read this the year it came out, and I absolutely loved it. Some reviewers say you have to suspend reality, but maybe that's because of the passage of time and the political realities which have changed since then. But I really loved it. It was the only Demille book I read for a decade until Plum Island a couple of years ago. I don't much care about the development of 'writing style', I care about an entertaining read, and I think By The Rivers of Babylon is a much better read than Plum Island.

THE PLOT OR PREMISE:
Peace in the Middle East is almost assured and two concordes fly to New York with delegates for final negotiations. Terrorists try to derail the peace conference by planting bombs on board and take the passengers hostage. After one plane is destroyed, killing all on board, the second plane is forced to land near Babylon, but at the last minute manages to get the hostages to the top of a small hill from which they attempt to defend against the terrorists through several days of sorties, knowing that the military probably doesn't know where they are and therefore can't swoop in and rescue them.

WHAT I LIKED:
Long before there was Clancy, there was DeMille. This book takes the international realm and stands it on its ear -- there is (excruciating) details of the relations between the characters on both sides of the peace conference who are forced to work together to fight the terrorists. In addition, the battle tactics are first-rate, the writing is almost perfect, and the story is superb as the "hostages" fight in small groups with every weapon they have -- gas bombs from the plane's fuel tanks, sounds from a war movie blasted over speakers to simulate larger weaponry, etc.

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
There are a LOT of characters at the start of this book and it is hard to keep track of them all. Up until the end, there are too many small sub-plots -- some are good, and necessary to flesh out the experience, but not all of them. There are fewer characters by the end though and it helps speed up the plotting.

However, the ending is a little over-the-top, resembling a scene from a Die Hard movie more than keeping with the slightly more realistic tone of the rest of the book. As well, there is a meeting between the hostage-leaders and the terrorist-leader that is absolutely surreal. The likelihood of both parties treating it like a military battle with truces, etc., is virtually nil but it was at least interesting to read.

THE BOTTOM LINE:
A good solid book for the international mystery field, and if it wasn't for the fact that DeMille published long before Clancy, it would be appropriate to say "Move over, Tom!". But since Clancy's marketing machine is bigger, suffice it to say that it is better than anything Clancy has ever produced in the same field. I'll give it 4.50 lilypads out of 5.00.

Other Information:
- Source: Library
- Original date of review: February 2001, updated 2011
- Tags: Action, Adventure, Fiction, International, Mystery, Prose

Superbly crafted with many fully developed characters (good and bad) filled with tense drama and unending suspense...and an ending with a satisfying resolution as not every good guy remains standing.

Some suspension of disbelief may be necessary, but not a ton.

In times of extreme duress against impossible odds (especially in battle) many times men have risen to incredible heights. It is this aspect of the human spirit that is central to "By The Rivers Of Babylon" and makes it so credible. It is the story peopled with unlikely heroes who surprise even themselves as they rise to the occasion.

I was drawn to the protagonists and their indomital vitality under pressure. It was refreshing that all were flawed, but none beyond redemption.

The villians were exceedingly well drawn and particularly abhorrent.

A most exciting and fulfilling reading experience.

EOM