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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not perfect, but still a good read,
This review is from: The Machiavelli Covenant (Hardcover)
'The Machiavelli Covenant' is a loose sequel to Allan Folsom's previous book, 'The Exile', in that it features the same protagonist, Nicholas Marten. I haven't read 'The Exile', but that didn't affect my enjoyment of this book. Allan Folsom knows how to write an action-packed thriller, one that tears along at a rapid pace and keeps you turning the pages late into the night. While this book is nowhere near as good as his first, 'The Day After Tomorrow' (which bears no relation to the movie of the same name), it's still better than many in the same genre.
'The Machiavelli Covenant' opens with Marten sitting at the deathbed of his childhood sweetheart, Caroline. Before she dies she tells him that she was poisoned. Marten is determined to find out who was behind this, as well as the deaths of Caroline's husband and son. Thus begins a rollercoaster adventure that will take him from one end of Europe to the other and will have him joining forces with the President of the US in a bid to bring down a shadowy cabal of prominent business and political leaders. It's easy to dismiss this book as a rip-off of 'The Da Vinci Code', but Folsom covered similar territory in his first book which pre-dated Da Vinci by several years. While ultimately the story does get a bit silly, this is still a fast-paced thriller that's hard to put down.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
This Book Gets Dragged Down by its own Stupid Plotline,
By
This review is from: The Machiavelli Covenant (Mass Market Paperback)
In some ways, Allan Folsom is a pretty remarkable writer. The first one hundred pages of his debut novel, THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW, are some of the most exciting pages of genre prose I have ever read in my life. The beginnings of all of his novels have a crazy momentum to them that is simply irresistible. There is little doubt in my mind that Dan Brown was heavily influenced by Folsom's lightning-fast plotting style when he wrote books like THE DA VINCI CODE.
Unfortunately, Folsom is the type of author who can never measure up to his great beginnings. His novels typically fall apart after the first 100-150 pages, as their storylines become more overblown and unrealistic. I've read three of his books now, and in each case I felt my intelligence being insulted further and further as I progressed through the book. THE MACHIAVELLI COVENANT is an example of this flaw in Folsom's work. It has a very exciting beginning, but quickly disintegrates once Folsom reveals his far-flung conspiracy plot, a storyline that would make Oliver Stone blush with embarrassment. In this book, we have a President on the lam from his own cabinet, a plot to assassinate the Presidents of France and Germany, a scheme to annihalite the Middle East, and even some virgin sacrifice to boot. All of this is dumb, dumb, dumb. It doesn't help that all of the novel's characters are essentially caricatures and that Folsom writes in a long-winded, expository, repetitive style. I found myself skipping a lot of pages just to finish this book, which is way too long for its own good. I found THE MACHIAVELLI COVENANT frustrating, because I think Folsom has the raw talent to write a seriously good book. He came closest with the DAY AFTER TOMORROW, and I recommend giving that novel a try if you want to give his work a shot.
12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Truly ROTTEN!!,
This review is from: The Machiavelli Covenant (Hardcover)
Whew! The fact that a book as wretched as this can receive favorable reviews from so many sources has given hope to my own literary aspirations!
I was a minor fan of Folsom's until I had to suffer through this latest endevor. Previous reviewers have this book nailed - the characters are wooden and completely unbelievable. The premise is ridiculous. We have the president of the USA running around with a former cop turned gardener who uncovers a major plot based on a few whispers from a dying friend. The plot does not develop in a natural way, but is forced and amazingly contrived through countless repetitive discussions, memories, and deducements from the poorly drawn characters. The writing is lousy. If I have to read one more "conversation" between "Richard" and "Victor," I'll shoot myself. Spare yourself this read - go get a root canal instead!
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