Rating:  Summary: TERM LIMITS Review: Term Limits was my first Vince Flynn novel and I couldn't put it down. I have since ordered all of this books. I like the way he develops the characters and the plot just keeps you turning pages.
Rating:  Summary: A must read for political thriller lovers! Review: Although the events in this story are implausible, it is an exciting read. The action builds up and doesn't stop. Flynn does a great job at plot development, which twists like a pretzel. Term Limits is action-packed, and doesn't go into all the details of a Clancy novel, but has just as much action and excitement. Clancy fans should read this book! It won't disappoint.
Rating:  Summary: This is a page turner Review: This book is thoroughly enjoyable if you like the political thriller genre. The details are pretty good, but the action keeps you going. This book is a great read.
Rating:  Summary: A good first effort Review: In reviewing this book, I found it hard to properly rate it using Amazon's 5 star system (IMDb.com's scale of 1-10 for rating movies is, IMHO, much better) because I honestly want to give it 3 ½ stars, but can't. It is a good book (especially for a rookie) nonetheless it has some real flaws. The best parts? In the Tom Clancy/Robert Ludlum tradition, the plot is fast paced and the writing is tight. At no point is the reader bored. It is the literary equivalent of the movie "Mad Max", i.e., lots of action and thrills, albeit somewhat rough around the edges. If you look beyond the action, you notice that the main characters are somewhat one or two dimensional (a common complaint in the techno/spy thriller genre) and, worse, the plot itself is rather contrived. I mean, does anyone REALLY believe that a handful of former Navy SEALs would plot to kill prominent politicians because they refuse to cut spending and balance the budget? Yet that is the central premise of this book. There is a more credible subplot, in which the SEALs assassinate one Senator (a dead ringer for Ted Kennedy) because the stupid fool let slip a vital piece of info while drinking at a local bar, this info ended up in enemy hands, resulting in said former SEAL team leader having half his men killed because the terrorists knew they were coming. At any rate, you don't have to be a tax and spend liberal Democrat to find the notion of using assassination (technically, not terrorism, since the SEALs refuse to kill any "civilians", just the politicians) as a tool to change political policy rather disturbing. I mean, I'm as much in favor of cutting all the waste and bloat out of the government as the next guy, but the "solution" proposed here smacks a bit too much of Timothy McVeigh. That aside, there's an interesting plot twist in which the president's unscrupulous Chief of Staff and National Security Advisor team up with a shady former CIA figure to stage additional assassinations to draw public support away from the SEALs, who have gone public with their demands, and whose actions in bumping off several sleazy politicians has actually aroused considerable sympathy. This leads to the final showdown, with a series of fast paced actions that threaten to blow the whole Administration apart if the shady machinations with the former CIA man are revealed. So, the bottom line is this: if you like Clancy (especially his early stuff) or Ludlum, and enjoy a plot with lots of paranoia and anti-government skullduggery, then you will get an entertaining read. Just don't expect a whole lot in the credibility dept.
Rating:  Summary: Murder, A Sure Fire Way to End a Politician¿s Term Review: Somebody is fed up with the way government works. The budget is bloated with no end in sight, pork is out of control, every department is mismanaged and nobody votes anymore. So some unhappy, but powerful guys form kind of a cabal to fix the government. Their method, assassination.All of a sudden sponsoring unnecessary and wasteful projects are hazardous to a congressman's health. The cabal declares their goals and if not met, more will die and they have the money to carry out their threat. No corrupt politician is safe. Washington is under siege. Congressman Michael O'Rourke, former Marine, agrees things are bad and action must be taken, but not this, not assassination, even if secretly he believes some of those killed got what they deserved, so he becomes involved with the investigation and he finds out the corruption in the government was way beyond anything he could ever have believed. Reviewed by Vesta Irene
Rating:  Summary: a natural story-teller Review: I'm always thrilled to find a natural story-teller (like Elmore Leonard) who's not afraid to allow the sharper edges of real life to show through. It's even better to have several subsequent works to look forward to experiencing.
Rating:  Summary: A plot where all the good guys are cold blooded murderers Review: A piece of tripe that with a plot line that's even crazier than the heros who feel justified in killing members of the US congress in order to make this county more a more law abiding place. No one asks the obvious question of the lead character, a US Congressman: "So who elected you God and gave you the right to decide who lives and who dies". So this morally superior Congressman is willing to cover up for murder and blackmail the president of the US. What a hero Mr. Flynn gives us.
Rating:  Summary: Terrible Dialogue but a interesting plot keeps you reading.. Review: I knew from page 1 that this was a badly written book. The dialogue was just wooden. The characters were often poorly drawn and not well thought out. The President is a buffoon. However, the story is intriguing and I read until the end to find out what happens. The real question is, does Vince Flynn find an editor who can help him in his next book? I'm not sure if I want to read another 500 pages or more to find out.
Rating:  Summary: A book for those who liked the movie "Commando" Review: This is the first Flynn book I have read (fortunately/unfortunately I've read two others), and it is the worst of them. He takes an interesting and controversal plot idea and then drags it through many predictable action sequences. His superficial knowledge of military matters and the Washington scene is not bad, but not much past the level of an ungrad poly sci major who hangs out with ROTC guys on campus. What tires me is the predictable, one sided nature of all the characters and how someone's profession determines there outlook and opinions on everything (too much of that old "where you stand depends on where you sit," saw): commandos hate the politicians and government, but love their country; politicians (except ol' O'Rourke, hmm another Irish main character, no copying from Tom Clancy here...) are corrupt; lawyers are... reporters are... The dialogue is hopeless childish. The saving grance is as many of the reviewers have mentioned is the action, but the invincible nature of the "commandos" is almost too much at times. It is like reading a book version of the Matrix or an old kung fu movie where the super "commandos" just wade right through the hapless spearcarriers opponents. Many of his comments (not only this book but others) about how people of different professions shapes their character makes one wonder if Flynn has any idea of what being a commando, a congressman, a reporter, a college professor etc, realy entails.
Rating:  Summary: Great, Great, Read Review: Plenty of everything that you could wish for. Political intrique, Seal and commando action, explicit detail, and everything else that adds up to a good book. This is my second of Mr. Flynn's I have read and gave the first a '5' but that was back in 1995. Can't believe I waited this long to read number two. Don't make the same mistake.
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