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Rating: 
Summary: Ranks with the best of Forsyth or Ludlum
Review: An amazing first novel of ecological disaster and political intrigue in the chaotic East of the disintegrating Soviet Empire. Numerous plot twists that keep surpising the reader right up to the very end. A natural for the screen. I'm eagerly awaiting the next book by this author.
Rating:
Summary: Riveting.
Review: Clive Cussler seems to enjoy mentoring aspiring writers. With Richard Sherbaniuk, who thanks Cussler in his acknowledgements, was obviously an apt student - and out of the box rivals Cussler. "The Fifth Horseman" acheives something few authors are capable of doing: giving life to an unbelievable hero who exists in a plot that demands a reader to suspend objective thought. In short, Sherbaniuk on his first try has created a magnificient thriller. Dr. Michael Zammit is a genius, an intrepid explorer, a master of survival, a committed environmentalist (without the looniness associated with so many who claim that title) and all-around superman. Sherbaniuk's brilliance is breathing life into Zasmmit and several other larger than life good and bad guys and gals. And he does it almost flawlessly. The action unrolls at a furious pace. Zammit bounces from one major adventure to another. He survives lack of sleep, kidnapping, unarmed combat among other things. A real man would probably have been twice dead in the first third of the novel. But through Sherbaniuk's skilled pen, Zammit saves the world from a brilliant, evil mastermind. "The Fifth Horseman is a great read. My eyes were glued to it for three evenings. Had I not had to earn a living, it would have been finished in a day - it's that good. Make sure to put it on your reading list - and then urge Sherbaniuk to write another and another and another . . . Jerry
Rating:
Summary: Fast Moving
Review: Having started to enjoy this genre of writing, I found Sherbaniuk's first book to be a fast moving and technically competent work. There isn't a dull moment in the book, the main characters are likeable, and the story is intriguing and based on realistic facts. I am looking forward to future works by the author.
Rating: 
Summary: Unreadable
Review: I'd bet that a lot of use read thrillers to pass the time on commutes and plane trips. I took "The Fifth Horseman" on a plane to Chicago and the return to DC. I managed, in about 4 hours in the aluminum cocoons to get through about 100 pages of prose ranging from turgid ("Zammit threw himself on the couch") to silly (Saddam Hussein has only one son and his name is Anwar(?) ). The characters are cartoonish at best - like something from a Saturday morning cartoon that you don't want your kids to watch. The characters from INERT, the acronym for International Environmental Response Team, are apparently supposed to be lovable and cute but are more annoying than anything. The insectoids vs. the company cat, etc., was apparently an effort to show how creative the group was but undisciplined and thoughtless seem better adjectives. I read the first 224 pages trying to get into this thing. At the rate the INERT group was making progress in solving this disease riddle it would take forever for resolution. It isn't very often that airport television seems more interesting than a thriller, but "The Fifth Horseman" fits that category.
Rating:
Summary: This book is great!
Review: Sherbaniuk weaves together historic and scientific fact to create a fun and riveting work of fiction. The author knows that he is writing pulp and has fun with the genre, creating memorable heroes, despicable villains, and some over the top action sequences. At the same time, his novel explores real life conflicts that plague the today's middle east and former soviet union. the events he described are entirely plausible, and making them that much more frightening.
Rating: 
Summary: An Environmental James Bond
Review: The day after I finished reading The Fifth Horseman I came across a newspaper headline that quoted an FBI spokesperson as saying that a biological or nuclear attack by a terrorist group wasn't a possbility, it was a certainty. The only question remaining was when it would happen. When it does I hope Mike Zammit, the hero of this novel, gets the case. This is a fun novel. Lots of action. The heroes are larger than life and the villains are some of the nastiest I've seen in a long time - just the way they should be. And lots of great technical and scientific jargon. A great read. The only reason I didn't give this book five stars is some of the improbable plot twists and heroic derring-do in the story. If those areas had been a little more realistic this book would be an easy five star effort. But that's just my personal preference in how I like my thrillers. Fifth Horseman is a highly entertaining read and I recommend it to anyone. I'm looking forward to Richard's next book.
Rating:
Summary: Couldn't put it down!
Review: The Fifth Horseman kept me up until 3am! Sherbaniuk's first novel is exciting and intelligent. In the midst of an action-packed thriller, he touches on some of the deepest spiritual questions humans wrestle with. His richly painted characters are emotional without being sappy. I am amazed at how Sherbaniuk has included such detailed scientific, historical, political, and geographical explanations and still managed to keep the story moving quickly. As you read it, you only THINK the story is predictable. Watch out! Even if some of the situations seem impossible... hey, isn't that the whole fun of fiction? Everyone loves a McGyver! This story will make an excellent movie. But read the book first!
Rating:
Summary: Riveting page-turner suffers from first-novel-syndrome.
Review: Weak character development and sometimes irritatingly unbelievable situations haunt this story, which could be compared to Richard Preston's "The Cobra Event." The main character, Mike Zammit, is indeed a combination of Indiana Jones, James Bond, and Richard Hawking, making him quite unrealistic in his own right. There are some glaring holes in the plot, and the writing, while not atrocious, is forced and predictable. It is quite obvious "The Fifth Horseman" is this writer's first novel. That said, it's still a wicked page-turner, and the suspense is what saves the story. It was enjoyable to read, and will make an amazing and quite entertaining movie. I give it four stars while taking into account that Sherbaniuk is a rookie. If this had come from Michael Crichton it would be a three.
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