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Rating: 
Summary: Utterly fantastic
Review: I had my doubts about this one before I started it, thinking that the author would obviously know the Russian way of life as well as anyone, but would no doubt relate that knowledge in a clumsy writing style. I'm thrilled to say I was totally wrong! This thriller was as well-written as it was entertaining, and it gave as accurate a picture of the old Soviet Union as I'm sure is available in any novel. This is escapist fare at its best, because the setting is in a place that few outsiders have experienced first hand, and Hetzer does a first-rate job in making every scene exciting. The author himself wrote on this site that he has always been a fan of espionage fiction like that of Ludlum, and he outdoes his idol here with his treatment of the locales making Ludlum's seem like cardboard cutouts. I loved this book.
Rating:
Summary: Utterly fantastic
Review: If I had not been in such a hurry I might have missed this book!My search for books on space was about over when I happened on Hetzer's "The Forbidden Zone". What I thought was a book on space turned out to be the best novel I have ever read about the old Soviet Regime and its propagandistic gulag! This author puts you there as if you were a russian freedom fighter on the edge of death by barbed wire! I held each page between my teeth as if escaping the KGB! Brilliant stuff!!
Rating:
Summary: Nightmares and restless dreams but you can't put it down
Review: Nightmares and restless dreams? Michael Hetzer puts you there-where you do not want to be, and yet you cannot resist reading on through the psychological and political snafus of 1980's USSR. This almost historical novel brings a new dimension to our understanding of the Communist era and the people who seek to survive despite the consistent threats to life and sanity. The scenery is vivid, the detail frightening, the speed of the dialog riveting, the overall feel, breathtaking. Almost every emotion is touched, and just when you believe there is relief, there is another twist and the action builds up again. Every college senior should make this required reading before graduation as we all need to know where the world has been and where it may yet go when we do not stand firm for truth. A must read for all of us!
Rating:
Summary: Well kept secret.
Review: On a whim, I bought this book at a used book store. No one recommended it, and I had never heard of the author before. That day I had browsed the isles and checked several books. As I scanned the back cover of "The Forbidden Zone" the subject intrigued me. It helped that I was in a rare mood to try a little-known author, so I bought it. And I am glad I did. What a great surprise! This is one of the most under-heralded books of any type! The story reads fluidly, never loses your interest, is intelligent and never compromises the integrity of the premise. Often, authors are so desperate to throw in a "twist" that the integrity of the story is lost with their effort. Not in this case! The story and characters are strong enough to carry this book without using cheap tricks. No major bookstores have this selection on their shelves any longer, so you will need to buy a used copy. Please do! This is an excellent book that I highly recommend. Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: Well kept secret.
Review: On a whim, I bought this book at a used book store. No one recommended it, and I had never heard of the author before. That day I had browsed the isles and checked several books. As I scanned the back cover of "The Forbidden Zone" the subject intrigued me. It helped that I was in a rare mood to try a little-known author, so I bought it. And I am glad I did. What a great surprise! This is one of the most under-heralded books of any type! The story reads fluidly, never loses your interest, is intelligent and never compromises the integrity of the premise. Often, authors are so desperate to throw in a "twist" that the integrity of the story is lost with their effort. Not in this case! The story and characters are strong enough to carry this book without using cheap tricks. No major bookstores have this selection on their shelves any longer, so you will need to buy a used copy. Please do! This is an excellent book that I highly recommend. Enjoy!
Rating: 
Summary: Great tale but not well told
Review: This is a great story; the plot line could have been trite but was, instead, very imaginative. I love intrigue built around great characters. Where the author failed here was in adding too much filler; its just too long. The extraneous parts of the story line (I won't describe anything that could give the story away) are unnecessary distractions. The main characters are another problem: Dr. Katherine Sears has her good moments, but sometimes she's just plain silly. And incredibly lucky. Victor Perov is not bad; he's a believable, sympathetic character. There are some great supporting characters:Sergei the cab driver, although how a Moscow cab driver has both an apartment and a country dacha in the mid-80s is never explained. Then there's Terasov the KGB man. But continuity is a problem. In one paragraph, a prisoner is fiddling with the buttons of his prison uniform. In the next paragraph the uniform has become pajamas. And who lives with whom? One minute Oksana moves out of Victor's apartment. The next minute she's back. I had the feeling that the book was written in fits and starts and the author simply forgot what he had written before. But as I said, it was a great plot, and it has plenty of twists and turns. I agree, for the most part, with another reviewer who said that the action was not improbable. Some editing would have made this a five-star book. And if Mr. Hetzer should write another book I'll probably read it, too.
Rating:
Summary: Great tale but not well told
Review: This is a great story; the plot line could have been trite but was, instead, very imaginative. I love intrigue built around great characters. Where the author failed here was in adding too much filler; its just too long. The extraneous parts of the story line (I won't describe anything that could give the story away) are unnecessary distractions. The main characters are another problem: Dr. Katherine Sears has her good moments, but sometimes she's just plain silly. And incredibly lucky. Victor Perov is not bad; he's a believable, sympathetic character. There are some great supporting characters:Sergei the cab driver, although how a Moscow cab driver has both an apartment and a country dacha in the mid-80s is never explained. Then there's Terasov the KGB man. But continuity is a problem. In one paragraph, a prisoner is fiddling with the buttons of his prison uniform. In the next paragraph the uniform has become pajamas. And who lives with whom? One minute Oksana moves out of Victor's apartment. The next minute she's back. I had the feeling that the book was written in fits and starts and the author simply forgot what he had written before. But as I said, it was a great plot, and it has plenty of twists and turns. I agree, for the most part, with another reviewer who said that the action was not improbable. Some editing would have made this a five-star book. And if Mr. Hetzer should write another book I'll probably read it, too.
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