Gio'

The author used a narrative structure that is very convoluted and I couldn't really get captured by it. So my attention, reading this book, has been in and out, wondering why reading a book must also be a chore in keeping track of names and timelines. Having said that, the story is pretty dark and very few characters have any redeeming qualities. It is so bleak that it begs the question of what is the point of it.

What a ride. It is like a good John Grisham with more exotic settings and more social and modern history themes. Truly enjoyable. I didn't like how some of the storylines ended, that's why it is a 4 and not a 5, IMHO.

Pirate Latitudes – Did Not Finish

I’ve always been a huge admirer of Michael Crichton—I still remember reading Jurassic Park in a single afternoon back in 1990. Unfortunately, Pirate Latitudes felt weak and a slog, lacking the tension and engagement of his best work. The plot just wasn’t interesting enough, and I had to let it go midway. One less book from a great writer for me to read.

Taken one by one all this little stories are ok, but as a fragmented story I found this book confused with no apparent reasons and the society is described through large numbers if trivialities and stereotypes.

Very interesting! SK tackles a more conventional thriller and the result is a tightly written, very tense and elegant book. There are some of his signature ingredients (the depth of the characters, the family issues, etc...) but overall, the style is more contained. It could have been written easily by Lee Child or James Patterson. Well done with this exercise SK. You pulled it off!