Tsar by Ted Bell11/30/2008 10:09:18 PMLocation : Cleveland, OH
I was provided an advanced reading copy of Tsar by Ted Bell. This is the fifth novel in the Alex Hawke series and it continues the tradition Bell has developed of action and suspense using plausible plots concerning world events.
In Tsar, Alex Hawke, a modern James Bond character, is recuperating on Bermuda after his injuries suffered in the novel Spy. During his recovery, he meets a beautiful Russian artist, Anastasia Korsakov. As the novel progresses, you discover that Anastasia, "Asia" to her friends, is the daughter of the Russian scientist/politician Count Ivan Korsakov. Count Korsakov has designs to return Russia to its former glory, an act which takes the West by surprise. Enter Alex Hawke and his friends. While they are a small group, they are a very formidable and deadly team made more effective as they have the support of the British and United States leadership. The Count has made his intentions known by holding a US city "hostage" to a bomb if they do not allow him to retake the former Eastern Bloc nations. Alex and his team must thwart this aggressive move, rescue hundreds of dignitaries from an airship (think "blimp"), and disable the bombs.
As with the earlier Hawke novels, this one moves at a very fast pace even with the multiple story arcs; Hawke's relationship with Asia, the powerplay in Russia, a Russian bomber on US soil, and the maiden voyage of a luxury airship. Much like James Bond, Hawke is the man that the British and US governments use when world events swirl out of control. Ted Bell does an admirable job of making the premise believable; Russia's return to global dominance. And, I think, the backroom machinations of Russian politics seem to be realistic. While this novel is typical Alex Hawke, there were several scenes that really pushed your belief in the actions of some of the characters. And after the action played out, those characters were not heard from again. I know that this book pushes 500+ pages, but I would have appreciated a little more resolution concerning those characters. Also, there was quite a twist with Asia toward the end. I was surprised that Hawke wasn't able to discern some issue with her, earlier in the novel. It may have had an impact on the second half of the book.
Overall, another excellent book in the Alex Hawke series.
Technorati tag: book review Ted Bell Tsar Alex Hawke
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