Sunday, June 22, 2008

Rubicon

Alexander, Lawrence. Rubicon.

6 words: Oh, please. Don't waste your time.

This is a political "thriller." A paragon of virtues, Senator Bobbie Hart must stop a conspiracy that involves assassinations of presidential candidates. Over the top, decidedly partisan, fallacious arguments, scare tactics, poor characterization.

The premise is actually feasible and could have made a great political thriller, but the decidedly partisan view (in spite of having a good guy from the bad party) turns the novel into propaganda. If the author had controlled his personal inclinations and attempted less virulent ad hominem attacks, he could have produced a truly frightening work.

Fiction. Suspense. 2008. 295 pages.

2 comments:

  1. I tossed aside a young adult novel the other day for similar reasons. The author seemed so happy to have one of her most likable characters call George Bush an idiot over and over that I grew more and more irritated with the whole story and it stopped being fun. I won't be bothereing to read that novel or, most likely, any others by this woman.

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  2. Sam - A novel can become a political rant and be as offensive as any liberal or conservative windbag spouting party line as if it were gospel. I'd much prefer someone make me think, question, research ... and a good novel can do that.

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