The first is enthusiasm. I want to get everything I can from the volume, whether it is entertainment or knowledge.

Is an Afghan commando likely to speak Arabic? I suppose it is possible, but given that only about one per cent of Afghanis speak that language, it isn’t likely. His colleagues seemed to think of him as an Arab, he describes himself as an Arab – but Afghanis aren’t Arabs. I suppose you can have an Arab Afghani – but an explanation would be necessary. That just struck me as sloppy.
Confusion abounds, in my mind anyway, as to how a race to find a valuable ancient manuscript somehow becomes a semi-apocalyptic confrontation between the forces of good and evil, with the bad guys able to control the weather. Apparently two different story plots somehow wandered into each other and decided to cohabit uneasily.
As someone who has read a bit about ancient manuscripts, I can’t believe the cavalier treatment given to the prized document people in this novel are fighting for. A three thousand year old scroll subjected to the stresses described would become a pile of scraps. And don’t get me started on how easily the text gets translated (or how long it has taken to translate the Dead Sea Scrolls).
So is there anything in Storm Rising that I found redeemable? Well, it was fast paced. And the good guys win. And if you are looking for escapism it certainly fits the bill, as long as you don’t care about accuracy or believability.
Storm Rising is the first book in a series featuring the same heroes. Nothing in it has me waiting for the next installment.
“Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.”