Gideon's Sword

Having read and enjoyed other books by Preston & Child I was understandably disappointed with this ridiculously cliched comic book of a novel. Their smug, thoroughly unlikable know-it-all protagonist (think slacker version of James Bond) has an uncanny ability to get out of any scrape, even if it means pushing the envelope beyond all credibility, to the point where any potential suspense is quashed before it even begins----why bite your nails when you know it's all going to work out anyway? The writing hovers around a Young Adult level with cardboard characters and a cardboard plot, the attempts at wit are sophomoric, and the action sequences are reminiscent of the usual Netflix "blockbuster" (apparently Michael Bay was approached show more regarding a movie deal?) And it all begins with a corny deathbed confession which reminded me of a silent film melodrama. Yes I know these types of books are supposed to be taken with a grain of salt (or a trainload in this case) as they hover on the border between Thriller and Fantasy, but watching Preston & Child's hero orchestrate one miraculous coup after another, seemingly out of thin air, left me with a bad case of "plausibility fatigue". show less

Have you ever eaten instant mashed potatoes? Yeah, so have I, unfortunately. So, do you like ‘em? Ugh, me neither. I don’t think there’s a real potato within 10 miles of the factory.

So why am I starting a book review with mashed potatoes? Because the latest effort by the writing team of Preston and Child is just like a box of Spud Buds. The time, effort, craftsmanship and possibly sheer luck are completely missing from this imitation product. It’s a bummer because I was looking forward to having another intriguing character to follow through from one impossible situation to another. Now it only means fewer Pendergast novels and more waiting. No, I won’t be following Gideon through any more of his adventures and I really hope show more the lamefest doesn’t spill over into the Pendergast series.

What’s the disconnect? I’ve given it some thought. Back when Relic and its bastard offspring Reliquary were written, Pendergast was a supporting character. He was weird and certainly a force in Relic, but he wasn’t yet the eye of the tornado he is now. By the third book, Cabinet of Curiosities, the writers knew what they had on their hands, but even then I’m not sure they knew exactly where they were going. That worked. That forced them to only give us small details; tidbits of information about Pendergast and his shadowy past. Teasing us into wanting more and more. Piling one puzzling clue upon another, leaving questions unanswered. It was one of the best sales techniques I’ve been the willing victim of. As preposterous as he is, there is enough, I don’t know, heft, to Pendergast that we (at least I) keep coming back for more.

Not so with Gideon. Him they want to force upon us fully grown and realized. As Garza says in the end, he hasn’t made his bones yet, but we are still expected to take him seriously. I just can’t do it.

The first problem is the story; Gideon’s father is framed and made the scapegoat for a dismal failure of a government project that results in the deaths of many well-placed spies. For some bizarre reason he and his mother are called to the scene where dad is holding someone hostage to make the government fix the mistake. Instead they shoot him while he’s trying to surrender. Fast forward to the present day and Gideon is about to make good on his promise to make the architect of his father’s downfall pay; one General Tucker. An elaborate and unbelievably implausible operation ensues and is over in about 50 pages. Not only does he get to the evil mastermind, but he also turns the mastermind’s most loyal minion. He does this with about 2 pages of bad dialogue. In what universe?

If they wanted to present Gideon’s initial success, they should have given it to us as back story; a fait accompli, not given us a blow-by-blow of the operation in all its unlikely aspects in 50 pages. It’s so completely stupid that I rolled my eyes the whole time. Credibility points – 0. The story is so forced, so rushed that they can’t establish any fact without just coming out and telling us. I would have rather had the General Tucker story take a whole book, keeping the watcher who appears to hire Gideon in the background; a sinister presence we aren’t sure of. Save their meeting and initial project for the second book. I could have lived with that. It would have been a better mechanism for showing us what Gideon can do.

So we’re told that Gideon is some kind of science dude at Los Alamos, has degrees up the wazoo and graduated from MIT (despite his mother being destitute as a result of dad’s death and disgrace). He’s also a master of disguise (am I the only one who pictured Inspector Clouseau?), a superb con-man, a self-affirmed wiseass (complete with full wise ass mode), is in great physical shape, has striking good looks (and floppy hair), is a gun expert, a computer hacker, a meticulous planner and makes women’s clothes drop off (but only the pretty ones). Yeah, sure, some of these super powers were shown to us, but in such an bald and factual way I don’t buy it. Oh yeah, and he also used to be Neal Caffrey. Please.

I think you get it by now…this book is unbelievably stupid. Even for these guys, who, let’s face it, write cliff-hanger pulp fiction. I enjoyed it up to now because the stuff I had to suspend my disbelief over was so big that it was easier to do so. The details were more coherent and plausible and that somehow makes the giant weird stuff easier to just go with. If I didn’t see their names on the cover I wouldn’t have believed Preston and Child were capable of this crap. Were they broke? Did they fall for some slick, bullshit-slinging publicist that said this would be ok? Whatever it was, it was a mistake. I’m not coming back for a second helping of Spud Buds. show less

The story opens with Gideon Crew seeing his father being gunned down in a conspiracy that he learns of later at his mother's death bed, reforming himself from an art thief and avenging his father. Normally this would be a whole book on it's own but this is only the first 53 pages of my edition.

Then he settles into his life, a little restlessly, is offered a challenging mission while also being told that he is suffering from a terminal brain tumour (which he doesn't get double checked at all!) and this leads him into an investigation that challenges his wits against a Chinese assassin.

It's not the worst thing I've read but I felt no connection to any of the characters and didn't really care if Gideon survived.

In Gideon's Sword authors Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child are taking a huge risk by introducing a new character, Gideon Crew, and a new series. This is risky because fans of their wildly popular Pendergast novels aren't likely to warm up to a new character competing for Preston and Child's attention. While I include myself in their fan base, writing both together and separately, I'm willing to give this interloper named Gideon Crew a chance.

From the synopsis, I thought the story would revolve around Gideon finding the man responsible for his father's death and getting revenge, but actually that is only a very small part of the novel right at the beginning. After that Gideon is recruited by a secret agency to do a little job for them: show more find a way to get the plans for a secret weapon from a Chinese scientist. The first storyline not only introduces us to Gideon Crew and gives a little back story, it also shows us Gideon's thought processes and how he operates. The second storyline is much more involved and has several narrow escapes and twists and turns before it is resolved.

Since it is a Preston and Child book, need I mention that it is well written? The story is fast paced and flows smoothly. While, admittedly, I felt that the story seemed somewhat less intense and intriguing, and felt shorter than I would normally expect from Preston and Child, I rather liked Gideon as a lead character and want to see what he does next.

Many of the reviews for Gideon's Sword written by fans have tended to be negative. Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child have had ten books to develop their Aloysius Pendergast character. This is our very first introduction to Gideon Crew. I fully expect the next Gideon Crew novel to dial up the tension and suspense.

Also, apparently the movie rights to Gideon's Sword have been purchased.

To rate this novel is problematic. It is not their strongest work, so compared to other novels they have written, it falls a little short. On the other hand, if I evaluate it simply as a stand alone novel not in comparison with anything else, well, I really liked it very much and would highly recommend it. http://shetreadssoftly.blogspot.com/ show less

“A gentleman of singular and diverse endowments”

The quotation above refers to a secondary character in Gideon’s Sword, but it just as easily describes Gideon Crew, the protagonist of a new series by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. The opening of this novel is a little unusual. The first fifty pages or so are basically an introduction to the title character, a man with a dramatic back-story. After two brief prologues from Gideon’s past, the action moves to the present day, but as noted above, the real meat of the story doesn’t begin immediately. It’s a lengthy introduction to this not-Pendergast.

For those readers who weren’t paying attention, the basics are summarized by a mysterious stranger offering Gideon a job soon show more after that introduction:

“The fact is, we know everything about you, Dr. Crew. And not just your burglary skills or run-in with General Tucker. We know about your difficult childhood. About your work at Los Alamos, designing and testing shaped high-explosive charges for nuclear weapons. About your proclivity for gourmet cooking. Your fondness for Hawaiian shirts and cashmere sweaters. Your taste in jazz. Your weakness for alcohol. And—when under the influence—women. The only thing we haven’t been able to learn is how you lost the top joint of your right finger.”

And actually, the job-offering mystery man isn’t a total stranger… Rejoice fans, he is a character from the P&C pangea! (Well, at least I was heartened to see a familiar face in this new landscape.) The job Gideon is offered is short-term. It’ll take about a week, and the payoff is big. He’s basically doing a freelance job on behalf of the US government, and all they want is the impossible. The question is, with all of his singular and diverse endowments, can Gideon Crew deliver?

I don’t really feel the need to summarize the specifics of the plot. This is a thriller. There’s lots of action and suspense, some violence, intrigue, a hint of romance, and a fabulous antagonist. Preston and Child have been doing this for a long time, and they’re very, very good at it. That said, I can’t proclaim this to be their strongest work. I found the lengthy introduction of the character to be slightly indulgent. Also, in general, these two gentlemen are excellent prose stylists—especially given the demands of their genre—but here the writing seemed a bit choppier than usual.

These small criticisms aside, I had a ball reading this novel. It really was everything I’ve come to expect from Mssrs. Preston & Child. The story is fast-paced and thoroughly entertaining. I defy you to not have fun while reading this novel. And I emphatically believe that a change of pace from “all Pendergast all the time” is a good idea. I think the introduction of this new series will add freshness to future stories in both franchises.

I’m intrigued by Gideon Crew. The truth is, we’ve barely scratched the surface on this guy. What other untapped talents does Dr. Crew have? Will he be doing further freelance jobs? How DID he lose the end of his finger? I don’t know—but I’ll be waiting with bated breath to find out. show less

There seems to be a common theme that reviewers didn't like this because they really like the Pendergast series and this isn't the same. I liked it, but then this is the first book of theirs that I read. Is it believable? No, but I have since went back and read Relic (the first Pendergast book) and that wasn't believable either. It's fiction, it's okay not to be. Was I entertained? Yes. I read the entire book in a day.

Regardless of which Preston & Child series you like (Pendergast or this one, Gideon Crew), these two authors deliver the goods. In the opening book in the Crew series, a new protagonist is introduced (Gideon Crew) who is as likeable as he is unlike Agent Pendergast.
Crew is recruited for a dangerous op by Eli Glinn, the leader of the mysterious Effective Engineering Solutions (EEG). Crew is hired to recover a dangerous weapon that could endanger the entire world before operatives from competing nations get to it first.
The novel moves along without lags as the authors keep us enthralled in a believable plot. Several interesting characters are introduced to add to the mystery. Plus, a great plot twist adds real spice 3/4th of the way show more through the book.
I'm glad I picked this up and will continue with book two in the series, Gideon's Corpse. show less