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Assassin Trilogy #2
[(Sins of the Assassin)] [by: Robert Ferrigno]
Colossal in concept, dazzlingly plotted, filled with vivid, jaw-dropping violence, Sins of the Assassin confirms Robert Ferrigno as the modern master of the futuristic thriller.In the second book of Ferrigno's spectacular Assassin Trilogy, Rakkim Epps battles radical fundamentalist forces in a futuristic America, now a divided blood-soaked dystopia. Will he survive? Can America ever be unified again?The year is 2043. New York and Washington, D.C., have been leveled by nuclear bombs. New Orleans is submerged beneath fifty feet of water and treasure hunters scavenge its watery ruins. The United States no longer exists, and in its place two new nations maintain an uneasy coexistence.To the west stretches the Islamic Republic, seemingly governed by a moderate president but hollowed from within by the violent, repressive Black Robes, a shadowy fundamentalist group intent on crushing all those who do not follow Allah's path. In this frightening world, freedom is controlled by the state, and non-Muslims are either second-class citizens, hidden underground, exiled, or executed.To the east and south lies the Christian Bible Belt, itself torn by conflict from warring factions, each claiming to be more righteous than the others. Meanwhile the former United States is being nibbled away at the South Florida, known as "Nuevo Florida," is independent; the Aztlán Empire, formerly Mexico, encroaches from the south; and Canada has laid claim to huge swaths of territory along the United States's former northern border.What stability exists between the warring empires is threatened when the president of the Islamic Republic discovers that a Bible Belt warlord, known simply as the Colonel, is searching for a superweapon hidden inside a remote mountain decades earlier by the old United States regime. Rakkim Epps, retired shadow warrior, is sent on a perilous mission to infiltrate the Belt and steal or destroy the weapon. Accompanying Rakkim is Leo, a naive nineteen-year-old whose technologically enhanced brain is crucial to their success.Together they sneak through the Belt, a lawless territory where a bloodthirsty, drug-addled militia prepares for the End-Times.When Rakkim and Leo finally reach the Colonel's mountain, Epps is forced to rely on his shadow warrior's ability to kill any and all who would halt his quest. Opposing him is the Colonel's enforcer, a sadistic, carbon-skinned killer named Gravenholtz, and the Colonel's wife, the alluring, sexually rapacious Baby, who wants -- and gets -- more of everything. Meanwhile, the Old One, the ancient and immensely rich Muslim fanatic who seeks to rule both American nations, plots his attack from the safety of his ocean liner. Rakkim Epps, he realizes, must be stopped, controlled, or killed.A terrific stand-alone read, Sins of the Assassin is a cinematic feast of action and plot, and verifies Robert Ferrigno's Assassin Trilogy as a monumental imaginative work of suspense.
Paperback
First published February 5, 2008
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About the author
Robert Ferrigno
57 books81 followersRobert Ferrigno is an American author of crime novels and of speculative fiction. I've written twelve novels in the last twenty years, most crime thrillers. Sins of the Assassin was a finalist for the Edgar, Best Novel, by the Mystery Writers of America in 2008, and my comic short story, "Can I Help You Out?" won the Silver Dagger, Best Short Story, by the Mystery Association of Great Britain.
Series:
* Jimmy Gage Mystery
* Assassin Trilogy
My most recent book is The Girl Who Cried Wolf (2013), a contemporary crime thriller.
Series:
* Jimmy Gage Mystery
* Assassin Trilogy
My most recent book is The Girl Who Cried Wolf (2013), a contemporary crime thriller.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
December 4, 2023
got some real thoughts about this one. First off surprising amount of sex... Secondly this is the second in a trilogy and I found the title from a twitter thread. Serves me right. Yes I will be reading the other two the only question is do I go back to the first or read the third. I'm leaning third. Thirdly... idk boss it was pretty good. Action and adventure. Cool setting.
I can hear the drums so loud do you like the way it sounds
I can hear the drums so loud do you like the way it sounds
May 3, 2009
Sins of the Assassin
By Robert Ferrigno
This novel is set in the year 2043 in a redefined North America. The former USA has been separated by a religious civil war. The South is now known as “Bible Belt” and runs roughly from Texas to Virginia. The rest of the country is a moderate Islamic republic with its capital city of Seattle. There have been dramatic geographic changes secondary to environmental warming as well, including the fact that large portions of the Gulf Coast and most of Florida now are under water. Washington, D.C. and New York City were destroyed years previous by terrorist nuclear “suitcase” bombs.
The plot is even more outlandish. The Islamic Republic notes increased military activity in Tennessee and satellite imagery indicates a search going on. A secret assassin is sent into the Bible Belt with a teenager who has the ability to store computer data (I guess kind of a human thumb drive) to find out what is being searched for and steal it if it is thought to be militarily important (i.e., a weapon system hidden by the old USA during the civil war). The assassin/thumb drive team has an interesting tour of the old South after being inserted into the country near Galveston. There is a stop in Waco where a theme park dedicated to the Branch Davidian cult performs nightly re-enactments of the U.S. Government raid. David Koresh is revered as a saint. There is another party interested in what is buried in the mountain in Tennessee, a reclusive “Old One” (who bears a striking resemblance to “Dr. Evil” from the Austin Powers movies) who hides on an old cruise boat. He is directing his own campaign to acquire whatever is under the mountain, his motivation being world domination.
This is surprisingly a well written novel. The author actually manages to develop some interesting characters in the book, putting them in the ages-old dilemma of choosing between devotion to family vs. professional commitments. The author uses irony and a little humor between bursts of action. The pace is quick and the plot and settings are certainly imaginative if nothing else. I wasn’t real wild about most of the book, however, being almost embarrassed to read some of the passages. If you like a lot of gratuitous sex, violence and profanity in your futuristic techno-thriller, then this is the book for you.
I wondered, though, why this is being considered in a mystery novel competition. It is more of a science fiction tale. If you remember my discussion of Edgar Allan Poe’s life and works from two months ago, you might remember that he also took a stab at writing some science fiction. I guess that merits the inclusion of Sins of the Assassin. I was more than anxious to move on to the next book on the list, however.
By Robert Ferrigno
This novel is set in the year 2043 in a redefined North America. The former USA has been separated by a religious civil war. The South is now known as “Bible Belt” and runs roughly from Texas to Virginia. The rest of the country is a moderate Islamic republic with its capital city of Seattle. There have been dramatic geographic changes secondary to environmental warming as well, including the fact that large portions of the Gulf Coast and most of Florida now are under water. Washington, D.C. and New York City were destroyed years previous by terrorist nuclear “suitcase” bombs.
The plot is even more outlandish. The Islamic Republic notes increased military activity in Tennessee and satellite imagery indicates a search going on. A secret assassin is sent into the Bible Belt with a teenager who has the ability to store computer data (I guess kind of a human thumb drive) to find out what is being searched for and steal it if it is thought to be militarily important (i.e., a weapon system hidden by the old USA during the civil war). The assassin/thumb drive team has an interesting tour of the old South after being inserted into the country near Galveston. There is a stop in Waco where a theme park dedicated to the Branch Davidian cult performs nightly re-enactments of the U.S. Government raid. David Koresh is revered as a saint. There is another party interested in what is buried in the mountain in Tennessee, a reclusive “Old One” (who bears a striking resemblance to “Dr. Evil” from the Austin Powers movies) who hides on an old cruise boat. He is directing his own campaign to acquire whatever is under the mountain, his motivation being world domination.
This is surprisingly a well written novel. The author actually manages to develop some interesting characters in the book, putting them in the ages-old dilemma of choosing between devotion to family vs. professional commitments. The author uses irony and a little humor between bursts of action. The pace is quick and the plot and settings are certainly imaginative if nothing else. I wasn’t real wild about most of the book, however, being almost embarrassed to read some of the passages. If you like a lot of gratuitous sex, violence and profanity in your futuristic techno-thriller, then this is the book for you.
I wondered, though, why this is being considered in a mystery novel competition. It is more of a science fiction tale. If you remember my discussion of Edgar Allan Poe’s life and works from two months ago, you might remember that he also took a stab at writing some science fiction. I guess that merits the inclusion of Sins of the Assassin. I was more than anxious to move on to the next book on the list, however.
August 10, 2014
The evil genius was foiled in Prayers for the Assassin, but just like in those epic movies featuring Jason....He's not dead yet!!!
He's back and he's pissed at being thwarted by the handsome young elite warrior and his side kick, the brilliant, compassionate and lovely (in a properly modest Muslim way) scholar.
Rakim has fallen prey to that oldest of chestnuts - "if you kill the killer, do you somehow start to become just as bad as he was" - except in this case, it's a little more tangible. Darwin is somehow still half alive in Rakim's head and Rakim can access some of Darwin's skills. Suspiciously like half a dozen other protagonists in fictional works who manage to defeat a powerful enemy - Anita Blake comes to mind, as just one example.
Standard action adventure plot with the addition of an annoying new sidekick who smacks of Westley Crusher since the female genius scholar is sidelined taking care of the adorable offspring.
Not bad, but the alternate history is by far the most interesting thing about the book.
He's back and he's pissed at being thwarted by the handsome young elite warrior and his side kick, the brilliant, compassionate and lovely (in a properly modest Muslim way) scholar.
Rakim has fallen prey to that oldest of chestnuts - "if you kill the killer, do you somehow start to become just as bad as he was" - except in this case, it's a little more tangible. Darwin is somehow still half alive in Rakim's head and Rakim can access some of Darwin's skills. Suspiciously like half a dozen other protagonists in fictional works who manage to defeat a powerful enemy - Anita Blake comes to mind, as just one example.
Standard action adventure plot with the addition of an annoying new sidekick who smacks of Westley Crusher since the female genius scholar is sidelined taking care of the adorable offspring.
Not bad, but the alternate history is by far the most interesting thing about the book.
September 10, 2010
While not as good and engrossing as the first novel in this series, still a good read. The first novel contained a world that was extremely plausible. In this second offering, there were several aspects that seemed a bit of fantasy and made me realize that this was certainly a work of fiction rather than a possible alternate reality. The mystical veiled church in the middle of a burning underground coal mine was one such item. While it the events surrounding the existence of the church were belivable, some of how it was described were beyond belief. The other aspect that made me cringe was the way Darwin trickled into the story. The venom induced dialogue with the ghost during the snake ceremony was okay, but the other instances seemed a little far fetched. I hope Ferrigno regurns to the plausibility of the first novel rather than reaching for the fantastical in the final installment.
June 6, 2019
This book was a chore to read. I got halfway through it before I started skipping or skimming until the end. I wasn't a huge fan of the first novel but I enjoyed the setup and was interested in how the author would take it further. And he does.
In the year 2043, three years after the first book, the Islamic Republic and the Bible Belt, two nations that once made up the United States, are locked in a bitter and tense conflict. A civil war has left both nations greatly weakened, allowing Canada and Mexico (now called the Aztlan Empire) are encroaching upon and swapping lands in the north and south. Much of Florida and the gulf coast are now underwater including the once great city of New Orleans. Both the nations are suffering from growing sectarian violence that threatened their stability.
I don't remember much from this book as I do the last one but I do remember the characters haven't gotten much better, although Rakkim seems more than one dimensional. But the rest of the characters were just as forgettable as they were in the last book. The antagonists are not much more interesting either (I really missed Darwin). The story much at a much slower pace than the first that eventually I just either skipped chapters or skimmed until the end.
Which is sad, the setting really was intriguing in this one, which I thought should have been the focus in this one.
In the year 2043, three years after the first book, the Islamic Republic and the Bible Belt, two nations that once made up the United States, are locked in a bitter and tense conflict. A civil war has left both nations greatly weakened, allowing Canada and Mexico (now called the Aztlan Empire) are encroaching upon and swapping lands in the north and south. Much of Florida and the gulf coast are now underwater including the once great city of New Orleans. Both the nations are suffering from growing sectarian violence that threatened their stability.
I don't remember much from this book as I do the last one but I do remember the characters haven't gotten much better, although Rakkim seems more than one dimensional. But the rest of the characters were just as forgettable as they were in the last book. The antagonists are not much more interesting either (I really missed Darwin). The story much at a much slower pace than the first that eventually I just either skipped chapters or skimmed until the end.
Which is sad, the setting really was intriguing in this one, which I thought should have been the focus in this one.
February 13, 2025
This book was a waste of time. I had acquired it for an airplane trip.
The premise sounded promising - 2043 - USA is divided - a blood-soaked dystopia - the West - Islamic Republic and to the East and South - the Bible Belt. Due to a collapse in society, as well as severe climate change, many known places no longer exist, e.g. New Orleans is under water.
I just found that the book was geared for teenage boys - lots of violence - not always necessary as well as lots of random sex.
The premise sounded promising - 2043 - USA is divided - a blood-soaked dystopia - the West - Islamic Republic and to the East and South - the Bible Belt. Due to a collapse in society, as well as severe climate change, many known places no longer exist, e.g. New Orleans is under water.
I just found that the book was geared for teenage boys - lots of violence - not always necessary as well as lots of random sex.
December 19, 2017
It was interesting to learn about a different part of this world, the Bible Belt. The story in this one seemed a bit more tightly focused than the first book, but still enjoyable. I look forward to the conclusion of the series.
January 1, 2020
Very fresh trilogy and lots of good intrigue and things don't always go in favor of the heroes. Really strong characters and deep story line.
February 18, 2021
Great series. Original ideals and inrgiuing characters
December 29, 2021
The second book in the Assassin Trilogy. Fast-paced and entertaining.
September 25, 2022
Read in 2008. A cinematic feast of action and plot.
February 23, 2017
Just stretching the plot. Only good quote "screw China" and I add screw Mexico too.
May 15, 2021
[Imported automatically from my blog. Some formatting there may not have translated here.]
This is the second entry in a trilogy; I blogged about the first book, Prayers for the Assassin, here.
The author, Robert Ferrigno, has set his series in a near-future dystopia. Nuclear explosions in New York City and Washington DC have led to an Islamist takeover of most of the US, most of the remainder being the "Bible Belt", roughly the old Confederacy. (Map here.) Our hero is Rakkim, the super-deadly "Assassin" of the title. After the events of the first book, the Islamic Republic has been shaken. A threat is detected in the Bible Belt, where the search is on for a powerful weapon hidden away by the previous regime. Rakkim's task is to infiltrate the Belt, either stealing the weapon or rendering it harmless.
There's a prodigious level of inventive violence, intrigue, betrayal and suspense, and dollops of sex in between. Ferrigno is a very good writer, and (if you're willing to suspend disbelief a bit) he's crafted a very complete and thought-out world. Life is very cheap, global warming has messed things up a lot, but you can still get a cup of coffee in a diner.
Ferrigno's villains are nasty indeed, and most of them will (apparently) be back in the final book of the trilogy. Which is out now in hardcover; the paperback is due out in August, which I have on order from Amazon.
February 15, 2011
This is the second book in a trilogy. The first book was "Prayers for the Assassin", and really should be read before "Sins of the Assassin".
The story takes place in the year 2043 and the United States has ceased to exist and has been split up into several zones. The two biggest Zones being the northern area that is now called the "Islamic Republic", and the southern area known as the "Bible Belt".
The book brings together the conflict between these two entities. Rakkim Epps, who is the main character in both books, is in conflict with his Islamic faith. He was brought up as Fedayeen and became so good a warrior that he became a "shadow warrior", the most accomplished fighters in the Islamic regime.
Rakkimis being sent into the Bible Blet to either steal of destroy a super weapon that is in New Orleans which is under sixty feet of water. He must contend with two different factions in the Bible Belt to reach his goal. He also must align himself up with one group over the other to secure his survival.
There are plenty of twists and turns, especially when one is trying to separate the "good guys" from the "bad Guys". There are some very disturbing features to this book in that Ferrigno seems to be giving the reader an insight to what could possibly be the future.
The first book left you anticipating the second book - the second book leaves you craving for the third book.
A word of caution that the book does contain some sexual content that might not be appropriate to all readers.
The story takes place in the year 2043 and the United States has ceased to exist and has been split up into several zones. The two biggest Zones being the northern area that is now called the "Islamic Republic", and the southern area known as the "Bible Belt".
The book brings together the conflict between these two entities. Rakkim Epps, who is the main character in both books, is in conflict with his Islamic faith. He was brought up as Fedayeen and became so good a warrior that he became a "shadow warrior", the most accomplished fighters in the Islamic regime.
Rakkimis being sent into the Bible Blet to either steal of destroy a super weapon that is in New Orleans which is under sixty feet of water. He must contend with two different factions in the Bible Belt to reach his goal. He also must align himself up with one group over the other to secure his survival.
There are plenty of twists and turns, especially when one is trying to separate the "good guys" from the "bad Guys". There are some very disturbing features to this book in that Ferrigno seems to be giving the reader an insight to what could possibly be the future.
The first book left you anticipating the second book - the second book leaves you craving for the third book.
A word of caution that the book does contain some sexual content that might not be appropriate to all readers.
January 20, 2010
I read a review of this book that said "There was not a single moment when the reader wasn't entertained'....I wondered who the reader he was speaking about was.
I all but put this book down. The series is an interesting idea, and the first wasn't that bad, but this one i just couldn't get interested in. i just couldn't seem to "care". I finally gave in and skipped my way through it to get to the end and see how things "worked out'. But frankly i could have put it down and walked away.
In fairness when I find a book like this I feel obligated to admit that I know it could just be "me", a matter of taste. So if you enjoyed it, I'm happy for you but time is too short limited for me to slog through a novel that I really don't care that much about, so...enjoy but I didn't care for it. I found it slightly off point and a little muddled in it's own search for a plot. The characters (the 2 main ones we met earlier) even kn their pain were just not engaging for me. You need to be involved with the protagonists to begin with for their trials and tribulations to be engaging. So, not so great.
I considered 1 star, but backed off and gave it 2 in that I tend to give one to books I truly dislike, rather than books that just failed to engage me.
I all but put this book down. The series is an interesting idea, and the first wasn't that bad, but this one i just couldn't get interested in. i just couldn't seem to "care". I finally gave in and skipped my way through it to get to the end and see how things "worked out'. But frankly i could have put it down and walked away.
In fairness when I find a book like this I feel obligated to admit that I know it could just be "me", a matter of taste. So if you enjoyed it, I'm happy for you but time is too short limited for me to slog through a novel that I really don't care that much about, so...enjoy but I didn't care for it. I found it slightly off point and a little muddled in it's own search for a plot. The characters (the 2 main ones we met earlier) even kn their pain were just not engaging for me. You need to be involved with the protagonists to begin with for their trials and tribulations to be engaging. So, not so great.
I considered 1 star, but backed off and gave it 2 in that I tend to give one to books I truly dislike, rather than books that just failed to engage me.
May 8, 2011
Not sure I liked this futuristic, fictional version of the US. Not something I would have picked up on my own, but read because it was an Edgar nominee. One of those sequels that should be read in order to get the full effect & I didn't; may at some time in the future if I live that long. A decent read, but do it in a short time to keep track of what's going on. I'd give it 2 and a half stars if I could; didn't really like it, but it was written better than ok.
After a second read I revised my rating slightly upward. As part of the whole trilogy this book becomes a more interesting and engaging read. Picked up books 1 & 2 cheaply at a used book sale, so decided to read the full trilogy in order. The characters are a bit more developed over the course of the first two books, this and Prayers for the Assassin . A few amusing touches which are only seen if you read Prayers first.
After a second read I revised my rating slightly upward. As part of the whole trilogy this book becomes a more interesting and engaging read. Picked up books 1 & 2 cheaply at a used book sale, so decided to read the full trilogy in order. The characters are a bit more developed over the course of the first two books, this and Prayers for the Assassin . A few amusing touches which are only seen if you read Prayers first.
March 4, 2011
I found this book on a top-100 sci-fi list. It doesn't really read a sci-fi novel...More like a spy/adventure novel. It is set in a post-WW3 US where the country is half-muslim and half-bible-belt christians. The cultural and political tones in this book are so possible that it is haunting and I keep wondering if the author has come back in a time machine from a scary alternate future. The rich detail and character make the action based themes better than a Bourne movie. Strongly recommended. The audiobook is read by one of the best narrators around, making the book that much more enjoyable. I was so enthralled by this series that I read (listened) to them all back-to-back and have a hard time remembereing which was which. They were all excellent.
March 3, 2008
I loved this book as much as the Prayers for the Assassin, and I can hardly wait for the author to finish the last of the trilogy because the scene has been set for reunification of the USA. The whole idea of this futuristic, alternative history is fascinating to me (see the summary of the book for more details). Check out the author's website with fictionalized news that corresponds to the futuristic scene he has invented. http://republicworldnews.com/
May 15, 2008
One of those quick reads - kinda out there - not written very well - but depicts a sort of "if the tables were turned" and opens up enough of a story line to make this possiblity plausible if for no other reason than we can easily see how sheep are so easily led to slaughter. I would recommend this to anyone just because it's so different, and therefore opens futuristic concepts that I don't normally indulge.
November 3, 2009
Don't let the title fool you. This series of books is a great look into what the future of the US might have looked like if we had taken a different road after 9/11. The insight into our "new life" is thought provoking and makes you wonder what it all could have been like. The author is also from Kirkland and the series is set in Seattle. It's great to actually read a book and know what the highways and landmarks are!
August 10, 2011
Amazing book! I must admit, this is my first reading of a Robert Ferrigno book. Still, after reading it, I'm gonna be reading them all. The story was great. I must admit, I had a little trouble sometimes because I never read the first book but still, it's easy to pick up and get a sense of who the characters are. I look forward to reading all the books in this series and maybe even some of his other books.
May 23, 2015
America is just a little turd in a very large toilet waiting for the final flush. Rakkim and Sarah may have foiled The Old One in the first book but he is still around, and as nasty as ever. I felt this to be a good follow up to the first book in the series and was quite happy with the many layers of the story that the author is able to create. And the ending leaves the reader with just enough questions that made me feel I will have to be reading the third installment soon.
July 17, 2008
A potboiler, sure, but a well-crafted one. I've known Robert Ferrigno slightly since he published The Horse Latitudes in 1990 and have enjoyed each of his subsequent books. I rank him among the very best genre writers and am pleased to see that he now has Scribners (once home to Fitzgerald and Hemingway) as his publisher.
August 9, 2014
I didn't realize this was the middle book of a trilogy until I was well into it. I probably would have enjoyed it more if I had read the books in order. However, the second book recaps the first in bits and pieces along the way, so that I was able to make sense of the extended plot and the collective cast of characters.
March 27, 2008
I really enjoyed this book which is why it got 4 stars. It won't change your life but as far as alternate reality fiction goes it's at the top of it's class. I'm eager to read book #1 and the upcoming #3.
December 3, 2009
The second 'Assassins' novel. Better than the first. Plenty of action but not so hot on character development.
An eyeopener into the psyche of the Muslim mind and actions.
Sci-fi only because it is 40 years in the future, but not too far out in the technical development area.
An eyeopener into the psyche of the Muslim mind and actions.
Sci-fi only because it is 40 years in the future, but not too far out in the technical development area.
May 9, 2011
I thought this was a better book than the first one. Most of the action took place in the Bible Belt which was an interesting change. I also liked the introduction of Leo. It made it easier to relate to Rikki.
didn-t-won-t-finish
March 25, 2008futuristic novel
October 28, 2008
A well-paced thriller with a strong (though somewhat predictable) setup for the the final entry in the trilogy.
October 18, 2008
The sequel to a fascinating story set in a bleak future. The author has once again conjured up a believable world filled with involving characters and plots.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews