Scorpion

Scorpion #1

by Andrew Kaplan

All that stands between the free world and World War Three is the Scorpion, a master spy who becomes caught up in the Soviet threat and Arab fanaticism in the volatile Middle East

Genres: Thriller, Fiction, Mystery, Audiobook, Espionage

336 pages, Paperback

First published May 23, 1985

About the author

Andrew Kaplan is the author of two spy thriller book series: SCORPION and HOMELAND, as well as three earlier novels, DRAGONFIRE, HOUR OF THE ASSASSINS, and WAR OF THE RAVEN, which was selected by the American Library Association as one of the 100 best books ever written about World War II. A former freelance journalist and war correspondent, he covered events around the world and served in both the U.S. Army and the Israeli Army. His work has been called “a gold standard for thrillers” and has been translated into twenty languages, topping bestseller charts around the world. Recently three of Amazon’s top 20 thrillers at one time were Scorpion books: SCORPION BETRAYAL, SCORPION WINTER and SCORPION DECEPTION. In addition, he is the author of the runaway international bestseller, HOMELAND: CARRIE'S RUN, an original prequel novel based on the award-winning hit television series. HOMELAND: SAUL'S GAME is his second HOMELAND novel.

Reviews

[Jonathan Maas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book! You can see the foundations of Andrew Kaplan's Homeland series here. I got into Kaplan through his Homeland prequel books, Carrie's Run and Saul's Game, and had a great time reading this book, the place where it all began!

[Nick Brett · Rating 3 out of 5]

Type of book I read a great many of in the 1980s. “The Scorpion” is an occasional US agent, brought up by the Bedouin and with a deep understanding of the Arab culture and ways. Brought in to follow a human trafficking ring and rescue a congressman’s daughter he comes to realise that there is much more at stake and he will butt against hidden agendas and treachery.
A lot of good things in this, enough to make me buy the second book in the series, but it does have the feel of a first book where total confidence in the writing and characters are not quite there. A few too many co-incidences and layers within layers, but at the heart of this is a good character and a well paced story.

[Blaine DeSantis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Have seen Kaplan's book around and read good reviews, so I decided to read the first of his Scorpion Thrillers. Pretty good - lots of action, lots of realism, lots of double-crossing, everything you need for a good Espionage Thriller. Not necessarily a thinking mans Espionage like Le Carre, Ambler or Freemantle. Instead Kaplan and Kerns are alike in having Espionage as part of an action-adventure book. I enjoyed it a lot and there are more in the series that I hope to read!

[Maria Beltrami · Rating 3 out of 5]

Typical escape literature, fast, full of adrenaline, full of twists and turns. The plot is not very original: the classic all-round hero who, alone, destroys an international intrigue, surrounded by characters among which the cleanest one smells of sewer.
The really interesting part is the one in which young Nick finds himself living in a tribe of Bedouins, who give him fundamental teachings. From this point of view, you can see that the author has done his homework very well.
As I was saying, good escape literature for an afternoon under the gazebo.

[Prasanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very good spy thriller from 1985 involving Russians and Arabs yet a little different than what's happening in today's scenario. No jihads and blowing up themselves in the name of God, it was simple greed for power. Some niceties about the Bedouin culture and how compassionate they were. A thoroughly enjoyable read.

[Grant · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you Enjoyed Homeland you will love this

Andrew Kaplan, the writer of the hit TV series, Homeland, puts his thrilling writing skills to good effect in this book based in the Middle East. The book gives a glimpse of the Bedouin lifestyle and beliefs. The Scorpion is an enigmatic and skilful operative who is the main character in this spy thriller.

[Logan Buckner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Andrew Kaplan never disappoints!! This book is full of action, suspense, and twists and turns that kept me hooked on every page. Kaplan did a phenomenal job giving depth to the characters and you can’t help but love and root for the Scorpion. Highly recommend!! You will not want to put this book down!

[Gary Sedivy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty decent spy tale, full of action. Of course, the hero is super-great at everything. There many players in the tale, and few are straight. Is there anyone that can be trusted? Apparently not. The tale is well told, except the penultimate chapter tosses it all upside down.

[Rish Fernando]

A great read of the spy genre and an insight into Arabic culture.

[Scull17 · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars

[A Reader's Heaven · Rating 3 out of 5]

(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)

Kelly Ormont sprints down the narrow streets of Paris. When a car pulls up and a man points a gun at her, life as she knows it is over. Within days, this beautiful congressman’s daughter will be in the Middle East, where some of the wealthiest men in the world will bid to make her their slave. Only the Scorpion can save her now.
An American raised among the Bedouin, the Scorpion is the CIA’s top agent in the Arabian peninsula. To save Kelly, he slips into the sinister underworld of human trafficking, where the kidnapped girl’s trail leads him to a Saudi prince with fanatical global ambitions. When the Scorpion discovers a link between the prince and the Russians, Kelly will not be the only person who needs a savior.

This was a pretty decent novel - considering its original publication date. It reads like it was published in 1985. There were quite a few awesome spy/espionage writers in full swing in those days - John le Carré, Frederick Forsyth, Tom Clancy to name but a few. While this book doesn't quite reach the heights of the aforementioned gentlemen, it was a good, taut thriller.

The best parts of this book are the most obvious - a kidnapping of a famous US politician's daughter, requiring the assistance of a CIA operative known as 'The Scorpion'. A lot of political connotations are played out in the Middle East and a great use of action sequences makes this book entertaining, if nothing else.

While this may have been one of the better novels of its time, it lacks a little by today's standards - in my opinion only!


Paul
ARH

[George K. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Κλασικό ψυχροπολεμικό θρίλερ της δεκαετίας του '80 με όλα τα καλούδια του είδους. Στο Παρίσι απάγεται η κόρη ενός πολυεκατομμυριούχου Αμερικανού γερουσιαστή, η οποία στέλνεται πακέτο στην Σαουδική Αραβία για το χαρέμι ενός πρίγκιπα με παράξενα γούστα. Ο Σκορπιός, ένας μισθοφόρος της CIA που μεγάλωσε στην έρημο σε μια κοινωνία Βεδουίνων, στέλνεται στην χώρα με σκοπό να βρει και να φέρει πίσω την όμορφη νεαρή Αμερικανίδα. Όμως τίποτα δεν είναι όπως φαίνεται και ο πρωταγωνιστής μας θα καταλάβει ότι διάφορα παιχνίδια παίζονται στην παγκόσμια σκακιέρα με επίκεντρο την υπόθεση που ανέλαβε.

Διεθνής κατασκοπεία, πετρέλαιο, γεωπολιτικά και οικονομικά συμφέροντα τεράστιων μεγεθών είναι μερικά από τα στοιχεία που συνθέτουν την ιστορία στην οποία θα μπλεχτεί ο Σκορπιός. Όμως, αλίμονο, είναι μαθημένος σε κάτι τέτοια και θα βγάλει μια άκρη... Στο Goodreads έχει λίγες αξιολογήσεις, κάτι που σημαίνει ότι δεν είναι και τόσο γνωστό.

Εντάξει, δεν ξετρελάθηκα κιόλας, έχω διαβάσει καλύτερα θρίλερ, όμως δεν μπορώ να παραβλέψω ότι είχε μπόλικη δράση, περίπλοκη ιστορία, εκπλήξεις και ανατροπές στο τέλος, που σίγουρα θα ικανοποιήσουν τους φαν των ψυχροπολεμικών ιστοριών, οπότε πιστεύω ότι άξιζε να είναι πιο γνωστό. Και, επίσης, θα χορτάσετε έρημο, Άραβες, κατασκοπευτικά παιχνίδια στην Μέση Ανατολή κλπ, πράγματα που με ιντριγκάρουν όσο να'ναι.

Η γραφή δεν ξεχωρίζει, πάντως μου φάνηκε ικανοποιητική και ευκολοδιάβαστη, πράγμα πολύ χρήσιμο, ενώ οι χαρακτήρες απλώς έκαναν την δουλειά τους. Γενικά πρόσημο θετικό, το μόνο σίγουρο είναι ότι πέρασα καλά!

"Ο Σκορπιός", εκδόσεις Bell.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Net Galley and Open Road Media for providing me this title in exchange for an honest review.

I actually would give this book 3 1/2 stars, but Goodreads doesn't work that way. This book while good in some parts just didn't cut it for me in others. I'm not much of a thriller fan and this title is a very good example of why not. To me, if your writing a story in English and it takes place in other countries, why are you using that language? This title did that a lot without really explaining what the heck was meant by the foreign word. I spent a good portion of this story not even knowing what the heck a lot of the words meant. When it was written in English, the story was understandable and good. However, having to use my kindle dictionary way too many times, and sometimes to no avail, is not how I like to read a book.

In a nutshell, the major premise of the book was good, but when I have to keep highlighting words to see what they mean, I fell the author let me down by not telling the story in a language I know.

[John Johnstone · Rating 3 out of 5]

Scorpion is a typical eighties based espionage thriller with the main character an independent spy / mercenary named after the stinging desert insect. He is given a mission from the CIA to rescue a kidnapped daughter of a U.S. Senator. The novel follows the Scorpion on his travels to the Middle East to try and discover where Kelly has been sold into slavery. It is clear from the beginning the Kremlin is involved in this abduction but to what end?. Andrew Caplan has written a very good Cold War style thriller but is also relevant for today's world with the middle Easter location. I enjoyed the book however it would have been better had the author not dwelled so much on painting the Scorpion's background and childhood. This information could have been delivered in a more discrete and minimal way to avoid the appearance of padding and distracting from the story.

[Paula Howard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Scorpion is the 1st book by Andrew Kaplan I have read. It won't be the last. This was the 1st of 4 books. The Scorpion, Nick, was orphaned and raised by Mutir, Islamic shepherds Nick is later "rescued" by the Americans, educated and becomes an intelligent officer.

Conned into returning to Saudi Arabia to rescue Kelly, a kidnapped American, he runs into past as well as new enemies. It is hard to run an operation when you don't know if you can trust those who are running the operation.

The story weaves together the bedouin life of the Scorpion with the turbulent political situation in the Middle East. Add a little bit of Russian involvement and you have a high octane story.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

10-18-2015 First read Kaplan's HOMELAND book. Liked his style of writing. Feels like he has included every intelligence group except Japan and Fiji. Serious violence. If a movie, they'd need to bring in gallons of blood look alike liquid. Many very sharp knives. Liked the characters and liked the multiple twists at the end.

[Tabby Shiflett · Rating 4 out of 5]

A political thriller that takes place mostly in the Middle East with realistic characters and themes. The author describes the fight scenes well and I love that the desert is portrayed as a character too. A good first book in a spy series.

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[Rosemary Dreyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars: Taught thriller that weaves a complicated plot: from the Soviet Union to Arabia to the CIA. The hero is as mysterious and wounded as Bourne, and his mission is equally as tense and engaging. This is the first Andrew Kaplan book I've read and it will not be my last. Intriguing writing!

[Mark Boss · Rating 4 out of 5]

loved it. believable story and a great twist at the end.

[Al · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good book. Very 'Jack Ryan' like.

[Gus Philpott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lots of interesting twists to this book. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It's the first Kaplan book I've read, and now I'll read much more by this author.

[Andy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Complicated, overly for me. But a few great insights sprinkled amidst too much detail.

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Worthwhile Reading

I learned a lot from reading this book parts of it were very exciting and parts of it were long slow reading. I think this is a worthwhile book to read..

[Nina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing. Due to its atmosphere, as well as because of the date it was first published. Andrew Kaplan grasped all the essential factors of the Middle East complicated situation. At the same time his book is an interesting spy thriller

Nick Curry aka Skorpion, kontraktowy agent CIA, otrzymuje od swojego oficera prowadzącego, Boba Harrisa, polecenie odnalezienia Kelly, córki kongresmana Ormonta, uprowadzonej i sprzedanej saudyjskiemu księciu, przyrodniemu bratu króla Arabii Saudyjskiej. Okazuje się, że książe przygotowuje zamach na brata, w czym pomagają mu Rosjanie, pragnący zająć miejsce Ameryki w Arabii. Czy zatem misja Skorpiona ma zupełnie inny cel i znaczenie niż mu początkowo wmawiano? Kto w tej grze okaże się przeciwnikiem, a kto sprzymierzeńcem? Jak wykorzysta Skorpion w tej rozgrywce swoje życiowe doświadczenia, dzieciństwo spędzone wśród Beduinów, Wietnam i szkolenie na Farmie CIA?

Pierwsze wydanie Skorpiona ukazało się w 1985 roku i od razu zyskało znaczny rozgłos. Rzeczywiście, jest w tej powieści coś z atmosfery, z jednej strony, Fredericka Forsytha, z drugiej, Johna le Carré. A więc, wartka akcja, ale też zaduma nad dziwnymi zrządzeniami losu oraz, przede wszystkim, bezsilność wobec gier, gierek i rozmaitych interesów wpływających na działania ludzi. Także tych, zdawałoby się, profesjonalnie i psychicznie przygotowanych do wypełniania swoich ról. Małemu Nickowi przydomek Skorpion nadał jego mądry beduiński opiekun, Sheikh Zaid, a arabska przypowieść o skorpionie i żabie jest niejako motywem przewodnim powieści. Opis dzieciństwa Nicka na pustyni, jego rozmowy z Zaidem uważam zresztą za jeden z najciekawszych wątków książki. Za to szczegółowe, do bólu, opisy akcji, w których Skorpion bierze udział chwilami mnie irytowały.

Pomiędzy wydaniem Skorpiona, a ukazaniem się kolejnej w cyklu, Zdrady Skorpiona, upłynęło 27 lat. Nigdzie nie znalazłam komentarza autora na ten temat. Skorpion reaktywowany w trzech tomach wydanych w latach 2012-2013 nie postarzał się, tak jakby czas stanął w miejscu. Może to i dobrze. Bo choć wojny, rewolucje, rozgrywki między mocarstwami przybierają różne nowe nazwy, ich istota w gruncie rzeczy niewiele się zmienia. A jeżeli, to jak na Bliskim Wschodzie, przybierają coraz groźniejsze oblicze. W swojej powieści pisanej trzydzieści lat temu Andrew Kaplan wychwycił wszystkie elementy skomplikowanej sytuacji tamtego regionu. I choćby dlatego warta jest ona uwagi.