Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Blacklist Aftermath by Telep, Peter (2013) Mass Market Paperback

Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell

by Peter Telep

Sam Fisher must save one man’s life to save his own country. Eccentric billionaire Igor Kasperov owns one of the most influential and successful anti-virus software companies in the world. But when the Kremlin orders him to unleash a catastrophic computer virus against the United States, he is forced to flee for his life. Sam Fisher and Fourth Echelon are charged with finding Kasperov and presenting the American president’s offer for political asylum. Because there are others looking for Kasperov. And the only thing they will offer him is a swift death…AN ALL-NEW ADVENTURE FEATURING SAM FISHER Based on Ubisoft’s bestselling game, Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell

Genres: Fiction, Thriller, Espionage, Video Games, Action, Military Fiction, Science Fiction

Unknown Binding

First published October 1, 2013

About the author

Peter Telep is the author of more than fifty novels. His collaboration with Tom Clancy, Against All Enemies, debuted at #1 on the New York Times Bestsellers List. Additionally, he has written many bestselling novels based on Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon, Endwar, and Splinter Cell video game series.

He is a produced film and television writer and has worked alongside professionals throughout the video game industry. The Doc Harrison series marks his return to fantasy and science fiction where he began his career.

Find him on Facebook, Twitter (@petertelep), and email: peter@docharrisonbooks.com. He always loves to hear from his readers!


Bonus info:

Writing as Ben Weaver: Brothers in Arms, Rebels in Arms, Patriots in Arms

Writing as P.W. Storm: The Force 5 Recon Series and The Mercenaries Series

Writing as Pete Callahan: Armored Corps, Attack by Fire, Engage and Destroy

Writing as David Michaels: Endwar, Endwar: The Hunted, Ghost Recon, Ghost Recon: Combat Ops, Splinter Cell: Endgame

Writing as Richard Michaels: The Fall of Eden (Trade Paperback)

Reviews

[هادی امینی · Rating 3 out of 5]

خیلی بهتر از بقیه قسمت‌ها بود. کاش 6 قسمت بقیه رو هم همین پیتر تلپ نوشته بود.
این بار واقعاً ایرانی‌ها قصد عملیات تروریستی داشتند. ایرانیهای وابسته به دولت و سپاه و البته با کمک و همکاری روسیه و در مقصد عربستان سعودی!!!!
با این عربستان سعودی مشکل داشتم، آخه عربستان چی هست که کسی بخواد توش عملیات تروریستی با اون حجم انجام بده.

[Ethan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Splinter Cell: Blacklist Aftermath takes place after the events of the Aftermath video game that I haven't yet played, but unlike other entries in the series, the author does a good job of explaining when he references things from the game like the "Blacklist Engineers", so I never felt lost in the story. This is one of the better written books in the now multi-decade Splinter Cell book series. There are two more after this, but the series is very "meh" and some of the books are downright bad and very poorly edited, so this will be the end of the series for me.

In this one, a noted Russian antivirus software company executive named Igor Kasperov has, under pressure from the Russian government, used his knowledge and expertise to develop a virus capable of crippling the U.S. banking system and economy. He is eventually ordered to use it, but not wanting to he flees. Fourth Echelon, the elite group consisting of video game protagonist Sam Fisher and others, try to find Kasperov to offer him political asylum in America and prevent the virus from being unleashed.

All the while, others are also trying to get to him to ensure the virus is used as part of a larger attack against the United States, and these operatives are willing to kill to get to him first. Can Fisher and his team locate Kasperov and prevent a devastating attack against America? Or will the enemy win out and unleash a geopolitical Armageddon?

There's nothing special here, but if you like the video game series or just spy thrillers in general, this one's worth checking out.

[Belinda Vlasbaard · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 sterren- Nederlandse paperback

Recensie volgt later.

[Chris The Lizard from Planet X · Rating 4 out of 5]

Splinter Cell: BlackList: Aftermath By Peter Telep, is a video game tie-in novel based on Ubisoft’s Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell video game franchise.

Set a few months after the events of Splinter Cell: Blacklist, A Russian software genius is ordered to unleash the worst computer virus ever created onto the United States by a secret rogue group of Russian billionaires He refuses and finds himself on the run. Which brings the famous Splinter Cell agent Sam Fisher in to save him There's much to the plan however as the computer virus was only the first step and nuclear terrorism was to follow. So Sam and his Fourth Echelon team race to stop all of this from coming to pass literally traveling all over the world in the process.

Splinter Cell: Aftermath was not the book that I was expecting. Instead of playing out like the slow, methodical games it read more like a big screen adventure, more in line with movies like the Mission Impossible or Jason Bourne series. Sam isn't alone in this adventure, he has a team with him, they get to travel the world, infiltrate multiple locations, get into shootout and chases, and there's a big global threat to deal with. It doesn't feel like Peter Telep is trying to translate the games into a book, but to just tell a decent story within this universe; which is absolutely the best approach.

The book never once feels like it needs you to have played any of the games that have come before, even when dealing with returning characters or referencing things from the game. Telep manages to make it all feel incredibly accessible, giving you the right amount of background when needed so that you understand character motivations and their pasts but not overwhelming you with stuff. Whilst I have played a few of the games I'm by no means an expert in the lore of this universe, but I never felt like I was missing out on anything, and there was never a moment where I felt the need to go and look anything up online to find out what I was missing.

It's not just the action and world travel that gets a focus in Splinter Cell: BlackList Aftermath however, as Sam and the various members of his Forth Echelon team also get a decent amount of focus, especially in regards to their relationships. Seeing tension between Grim and Fisher considering their pasts in the games or the cometic banter between Kobin and Fisher makes for some of the more interesting moments though out the book.

Without getting into spoiler territory, I wanted to talk about the villains a bit. Such as Snegurochka (Snow Maiden), could be confused with a Bond villain if you had to pick her out of a lineup. Her character is selfish, ruthless, and a total psychopath at times which you will love to hate. The other villains a mysterious shadowy group of rich Russians bent taking down the US from the shadows where kinda disappointing. As their just regulated to background characters.

Splinter Cell's aren't known for their all out assaults, and Telep nailed the action scenes. Shooting out lights, flash bangs, concussion grenades, and everything else you can imagine from the past Splinter Cell universe is present. The biggest compliment I can give this novel is it's never boring. When they say time flies when you're having fun, that must be true because I don't know where the time went while reading this.

Overall, A superbly written, rip-roaring, high-tech, action-adventure thriller. The characters were easy to invest in. Atmospheric, haunting and superbly plotted. If you are a fan of spy thrillers, action, or a fan of the games source material this is a must read

[Liam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Could have been a shameless cash in and was half expecting it to be, however thanks to a generously long story-line and some nice touches it scrapes 4 stars for me.

[Antonio Grasso · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an excellent reading. Sam Fisher is back, and the author takes a refreshing approach in the writing of the story. Forget too many details about Fisher's krav maga movements (e.g. he moved his leg 20 degrees up and 2 inches left, etc...), and enjoy a compelling story that not only has the right amount of details but also flows smoothly and engages the reader - plus you'll love Briggs, Korbin and to some extent Charlie!

His name is Sam Fisher. Splinter Cell.

[Benji · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tom Clancy has a talent to write fiction from a world very close to ours. This book was written in 2013 and knowing what we know now of Russia post 2014 it is safe to say he knew better than most what was happening there. It is another great action thriller that reads away quite nicely. Recommended if you like Clancy books in general.

[Utkarsh Dwivedi · Rating 5 out of 5]

And there ends another epic story. I really, really, REALLY want a game on this.
Peter Telep, the plot, at least for me, was absolutely epic. At first I thought what the hell would a virus do to destroy a country, no matter how strong the virus may be, but then... when it was revealed that the virus was just the first stage of the attack, and the third and final stage was something far more dangerous than digital crime, it nailed my thoughts man. This book is epic. Had to be. It's Splinter Cell. It's about Sam. Sam Fisher. And it's about Fourth Echelon. The team that's finally got into good terms. You rock, Sam. You're a legend.
And quoting Caldwell's words from the game, this is for the Fourth Echelon: "We give thanks to the brave men and women who worked tirelessly to bring these terrorists to justice. The world will never know their work. Their names will be lost to history. But their sacrifice will never be forgotten."
#Epic
#Legendary
#MoreThanJustWords
#FourthEchelon
#SamFisher
#SplinterCell

[Quentin Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars

This was possibly the best of the Splinter Cell novels. A Russian software genius is ordered to unleash the worst computer virus ever created onto the world by a rogue group of billionaires. He refuses and finds himself on the run, which brings Sam Fisher in to save him. There's much more to the plan however, as the computer virus was only the first step and nuclear terrorism was to follow. So Sam and his team race to stop all of this from coming to pass, literally traveling all over the world in the process.

Really great action/adventure novel in the Clancy tradition. I really wish this series had continued, as I really enjoyed them all.

[Victor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Had low expectations for this book but was pleasantly surprised. A riveting tale of political intrigue, covert counter-terrorism ops and heightened tensions between the east and the west in the style of the current political climate. It is recommended that you play the game before reading this book as it makes it easier to put everything in perspective and allows you to picture the characters and their different personas more cogently.

[Kit Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing follow up to the Blacklist game storyline. Had a blast reading it. I finished this shortly after reading a Bond book and Aftermath certainly has its own flair.

Kasparov is a great character. Snow Maiden is one of the most interesting Russian agent type assassins I've ever read about.

The ending is well designed and keeps escalating every page.

I highly recommend it to espionage fans and fans of the Splinter Cell game series.

[Darryl Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the first two Splinter Cell novels solely because Raymond Benson wrote them (I don't play videogames). Those two novels I knew would be good, and they were. They were so good that I wanted to read more adventures of Sam Fisher and picked up SPLINTER CELL: BLACKLIST AFTERMATH by Peter Telep. Telep's even better than Benson, which is high praise indeed because Ray is fabulous (whether he's writing Bond, Hitman, etc.). After I finished Benson's Operation Barracuda I started reading Telep's SPLINTER CELL: BLACKLIST AFTERMATH at bedtime and got 62 pages in before sleep claimed me. I woke up at 5:30, re-engaged, didn't stop reading until I was done and immediately picked up Splinter Cell: Conviction (which Telep also wrote).

SPLINTER CELL: BLACKLIST AFTERMATH is filled with edge-of-your-seat action that I can only describe using Stan Lee's overblown phrase ‘pulse-pounding.’ A scene with Fisher & Briggs on the side of a mountain and a rescue mission in a hotel had my blood roaring in my ears. That, my friends, takes super writing chops. Also there's a fight aboard a train (involving a superb antagonist who also appears in the Endwar series) that I wished would never end because it was so exciting. As a qualifier I've done some writing myself and words usually don't fail me, but I simply cannot articulate the buzz I got from Telep's wordsmithing. Wished I'd discovered him when he first started back in the nineties.

Two years later I read this novel again. It was just as good the second time around. What especially impressed me on my reread was Telep's tech savvy, his understanding of geopolitics and seamless storytelling---still a page-turning yarn even though I knew what was about to happen.

[J.B. Mathias · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mediocre spy thriller that could have swapped some names out and you'd never even suspect this was supposed to be a Splintercell book. It builds off of the end of the video game Blacklist which while a decent game was my least favourite in the series. The whole point of splintercell is that he's a lone stealth operative but in this one he's constantly working with a team and there's virtually no stealth. Every encounter is guns blazing and explosions.

Another thing that bothered me is they almost seem to be intentionally neutering Fisher. They make it a point to suggest that Briggs is as competent and even better in some areas and for most of the book he relies on Briggs as the triggerman. He also repeatedly gets his ass handed to him by "the snow maiden" who they tried really hard to make seem cool at Sams expense.

Also the book was pretty boring for long stretches and the stakes of the plot don't really get figured out till near the end. It was a lot of buildup for a mediocre payoff. It wasn't horrible but I was expecting more from the last entry in a series titled "aftermath"

[Thomas Uebel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unlike the other Splinter Cell books, I thought this one started a bit slowly, albeit Peter Telep puts you right into the action. It quickly becomes a page turner. For fans of the series (video game and books) feel right at home: The book starts after the events of Splinter Cell Blacklist (VG). The author has a style of writing that fits perfectly with the series. Spending enough time on details and scenery without neglecting the fast-paced action. The environment “feels” lively, and the character interactions make sense. Page by page, more and more adrenaline is rushed through the system until the book comes to an end with a very well-written climax. I really enjoyed the book, so much so, that I'd love for Snegurochka to make an appearance in the video games. Either way, if you haven't read any of the books (or this one in particular) and are in dire need for some Splinter Cell action, this is a great time to scratch that Stealth action thriller itch. That is, until the remake, hopefully finds a way on our screens.

[Jeroen · Rating 2 out of 5]

A decent story made more complicated by continual references to the 'blacklist' events of the title. I bought the book when it first came out and have since tried a few times to read it. For some reason I kept getting stuck near the start of the book. This time around I kept going. Given the recent restart of the series, I'm glad I finished the book. Reading it all that time after reading the rest of the series was difficult though as there are many references to the blacklist event from the previous book. The story wise there is a lot going on, including a new team dynamic. This probably would have been better without the references back, though then the title would have made less sense. It makes little sense as-is as the primary story is not connected (much) to the blacklist event. Would not recommend as a standalone book, though it had that potential.

[Kenny Hartlauer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I gave this installment of Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell 3 stars. I felt the characterization of the main character of Sam Fisher was a change in the wrong direction. Gone are the days of the light hearted, witty Sam and instead we get a rugged, borderline boorish Sam. He can even be a little annoying when he's complaining constantly about not having all his "spy" toys in one part of the story. This was the first time in the series that I've had a hard time connecting with his character. It was nice however to see Sam team up with another character and mentor them, even if said character was under developed and kind of just there to help drive the plot. Overall, this story was okay but certainly not anywhere near as well written or thought out as other entries in the series.

[MrsPyramidhead · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was surprisingly good. If you are familiar with the game and just want a little more story you should check this out it feels very much like the game. There are only a couple things I didn't like but they're spoilers so I won't say what they are. Overall this was a quick decent read, I enjoyed it!

[Tony Roberts · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not bad

Do you how when a word or phrase gets hung in our mind, that’s all we hear?
It’s that way with this book. “He cried, she cried, that all cried!”
How about “yell, scream, exclaimed!”

[Reggie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. As a follow up to the game it’s weak and discards much of the story elements. As a book, there were a few decent action scenes but lots of character interactions that felt flat. I’ve read better! Sam Fisher acts like a Boomer which is amusing considering the de-aging he received in Blacklist.

[Andrew Schaps · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reads like a plot to a video game, it kept me entertained.

[Doug · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was one from the series that I missed when it first come out - good story line and I guess now I will have to see if there are any others in the series that I missed

[Joe Pickard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Best Sam Fisher novel I have read yet!!

[Jean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good. Lots of action that seemed possibly reality based. Good read.

[Scarlet Phillips · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed great story in the splinter cell universe and a really good build up of action with a threatening antagonist

[Konstant1n · Rating 5 out of 5]

Magnificent...

[Herbert Scott Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aftermath

Always a good read. Action moves at a pace where you can break your reading moments into chunks your schedule can accommodate. Good storyline and still "believable".

By

[Levi Veltkamp · Rating 2 out of 5]

Story is okay but Peter Telep throws stealth out the window for cliche action scenes and nearly every mission gets butchered.

[Zach · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once the hunt begins, Sam Fisher is relentless in his pursuit of completing the mission. A fun sequel, on par with the previous books in the series & fairly quick read.

[CJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

No discretion only explosion
Too much hollywood
Too much mission impossible
All those struggles only for this lukewarm finale

[Mojofiction · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked this book up on a whim and I don’t remember why. But, like the forging of the one ring, some things cannot be undone.

Let’s be clear, this book has a target audience, which is 15-year-old males, because grown men like me shouldn’t be playing video games. See, I remember being 15 and reading Don Pendleton’s Mack Bolan, who was a super-secret-agent type person with carte blanche to do whatever was necessary to construct super-awesome action sequences of immense, consequence-free Hollywood violence. I loved it. I also remember playing a secret agent role-playing game called Top Secret and loving it even more (did I mention that I didn’t date a lot in high school?). So I understand and the nostalgia I felt while reading this book was palpable. So, for every teenage boy out there who thinks henchmen are a dime a dozen and there’s nothing that can’t be solved with only a tactical assault rifle and unlimited government clearance, this one’s for you:

Here’s the rundown:

Russian billionaire software mogul Igor Kasperov has vanished and the entire Russian intelligence community has mobilized to find him. Due to other recent events in Russia, the U.S. is very curious as to what’s going on, so they decide to try to find Igor themselves. Returning from South America in a failed attempt to locate some nuclear material that has recently gone missing from a high-security facility (in Russia!), Sam Fisher and his group, now called Fourth Echelon, are assigned to the mission.

Fourth Echelon is a super-duper black ops project that answers only to the president of the United States when they feel like calling her, which is often, because the president apparently doesn’t have anything else going on. They operate out of a military cargo plane refitted with a state-of-the-art computer system that can hack every security camera on earth at a moment’s notice, even in places where there aren’t any security cameras, and beam the information into Sam’s tri-focals (seriously, that is NOT a Zelda reference).

The plane stands ready to deliver Fourth Echelon to any action scene in the world where Sam Fisher might be needed to spring into action with his action-packed +5 Über-Patriotism of Action-ness. No henchman’s life is too small to spare; no grenade is too unnecessary to leave unexploded. When Chuck Norris goes to sleep, he checks under his bed for Sam Fisher. Yeah, I said it.

As Sam’s team inches closer to finding Kasperov, things get complicated when they find out the man’s daughter has been captured by a sinister GRU agent who will stop at nothing to get her target, including killing innocent people who would otherwise have nothing to do with the story. Thinking that the daughter may be the best way to find the father, Fourth Echelon moves in, and the chess match between intelligence forces is on.

As you might expect, the weakest aspect of the novel is the thin characterizations and forced emotional moments. The author knows his military hardware and tactics, but in the hands of automatons, it’s not that interesting. Oddly enough, Kasperov is a well-drawn character and his moments on the page are welcome. I thought that a greater focus on his run from the Russian authorities would have made for a fascinating read, as a civilian caught up in international espionage and cyber-terrorism, running from his country and trying to find his daughter, could have provided not only a solid emotional core for the story, but delivered a real sense of tension and fear. But this is a book about a video game, after all, so, understandably, the storyline stayed on Fisher and his team. But I think the author missed the best story.

So there you go. This book hits all the right marks for a video game tie-in, with cinematic action from cover to cover, high-tech gadgets and weaponry, and two highly trained soldiers HALO-jumping in to deliver justice from above, just like I imagined doing when I was 15.