Taken: A Novel

by Michael J. Totten

"Absolutely terrifying." -- Benjamin Kerstein, author of The Forsaken From prize-winning author and award-winning journalist Michael J. Totten comes A writer is ripped from his home and hauled bound and gagged to a remote house in the wilderness. Four ruthless captors with overseas ties and a plan here at home—the frighteningly rational leader of a homegrown Al Qaeda terrorist cell; a torturer who learned his trade in the dungeons of Egypt; and two henchmen, one a grinning sadist who can hardly wait to start cutting. Taken on a harrowing journey across three states into his very worst nightmare, he faces a terrible choice. Prove himself and join them. Or die. Praise for The Road to Fatima Gate “It is extremely rare to read such an accurate account of anything to which one was oneself a witness.” Christopher Hitchens, author of God is Not Great “Totten…practices journalism in the tradition of morally imaginative, partisan in the best sense of the word, and delivered in crackling, rapid-fire prose befitting the violent realities it depicts.” - Sohrab Ahmari, Commentary Praise for Where the West Ends “Of all the journalists now alive and writing in English, there are few whose reporting interests me more than Michael J. Totten’s—in fact, none that I can think of offhand. I spent days thinking about Where the West Ends, deeply affected by the eerie melancholy it evokes and the questions it raises about the borderlands of old empires and the places people don’t visit for pleasure.” – Claire Berlinski, author of Menace in Europe

Genres: Thriller

168 pages, Paperback

First published March 18, 2013

Reviews

[Doug · Rating 2 out of 5]

Michael Totten is an outstanding correspondent of war and the world's troubled regions. It is well worth reading, for example, "The Road to Fatima Gate," "Where the West Ends," and his blog (at www.worldaffairsjournal.org/blogs/mic...), to get a more in-depth understanding than is typically provided in the conventional media.

Here he tries his hand at fiction. Being a fan I ordered a autographed copy directly from the author. I figured even if the book isn't that great at least I am supporting him financially. Having now read "Taken" it is clear that the financial support was the best part of the transaction.

Before receiving the book I speculated about the likely plot. I assumed it would feature a Michael Totten-like character who is taken hostage (just look at the cover) and becomes enmeshed in a complex geopolitical drama. Totten went one better. The book is about MICHAEL TOTTEN who is taken hostage and becomes enmeshed in a fictional geopolitical drama. Even better, or should I say weirder, there are times when the fictional Michael Totten wonders what a fictional Michael Totten would do in his situation.

Otherwise the story is trite and uncreative. The rationale for the kidnapping is a bit forced - to demand the release of the prisoners in Guantanamo while letting Totten blog about being in captivity to draw attention to the cause. The theory, apparently, is that any publicity is good publicity. There was an opportunity to present the issue of the Guantanamo prisoners in a new light, other than that they are just a bunch of bad dudes. But Totten leaves it as black and white. Oh, sure, the kidnappers aren't all bad. One is from Seattle! But in the end this is basically a cops-and-robbers tale.

You would be far better off reading his non-fiction.

[Jennifer Bridges · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this in one sitting. I picked it out of a stack of books I’d gotten at a used-book sale, wanting to read something that wouldn’t take me multiple days and I could read somewhat distracted. So I guess it satisfied what I was looking for. But other than that, I’m not overly impressed. I definitely skimmed over some pages. This is more of a short story than a novel- without much character development. The dialogue is very simple, and the storyline is predictable. Overall, not awful (I did at least want to know how it ended) but not great either.

[Curtis Edmonds · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are several exceptionally (and intentionally) odd moments in TAKEN where author Michael Totten imagines himself as character Michael Totten imagining what author Michael Totten would do in his place. If that just made your head hurt, I'm sorry, but TAKEN is like that. Totten imagines what he would do if he were captured by a rag-tag group of Pacific Northwestern Islamists and forced to use his own wits to escape. And, bless his heart, he at least is somewhat honest enough about his prowess and doesn't take the fictional opportunity to subdue the kidnappers Rambo-style.

(Me? I would probably wet my pants and then spend as much time making a nuisance of myself as I could. "No, Achmed," I hear myself saying. "You got the salted almonds. I can't eat those. And get the Poland Spring water next time; this discount stuff you got is crap. And these ropes are totally chafing my wrists again. Ow. Stop beating me. Ow. That really hurt. Ow.")

Michael Totten knows a lot about Middle East history and psychology. It is arguable that TAKEN is less a kidnapping thriller and more a primer on what Michael Totten thinks Islamists think about. But even if that's true, the writing is good and the action scenes are written crisply. It's not top-shelf fare but certainly worth a read if you're a fan or if you're curious about what you'd do in that situation.

[librarianh20 · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was not to my tastes. I don't like the kind of meta narrative business going on and I had issues with the dialogue. If you like contemporary political thrillers or you're a die-hard nonfiction reader who rarely reads fiction, I think this could be a good choice.