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Empire of Lies
Sustained by a deep religious faith, Jason Harrow has built a stable family and become a pillar of principle and patriotism in the Midwest. Then the phone rings, and his past is on the other end of the line. A woman with whom he once shared a life of violence and desire claims her daughter is missing and Jason is the one man who can find her.
Returning to New York City, Jason finds himself entangled in a murderous conspiracy only he can see and only he can stop a plot that bizarrely links his private passions to the turmoil of a world at war. Hunted by terrorists and by the police, Jason has only hours to unravel an ex-lover s lies and face the unbearable truth: In order to prevent a savage attack on his country, he s going to have to risk his decency, his sanity, and his life.
Praise for ANDREW KLAVAN
The most original American novelist of crime and suspense since Cornell Woolrich. Stephen King
Klavan does tough-guy heroes and sexual tension better than anyone writing today. Janet Evanovich
Klavan, who has a perfect sense of timing, delivers all the cliffhangers and hairpin turns that you want from a beat-the-clock suspense thriller. "The New York Times Book Review"
Klavan writes with an artisan s eye, a pro s assurance, and a poet s touch. [He] is one of my drop-everything-and-read authors. Gregg Hurwitz
Klavan winds his tale tighter and tighter until the reader is hopelessly spellbound. Clive Cussler
Klavan s confidently wry style keeps things punched up throughout. "The Atlantic Monthly"
"
Returning to New York City, Jason finds himself entangled in a murderous conspiracy only he can see and only he can stop a plot that bizarrely links his private passions to the turmoil of a world at war. Hunted by terrorists and by the police, Jason has only hours to unravel an ex-lover s lies and face the unbearable truth: In order to prevent a savage attack on his country, he s going to have to risk his decency, his sanity, and his life.
Praise for ANDREW KLAVAN
The most original American novelist of crime and suspense since Cornell Woolrich. Stephen King
Klavan does tough-guy heroes and sexual tension better than anyone writing today. Janet Evanovich
Klavan, who has a perfect sense of timing, delivers all the cliffhangers and hairpin turns that you want from a beat-the-clock suspense thriller. "The New York Times Book Review"
Klavan writes with an artisan s eye, a pro s assurance, and a poet s touch. [He] is one of my drop-everything-and-read authors. Gregg Hurwitz
Klavan winds his tale tighter and tighter until the reader is hopelessly spellbound. Clive Cussler
Klavan s confidently wry style keeps things punched up throughout. "The Atlantic Monthly"
"
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First published July 1, 2008
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Andrew Klavan
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 139 reviews
January 18, 2011
Until now, it's been rare to find an unabashedly conservative author writing point-blank about a protagonist who is also unabashedly conservative and who encounters the world from that perspective. It was so rare I found myself questioning the hero's reactions to the plot, but since we share much of the same worldview, I found him refreshingly realistic. It's like in so many movies where the hero is beset by difficulties and he NEVER turns his face to God. In real life, God is the first one to hear our laments, but not in Hollywood.
Klavan presents a hero who, notwithstanding his turn toward the light, still has plenty of darkness in him, and that darkness not only makes him interesting, but impacts on the story itself. Caught up in a terrorist plot of huge proportions, his own failings and issues keep apace the political thriller, yielding a rare depth of storytelling.
In so many such stories, heros have no families, no friends, no physical needs, no real emotional issues (beyond the obvious and trite: alcoholism or drug addition). Klavan's hero is a real person trying to be a better one; he succeeds in a way that I wish more heros succeeded: not only does he save the day, he also saves himself.
Klavan presents a hero who, notwithstanding his turn toward the light, still has plenty of darkness in him, and that darkness not only makes him interesting, but impacts on the story itself. Caught up in a terrorist plot of huge proportions, his own failings and issues keep apace the political thriller, yielding a rare depth of storytelling.
In so many such stories, heros have no families, no friends, no physical needs, no real emotional issues (beyond the obvious and trite: alcoholism or drug addition). Klavan's hero is a real person trying to be a better one; he succeeds in a way that I wish more heros succeeded: not only does he save the day, he also saves himself.
August 23, 2011
I am not a fan of thrillers. So Klavan's talent with writing a three dimensional character, deadpan voice, ironic perspective, and well paced action have to be complimented.
I am less judgmental of the political perspective than other reviewers, because of Klavan's earnest honesty about his protagonist as a whole. Setting the tone with the external trappings of a cliche conservative male and then taking the reader into the head and demons of this man. CS Lewis said that evil people do not believe that good men know temptation, and his reply was that the good have struggled against temptation longest. Klavan draws such a struggle. One scene involving our protagonist literally fleeing lust that he almost fell into. The literal, sin is death picture was skillfully drawn.
This is not a classic, or likely Klavan's best, but an enjoyable and sometimes stirring read for adults. I tend to believe men who have a hard time being drawn into books will enjoy a work clearly written with an understanding for what they feel and go through, without judgement or apologies.
I am less judgmental of the political perspective than other reviewers, because of Klavan's earnest honesty about his protagonist as a whole. Setting the tone with the external trappings of a cliche conservative male and then taking the reader into the head and demons of this man. CS Lewis said that evil people do not believe that good men know temptation, and his reply was that the good have struggled against temptation longest. Klavan draws such a struggle. One scene involving our protagonist literally fleeing lust that he almost fell into. The literal, sin is death picture was skillfully drawn.
This is not a classic, or likely Klavan's best, but an enjoyable and sometimes stirring read for adults. I tend to believe men who have a hard time being drawn into books will enjoy a work clearly written with an understanding for what they feel and go through, without judgement or apologies.
March 8, 2009
Peter Kreeft once wrote that preaching to the choir is also known as edification and Klavan's book seems to be attempting a type of edification of cultural conservatives, but fails. He has a born-again Christian protagonist who has a past involving some nasty sexual deviancy before he gained the three kids, high income, and beautiful home in middle America. Sure, he rails against left-wing media bias in a way that makes conservatives smile but his spiritual wrestling comes off as stiff and hollow. The character finds himself fading back into his former life and appears to be more interested in being transparent than repentant. But, it is fast-paced and interesting until about 70 pages to go when he brings the plot together to an all too pat conclusion.
September 26, 2015
This book is so bad i was forced to give up. The first 2 pages I thought this is a little strange, after 15 pages I thought maybe the author is trying to be funny, and after 75 pages of unadulterated rubbish I just gave up. I hate quitting a book, but at a certain point life just becomes too short to continue reading rubbish.
How do I hate this book, let me count the ways.
1. The book is a political diatribe first, a moral diatribe second, a thriller last - the action being a mechanism to drive home crude political stereotypes. For example the the heros wife`s character development is limited to she used to be a career woman and ergo was profoundly unhappy until the hero noticed her and after a while proposed under the condition that he was the head of the house and hey presto she learned true happiness.
2. Its not so much the message that is poor but that the author is so far gone that any subtlety goes out the window. The good are heroic and republican (if a little perverted) the bad are foreign and from the left. It is so ham fisted here as to be laughable.
3. Reading thrillers is not where you go for expertly drawn subtle characters based on reality, it is a form of escapism that has always been my guilty pleasure. So I can usually forgive some crudity in characters and plotting but this book just left me deeply resenting that all the hysterical finger pointing that passes for political debate has infected my favourite genre.
Someone released a little Glenn Beck monkey and gave them a typewritter this bilge was the result. Spare yourself and read something good.
How do I hate this book, let me count the ways.
1. The book is a political diatribe first, a moral diatribe second, a thriller last - the action being a mechanism to drive home crude political stereotypes. For example the the heros wife`s character development is limited to she used to be a career woman and ergo was profoundly unhappy until the hero noticed her and after a while proposed under the condition that he was the head of the house and hey presto she learned true happiness.
2. Its not so much the message that is poor but that the author is so far gone that any subtlety goes out the window. The good are heroic and republican (if a little perverted) the bad are foreign and from the left. It is so ham fisted here as to be laughable.
3. Reading thrillers is not where you go for expertly drawn subtle characters based on reality, it is a form of escapism that has always been my guilty pleasure. So I can usually forgive some crudity in characters and plotting but this book just left me deeply resenting that all the hysterical finger pointing that passes for political debate has infected my favourite genre.
Someone released a little Glenn Beck monkey and gave them a typewritter this bilge was the result. Spare yourself and read something good.
March 17, 2014
Andrew Klavan made quite a stir in the media a few years back, claiming that his traditional Christian values are hurting his career as writer of high-octane books and movie thrillers. But when you read this book, you find out very quickly that this writer really has the stuff. Lightning fast action scenes, incredible tension, and a plot so intricate and terrifying that it keeps you racing till the very end.
Jason Harrow is a middle aged, wealthy American who has worked hard to build a good life for himself. But a chance meeting with a child he might have fathered years ago plunges him into an underworld of dangerous terrorist conspiracies and brutal violence. Stop reading here if you don't want to hear about the details of the explosive climax!
THIS IS WHERE I START REVEALING PLOT SPOILERS.
I loved the early chapters of the book, where Jason is introduced, we meet his family, see the scorching sins of his shameful past, and so forth. I raced through the whole book in about three days, which is very fast for me. But when it was over, I found there were a lot of plot holes and gaping flaws, which somewhat reduced my enjoyment of the genuinely powerful story. Most of the problems centered around characterization of the villains and the actual terrorist plot.
JAMAL is depicted as nothing more than a teenage punk, a cheap hood who fights with guns and drives a Cadillac. It was impossible to believe that this dime store hood was involved in, let alone the mastermind, of a deadly bomb plot involving huge logistics and security problems. We never find out if Jamal is American born, foreign born, where he comes from, how he was recruited, or anything. Klavans obviously thinks it's weak-willed and cowardly to "know your enemy" but as a writer he needs to work a lot harder on making his villains credible and dangerous.
PROFESSOR RASHID is an even more extreme example of this. There's nothing wrong with having a smug, elitist professor as a bad guy. The propaganda war is an important front in the War on Terror. But who would believe this elegant, pampered professor would be "in" on all the nitty gritty details -- where the bombs are planted, how to disarm them, etc. This is just not believable. The "interrogation" scene where Jason gets medieval on his behind is meant to be shocking and disturbing, but to me it was just silly. When you want a demolitions expert, you don't hire an English professor. It's almost like Klavans is afraid to create a villain strong enough to challenge his hero. This problem effects the good characters, too.
PATRICK PIERSALL is a dreadfully embarrassing character. He's clearly modeled on a much loved and respected TV Starship captain, (no, not the bald freak, the REAL captain of the Enterprise.) Yet Klavans can't make up his mind whether the guy is a stumblebum drunk or a hero. The story would have been so much better if Piersall had been shown as a hero from the beginning, and if he had left out all the silly cheap shots at aging movie actors.
This points up the real conflict in EMPIRE OF LIES. Klavan can't decide which he hates more -- Islamic fundamentalism or America freedom. He claims to love "freedom" but his loathing for even the most wholesome and innocent forms of celebrity culture (I'm! A Captain! Of A Starship! Where All Races! Live! Like Brothers!) combined with a screeching, shivering terror of female sexuality (Why can't they stop tempting me?) and teenagers (Why do they talk back all the time?) make Jason Harrow seem, paradoxically, like the ideal recruit for Al Qaeda. He's a better Muslim than the Muslims we're supposed to believe he really hates.
None of this means that EMPIRE OF LIES isn't a thrilling, fast paced read. But once you've read it over you see a lot of flaws and inconsistencies that a more seasoned writer would have addressed. Hopefully Andrew Klavan's next book will be even better!
Jason Harrow is a middle aged, wealthy American who has worked hard to build a good life for himself. But a chance meeting with a child he might have fathered years ago plunges him into an underworld of dangerous terrorist conspiracies and brutal violence. Stop reading here if you don't want to hear about the details of the explosive climax!
THIS IS WHERE I START REVEALING PLOT SPOILERS.
I loved the early chapters of the book, where Jason is introduced, we meet his family, see the scorching sins of his shameful past, and so forth. I raced through the whole book in about three days, which is very fast for me. But when it was over, I found there were a lot of plot holes and gaping flaws, which somewhat reduced my enjoyment of the genuinely powerful story. Most of the problems centered around characterization of the villains and the actual terrorist plot.
JAMAL is depicted as nothing more than a teenage punk, a cheap hood who fights with guns and drives a Cadillac. It was impossible to believe that this dime store hood was involved in, let alone the mastermind, of a deadly bomb plot involving huge logistics and security problems. We never find out if Jamal is American born, foreign born, where he comes from, how he was recruited, or anything. Klavans obviously thinks it's weak-willed and cowardly to "know your enemy" but as a writer he needs to work a lot harder on making his villains credible and dangerous.
PROFESSOR RASHID is an even more extreme example of this. There's nothing wrong with having a smug, elitist professor as a bad guy. The propaganda war is an important front in the War on Terror. But who would believe this elegant, pampered professor would be "in" on all the nitty gritty details -- where the bombs are planted, how to disarm them, etc. This is just not believable. The "interrogation" scene where Jason gets medieval on his behind is meant to be shocking and disturbing, but to me it was just silly. When you want a demolitions expert, you don't hire an English professor. It's almost like Klavans is afraid to create a villain strong enough to challenge his hero. This problem effects the good characters, too.
PATRICK PIERSALL is a dreadfully embarrassing character. He's clearly modeled on a much loved and respected TV Starship captain, (no, not the bald freak, the REAL captain of the Enterprise.) Yet Klavans can't make up his mind whether the guy is a stumblebum drunk or a hero. The story would have been so much better if Piersall had been shown as a hero from the beginning, and if he had left out all the silly cheap shots at aging movie actors.
This points up the real conflict in EMPIRE OF LIES. Klavan can't decide which he hates more -- Islamic fundamentalism or America freedom. He claims to love "freedom" but his loathing for even the most wholesome and innocent forms of celebrity culture (I'm! A Captain! Of A Starship! Where All Races! Live! Like Brothers!) combined with a screeching, shivering terror of female sexuality (Why can't they stop tempting me?) and teenagers (Why do they talk back all the time?) make Jason Harrow seem, paradoxically, like the ideal recruit for Al Qaeda. He's a better Muslim than the Muslims we're supposed to believe he really hates.
None of this means that EMPIRE OF LIES isn't a thrilling, fast paced read. But once you've read it over you see a lot of flaws and inconsistencies that a more seasoned writer would have addressed. Hopefully Andrew Klavan's next book will be even better!
April 6, 2020
I need to edit this review, starting with saying that I didn't finish it or even make it ten percent of the way through. Some people will choose to ignore this review because of that, or because of what this review contains. So be it. So here goes...
Honestly not possible to recommend this book.
The thing about thrillers is that they have to thrill, preferably by the first couple pages. In Dean Koontz's Lightning, within the first 20 odd pages, a man kidnaps a doc at gunpoint to keep him from botching a new birth. In Dean Koontz's Odd Thomas, Odd discovers an old acquaintance of his is a pedophile and engages him in hand-to-hand. In the Husband, a wife gets kidnapped over the phone. In Midnight, a jogger is attacked and killed by mutants. In Life Expectancy, a crazy clown man has his wife die during pregnancy and responds by shooting up the hospital. You get the idea.
Within 20 odd pages of Klavan's book, we get Klavan's viewpoints. The prologue is the main character, Harrow, whining about how the mainstream media (including all tv networks like the conservative Fox News, I guess) hates him because he's a conservative Christian. Yawn. Whatever. Skim through it.
Then we get to chapter 1: Saturday: Once upon a time there was a city that was run by liberals. Criminals were let off easy and taxes were too high. Then I used my awesome conservative articles to break up the unions and send the criminals back to jail. It wouldn't have been so bad if it had happened organically and actually played out in the context of the story, as opposed to coming one after the other, like Klavan was marking off a checklist.
I made it as far as the character's wife. And out comes the checklist again. She was independent and focused on her career, and as a result she was miserable and men didn't want to date her. Check. The man who just left her was a liberal "New Man" or whatever. Check. She was like this because her mother was a feminist who urged her to be independent and focus on her career. Check. Her sister became a housewife, and winded up completely happy with like 20 kids or something. Check.
They date and the main protagonist tells her that the marriage won't be an equal partnership. Check. He'll call the shots because he's a "because I said so" kinda guy. Check. He won't cheat on her. Check.
But he WILL fantasize about other women with zero guilt in spite of being a Christian, and he rudely dismisses that anyone would find him shallow for seriously struggling between his family and banging a woman he doesn't even know.
Of course, being a devout Christian apparently, he obviously brings up the fact that the Father, Son, and Holy Poltergeist probably don't approve of husbands cheating on their spouses. Except he doesn't, which is strange considering he's "sustained by a deep religious faith." And he obviously doesn't have sex with his girlfriend BEFORE the marriage for that exact reason. Except he does. Because it's a "manly" book I guess...
So the woman he wants to cheat with instead sleeps with an "environmental impact expert." Because of course HE couldn't fight her off. Check.
And Harrow's fiance becomes his wife/servant and now she's completely happy. Check and check. And now I'm done, and put the book back on the shelf.
It's hard to recommend this even to conservatives. From the reviews here, many of them find the heavy-handedness of the author to be a mixed bag, as it permeates the story.
Dean Koontz is a conservative. In his early writing period (his best period): more or less a Christian libertarian. In his later period: more or less a moralizing doomsday prophet who's confused overly long metaphors and a string of dependent clauses for good writing. But even in his better works, like early-period Lightning, he would sometimes preach to the reader. But the keyword is "sometimes." In Lightning, he's far too busy telling an awesome thriller to get on his soapbox for an extended period. It's also worth noting the political diatribes didn't start until halfway through the book.
It's a similar story with Stephen King's "The Tommyknockers." There's a prominent anti-nuclear power and anti-government message, but it's balanced off by the fact that the main character is usually drunk out of his mind when he's ranting about it. Even then, I distinctly remember hating reading about a drunk poet and his nuclear power rants because I wanted to be reading about the UFO buried in the Earth--shockingly enough.
"But Empire of Klavan is a political thriller."
No it isn't. It's a political screed, in the vein of Beck's entirely ghost-written Overton Window. And absolutely nothing was thrilling in the first two-dozen pages of that book either. Klavan's focus on getting his political views across first and foremost will make the story predictable, because ideologues are predictable. Will every single Muslim in the story be evil? Maybe not. Most of them? Probably so. Same thing with those snooty academics and their "science" and "education."
None of which stops him from complaining about The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo because of its own left-wing political bias. So when Klavan does it, it's perfectly fine; but when a liberal does it, it's wrong. Gotcha.
It does seem better written than Beck's Overton Window, because Beck had ghostwriters do the heavy-lifting for him, while Klavan is an actual novelist with an actual bibliography. Whether they are actually good, I dunno.
As for me, I don't think I'd appreciate it if an author spent the first ten, fifteen pages of his/her book like this-
"Once there was a town run by conservatives. Unarmed minorities and LGBTs were assaulted and shot in the streets, and private corporations did whatever they wanted because there were no regulations. Then I used my awesome articles to force the police to follow police procedure and force the private companies to pay above the minimum wage, unlock their fire escape doors, and burn their copies of "Atlas Shrugged." Oh, did I tell you about this woman? She was Christian and went to church and devoted to her husband and so she was obviously completely miserable. Then she rejected God, divorced her husband, swore off men and became a vegan. Now she's completely happy."
-instead of just telling the story.
"Well, it's telling an unabashedly liberal perspective of something from an unabashed liberal. There wasn't time to tell the story! And of course, all the evil/miserable people will be conservative and all the good people will be liberals, with no in between! That just makes sense! Of course that's how the first 20 pages of a thriller* should go."
Well, good for you. One star.
Honestly not possible to recommend this book.
The thing about thrillers is that they have to thrill, preferably by the first couple pages. In Dean Koontz's Lightning, within the first 20 odd pages, a man kidnaps a doc at gunpoint to keep him from botching a new birth. In Dean Koontz's Odd Thomas, Odd discovers an old acquaintance of his is a pedophile and engages him in hand-to-hand. In the Husband, a wife gets kidnapped over the phone. In Midnight, a jogger is attacked and killed by mutants. In Life Expectancy, a crazy clown man has his wife die during pregnancy and responds by shooting up the hospital. You get the idea.
Within 20 odd pages of Klavan's book, we get Klavan's viewpoints. The prologue is the main character, Harrow, whining about how the mainstream media (including all tv networks like the conservative Fox News, I guess) hates him because he's a conservative Christian. Yawn. Whatever. Skim through it.
Then we get to chapter 1: Saturday: Once upon a time there was a city that was run by liberals. Criminals were let off easy and taxes were too high. Then I used my awesome conservative articles to break up the unions and send the criminals back to jail. It wouldn't have been so bad if it had happened organically and actually played out in the context of the story, as opposed to coming one after the other, like Klavan was marking off a checklist.
I made it as far as the character's wife. And out comes the checklist again. She was independent and focused on her career, and as a result she was miserable and men didn't want to date her. Check. The man who just left her was a liberal "New Man" or whatever. Check. She was like this because her mother was a feminist who urged her to be independent and focus on her career. Check. Her sister became a housewife, and winded up completely happy with like 20 kids or something. Check.
They date and the main protagonist tells her that the marriage won't be an equal partnership. Check. He'll call the shots because he's a "because I said so" kinda guy. Check. He won't cheat on her. Check.
But he WILL fantasize about other women with zero guilt in spite of being a Christian, and he rudely dismisses that anyone would find him shallow for seriously struggling between his family and banging a woman he doesn't even know.
Of course, being a devout Christian apparently, he obviously brings up the fact that the Father, Son, and Holy Poltergeist probably don't approve of husbands cheating on their spouses. Except he doesn't, which is strange considering he's "sustained by a deep religious faith." And he obviously doesn't have sex with his girlfriend BEFORE the marriage for that exact reason. Except he does. Because it's a "manly" book I guess...
So the woman he wants to cheat with instead sleeps with an "environmental impact expert." Because of course HE couldn't fight her off. Check.
And Harrow's fiance becomes his wife/servant and now she's completely happy. Check and check. And now I'm done, and put the book back on the shelf.
It's hard to recommend this even to conservatives. From the reviews here, many of them find the heavy-handedness of the author to be a mixed bag, as it permeates the story.
Dean Koontz is a conservative. In his early writing period (his best period): more or less a Christian libertarian. In his later period: more or less a moralizing doomsday prophet who's confused overly long metaphors and a string of dependent clauses for good writing. But even in his better works, like early-period Lightning, he would sometimes preach to the reader. But the keyword is "sometimes." In Lightning, he's far too busy telling an awesome thriller to get on his soapbox for an extended period. It's also worth noting the political diatribes didn't start until halfway through the book.
It's a similar story with Stephen King's "The Tommyknockers." There's a prominent anti-nuclear power and anti-government message, but it's balanced off by the fact that the main character is usually drunk out of his mind when he's ranting about it. Even then, I distinctly remember hating reading about a drunk poet and his nuclear power rants because I wanted to be reading about the UFO buried in the Earth--shockingly enough.
"But Empire of Klavan is a political thriller."
No it isn't. It's a political screed, in the vein of Beck's entirely ghost-written Overton Window. And absolutely nothing was thrilling in the first two-dozen pages of that book either. Klavan's focus on getting his political views across first and foremost will make the story predictable, because ideologues are predictable. Will every single Muslim in the story be evil? Maybe not. Most of them? Probably so. Same thing with those snooty academics and their "science" and "education."
None of which stops him from complaining about The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo because of its own left-wing political bias. So when Klavan does it, it's perfectly fine; but when a liberal does it, it's wrong. Gotcha.
It does seem better written than Beck's Overton Window, because Beck had ghostwriters do the heavy-lifting for him, while Klavan is an actual novelist with an actual bibliography. Whether they are actually good, I dunno.
As for me, I don't think I'd appreciate it if an author spent the first ten, fifteen pages of his/her book like this-
"Once there was a town run by conservatives. Unarmed minorities and LGBTs were assaulted and shot in the streets, and private corporations did whatever they wanted because there were no regulations. Then I used my awesome articles to force the police to follow police procedure and force the private companies to pay above the minimum wage, unlock their fire escape doors, and burn their copies of "Atlas Shrugged." Oh, did I tell you about this woman? She was Christian and went to church and devoted to her husband and so she was obviously completely miserable. Then she rejected God, divorced her husband, swore off men and became a vegan. Now she's completely happy."
-instead of just telling the story.
"Well, it's telling an unabashedly liberal perspective of something from an unabashed liberal. There wasn't time to tell the story! And of course, all the evil/miserable people will be conservative and all the good people will be liberals, with no in between! That just makes sense! Of course that's how the first 20 pages of a thriller* should go."
Well, good for you. One star.
October 10, 2021
Not the worst book in the world, but Klavan has done a lot better, both before and after this one. I'm wondering if this is the first book he wrote after becoming a Christian, and if it's rocky because he's needing to find a new balance.
That said, it's got Klavan's greatest strength, namely that, once it gets going, the plot rockets right along. He's also at his snarky best (not always a plus, IMHO, but I find it amusing now and then, and it's something most fans must appreciate). And at least the female characters in this book show a bit of variety, if not depth. Klavan is generally terrible with female characters, so I'll take what I can get on that front.
But, while I rarely find Klaven’s female characters sufficiently rounded or believable, in this book he goes whole hog “Hollywood Horndog,” which initially annoyed me. His main character totally buys into the idea that All Real Men are just helpless balls of lust, who can’t help but think of women as just a collection of parts they want to bang, and who avoid casual sex when happily married only and entirely because they know it’ll blow up in their face. Typically, but most annoyingly, the main character, in his youth, believed the world turned on sex, money and power, and was convinced he was immune to the second two temptations while losing himself in the first.
In actual fact, of course, the Hollywood Horndog's primary drive is for status (a form of power), and he has subverted his sex drive in service of that. I find this view considerably more tiresome than even Travis McGee’s "Magic Cock Which Cures All Female Ills" because, while they’re both fantasies of power, John D. MacDonald’s fantasy is of a healing power, while the Hollywood Horndog vision is of a destructive power, only the guy writing the story doesn’t seem to recognize that any more than his characters do. MacDonald is far more honest about what he's doing.
But I may forgive Klavan this, because unlike the others I've read, he actually grapples a bit with the hypocrisy.
With those caveats -- uneven tone, sex obsessed in ways most of his books are not -- I would recommend this book for fans of Klavan. But if you are not familiar with his work, True Crime would be a better and more typical first choice.
That said, it's got Klavan's greatest strength, namely that, once it gets going, the plot rockets right along. He's also at his snarky best (not always a plus, IMHO, but I find it amusing now and then, and it's something most fans must appreciate). And at least the female characters in this book show a bit of variety, if not depth. Klavan is generally terrible with female characters, so I'll take what I can get on that front.
But, while I rarely find Klaven’s female characters sufficiently rounded or believable, in this book he goes whole hog “Hollywood Horndog,” which initially annoyed me. His main character totally buys into the idea that All Real Men are just helpless balls of lust, who can’t help but think of women as just a collection of parts they want to bang, and who avoid casual sex when happily married only and entirely because they know it’ll blow up in their face. Typically, but most annoyingly, the main character, in his youth, believed the world turned on sex, money and power, and was convinced he was immune to the second two temptations while losing himself in the first.
In actual fact, of course, the Hollywood Horndog's primary drive is for status (a form of power), and he has subverted his sex drive in service of that. I find this view considerably more tiresome than even Travis McGee’s "Magic Cock Which Cures All Female Ills" because, while they’re both fantasies of power, John D. MacDonald’s fantasy is of a healing power, while the Hollywood Horndog vision is of a destructive power, only the guy writing the story doesn’t seem to recognize that any more than his characters do. MacDonald is far more honest about what he's doing.
But I may forgive Klavan this, because unlike the others I've read, he actually grapples a bit with the hypocrisy.
With those caveats -- uneven tone, sex obsessed in ways most of his books are not -- I would recommend this book for fans of Klavan. But if you are not familiar with his work, True Crime would be a better and more typical first choice.
May 7, 2016
I loved this book.
It is true, it is a conservative diatribe, it is true he makes Ayn Rand look subtle, Klavan is a proud conservative an unapologetic Christian, and admittedly, I am the choir. If you can't get past that, don't bother. If you can the story is believable, a story of redemption and past coming to catch up with someone who thought they had gotten away with their sins.
The Hero is a Christian Republican, the villains are are Islamic terrorists (far fetched, I know) and the weak characters are spineless directionless lefties who don't know why they are unhappy but are sure it is someone else's fault (far fetched, I know).
If you could remove the preachiness and politics it would still be an entertaining book, but with it he has a point (he hits you over the head with) that you rarely see in popular culture.
It is true, it is a conservative diatribe, it is true he makes Ayn Rand look subtle, Klavan is a proud conservative an unapologetic Christian, and admittedly, I am the choir. If you can't get past that, don't bother. If you can the story is believable, a story of redemption and past coming to catch up with someone who thought they had gotten away with their sins.
The Hero is a Christian Republican, the villains are are Islamic terrorists (far fetched, I know) and the weak characters are spineless directionless lefties who don't know why they are unhappy but are sure it is someone else's fault (far fetched, I know).
If you could remove the preachiness and politics it would still be an entertaining book, but with it he has a point (he hits you over the head with) that you rarely see in popular culture.
September 27, 2010
I have read numerous books by Andrew Klavan and enjoyed them. He is a masterful mystery/thriller writer who not only tells a good yarn but creates characters who undergo transforming journeys.
EMPIRE OF LIES was another home run. But it's not for the faint of heart. Mr. Klavan is blunt and outspoken, through his narrator, about what he believes is the truth in the war against terror. If you don't want to read a story where the protagonist unabashedly identifies islamofascists as the criminals, this isn't for you.
In fact, when I first started reading the book, I wondered if it was for me. Not that I disagreed with Mr. Klavan's point of view, mind you. It's just that he was so explicit with it, and I prefer more subtlety. The farther I got into the book, though, I realized the subtlety was there, and he had merely been laying the foundation for what turned out to be a dense, rich story about man's capacity for good and evil, exploring whether the ends does justify the means, and how difficult it is -- especially in an age of information everywhere -- to recognize and speak the truth.
Jason Harrow, the protagonist, stumbles upon a terrorist plot when he encounters, on a trip home to NYC, a teen who may or may not be his progeny. As he tries to sort through what he thinks is the truth, he must confront his own paranoia and past bad behavior that comes to haunt him vividly through the rest of the story. He wrestles with his own demons and doubts while trying to save his new-found daughter and the as-yet-unidentified targets of the terrorist plot.
Along the way, he's helped -- though not obviously, at first -- by a William Shatner-like character whose ridiculous persona ends up masking a laser-sharp vision of the truth.
The book has the feel of a sci-fi story at times, and one review pegs its setting as "the near future," which made sense to me.
While some readers might find Mr. Klavan's in-your-face political style not to their liking, the story works as a straightforward thriller told by a sometimes unreliable narrator.
Highly recommended.
EMPIRE OF LIES was another home run. But it's not for the faint of heart. Mr. Klavan is blunt and outspoken, through his narrator, about what he believes is the truth in the war against terror. If you don't want to read a story where the protagonist unabashedly identifies islamofascists as the criminals, this isn't for you.
In fact, when I first started reading the book, I wondered if it was for me. Not that I disagreed with Mr. Klavan's point of view, mind you. It's just that he was so explicit with it, and I prefer more subtlety. The farther I got into the book, though, I realized the subtlety was there, and he had merely been laying the foundation for what turned out to be a dense, rich story about man's capacity for good and evil, exploring whether the ends does justify the means, and how difficult it is -- especially in an age of information everywhere -- to recognize and speak the truth.
Jason Harrow, the protagonist, stumbles upon a terrorist plot when he encounters, on a trip home to NYC, a teen who may or may not be his progeny. As he tries to sort through what he thinks is the truth, he must confront his own paranoia and past bad behavior that comes to haunt him vividly through the rest of the story. He wrestles with his own demons and doubts while trying to save his new-found daughter and the as-yet-unidentified targets of the terrorist plot.
Along the way, he's helped -- though not obviously, at first -- by a William Shatner-like character whose ridiculous persona ends up masking a laser-sharp vision of the truth.
The book has the feel of a sci-fi story at times, and one review pegs its setting as "the near future," which made sense to me.
While some readers might find Mr. Klavan's in-your-face political style not to their liking, the story works as a straightforward thriller told by a sometimes unreliable narrator.
Highly recommended.
August 13, 2011
Not every book is for every reader, and this one wasn't for me. I couldn't relate to the protagonist and, oddly, the more I learned about him, the less connection I felt - that's the peril of a character revealing so much at such depth. I stuck with the book for the plot but skipped over chunks of narrative to get to the action.
June 23, 2022
Andrew Klavan writes excellent thrillers/mysteries, and this is another superb example. His characters, particular the main characters are complex and introspective.
May 6, 2014
Truly unremarkable. If you can make it through this horrendous diatribe, you'll find an offensively inhuman contemplation of the female body (not especially incestuous fawning) and inconclusive additions to the popular canon. Klavan explicates the privileged seat of men over women, xenophobia, and altogether distasteful representations of American culture. I would never recommend this text.
January 24, 2009
"Theoretically, let's stipulate, for argument's sake, that there are a lot of powerful people at a university like this who believe things that aren't, strictly speaking, true."
"Leftists, you mean."
"Let's just call them people. Powerful people."
"All right."
"These powerful people believe things like: One culture is as good as another. Or, there's no such thing as good and evil. Therefore, if America is at odds or at war with someone, it must be America's fault. You only have to think about those statements for two minutes to see that they can't possibly be true. But these people think they should be true and they think they'll seem to be true if no one is allowed to say they're not true. So they attack anyone who says that they're not true. They call him names. Racist, sexist, phobic, offensive, whatever. They demand apologies from him. They make his life a misery, so no one wants to speak up."
"So it's like the emperor's new clothes."
"Right. Except instead of clothes, it's all the emperor's lies. And in an Empire of Lies, only a crazy man would speak the truth." - Excerpt from Empire of Lies by Andrew Klavan
Taking a faux break from election politics, I picked up a copy of Andrew Klavan's novel, Empire of Lies. This is probably destined to become a cult thriller that trundles along in the conservative underground. Like Kaylene Johnson's biography of Sarah Palin, the book has many parallels to contemporary happenings in politics that are eerie, although this is surely deliberate from Klavan. He writes against a left-dominated media that is driven by narrative over truth (sounds familiar already?), and in this post election period, it's an oddly comforting read for those who did not imbibe the Obama Kool-Aid. It conforms to the same logic that likely led to the rejection of the Obama brand, at the very least, a love of dissent over mindlessness.
This is a very manly book and makes no apologies or pretense at being anything but a man's novel. Without wanting to sound too PC, which sort of misses the point of the book, I do have to object to the treatment of women in this novel. They are either there for the sex (rape if the main character doesn't like them), or there to tend to the homefires. It's not that Klavan doesn't have decent female characters, it just struck me that his view of them ended up being fairly two-dimensional. But overall, this is just a quibble, albeit one I feel I have to register.
That out of the way, Empire of Lies follows the story of Jason Harrow, a 40 something man who has it all, loving wife, loving children, nice house in a nice neighborhood, good job. He's found God and tries to live a Christian life, which dovetails with his rightwing politics. In his youth he had been more nihilistic, left wing, and hedonistic, believing in a triumvirate of power, sex and money as defined by Nietzsche, Freud, and Marx, with sex being his primary focus. This led him into the S&M scene and an old girlfriend, Lauren, whose out-of-the-blue call some 17 years later seeking help regarding her wayward daughter sets the story in motion.
His personal adventure happens amidst contemporary politics, cynically described as left pitted against truth, dissent stamped out at every opportunity, the narrative being more important than reality. The backdrop for this is Islamic fanatics versus Western Culture, perpetrated by an alliance between Islamic militants and radical leftists who have a shared agenda:
[...:] a strange coalition, these Students for Justice on the one hand, radical leftists who believed in atheistic socialism, multiculturalism, and gender neutrality; on the other hand, radical Muslims who believe in theocracy, sharia law, and bagging their women in burquas. You wouldn't think they could agree on anything, would you? Well, you'd be wrong. They were together in this at least: They hated the Jews. Oh, and they hated America, too. Oh, yeah, and they were absolutely certain the one secretly controlled the other.
Along the way we meet Doppelgängers for Jennifer Aniston (a character who also has a Princess Di moment), Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, (given her own, lesser, Britney Spears moment), all engaged in their own public love triangle that gets woven into the story, and a Doppelgänger for William Shatner, who ends up with a pivotal role in the tangled conspiracy. The distinction between people who watch the projection on the screen and the characters who are projected from the screen gets blurred in the intersection of reality and fantasy.
Throw in also a mix of hereditary paranoia and you have quite a doozey. When reading this book you can't help but think it would make a good movie, and given that two of Klavan's books in the past have made it to the screen, there's a good chance this one will too. If it is already in the works for production, the timing of it may not be better. If it comes out about 2 or 3 years into Obama's first (and only?) term, at least 50% of the country is already disposed towards its themes. Depending on how Obama's term goes, the rest of the country may be ready for this sort of scathing critique of where the left has gone wrong with America. If anything, the hatred of the mainstream media will carry this someways if it does get made into a movie, and is one reason that will make the book a cult favorite regardless.
"Leftists, you mean."
"Let's just call them people. Powerful people."
"All right."
"These powerful people believe things like: One culture is as good as another. Or, there's no such thing as good and evil. Therefore, if America is at odds or at war with someone, it must be America's fault. You only have to think about those statements for two minutes to see that they can't possibly be true. But these people think they should be true and they think they'll seem to be true if no one is allowed to say they're not true. So they attack anyone who says that they're not true. They call him names. Racist, sexist, phobic, offensive, whatever. They demand apologies from him. They make his life a misery, so no one wants to speak up."
"So it's like the emperor's new clothes."
"Right. Except instead of clothes, it's all the emperor's lies. And in an Empire of Lies, only a crazy man would speak the truth." - Excerpt from Empire of Lies by Andrew Klavan
Taking a faux break from election politics, I picked up a copy of Andrew Klavan's novel, Empire of Lies. This is probably destined to become a cult thriller that trundles along in the conservative underground. Like Kaylene Johnson's biography of Sarah Palin, the book has many parallels to contemporary happenings in politics that are eerie, although this is surely deliberate from Klavan. He writes against a left-dominated media that is driven by narrative over truth (sounds familiar already?), and in this post election period, it's an oddly comforting read for those who did not imbibe the Obama Kool-Aid. It conforms to the same logic that likely led to the rejection of the Obama brand, at the very least, a love of dissent over mindlessness.
This is a very manly book and makes no apologies or pretense at being anything but a man's novel. Without wanting to sound too PC, which sort of misses the point of the book, I do have to object to the treatment of women in this novel. They are either there for the sex (rape if the main character doesn't like them), or there to tend to the homefires. It's not that Klavan doesn't have decent female characters, it just struck me that his view of them ended up being fairly two-dimensional. But overall, this is just a quibble, albeit one I feel I have to register.
That out of the way, Empire of Lies follows the story of Jason Harrow, a 40 something man who has it all, loving wife, loving children, nice house in a nice neighborhood, good job. He's found God and tries to live a Christian life, which dovetails with his rightwing politics. In his youth he had been more nihilistic, left wing, and hedonistic, believing in a triumvirate of power, sex and money as defined by Nietzsche, Freud, and Marx, with sex being his primary focus. This led him into the S&M scene and an old girlfriend, Lauren, whose out-of-the-blue call some 17 years later seeking help regarding her wayward daughter sets the story in motion.
His personal adventure happens amidst contemporary politics, cynically described as left pitted against truth, dissent stamped out at every opportunity, the narrative being more important than reality. The backdrop for this is Islamic fanatics versus Western Culture, perpetrated by an alliance between Islamic militants and radical leftists who have a shared agenda:
[...:] a strange coalition, these Students for Justice on the one hand, radical leftists who believed in atheistic socialism, multiculturalism, and gender neutrality; on the other hand, radical Muslims who believe in theocracy, sharia law, and bagging their women in burquas. You wouldn't think they could agree on anything, would you? Well, you'd be wrong. They were together in this at least: They hated the Jews. Oh, and they hated America, too. Oh, yeah, and they were absolutely certain the one secretly controlled the other.
Along the way we meet Doppelgängers for Jennifer Aniston (a character who also has a Princess Di moment), Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, (given her own, lesser, Britney Spears moment), all engaged in their own public love triangle that gets woven into the story, and a Doppelgänger for William Shatner, who ends up with a pivotal role in the tangled conspiracy. The distinction between people who watch the projection on the screen and the characters who are projected from the screen gets blurred in the intersection of reality and fantasy.
Throw in also a mix of hereditary paranoia and you have quite a doozey. When reading this book you can't help but think it would make a good movie, and given that two of Klavan's books in the past have made it to the screen, there's a good chance this one will too. If it is already in the works for production, the timing of it may not be better. If it comes out about 2 or 3 years into Obama's first (and only?) term, at least 50% of the country is already disposed towards its themes. Depending on how Obama's term goes, the rest of the country may be ready for this sort of scathing critique of where the left has gone wrong with America. If anything, the hatred of the mainstream media will carry this someways if it does get made into a movie, and is one reason that will make the book a cult favorite regardless.
January 2, 2018
This story takes place over a period of a week, starting on Saturday and ending on Friday night. I finished through Thursday last night about one AM, and then figured I’d wait until morning to read the rest. I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t get to sleep until I finished it. It’s not necessarily that it’s a great story, but that Andrew Klavan is great at building excitement and tension, a combination that makes it pretty much impossible to sleep on.
Having just finished Baldacci’s The Innocent, with its generic-left beltway protagonist, it was interesting to switch over to this book by the author of True Crime and Don't Say a Word and discover it’s about a conservative Christian with a sordid past.
As in Baldacci’s book, you can’t really take those leanings at face value. Jason Harrow is really not a nice person. That’s mainly because we get to see his thoughts, in first-person narrative; the rest of the world sees only the facade he presents. Klavan uses themes and ideas similar to the ones he used in Don’t Say a Word. Normal people doing what normal people do not do, because they have to do it. A very greatest generation vibe. The twist in this case is that we learn early on that Harrow’s mother was basically paranoid schizophrenic and he worries it’s hereditary. And we see confirmation of that in someone else who might be related to him, though he doesn’t make the connection.
Is he justified in seeing a conspiracy, or is he as sick as his mother was? And, ultimately, does our society suffer from the same paranoia?
Harrow gets into this predicament because of pride. He brags about being a faithful husband in the introduction, as he had been bragging to himself at the time, and then an old girlfriend calls… and he doesn’t tell his wife. Will he live up to the reputation he claimed for himself? Is he crazy? Despite the racing man on the cover, most of the action is all in the mind. What is real? What is paranoia? What does it mean to be good, or to be fake?
Besides the conspiracy thriller, there are a lot of callouts. The unnamed university in Manhattan has a “Godwin Hall” and its newspaper is charged with being Nazism. And, most likely inspired by Klavan’s other life as a screenwriter, there are several recognizable movie stars. There’s an out-of-work actor who is very clearly William Shatner and who speaks like him. There’s an ongoing media frenzy over two actresses and an actor very clearly modeled after Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, and Jennifer Aniston. I expect there were others I didn’t recognize because I don’t pay much attention to Hollywood.
This, too, I suspect, plays into the question: what is real? What is fake, facade?
Having just finished Baldacci’s The Innocent, with its generic-left beltway protagonist, it was interesting to switch over to this book by the author of True Crime and Don't Say a Word and discover it’s about a conservative Christian with a sordid past.
As in Baldacci’s book, you can’t really take those leanings at face value. Jason Harrow is really not a nice person. That’s mainly because we get to see his thoughts, in first-person narrative; the rest of the world sees only the facade he presents. Klavan uses themes and ideas similar to the ones he used in Don’t Say a Word. Normal people doing what normal people do not do, because they have to do it. A very greatest generation vibe. The twist in this case is that we learn early on that Harrow’s mother was basically paranoid schizophrenic and he worries it’s hereditary. And we see confirmation of that in someone else who might be related to him, though he doesn’t make the connection.
Is he justified in seeing a conspiracy, or is he as sick as his mother was? And, ultimately, does our society suffer from the same paranoia?
Harrow gets into this predicament because of pride. He brags about being a faithful husband in the introduction, as he had been bragging to himself at the time, and then an old girlfriend calls… and he doesn’t tell his wife. Will he live up to the reputation he claimed for himself? Is he crazy? Despite the racing man on the cover, most of the action is all in the mind. What is real? What is paranoia? What does it mean to be good, or to be fake?
Besides the conspiracy thriller, there are a lot of callouts. The unnamed university in Manhattan has a “Godwin Hall” and its newspaper is charged with being Nazism. And, most likely inspired by Klavan’s other life as a screenwriter, there are several recognizable movie stars. There’s an out-of-work actor who is very clearly William Shatner and who speaks like him. There’s an ongoing media frenzy over two actresses and an actor very clearly modeled after Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, and Jennifer Aniston. I expect there were others I didn’t recognize because I don’t pay much attention to Hollywood.
This, too, I suspect, plays into the question: what is real? What is fake, facade?
August 30, 2022
There is much that I liked about this book, particularly the openness and honesty of a main character who is a Christian with a dark past who struggles with that past to good effect. I also liked the ending. But the highly detailed descriptions in the action slowed the story down too much, I think. I compare it to watching a movie where the scenes freeze periodically so the main character as narrator can give us a long description of exactly what was going on in his mind and around him. There's just too much lag between scenes that would transpire in seconds of real time and the time their narration takes to read.
May 8, 2017
A conservative story, by a Christian (though that doesn't mean it's a clean one).
This is, I guess, one of those war games stories, the sort that train you how to react to challenges in life. In this story, it tends to be the sort of challenges and temptations men face.
There was something funny about the way the hero was heroic. In many stories, the hero is either a genius who always makes the right choice, or he has flaws that lead to consequences he then has to fix. This story, however, was a little different. Jason, the protagonist, continually faces choices to do either the wrong thing (or something stupid). Though he comes close to doing the former several times, he always backs off. The reason this works is that he does make some stupid decisions, and comes this close to doing the wrong thing. In a thriller, that is what you're aiming for. Klavan does a great job at balancing between the hero doing the wrong thing and showing his human flaws.
The story is strange in another respect. The line between right and wrong is quite clear in the book, but unlike many other stories where that is the case, it isn't moralist. Instead, without telling anyone what they should do, it shows you that decision x is not only wrong, it's stupid. Even that is really hard to do without sounding preachy, but I think Klavan pulls it off.
Content-wise, the story is generally plausible, though it is shown as lurid and almost surreal. So, you can't quite believe it, but then, you can't quite not believe it either.
Because of this curious blend, I think people who aren't necessarily Christian, or conservative, will read this book. If that's true, then Klavan has done a good job at producing Christian art that isn't kitchy or preachy or simplistically sentimental.
So, a fun read, but not a relaxing one, as Klavan knows how to ramp up the suspense and keep it there (it won't send you to sleep, I know from experience).
This is, I guess, one of those war games stories, the sort that train you how to react to challenges in life. In this story, it tends to be the sort of challenges and temptations men face.
There was something funny about the way the hero was heroic. In many stories, the hero is either a genius who always makes the right choice, or he has flaws that lead to consequences he then has to fix. This story, however, was a little different. Jason, the protagonist, continually faces choices to do either the wrong thing (or something stupid). Though he comes close to doing the former several times, he always backs off. The reason this works is that he does make some stupid decisions, and comes this close to doing the wrong thing. In a thriller, that is what you're aiming for. Klavan does a great job at balancing between the hero doing the wrong thing and showing his human flaws.
The story is strange in another respect. The line between right and wrong is quite clear in the book, but unlike many other stories where that is the case, it isn't moralist. Instead, without telling anyone what they should do, it shows you that decision x is not only wrong, it's stupid. Even that is really hard to do without sounding preachy, but I think Klavan pulls it off.
Content-wise, the story is generally plausible, though it is shown as lurid and almost surreal. So, you can't quite believe it, but then, you can't quite not believe it either.
Because of this curious blend, I think people who aren't necessarily Christian, or conservative, will read this book. If that's true, then Klavan has done a good job at producing Christian art that isn't kitchy or preachy or simplistically sentimental.
So, a fun read, but not a relaxing one, as Klavan knows how to ramp up the suspense and keep it there (it won't send you to sleep, I know from experience).
November 17, 2011
This is the second book I've read by Klavan, and I didn't care for it as much as the first.
Don't get me wrong on that. I agree with the point/s he is making and see things in this book That I wish people would actually think about. The philosophical, political and other intellectual content I find well done and even well thought out. Unfortunately the story telling isn't up to the standard of the last book I read by this author (in my opinion of course).
In the story telling area I found the story a bit over written and over long. I also didn't care for the way he tied the book up.
So, worth reading, not great but I intend to read other books by the writer.
Another problem I had.....
So, not a bad book, but not a great book either. Three stars, I wish I could give more, but I can't.
Don't get me wrong on that. I agree with the point/s he is making and see things in this book That I wish people would actually think about. The philosophical, political and other intellectual content I find well done and even well thought out. Unfortunately the story telling isn't up to the standard of the last book I read by this author (in my opinion of course).
In the story telling area I found the story a bit over written and over long. I also didn't care for the way he tied the book up.
So, worth reading, not great but I intend to read other books by the writer.
Another problem I had.....
So, not a bad book, but not a great book either. Three stars, I wish I could give more, but I can't.
December 22, 2011
Only morbid curiosity got me through this book; foreshadowing promised a great, dark twist and the protagonist is essentially unlikable. The writing is mostly decent, save for cringe-worthy passages that suggest an old square's attempt at being hip. "The 'Stang slid into the parking spot easily. I straightened it out. Slapped it into parking gear." Perhaps it would help if the narrator consistently referred to his car as a "'Stang," but he does not. Another example: "The room was oppressively small and cramped the way dorm rooms are… plus a torn poster on the wall right behind him: three black gangsta rappas snarling as they showed off their leather and muscles and chains." First, what is a "rappa"? Next, why is he describing a Judas Priest poster? Passages like this took me right out of the book, but not nearly so much as the author's castigation of thinly veiled actor/musician/poet/has-been William Shatner. (Yes, that Shatner). Repeated attacks against the icon, launched with the bravery of being out of range (author Klavan calls this character "Patrick Piersall") eventually feel like Klavan is working out a beef with a real-life person, rather than painting a compelling portrait of a character. Meh.
January 8, 2015
I picked this up because John C. Wright said "it is the only thriller style book, not science fiction, that I have ever read with complete pleasure"
From start to finish this thriller totally dragged me in. Interesting since it is unlike most thrillers in that while there is action in it, that is really a subpart of the story. It is the character that pulls you in. A man with a past that he has left behind get pulled into a situation where he is the only one who can act. His past intrudes and he tries to push on past the temptations.
This character was totally convincing in every aspect. Most thrillers are so over the top, being a fun ride. Never felt pulled out of the story at all. While there are conservative critiques of political correctness in this novel it is seamless in the story and not preaching. I just totally bought into the struggles of the main character and the consequences of his actions also seemed true-to-life to me.
While there are sexual situations in this thriller it is also part of the story and amplify the heroes struggles.
I have never read any of Mr. Klavan's novels before, but I was totally impressed with this one.
From start to finish this thriller totally dragged me in. Interesting since it is unlike most thrillers in that while there is action in it, that is really a subpart of the story. It is the character that pulls you in. A man with a past that he has left behind get pulled into a situation where he is the only one who can act. His past intrudes and he tries to push on past the temptations.
This character was totally convincing in every aspect. Most thrillers are so over the top, being a fun ride. Never felt pulled out of the story at all. While there are conservative critiques of political correctness in this novel it is seamless in the story and not preaching. I just totally bought into the struggles of the main character and the consequences of his actions also seemed true-to-life to me.
While there are sexual situations in this thriller it is also part of the story and amplify the heroes struggles.
I have never read any of Mr. Klavan's novels before, but I was totally impressed with this one.
April 15, 2018
This is my third one star book this year. Where am I going wrong? I'm mostly a moderate (not whacko) but moderate conservative and even though I heard this book should be for people of my political persuasion, I must be missing the point. This book, how should I say this politely, was pure garbage. We spend more time with guy while he commentates everything he watches on tv......EVERYTHING.....even the commercials. For every page of action, and those are very few, there are dozens of pages of the main characters whiny internal dialogue. Sounds thrilling for a thriller right? For someone who keeps telling us how much he loves his wife, the dude seems to hit on everything in sight. Other than that, he seems to notice how "chesty" all the women are. But, he loyally loves his perfect wife and his perfect three kids in their perfect house on rich man hill, uh-huh. And for all this thrilling build-up (sarcasm), we get that ending. Wth was that????? Which is followed by a dry, full epilogue that seems to go on forever with the dudes melodramatic guilt trip. How does crap like this get published?
February 2, 2020
A LOT of language, and he doesn't shy away from sexual matters. But Klavan's main character, Jason Harrow, is a man with a dark past who is trying to find redemption. The novel's social commentary is as fun and fast-paced as the action.
Read
November 2, 2019Save your money, this piece of trash isn’t worth the time or money
January 7, 2020
Terrible writing, clunky and childish. Plus the writer is a misogynist, anti-feminist and it comes across quite strongly in how he writes about women.
Red flags guys, avoid this novelists books.
Red flags guys, avoid this novelists books.
November 12, 2021
Empire of Lies is a decent read. The main character is a man who struggles to pull himself away from his past but ultimately gets caught up in it. The writing is good, if somewhat repetitive (in some descriptions, for example), and the pacing is also good except for a few slow chapters in the middle. I appreciate a Christian author not shying away from the realities of life and Klavan definitely paints some harsh pictures in this novel. I thought the epilogue was mostly unnecessary and that the ending to the book was somewhat unsatisfactory, but that the thrill of the book kept me wanting to read more, particularly in the last third.
I will say that some of the writing is quite on-the-nose, so to speak. Klavan isn't afraid to tell the reader that the protagonist is both Christian and Conservative. I understand how this may put some people off, but in my opinion it doesn't necessitate closing the book and moving on. I say this because both the religion and politics of the main character play a role in the novel, even if that role is fairly minor.
All things considered, Empire of Lies is a novel that I'd recommend to anyone who already has interest in the genre. It definitely isn't anywhere close to brilliance, but it's good enough to warrant a read. If I could, I'd rate it 3.5/5.
I will say that some of the writing is quite on-the-nose, so to speak. Klavan isn't afraid to tell the reader that the protagonist is both Christian and Conservative. I understand how this may put some people off, but in my opinion it doesn't necessitate closing the book and moving on. I say this because both the religion and politics of the main character play a role in the novel, even if that role is fairly minor.
All things considered, Empire of Lies is a novel that I'd recommend to anyone who already has interest in the genre. It definitely isn't anywhere close to brilliance, but it's good enough to warrant a read. If I could, I'd rate it 3.5/5.
September 8, 2021
“The world always seems like it's going to hell when you're depressed. And, of course, it always is going to hell in some way. That's what makes it so hard to tell the difference between Armageddon and the blues.”
My journey in Andrew Klavan novels continues. This is the 2nd novel geared for adults that I read by him and like the other, it had things I liked and things I didn't.
What I liked - the overall story, the pace of the novel, his moral and political perspective on the culture, the manliness of his protagonist, and how the protagonist handled temptation.
What I didn't like - the language, and the rather explicit (vulgar?) descriptions of sex. For example, when his protagonist watches a porn flick and gives a play-by-play commentary of the scenes in the film. I think he wrote this event into the story so he could communicate how unrealistic and morally bankrupt porn is and how fallen we are in our sexual lives. I agreed with his conclusions but I thought such vivid descriptions were unnecessary and took away from the story.
Criticisms aside, I still enjoy this author and will be reading more of his contributions.
My journey in Andrew Klavan novels continues. This is the 2nd novel geared for adults that I read by him and like the other, it had things I liked and things I didn't.
What I liked - the overall story, the pace of the novel, his moral and political perspective on the culture, the manliness of his protagonist, and how the protagonist handled temptation.
What I didn't like - the language, and the rather explicit (vulgar?) descriptions of sex. For example, when his protagonist watches a porn flick and gives a play-by-play commentary of the scenes in the film. I think he wrote this event into the story so he could communicate how unrealistic and morally bankrupt porn is and how fallen we are in our sexual lives. I agreed with his conclusions but I thought such vivid descriptions were unnecessary and took away from the story.
Criticisms aside, I still enjoy this author and will be reading more of his contributions.
January 7, 2021
I picked this book up on Monday and finished it yesterday. The silver lining of quarantining, I guess. I really like Klavan as a personality. He is a conservative pundit on the Daily Caller and I've heard him give some really interesting talks on theology and intellectualism. I listened to his interesting autobiography "The Great Good Thing. How a Secular Jew Came to Faith in Christ" on audible last year. It was a surprisingly interesting journey.
This story revolves around a secular man who finds God and moves from NYC to the midwest and starts a new life. Basically an old girlfriend calls him and drags him back into his old life and into criminal case of surprising magnitude. It's an excellent thriller that I'm sure Klavan had hoped would get some movie interest, but with Muslim bad guys and a Christian good guy, not much chance of that. An excellent thriller that I read in two days. Recommend to all
This story revolves around a secular man who finds God and moves from NYC to the midwest and starts a new life. Basically an old girlfriend calls him and drags him back into his old life and into criminal case of surprising magnitude. It's an excellent thriller that I'm sure Klavan had hoped would get some movie interest, but with Muslim bad guys and a Christian good guy, not much chance of that. An excellent thriller that I read in two days. Recommend to all
October 19, 2022
Page-turning thriller
Andrew Klavan has created a very well-done page-turner, putting the reader inside the head of a flawed, sinful, yet good man who knows how bad he is, and yet, wants to do the right thing. Jason Harrow exemplifies the human need for a Savior, for the Savior - Jesus Christ. No matter how much we want to do good, and no matter if we ultimately find success winning battles in this world, we cannot ultimately win the spiritual battle for our souls. We need Jesus and we need our families.
Andrew Klavan has created a very well-done page-turner, putting the reader inside the head of a flawed, sinful, yet good man who knows how bad he is, and yet, wants to do the right thing. Jason Harrow exemplifies the human need for a Savior, for the Savior - Jesus Christ. No matter how much we want to do good, and no matter if we ultimately find success winning battles in this world, we cannot ultimately win the spiritual battle for our souls. We need Jesus and we need our families.
March 21, 2025
I immediately hated this book as soon as I started reading it. I unfortunately kept reading it and hated it more. The main character was unlikeable from the get-go. The plot itself had potential. I’m not sure what happened to the writing. Too much dwelt on the innuendos of the main character’s past sex life. It was weird. I was pretty disappointed because I’ve read some of Andrew’s recent work and it was brilliant. But you grow as you go I guess? I can definitely say his writing style is very different now compared to this garbled mess.
April 8, 2023
I’ve enjoyed some of Klaven’s other work, but this was crude and vulgar. The plot seemed unnatural so that it could force the action. I stopped reading it
April 6, 2025
Quick entertaining read. Protagonist is a flawed Christian conservative, an unusual find. Didn’t love the ending. But will read more from this author.
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