What do you think?
Rate this book
36 Righteous Men
New York homicide detectives pursue a serial killer in this apocalyptic thriller.
When detectives James Manning and Covina “Dewey” Duwai are called in to investigate a series of bizarre murders, they make a shocking discovery: the legend of the hidden righteous ones, the 36 who preserve the world from destruction, is no legend at all. They are real, and they are being murdered.
As the bodies pile up and the world tilts into chaos, Manning and Dewey must protect the righteous ones from a ruthless killer able to beguile his victims and command them against their will. The detectives find their traditional arsenal of bullets and blades of little use against a foe who seems to anticipate their every move.
Joining forces with a disgraced but brilliant rabbinical scholar and a renowned anthropologist—who’s also the last of the righteous ones—Manning and Dewey set off on a perilous quest from New York to Gehenna to defeat a murderer who won’t stop until he’s killed everyone.
When detectives James Manning and Covina “Dewey” Duwai are called in to investigate a series of bizarre murders, they make a shocking discovery: the legend of the hidden righteous ones, the 36 who preserve the world from destruction, is no legend at all. They are real, and they are being murdered.
As the bodies pile up and the world tilts into chaos, Manning and Dewey must protect the righteous ones from a ruthless killer able to beguile his victims and command them against their will. The detectives find their traditional arsenal of bullets and blades of little use against a foe who seems to anticipate their every move.
Joining forces with a disgraced but brilliant rabbinical scholar and a renowned anthropologist—who’s also the last of the righteous ones—Manning and Dewey set off on a perilous quest from New York to Gehenna to defeat a murderer who won’t stop until he’s killed everyone.
360 pages, Hardcover
First published November 5, 2019
378 people are currently reading
2176 people want to read
About the author
Steven Pressfield
90 books5,856 followersI was born in Port of Spain, Trinidad, in 1943 to a Navy father and mother.
I graduated from Duke University in 1965.
In January of 1966, when I was on the bus leaving Parris Island as a freshly-minted Marine, I looked back and thought there was at least one good thing about this departure. "No matter what happens to me for the rest of my life, no one can ever send me back to this freakin' place again."
Forty years later, to my surprise and gratification, I am far more closely bound to the young men of the Marine Corps and to all other dirt-eating, ground-pounding outfits than I could ever have imagined.
GATES OF FIRE is one reason. Dog-eared paperbacks of this tale of the ancient Spartans have circulated throughout platoons of U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan since the first days of the invasions. E-mails come in by hundreds. GATES OF FIRE is on the Commandant of the Marine Corps' Reading list. It is taught at West Point and Annapolis and at the Marine Corps Basic School at Quantico. TIDES OF WAR is on the curriculum of the Naval War College.
From 2nd Battalion/6th Marines, which calls itself "the Spartans," to ODA 316 of the Special Forces, whose forearms are tattooed with the lambda of Lakedaemon, today's young warriors find a bond to their ancient precursors in the historical narratives of these novels.
My struggles to earn a living as a writer (it took seventeen years to get the first paycheck) are detailed in my 2002 book, THE WAR OF ART.
I have worked as an advertising copywriter, schoolteacher, tractor-trailer driver, bartender, oilfield roustabout and attendant in a mental hospital. I have picked fruit in Washington state and written screenplays in Tinseltown.
With the publication of THE LEGEND OF BAGGER VANCE in 1995, I became a writer of books once and for all.
My writing philosophy is, not surprisingly, a kind of warrior code — internal rather than external — in which the enemy is identified as those forms of self-sabotage that I have labeled "Resistance" with a capital R (in THE WAR OF ART) and the technique for combatting these foes can be described as "turning pro."
I believe in previous lives.
I believe in the Muse.
I believe that books and music exist before they are written and that they are propelled into material being by their own imperative to be born, via the offices of those willing servants of discipline, imagination and inspiration, whom we call artists. My conception of the artist's role is a combination of reverence for the unknowable nature of "where it all comes from" and a no-nonsense, blue-collar demystification of the process by which this mystery is approached. In other words, a paradox.
There's a recurring character in my books named Telamon, a mercenary of ancient days. Telamon doesn't say much. He rarely gets hurt or wounded. And he never seems to age. His view of the profession of arms is a lot like my conception of art and the artist:
"It is one thing to study war, and another to live the warrior's life."
I graduated from Duke University in 1965.
In January of 1966, when I was on the bus leaving Parris Island as a freshly-minted Marine, I looked back and thought there was at least one good thing about this departure. "No matter what happens to me for the rest of my life, no one can ever send me back to this freakin' place again."
Forty years later, to my surprise and gratification, I am far more closely bound to the young men of the Marine Corps and to all other dirt-eating, ground-pounding outfits than I could ever have imagined.
GATES OF FIRE is one reason. Dog-eared paperbacks of this tale of the ancient Spartans have circulated throughout platoons of U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan since the first days of the invasions. E-mails come in by hundreds. GATES OF FIRE is on the Commandant of the Marine Corps' Reading list. It is taught at West Point and Annapolis and at the Marine Corps Basic School at Quantico. TIDES OF WAR is on the curriculum of the Naval War College.
From 2nd Battalion/6th Marines, which calls itself "the Spartans," to ODA 316 of the Special Forces, whose forearms are tattooed with the lambda of Lakedaemon, today's young warriors find a bond to their ancient precursors in the historical narratives of these novels.
My struggles to earn a living as a writer (it took seventeen years to get the first paycheck) are detailed in my 2002 book, THE WAR OF ART.
I have worked as an advertising copywriter, schoolteacher, tractor-trailer driver, bartender, oilfield roustabout and attendant in a mental hospital. I have picked fruit in Washington state and written screenplays in Tinseltown.
With the publication of THE LEGEND OF BAGGER VANCE in 1995, I became a writer of books once and for all.
My writing philosophy is, not surprisingly, a kind of warrior code — internal rather than external — in which the enemy is identified as those forms of self-sabotage that I have labeled "Resistance" with a capital R (in THE WAR OF ART) and the technique for combatting these foes can be described as "turning pro."
I believe in previous lives.
I believe in the Muse.
I believe that books and music exist before they are written and that they are propelled into material being by their own imperative to be born, via the offices of those willing servants of discipline, imagination and inspiration, whom we call artists. My conception of the artist's role is a combination of reverence for the unknowable nature of "where it all comes from" and a no-nonsense, blue-collar demystification of the process by which this mystery is approached. In other words, a paradox.
There's a recurring character in my books named Telamon, a mercenary of ancient days. Telamon doesn't say much. He rarely gets hurt or wounded. And he never seems to age. His view of the profession of arms is a lot like my conception of art and the artist:
"It is one thing to study war, and another to live the warrior's life."
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 186 reviews
December 22, 2019
I had to think for a few days as to what I would write for a review. Fantasy-thriller is a new genre for me. Plus it has christian end-times aspect.
Essentially a Jewish legend has a core belief that in any period of time there are 36 Righteous men in the world. They may not even know they are one of the Ones. If the 36 men do not exist - then it is the end if the world .
Steven Pressfield is now one of my new favourite authors.
Unputdownable
Essentially a Jewish legend has a core belief that in any period of time there are 36 Righteous men in the world. They may not even know they are one of the Ones. If the 36 men do not exist - then it is the end if the world .
Steven Pressfield is now one of my new favourite authors.
Unputdownable
March 15, 2021
Gets off to a strong start, and I love the "Blade Runner"-type setting, with its flooded New York City and next-gen automotive and surveillance technologies. But then the whole "murder mystery" part gets basically solved by page 100, and the book left turns into a cross between Arnold Schwarzenegger's "End of Days" and "Indiana Jones and the Gates of Hell." So, basically any of a dozen recent Nicolas Cage movies.
Looking back, I realize this is my sixth Pressfield novel, although looks like that was all before I began writing reviews. So let me sum up here: his histories, including Gates of Fire, Virtues of War, The Afghan Campaign and the WWII-set Killing Rommel are all excellent - 4 or 5 stars every one. And I give him credit for spreading his wings with this book and his previous The Profession, also set some ten years in the future, (twenty at the time of writing). But a lot of other writers are doing this type of near-future dystopia; whereas NO ONE has as strong a record with military-based historical fiction.
My unsolicited and thoroughly unprofessional advise: History goes back a long way, Mr. Pressfield - I'm sure there are an endless number of forgotten-yet-relevant stories in there just waiting for your unique voice to bring them to the light.
UPDATE: And looks like someone was paying attention, because Pressfield just released "his first novel of the ancient world in thirteen years...a gripping saga of conquest and rebellion, bloodshed and faith." The book is about Roman legionnaires in Jerusalem and the Sinai circa A.D. 60, and I can hardly wait!
Looking back, I realize this is my sixth Pressfield novel, although looks like that was all before I began writing reviews. So let me sum up here: his histories, including Gates of Fire, Virtues of War, The Afghan Campaign and the WWII-set Killing Rommel are all excellent - 4 or 5 stars every one. And I give him credit for spreading his wings with this book and his previous The Profession, also set some ten years in the future, (twenty at the time of writing). But a lot of other writers are doing this type of near-future dystopia; whereas NO ONE has as strong a record with military-based historical fiction.
My unsolicited and thoroughly unprofessional advise: History goes back a long way, Mr. Pressfield - I'm sure there are an endless number of forgotten-yet-relevant stories in there just waiting for your unique voice to bring them to the light.
UPDATE: And looks like someone was paying attention, because Pressfield just released "his first novel of the ancient world in thirteen years...a gripping saga of conquest and rebellion, bloodshed and faith." The book is about Roman legionnaires in Jerusalem and the Sinai circa A.D. 60, and I can hardly wait!
November 11, 2019
Steven Pressfield has put his own unique twist on the apocalypse/future that we are hurdling towards. Set in the not too distant future, Pressfield’s characters are not only dealing with a bloodthirsty killer, but also the natural elements that have evolved and are out of control.
36 Righteous Men is a book of layers. It is a murder mystery slash thriller mixed up with futuristic environmental touches and a flash of religious fiction. I truly appreciated how Pressfield put all of these elements together without shoving the environmental aspect down my throat from a soapbox.
The style of 36 Righteous Men was innovative. Told from our protagonist’s perspective, it was almost as if she were recounting the story after the fact. The dialogue was minimal, almost treated as an aside from the story itself. This captivated my interest as it was new and different.
Pressfield constructed an interesting, uniquely presented novel with some captivating characters. I enjoyed my time spent in this world.
*I received a copy of the book from the publisher (via NetGalley).
36 Righteous Men is a book of layers. It is a murder mystery slash thriller mixed up with futuristic environmental touches and a flash of religious fiction. I truly appreciated how Pressfield put all of these elements together without shoving the environmental aspect down my throat from a soapbox.
The style of 36 Righteous Men was innovative. Told from our protagonist’s perspective, it was almost as if she were recounting the story after the fact. The dialogue was minimal, almost treated as an aside from the story itself. This captivated my interest as it was new and different.
Pressfield constructed an interesting, uniquely presented novel with some captivating characters. I enjoyed my time spent in this world.
*I received a copy of the book from the publisher (via NetGalley).
March 19, 2022
Όχι... ΌΧΙ... Αυτός δεν είναι ο Πρέσσφιλντ που ξέρουμε! Άσε που κατά πάσα πιθανότητα, όταν έγραφε το βιβλίο (αν το έγραψε όντως αυτός!) είχε πωρωθεί μάλλον με το Supernatural και το έβγαλε στο βιβλίο. 🙄
Τέλος πάντων...καλές μεν οι περιγραφές που μας μεταφέρουν σε ένα κάπως δυστοπικό (κοντινό) μέλλον, αλλά μέχρι εκεί!
2.5* αστεράκια μόνο και μόνο γιατί σε βάζει αρκετά στο κλίμα.
Τέλος πάντων...καλές μεν οι περιγραφές που μας μεταφέρουν σε ένα κάπως δυστοπικό (κοντινό) μέλλον, αλλά μέχρι εκεί!
2.5* αστεράκια μόνο και μόνο γιατί σε βάζει αρκετά στο κλίμα.
September 25, 2019
A most unusual book; a propulsive thriller that takes place in the bleak future world of devastating climate change yet at the same time makes a very convincing case for the ancient beliefs of Judaica. I was completely hooked and raced through this book. The author does a good job of explaining all the future world things without taking you out of the story. The dialogue is realistic and reads almost like a movie script. I really enjoyed this one!
December 27, 2020
Βαθμολογία: 7/10
Δεύτερο βιβλίο του Στίβεν Πρέσφιλντ που διαβάζω, μετά το "Ο επαγγελματίας" που διάβασα τον Αύγουστο του 2016. Μπορώ να πω ότι τούτο δω μου άρεσε λιγάκι παραπάνω από το προηγούμενο βιβλίο του, αν και στο τέλος ούτε αυτό με ξετρέλανε. Αν μη τι άλλο πρόκειται για ένα εξαιρετικά ευκολοδιάβαστο και εθιστικό θρίλερ, που έτσι όπως είναι γραμμένο δύσκολα το αφήνεις κάτω. Βέβαια, πολλοί αναγνώστες μπορεί να το αφήσουν μια και καλή κάτω μετά από λίγες σελίδες, επειδή η γραφή είναι κάπως επίπεδη και η αφήγηση μάλλον ψυχρή και αποστασιοποιημένη. Σίγουρα ο τρόπος γραφής και παρουσίασης της ιστορίας δεν είναι για όλα τα γούστα, πάντως κατά τη γνώμη μου κατάφερε να δημιουργήσει μια κάποια παράξενη ατμόσφαιρα που ταιριάζει σε εσχατολογικά μυθιστορήματα (γιατί ουσιαστικά τέτοιο είναι, με όλα όσα συμβαίνουν). Από κει και πέρα, οι χαρακτήρες είναι παντελώς μονοδιάστατοι και αδιάφοροι, δεν μαθαίνουμε πολλά γι' αυτούς και προσωπικά δεν με ενδιάφερε ποια θα είναι η κατάληξή τους. Νομίζω ότι ο συγγραφέας σίγουρα θα μπορούσε να δουλέψει λίγο παραπάνω τον χαρακτήρα του Μάνινγκ ή, έστω, αυτόν της αφηγήτριας, αλλά ίσως δεν ενδιαφέρεται και τόσο για τους χαρακτήρες του, όσο για τα θέματα που αγγίζει και τις ιδέες που παρουσιάζει. Όσον αφορά την πλοκή, μου κράτησε αμείωτη την προσοχή από την αρχή μέχρι το τέλος, προσφέροντας λίγη ένταση και κάμποση ίντριγκα, αν και πολλά πραγματάκια δεν με έπεισαν και τόσο, ενώ δεν έλειπαν και κάποιες ασάφειες και ευκολίες. Γενικά, παρά τις χτυπητές αδυναμίες, πέρασα εξαιρετικά ευχάριστα την ώρα μου, ενώ κατάφερε να με ιντριγκάρει και λίγο.
Δεύτερο βιβλίο του Στίβεν Πρέσφιλντ που διαβάζω, μετά το "Ο επαγγελματίας" που διάβασα τον Αύγουστο του 2016. Μπορώ να πω ότι τούτο δω μου άρεσε λιγάκι παραπάνω από το προηγούμενο βιβλίο του, αν και στο τέλος ούτε αυτό με ξετρέλανε. Αν μη τι άλλο πρόκειται για ένα εξαιρετικά ευκολοδιάβαστο και εθιστικό θρίλερ, που έτσι όπως είναι γραμμένο δύσκολα το αφήνεις κάτω. Βέβαια, πολλοί αναγνώστες μπορεί να το αφήσουν μια και καλή κάτω μετά από λίγες σελίδες, επειδή η γραφή είναι κάπως επίπεδη και η αφήγηση μάλλον ψυχρή και αποστασιοποιημένη. Σίγουρα ο τρόπος γραφής και παρουσίασης της ιστορίας δεν είναι για όλα τα γούστα, πάντως κατά τη γνώμη μου κατάφερε να δημιουργήσει μια κάποια παράξενη ατμόσφαιρα που ταιριάζει σε εσχατολογικά μυθιστορήματα (γιατί ουσιαστικά τέτοιο είναι, με όλα όσα συμβαίνουν). Από κει και πέρα, οι χαρακτήρες είναι παντελώς μονοδιάστατοι και αδιάφοροι, δεν μαθαίνουμε πολλά γι' αυτούς και προσωπικά δεν με ενδιάφερε ποια θα είναι η κατάληξή τους. Νομίζω ότι ο συγγραφέας σίγουρα θα μπορούσε να δουλέψει λίγο παραπάνω τον χαρακτήρα του Μάνινγκ ή, έστω, αυτόν της αφηγήτριας, αλλά ίσως δεν ενδιαφέρεται και τόσο για τους χαρακτήρες του, όσο για τα θέματα που αγγίζει και τις ιδέες που παρουσιάζει. Όσον αφορά την πλοκή, μου κράτησε αμείωτη την προσοχή από την αρχή μέχρι το τέλος, προσφέροντας λίγη ένταση και κάμποση ίντριγκα, αν και πολλά πραγματάκια δεν με έπεισαν και τόσο, ενώ δεν έλειπαν και κάποιες ασάφειες και ευκολίες. Γενικά, παρά τις χτυπητές αδυναμίες, πέρασα εξαιρετικά ευχάριστα την ώρα μου, ενώ κατάφερε να με ιντριγκάρει και λίγο.
October 31, 2019
36 Righteous Men was highly unique and not at all what I expected, but I think I liked it or at least enjoyed the ride! The format was odd and took some getting used to but the fast pace definitely drew me in. As another reviewer pointed out, the writing style reads like a movie script! I think some parts tended to drag out or even seem out of place, but overall it was an interesting concept that I hadn’t seen before. And I definitely put myself on the side of “I loved the ending” since it actually surprised me! This was a solid and quick three star read for me and definitely one of the most unusual books I’ve read this year! Thank you to W.W. Norton & Company for my free advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. Release date 11/5/19
November 9, 2019
Not a fan of first person novels.
December 1, 2021
This felt like it had the makings of a good story, but I felt like it never really developed. Sort of feels like it was a Minimal Viable Product that people who gush about his War of Art would recommend getting out to the world.
September 4, 2019
I was lucky to receive an advance copy of this book. What a ride! Told in the form of reports and brief memos, this story is how Detective Manning, a dysfunctional cop and his grade 1 partner, Covina "Dewey" Duwai, struggle to figure out why Jewish men are dying and how it connects with the Jewish tale of 36 Righteous Men. These men are determined, by God, to know the answers to how to help the planet. As long as they live, God will not destroy Earth.
The only thing that will bring the end of time is the dark angel, HaSatan. A young women will escort him into the world to destroy the 36 Righteous. However, The DivSix team (special unit to investigate high profile crimes) is focused on the Russian connection. Except for Detective Manning. He is first given a glimpse of a young woman who keeps presenting him with clues about what is happening. As Manning and Dewey follow their own investigation, they discover that more than lives are at stake.
With more twists than a country road, this story will keep you enthralled. It is worth the price of admission to read this high paced thriller.
The only thing that will bring the end of time is the dark angel, HaSatan. A young women will escort him into the world to destroy the 36 Righteous. However, The DivSix team (special unit to investigate high profile crimes) is focused on the Russian connection. Except for Detective Manning. He is first given a glimpse of a young woman who keeps presenting him with clues about what is happening. As Manning and Dewey follow their own investigation, they discover that more than lives are at stake.
With more twists than a country road, this story will keep you enthralled. It is worth the price of admission to read this high paced thriller.
July 25, 2019
This was an ARC courtesy of W.W. Norton & Company of a book to be released in October 2019. NYPD detectives Manning and Dewey chase and grapple with Satan (or Satan like creature) in the future world beset with the effects of global warming. Fast paced and easily read, the story was a disappointment to me as I have considered many of Pressfield's previous novels to be nothing short of terrific. The characters were not fully developed, the plot wasn't credible, and the ending disappointing.
July 21, 2024
The kind of book that I found hard to rate because when I was done, I just sat there and couldn’t really figure out what I thought or felt about it. Lowkey unsettling
November 10, 2019
Holy smokes. Where can I even begin? I saw this book on my library's catalogue home page, where new books are often advertised. I've read several books that use the premise of the 36 righteous men for their plot. I enjoyed both and was excited to see another author using this obscure myth/legend since I like comparing how different authors handle it. But I can't get past the writing.
I'm only 23 pages in and I can't imagine how this got published. The writing is choppy, written like a police report. Someone else said it's written like court documentation, and that's the perfect example. Except that it's in the first person, but only in the sense that the narrator refers to themself as "I." There's still the onniscience of a third person narrator thrown in as well. The parentheticals are off the charts, at least one per page, and I've seen up to four on a single page. Usually they don't add much to the story. The author drops acronyms with reckless abandon, sometimes explaining them in very distracting asides, sometimes just not explaining them. It is apparently set in the future, post 2029 from what I can tell. Why? Who knows. This leads to more confusing acronyms and random asides with dates.
Now the dialogue. I'm on chapter 4, and all of a sudden, the dialogue has become a movie script. It's in a different font, it's centered on the page, it's under a freaking underlines heading with the name of the person speaking. No, I'm not kidding. All the dialogue from chapter 4 forward seems to be done this way. Except. Except that in chapter 3 we have a few exchanges that are written with normal quotation marks within the story. And we have a few randomentiokes of other dialogue that are more implied dialogue than actual speaking. "Dr. Carter says no." For example, followed by things she's pointing out or directing their attention to. Paraphrasing instead of quoting the doctor. Normal don't and formatting.
We began the book with a murder. Learned shortly after that that it was the second such murder. Ok, serial murderer set up. Then suddenly the victims are referred to as "U.S. victims #2 and #1." Wut. Then, PAGES later, we learn that there are two other victims fitting the MO in Russia. No mention of them before this. No explanation aside from this.
I am so freaking confused. This book is SO distracting to read with all the random asides, a huge info dump or two, acronyms up the wazoo, the parentheticals, and the damn dialogue formatting, which is inconsistent at best. How the hell did this get published?
Additiona mystery. This books publication date is Nov 5, 2019. It's copyrighted as 2020. Go figure.
Gave up on pg 58. Life's too short to struggle through books like this.
I'm only 23 pages in and I can't imagine how this got published. The writing is choppy, written like a police report. Someone else said it's written like court documentation, and that's the perfect example. Except that it's in the first person, but only in the sense that the narrator refers to themself as "I." There's still the onniscience of a third person narrator thrown in as well. The parentheticals are off the charts, at least one per page, and I've seen up to four on a single page. Usually they don't add much to the story. The author drops acronyms with reckless abandon, sometimes explaining them in very distracting asides, sometimes just not explaining them. It is apparently set in the future, post 2029 from what I can tell. Why? Who knows. This leads to more confusing acronyms and random asides with dates.
Now the dialogue. I'm on chapter 4, and all of a sudden, the dialogue has become a movie script. It's in a different font, it's centered on the page, it's under a freaking underlines heading with the name of the person speaking. No, I'm not kidding. All the dialogue from chapter 4 forward seems to be done this way. Except. Except that in chapter 3 we have a few exchanges that are written with normal quotation marks within the story. And we have a few randomentiokes of other dialogue that are more implied dialogue than actual speaking. "Dr. Carter says no." For example, followed by things she's pointing out or directing their attention to. Paraphrasing instead of quoting the doctor. Normal don't and formatting.
We began the book with a murder. Learned shortly after that that it was the second such murder. Ok, serial murderer set up. Then suddenly the victims are referred to as "U.S. victims #2 and #1." Wut. Then, PAGES later, we learn that there are two other victims fitting the MO in Russia. No mention of them before this. No explanation aside from this.
I am so freaking confused. This book is SO distracting to read with all the random asides, a huge info dump or two, acronyms up the wazoo, the parentheticals, and the damn dialogue formatting, which is inconsistent at best. How the hell did this get published?
Additiona mystery. This books publication date is Nov 5, 2019. It's copyrighted as 2020. Go figure.
Gave up on pg 58. Life's too short to struggle through books like this.
April 3, 2020
so many problems...I wanted to like this. It's right up my alley - mystery/cop procedural/supernatural/good vs evil. So what went wrong ....where to begin> Let's start with the 36 righteous men. According to legend/mythology; God does not destroy the world as long as there are 36 righteous men (and women) alive. These 36 don't know they are part of the group and don't know who anyone else on the list. Most probably didn't even know of the list. But the legend doesn't imply that these 36 are the ONLY righteous people at the moment -only that they are 'the current' 36. The 36 are not immortal. They are not all the same age, not from the same family, or even the same country. So it stands to reason that as one dies another person somewhere in the world is 'marked' (by God ?) to take their place. There have been 36 for thousands of years.
In this story, a biblical scholar and rabbi is seduced by Satan to work out the list of names of the 36. Satan is then going around the world killing them so the world will be destroyed. Now, he doesn't kill them all at once -it's one murder at a time over a period of time. Why would his plan work? If he kills one person -there should be a replacement marked as 36 - just like any other time one of the 36 dies. His plan only makes sense if he can kill all in an instant AND if there is no others in the entire world who are also righteous and could become the 36. Now granted, God works fast - look how quickly he made the world; so I could see in that very instant when and if Satan wiped out the 36 at the same time- and before replacements are marked - God destroys the earth. Again this only works if there are no other possible replacements. And that is never addressed.
Another problem -this story is actually a police report. At the end, when the last righteous man is killed and the world is going to be destroyed, Satan ( not called Satan in the story) tells Dewey that her role in all this was to leave a chronicle of the events. So who is this for? The world is going to be destroyed - who is going to read it? Also, (btw - this is all happening in the near future) Dewey's log is electronic. Not even a hard copy (on tablets :)) will be available. Is the log for God? Does he need a report? It didn't make any sense to me.
And finally just a comment about the style. For some reason the dialog in this story is written
VERY LARGE PRINT - LARGER THAN THE REST OF THE TEXT. Why? Every time it happened it threw me out of the story. It seemed a silly whim of the author and served no narrative or plot purpose.
In this story, a biblical scholar and rabbi is seduced by Satan to work out the list of names of the 36. Satan is then going around the world killing them so the world will be destroyed. Now, he doesn't kill them all at once -it's one murder at a time over a period of time. Why would his plan work? If he kills one person -there should be a replacement marked as 36 - just like any other time one of the 36 dies. His plan only makes sense if he can kill all in an instant AND if there is no others in the entire world who are also righteous and could become the 36. Now granted, God works fast - look how quickly he made the world; so I could see in that very instant when and if Satan wiped out the 36 at the same time- and before replacements are marked - God destroys the earth. Again this only works if there are no other possible replacements. And that is never addressed.
Another problem -this story is actually a police report. At the end, when the last righteous man is killed and the world is going to be destroyed, Satan ( not called Satan in the story) tells Dewey that her role in all this was to leave a chronicle of the events. So who is this for? The world is going to be destroyed - who is going to read it? Also, (btw - this is all happening in the near future) Dewey's log is electronic. Not even a hard copy (on tablets :)) will be available. Is the log for God? Does he need a report? It didn't make any sense to me.
And finally just a comment about the style. For some reason the dialog in this story is written
VERY LARGE PRINT - LARGER THAN THE REST OF THE TEXT. Why? Every time it happened it threw me out of the story. It seemed a silly whim of the author and served no narrative or plot purpose.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 3, 2019
Okay, so let’s combine the ravaging effects of global climate change (we’re talking drought, flood, and gate-crashing storms), plus a serial killer, plus some kind of weird supernatural being who’s out to destroy, well, everything. The result is a challenge that will keep homicide detectives Duwai and Manning busy loooonnng into the night. Oh, and we’ve got to throw in a Jewish myth that turns out to be true, which means if the detectives don’t stop the killer, all 36 Righteous Men will be taken out and the world will come to a very angry end. Folks, this one takes place in the not-too-distant future (2034) so it behooves us all to know what’s going on, right? This is one of the most exciting books to come along this year. I love it and I think you will, too. Yikes, but it’s good!
February 1, 2020
Not quite what I am used to from Pressfield, but I found that once I let go of expectations that I was able to enjoy the story very much!
Overall I really enjoyed the story and after getting used to the style found the pace to be pretty good. I really did enjoy the ending, although it is a little dark. That said, the ending enhanced my take on the book as too often everything miraculously wraps up without any real depth and the "good guys" ride off and live happily ever after. In other words, the ending went perfectly with the story and did not disappoint me at all. His use of global warming, climate change, or whatever it is being called today was genius in my opinion (although I disagree with the level of crisis put on it in the media).
Overall I really enjoyed the story and after getting used to the style found the pace to be pretty good. I really did enjoy the ending, although it is a little dark. That said, the ending enhanced my take on the book as too often everything miraculously wraps up without any real depth and the "good guys" ride off and live happily ever after. In other words, the ending went perfectly with the story and did not disappoint me at all. His use of global warming, climate change, or whatever it is being called today was genius in my opinion (although I disagree with the level of crisis put on it in the media).
November 2, 2021
Probably closer to 2.75, but given the non-stop fecal drama that characterizes the political culture of our time, I wanted something absolutely mindless to read. "36" met this admittedly low bar. It's a mash-up of 'Blade Runner,' 'The Exorcist,' and, um, something Jewish. Let's say 'latkes' in honor of the season and leave it at that. Pressfield's a better writer than this book might suggest, but that's perfectly OK. The book distracted me from the news for a couple of days. The problem is, the news was still there when I finished reading. Oh well. Happy holidays to all.
October 6, 2022
It was a roughly 9 hour audiobook.
The premise is that once 36 righteous men die the world ends, and someone is killing them. The foundation of this story seems weak because these men aren't immortal, so they all die and get replaced at some point thereafter. So I'm kinda envisioning the Immortals of King Xerxes where's the numbers stay about the same with replacements taking the space of those who died. Anyway, other than that and some minor issues with NYC and the NYPD related to the story, I enjoyed it enough for it to just barely make 3 stars.
The premise is that once 36 righteous men die the world ends, and someone is killing them. The foundation of this story seems weak because these men aren't immortal, so they all die and get replaced at some point thereafter. So I'm kinda envisioning the Immortals of King Xerxes where's the numbers stay about the same with replacements taking the space of those who died. Anyway, other than that and some minor issues with NYC and the NYPD related to the story, I enjoyed it enough for it to just barely make 3 stars.
March 15, 2021
It’s “Se7en” meets “End of Days” meets “The Day After Tomorrow”. It’s difficult to not compare this book to movies as Pressfield opts for a screenplay style format with this one. I liked the premise for this on paper: a hard-boiled detective chasing a serial killer rooted in Jewish legend. It ends up being too much of a departure from what I like about Steven Pressfield’s content and style for me to really like it. It was a fun concept but the shaky execution kept me from loving it.
February 16, 2024
Interesting…. Dives into some Judeo-Christian lore/beliefs and brings them to life in a “what if?” Type of action/mystery book. Not the worst thing I’ve ever read, but not the best either. I sort’ve expected better from the author- his books about Ancient Greece and Rome and great.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 1, 2021
The story was OK. Spoiler - The 36 righteous men are climate change activists. If those 36 all die for some reason, God will allow climate change to finish off humanity. This book would be more enjoyable for climate change alarmists because all 36 of the "righteous" are killed and humanity meets it's fitting end as humans keep having children, the greedy oil companies keep drilling and the airplanes keep flying
May 18, 2024
Δεν είναι ο παλιός καλός Πρέσφιλντ με τις πύλες της φωτιάς, καλή η δυστοπία αλλά δεν είναι γραμμένο για να διαβαστεί, είναι γραμμένο για να γυριστεί ταινία.
November 5, 2019
It's the year 2034. Sea levels have risen and environmental refugees crowd the still dry portions of the world. Massive superstorms, cyclones, sandstorms, and rises in temperature mean that 120 F in April in New York City is the new norm. Detectives James Manning and Covina "Dewey" Duwai are part of a special investigation division of the NYPD working a series of murders that could be connected to ecological terrorism, Russian mafia, or something else entirely. Rebuffed by their NYPD colleagues, Manning and Dewey join forces with a renowned anthropologist/ecologist and his sister, a disgraced rabbinical scholar who just happens to have been present at each murder scene, to try and stop a serial killer who is determined to finish his mission and end the world.
Most everyone knows the basics of the Noah's Ark story: God decides humans are wicked and plans to wipe them all out and start over with those saved on Noah's ark. Most everyone probably does not know the story of the 36 Righteous Men. In Jewish legend, the 36 Righteous Men are God's promise to prevent another apocalypse. As long as there are 36 righteous men alive, humanity is safe. If those 36 should die, all bets are off. Detectives Manning and Dewey are led to clues that suggest the serial murders they are investigating could be the work of someone killing the 36 in order to hurry along armageddon.
Is 36 Righteous Men a moral story warning that humans have choices in life that lead to unseen, and perhaps catastrophic, consequences? Is it a suspense/thriller of a police procedural and the hunt for a serial killer? Is it a thinly veiled screenplay waiting to be turned into a movie with lots of special effects and no character development? The answer to me seems to be: yes to all of the above. Pressfield makes it clear that humans are doing their best to bring in armageddon without any help and the further into the book you go the less delineation there is between natural disasters and possible divine intervention. Not only do you think by the end that it's probably the same thing, you also know that it doesn't matter. The police procedural part was thin and mostly focused on Manning being the grizzled veteran following the facts while others run around chasing Russian mafia for no obvious reason. Dewey, as the narrator, is the young green detective trying to learn from a legend. Men is best when it focuses on the legend of the 36 and explaining it and surrounding Jewish beliefs to the two gentile detectives- something it manages to do in a natural, non-preachy way.
Fans of Steven Pressfield's traditional historical fiction (Gates of Fire, Tides of War, Last of the Amazons) will be surprised by Pressfield's latest work. Instead of historical fiction, Pressfield enters a sci-fi futuristic version of the world as it could be in 2034. Instead of a 'traditional' style of writing, Pressfield experiments with a first-person narrative told through memos and one of the characters points of view in an odd combination of prose and screenplay-style dialogue. The writing style was distracting to me and greatly hampered any character development, though it did finally work for the ending. Or maybe by then I was used to it? The climactic scenes at the end managed to be fast-paced and clunky at the same time. The very ending, without giving everything away, managed to be both shocking, stunning, and simultaneously probably exactly what I should have seen coming.
36 Righteous Men gets a bonus star for Pressfield's unique world building of the almost-apocalyptic world of the near future, but loses a lot of points for me for the ending. I hate books(or movies) where I get to the last page and am left wondering: then what was the point?
I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
Most everyone knows the basics of the Noah's Ark story: God decides humans are wicked and plans to wipe them all out and start over with those saved on Noah's ark. Most everyone probably does not know the story of the 36 Righteous Men. In Jewish legend, the 36 Righteous Men are God's promise to prevent another apocalypse. As long as there are 36 righteous men alive, humanity is safe. If those 36 should die, all bets are off. Detectives Manning and Dewey are led to clues that suggest the serial murders they are investigating could be the work of someone killing the 36 in order to hurry along armageddon.
Is 36 Righteous Men a moral story warning that humans have choices in life that lead to unseen, and perhaps catastrophic, consequences? Is it a suspense/thriller of a police procedural and the hunt for a serial killer? Is it a thinly veiled screenplay waiting to be turned into a movie with lots of special effects and no character development? The answer to me seems to be: yes to all of the above. Pressfield makes it clear that humans are doing their best to bring in armageddon without any help and the further into the book you go the less delineation there is between natural disasters and possible divine intervention. Not only do you think by the end that it's probably the same thing, you also know that it doesn't matter. The police procedural part was thin and mostly focused on Manning being the grizzled veteran following the facts while others run around chasing Russian mafia for no obvious reason. Dewey, as the narrator, is the young green detective trying to learn from a legend. Men is best when it focuses on the legend of the 36 and explaining it and surrounding Jewish beliefs to the two gentile detectives- something it manages to do in a natural, non-preachy way.
Fans of Steven Pressfield's traditional historical fiction (Gates of Fire, Tides of War, Last of the Amazons) will be surprised by Pressfield's latest work. Instead of historical fiction, Pressfield enters a sci-fi futuristic version of the world as it could be in 2034. Instead of a 'traditional' style of writing, Pressfield experiments with a first-person narrative told through memos and one of the characters points of view in an odd combination of prose and screenplay-style dialogue. The writing style was distracting to me and greatly hampered any character development, though it did finally work for the ending. Or maybe by then I was used to it? The climactic scenes at the end managed to be fast-paced and clunky at the same time. The very ending, without giving everything away, managed to be both shocking, stunning, and simultaneously probably exactly what I should have seen coming.
36 Righteous Men gets a bonus star for Pressfield's unique world building of the almost-apocalyptic world of the near future, but loses a lot of points for me for the ending. I hate books(or movies) where I get to the last page and am left wondering: then what was the point?
I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
November 7, 2019
In New York City circa 2034, the city has been devastated by climate change. Coastal areas have been nearly leveled by massive storms. Refugees from low-lying areas have congregated in slums sporting their own money. On the morning of April 19, it is 114 in the shade. Down these mean streets, old-school detective Manning and his junior, and our narrator, female detective Dewey are looking for a massively strong and invisible killer of the 36 Righteous Men.
With two victims in NYC and two in Russia, the killer’s MO is the same. Hold the victim up with one hand by the neck strangling the victim. Toss the victim aside. Somehow cause a branding from the inside on the victim’s forehead. Not appear on any surveillance cameras while doing so. The branding mark is an LV, which is Hebrew for the 36 Righteous Men.
Part science fiction, part hard-boiled detective story, part Christian fiction and part paranormal tale, this book is a near-perfect example of the blending of multiple genres into a coherent and compelling tale. However, I enjoy all these genres on their own. If you only like one or two, the world-building details may just slow down the pace rather than be fascinating in their own right—or vice versa. The Christian paranormal aspects may feel unbelievable. Therefore, I would only recommend this book to people who enjoy all four genres. 4 stars!
What a fine movie this would make! The world could be shown rather than described speeding up the mystery’s pace. Someone, with more money than I have, should scoop up the movie rights quickly. I, for one, can’t wait!
Thanks to W.W. Norton & Company and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.
With two victims in NYC and two in Russia, the killer’s MO is the same. Hold the victim up with one hand by the neck strangling the victim. Toss the victim aside. Somehow cause a branding from the inside on the victim’s forehead. Not appear on any surveillance cameras while doing so. The branding mark is an LV, which is Hebrew for the 36 Righteous Men.
Part science fiction, part hard-boiled detective story, part Christian fiction and part paranormal tale, this book is a near-perfect example of the blending of multiple genres into a coherent and compelling tale. However, I enjoy all these genres on their own. If you only like one or two, the world-building details may just slow down the pace rather than be fascinating in their own right—or vice versa. The Christian paranormal aspects may feel unbelievable. Therefore, I would only recommend this book to people who enjoy all four genres. 4 stars!
What a fine movie this would make! The world could be shown rather than described speeding up the mystery’s pace. Someone, with more money than I have, should scoop up the movie rights quickly. I, for one, can’t wait!
Thanks to W.W. Norton & Company and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.
June 27, 2021
Έχοντας διαβάσει αρκετά βιβλία του Πρεσσφιλντ, ομολογώ ότι χάρηκα βλέποντας τον να δοκιμάζει τη γραφή του σε κάτι διαφορετικό. Μάλλον βιάστηκα να χαρώ...
Θα ήταν άδικο το νέο βιβλίο του " 36 δίκαιοι" να συγκριθεί με τα προηγούμενα έργα του. Δεν υπάρχει τίποτα κοινό, κανένα σημείο που να μαρτυρά ότι αυτό το βιβλίο γράφτηκε από τον ίδιο άνθρωπο που έχει γράψει τις πύλες της φωτιάς, τη ματωμένη εκστρατεία, τους ανέμους φωτιάς και άλλα. Κσι φυσικά δεν αναφέρομαι μόνο στη θεματολογία!!!
Στους 36 δίκαιους το θέμα είναι εσχατολογικο, η ιστορία εκτυλίσσεται στο μέλλον. Μια δύσκολη μετάβαση για τον συγγραφέα από το αμιγώς ιστορικό μυθιστόρημα στο φανταστικό, που μου κίνησε το ενδιαφέρον. Δυστυχώς όμως με απογοήτευσε οικτρά.
Η ιστορία είναι ανερματιστη, θυμίζει ταινία δίχως σενάριο που προσπαθεί να τραβήξει τους θεατές με τα οπτικά εφέ και το δυνατό όνομα του πρωταγωνιστή. Όμως εδώ οι πολύ δυνατές περιγραφές δράσης, δεν ειναι αρκετές για να διασωθεί το βιβλίο. Η ανία κρύβεται σε κάθε σελίδα. Ατελείωτες περιγραφές για την ιεραρχία, τους βαθμούς και τον τρόπο λειτουργίας των μελλοντικών αστυνομικών αρχών, καλύπτουν περισσότερες σελίδες από όσες θα μπορούσα να αντέξω. Αχρείαστες περιγραφές οπλισμου, χρήση κλισέ χαρακτήρων (βασανισμένος μεσήλικας μπάτσος κόντρα σε όλους) και καταστάσεων (διευθυντής τμήματος που δεν δέχεται το οφθαλμοφανες), έριξαν την ποιότητα στα τάρταρα. Ξεκίνησα με ενθουσιασμό να διαβάσω το νέο βιβλίο του Πρεσσφιλντ και κατέληξα να μη βλέπω την ώρα να τελειώσει. Πιο βαρετό/αδιάφορο δεν γινόταν!!!
Η ιστορία; Λίγο από αστυνομικό για αρχή, αρκετό εσχατολογικο για τη συνέχεια, πασπαλισμα με οικολογικές ανησυχίες και υπερβολικά μεγάλες δόσεις από φανταστικό. Η σύνδεση ανάμεσα σε αυτά; Κάκιστη!!!
Ακόμα ένα πρόβλημα είναι οι χαρακτήρες. Οι περισσότεροι ελειπως σχεδιασμένοι, μερικοί τελείως αχρείαστοι. Η πρωταγωνιστρια/αφηγήτρια αδιάφορη μέχρι σκασμού. Αν δεν υπήρχε δεν θα το καταλάβαινα κιόλας!!!
Εν κατακλείδι, ένα κακό βιβλίο από έναν καταπληκτικό συγγραφέα. Όλοι βέβαια έχουμε δικαίωμα στις "στραβές
Θα ήταν άδικο το νέο βιβλίο του " 36 δίκαιοι" να συγκριθεί με τα προηγούμενα έργα του. Δεν υπάρχει τίποτα κοινό, κανένα σημείο που να μαρτυρά ότι αυτό το βιβλίο γράφτηκε από τον ίδιο άνθρωπο που έχει γράψει τις πύλες της φωτιάς, τη ματωμένη εκστρατεία, τους ανέμους φωτιάς και άλλα. Κσι φυσικά δεν αναφέρομαι μόνο στη θεματολογία!!!
Στους 36 δίκαιους το θέμα είναι εσχατολογικο, η ιστορία εκτυλίσσεται στο μέλλον. Μια δύσκολη μετάβαση για τον συγγραφέα από το αμιγώς ιστορικό μυθιστόρημα στο φανταστικό, που μου κίνησε το ενδιαφέρον. Δυστυχώς όμως με απογοήτευσε οικτρά.
Η ιστορία είναι ανερματιστη, θυμίζει ταινία δίχως σενάριο που προσπαθεί να τραβήξει τους θεατές με τα οπτικά εφέ και το δυνατό όνομα του πρωταγωνιστή. Όμως εδώ οι πολύ δυνατές περιγραφές δράσης, δεν ειναι αρκετές για να διασωθεί το βιβλίο. Η ανία κρύβεται σε κάθε σελίδα. Ατελείωτες περιγραφές για την ιεραρχία, τους βαθμούς και τον τρόπο λειτουργίας των μελλοντικών αστυνομικών αρχών, καλύπτουν περισσότερες σελίδες από όσες θα μπορούσα να αντέξω. Αχρείαστες περιγραφές οπλισμου, χρήση κλισέ χαρακτήρων (βασανισμένος μεσήλικας μπάτσος κόντρα σε όλους) και καταστάσεων (διευθυντής τμήματος που δεν δέχεται το οφθαλμοφανες), έριξαν την ποιότητα στα τάρταρα. Ξεκίνησα με ενθουσιασμό να διαβάσω το νέο βιβλίο του Πρεσσφιλντ και κατέληξα να μη βλέπω την ώρα να τελειώσει. Πιο βαρετό/αδιάφορο δεν γινόταν!!!
Η ιστορία; Λίγο από αστυνομικό για αρχή, αρκετό εσχατολογικο για τη συνέχεια, πασπαλισμα με οικολογικές ανησυχίες και υπερβολικά μεγάλες δόσεις από φανταστικό. Η σύνδεση ανάμεσα σε αυτά; Κάκιστη!!!
Ακόμα ένα πρόβλημα είναι οι χαρακτήρες. Οι περισσότεροι ελειπως σχεδιασμένοι, μερικοί τελείως αχρείαστοι. Η πρωταγωνιστρια/αφηγήτρια αδιάφορη μέχρι σκασμού. Αν δεν υπήρχε δεν θα το καταλάβαινα κιόλας!!!
Εν κατακλείδι, ένα κακό βιβλίο από έναν καταπληκτικό συγγραφέα. Όλοι βέβαια έχουμε δικαίωμα στις "στραβές
May 2, 2023
Στη Νέα Υόρκη του 2034 δύο επιθεωρητές αναλαμβάνουν να εξιχνιάσουν μια σειρά από δολοφονίες ανθρώπων που δε φαίνεται αρχικά να έχουν τίποτα κοινό. Η υπογραφή του δολοφόνου είναι τα γράμματα LV με τα οποία μαρκάρει τα θύματά του αλλά γιατί το κάνει ανάμεσα στα μάτια τους; Όλα δείχνουν πως οι δολοφονίες αποτελούν αντικείμενο ομοσπονδιακής έρευνας αλλά γιατί αφήνουν την Έκτη Υποδιεύθυνση της Αστυνομίας της Νέας Υόρκης να βγάλει τα κάστανα από τη φωτιά; Τι σχέση έχουν οι θάνατοι αυτοί με την απειλή της οικολογικής και όχι μόνο ασφάλειας του κόσμου; Ποια είναι η μυστηριώδης γυναίκα που φαίνεται να δίνει πολύτιμες πληροφορίες στην αστυνομία αλλά κανείς δεν τη γνωρίζει και γιατί βοηθάει στην επίλυση των ερευνών; Ο Steven Pressfield που γνώρισα από τα συναρπαστικά ιστορικά του βιβλία έγραψε τώρα ένα δυστοπικό και εσχατολογικό αστυνομικό μυθιστόρημα που μου χάρισε ξενύχτι και ώρες αγωνίας.
Πρωταγωνιστές του βιβλίου είναι οι Επιθεωρητές Τζέιμς Μάννινγκ και Κοβίνα «Ντιούι» Ντουβέ. Εκείνος επανήλθε από δωδεκάμηνη άδεια ύστερα από μια οικογενειακή τραγωδία, δύο εβδομάδες πριν ξεκινήσει η συνεργασία του με την Ντιούι, χρησιμοποιεί προτάσεις-αξιώματα, είναι ολιγόλογος και πρακτικός, υποφέρει από ημικρανίες. Εκείνη, κατώτερη ιεραρχικά, αποδέχεται τις διαθέσεις του Μάννινγκ και ζει με τα ξεσπάσματά του γιατί η υπηρεσία δίπλα σε έναν βετεράνο σαν αυτόν είναι η καλύτερη εκπαίδευση. Η κατώτερη θέση της και το φύλο της τη φέρνουν πάντα σε δύσκολη θέση στο ανδροκρατούμενο περιβάλλον εργασίας της. Είναι υπάλληλοι στην Έκτη Υποδιεύθυνση της Υπηρεσίας Ερευνών στην Αστυνομία της Νέας Υόρκης, η οποία αποτελεί τον ειδικό ερευνητικό βραχίονα της Διεύθυνσης Ανθρωποκτονιών και μαζί κάνουν ένα αχτύπητο δίδυμο! Αναλαμβάνουν λοιπόν τη διαλεύκανση μιας σειράς φόνων, με τα δύο πρώτα θύματα να ταιριάζουν με κάποια που βρέθηκαν στη Ρωσία ως προς τον τρόπο θανάτου και την ταυτότητα του δολοφόνου. Ένας διευθύνων σύμβουλος μιας τράπεζας επενδύσεων, ένας Αμερικανός υφυπουργός Οικονομικής Ανάπτυξης, ένας ανώτερος αξιωματούχος του ρωσικού Υπουργείου Γεωργίας κι ένας συγγραφέας πέθαναν χωρίς ο δολοφόνος τους να αφήνει πίσω του κάποια ίχνη. Οι κάμερες δεν τον καταγράφουν, οι μετρήσεις στον χώρο δε δείχνουν τα ζωτικά του σημάδια, επομένως τι συμβαίνει; Στην πορεία οι δρόμοι τους θα διασταυρωθούν με της ραβίνου και πρώην ανθυπολοχαγού στις εφεδρικές δυνάμεις του ισραηλινού στρατού Ρέιτσελ Ντέιβιντσον, η οποία αποπέμφθηκε ατιμωτικά για προσβολή της εβραϊκής θρησκείας και με του Ισραηλινού ανθρωπολόγου και ακτιβιστή για την κλιματική αλλαγή Αμός Μπεν-Νταβίντ. Γιατί θέλουν κι αυτοί να βρεθεί ο ένοχος; Τι γνωρίζουν για τους 36 Δίκαιους και πώς τους ανακάλυψαν; Η αφήγηση είναι ουδέτερη και θυμίζει μαρτυρική κατάθεση ενώ εναλλάσσεται με την πρωτοπρόσωπη αφήγηση της Ντιούι σε ενεστώτα διαρκείας κι όχι στον οικείο αφηγηματικό αόριστο κι επίσης η γλώσσα της Επιθεωρήτριας παραμένει «ξύλινη», στεγνή, άκρως επαγγελματική. Περίεργο και δυσεξήγητο για μένα είναι που οι διάλογοι παρατίθενται σα να διαβάζουμε σενάριο, με αλλαγή γραμματοσειράς και στοίχισης και το όνομα που εκφέρει τα εκάστοτε λόγια να προηγείται των προτάσεων.
Όλα αυτά συμβαίνουν στη Νέα Υόρκη του 2034, όπου ο συγγραφέας βάζει να γίνονται πολλά κοσμοϊστορικά γεγονότα που έχουν αλλάξει για πάντα τη ζωή της ανθρωπότητας! Η στάθμη του νερού έχει ανέβει μετά τις πλημμύρες του 2029 και άστεγοι άνθρωποι έχουν περικλειστεί από το κράτος σε καταυλισμούς, η Υπερκαταιγίδα Λόρελαϊ τον Σεπτέμβριο του 2021 κατέστρεψε πολλές περιοχές της Πολιτείας, ισοπεδώνοντάς τες, μεταξύ αυτών την περιοχή Κανάρσι στα ανατολικά της πόλης, οπότε τα ερειπωμένα κτήρια χρησιμοποιούνται από αστέγους, παράνομα κατασκευαστήρια και αυτοσχέδια γιουσουρούμ. Η κυανοπράσινη απόχρωση του ήλιου το μεσημέρι δεν είναι φυσιολογική. Επίσης, το 2027 ξέσπασαν Μεταναστευτικές Ταραχές όταν 1,7 εκατομμύρια μετανάστες από Νοτιοανατολική Ασία και Υποσαχάρια Αφρική πλημμύρισαν τις Ηνωμένες Πολιτείες εξαιτίας των κατεστραμμένων καλλιεργειών, του λιμού και της ενδοφυλετικής γενοκτονίας, τότε μάλιστα βομβαρδίστηκε και το περιβόητο κτήριο Ντακότα, το οποίο έκτοτε δεν ξανακατοικήθηκε. Αν τώρα απομακρυνθούμε από την αμερικανική ήπειρο, θα δούμε ότι η άνοδος της στάθμης της θάλασσας και οι μουσώνες απειλούν την Ασία, οι παγετώνες της Γροιλανδίας εξαφανίζονται, οι κοραλλιογενείς ύφαλοι στο νότιο ημισφαίριο πεθαίνουν, η Μόσχα ψήνεται στους 44 βαθμούς Κελσίου στον πιο ζεστό Απρίλιο που έχει καταγραφεί ποτέ κι έτσι ο πλανήτης έχει περάσει το σημείο χωρίς επιστροφή, με τον παγκόσμιο πληθυσμό να ανέρχεται στα 8,7 δισεκατομμύρια. Εξίσου ενδιαφέρουσες είναι και οι αλλαγές στο Ισραήλ, όπου χρειάζεται να μεταβούν οι επιθεωρητές κατά την πορεία των ερευνών τους, μεταξύ των οποίων η συμβίωση μεταξύ Παλαιστινίων και Ισραηλινών και η ευρύτερη γεωπολιτική κατάσταση. Μέσα σε αυτό το ανατριχιαστικό φουτουριστικό περιβάλλον μαθαίνουμε πολλά πράγματα για την Εσχατολογία, τη μελέτη δηλαδή της συντέλειας του κόσμου και για τη Γεματρία, την εβραϊκή αριθμολογία που κάποια συστήματά της μελετούν αποσπάσματα ιερών κειμένων και κύρια ονόματα για να αποκαλύψουν την αποκρυφιστική σημασία τους. Τέλος, οι 36 Δίκαιοι είναι ένας θρύλος που πρεσβεύει πως ο Θεός προστατεύει τον κόσμο χάρη σε αυτούς αλλά αν χαθούν ο Θεός δεν έχει καμία δέσμευση απέναντι στο ανθρώπινο είδος. Ναι αλλά ποιοι και πώς θεωρούνται δίκαιοι; Αφού τους ξέρει μόνο ο Θεός, ούτε καν οι ίδιοι δεν ξέρουν ο ένας τον άλλον, πώς τους ανακάλυψε ο δολοφόνος και πώς καταφέρνει να τους εντοπίζει; Ποιος είναι ο στόχος του, η συντέλεια του κόσμου ή κάτι άλλο, πιο σκοτεινό; Πώς αντιμετωπίζει η εβραϊκή κοινότητα το τέλος της ανθρωπότητας και πώς προετοιμάζει τους πιστούς για τη σωτηρία τους;
Οι «Τριάντα έξι Δίκαιοι» είναι ένα δυστοπικό μυθιστόρημα περιπέτειας που διαδραματίζεται στις έσχατες μέρες του κόσμου που ήδη γνωρίζουμε ότι πάει στραβά, χωρίς εμβάθυνση σε χαρακτήρες αλλά με ενδιαφέρουσες ανατροπές ενώ η πραγματική ταυτότητα του δολοφόνου ήταν κάτι διασκεδαστικό για μένα αλλά ο συγγραφέας το χειρίστηκε με σύνεση, ρεαλισμό και πειστικότητα, οπότε, ναι, πέρασα καλά διαβάζοντας το βιβλίο ενός συγγραφέα που έχω γνωρίσει με τα αξεπέραστα ιστορικά του μυθιστορήματα. Εδώ δοκιμάστηκε σε κάτι διαφορετικό και τα κατάφερε καλά. Θεωρίες συνωμοσίας, Εβραίοι και Γέεννα, άνθρωποι που έχουν χαρακτηριστεί ως Δίκαιοι και ο δολοφόνος τους κυνηγάει, ενδιαφέρων χειρισμός, καλή πλοκή, αγωνία και σασπένς!
Πρώτη δημοσίευση στο site μου: www.vivliokritikes.com/36-%ce%b4%ce%a...
Πρωταγωνιστές του βιβλίου είναι οι Επιθεωρητές Τζέιμς Μάννινγκ και Κοβίνα «Ντιούι» Ντουβέ. Εκείνος επανήλθε από δωδεκάμηνη άδεια ύστερα από μια οικογενειακή τραγωδία, δύο εβδομάδες πριν ξεκινήσει η συνεργασία του με την Ντιούι, χρησιμοποιεί προτάσεις-αξιώματα, είναι ολιγόλογος και πρακτικός, υποφέρει από ημικρανίες. Εκείνη, κατώτερη ιεραρχικά, αποδέχεται τις διαθέσεις του Μάννινγκ και ζει με τα ξεσπάσματά του γιατί η υπηρεσία δίπλα σε έναν βετεράνο σαν αυτόν είναι η καλύτερη εκπαίδευση. Η κατώτερη θέση της και το φύλο της τη φέρνουν πάντα σε δύσκολη θέση στο ανδροκρατούμενο περιβάλλον εργασίας της. Είναι υπάλληλοι στην Έκτη Υποδιεύθυνση της Υπηρεσίας Ερευνών στην Αστυνομία της Νέας Υόρκης, η οποία αποτελεί τον ειδικό ερευνητικό βραχίονα της Διεύθυνσης Ανθρωποκτονιών και μαζί κάνουν ένα αχτύπητο δίδυμο! Αναλαμβάνουν λοιπόν τη διαλεύκανση μιας σειράς φόνων, με τα δύο πρώτα θύματα να ταιριάζουν με κάποια που βρέθηκαν στη Ρωσία ως προς τον τρόπο θανάτου και την ταυτότητα του δολοφόνου. Ένας διευθύνων σύμβουλος μιας τράπεζας επενδύσεων, ένας Αμερικανός υφυπουργός Οικονομικής Ανάπτυξης, ένας ανώτερος αξιωματούχος του ρωσικού Υπουργείου Γεωργίας κι ένας συγγραφέας πέθαναν χωρίς ο δολοφόνος τους να αφήνει πίσω του κάποια ίχνη. Οι κάμερες δεν τον καταγράφουν, οι μετρήσεις στον χώρο δε δείχνουν τα ζωτικά του σημάδια, επομένως τι συμβαίνει; Στην πορεία οι δρόμοι τους θα διασταυρωθούν με της ραβίνου και πρώην ανθυπολοχαγού στις εφεδρικές δυνάμεις του ισραηλινού στρατού Ρέιτσελ Ντέιβιντσον, η οποία αποπέμφθηκε ατιμωτικά για προσβολή της εβραϊκής θρησκείας και με του Ισραηλινού ανθρωπολόγου και ακτιβιστή για την κλιματική αλλαγή Αμός Μπεν-Νταβίντ. Γιατί θέλουν κι αυτοί να βρεθεί ο ένοχος; Τι γνωρίζουν για τους 36 Δίκαιους και πώς τους ανακάλυψαν; Η αφήγηση είναι ουδέτερη και θυμίζει μαρτυρική κατάθεση ενώ εναλλάσσεται με την πρωτοπρόσωπη αφήγηση της Ντιούι σε ενεστώτα διαρκείας κι όχι στον οικείο αφηγηματικό αόριστο κι επίσης η γλώσσα της Επιθεωρήτριας παραμένει «ξύλινη», στεγνή, άκρως επαγγελματική. Περίεργο και δυσεξήγητο για μένα είναι που οι διάλογοι παρατίθενται σα να διαβάζουμε σενάριο, με αλλαγή γραμματοσειράς και στοίχισης και το όνομα που εκφέρει τα εκάστοτε λόγια να προηγείται των προτάσεων.
Όλα αυτά συμβαίνουν στη Νέα Υόρκη του 2034, όπου ο συγγραφέας βάζει να γίνονται πολλά κοσμοϊστορικά γεγονότα που έχουν αλλάξει για πάντα τη ζωή της ανθρωπότητας! Η στάθμη του νερού έχει ανέβει μετά τις πλημμύρες του 2029 και άστεγοι άνθρωποι έχουν περικλειστεί από το κράτος σε καταυλισμούς, η Υπερκαταιγίδα Λόρελαϊ τον Σεπτέμβριο του 2021 κατέστρεψε πολλές περιοχές της Πολιτείας, ισοπεδώνοντάς τες, μεταξύ αυτών την περιοχή Κανάρσι στα ανατολικά της πόλης, οπότε τα ερειπωμένα κτήρια χρησιμοποιούνται από αστέγους, παράνομα κατασκευαστήρια και αυτοσχέδια γιουσουρούμ. Η κυανοπράσινη απόχρωση του ήλιου το μεσημέρι δεν είναι φυσιολογική. Επίσης, το 2027 ξέσπασαν Μεταναστευτικές Ταραχές όταν 1,7 εκατομμύρια μετανάστες από Νοτιοανατολική Ασία και Υποσαχάρια Αφρική πλημμύρισαν τις Ηνωμένες Πολιτείες εξαιτίας των κατεστραμμένων καλλιεργειών, του λιμού και της ενδοφυλετικής γενοκτονίας, τότε μάλιστα βομβαρδίστηκε και το περιβόητο κτήριο Ντακότα, το οποίο έκτοτε δεν ξανακατοικήθηκε. Αν τώρα απομακρυνθούμε από την αμερικανική ήπειρο, θα δούμε ότι η άνοδος της στάθμης της θάλασσας και οι μουσώνες απειλούν την Ασία, οι παγετώνες της Γροιλανδίας εξαφανίζονται, οι κοραλλιογενείς ύφαλοι στο νότιο ημισφαίριο πεθαίνουν, η Μόσχα ψήνεται στους 44 βαθμούς Κελσίου στον πιο ζεστό Απρίλιο που έχει καταγραφεί ποτέ κι έτσι ο πλανήτης έχει περάσει το σημείο χωρίς επιστροφή, με τον παγκόσμιο πληθυσμό να ανέρχεται στα 8,7 δισεκατομμύρια. Εξίσου ενδιαφέρουσες είναι και οι αλλαγές στο Ισραήλ, όπου χρειάζεται να μεταβούν οι επιθεωρητές κατά την πορεία των ερευνών τους, μεταξύ των οποίων η συμβίωση μεταξύ Παλαιστινίων και Ισραηλινών και η ευρύτερη γεωπολιτική κατάσταση. Μέσα σε αυτό το ανατριχιαστικό φουτουριστικό περιβάλλον μαθαίνουμε πολλά πράγματα για την Εσχατολογία, τη μελέτη δηλαδή της συντέλειας του κόσμου και για τη Γεματρία, την εβραϊκή αριθμολογία που κάποια συστήματά της μελετούν αποσπάσματα ιερών κειμένων και κύρια ονόματα για να αποκαλύψουν την αποκρυφιστική σημασία τους. Τέλος, οι 36 Δίκαιοι είναι ένας θρύλος που πρεσβεύει πως ο Θεός προστατεύει τον κόσμο χάρη σε αυτούς αλλά αν χαθούν ο Θεός δεν έχει καμία δέσμευση απέναντι στο ανθρώπινο είδος. Ναι αλλά ποιοι και πώς θεωρούνται δίκαιοι; Αφού τους ξέρει μόνο ο Θεός, ούτε καν οι ίδιοι δεν ξέρουν ο ένας τον άλλον, πώς τους ανακάλυψε ο δολοφόνος και πώς καταφέρνει να τους εντοπίζει; Ποιος είναι ο στόχος του, η συντέλεια του κόσμου ή κάτι άλλο, πιο σκοτεινό; Πώς αντιμετωπίζει η εβραϊκή κοινότητα το τέλος της ανθρωπότητας και πώς προετοιμάζει τους πιστούς για τη σωτηρία τους;
Οι «Τριάντα έξι Δίκαιοι» είναι ένα δυστοπικό μυθιστόρημα περιπέτειας που διαδραματίζεται στις έσχατες μέρες του κόσμου που ήδη γνωρίζουμε ότι πάει στραβά, χωρίς εμβάθυνση σε χαρακτήρες αλλά με ενδιαφέρουσες ανατροπές ενώ η πραγματική ταυτότητα του δολοφόνου ήταν κάτι διασκεδαστικό για μένα αλλά ο συγγραφέας το χειρίστηκε με σύνεση, ρεαλισμό και πειστικότητα, οπότε, ναι, πέρασα καλά διαβάζοντας το βιβλίο ενός συγγραφέα που έχω γνωρίσει με τα αξεπέραστα ιστορικά του μυθιστορήματα. Εδώ δοκιμάστηκε σε κάτι διαφορετικό και τα κατάφερε καλά. Θεωρίες συνωμοσίας, Εβραίοι και Γέεννα, άνθρωποι που έχουν χαρακτηριστεί ως Δίκαιοι και ο δολοφόνος τους κυνηγάει, ενδιαφέρων χειρισμός, καλή πλοκή, αγωνία και σασπένς!
Πρώτη δημοσίευση στο site μου: www.vivliokritikes.com/36-%ce%b4%ce%a...
October 9, 2019
Received as an ARC via my employer Barnes & Noble. Started 10-7-19. Finished 10-9-19. Clever story-telling technique using the police detectives' log reports. Judaic legend that there are 36 Righteous Men who keep the world safe from it's last days. Someone is killing these people around the world, and NYPD is investigating. The story takes place in the late 2037's so there are some SF elements. Not the ending that I expected. Found myself reading faster as I got closer to the end---a sign for me of a good thriller.
January 9, 2020
What a disappointment. I've enjoyed Pressfield's books for years, and was excited to see this at the library. Gave up halfway through. The plot is preposterous, but especially annoying is the quality and format of the dialogue - presented as if it was a film script. After thinking about it, this appears to be an actual film script (with execrable film-style expository dialogue and character development) that has been supplemented with some descriptive text. Looks like a lazy failure to me.
C'mon Steven. You have done, and can do, a lot better than this.
C'mon Steven. You have done, and can do, a lot better than this.
May 27, 2021
Well this was unexpected. I came across this novel while looking for the latest Pressfield's book (Man at Arms). Premise sounded interesting and I decided to give it a try...... and I can say, what a ride.
Entire novel is like a wild child that had "End of Days" and Millenium TV show for parents. Same as its parents focus is on the latest and deadliest popular fear and hysteria - for 1990's it was Year 2000, destruction of everything and end of times (imagine the surprise on Jan 2nd, then 3rd, 4th and then June, August, man oh .... 2001/2/3/....) and as a cherry on top the most ridiculous plot ever - Y2K bug!!!! So now it is global warming, and not in couple of centuries but in a decade from now (because, hey, why waiting next 100 or 1000 years - people want destruction now!!!!! people need drama, they need to feel something because they are bored tbh!!!!). I am getting off topic, sorry.....
So ever fierce and ever destructive natural disasters hit the Earth in [a very] near future. At the same time in NY several mysterious murders take place, and investigation proves that NY murders have chilling similarities with the murders taking place across the world. Working on the case is NYPD elite unit, DivSix, with detectives Manning (old warhorse) and Dewey (rookie) - soon they will find themselves involved in the mystery linked to Judaism and legend of 36 righteous men whose very existence prevents the God from obliterating the humanity and entire world. Problem is righteous men are slowly being killed off one by one by a mysterious person who also insists on constantly taunting detective Manning while offing the people left and right.
So basically these natural disasters and destruction are not actually result of acts of men but Heavenly wrath gaining power because barrier [those 36 righteous men] is getting weaker and weaker by the moment. Now ... that 's a twist, ain't it.
Entire story is told in form of Dewey's report about the murder investigations. This can be off-putting to some because (a) story is told from the first person and (b) conversations and details are given as transcripts. I liked it but I understand it might not be everyone's cup of tea.
Author manages to portray all the characters in a very interesting way. Everything we find about Manning is from perspective of Dewey, his co-workers and his reactions on every clue they come across that are transmitted through his facial ticks and not much through actual conversation. Manning is an anachronism but it is clear that everyone respects him because he is first and foremost a professional. Dewey is rookie women detective assigned to work with Manning. While she is aware her partner is moody, old cop that tries to reject the ever present intrusion of technology in every day life and is not that chatty, she is tech-savvy and representative of the new generation - quick-learner, witty and capable. Together they will try to stop the destruction of the humanity while fighting the bureaucracy and [which is more or less a cliche] screaming and arrogant boss and his cohorts - all of them concentrated on "Russian threat" .... and man, that twist in the middle was magnificent.
New world is not that much different from our own (minus the natural disasters of course) - lots of dispossessed people living in the wild and parks, migrating from one country to another and avoiding being assimilated in the new society so they clash with police and army (that are again controlled by state/corporations - your standard cyberpunk depressing world), whole parts of the NY turned in ghettos, various nationalities looking down on other nationalities (I truly enjoyed Dewey's comments on Asian suburbs) and living in tightly knit communities that think they are better than everyone else. There are riots, social networks spying on everyone and everything and corporations just doing their business as usual, because while many will protest against them everyone can be bought (as I said, not so different from our own world (minus the natural disasters, of course)). Technological impact in society is given in a kind of everyday activities. Reader wont be bombarded with various technological marvels but we get the picture of the world in which both technological wonders and drastic economical divide can be found.
And this brings me to the ending. Now, I understand that happy ending is not always possible (Rosemarie's Baby, Carrie and Omen usually come up as an example in this end-of-the-world genre) but this ending was .... depressing. For me ending looks hurried, all the questions raised, true nature of the mysterious assassin, why all the mocking of Manning ..... nothing is answered. It just ends in a sort of a Doom-game-style finale and then couple of more pages it ends for real (creating more and more questions without clarifying anything) in a most depressive way possible. I just wish ending was more .... substantial? And maybe more on the light side - show that sun above the miles of nuclear and radioactive cloud coverage - Matrix style!
Excellent novel, story flows very fast and you can imagine every scene with your inner eye. For me only downside is ending because it just seems very abrupt.
Recommended to thriller fans.
Entire novel is like a wild child that had "End of Days" and Millenium TV show for parents. Same as its parents focus is on the latest and deadliest popular fear and hysteria - for 1990's it was Year 2000, destruction of everything and end of times (imagine the surprise on Jan 2nd, then 3rd, 4th and then June, August, man oh .... 2001/2/3/....) and as a cherry on top the most ridiculous plot ever - Y2K bug!!!! So now it is global warming, and not in couple of centuries but in a decade from now (because, hey, why waiting next 100 or 1000 years - people want destruction now!!!!! people need drama, they need to feel something because they are bored tbh!!!!). I am getting off topic, sorry.....
So ever fierce and ever destructive natural disasters hit the Earth in [a very] near future. At the same time in NY several mysterious murders take place, and investigation proves that NY murders have chilling similarities with the murders taking place across the world. Working on the case is NYPD elite unit, DivSix, with detectives Manning (old warhorse) and Dewey (rookie) - soon they will find themselves involved in the mystery linked to Judaism and legend of 36 righteous men whose very existence prevents the God from obliterating the humanity and entire world. Problem is righteous men are slowly being killed off one by one by a mysterious person who also insists on constantly taunting detective Manning while offing the people left and right.
So basically these natural disasters and destruction are not actually result of acts of men but Heavenly wrath gaining power because barrier [those 36 righteous men] is getting weaker and weaker by the moment. Now ... that 's a twist, ain't it.
Entire story is told in form of Dewey's report about the murder investigations. This can be off-putting to some because (a) story is told from the first person and (b) conversations and details are given as transcripts. I liked it but I understand it might not be everyone's cup of tea.
Author manages to portray all the characters in a very interesting way. Everything we find about Manning is from perspective of Dewey, his co-workers and his reactions on every clue they come across that are transmitted through his facial ticks and not much through actual conversation. Manning is an anachronism but it is clear that everyone respects him because he is first and foremost a professional. Dewey is rookie women detective assigned to work with Manning. While she is aware her partner is moody, old cop that tries to reject the ever present intrusion of technology in every day life and is not that chatty, she is tech-savvy and representative of the new generation - quick-learner, witty and capable. Together they will try to stop the destruction of the humanity while fighting the bureaucracy and [which is more or less a cliche] screaming and arrogant boss and his cohorts - all of them concentrated on "Russian threat" .... and man, that twist in the middle was magnificent.
New world is not that much different from our own (minus the natural disasters of course) - lots of dispossessed people living in the wild and parks, migrating from one country to another and avoiding being assimilated in the new society so they clash with police and army (that are again controlled by state/corporations - your standard cyberpunk depressing world), whole parts of the NY turned in ghettos, various nationalities looking down on other nationalities (I truly enjoyed Dewey's comments on Asian suburbs) and living in tightly knit communities that think they are better than everyone else. There are riots, social networks spying on everyone and everything and corporations just doing their business as usual, because while many will protest against them everyone can be bought (as I said, not so different from our own world (minus the natural disasters, of course)). Technological impact in society is given in a kind of everyday activities. Reader wont be bombarded with various technological marvels but we get the picture of the world in which both technological wonders and drastic economical divide can be found.
And this brings me to the ending. Now, I understand that happy ending is not always possible (Rosemarie's Baby, Carrie and Omen usually come up as an example in this end-of-the-world genre) but this ending was .... depressing. For me ending looks hurried, all the questions raised, true nature of the mysterious assassin, why all the mocking of Manning ..... nothing is answered. It just ends in a sort of a Doom-game-style finale and then couple of more pages it ends for real (creating more and more questions without clarifying anything) in a most depressive way possible. I just wish ending was more .... substantial? And maybe more on the light side - show that sun above the miles of nuclear and radioactive cloud coverage - Matrix style!
Excellent novel, story flows very fast and you can imagine every scene with your inner eye. For me only downside is ending because it just seems very abrupt.
Recommended to thriller fans.
December 19, 2019
Fast-paced and cinematic, the book's characters are under-drawn s ave, maybe, the narrator. The plot idea—the murder of the 36 just men—is a good one, but the killer is a bit much.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 186 reviews