What do you think?
Rate this book
Tom Clancy's Endwar #2
The Hunted
She's known as the Snow Maiden-an operative of a secret group dedicated to world domination. To get their hands on her, U.S. Special Forces Captain Alexander Brent and his team will have to outmaneuver a terrorist faction bent on wiping her off the face of the earth.
400 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published February 1, 2011
129 people are currently reading
1216 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews
April 20, 2015
I'm a "Red Storm Rising" alum, so when I heard of Tom Clancy's Endwar I figured that maybe, just maybe, we would be introduced to a similar tale though, naturally, under the guise of an entirely different war and written by a different author. It was an attractive notion, so I bought the first book of the series and gave it a pass. It was nowhere near the scale of Rising, but I figured the war would span several books, so I was hopeful.
Then came "The Hunted." I was suspicious right from the get-go when I read the description on the backcover. Reading about a manhunt, or in this case womanhunt, wasn't what first came to mind when thinking of a series by the name of "Endwar." But Brent would be leading the hunt himself, and he'd done a nice job in the first book, so I decided to take a look.
But I was deceived. In the first book we were given some indication that Brent was a haunted man with demons of his own. Apparently those demons decided to come out and play between the first and second books, leaving us a nearly-broken Brent having a crisis of faith. Again, I was wary, but it was an interesting premise, all the more so when we eventually learn that Brent has put together a Ghost team out of other teams' rejects after The Dirty Dozen. Not only that, but he gets to play hardball with a couple of Splinter Cells. I thought it was overkill at the time but, unfortunately, the book proved me wrong.
I have several issues with this book, the first of which has to do with the Snow Maiden. She's nowhere near the escape artist that characters claim her to be, she's just a cold-blooded killer. Period. Her escapes are a combination of dumb characters and thoroughly unbelievable circumstances that conspire to enable her. At one time I found myself commenting how her stop at a bar was meant to be a switch, but Brent didn't hear and went for the hovercraft instead. Stopped for drinks? Really? It's these kind of foreseeable stunts that break immersion for me.
The other deal-breaker has to do with the world's political situation. Russians freely invading and attacking England? Blackmailing Euros to do their bidding? Just because they have oil? Really? I would have thought that some Euro general would have suggested they take the Russian oil for themselves rather than do their bidding. It would have been a nice reverse of Rising and would have paved the way for an epic war, or endwar, which I have yet to find.
Technology seems to be useless here. Whereas in Clancy's books they usually fulfill some minor role, technology seems to actually hinder the protagonists. For all their little gadgets, the Ghosts have decidedly worthless intel and zero support, and when they get any, it turns out the enemy has plenty of aces up his/her sleeve. Like I said, it stretches credibility.
The Ganjin plot is actually laughable and the mole twist is a punch on the reader's gut. How did it come about? No idea, it just happened, take it on faith. Hunted could have included some NSA/CIA plot to flush out a potential mole in the JSF, something that occurs to Brent at some point in the book, but it never does. Furthermore, we're supposed to believe the mole was able to transfer a highly valuable intelligence asset just like that, without arousing anyone's suspicion. Maybe it's possible, but I'd prefer some reference to the difficulty involved in such a task.
Needless to say, Brent ultimately fails his mission, but seems to have gained new insight about what kind of man he wants to be. Good for you, mate, but you failed and that's that. That's the bottom line for "The Hunted," failure, again and again and again. There's the odd exchange here and there that you may find funny, sexy, or intriguing, but a few lines can hardly justify the time I invested in this book.
I hope Book 3 gets its game up to par, because Book 2 definitely took a wrong turn at every opportunity. Unfortunately, the epilogue has left me with decidedly unhappy thoughts about the future of Endwar. There are some ideas there that echo a plot device that has been used to death plenty of times and has enormous potential to continue pushing the bounds of credibility into previously undiscovered realms (I'll give you a tip, it was used in G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra).
All is not yet lost, however. All Book 3 needs to do is kill off the Ganjin with a nuke towards the beginning and pit the JSF/Euros in a war against the Russian Federation. Pretty straightforward, right?
Then came "The Hunted." I was suspicious right from the get-go when I read the description on the backcover. Reading about a manhunt, or in this case womanhunt, wasn't what first came to mind when thinking of a series by the name of "Endwar." But Brent would be leading the hunt himself, and he'd done a nice job in the first book, so I decided to take a look.
But I was deceived. In the first book we were given some indication that Brent was a haunted man with demons of his own. Apparently those demons decided to come out and play between the first and second books, leaving us a nearly-broken Brent having a crisis of faith. Again, I was wary, but it was an interesting premise, all the more so when we eventually learn that Brent has put together a Ghost team out of other teams' rejects after The Dirty Dozen. Not only that, but he gets to play hardball with a couple of Splinter Cells. I thought it was overkill at the time but, unfortunately, the book proved me wrong.
I have several issues with this book, the first of which has to do with the Snow Maiden. She's nowhere near the escape artist that characters claim her to be, she's just a cold-blooded killer. Period. Her escapes are a combination of dumb characters and thoroughly unbelievable circumstances that conspire to enable her. At one time I found myself commenting how her stop at a bar was meant to be a switch, but Brent didn't hear and went for the hovercraft instead. Stopped for drinks? Really? It's these kind of foreseeable stunts that break immersion for me.
The other deal-breaker has to do with the world's political situation. Russians freely invading and attacking England? Blackmailing Euros to do their bidding? Just because they have oil? Really? I would have thought that some Euro general would have suggested they take the Russian oil for themselves rather than do their bidding. It would have been a nice reverse of Rising and would have paved the way for an epic war, or endwar, which I have yet to find.
Technology seems to be useless here. Whereas in Clancy's books they usually fulfill some minor role, technology seems to actually hinder the protagonists. For all their little gadgets, the Ghosts have decidedly worthless intel and zero support, and when they get any, it turns out the enemy has plenty of aces up his/her sleeve. Like I said, it stretches credibility.
The Ganjin plot is actually laughable and the mole twist is a punch on the reader's gut. How did it come about? No idea, it just happened, take it on faith. Hunted could have included some NSA/CIA plot to flush out a potential mole in the JSF, something that occurs to Brent at some point in the book, but it never does. Furthermore, we're supposed to believe the mole was able to transfer a highly valuable intelligence asset just like that, without arousing anyone's suspicion. Maybe it's possible, but I'd prefer some reference to the difficulty involved in such a task.
Needless to say, Brent ultimately fails his mission, but seems to have gained new insight about what kind of man he wants to be. Good for you, mate, but you failed and that's that. That's the bottom line for "The Hunted," failure, again and again and again. There's the odd exchange here and there that you may find funny, sexy, or intriguing, but a few lines can hardly justify the time I invested in this book.
I hope Book 3 gets its game up to par, because Book 2 definitely took a wrong turn at every opportunity. Unfortunately, the epilogue has left me with decidedly unhappy thoughts about the future of Endwar. There are some ideas there that echo a plot device that has been used to death plenty of times and has enormous potential to continue pushing the bounds of credibility into previously undiscovered realms (I'll give you a tip, it was used in G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra).
All is not yet lost, however. All Book 3 needs to do is kill off the Ganjin with a nuke towards the beginning and pit the JSF/Euros in a war against the Russian Federation. Pretty straightforward, right?
June 10, 2023
Good and adventurous
October 4, 2022
Tom Clancy's EndWar: The Hunted By David Michael’s, is a video tie-in novel based on Ubisoft's Tom Clancy’s RTS spin off game “Tom Clancy’s Endwar.”
As the global conflict between the Russian Federation, United States and United European Union continues. Special Forces Captain Alexander Brent and his Ghost Recon Team are given a special mission to hunt down a dangerous rouge Russian spy. The Russian spy “Snow Maiden” aka Viktoria Antsyforov is now on the run from both the Russian government and an international group of terrorists. After she betrayed both to pursue her own mission of personal vengeance. She is now working for a mysterious group of people who have similar goals to her own. They have given her the mission to capture the surviving prince of Dubai in order to get ahold of oil reserves and gold. Captain Brent and his Ghost team are tasked with catching her before she is killed by the terrorists or captured by the Russians.
This book does a decent job of giving the characters background. It was “Brent watched with a horrid fascination as the tap caused Villanueva to slide and lose control The car broke into a spin that sent him into the oncoming lane 8.” In this example we see where Brent accidentally caused the death of a fellow student and joined the military when he discovered that the boy who died was planning to. Similar background stories cover Financial advisor Chopra and the Snow Maiden while prince Hussein gets of a briefing. These pages of information provide human elements to the characters however they don't evoke much of any emotion towards the characters. Regardless it is a nice touch and than many similar books provide as background including Hunted's predecessor.
One huge flaw to this book is that it completely departs from how the original EndWar book was focused. The first title in the series focused on much larger scale aspects of the WW3 universe with scenes such as large battles naval warfare and the like spanning across much of the war. Hunted scales it down to only focusing on the story of Captain Brent and his Ghost Recon squads chase after the Snow Maiden who in turn is chasing and keeping captive Chopra and prince Hussein.
This title is covering details of small squad sized engagements and spy chases versus enormous battles seen in the original first book as well as the EndWar video game. Hunted's focus seems reminiscent of a similar series such Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon or Splinter Cell which is also based on video games and tends to focus on smaller special operations of elite soldiers.
The book's plot lines while not revolutionary by any means are also not just carbon copies of cliche story structure. The book ranges from a street race down a US street to a battle through an tropical island and so on and so forth. Essentially it is a mish mosh of battles including victories and defeats all the way up to a final giant climax battle which while still focusing on the smaller squad elements does manage to allude to the big picture war scenario as Russian European and American conventional forces duke it out around the protagonists. Another thing this book does well is the ending. Unlike many war based books this does not end with the Americans having total victory however the ending isn't bad either It is unconventional which is a nice twist for a book of this genre.
Overall, EndWar: The Hunted is by no means a spectacular or amazing title worthy of praise However it is a fast paced action packed military techno adventure that is definitely worthy of the relatively small amount of time one could complete it in. For series fans it may prove a bit irritating with the shift in focus but nonetheless proves itself an entertaining and thrilling war techno thriller.
As the global conflict between the Russian Federation, United States and United European Union continues. Special Forces Captain Alexander Brent and his Ghost Recon Team are given a special mission to hunt down a dangerous rouge Russian spy. The Russian spy “Snow Maiden” aka Viktoria Antsyforov is now on the run from both the Russian government and an international group of terrorists. After she betrayed both to pursue her own mission of personal vengeance. She is now working for a mysterious group of people who have similar goals to her own. They have given her the mission to capture the surviving prince of Dubai in order to get ahold of oil reserves and gold. Captain Brent and his Ghost team are tasked with catching her before she is killed by the terrorists or captured by the Russians.
This book does a decent job of giving the characters background. It was “Brent watched with a horrid fascination as the tap caused Villanueva to slide and lose control The car broke into a spin that sent him into the oncoming lane 8.” In this example we see where Brent accidentally caused the death of a fellow student and joined the military when he discovered that the boy who died was planning to. Similar background stories cover Financial advisor Chopra and the Snow Maiden while prince Hussein gets of a briefing. These pages of information provide human elements to the characters however they don't evoke much of any emotion towards the characters. Regardless it is a nice touch and than many similar books provide as background including Hunted's predecessor.
One huge flaw to this book is that it completely departs from how the original EndWar book was focused. The first title in the series focused on much larger scale aspects of the WW3 universe with scenes such as large battles naval warfare and the like spanning across much of the war. Hunted scales it down to only focusing on the story of Captain Brent and his Ghost Recon squads chase after the Snow Maiden who in turn is chasing and keeping captive Chopra and prince Hussein.
This title is covering details of small squad sized engagements and spy chases versus enormous battles seen in the original first book as well as the EndWar video game. Hunted's focus seems reminiscent of a similar series such Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon or Splinter Cell which is also based on video games and tends to focus on smaller special operations of elite soldiers.
The book's plot lines while not revolutionary by any means are also not just carbon copies of cliche story structure. The book ranges from a street race down a US street to a battle through an tropical island and so on and so forth. Essentially it is a mish mosh of battles including victories and defeats all the way up to a final giant climax battle which while still focusing on the smaller squad elements does manage to allude to the big picture war scenario as Russian European and American conventional forces duke it out around the protagonists. Another thing this book does well is the ending. Unlike many war based books this does not end with the Americans having total victory however the ending isn't bad either It is unconventional which is a nice twist for a book of this genre.
Overall, EndWar: The Hunted is by no means a spectacular or amazing title worthy of praise However it is a fast paced action packed military techno adventure that is definitely worthy of the relatively small amount of time one could complete it in. For series fans it may prove a bit irritating with the shift in focus but nonetheless proves itself an entertaining and thrilling war techno thriller.
July 15, 2024
I definitely thought the first one was better. As I said on the first one if I could give .5 stars I would say this was more of a 2.5’er.
I felt like this book was more of a double-agent secret love fest than a war book. It was good and incorporated some characters from book 1, but was kind of meh.
Onto the 3rd I go!
I felt like this book was more of a double-agent secret love fest than a war book. It was good and incorporated some characters from book 1, but was kind of meh.
Onto the 3rd I go!
August 10, 2020
This is a hard book to review because the action scenes are so well written and the personal back stories are so poorly written. This is an action series so I am going to review it on the high side of 3
September 22, 2013
I am almost embarrassed to admit to trying to read this series. I quickly read the first one in ebook form and liked it. I can't say I gave this book a chance I put it down after 20 pages. I could not submit myself to the corny dialog and obvious video game tie it that this book is. This is not even a serious pulp fiction action adventure. I started to vomit when the "splinter cell" guys where introduce and the dialog that followed.
Skip it. I will try the next one and hope it is less a video game advertisement.
Skip it. I will try the next one and hope it is less a video game advertisement.
June 14, 2011
Not that great.
February 27, 2023
This book was written much more organized than the first entry in the series. There are only a few characters to worry about as compared to the dozen or so in the first book, leaving a much clearer path for the reader to follow.
A couple of more things compared to the last book:
-The action/fight scenes aren't as dramatic or intense (although they still do contain blood and gore, as expected.)
-There isn't much of a geo-political focus as in the last book as this book is centered a cat-and-mouse chase, although the chase in the book can be better described as a "multiple dumb cats chase one smart mouse".
-A lot less technical jargon compared to the last book, but I assume that comes along with the less suspenseful fight scenes.
Gripes I have:
-No real conclusion for the conflict, only for the protagonist. The book finishes off as a lead-in for a next book, however after I read the blurb for the next book, it doesn't seem like there was or ever will be a conclusion to this story.
Spoilers below
-This author very often writes about sexual feelings or encounters the characters have, despite the situation not being appropriate for one. They did it in H.A.W.X, EndWar 1, and now this book. I'm almost positive that anyone reading book 2 of a novelization of a video game that isn't even really based on the game, based off an author, really cares to see how the characters envision having sex with each other.
Overall, it was better than the last book in many ways, but fell short other aspects, so I'm rating them around the same. Here's to EndWar 3:The Missing.
A couple of more things compared to the last book:
-The action/fight scenes aren't as dramatic or intense (although they still do contain blood and gore, as expected.)
-There isn't much of a geo-political focus as in the last book as this book is centered a cat-and-mouse chase, although the chase in the book can be better described as a "multiple dumb cats chase one smart mouse".
-A lot less technical jargon compared to the last book, but I assume that comes along with the less suspenseful fight scenes.
Gripes I have:
-No real conclusion for the conflict, only for the protagonist. The book finishes off as a lead-in for a next book, however after I read the blurb for the next book, it doesn't seem like there was or ever will be a conclusion to this story.
Spoilers below
-This author very often writes about sexual feelings or encounters the characters have, despite the situation not being appropriate for one. They did it in H.A.W.X, EndWar 1, and now this book. I'm almost positive that anyone reading book 2 of a novelization of a video game that isn't even really based on the game, based off an author, really cares to see how the characters envision having sex with each other.
Overall, it was better than the last book in many ways, but fell short other aspects, so I'm rating them around the same. Here's to EndWar 3:The Missing.
January 10, 2026
This took a while to fully pull me in, but once it did, it didn’t let go.
The early part of the book felt slow for me, with heavy military focus and a lot of technical terminology. That’s on me as a reader. I’m realizing I lean more toward spy and espionage thrillers than straight military fiction, so the beginning required some patience.
That said, everything from around the middle onward completely shifted my experience. Pages 200 to 300 picked up significantly, and the final stretch delivered exactly what I was hoping for. High tension, strong momentum, and an action-packed climax that made the slower start feel worth it.
What worked best here was the sustained tension and the pacing in the latter half. The stakes felt real, the action was well-executed, and the ending landed in a satisfying way.
In the end, the second half made up for the slow start. I finished this feeling satisfied, especially with how strong the final act was, even if military-heavy thrillers aren’t usually my first choice.
This would work well for readers who enjoy fast-paced action and military-driven plots, especially if you’re patient with slower openings.
•••••
Follow me on Instagram: @kayelureads for more thoughts on this book and others!
The early part of the book felt slow for me, with heavy military focus and a lot of technical terminology. That’s on me as a reader. I’m realizing I lean more toward spy and espionage thrillers than straight military fiction, so the beginning required some patience.
That said, everything from around the middle onward completely shifted my experience. Pages 200 to 300 picked up significantly, and the final stretch delivered exactly what I was hoping for. High tension, strong momentum, and an action-packed climax that made the slower start feel worth it.
What worked best here was the sustained tension and the pacing in the latter half. The stakes felt real, the action was well-executed, and the ending landed in a satisfying way.
In the end, the second half made up for the slow start. I finished this feeling satisfied, especially with how strong the final act was, even if military-heavy thrillers aren’t usually my first choice.
This would work well for readers who enjoy fast-paced action and military-driven plots, especially if you’re patient with slower openings.
•••••
Follow me on Instagram: @kayelureads for more thoughts on this book and others!
May 8, 2022
It was an okay second book to the series. I really got into the first book of this series "Endwar" and I admit I had a little bit of an issue getting into it because of all the technical terms of all the weapons and gadgets. The second book continued the exploits of the Snegurochka or "Snow Maiden".
It introduced some new soldiers of the Ghost Recon team. I did like how it as the more I read, the more I got into it. It did blow my mind on some of the imagens of how far technology can go to and how we are currently heading that way. I did start looking up the weapons and vehicles from the Endwar Wiki, so that did help to visualize it more.
I did think that the ending could have been better, even though it mainly because the bad guys keep winning, but it was a nice book. Currently waiting to read "The Missing".
It introduced some new soldiers of the Ghost Recon team. I did like how it as the more I read, the more I got into it. It did blow my mind on some of the imagens of how far technology can go to and how we are currently heading that way. I did start looking up the weapons and vehicles from the Endwar Wiki, so that did help to visualize it more.
I did think that the ending could have been better, even though it mainly because the bad guys keep winning, but it was a nice book. Currently waiting to read "The Missing".
January 4, 2024
High 3. Was about to give this four stars if not for that epilogue, ehh it wasn't that logical for one of the two characters. In any case, Clancy goes near-term sci-fi (alt history?) though of course it's not Clancy per se but post-Clancy writers. The universe-building was interesting, looping in Splinter Cell and Ghost Recon in this one, unfortunately the usual signposts of history weren't there to keep me interested. An okay book, still.
May 19, 2022
This was a much better entry by David Michaels than the first End War book in the trilogy. A lot of great action and better character development got me through this baby in about 3 days. I simply had to see where the story was going and how the heroes were going to handle every curveball. I think I'll jump right into the third and final story right away this weekend! Good stuff!
May 6, 2019
This is the second of a trilogy of books. I almost didn't read it because the first one wasn't very good. But this book was loaded with action and quite an ending. Now I'm looking forward to reading the third book.
November 27, 2020
Pretty good, not sure about the series though, I think there is one before this (The Hunted). I'd like to read it.
Read
June 20, 2022Loved this book!
July 11, 2024
The Snow Maiden is back and trying to steal all the gold and old from Quate. Will she be able to do it?
November 7, 2011
Tom Clancy's EndWar: The Hunted by David Michaels is the sequel to Tom Clancy's EndWar, also by Michaels. Both books are based in the universe established in the video game "Tom Clancy's EndWar." The book is set during a future World War 3 scenario, and like it's predecessor, swaps between different characters; In this case, it focuses on Brent, an American special forces team leader, the Snow Maiden, a Russian-spy turned mercenary working for her own interest, Manoj Chopra, a ex-financial adviser to the leaders of Dubai, and Hussein, the son of the dead leaders of Dubai, whom Chopra wants to put at the head of making Dubai the great nation it was before it became a nuclear wasteland.
This book does a decent job of giving the characters background. "It was. Brent watched with a horrid fascination as the tap caused Villanueva to slide and lose control. The car broke into a spin that sent him into the oncoming lane" (8). In this example, we see where Brent accidentally caused the death of a fellow student, and joined the military when he discovered that the boy who died was planning to. Similar background stories cover Chopra and the Snow Maiden, while Hussein gets more of a briefing. These pages of information provide more human elements to the characters, however they don't evoke much of any emotion towards the characters. Regardless, it is a nice touch, and more than many similar books provide as background, including Hunted's predecessor.
One huge flaw to this book is that it completely departs from how the original EndWar title was focused. The first title in the series focused on much larger-scale aspects of the WW3 universe, with scenes such as large battles, naval warfare, and the like, spanning across much more of the war. Hunted scales it down to only focusing on the story of Brent and his squad's chase after the Snow Maiden, who in turn is chasing and keeping captive Chopra and Hussein. This title is covering details of small, squad sized engagements, and spy chases, versus enormous battles seen in the original title, as well as the video game. Hunted's focus seems more reminiscent of a similar series, Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon, which is also based of video games, and tends to focus on smaller, special operations of elite soldiers.
The book's plot lines, while not revolutionary by any means, are also not just carbon copies of cliche story structure. The book ranges from a street race down a US street, to a battle through an island, and so on and so forth. Essentially, it is a mish mosh of battles, including victories and defeats, all the way up to a final, giant climax battle, which while still focusing on the smaller squad elements, does manage to allude to the big picture war scenario, as Russian, European, and American conventional forces duke it out around the protagonists. Another thing this book does well is the ending. Unlike many war based books, this does not end with the Americans having total victory, however the ending isn't bad either. It is unconventional, which is a nice twist for a book of this genre.
In the end, The Hunted is by no means a spectacular or amazing title worthy of praise. However, it is a fast paced, action packed military adventure that is definitely worthy of the relatively small amount of time one could complete it in. For series fans, it may prove a bit irritating with the shift in focus, but nonetheless proves itself an entertaining and thrilling war title.
This book does a decent job of giving the characters background. "It was. Brent watched with a horrid fascination as the tap caused Villanueva to slide and lose control. The car broke into a spin that sent him into the oncoming lane" (8). In this example, we see where Brent accidentally caused the death of a fellow student, and joined the military when he discovered that the boy who died was planning to. Similar background stories cover Chopra and the Snow Maiden, while Hussein gets more of a briefing. These pages of information provide more human elements to the characters, however they don't evoke much of any emotion towards the characters. Regardless, it is a nice touch, and more than many similar books provide as background, including Hunted's predecessor.
One huge flaw to this book is that it completely departs from how the original EndWar title was focused. The first title in the series focused on much larger-scale aspects of the WW3 universe, with scenes such as large battles, naval warfare, and the like, spanning across much more of the war. Hunted scales it down to only focusing on the story of Brent and his squad's chase after the Snow Maiden, who in turn is chasing and keeping captive Chopra and Hussein. This title is covering details of small, squad sized engagements, and spy chases, versus enormous battles seen in the original title, as well as the video game. Hunted's focus seems more reminiscent of a similar series, Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon, which is also based of video games, and tends to focus on smaller, special operations of elite soldiers.
The book's plot lines, while not revolutionary by any means, are also not just carbon copies of cliche story structure. The book ranges from a street race down a US street, to a battle through an island, and so on and so forth. Essentially, it is a mish mosh of battles, including victories and defeats, all the way up to a final, giant climax battle, which while still focusing on the smaller squad elements, does manage to allude to the big picture war scenario, as Russian, European, and American conventional forces duke it out around the protagonists. Another thing this book does well is the ending. Unlike many war based books, this does not end with the Americans having total victory, however the ending isn't bad either. It is unconventional, which is a nice twist for a book of this genre.
In the end, The Hunted is by no means a spectacular or amazing title worthy of praise. However, it is a fast paced, action packed military adventure that is definitely worthy of the relatively small amount of time one could complete it in. For series fans, it may prove a bit irritating with the shift in focus, but nonetheless proves itself an entertaining and thrilling war title.
June 22, 2012
I guess I should be honest and say that I read this sequel before reading the first in the series. Perhaps that was my mistake, and perhaps it was the only reason why this sequel got three stars in my mind. Either way, I will have to revisit this review after I read the first book in the EndWar series.
The characters in this book were hard to view realistically. It seemed the stereotypical set of misfits you see in so many movies like S.W.A.T. or even videogames like Bad Company: the aging leader who makes the same mistakes over and over, never smart enough to learn from his failures; the rebel bad-ass girl who wants to be seen as an equal with the men in her unit but at the same time plays the romantic interest with the leader; the joking sniper; the silent Asian... on and on it goes.
After living over half a decade in the military town of San Diego, I have met and worked with more Marines and Navy personnel than most people meet in their lifetime; and never have I been able to place them in this overplayed stereotypical characterization of soldiers (especially special forces). I just couldn't take this book seriously, although the story line is interesting since the target would sell out her own friends just for survivals sake. It is those twists in the Snow Maiden's story line that made this book tolerable. Once you establish that she is someone who would sacrifice anything you are constantly guessing what she will do next as the story line progresses.
What this story lacks in realistic characters is more than made up for by raw action. Many authors lack skill in translating the battleground of their imagination onto paper, but David Michaels does this well. He makes the action easy to follow without diminishing the complexity or the content. During those moments he takes you right into the action with the characters, so much so that you almost want to say "ohhh no" out loud with the characters as the situation changes for the worst, or even give a cheer when something finally goes right.
Needless to say, I have the first EndWar book on my reading list. From what I have been told, I would understand the characters better if I read the first book and The Hunted was good enough for me to give it a chance!
The characters in this book were hard to view realistically. It seemed the stereotypical set of misfits you see in so many movies like S.W.A.T. or even videogames like Bad Company: the aging leader who makes the same mistakes over and over, never smart enough to learn from his failures; the rebel bad-ass girl who wants to be seen as an equal with the men in her unit but at the same time plays the romantic interest with the leader; the joking sniper; the silent Asian... on and on it goes.
After living over half a decade in the military town of San Diego, I have met and worked with more Marines and Navy personnel than most people meet in their lifetime; and never have I been able to place them in this overplayed stereotypical characterization of soldiers (especially special forces). I just couldn't take this book seriously, although the story line is interesting since the target would sell out her own friends just for survivals sake. It is those twists in the Snow Maiden's story line that made this book tolerable. Once you establish that she is someone who would sacrifice anything you are constantly guessing what she will do next as the story line progresses.
What this story lacks in realistic characters is more than made up for by raw action. Many authors lack skill in translating the battleground of their imagination onto paper, but David Michaels does this well. He makes the action easy to follow without diminishing the complexity or the content. During those moments he takes you right into the action with the characters, so much so that you almost want to say "ohhh no" out loud with the characters as the situation changes for the worst, or even give a cheer when something finally goes right.
Needless to say, I have the first EndWar book on my reading list. From what I have been told, I would understand the characters better if I read the first book and The Hunted was good enough for me to give it a chance!
March 12, 2012
In 2021, a nuclear exchange has devastated the Middle East and the resulting lack of oil has driven the world economy into the toilet. In a desperate attempt to control what oil is left in the world, Russia tries to invade all remaining oil-producing countries, plunging the world into World War III. This is the setting of Tom Clancy’s Endwar: The Hunted. This is second book in the series and takes place immediately after the end of the first book.
This book starts out with a flash back of the main character in LA and ends in a sports bar in Fort Bragg. The events of the book take us to the streets of modern London to the tropical islands of the Seychelles in the Indian Ocean, to the bombed-out city of Dubai.
The main character is named Alexander Brent. He is a captain in the U.S. Special Forces. He joined the army after high school being haunted by a classmate named Carlos Villanueva who died in a street race which Brent was bullied into. After the accident, Brent learned Carlos planned to join the army after high school, so out of guilt over his death, Brent joined the army. After a very successful military career Brent was handpicked to lead a team of “ghosts,” the most highly trained group of soldiers on the planet.
After the events of the first book, the Russian operative “Snow Maiden” is now on the run from the Russians, the Americans and an international group of terrorists. She is now working for a shady group of Chinese operatives who have similar goals to her own. They have given her the mission to capture the prince of Dubai in order to get ahold of oil reserves and gold. Brent and his team are tasked with catching her before she is killed by the terrorists or captured by the Russians.
This is one of the best books I have ever read. I would recommend it to anyone who like action and adventure books. I am hoping that the author will write a third book because I enjoyed this one so much.
This book starts out with a flash back of the main character in LA and ends in a sports bar in Fort Bragg. The events of the book take us to the streets of modern London to the tropical islands of the Seychelles in the Indian Ocean, to the bombed-out city of Dubai.
The main character is named Alexander Brent. He is a captain in the U.S. Special Forces. He joined the army after high school being haunted by a classmate named Carlos Villanueva who died in a street race which Brent was bullied into. After the accident, Brent learned Carlos planned to join the army after high school, so out of guilt over his death, Brent joined the army. After a very successful military career Brent was handpicked to lead a team of “ghosts,” the most highly trained group of soldiers on the planet.
After the events of the first book, the Russian operative “Snow Maiden” is now on the run from the Russians, the Americans and an international group of terrorists. She is now working for a shady group of Chinese operatives who have similar goals to her own. They have given her the mission to capture the prince of Dubai in order to get ahold of oil reserves and gold. Brent and his team are tasked with catching her before she is killed by the terrorists or captured by the Russians.
This is one of the best books I have ever read. I would recommend it to anyone who like action and adventure books. I am hoping that the author will write a third book because I enjoyed this one so much.
January 27, 2021
The second and so far, last of the Endwar novels and I found it a better constructed book that than the first one. Whether is directly related to the fact that it wasn’t simply a novelisation of the video game I don’t know. The story has two main, but linked, storylines. The first relates to the worldwide search for the Snow Maiden (erstwhile villain of book 1), the second is her search for the key to unlocking the wealth and hidden oil reserves of Dubai. There are a significant number of high-tech battle scenes with a blend of weaponry some of which is bordering on SciFi level of weaponry.
There are a few elements of the plot that are inconsistent or simply too hard to swallow. The Snow Maiden is portrayed as the ultimate ‘ghost’ she originally faked her own death and was able to roam the world in secret with no one being aware of who or where she was. In this book whilst being difficult to capture and leaving a trail of dead bodies of those who try, she has suddenly become the easiest person in the world to find. She vanishes from City A and turns in B and low and behold everyone knows she’s there – this feels inconsistent with the character.
When it comes to Brent the Special Forces guy things just get silly. He was tasked with capturing her in the first half of the book, fails and is taken off the mission. He then goes to the head of Special Forces (bypassing completely the chain of command) and effectively bribes him by using the location of a wanted Afghan warlord he gets put back on the mission, not only that he is back in command and hand picking his team. I don’t know much about the military having never served and I know that Special Forces do things differently but I am pretty certain this sort of approach would more likely see someone in the brig rather than being given what they want.
Overall a slightly above average book, which despite the Tom Clancy name feels more like the majority of writing was probably down to David Michaels.
There are a few elements of the plot that are inconsistent or simply too hard to swallow. The Snow Maiden is portrayed as the ultimate ‘ghost’ she originally faked her own death and was able to roam the world in secret with no one being aware of who or where she was. In this book whilst being difficult to capture and leaving a trail of dead bodies of those who try, she has suddenly become the easiest person in the world to find. She vanishes from City A and turns in B and low and behold everyone knows she’s there – this feels inconsistent with the character.
When it comes to Brent the Special Forces guy things just get silly. He was tasked with capturing her in the first half of the book, fails and is taken off the mission. He then goes to the head of Special Forces (bypassing completely the chain of command) and effectively bribes him by using the location of a wanted Afghan warlord he gets put back on the mission, not only that he is back in command and hand picking his team. I don’t know much about the military having never served and I know that Special Forces do things differently but I am pretty certain this sort of approach would more likely see someone in the brig rather than being given what they want.
Overall a slightly above average book, which despite the Tom Clancy name feels more like the majority of writing was probably down to David Michaels.
April 23, 2014
The author of this book must have just finished watching Die Hard: With A Vengeance. Oh my goodness, terrorists are trying to steal gold from a secure location. The hero in the book isn't much of a hero. The bad guy (actually girl) gets away - but she doesn't get the gold. I thought the storyline was a bit predictable with a borrowed plot - just in a futuristic setting.
I thought this was the first book in the series. It is actually the second. Also, I have not played any of the video games that this is based on (I really have no intention of playing that game either - not my cup of tea). At some point I want to read the first book. The author's descriptions are actually quite detailed and decent.
Always nice to read about the Mucky Duck on Captiva Island.
I thought this was the first book in the series. It is actually the second. Also, I have not played any of the video games that this is based on (I really have no intention of playing that game either - not my cup of tea). At some point I want to read the first book. The author's descriptions are actually quite detailed and decent.
Always nice to read about the Mucky Duck on Captiva Island.
June 22, 2011
I was expecting, and very prepared for, a thin plotline and video game prose. What I was not prepared for was the weak writing. If David Michaels does only two things to improve his writing they are as follows, and in this order. He should first remove the word “guy” from his vocabulary (or at least send it off on a long hiatus) and then go take a course on writing similes. Be brave Mr. Michaels and slowly step away from “like” and “as”. Make direct comparisons. The cable was not ‘like’ a snake....it was a snake.
February 19, 2016
A novel that is another example of the franchising of the name of a better-known author. Also another example of a novel that provides a vision of what our world would become in the aftermath of a nuclear exchange.
The narrative works on three levels: (1) technology competing against the endurance of the human spirit; (2) the technology of war as it can be waged by those who have it,i.e. the advantage of having at your disposal equipment which is an almost overwhelming force-multiplier; and (3) the conflicted hero in competition with a no-holds-barred female opponent.
The narrative works on three levels: (1) technology competing against the endurance of the human spirit; (2) the technology of war as it can be waged by those who have it,i.e. the advantage of having at your disposal equipment which is an almost overwhelming force-multiplier; and (3) the conflicted hero in competition with a no-holds-barred female opponent.
March 4, 2011
By David Michaels. Ubisoft Corporation comes through with this enjoyable video game transcription. I liked it b/c I can't figure out all the buttons in modern games. So this is arcade-game entertainment to me. LOL alert: "First Time In Print" emblazoned on the cover. For the ebay resale value-add.
Spoiler alert: bad future guys have vehicle-mounted microwave weapons that are gross in action.
Spoiler alert: bad future guys have vehicle-mounted microwave weapons that are gross in action.
July 25, 2011
At first I found some difficultly keeping track of all the different characters. Each chapter visited or revisited diffferent protagonists or antagonists but as I continued reading each character had a different feel. I liked the female leads the best, with their hard-core, all-out attitudes and energy.
Favorite quote: "The place stood postcard still."
Favorite quote: "The place stood postcard still."
April 28, 2011
This book made me feel like I was part of the story, experiencing the ups and downs that both the protagonists and antagonistits(major and minor)experienced throughout the book. I was immersed in the reality that the book created.
August 9, 2011
A light read. Predictable, two-dimensional. I picked it up from a shelf, read it in a few hours, and found it a relaxing experience. Perfect for a no-thinking vacation experience! My first Ghost Recon novel, and likely my last. Not filling enough...
July 20, 2013
I really enjoy reading these books, there is a lot of action and both were a very quick read. What I didn't like is that It left me wanting more. The character development is shallow and doesn't quite pull you into the story.
January 16, 2024
Amazing!!!
Wow!!! This is the sequel to the first EndWar Novel and it was amazing!! I enjoyed the characters and there were many twists and turns. Plus we got the Ghost himself Mitchell in this novel.
Wow!!! This is the sequel to the first EndWar Novel and it was amazing!! I enjoyed the characters and there were many twists and turns. Plus we got the Ghost himself Mitchell in this novel.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews