Tsar: A Thriller | 
 enlarge | Author: Ted Bell
Publisher: Atria
Category: Book
List Price: $26.95
Buy New: $12.98
You Save: $13.97 (52%)
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Rating:  150 reviews
Sales Rank: 932
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 512
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.5
Dimensions (in): 8.9 x 6.2 x 1.6
ISBN: 1416550402
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.6
EAN: 9781416550402
ASIN: 1416550402
Publication Date: September 23, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Swashbuckling counter Spy Alex Hawke returns in New York Times bestselling author Ted Bell's most explosive tale of international suspense to date. There dwells, somewhere in Russia, a man so powerful no one even knows his name. His existence is only speculated upon, only whispered about in American corridors of power and CIA strategy meetings. Though he is all but invisible, he is pulling strings -- and pulling them hard. For suddenly, Russia is a far, far more ominous threat than even the most hardened cold warriors ever thought possible. The Russians have their finger on the switch to the European economy and an eye on the American jugular. And, most importantly, they want to be made whole again. Should America interfere with Russia's plans to "reintegrate" her rogue states, well then, America will pay in blood. In Ted Bell's latest pulse-pounding and action-packed tour de force, Alex Hawke must face a global nightmare of epic proportions. As this political crisis plays out, Russia gains a new leader. Not just a president, but a new tsar, a signal to the world that the old, imperial Russia is back and plans to have her day. And in America, a mysterious killer, known only as Happy the Baker, brutally murders an innocent family and literally flattens the small Midwestern town they once called home. Just a taste, according to the new tsar, of what will happen if America does not back down. Onto this stage must step Alex Hawke, espionage agent extraordinaire and the only man, both Americans and the Brits agree, who can stop the absolute madness borne and bred inside the modern police state of Vladimir Putin's 'New Russia'.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 145 more reviews...
 Disappointing and long November 21, 2008
I thoroughly enjoyed the last Ted Bell book, SPY. I would encourage any of those who are pondering this title, to read that one instead. I was expecting something similar where although the book is long, the pages turn themselves. Not so with this one. There are a number of different agendas and numerous characters with Russian names that are hard to keep track of. After reading almost half I realized that I was bored and didn't care what happened at the end. In essence, if this book was significantly condensed, it had potential. Ultimately, however I found it boring and did not finish after about 250 pages of reading. If there is nothing thrilling up through that amount of reading, I don't care what happens in the end. Reading after all is about the journey as much as if not more than the destination.
 Action Flick in Book Form - boring and flat. November 20, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
I had a really, really difficult time getting into this book.
To be fair, I do not usually read this kind of book - while I like thrillers, they are not one of my favorite genres. I picked this up because I had just finished reading Child 44 by Tom Smith and I wanted to read more along those lines (which is really good, by the way).
I honestly could not get past like, the first third of the book. I found the writing style to be flat and almost comical to the point of irritating. A lot of "telling" and not "showing," which is the first rule of successful fiction writing. It was kind of like watching a poorly done action film - which is okay for a summer flick, not so much what I want to read. I'd recommend this for fans of his previous work, because it would seem that the writing style does not turn them off, and perhaps for people who like reading action flicks in book form.
Just Good November 20, 2008
This is a good vs evil kind of book. Reminded me a little to the movie Quantum of Solace where James Bond is trying to capture som eguys he does not know about. Nobody in the governing position (Prime Minister) believes these evil organization exists. and disregard M's and Bond's theories. This is a good book on a long flight. During a trip, just for entertainment.
The end though is definitely not like Quantum of Solace, so you will have to read it to know what happens.
 Great Read! November 19, 2008
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
This is the first Ted Bell book I have read. It won't be my last! Well written, great subject matter and a very intriguing story.
Not a bad book -- not a good book. November 18, 2008
3 out of 5 found this review helpful
Bell has an excellent premise for a novel, but his execution in writing a story around it really disappoints. I have never read a Ted Bell tome before, so I cannot compare this with his previous ones, but after reading this, I just can't see myself picking up another.
It's not BAD writing, but it's completely lackluster. Part of this reaction on my part could be the letdown from the chain of endorsements on the cover, particularly Glenn Beck's "Think Tom Clancy and Robert Ludlum meet Stephen King." Ok, Bell may be in the same league as Stephen King, but I see nothing that suggests he remotely has the plotting or suspense-weaving talents of either of the first two writers.
Probably more on target is the NYT's "Very Bond-like." This is true, in a sense. In almost every scene, I felt I was reliving some part of a Bond movie I'd seen before (I'm not accusing the author of copycatting!) but couldn't quite remember. However, this feeling also was tinged with that of farce: there's so much hyperbole surrounding many characters as to make them almost cartoonish. In fact, I can't imagine this book being made into a movie unless the visual vehicle was animation.
A thriller? No. That's an insult to the genre. Only one thing in the book actually surprised me (I won't be a spoiler), and the only "pulse-pumping" kicked in for maybe the last 60 pages. So if only 60/486 pages are "thrilling," how should one characterize the book?
One off-putting thing for me -- the "romance" content. There is very little romance, which is fine, but what there is is mainly one of two types, fairly evenly distributed: what I'd call the adolescent and the forbidden (this latter not being "romance," but I can't sling out the real label since this is a public board). The first defines itself; the latter would probably be best euphemistically described as non-consensual. Neither of the two are pleasing; one is revolting. What type of audience is the author trying to "reach"?
Outside of that negative content, the book does sort of flow along with some sense of direction, so I hate to pan it too hard. It may just be a low in an otherwise-talented career. But I won't know the answer to that because I have found it to be rare for an author to stumble badly on good material, only to turn around and succeed upon lesser.
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