Recoil by Andy McNab
Andy McNab is an ex-infantry solider turned SAS operative
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Friday, 10, Nov 2006 03:37
Published by Bantam Press, out now, hardback, 447pp, £17.99.
In a nutshell. .
Addictive, thrilling, but predictable, typical McNab
What's it all about?
Andy McNab's Nick Stone is a loner ex-special forces solider and deniable operator, who has spent his life living in secret doing the jobs no-one else wants to do. He has finally moved on and is happy travelling the world - everything is going well when he is suddenly thrust back into his old life for that old chestnut, the girl he loves.
He is in Switzerland, enjoying cappuccinos thinking about a proposal, when his girl decides to make an unexpected journey to the Democratic Republic of Congo to work as an aid worker. Things get heated when Nick recalls jobs he had done in the past, things he would rather forget, things he doesn't want her to see. With the stability in the region controlled by gangs Nick decides he must travel to Africa and bring her back.
Who's it by?
McNab is an ex-infantry solider turned SAS operative, who has used his experience to write many successful books both true and fictional. Stone is the fictional hero of all his books whose experiences are modeled on McNab's.
After leaving the army McNab published two extremely controversial books Bravo Two Zero and Immediate Action which told the tales of two patrols he was involved in and led. These bestsellers launched his career as a writer capable of engaging the reader and leaving them wanting more.
Since then McNab's career has gone from strength to strength, Recoil is the ninth installment in the Nick Stone series and looks sure to keep McNab on the bestsellers list.
As an example.
"Bodies kept pouring into the valley to bolster the assault wave as we kept hosing down the front of it. Bodies fell. Some ran in panic, but most kept on coming. A new sound filled the air. Lex was ahead of us at about 400, the glass bubble on the nose moving from right to left. The wing dipped as he turned up on the lip, then there was a rattle and roar as the pair of 23mm cannon kicked of like gatling guns."
Likelihood of becoming a Hollywood blockbuster
All of McNab's novels have the making of a good British action hero flick. It is easy to imagine the likes of Jason Stratham taking on the role of Stone, playing a hard-hitting, straightlaced down-to-earth guy.
However the chances of seeing this book in full Technicolor are slim and McNab's original true-to-life bestsellers are much more likely to be made into a major war epic.
What the others say
"Andy McNab knows where his strengths lie, and it's not just in his biceps.Only people who have not read this book could suggest that he is not a fine writer. It is a heart-thumping read." - Daily Express.
"Addictive.Packed with wild action and revealing tradecraft." - Daily Telegraph.
"McNab is a terrific novelist. When it comes to thrills, he's Forsyth class." - Mail on Sunday.
So is it any good?
If you have read any of McNab's books you will know what to expect from Recoil - a thrilling read that introduces unpredictable twists throughout the book. The only thing that lets it down is the easily predictable start and end.
McNab is an excellent storyteller who uses his own experience and expertise to introduce thrilling scenes, describing in detail the characters and recounting ways of staying alive in the jungle.
All in all this is a thrilling read that keeps the reader occupied from start to finish - another excellent example of how McNab can use his experiences to create an absorbing read.
8/10
Andrew Crow