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Official Review: Trojan by David L Wallace

Posted: 30 Oct 2016, 00:08
by L_Therese
[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Trojan" by David L Wallace.]
Book Cover
4 out of 4 stars
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Homer’s Iliad chronicles the battle of Troy. After the battle has raged for a while, Odysseus realizes that if victory is even possible for the Greek army, it will come at an enormous cost. Famed as a strategist, Odysseus earns his acclaim when he instructs the army to build a giant horse. The Greeks leave the horse behind and move their ships and armies away from the city, allowing the Trojans to assume that the horse is an offering to the sea god Poseidon (because horses are sacred to Poseidon) to persuade the god to allow them a safe journey home. To sabotage the sacrifice, the Trojans remove the horse and bring it into their city, not realizing that Greek soldiers are sequestered within. Late in the night, the Greeks emerge from the horse seize the city. Today, the symbol of the Trojan Horse stands for something sinister hiding in plain sight.

David Wallace’s book Trojan: The Enemy Within also deals with an enemy hiding among friends. Victor is the mastermind behind THOR, a computer defense system that will protect the United States from enemy attack and specifically, nuclear attack. When the U.S. government’s computer defense systems suddenly crash all at once, the only explanation is that there is a mole inside the government. Victor knows he’s innocent, but to the rest of the world, he looks like one of very few people who could have pulled off such a plot. Now, Victor must clear his name, find the real mole, save his family, and repair the nation’s defense system before it’s too late.

This book is exciting from start to finish. There’s conspiracy, gunfights, car chases, explosions, and unexpected allies. The plot twists and reshapes itself so that the reader stays interested and fully engaged. At the same time, all of the excitement is also balanced by elements that speak to the humanity of the reader. Patriotism, integrity, and love of family are central to the concept of the book. They are manifested in many of the characters and help structure the plotlines. This allows the book to become much more than just another thriller. It’s also the story of people and their relationships with one another in the face of fear and tragedy.

What I admire most, though, about this book are some of the hidden themes. These play important roles, but they are not overtly emphasized. For example, one of these themes is seeing all people as people. Whether it’s homeless people who might choose to get drunk rather than put the money towards clothing, food, or shelter or the president of the United States, our protagonist sees each person as a human being. Every person has both merits and flaws, and it does people a disservice to deny them either the dignity attendant on the mere fact of their humanity or the permission to make mistakes and second-guess themselves. Such depth of character in the protagonist challenges the reader to check his/her own attitudes toward people and makes the protagonist (and by extension, the book) more appealing to a thinking reader.

With such praise, I expect that it’s obvious that I am rating this book 4 out of 4 stars. Mr. Wallace wrote Trojan with skill and fluency that led to a believable story, expertly crafted out of the complex mysteries of government intelligence and defense. It is exciting, fascinating, and thought-provoking all at once, and I think any reader might find it a rewarding reading experience.

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Trojan
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Re: Official Review: Trojan by David L Wallace

Posted: 31 Oct 2016, 17:20
by Heidi M Simone
Wonderful review, L_Therese! A mole in US government seems a bit too realistic. Hopefully, Victor can clear his name, protect his family, and save the nation's defense system! Thank you for the insightful review. :)

Re: Official Review: Trojan by David L Wallace

Posted: 31 Oct 2016, 18:56
by bookowlie
I enjoyed reading your review! Your love of the book really shines through. I am going to take a second look at this one.

Re: Official Review: Trojan by David L Wallace

Posted: 01 Nov 2016, 07:40
by readingreader
Very nice review and the book looks interesting

Re: Official Review: Trojan by David L Wallace

Posted: 07 Nov 2016, 07:11
by kimmyschemy06
Wow! Sounds like a great read. I think I love it already. Your enthusiasm over the book is contagious :) Great job on the review. Congratulations to David L Wallace on such an obviously well written book.

Re: Official Review: Trojan by David L Wallace

Posted: 01 Jan 2017, 16:26
by ChillAndRead
Great review! Thanks for sharing! The storyline sounds appealling anyway, but if you say it is more interesting than a common thriller, it's even better!

Re: Official Review: Trojan by David L Wallace

Posted: 15 Jun 2017, 07:34
by kandscreeley
Wow! High praise indeed! It sounds like a very wonderful story. I'll have to put it on my list (but my list is so long I'll never read it all.)

Re: Official Review: Trojan by David L Wallace

Posted: 16 Jun 2017, 06:59
by tarafarah7
Great opening to explain the title and plot of the book! I teach The Illiad and The Odyssey so I was immediately engaged in your review of Trojan by David L. Wallace. For those who do not know much about the Trojan Horse and the fall of Troy, your explanation was perfect! Great job! I also liked your thoughts on the characters...that they are real people with strengths and flaws. We can all relate, right? Focusing on relationships pulls readers in because it allows them to more easily make connections to their own lives and feel a closeness. I'm sure this is the reason why we are drawn to certain ones over others. We tend to "root on" characters who we feel are similar to us in one way or another. Thank you so much for your well-written review...it was fantastic!! :-)

Re: Official Review: Trojan by David L Wallace

Posted: 16 Jun 2017, 07:08
by gali
Conspiracy, gunfights, car chases, explosions, and much more? Sounds like a thrilling read. I like it when "The plot twists and reshapes itself so that the reader stays interested and fully engaged". Thank you for the review!

Re: Official Review: Trojan by David L Wallace

Posted: 16 Jun 2017, 08:32
by Gravy
I quite enjoy the way you put it, that the protagonist sees people as people. The conditioning to see people as one dimensional is too often a person's downfall. Much like that horse :lol:

Thank you for the review.

Re: Official Review: Trojan by David L Wallace

Posted: 16 Jun 2017, 08:58
by Strangerthanfiction
Wonderful review! This book sounds like a total must read. Full of excitement and plot twists to keep one guessing until the very end! Definitely my cup of tea! Congrats to the author on a stunning review. Thanks so much for sharing.

Re: Official Review: Trojan by David L Wallace

Posted: 16 Jun 2017, 09:02
by MorganReadsBooks
Political or action-based plots are not usually the types of books I gravitate towards but the beginning of your review drew me in and the way it sounds like the author uses the theme of humanity and actual depth to the character makes me think I probably would like the book if I picked it up. Great review!

Re: Official Review: Trojan by David L Wallace

Posted: 16 Jun 2017, 09:40
by jemgirl202
Fantastic Review! It sounds like a very interesting read. It carries over themes from The Iliad and The Odyssey and places those same thing in modern day politics. It sounds thrilling and I can't wait to read it!

Re: Official Review: Trojan by David L Wallace

Posted: 16 Jun 2017, 09:55
by nwokoh Prince
Re:Official Review:Trojan by David L Wallace

Thoughtful review! Courage and army never look back to face the enemy

Re: Official Review: Trojan by David L Wallace

Posted: 16 Jun 2017, 10:18
by Elizabeth Wangui
Congratulations to David L Wallace on such an great review about modern days politics.