Review of Endgame
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Ochieng Omuodo
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- Latest Review: Endgame by William Reed
Review of Endgame
[Following is a volunteer review of "Endgame" by William Reed.]
I read somewhere that Endgame by William Reed is targeted at people with an interest in how and why Islamic terrorism has spread across the world. Further, that it tackles the history of the Middle East and points to a possible route for lasting peace in that region. How presumptuous for a work of historical fiction, I thought. I am glad that I was wrong. Not only does the book contain all those elements, but they are woven into a fictitious setting in a way that leaves you wondering if it is, in fact, real. The unlikely protagonist is the US Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission in London, Nathaniel ‘Nat’ Jameson. Nat sees a route to peace in the Middle East through the infiltration and destruction of al-Qaeda. To do this he will have to do the unimaginable: kill his boss, the US Ambassador, kill the US Vice President, and set up the US President for assassination by Al Qaeda. Whether Nat’s goal is achievable while he maintains the mundane aspects of his lifestyle as a government official, husband, and father remains to be seen.
Even though there were sections of this book that I found to contain overly vivid descriptions of mundane activities and things, it was a compelling read. The most impressive aspect was the historical and political content. Even though I thought I had a well-grounded knowledge of the Middle East, I learned quite a bit from this book. Reed’s references to actual events, places, and people were accurate, which indicated that he put a lot of research into this book. I was particularly fascinated by the detailed background of al-Qaeda’s leaders bin Laden and al Zawahiri and how this led to their actions against the Western world. It was interesting to see how two individuals, one trained to be an engineer and the other to be a doctor, could channel that education into causing so much destruction and death.
Without greatly developing his characters, Reed was able to portray the nuances in their views on the causes of ‘Islamic’ terrorism. For example, where Nat came across as naïve about – and sometimes even ignorant of – the determinants of the politics of the Middle East, his interactions with others gave some balance to the story. The inclusion of an Imam as a key character was particularly important because he presented a non-Western view of why the region was so volatile and the experience of its people. Reed’s heavy use of inter-character dialogue was very effective in bringing out these aspects of the book.
The most notable negative aspect of this book was the confusion I felt arising from what I suspect was a botched attempt at mystery occasioned by a discrepancy with a major character. It is difficult to detail it without committing a spoiler offence. Suffice it to say that Reed contradicted himself in the way he delivered this character, who appeared to be dead and alive at the same time. This significantly detracted from the story. I had to retrace my reading to establish this character’s fate and did not even manage to do that. Also, women are so subservient and inconsequential that they are cast in housewife, dinner-hosting, and office secretary roles, which I found cringeworthy. Given the contemporary setting of this book, Reed could have done better on this score.
Overall, I was thoroughly impressed by the historical content of this book, and the character interactions. I must commend the grammar; I only found one mistake. Given that the book is over 400 pages long, that is impressive. However, the confusion occasioned by the discrepancy with a key character and the gender aspect were enough for me restrict my rating to four out of five.
I recommend Endgame to people who are interested in the history and politics of the Middle East, particularly if they would like to read about them in a format that is not as rigid as a technical piece. You will, however, need an accommodating mind-set because of its pro-Western bias, which may not be strong, but may still be enough to put some people off.
******
Endgame
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
I read somewhere that Endgame by William Reed is targeted at people with an interest in how and why Islamic terrorism has spread across the world. Further, that it tackles the history of the Middle East and points to a possible route for lasting peace in that region. How presumptuous for a work of historical fiction, I thought. I am glad that I was wrong. Not only does the book contain all those elements, but they are woven into a fictitious setting in a way that leaves you wondering if it is, in fact, real. The unlikely protagonist is the US Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission in London, Nathaniel ‘Nat’ Jameson. Nat sees a route to peace in the Middle East through the infiltration and destruction of al-Qaeda. To do this he will have to do the unimaginable: kill his boss, the US Ambassador, kill the US Vice President, and set up the US President for assassination by Al Qaeda. Whether Nat’s goal is achievable while he maintains the mundane aspects of his lifestyle as a government official, husband, and father remains to be seen.
Even though there were sections of this book that I found to contain overly vivid descriptions of mundane activities and things, it was a compelling read. The most impressive aspect was the historical and political content. Even though I thought I had a well-grounded knowledge of the Middle East, I learned quite a bit from this book. Reed’s references to actual events, places, and people were accurate, which indicated that he put a lot of research into this book. I was particularly fascinated by the detailed background of al-Qaeda’s leaders bin Laden and al Zawahiri and how this led to their actions against the Western world. It was interesting to see how two individuals, one trained to be an engineer and the other to be a doctor, could channel that education into causing so much destruction and death.
Without greatly developing his characters, Reed was able to portray the nuances in their views on the causes of ‘Islamic’ terrorism. For example, where Nat came across as naïve about – and sometimes even ignorant of – the determinants of the politics of the Middle East, his interactions with others gave some balance to the story. The inclusion of an Imam as a key character was particularly important because he presented a non-Western view of why the region was so volatile and the experience of its people. Reed’s heavy use of inter-character dialogue was very effective in bringing out these aspects of the book.
The most notable negative aspect of this book was the confusion I felt arising from what I suspect was a botched attempt at mystery occasioned by a discrepancy with a major character. It is difficult to detail it without committing a spoiler offence. Suffice it to say that Reed contradicted himself in the way he delivered this character, who appeared to be dead and alive at the same time. This significantly detracted from the story. I had to retrace my reading to establish this character’s fate and did not even manage to do that. Also, women are so subservient and inconsequential that they are cast in housewife, dinner-hosting, and office secretary roles, which I found cringeworthy. Given the contemporary setting of this book, Reed could have done better on this score.
Overall, I was thoroughly impressed by the historical content of this book, and the character interactions. I must commend the grammar; I only found one mistake. Given that the book is over 400 pages long, that is impressive. However, the confusion occasioned by the discrepancy with a key character and the gender aspect were enough for me restrict my rating to four out of five.
I recommend Endgame to people who are interested in the history and politics of the Middle East, particularly if they would like to read about them in a format that is not as rigid as a technical piece. You will, however, need an accommodating mind-set because of its pro-Western bias, which may not be strong, but may still be enough to put some people off.
******
Endgame
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Endgame by William Reed
