Firewall |
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Andy McNab
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Pages: 576 (Paperback)
ISBN: 0552152374
Pub: Corgi Books
Pub date: 2004-10-01
Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 49294
Editorial Review:
All freelances have problems when work dries up, but Nick Stone, hero of Andy McNab's second adventure thriller Firewall has worse problems than most of us. Expensively trained by the SAS, he now works for British Intelligence as a deniable operative, and he needs a regular income to take care of his responsibilities, which include psychiatric care for a traumatised orphan. He takes a lucrative mercenary job kidnapping a leading Chechen Mafioso; when the job goes sour, his victim is impressed by his grace under pressure and hires him to baby-sit a computer espionage expert on a jaunt into Finland. Not all is as it seems--Nick was engaged in wishful thinking to believe it was--and he finds himself adrift with little money and no weapons in Estonia in the dead of winter with a friend to rescue, the interests of the West to retrieve and, if possible, money to earn... This is an effective thriller because of the clash between its hero's competence and his less than entire brightness--Nick gets himself into messes and then gets out of them because of skills in combat, disguise and survival. This is a book filled with adrenaline-pumping excitement and a sense of bitterly cold places. --Roz Kaveney This review refers to the hardcover edition of this title.
Reader Reviews:
Come on baby light my fire (3/3 people found this helpful)
For those of you who don't know him, Andy McNab is a former SAS hardman from a troubled background who left the service and wrote Bravo Two Zero; a non-fiction book about his experiences during the first Gulf War. Recently however he's turned his hand to `fictional' thrillers charting the adventures of author-insertion character Nick Stone - a former SAS hardman from a troubled background who left the service to work as a freelance mercenary. Spot the similarities, anyone?
The series got off to a slightly rocky start with Remote Control, much like a relationship begun with a drunken kiss and fumble on a dance floor. Recently however both parties have been spending more time together, getting to know each other better and starting to feel more comfortable.
Right, end of analogy.
It's 1999 and all is not well in Nick Stone's life. After the events of Crisis Four, he's less than popular with The Firm and on the verge of being cut loose. The modest fortune he made in Remote Control is quickly burning away, and Kelley, the foster daughter he took in, is suffering from post traumatic stress disorder.
With no work from the British government, Stone is forced to take on more dangerous jobs; this time kidnapping a Russian crime lord. However, it's not long before things go wrong, and Stone soon finds himself working for the very man he was hired to abduct. An attempt to infiltrate a computer building in Finland sees Stone's friend and accomplice kidnapped, and he's soon en route to Estonia, where he finds himself caught up in the seedy criminal underworld of the crumbling post-Soviet country as he tries to rescue his comrade, protect vital secrets and make it out in one piece.
McNab has really hit his stride with this novel. He knows his strengths and isn't afraid to play to them. Never a great writer in a technical sense, his style is nonetheless entertaining and effective, and perfectly complements the relentless action. Laced with profanity and witty observations, you feel more like you're sharing a couple of pints with him at his local pub than reading a novel.
Also, bearing in mind his past and the clarity with which he describes fights, you can't help but feel this isn't really a work of fiction. When he talks about stabbing a man to death or the best way to kill someone using a hammer, you get the feeling he's actually done it all for real.
Full marks have to go to him for characterisation. Nick Stone is no James Bond or Jason Bourne. There are no clever gadgets to help him out, no beautiful women swarming over him, no sophisticated villains playing a game of cat and mouse with him. He's a man forced to rely on his fists and intelligence in equal measure, often engaging in fights where sheer resilience and determination are the deciding factors. He's resourceful and quick witted, but he also makes mistakes, and often pays dearly for them.
That being said, there are a few points that let this book, and the Nick Stone series in general, down. The first is the formula that most of them follow. It's pretty much guaranteed that the attractive woman he makes contact with will know more than she lets on, and that the people who send him on his mission will betray him at some point. The second gripe is the sheer unlikelihood of Stone's survival, considering how often he screws things up. Every time he gets captured or taken hostage, his captors never actually think to kill him. Instead they simply bundle him up in the back of a car or a warehouse or whatever, always giving him plenty of opportunities to escape.
And although it's interesting to learn more about the practical aspects of his craft (anti-surveillance drills, operational security and so on), none of it seems to have any real benefit to Stone. Enemies always find a way to get to him whenever it's appropriate to the plot, which feels like a bit of a cheat.
Still, criticising Firewall over such minor gripes is like criticising the Great Wall of China for not having a karaoke bar. This a solid, fast-paced and enjoyable thriller, and if you enjoy gritty realism and hard-hitting action, you'll love Firewall.
Fantastic Read (0/0 people found this helpful)
From cover to cover this is a fantastic read - I really couldnt put it down.
I like the first person narrative of the book - containing all the thoughts of the character and reactions to situations around him, the subtle humour isn't missed either.
There's action on every page and little insights into the world that mcnab used to inhabit when it comes to the tools and tricks that Stone employs to help him along.
I really enjoyed this read, the author obviously has a great understanding of what he is writing about and makes you feel as if your there with him.
Firewall in the cold (1/1 people found this helpful)
My only previous read of a McNabb novel was one with the same central character but later in his career and set in the heat of the Congo. This one is in Finland and Estonia and will get no prizes from the Estonian Tourist Board. Their country is grimly portrayed as dirty and corrupt. The story is of a British ex-S.A.S man, officially disgraced so prepared to freelance overseas, no questions asked. Kidnap, murder and demolition are all in his repertoire but underneath, a heart of gold. He needs money to privately treat the traumatised child of a former colleague murdered by the Provos. Full of action, twists, turns and great technical detail on arms and surveillance. The language was cleaner that the other volume I read. Not great but good for an escape from one's normal world.
A good summer read on the beach but not more (1/1 people found this helpful)
My first McNab thriller was good enough to engage me to read it all the way through but is far from being a blockbuster thriller.
Nick Stone is a classic,dare I say cardboard,character that seems to do everything wrong and yet somehow bungles his way to the end of the book alive.
The sort of book you can read on a vacation and then leave at the hotel to avoid overweight luggage charges on the way backhome.
mcnab is king (0/1 people found this helpful)
Andy, (Nick)is brilliant in the way he brings us along right with him. reading his books makes me feel like I am with him along for the ride. I started with Bravo Two Zero and became hooked. His fiction is fantastic also. I have read 6 books so far and fully intend on reading the rest of the series. I HAVE PURCHASED ALL OF HIS BOOKS JUST WAITING TO BE READ. I AM A FAN, AND THIS GUY HAS BROUGHT ME back to being an everyday reader, which I did not think was possible.
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Amazon.co.uk places this book into the following categories:
Books -> Subjects -> Fiction -> General
Books -> Subjects -> Fiction -> Contemporary Fiction: 1970 Onwards -> Lad Lit
Books -> Subjects -> Fiction -> General AAS
Books -> Subjects -> Crime, Thrillers & Mystery -> Thrillers -> General AAS
Books -> Refinements -> Language (feature_browse-bin) -> English
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