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Checked out
Due 7 Feb 2024
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"I Am Pilgrim is simply one of the best suspense novels I've read in a long time." --David Baldacci, #1 New York Times bestselling author "A big, breathless tale of nonstop suspense." --Janet Maslin, The New York Times "The pages fly by ferociously fast. Simply unputdownable." --Booklist A breakneck race against time...and an implacable enemy. An anonymous young woman murdered in a run-down hotel, all identifying characteristics dissolved by acid. A father publicly beheaded in the blistering heat of a Saudi Arabian public square. A notorious Syrian biotech expert found eyeless in a Damascus junkyard. Smoldering human remains on a remote mountainside in Afghanistan. A flawless plot to commit an appalling crime against humanity. One path links them all, and only one man can make the journey. Pilgrim.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member Fence
Where to start talking about this book?
Well, I didn’t get off to a great start with it, because something about it style of writing just didn’t agree with me. And then in chapter three someone was described as having an “Asian accent”, and that threw me out of the book as I wondered what
So right from the start I wasn’t enamored with this book. But it was my book club’s selection, and I had heard so many people say how great it was that I decided I had to keep reading.
And, apart from the obvious anti-Islam((all Muslims are extremists, that sort of thing)) slant of the novel I didn’t notice a huge amount more((he does describe Edmund Burke as British at one stage. He was Irish, but I suppose I’ll allow that as Ireland was part of the British Empire at the time)) , but then again maybe I just wasn’t paying a huge amount of attention, because this is a huge book filled with a huge amount of information and data that the reader doesn’t really need to know. I think maybe you could have edited half the detail out and it still would have worked. It reminded me a lot of Tom Clancy’s style of writing, where every last technical details must be described in way too much detail; and I’ve already read his ebola-terrorism story so maybe I just didn’t need another bioterrorism warning at the moment.
That being said, it is an easy read, if you skim those bits of needless data, which I did from time to time. I also skimmed some of the torture bits because I really don’t need to know how it feels to have my eyeballs cut out.
But that brings me to another issue with the book. The narrator. Or just who is telling the story. Because it starts out as a first person narrator, and then he is the one telling us all these other bits and pieces of the story as his investigation uncovers and reveals the truth, but that is just preposterous. How on earth could this narrator know even half of what his narration revealed. And every time I’d wonder that it would pull me out of the story.
So I guess I didn’t really enjoy this book all that much. It felt very much like I’d seen this book before and really, do we need another story where a brilliant white male loner saves the world from evil brown people. I’m not objecting to books about investigating terrorism and extremist groups, but maybe have a bit of nuance in your depiction of people rather than sunglasses on a woman are enough to turn you to the dark side1
There is supposed to be a sequel out at some point, but I can’t see myself picking that one up. As for the promised film adaptations, a whole series of films is the plan so I’ve read. Thats a doubtful hmmmm from me.
Well, I didn’t get off to a great start with it, because something about it style of writing just didn’t agree with me. And then in chapter three someone was described as having an “Asian accent”, and that threw me out of the book as I wondered what
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exactly that was… That was followed by "a Chinese-American, who everyone called Bruce, for obvious reasons" and I almost noped out of there then, because, what now? I get the Bruce Lee reference, but what was the obvious reason? and if he was the “Asian” guy from earlier, now identified as Chinese American why would he have this Asian accent.So right from the start I wasn’t enamored with this book. But it was my book club’s selection, and I had heard so many people say how great it was that I decided I had to keep reading.
And, apart from the obvious anti-Islam((all Muslims are extremists, that sort of thing)) slant of the novel I didn’t notice a huge amount more((he does describe Edmund Burke as British at one stage. He was Irish, but I suppose I’ll allow that as Ireland was part of the British Empire at the time)) , but then again maybe I just wasn’t paying a huge amount of attention, because this is a huge book filled with a huge amount of information and data that the reader doesn’t really need to know. I think maybe you could have edited half the detail out and it still would have worked. It reminded me a lot of Tom Clancy’s style of writing, where every last technical details must be described in way too much detail; and I’ve already read his ebola-terrorism story so maybe I just didn’t need another bioterrorism warning at the moment.
That being said, it is an easy read, if you skim those bits of needless data, which I did from time to time. I also skimmed some of the torture bits because I really don’t need to know how it feels to have my eyeballs cut out.
But that brings me to another issue with the book. The narrator. Or just who is telling the story. Because it starts out as a first person narrator, and then he is the one telling us all these other bits and pieces of the story as his investigation uncovers and reveals the truth, but that is just preposterous. How on earth could this narrator know even half of what his narration revealed. And every time I’d wonder that it would pull me out of the story.
So I guess I didn’t really enjoy this book all that much. It felt very much like I’d seen this book before and really, do we need another story where a brilliant white male loner saves the world from evil brown people. I’m not objecting to books about investigating terrorism and extremist groups, but maybe have a bit of nuance in your depiction of people rather than sunglasses on a woman are enough to turn you to the dark side1
There is supposed to be a sequel out at some point, but I can’t see myself picking that one up. As for the promised film adaptations, a whole series of films is the plan so I’ve read. Thats a doubtful hmmmm from me.
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LibraryThing member ericlee
A young Saudi man, radicalised by the experience of seeing his father beheaded for his iconoclastic views, grows into the world’s most fearsome terrorist — known as Saracen. Deciding to take revenge on the House of Saud, he trains as a doctor and teaches himself not only how to create smallpox
But while testing his virus on aid workers in Afghanistan, he pauses to phone up his kid sister in Turkey to ask how his child is doing (sis is posing as the child’s mother). The phone call leads the Americans to send in a crack agent code-named Pilgrim (whose genius is revealed early on when he explains that men, unlike women, would put beer into a fridge). The book’s limited humour focuses on a hotel manager whose English is imperfect. Pilgrim calls him “the professor”, telling a friend that he’s a professor of languages. Pilgrim’s knowledge of languages is so sophisticated (as is the author’s) that he reveals that the language spoken in Lebanon is — wait for this — Lebanese.
Pilgrim’s “legend” is that he’s an American agent (yes, that’s the cover story they came up with) sent to research an unrelated murder of a wealthy American (carried out by lesbian lovers). While searching for the person who the terrorist has phoned, the American is compelled to work with a female Turkish police officer who is — brace yourself — the terrorist’s sister! And he discovers this because in the recording of the phone call between Saracen and his kid sister, he hears an incredibly rare musical instrument being played, eventually finds the player, leading to a video recording that exposes the sister …
Need I go on? This book wins my award for worst-written, most bigoted and homophobic thriller I’ve read in a while. A sequel is coming out in 2021. I know that I for one will not be buying it.
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in his spare room, but tweaks its genetic code to make it vaccine-resistant. He finds a way to smuggle 10,000 vials of the deadly stuff into the USA, where it will kill most Americans and (somehow) not leave the country, leaving the Muslim world safe. But while testing his virus on aid workers in Afghanistan, he pauses to phone up his kid sister in Turkey to ask how his child is doing (sis is posing as the child’s mother). The phone call leads the Americans to send in a crack agent code-named Pilgrim (whose genius is revealed early on when he explains that men, unlike women, would put beer into a fridge). The book’s limited humour focuses on a hotel manager whose English is imperfect. Pilgrim calls him “the professor”, telling a friend that he’s a professor of languages. Pilgrim’s knowledge of languages is so sophisticated (as is the author’s) that he reveals that the language spoken in Lebanon is — wait for this — Lebanese.
Pilgrim’s “legend” is that he’s an American agent (yes, that’s the cover story they came up with) sent to research an unrelated murder of a wealthy American (carried out by lesbian lovers). While searching for the person who the terrorist has phoned, the American is compelled to work with a female Turkish police officer who is — brace yourself — the terrorist’s sister! And he discovers this because in the recording of the phone call between Saracen and his kid sister, he hears an incredibly rare musical instrument being played, eventually finds the player, leading to a video recording that exposes the sister …
Need I go on? This book wins my award for worst-written, most bigoted and homophobic thriller I’ve read in a while. A sequel is coming out in 2021. I know that I for one will not be buying it.
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LibraryThing member alexpwu
The novel I Am Pilgrim is a compelling thriller. The premise is simple: spy hunts terrorist, set in the present day (with all its timely issues).
I’ve always liked thrillers, whether in print or on screen. Two of my favorite espionage/terrorism TV shows are 24 and Homeland. They are majorly
The TV show 24 is like The Da Vinci Code. The novel is a textbook example of how a pure thriller works. All plot and fast. Suspense is driven by a relentless series of mysteries. As soon as one subsides, another one pops up. It’s like an ongoing rash, but good.
On the other hand, I Am Pilgrim reminds me of the show Homeland. I like this kind of thriller more. Less action. Deeper characters. More substance. You learn why the characters feel what they feel and do what they do. The plot is less intricate but still complex enough to be intruiging. The pace is slower, though in the second half of I Am Pilgrim, the speed really picks up.
The novel is tense. Plenty of foreshadowing tells you that something bad is going to happen. The interesting part is learning how the bad thing is going to happen. There are many surprises along the way. A few times I thought I called what was going to happen, only to be wrong later. In life I hate to be wrong (which happens more often than I care to admit), but this is the kind of being wrong that I will always welcome. Even when the book was nearly over, I kept fretting that something unexpected and bad was going to happen. A thriller does its job when I get all stressed out.
The technical details about the weapon that Terry Hayes, the author, put into the story are fascinating. I almost googled it until I thought the search might flag me as a terrorist. Some of the technical stuff could be a tad outlandish, but I lack the scientific knowledge to judge its accuracy, so it doesn't bother me. It sounds realistic enough. This is fiction, after all, built to entertain. I’m not one to nitpick novels as if they were manuals to launch a space shuttle. I’m happy to trade some realism for great drama.
My only, minor complaint is that the novel switches between two kinds of point of view: first person (the spy’s) and third person (the terrorist’s). Sometimes the first-person POV sounds oddly omniscient, like he knows too much. I would stick to third-person for the entire book. The consistency would make it a smoother read.
Overall, I Am Pilgrim is an engrossing, exciting read.
I’ve always liked thrillers, whether in print or on screen. Two of my favorite espionage/terrorism TV shows are 24 and Homeland. They are majorly
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binge-worthy, the video equivalent of a page-turner: once you start, you cannot stop.The TV show 24 is like The Da Vinci Code. The novel is a textbook example of how a pure thriller works. All plot and fast. Suspense is driven by a relentless series of mysteries. As soon as one subsides, another one pops up. It’s like an ongoing rash, but good.
On the other hand, I Am Pilgrim reminds me of the show Homeland. I like this kind of thriller more. Less action. Deeper characters. More substance. You learn why the characters feel what they feel and do what they do. The plot is less intricate but still complex enough to be intruiging. The pace is slower, though in the second half of I Am Pilgrim, the speed really picks up.
The novel is tense. Plenty of foreshadowing tells you that something bad is going to happen. The interesting part is learning how the bad thing is going to happen. There are many surprises along the way. A few times I thought I called what was going to happen, only to be wrong later. In life I hate to be wrong (which happens more often than I care to admit), but this is the kind of being wrong that I will always welcome. Even when the book was nearly over, I kept fretting that something unexpected and bad was going to happen. A thriller does its job when I get all stressed out.
The technical details about the weapon that Terry Hayes, the author, put into the story are fascinating. I almost googled it until I thought the search might flag me as a terrorist. Some of the technical stuff could be a tad outlandish, but I lack the scientific knowledge to judge its accuracy, so it doesn't bother me. It sounds realistic enough. This is fiction, after all, built to entertain. I’m not one to nitpick novels as if they were manuals to launch a space shuttle. I’m happy to trade some realism for great drama.
My only, minor complaint is that the novel switches between two kinds of point of view: first person (the spy’s) and third person (the terrorist’s). Sometimes the first-person POV sounds oddly omniscient, like he knows too much. I would stick to third-person for the entire book. The consistency would make it a smoother read.
Overall, I Am Pilgrim is an engrossing, exciting read.
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LibraryThing member SheilaDeeth
Author Terry Hayes has created a library of stories and character with this beautifully woven world-spanning mystery. Whole civilizations are at stake, and wholly real antagonists strive for large and small gains. Within it all, a man of mystery flees his past in search of self, only to find
One first-person narrator carries the tale. He’s a man of mystery, a man who has done great and gruesome deeds for his country, and this novel doesn’t gloss over the pain of gunshot, torture or terror. But the writing is spare and powerful, with no gloating over human mystery.
At first introduction, he’s solving a crime scene, creating a new antagonist from clues, like a modern-day Sherlock Holmes. Soon the character he’s made is real, and the scene is set to believe a wealth of other third-person tales, told through his investigation. These stories never feel like unnecessary digressions, even as they multiply; they provide real insights into the worlds and desires of the people this pilgrim meets – which is what I meant by saying I Am Pilgrim contains a library of stories.
Every detail matters here. Every insight waits to be proven or shattered. Every coincidence bears its own consequence with unrelenting strength. And mistakes are just as deeply consequential as accidental successes, with just the right amount of foreshadowing to make it all seem real.
I Am Pilgrim is a long novel because it has to be, not because the writer set out to write long. It’s as tightly woven as a terrorist plot, as perfectly soluble as a Sherlock Holmes mystery, and as filled with world-spanning characters and insights as Lawrence of Arabia. It deserves all the accolades and bookstore displays it’s received. And I love it.
Disclosure: I delayed reading it because it was long. Now I’m wondering why I waited so long. I love this book.
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freedom is a concept as tenuous as self-determination.One first-person narrator carries the tale. He’s a man of mystery, a man who has done great and gruesome deeds for his country, and this novel doesn’t gloss over the pain of gunshot, torture or terror. But the writing is spare and powerful, with no gloating over human mystery.
At first introduction, he’s solving a crime scene, creating a new antagonist from clues, like a modern-day Sherlock Holmes. Soon the character he’s made is real, and the scene is set to believe a wealth of other third-person tales, told through his investigation. These stories never feel like unnecessary digressions, even as they multiply; they provide real insights into the worlds and desires of the people this pilgrim meets – which is what I meant by saying I Am Pilgrim contains a library of stories.
Every detail matters here. Every insight waits to be proven or shattered. Every coincidence bears its own consequence with unrelenting strength. And mistakes are just as deeply consequential as accidental successes, with just the right amount of foreshadowing to make it all seem real.
I Am Pilgrim is a long novel because it has to be, not because the writer set out to write long. It’s as tightly woven as a terrorist plot, as perfectly soluble as a Sherlock Holmes mystery, and as filled with world-spanning characters and insights as Lawrence of Arabia. It deserves all the accolades and bookstore displays it’s received. And I love it.
Disclosure: I delayed reading it because it was long. Now I’m wondering why I waited so long. I love this book.
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LibraryThing member Carolinejyoung
Gave up on this as it didn't interest me.
LibraryThing member philipanderson
An exemplary thriller—re-read it if you want to study how it’s done. Pilgrim left the covert life when his secret US spy agency was shut down. He wrote a famous text on criminal investigations and an old friend gets him to help investigate a perfect murder. Then he’s drawn back into
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counterterrorism when The Saracen synthesizes weaponized smallpox and his plot is uncovered. Most of the book is Pilgrim’s POV but much is Saracen’s in a deliciously complext plot. Coincidentally the murder ties into the smallpox plot. Through twists and turns Pilgrim tracks down the terrorist and foils his plot. I was riveted throughout—superb plotting and excellent characters. Show Less
LibraryThing member Romonko
All I can say is Wow! This is a first novel for Terry Hayes, but he does have many years of writing experience as a journalist and as a screenwriter. His transfer over to novels is quite remarkable with this achievement. This is the best thriller that I've read in quite some time. Pilgrim is in the
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higher echelons of US Intelligence and he makes a name for himself when he is a young man. Then he decides to pack it in and he tries to live a normal life in Paris. But terror and the US Intelligence find him. The US President needs a super-agent to track down and neutralize a terrorist threat coming from the Arab world. The man with no real name takes up the challenge. At much risk to himself, he manages to do the impossible and finds the terrorist, but that is only the beginning as no one has grasped the full extent of this terror threat. This is a long, sprawling book, but as I was reading I didn't think it would have benefited from any changes either to the writing, the suspense or the length of the book. Terry Hayes has done a remarkable job of making this a believable, realistic and frightening story. And the best part about it is that it's left open at the end to the possibility of a follow-up book or an entire series. I would love that as I'd love to read about Pilgrim's exploits again. Show Less
LibraryThing member claireh18
Published on 10th April by Random House - thank you to the author, publisher and netgalley team for the advance reading copy I received.
The synopsis of this book sounded interesting, so I imagined a fast-paced thriller that would hold my interest throughout and keep me awake into the wee small
The synopsis of this book sounded interesting, so I imagined a fast-paced thriller that would hold my interest throughout and keep me awake into the wee small
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hours. The beginning of the book started well and the storyline appeared a little intriguing, but things went slowly downhill after that. This book just didn't encourage me to keep reading. I was soon bored and looking forward to racing the end and getting started on a different book! Perhaps I've been a bit spoiled with the number of excellent books I've read of late, or maybe this book was just not for me. I'm sure other people will love it but it's just not Show Less
LibraryThing member Jean_Roberts
This thriller takes a long twisty path before the satisfying end. Invest the time - you won't be sorry.
LibraryThing member adrianburke
Struggling to accept how the narrator can know what the Saracen did in such detail.
LibraryThing member Clara53
As spy novels go, great plot. Certainly, a horrifying scenario, and at first I wondered - should such biological terrorism be discussed so openly... However, I had no choice but assume that the author researched the topic well before venturing into it and knew what's safe to
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say. As far as writing style, the nostalgic tone of the spy tale faintly reminds me of John Le Carre's writing, but with less finesse than the latter. Also, one can sort of see a film producer in Terry Hayes, and true - the book can make a great movie. I was a little distracted by the way the protagonist kept jumping ahead in his story, though it still kept my interest to a high degree. There was a slight overuse of truisms and cliches and a little too much dignified pathos at times. But the plot kept a good pace. And mind games were noteworthy . Out of minor characters, the one of the Turkish hotel manager was very appealing - his use of "correct" English quite amusing. Show Less
LibraryThing member NPJacobsen
I am Pilgrim" is a superbly crafted first novel by Terry Hayes. It is both a murder mystery and a top notch spy/terrorism novel. The first part of the book seems to drag a little, but the ending more than makes up for that. A seemingly unconnected series of events at the outset is pulled together
A woman is found murdered, face down in a bathtub of acid in a New York city hotel. Her teeth had been removed and the acid had eaten away her fingerprints and face, making identification of the body almost impossible. The room was sprayed with industrial disinfectant and wiped clean of fingerprints, destroying any and all forensic evidence. Enter Scott Murdoch (or Peter Campbell or Brodie Wilson, we never find out what his real name was) who had written a book on investigative procedures under the pen name of Jude Garrett. The crime scene is right out of his book, seemingly the perfect crime.
We get a little back story of Scott. Adopted by a wealthy family and given the best education possible, he did not seem to fit in and was always a loner. Possessed of high intelligence and great intuition, he was recruited by a covert branch of U.S. intelligence known as the Division. He quickly rose in the ranks and became the youngest director of the organization, known as the "Rider of the Blue." When the Division was dismantled, he tried to disappear and lead a "normal" life, but fate was not kind to Scott. All to soon he was brought back to the world he wanted to forget, and eventually the stakes were raised so high that it became an all or nothing proposition.
Meanwhile, half a world away in Saudi Arabia, a young boy watches his father beheaded in a public square for criticizing the royal family.The scene would be burned into his memory forever and set him on a path of retribution. At 16, he joined the muj in Afghanistan fighting the Soviet invaders, where he distinguished himself as a brave and noble fighter. The Saracen, as he would become known, was also extremely intelligent. When the war was over, he bought a fake death certificate and a new passport, taking on a completely different identity. He made his way to Lebanon where he attended and graduated medical school. He was then ready to begin his plan of retribution and devised a plan to devastate the United States and thus leave Israel and Saudi Arabia vulnerable.
The murder investigation becomes entwined with the terrorist plot, and Scott will have to use all of his skills to find the Saracen and stop the deaths of thousands of innocent lives. Thus the two loners are destined to meet. Two of the best for their individual causes, and only one would walk away.
I love how the book made use of everything. The old memories drudged up, the places visited, the murders, etcetera. They all came into play at some point during the events leading up to the climax Time seemed to stop for me as I neared the end of the book and the pages just kept turning. I looked at my clock and it was 4 am, but I still couldn't stop. The book was that good, and plausible too, which made it really scary. I found myself rooting for Scott, code named Pilgrim, as he was a character that it was hard not to like. As was said of him, "his heart was his weight." But I also felt for the Saracen. He was brave and brilliant, and if not for the terrible events of his childhood, he too could have been a great man. But they were destined to face off at the end in an epic game of chicken, and you'll have to read to find out who blinks first. Great book!!!
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at the end, and I was not able to put the book down for the last few hundred pages.A woman is found murdered, face down in a bathtub of acid in a New York city hotel. Her teeth had been removed and the acid had eaten away her fingerprints and face, making identification of the body almost impossible. The room was sprayed with industrial disinfectant and wiped clean of fingerprints, destroying any and all forensic evidence. Enter Scott Murdoch (or Peter Campbell or Brodie Wilson, we never find out what his real name was) who had written a book on investigative procedures under the pen name of Jude Garrett. The crime scene is right out of his book, seemingly the perfect crime.
We get a little back story of Scott. Adopted by a wealthy family and given the best education possible, he did not seem to fit in and was always a loner. Possessed of high intelligence and great intuition, he was recruited by a covert branch of U.S. intelligence known as the Division. He quickly rose in the ranks and became the youngest director of the organization, known as the "Rider of the Blue." When the Division was dismantled, he tried to disappear and lead a "normal" life, but fate was not kind to Scott. All to soon he was brought back to the world he wanted to forget, and eventually the stakes were raised so high that it became an all or nothing proposition.
Meanwhile, half a world away in Saudi Arabia, a young boy watches his father beheaded in a public square for criticizing the royal family.The scene would be burned into his memory forever and set him on a path of retribution. At 16, he joined the muj in Afghanistan fighting the Soviet invaders, where he distinguished himself as a brave and noble fighter. The Saracen, as he would become known, was also extremely intelligent. When the war was over, he bought a fake death certificate and a new passport, taking on a completely different identity. He made his way to Lebanon where he attended and graduated medical school. He was then ready to begin his plan of retribution and devised a plan to devastate the United States and thus leave Israel and Saudi Arabia vulnerable.
The murder investigation becomes entwined with the terrorist plot, and Scott will have to use all of his skills to find the Saracen and stop the deaths of thousands of innocent lives. Thus the two loners are destined to meet. Two of the best for their individual causes, and only one would walk away.
I love how the book made use of everything. The old memories drudged up, the places visited, the murders, etcetera. They all came into play at some point during the events leading up to the climax Time seemed to stop for me as I neared the end of the book and the pages just kept turning. I looked at my clock and it was 4 am, but I still couldn't stop. The book was that good, and plausible too, which made it really scary. I found myself rooting for Scott, code named Pilgrim, as he was a character that it was hard not to like. As was said of him, "his heart was his weight." But I also felt for the Saracen. He was brave and brilliant, and if not for the terrible events of his childhood, he too could have been a great man. But they were destined to face off at the end in an epic game of chicken, and you'll have to read to find out who blinks first. Great book!!!
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LibraryThing member ozzer
This thriller has a lot to recommend it: interesting settings, plot, hero and anti-hero, mystery and good writing. The novel is set all over the world but particularly in the small tourist town of Bodrum, Turkey. Hayes succeeds in evoking the town, making you want to take a look at it online. The
The novel suffers from an excessive amount of implausibility that detracts from completely enjoying it. It is difficult to accept that Saracen would have the level of molecular biological expertise and facilities required to successfully construct and maintain a deadly virus despite his background as a general medical doctor. His rationale for wanting to attack America is also hard to accept. Clearly he would have reasons to detest Saudi Arabia and, as a jihadist, America seems like a common target, but his extreme hatred seems to be a leap. Also, his plan seems to have been ill considered since he and his loved ones would be placed at risk. Latent images from mirrors and gold-digging murderers add some flavor and mystery ,but strain credulity.
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plot is fast-paced and cinematic, not surprisingly because Hayes comes with a record of being a screenwriter. Pilgrim is a highly competent hero with his share of flaws; likewise, Saracen is quite an effective villain. There is abundant mystery in the story, but everything is all there to figure out if you have that particular bent. Hayes moves the plot along swiftly using short chapters and constant shifting between the protagonist and antagonist. His handling of details was particularly effective. I especially enjoyed juxtaposing the two prevalent methods of interrogation (torture and well considered questioning) one successful and the other not so much. You will have to read to the end to see which works.The novel suffers from an excessive amount of implausibility that detracts from completely enjoying it. It is difficult to accept that Saracen would have the level of molecular biological expertise and facilities required to successfully construct and maintain a deadly virus despite his background as a general medical doctor. His rationale for wanting to attack America is also hard to accept. Clearly he would have reasons to detest Saudi Arabia and, as a jihadist, America seems like a common target, but his extreme hatred seems to be a leap. Also, his plan seems to have been ill considered since he and his loved ones would be placed at risk. Latent images from mirrors and gold-digging murderers add some flavor and mystery ,but strain credulity.
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LibraryThing member SashaM
Don't usually pick up trillers but this one is great. Complex plot and a non super hero main character. Short chapters make it easily segmented but also have you thinking I'll just read one more and before you know it you are writing your good reads review at 2.30 in the morning!
LibraryThing member nikon
I went into a book shop desperate to get a good book to read because in the next day or two I was due to go on holiday for 3 weeks. I told the assistant what and whom I liked to read and straight away she went and fetched this - this thing! She swooned and crooned about it and said it was the best
So, I took it and, on the day before I left I began to read it and yes, yes just like almost every book that's ever been written it started off really, really well but during my 11hr flight things just got worse and worse and after landing I wished to hell I'd never asked for advise or recommendations and just gone and picked out a book at random because I was convinced it'd be a wiser choice than this terrible read. I even met people whilst I was away who had read this tripe and not only that there children had too and they all revved about it all of them! each and everyone of them.
So, how come its not for me? Well, in short its just an awful read full of little bursts of good writing and then longer and longer bouts of just sheer dross there's one chapter yes one whole chapter where he lands at an airport collects his luggage and then leave in a taxi. Yes, that's it! But Holey-Moley, he spent a whole chapter telling me almost foot-by-foot how it was and what he heard and saw or more likely what he thought he heard or saw. It goes on and on like that with little blips of real story line and larger sections telling you of his background and who he knows and why he knows them. This book is awful! Truly, truly awful.
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book she'd ever read, jokingly I asked her how many books she had read and she told me flat out "hundreds and hundreds.' followed up by, "seriously if you don't like thisI'll personally give you your money back - Yes its that good."So, I took it and, on the day before I left I began to read it and yes, yes just like almost every book that's ever been written it started off really, really well but during my 11hr flight things just got worse and worse and after landing I wished to hell I'd never asked for advise or recommendations and just gone and picked out a book at random because I was convinced it'd be a wiser choice than this terrible read. I even met people whilst I was away who had read this tripe and not only that there children had too and they all revved about it all of them! each and everyone of them.
So, how come its not for me? Well, in short its just an awful read full of little bursts of good writing and then longer and longer bouts of just sheer dross there's one chapter yes one whole chapter where he lands at an airport collects his luggage and then leave in a taxi. Yes, that's it! But Holey-Moley, he spent a whole chapter telling me almost foot-by-foot how it was and what he heard and saw or more likely what he thought he heard or saw. It goes on and on like that with little blips of real story line and larger sections telling you of his background and who he knows and why he knows them. This book is awful! Truly, truly awful.
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LibraryThing member MissVee
The best thriller I've ever read. The story captivated me from beginning to end. The tangle weaved into this story is so intricate. The places you discover and find yourself looking up on a world map. Just amazing !
LibraryThing member Ken-Me-Old-Mate
Well, if you have to read this so be it, but if you don't, well then, dont!
There's nothing wrong with except it is 400 pages too long and written for half wits. I'd say that it is written by a computer program but I used to be a programmer and it would be insulting to the profession to suggest
I'm sure that when Elon Musk writes a program to create novels they will be a lot better than this. It is a throwback to the 70s and 80s and airport novels in that it is big and you can buy it at airports but it is not as well written as those old books.
Sorry to be so negative but you will gain nothing from reading this book. I have no idea how it got such good ratings and reviews.
I gave it 2 stars for fooling lots of people
There's nothing wrong with except it is 400 pages too long and written for half wits. I'd say that it is written by a computer program but I used to be a programmer and it would be insulting to the profession to suggest
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this.I'm sure that when Elon Musk writes a program to create novels they will be a lot better than this. It is a throwback to the 70s and 80s and airport novels in that it is big and you can buy it at airports but it is not as well written as those old books.
Sorry to be so negative but you will gain nothing from reading this book. I have no idea how it got such good ratings and reviews.
I gave it 2 stars for fooling lots of people
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LibraryThing member ASmithey
I'm sorry, this book is just horribly written. The descriptions of people, places, and things literally made me laugh out loud at times that I should have been caring more about the story.
Also, it got really tiring constantly having the narrator explain things that I had already assumed were
Not one of my favorites, for sure. I will save the next 'sweeping-thriller' for a Dan Brown type book, those are more my speed!
Also, it got really tiring constantly having the narrator explain things that I had already assumed were
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happening. It threw off the flow of the book and made it feel never-ending. Not one of my favorites, for sure. I will save the next 'sweeping-thriller' for a Dan Brown type book, those are more my speed!
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LibraryThing member Eyejaybee
This book could have been so good. The plot premise was very clever, and the opening sequence worked very well. Even the principal characters seemed well constructed, but Hayes seemed to lack any understanding of plot structure. Having started the novel with a gruesome murder scene the narrator
It is not often that one can suggest that a book would be better if it had been three hundred pages shorter, but that seems to apply here!
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then spends the next three hundred pages ruminating on his past and going through ever more convoluted reminiscences of his past life and his involvement in the fight against terror over the previous twenty years.It is not often that one can suggest that a book would be better if it had been three hundred pages shorter, but that seems to apply here!
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LibraryThing member grandpahobo
This book is both fast-paced and deliberate. There are no short cuts, no rabbits pulled out of a hat. Every step of the story is laid out, including the things that are the result of plain luck.
The story has plenty of suspense and will keep you engrossed until the very end.
The story has plenty of suspense and will keep you engrossed until the very end.
LibraryThing member ASmithey
I'm sorry, this book is just horribly written. The descriptions of people, places, and things literally made me laugh out loud at times that I should have been caring more about the story.
Also, it got really tiring constantly having the narrator explain things that I had already assumed were
Not one of my favorites, for sure. I will save the next 'sweeping-thriller' for a Dan Brown type book, those are more my speed!
Also, it got really tiring constantly having the narrator explain things that I had already assumed were
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happening. It threw off the flow of the book and made it feel never-ending. Not one of my favorites, for sure. I will save the next 'sweeping-thriller' for a Dan Brown type book, those are more my speed!
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LibraryThing member jpporter
Just so there isn't any suspense, this is an exceptional book. Eminently readable, plenty of tension. I recommend it highly.
So much for the praise. Now the critique.
You can tell that author Terry Hayes is a screenwriter; the book is structured like a TV mini-series. The story is told in short
There are many lapses in logic, particularly at the beginning. It is kind of hard to buy into some of these, but if you suspend reason they can be little more than irritants. The only lapse I find I cannot suspend reason with is the denouement - the villain of the story (the Saracen) is created so effectively that - if one accepts the characterization - it seems unlikely that he would fall victim to Pilgrim's trap.
Pilgrim (the story's hero) is perhaps the weakest part of the whole book. Hayes seems to go out of his way to make Pilgrim a contrived character - the best spy to ever go undercover. The spy's spy. The cold-hearted, emotionless beast with a soft heart. The character is not believable - not one tiny bit. Of course, this is the writer who wrote the screen play for Road Warrior and the character Mad Max Rockatanski, so I guess we should expect him to create the kind of character it's not likely anyone could be in reality.
Suspend belief, and this is an exceptionally entertaining book. Don't suspend belief, and this is still an exceptionally entertaining book that you find hard to swallow.
So much for the praise. Now the critique.
You can tell that author Terry Hayes is a screenwriter; the book is structured like a TV mini-series. The story is told in short
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bursts, with plenty of flash backs. This is not so much a criticism, really, as it is just what I felt like was a limitation to the story - one feels like Hayes limits his chapters in terms of size, each one teasing the reader on to the next. There are many lapses in logic, particularly at the beginning. It is kind of hard to buy into some of these, but if you suspend reason they can be little more than irritants. The only lapse I find I cannot suspend reason with is the denouement - the villain of the story (the Saracen) is created so effectively that - if one accepts the characterization - it seems unlikely that he would fall victim to Pilgrim's trap.
Pilgrim (the story's hero) is perhaps the weakest part of the whole book. Hayes seems to go out of his way to make Pilgrim a contrived character - the best spy to ever go undercover. The spy's spy. The cold-hearted, emotionless beast with a soft heart. The character is not believable - not one tiny bit. Of course, this is the writer who wrote the screen play for Road Warrior and the character Mad Max Rockatanski, so I guess we should expect him to create the kind of character it's not likely anyone could be in reality.
Suspend belief, and this is an exceptionally entertaining book. Don't suspend belief, and this is still an exceptionally entertaining book that you find hard to swallow.
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LibraryThing member Eyejaybee
I know that this book was an immense commercial success, selling millions of copies around the world. I also recognise that a lot of people whose opinion I respect have told me how marvellous it is. Somehow, though, I can’t quite see why.
Certainly, it came close to being so good. The underlying
The story suddenly moves to Saudi Arabia, with the arrest and subsequent public execution of an ordinary man who had, apparently, chanced to offer injudicious criticism of the Royal Family. Overheard by a state informer, this led to him being arrested at work, bundled away in a van and then, after having been held in solitary confinement while urged to sign a confession to his unspecified acts of treason, he was publicly beheaded. His family are allowed to decamp to Bahrain, where his fourteen year old son seeks to become a jihadi, sworn to undermining and attacking Western decadence. I wasn’t quite sure why the acts of apparently despotic regime under the house of Saud led him to swear such undying enmity towards the infidel West. I assume my attention must have lapsed, ground down by the sheer weight of verbiage. It is not often that one can suggest that a book would be better if it had been at least three hundred pages shorter, but that seems to apply here!
By a huge coincidence, as I neared the end of the book this morning I heard a programme on BBC Radio 4 hosted by Mark Lawson (one of my favourite arts broadcasters, and one whose own novels I have heartily enjoyed and whom I sorely miss from his former slot on Front Row), which was considering the way in which the nature of television programmes has changed to encompass the merging new platforms through which we access them. The growing predomination of streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon prime has led to a growing tendency to binge watch series, which in turn has led to the introduction of regular cliff-hangers. One of the people on the programme suggested that this approach was having an impact on the nature of books, and particularly thrillers. Lawson cited this particular book as an example of how people have started to binge read, which has led to novels becoming unnecessarily overlong, with the introduction with almost metronomic regularlity of a new twist, not to enhance the story but merely for the purposes of spinning the book out. One of the contributors made a very telling point about thrillers written by the likes of Graham Green and his contemporaries who were publishing during the Second world War and period of austerity that followed it, during which paper was rationed. They mastered the art of writing an absorbing thriller, but keeping it down to between two and three hundred pages. Obviously I am not advocating a maximum page limit, and some very long recent novels have been simply marvellous, whether despite or even perhaps because of their length (Donna Tartt’s The ~Goldfinch leaps particularly to mind), but I do wonder whether some writers set great store simply upon the number of pages they can fill.
Certainly, it came close to being so good. The underlying
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premise of the plot was clever, and I felt that the opening sequence worked very well. Even the principal characters seemed well constructed, but Hayes seemed to lack any understanding of plot structure. Having started the novel with a gruesome murder scene the narrator then spends an inordinately long time going through ever more convoluted reminiscences of his past life and his involvement in the fight against terror over the previous twenty years.The story suddenly moves to Saudi Arabia, with the arrest and subsequent public execution of an ordinary man who had, apparently, chanced to offer injudicious criticism of the Royal Family. Overheard by a state informer, this led to him being arrested at work, bundled away in a van and then, after having been held in solitary confinement while urged to sign a confession to his unspecified acts of treason, he was publicly beheaded. His family are allowed to decamp to Bahrain, where his fourteen year old son seeks to become a jihadi, sworn to undermining and attacking Western decadence. I wasn’t quite sure why the acts of apparently despotic regime under the house of Saud led him to swear such undying enmity towards the infidel West. I assume my attention must have lapsed, ground down by the sheer weight of verbiage. It is not often that one can suggest that a book would be better if it had been at least three hundred pages shorter, but that seems to apply here!
By a huge coincidence, as I neared the end of the book this morning I heard a programme on BBC Radio 4 hosted by Mark Lawson (one of my favourite arts broadcasters, and one whose own novels I have heartily enjoyed and whom I sorely miss from his former slot on Front Row), which was considering the way in which the nature of television programmes has changed to encompass the merging new platforms through which we access them. The growing predomination of streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon prime has led to a growing tendency to binge watch series, which in turn has led to the introduction of regular cliff-hangers. One of the people on the programme suggested that this approach was having an impact on the nature of books, and particularly thrillers. Lawson cited this particular book as an example of how people have started to binge read, which has led to novels becoming unnecessarily overlong, with the introduction with almost metronomic regularlity of a new twist, not to enhance the story but merely for the purposes of spinning the book out. One of the contributors made a very telling point about thrillers written by the likes of Graham Green and his contemporaries who were publishing during the Second world War and period of austerity that followed it, during which paper was rationed. They mastered the art of writing an absorbing thriller, but keeping it down to between two and three hundred pages. Obviously I am not advocating a maximum page limit, and some very long recent novels have been simply marvellous, whether despite or even perhaps because of their length (Donna Tartt’s The ~Goldfinch leaps particularly to mind), but I do wonder whether some writers set great store simply upon the number of pages they can fill.
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LibraryThing member Jarratt
EXCELLENT debut novel! "I Am Pilgrim" is an exceedingly well thought-out book with believable characters and a fantastic, intricate plot!
In this first person thriller, we follow Pilgrim (for we really don't know his real name) as he searches for a killer who cleaned up a murder in NYC too well. In
The only reason I knocked it a half star was because the book should have switched between first and third person. In fact, it almost does as we get details of what some of the antagonists are doing...but every now and then author Terry Hayes will pop in a first person reference ("I" or "me," for example) that begs the question of how our protagonist knows all this. I can't really elaborate more on this point without giving anything away, but the few times this happened it was a bit jarring. But this is a minor criticism. The book is incredible!
In this first person thriller, we follow Pilgrim (for we really don't know his real name) as he searches for a killer who cleaned up a murder in NYC too well. In
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fact, the killer borrowed a book that Pilgrim had written on forensics, which is how Pilgrim is on the case to begin with. But, lest you think this is a normal murder mystery, think again. Pilgrim also tells us this case involves someone in the Middle East who's looking to take down the US. How these two cases intertwine into a truly thrilling end is very, very well done.The only reason I knocked it a half star was because the book should have switched between first and third person. In fact, it almost does as we get details of what some of the antagonists are doing...but every now and then author Terry Hayes will pop in a first person reference ("I" or "me," for example) that begs the question of how our protagonist knows all this. I can't really elaborate more on this point without giving anything away, but the few times this happened it was a bit jarring. But this is a minor criticism. The book is incredible!
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LibraryThing member infjsarah
This is a thick book but I enjoyed it. Could have been slightly shorter but the author says at the end that he wanted to write the sort of book he likes - fair enough. And I ended up looking up certain aspects of the plot to see if they were feasible - and the ones I looked up seemed to be.
Awards
Barry Award (Nominee — Thriller — 2015)
British Book Award (Winner — 2014)
This Mystery is Amazing! (#4 — 2015)
Lariat Adult Fiction Reading List (Selection — 2015)
Chicago Public Library Best of the Best: Adults (Selection — Fiction — 2014)