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Publication
Signet (2006), Edition: Mass Paperback Edition, 432 pages
Description
Fiction. Suspense. Thriller. HTML:#1 New York Times bestselling author Daniel Silva presents "a first-rate thriller" (Rocky Mountain News) featuring art restorer�??and reluctant spy�??Gabriel Allon. After an explosion in Rome destroys the Israeli embassy, Gabriel Allon makes a disturbing discovery�??the existence of a dossier in terrorist hands that strips away his secrets, and lays bare his history. Drawn into the heart of a service he�??d once forsaken, Allon finds himself stalking a master terrorist across a bloody landscape generations in the making. But soon, Allon will wonder who is stalking whom. When the final showdown comes, it won�??t be Allon alone who is threatened with destruction. For it is not his history alone that has
User reviews
LibraryThing member theportal2002
A lot of character development in this one. Still a lot of action and excitement as I usually expect with this series. Fantastic.
LibraryThing member MSWallack
I'm not sure that I liked where Silva took Gabriel Allon in this novel, but, in hindsight, it was probably the "right" place to take the character. Another fine entry in the series.
LibraryThing member Joycepa
An explosion in Rome destroys the Israeli embassy, and Shamron sends Gabriel Allon after those responsible. But Allon soon discovers that his cover has been blown, putting not only his life but that of Chiara, his Italian lover, into jeopardy.
This is the context of what may be the last in the
Highly recommended.
This is the context of what may be the last in the
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Gabriel Allon series. If so, it is an exciting and fitting end to the best international spy/thriller series in the genre. There are enough twist, turns, and unexpected revelations to satisfy the most demanding. The characters are well-developed and believable. The writing is as usual superb. The story never lets up, and you are driven to keep turning pages right up to the end.Highly recommended.
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LibraryThing member miyurose
This book moves away from the Holocaust theme of the last 3 and back to the Israel/Palestine conflict. It's interesting to see how each side describes different events, and I think the book makes a few pointed observations about the reasons the conflict continues. All-in-all, this was another great
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book from Silva, and I am ecstatic that his love interest from the last 2 books is gone. Never liked her! Show Less
LibraryThing member skinglist
I'm in two minds on this book. It was good, but I think Silva is suffering from Patterson-disease in that he feels compelled to rush the endings. Or there is a loose end he forgot about and all of a sudden has to fix.
If you live to seek revenge, dig a grave for twoMay be an ancient proverb but it's
Because most of this book took place in Israel rather than Italy, as Silva's previous books had been, it made it feel even more biblical. The Galilee, Jerusalem etc. I'd love to visit there one day but I don't know if I'd ever be brave enough. The ties to reality were interesting, the meetings with Arafat, the real life mid east conflict as opposed to the Holocaust era conflicts in the previous books I've read by him.
The foreshadowing though, as much as I thought it would mean, ended up as nothing. "This is the end," Gabriel said. "The last time. After this, it's over."
"For both of us, I'm afraid," Shamron said. "You'll come home, we'll grow old together." I thought that was going to have a lot more meaning, but oddly it was the Chiara stuff I'd overlooked that ended up having the most meaning :-/
"...Michael is the highest, but you, Gabriel, you are the mightiest. You're the one who defends Israel against its accusers. You're the angel of judgement--the prince of fire." Not so much where the title of the book came from but certainly meaningful for the Allon character.
I think the most meaningful of this was that I did not know the end. In reading the others by the author I knew there were more Gabriel Allon books to come so he'd survive but as far as I know this is the last so it has the bit of mystery to it.
A good read and now it's off to the co-worker who picked up A Death in Vienna from the break room. She's off to Okinawa in a week or so, so this book may travel far.
If you live to seek revenge, dig a grave for twoMay be an ancient proverb but it's
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still so true even today.Because most of this book took place in Israel rather than Italy, as Silva's previous books had been, it made it feel even more biblical. The Galilee, Jerusalem etc. I'd love to visit there one day but I don't know if I'd ever be brave enough. The ties to reality were interesting, the meetings with Arafat, the real life mid east conflict as opposed to the Holocaust era conflicts in the previous books I've read by him.
The foreshadowing though, as much as I thought it would mean, ended up as nothing. "This is the end," Gabriel said. "The last time. After this, it's over."
"For both of us, I'm afraid," Shamron said. "You'll come home, we'll grow old together." I thought that was going to have a lot more meaning, but oddly it was the Chiara stuff I'd overlooked that ended up having the most meaning :-/
"...Michael is the highest, but you, Gabriel, you are the mightiest. You're the one who defends Israel against its accusers. You're the angel of judgement--the prince of fire." Not so much where the title of the book came from but certainly meaningful for the Allon character.
I think the most meaningful of this was that I did not know the end. In reading the others by the author I knew there were more Gabriel Allon books to come so he'd survive but as far as I know this is the last so it has the bit of mystery to it.
A good read and now it's off to the co-worker who picked up A Death in Vienna from the break room. She's off to Okinawa in a week or so, so this book may travel far.
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LibraryThing member taylorsteve
Silva provides a detailed background on his characters which I find enjoyable. However, the plot is fairly simple with few significant twists and turns. He does well with the elusive protagonist and the hero, but stops short of fully developing the plot. I was disappointed in the rapid conclusion
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at the end - really just a few pages to tie it wrap it up. Show Less
LibraryThing member Carl_Alves
This is the second novel I've read from Daniel Silva, and he has yet to disappoint. Gabriel Alon is a fascinating character. The plot and story are so well developed compared to many other thrillers I have read. Silva does a nice job of drawing the reader. What I found especially fascinating was
Carl Alves - author of Two For Eternity
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the use of real life characters like Arafat and Rabin. Very well done. I look forward to reading more of Silva's work in the future.Carl Alves - author of Two For Eternity
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LibraryThing member magentaflake
not so good as others I've read. I prefer death in Venice
LibraryThing member bsquaredinoz
When the Israeli Embassy in Rome is attacked by suicide bombers the Israeli Secret Service investigate. They discover that this attack is only one in a chain planned against Jewish targets and one of their former agents, Gabriel Allon who now works as an art restorer in Venice, is under threat of
The thriller is told in several distinct parts that roughly coincide with Allon’s movement from one country to another as he either leaves a place due to the risks he faces or enters a new country to go on the offensive. This starkly demonstrates the compartmentalised nature of his life and adds an intellectual dimension that isn’t present in many thrillers. The heart of the story, the search for one particular terrorist, is skillfully told and the incorporation of real figures into the fiction, such as a meeting between Allon and Yasser Arafat, add to the realistic feel of the story. As always though with this series the thriller element is only part of the content. The other is the provision of a sense, one view among millions, of the conflicts, dreams and sadness that have defined Arab/Israeli relations for decades. Towards the end of the book Allon has a conversation with his friend and mentor about the way Arabs within the borders of the newly partitioned Israel were dealt with in 1948 and it is saddening to realise how little things have changed in the intervening 60 years.
As well as good stories Silva writes some of the best male characters you’ll read in thrillers. Gabriel Allon is a marvellously layered person: artist, assassin, husband, chameleon. He’s always introspective but in this book he questions his own actions and those of the country he loves more than ever and it’s very thought provoking. Ari Shamron, former Director-General of the Service and now adviser and friend to Gabriel is a harsher warrior and provides a different kind of insight as well as much of the historical context regarding activities that take place. The female characters are less well developed although here there are glimpses of some quite intriguing women including one of the terrorists who is as psychologically damaged by her past as Allon is by his.
I have read most of the Gabriel Allon novels but for some reason have read them out of order. I have a quite disjointed view of the story threads that run across more than one book, but for the most part they are self-contained stories and they can be read independently.
Silva is a journalist by training and demonstrates something of a cross-over in skills. His writing is tight and while there is a real depth to his observations about the human condition he never forgets that to tell a story you have to keep people reading right to the end. Prince of Fire does this admirably.
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assassination as part of the campaign. Allon and his girlfriend, a field agent for the Service, are brought back to Israel where Allon becomes involved in the search for the terrorists.The thriller is told in several distinct parts that roughly coincide with Allon’s movement from one country to another as he either leaves a place due to the risks he faces or enters a new country to go on the offensive. This starkly demonstrates the compartmentalised nature of his life and adds an intellectual dimension that isn’t present in many thrillers. The heart of the story, the search for one particular terrorist, is skillfully told and the incorporation of real figures into the fiction, such as a meeting between Allon and Yasser Arafat, add to the realistic feel of the story. As always though with this series the thriller element is only part of the content. The other is the provision of a sense, one view among millions, of the conflicts, dreams and sadness that have defined Arab/Israeli relations for decades. Towards the end of the book Allon has a conversation with his friend and mentor about the way Arabs within the borders of the newly partitioned Israel were dealt with in 1948 and it is saddening to realise how little things have changed in the intervening 60 years.
As well as good stories Silva writes some of the best male characters you’ll read in thrillers. Gabriel Allon is a marvellously layered person: artist, assassin, husband, chameleon. He’s always introspective but in this book he questions his own actions and those of the country he loves more than ever and it’s very thought provoking. Ari Shamron, former Director-General of the Service and now adviser and friend to Gabriel is a harsher warrior and provides a different kind of insight as well as much of the historical context regarding activities that take place. The female characters are less well developed although here there are glimpses of some quite intriguing women including one of the terrorists who is as psychologically damaged by her past as Allon is by his.
I have read most of the Gabriel Allon novels but for some reason have read them out of order. I have a quite disjointed view of the story threads that run across more than one book, but for the most part they are self-contained stories and they can be read independently.
Silva is a journalist by training and demonstrates something of a cross-over in skills. His writing is tight and while there is a real depth to his observations about the human condition he never forgets that to tell a story you have to keep people reading right to the end. Prince of Fire does this admirably.
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LibraryThing member utbw42
Silva picks up where he left off in his previous novel as Allon continues to battle personal demons while searching for someone hell-bent on causing death and destruction on innocent lives in Paris. The last 100 pages of this book fly by....outstanding stuff.
LibraryThing member buffalogr
This thriller is told in several distinct parts. Book takes place mostly in Israel and deals with the time frame of Arab-Israeli conflict early in the 21st century. Actual players on the world stage play roles,thus a good political thriller. Lots of arabic characters who were hard to follow, until
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we zeroed in on the one bad guy. Gabriel Alon is a fascinating character--plot and story are so well developed. Next Gabriel Alon, please? Show Less
LibraryThing member raizel
The author's note at the end explains the novel "is based heavily on real events and was inspired in large measure by a photograph..."
LibraryThing member Olivermagnus
Gabriel Allon returns in Daniel Silva's Prince of Fire, the fifth book in the series. When the Israeli Embassy in Rome is attacked by suicide bombers, the Israeli Secret Service investigate and discover that this attack is only one in a chain of attacks planned against Jewish targets. Gabriel is
This is not the best book in the Gabriel Allon series but it's still very good. There is a lot of history in the book. Despite the fact that it's correct and it is in keeping with what actually happened in the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, the focus seems to take away from the story. I didn't think it was as focused or fast paced as the previous books in the series. I've read all the Allon books but am now in the process of listening to them. If you enjoy spy thrillers you will certainly enjoy any book in the series. Now, I'm off to find the audio version of “The Messenger”.
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recruited to capture the terrorists. He puts together a Mission Impossible team of Israelis to pursue the last member of a deadly family dynasty of Palestinian militants. But nothing is easy or uncomplicated in this story. This is not the best book in the Gabriel Allon series but it's still very good. There is a lot of history in the book. Despite the fact that it's correct and it is in keeping with what actually happened in the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, the focus seems to take away from the story. I didn't think it was as focused or fast paced as the previous books in the series. I've read all the Allon books but am now in the process of listening to them. If you enjoy spy thrillers you will certainly enjoy any book in the series. Now, I'm off to find the audio version of “The Messenger”.
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LibraryThing member RonWelton
There is much of the history of the Nakba and Palestinian terrorism dating back even before the Balfour Declaration in Daniel Silva's Prince of Fire. Some of that terrorism is centered on one family, the al-Khalifs: Asad al-Khalif, his son, Sabri al-Khalif, and his son, Khalid al-Khalif, AKA Dr.
Allon's hunt for the terrorist and the terrorist's hunt for him are exciting and interesting; but, for me, Allon's inner struggle, his devotion and fidelity to his mentally disabled wife, and to his mentor, Ari Shamron, in conflict with his passion for his art and for his lover Chiara, are what gives the novel its merit.
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Paul Martineau, whom Gabriel Allon is tasked to find and kill in Prince of Fire. Daniel Silva explained in an author's note that the al-Khalif terrorists were "based heavily on real events ... a master terrorist ... Black September's Ali Hassan Salameh ..." Ali Hassan was the son of Shaykh Hassan Salameh, a notorious Palestinian fighter killed during the 1948 war. Allon's hunt for the terrorist and the terrorist's hunt for him are exciting and interesting; but, for me, Allon's inner struggle, his devotion and fidelity to his mentally disabled wife, and to his mentor, Ari Shamron, in conflict with his passion for his art and for his lover Chiara, are what gives the novel its merit.
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LibraryThing member Rockhead515
I'm glad I decided to read these in order. It's a lot of fun following Allon's career.
Subjects
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2005
Physical description
432 p.; 4.25 inches
ISBN
0451215737 / 9780451215734