Reviews

Amok by Barry Eisler

lordfarquadxi's review

adventurous emotional sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

vorpalblad's review

5.0

I'm not crying. You're crying.

beltari's review

2.0

I don't usually write reviews of my books, but when I do, I do it as a warning for future readers. I was looking to read an espionage novel, this one was tagged as espionage. It is not an espionage novel.

Barry Eisler is the best sniper that ever snipped ever. Sorry, I mean Carl "Dox" Williams, because the main character is totally NOT a self-insertion of the author. The perfect Barry- sorry, Dox, is not only the best sniper, but he's also good-looking, charming, and funny, women love him and men want to be like him. He's a loose cannon but the Marines and CIA admire him so much that they still hire him for missions. He exudes "big dick" energy

Spoiler

and we will find out during a graphic sex scene that the author the protagonist has, in fact, a big dick

.
But Dox Eisler is not perfect, his biggest flaw is that it takes him 40% of the book to get inserted into the plot. So if you were looking for an espionage novel, know that for almost half of it, you'll be reading family drama with occasional chapters of evil people doing evil things.

In Dox's next mission, he will have to work alongside a villainous foreigner named Joko. He's evil because he's not American and he's also evil. He loves to do evil things because he's the villain and he's evil. That's his entire personality.

We also have Female Protagonist who's perfect. She's beautiful, smart, has a great body and personality

Spoiler

and, obviously, she falls in love with Male Protagonist at first sight

.

Some cool stuff does happen and the book will actually be entertaining, but only about 30% of it.

kstumpf's review

5.0

Great prequel. Dox is an intriguing character. It was great to learn his backstory. The plot twist was unfortunately not a surprise to me, but needed to happen.

brendanl79's review

5.0

A well oiled machine

Eisler still at the top of his game - these silly yarns play me like a fiddle. Kinetic and intense.

abibliofob's review

5.0

This is actually the first book I have ever read by Barry Eisler! It will not be the last, now I need to figure out the order of the adventures containing Dox. Then I have to get them. Maybe I should try some of his other series as well since I saw that his characters meet up in various books? I really liked AMOK and the story in Timor a place and conflict not many write about. I also enjoyed the character Dox and will focus on him in my continued reading. I instantly got the feeling that the author had done his research and was familiar with the conflict and the various agencies involved also that he knows something about what it means working for the CIA.. The book was fast paced and easy to read. You got connected to the characters and the events and it was really hard to put down for sleep. I highly recommend this for others out there that likes suspense. I also need to thank Thomas & Mercer and Netgalley for providing me this advance copy.

antonishapolitepeoples's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny informative mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.75

blackknight's review

5.0

Barry Eisler strikes again and this time the target is your heart and trust me it’ll be overwhelmed with abundance of tears and pain with a pinch of melancholic happiness. Amok is nothing but an origin story of Dox (shortform of unorthodox) aka Carl Williams. If you’re a fan of Barry Eisler’s previous works like me then you know who is Dox in the overall literary universe that the author created and if not then you’re going to read a kickass action drama novel that’ll leave a longing to find what happened to this guy which will eventually make you to read all other novels in this literary universe and make you as an fan of the series Trust me I’ve been there. Generally the Heroes of this universe are always introduced and cultivated in the darkest grey area that borders to black side because of which you’ll be confused that whether addressing them as ‘Anti Heroes’ is morally accurate or not. Following that same steps Dox was properly fleshed out with his characteristics quips and charming attitude. And also author chose East Timor conflict as the back drop of the book which is unique and kinda refreshing to read. As usual the book is rich with details but truth to be told action and combat scenes are few and far between which was a surprise for me because it doesn’t even decrease the tension of what happens next and it doesn’t lag at any places at all. If you read the novel you can understand how flawlessly the character Dox was developed without any over the top antics. Dox is usually funny guy of the whole group but as an beautiful quote “ Sometime Beautiful smile hides their harshest pains” summarises his inner turmoil and fear towards commitments. Unlike John Rain and Livia Lone (other two kickass characters of author’s universe) Dox’s origin was always teased with tidbits but this novel totally bares it all ranging from his development of skills to his relationship with some of the characters. Eagerly waiting for the next novel from the author and you also read and enjoy the novel.

callmegoddess618's review

adventurous challenging informative tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Great story telling. It's not often that thrillers, especially military thrillers, are so blatantly honest about the atrocities the US military and government commit around the world but this book took an up close and personal look at it and never once tried to hand wave it away. I enjoyed Dox's personal growth as well. It is an incredible book, and the sources at the end are a special treat that I never expected to see in a fiction military thriller.

jacflash's review

adventurous emotional funny fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0