BLOG TOUR: Shadow - James Swallow

From the Sunday Times bestselling author of NOMAD and EXILE, things are about to go viral for Marc Dane in his most dangerous adventure yet . . .

Marc Dane is Britain’s answer to Jason Bourne, and it is about to go viral in his most thrilling and dangerous adventure yet. . .

Marc and his partner - former US Delta Force sniper Lucy Keyes - are pitted against their most terrifying challenge yet, when a genius bio-researcher with the ability to create a deadly biological weapon is kidnapped by a ruthless terrorist. 

Their desperate search for the missing scientist takes them across the world, from the desolate wilderness of Iceland to the slums of the Near East and the dark underbelly of a fracturing Europe, where they will discover a shocking atrocity in the making. 

Backed by shadowy interests, a cadre of hardline ultra-right-wing extremists plan to unleash a lethal virus among the population of a major European city. 

Only Marc Dane can prevent this devastating attack from taking place - before a whole continent is plunged into terror...

What did I think?

I have wanted to read a James Swallow book for a while and as much as I don't like to jump into the middle of series, I decided to start with Shadow, which is book 4 of the Marc Dane series.  I can say with conviction that you can most definitely read Shadow as a standalone thriller but I'm even more eager to read the previous books now as there is such an amazing dynamic between the main characters, Marc and Lucy.

Marc Dane is a former MI6 data guy who has been thrust into the action, and there isn't half some action in Shadow as a worldwide hunt begins to stop a deadly bioweapon from releasing a killer virus.  I found the idea of a bioprinter that can create deadly viruses at the touch of a button very scary indeed and would like to think it's science fiction but a quick google tells me otherwise.  It's amazing to think that bioprinting could be used for transplants in the future but as with anything that is created to benefit people there is always the risk that someone will manipulate it for their own ends.  A theoretical Dr Evil could hold the whole world to ransom; thanks for the nightmares, James Swallow!

There is an awful lot going on in Shadow and I got myself a bit mixed up at times over who was who, but I couldn't stop reading as I needed to find out what was going to happen next.  I loved the character of Marc Dane, especially as he can quote the original Star Wars trilogy from memory, and I thought of him as a kind of geeky James Bond.  The geek in me also loved that Star Wars was mentioned on page 77 as Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope was released in 1977.  I love little details, or coincidences, like this.

Shadow is a full-throttle, high-octane, action-packed thriller; I am now chomping at the bit to read more Marc Dane and Lucy Keyes books.

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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BLOG TOUR: Blue Gold - David Barker

The near future. Climate change and geopolitical tension have given rise to a new international threat - a world war for water. This most vital of resources has become a precious commodity and some will stop at nothing to control its flow. 

When a satellite disappears over Iceland, Sim Atkins thinks he knows why. He is given the chance to join the hallowed Overseas Division and hunt for the terrorists responsible. But his new partner Freda Brightwell is aggrieved to be stuck with a rookie on such a deadly mission. Freda's misgivings are well founded when their first assignment ends in disaster - a bomb destroys a valuable airship and those responsible evade capture. 

Seeking redemption, the British agents follow the trail to a billionaires' tax haven in the middle of the Atlantic ocean and uncover a web of deceit that threatens global war. Whom can they trust? As the world edges ever closer to destruction Sim and Freda must put their lives on the line to prevent Armageddon - and protect the future of 'blue gold'. 

David Barker's gripping debut will thrill fans of Richard North Patterson, Scott Mariani and Steve Berry.

What did I think?

I'm not usually a fan of futuristic or science fiction novels, but I made an exception for Blue Gold as it is set in the not too distant future with a completely believable and frighteningly real storyline: a global water shortage.

Blue Gold really starts with a bang as we meet Sim and Freda, British OFWAT agents, as they are descending a snow covered mountain with a helicopter shooting at them.  To find out what they are doing on a mountain and why somebody wants rid of them, we must rewind a few years to get the full story.  The story takes Sim and Freda across the globe, even stopping off at the wonderfully imaginative exclusive sea state of Marinus, as they track terrorists and encounter double agents.

Hidden throughout the book like little easter eggs are quotes and references to so many movies that I lost count.  The author lists these movies in his notes at the end and I was surprised to see how many I had missed.  Of course, when you are engrossed in the story you don't always spot things like this until they are pointed out but I found it quite fun to spot them as I was reading.  I did laugh out loud when Sim said that he hadn't heard of Star Wars, which he refers to as an ancient two-dimensional film!  As unbelievable as that sounds, it did a very good job of reminding me that I was reading a book set in the future when Star Wars would be over half a century old.

As someone with a keen interest in Roman history, I was delighted with the SPQR reference.  Not used in reference to the state of Rome in this case but to remind OFWAT agents to Serve, Protect, Quench and Ration.  I thought this was a great way to bring a little piece of ancient history along for the ride into the future.

It's quite fast paced and flicks rapidly back and forth between characters, but I do have to admit to the odd moment of confusion and sometimes I couldn't have really told you what was going on but it didn't stop me reading, mainly due to the magnetic pull of the two main characters: Sim and Freda.  Although there are some exciting and gripping moments that maintain the high pace, I would have liked to have read more about the effects of the water shortage to perhaps really drive home the important message within the book. Blue Gold has taken a step in the right direction towards raising awareness of water shortages and kudos to David Barker for doing so; ultimately it is up to us to make a difference before the fiction we have just read becomes reality.

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon

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