By Order of the President (Presidential Agent Novels)
by W.E.B. Griffin
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Book Summary Information
Author: W.E.B. GriffinEdition: Mass Market Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2005-12-27
ISBN: 0515139777
Number of pages: 624
Publisher: Jove
Product features:
- ISBN13: 9780515139778
- Condition: New
- Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!
Book Reviews of By Order of the President (Presidential Agent Novels)
Book Review: Very disappointing
Summary: 1 Stars
Other reviewers have, correctly in my view, pointed out the many weaknesses of this book's plot, characterization, and story line. I would like to add just a couple of observations.
One - The hero, Castillo, is an utter failure as a strong character who carries the story forward. Aside from the fact that he fulfills every schoolboy's fantasy of the rich playboy, but presents a very uninspiring figure for the adults in the audience, he is simply not capable of getting anything done on his own (perhaps I'm thinking of the old stand-by action hero, James Bond). Now maybe this is Griffin's idea of realism, but for a story that has this single character in nearly every scene I think it's only fair to ask the author to make our hero's intelligence and energy the decisive factor in the story's outcome. But no such luck. One example: a key plot point involves the gathering of information about a missing aircraft. Although Castillo is involved, he is completely at the mercy of his sources. The truly interesting question, not even briefly explored by Griffin, is how these folks seem to be ahead of the US intelligence apparatus at every turn. And when Castillo needs vitally important information from within the US intelligence community, he is reduced to a tirade on the phone and only gets the information he needs when others higher up the pecking order come to bat. It may be realistic to portray US military/intelligence figures as wrapped up in a labyrinth of overlapping jurisdictions and turf wars, but it doesn't make for a very interesting story.
Two - If there is a moral to this story, it would be Griffin's grappling with the ancient question of means and ends. Castillo (and Griffin?) clearly operate on the principle that the end justifies the means - meaning, in the context of this story, that the command structure of the US armed services and intelligence communities is wholly dispensible when
it comes to saving America from a disaster on a par with the World Trade Center attacks of 2001 - not only dispensible, but in fact a positive hindrance to getting anything really useful accomplished. Of course, this is a favorite theme of countless movies (Dirty Harry), TV dramas, books, etc., and I have no problem with employing that plot device here. I have no military background and I won't comment on how members of the armed forces might react to Castillo's (and others) end runs around the official hierarchy, but I just wonder if there's something here we should all be paying attention to. Is our national security ultimately going to depend on the ability of key individuals to bypass the established channels and become rogue agents? I don't have the answer, just the question.
Summary of By Order of the President (Presidential Agent Novels)
When a leased Boeing 727 is violently hijacked from Angola and flown to parts unknown, the President turns to an outsider--Major Carlos Guillermo Castillo--for answers. A pilot, West Point graduate, and veteran of Desert Storm, Castillo has a sharp eye for the facts--and the truth behind them. In Africa, he is helped and hindered by unexpected allies and ruthless enemies, and begins to untangle a plot of horrific dimensions--a plot that, unless Castillo acts quickly, will end very, very badly.
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