The Shadow Protocol: A Novel (2014) - Plot & Excerpts
"The Shadow Protocol" met my expectations as a fun, fast-paced read, and an exciting narrative within the thriller genre. I enjoyed McDermott's creativity with a theoretical--and perhaps someday, real--technology as a weapon in the ongoing fight with terrorism and state enemies. The premise is ground-breaking, in my humble opinion, and is worth the read for this point alone. I've noticed in other reviews that some readers aren't satisfied with the level of character development. Character development must be understood within the context of a fast-paced, high-octane storyline. McDermott can get bogged down in details and lengthy character histories, or touch on the general points and traits with various sprinklings as the narrative plays out. That is part of the purpose of sequels, to help over time in progressively filling in the gaps.This novel is does well to serve as a series premiere, and I hope more are to come. There is plenty of action, intrigue, and up-against-the-wall moments to satisfy thriller fans. Are there weak points, areas of undeveloped fodder? Of course, that happens with the vast majority of books; but, there are more than enough strengths to make up for any of that. What a great idea! Government intelligence agency that has a device where they can download people's personalities. This is my first time reading McDermott. I found the first half really tough going. I almost gave up on this book several times. It didn't move very well. The last third of the book was a barnstormer though! If only the rest of the book had been like that. I thought it was right up my alley in terms of plot, but just didn't really do anything for me until the last part of the book. By that point, it was probably to late for me. I don't want to discourage anyone from reading, you may like it (a lot of people did), it just wasn't for me.
What do You think about The Shadow Protocol: A Novel (2014)?
Kept attention 5Well written 3Meaningful 1Must Read 3Accessible 5
—RebeccalShell
Great read, ready to get into and an enjoyable story.
—grace
Solid 3.5 star spy thriller with a med/tech twist
—kim
