Buzz - Book Review
by John Wolf
I recently read a book by Ralph Cates called "Black October." In fact the story peaks on October 30, 2008. Man am I glad the real date came and went without the event divulged in this story coming true. The story could have be a real CNN newsflash showstopper, now the story is fictitious. But the danger foretold in Ralph's story is anything but a memory. Tomorrows headlines could come right from this book.
The world events of the Middle East provide a backdrop for this book, all 736 pages. It reads like a classic Tom Clancy story with multiple layers of action that wrap the characters in their own problems, but eventually they are all brought together by common cause.
One Mark Reber, somewhat wet behind the ears, accepts a piloting job in Saudi Arabia, a place where love and hate for the land and its people are something that takes getting use to. Mark provides a bird's eye view of the deserts below and we see the stage this story opens up on with the world's greatest oil supply shining in the sun. The tangle of pipes and towering refineries are no more tangled than the lives of the characters in the story.
Although the desert of Afghanistan and the war in Iraq are not that far away or the influence on the life of one Kurt Valdez, a Jason Bourne level skilled operative, except Kurt knows exactly who he is. You find yourself dodging the bullets flying out of the pages as he moves across the region.
Al Qaeda is moving in the shadows. Russian dissidents are selling the unthinkable and placing into the hands of terrorists the power to change the world. Much of the ability to survive and outwit the enemy comes from a lack-luster, self-indulgent man that sells whiskey to the House of Saud, an occupation without its own hazards in a Muslim country.
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Ralph's characters feel real. Some you learn to love, other you wish would fall into a deep pit as the passions in the story are revealed. The story takes the reader on one adventure after the other. At first it seems the complex plots are independent, but then you start to see the point of the book. The amazing stories of these individuals start to entwine into an exciting tale that you have to keep reading to find out the details. You want to hear it from the character's mouths. You want to see if you can survive the ordeals. There is no skipping a single page. As vast as the story is, it has a wrapper around it that is our world today. Ralph's extensive experience in this region of the world comes out in his cultural descriptions. You want to know more and he delivers a near-real experience from the pages without actually feeling the sneeze of a camel in your face.
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I think if you like adventure and real world history, you will enjoy reading this action packed story. You may not sleep well for a while afterwards, but the read will be memorable.
Great job of writing Ralph. Check out Ralph's article in the Fox&Quill he did for us in the June issue.
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John Wolf keeps the kennels clean at the Fox&Quill Hunting Club JohnWolfBooks.com |
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