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Type of bind: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.6
EAN num: 9781416550402
ISBN number: 1416550402
Label: Atria
Manufacturer: Atria
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 512
Printing Date: September 23, 2008
Publishing house: Atria
Sale Popularity Level: 97
Studio: Atria
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Editor's Notes and Comments:
Product Description:
Swashbuckling counter Spy Alex Hawke returns in New York Times bestselling author Ted Bell's most explosive tale of international suspense to date.
There dwells, somewhere in Russia, a man so powerful no one even knows his name. His existence is only speculated upon, only whispered about in American corridors of power and CIA strategy meetings. Though he is all but invisible, he is pulling strings -- and pulling them hard. For suddenly, Russia is a far, far more ominous threat than even the most hardened cold warriors ever thought possible.
The Russians have their finger on the switch to the European economy and an eye on the American jugular. And, most importantly, they want to be made whole again. Should America interfere with Russia's plans to 'reintegrate' her rogue states, well then, America will pay in blood.
In Ted Bell's latest pulse-pounding and action-packed tour de force, Alex Hawke must face a global nightmare of epic proportions. As this political crisis plays out, Russia gains a new leader. Not just a president, but a new tsar, a signal to the world that the old, imperial Russia is back and plans to have her day. And in America, a mysterious killer, known only as Happy the Baker, brutally murders an innocent family and literally flattens the small Midwestern town they once called home. Just a taste, according to the new tsar, of what will happen if America does not back down. Onto this stage must step Alex Hawke, espionage agent extraordinaire and the only man, both Americans and the Brits agree, who can stop the absolute madness borne and bred inside the modern police state of Vladimir Putin's 'New Russia'.
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Rated by buyers 
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This novel is as good as it gets in this genre. It is the best of James Bond moved to the 21st century.
Hawke is Bond reincarnated in many ways. He is suave, sophisticated, a chic magnet, looks great in white tie and a great spy. But in many ways he is more than Bond. He has deep relationships with women, he has long-standing and close friendships and his handlers leave much of the strategizing to him. Bell adds a bit of subtle humour with the white tie old English manners wihtout ever going over the top.
So that is the character - and a great character it is. The plot in this novel is terrific. Hawke has found rest and relaxation on Bermuda. Of course he falls in love with a babe. She does not know he is a lord (and a spy) and he does not know she is the daughter of the power behind the Russian throne that wants Russia to return to power. The cold war is coming back. Hawke just doesn't know how fast.
The book has all the elements: a great superstar spy, an evil genius and great supporting cast.
More than that, the plot was great. It was straight-forward, yet compelling. It had the best of the attribute of "how is he gonna' get out of this one?" again, without going over the top. It also had a terrific high tech villain meglomaniac.
This is a thriller not to be missed.
Rated by buyers 
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I really tried - but then I gave up.
Ted Bell's new book Tsar - It begins with a Prologue set during the Cuban Missile crisis 1962 - the basis for the 'mission' that agent Hawke is going to perform is patently absurd - going after a secret Soviet listening post on a Norwegian Island - that part doesn't make sense. Then as he is being shot at - during a 'rainy and foggy day' he 'sees' a 'glint of sunlight' off of his would be killer's binoculars. That certainly did not set a good tone.
Fast forward to present day and we meet his son - the descriptives are tired and trite - and I won't bore you with them here. Suffice it to say that I gave up at that point - too much! Too campy! Unrealistic ideas.
Sorry - not for me - and I normally like this sort of thing.
Rated by buyers 
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Add 4 cups of James Bond, 1/2 cup of Batman/Bruce Wayne, a dash of Jack Bauer and mix well.
In Tsar, Ted Bell writes of a very near future sequence of events which Alex Hawke, the hero, prevails against all odds to save the world from certain global annihilation. An increasingly hostile Russia takes more and more actions to bring itself back as a global power. Unfortunately, a madman is behind it all and has planted small bombs inside countless computers which are popular throughout the world. He has the ability to remotely detonate any or all of them at any point.
Interestingly, Hawke gets involved romantically with the madman's daughter. The novel consists of Hawke and several other members of both the British and American intelligence agencies tracking down the various terrorists acts occurring throughout the United States and eventually determining how to get rid of the madman.
While the book does entertain, for the most part it is fairly formulaic and uses basic elements of any James Bond story. Hawke is a British spy with amazing abilities in espionage. He is wealthy and has a butler who has been a close family friend and caretaker ever since his parents were murdered when he was a child. This takes an element straight from the Batman story. Another Batman element, is a secret cave where Hawke stores a boat. An portion which I did not think was necessary was the inclusion of several very explicit scenes of a lascivious nature. This did little to add to the story other than appealing to the prurient interest.
There is a sub-plot which is bit of a stretch as to how it connects with Hawke's part of the story. In this portion of the book, a separate protagonist character tracks various terrorist attacks. Eventually this helps to uncover the way that the madmen is blowing up various places but flying Hawke many hours trans-continental to help in a rescue operation in the middle of the Atlantic ocean after escaping from prison followed by another flight to Sweden to ultimately stop the madmen all in a very tight time frame was believable along the lines of the endurance and incredible nature of Jack Bauer's exploits. Exciting but a bit unbelievable.
My personal favorite part of the book was when Hawke is put in prison in Russia and is temporarily a cell mate of Vladimir Putin who was placed there by his political enemies. I thought this was both humorous as well as adding an interesting analytical element of Russian policy.
Overall, the story does maintain interest but is a bit long at close to 500 pages.
Rated by buyers -
I have read all of Bell's books and with all the hype about this one I eagerly looked forward to it. As I said in the title to this review it was
very readable and quite enjoyable until I hit a patch in the book which rather than explain, because it might detract from a reader's enjoyment of it, I will simply say that Hawke's encounter with Valerie Putin required "a willing suspension of disbelief." However, once by that, the book roared back to life and the conclusion is certainly a rouser.
Rated by buyers -
Tsar by Ted Bell is simply a great read. It is what is meant by "take-me away-" entertainment. Bell has that remarkable ability to take complex national security issues and distil them so that people can not only see the dangerous world we live in--but be a part of the drama as near real-life catastrophes are averted by clear thinking, fast acting characters which, with Bell's able touch, become larger than life.
The world has changed since the days of Ian Fleming and Dashiell Hammitt though their spirits are alive and well in Ted Bell's characters. Bell creates a set of post cold war heroes drawn from deep within both American and British popular culture--from sleek, introspective English Lords at the top of their game, to burley Miami detectives schooled by the street, to an endless string of high-end temptresses buttressed by professors and intelligence chiefs and regular folks doing regular things.
What fascinated me was the way Bell melded today's fears of terrorism and calamity with our abiding faith in a few good men to spin a tale that is both fantastic and yet plausible. His knowledge of how the White House and how Whitehall in London respond to emergencies is remarkable. Moreover, between the many dramas of his characters, the loves and disappointments, he explains special operations techniques, sophisticated weapons technology and advanced communications mean that the reader comes away with a lot more than when he started the book. There are heroes and villains and everything in between--
Keep them coming Ted.
Review by Finnigan Brown
7 September 2008
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