The Survivor

This was the sequel to "The Accident Man", and it begins with a short prologue which deals with one of Carver's previous missions for the Consortium. Then the book picks up where The Accident Man left off, with Carver in a semi vegetative state in a Swiss Sanitarium. The only people who care about him are his friends Alix and Thor, and the Sanitarium's financial director, but he is more concerned with the bills being paid.<br />A traumatic event seems to put Carver on a possible road to recovery, but his world has been turned upside down with the disappearance of Alix. After hardly any time to regain his wits, and strength, he is soon pressed back into service. The world is facing an unexpected threat, the hypothetical missing Russian tactical nuclear are real. There is a little known list giving locations and arming codes, which has found its way onto the weapons black market. Carver is tasked to retrieve that list at all costs.<br />This book is just as enjoyable as the first one in the series. Again it is well told, with a carefully thought out plotline. There are more shady characters and double dealings, and plenty of red herrings to keep the reader turning the pages.

Picked this book up and couldn't put it back down; and it got increasingly hard to put down with each page turned! I hadn't read the prequel, as I found 'The Survivor' (UK title) on a bookshelf at work and wasn't aware it was part of a series. I'm reading the prequel now with equal enthusiasm. <br /><br />I thought Cain's character development really have this read added interest. Each character had his or her own murky past which affected the outcome of the plot to varying degrees; similarly each character had their own personal agendas, meaning the plot twisted and turned all over the place and kept me engrossed.<br /><br />As I was reading I always found it easy to picture the scenes being described - Cain's detailed, yet not tedious, descriptions saw to that. I often found myself picturing the proceedings in a cinematic way - I think it is one of those novels, it does appeal to the big screen. But in terms of the writing, I believe it's a credit to the author when I can vision the action in a cinematic way.<br /><br />Overall, I suppose it is one of those stereotypically 'blokes' books', with assassinations, guns, explosions, secret agents etc. but I wouldn't discourage anyone from reading! I'm looking forward to reading the complete series.

De overlever is het tweede boek in de Samuel Carverserie. Als dit echter de eerste kennismaking met Carver is, en dat was bij mij zo, is dat jammer. Want in De overlever wordt nog wel eens verwezen naar het eerdere boek, De accidentman. Iedereen die aan deze serie wil beginnen, doet er dus verstandig aan met het laatstgenoemde boek te beginnen. <br /><br />In De overlever krijgt Carver te maken met de ongelooflijk rijke Waylon McCabe, die, vijf jaar eerder, een 'vliegtuigongeluk' heeft overleefd. Maar pas nadat Carver in een Zwitserse privékliniek op wonderbaarlijke wijze is genezen van geheugenverlies. <br /><br />McCabe is na zijn ongeluk bekeerd tot het Christendom en is daarin doorgeslagen. Tot fanatisme toe. Door dat fanatisme wil hij zijn eigen Armageddon creëren en door middel van manipulatie weet hij medestanders voor zich te winnen. Carver probeert die Armageddon te voorkomen. Mede omdat hij zijn vriendin, die plotseling uit de kliniek verdwenen is, weer terug wil vinden. <br /><br />Het eerste deel van het boek is nog redelijk rustig. De echte actie en spanning begint in het tweede deel. Dan gaat Carver pas goed te keer. Als een ware superheld met James Bond neigingen gaat hij op jacht. Op die momenten zit de vaart er goed in. <br /><br />Hoewel er in het boek wel waar onwaarschijnlijke en ongeloofwaardige momenten zijn, is het al met al een prettig boek om te lezen. Dit komt mede door de eenvoudige schrijfstijl die Cain hanteert. Nergens wordt het moeilijk en daardoor is het boek zeer toegankelijk. Voor de liefhebber van actiethrillers is het in ieder geval een aardig boek om te lezen.

This is great book pumped with adrenaline from the get go. It also keeps the reader thinking ahead as to what might happen next.....totally enjoyed it!

DNF<br />Got Bored :|

Not as good as the first one...

No Survivors by Tom Cain<br /> This is a story about a spy named Carver who can do it all- and is an epitome of a 007 Agent. He can rig hardware, don clothing to impersonate someone, murder several people at once, and fall madly in love with a former KGB agent. <br /> This novel is characterized by short chapters that are refreshing and give you a feeling the plot is moving rapidly when it really is not. Keep reading otherwise as in many spy novels you may forget who is connected to whom and what alterative motive they may have. Finally, by the middle of this novel the author seems to have found his pace and instead of putting it down I wanted to finish it because the characters have purpose, and the action is moving as fast as the chapters you leave behind. Keep up or you will be left wondering about details; just move with the story and don’t ask, “How did he do that?” <br /> There is religious zealot of a billionaire that wants to bring the world to Armageddon and the manipulations of a Russian woman who has a hold on Carver’s lover named Alix and an American nuclear scientist who can dismantle bombs plus a hodge-podge of spy tricks employed by Carver including how to make a bomb using household materials. <br /> All in all, this “Accident Man Novel” which is a series, has lost a reader due to two reasons, which are: too much violence, a terrible ending that is beyond realistic! How can an author put so much effort in a novel and write a conclusion like that?

Second in the series that I said in a review of book one that I would probably keep reading. This one I found not as good as the promise of the first. Carver, the hero is a bit like James Bond and he manages the same incredible escapes and powers of recovery. I haven't seen enough to go higher than 3.5 even though I like the James Bond type action books. I think I'd like to see more of the relationship with the people who run Carver as well as all the action. I will carry on to see how it all develops.

Sort of fine, but nothing more. I don't know if I'm just tired of super-powered secret agents who can fell helicopters with only their wits and a CS gas launcher, but this one just rang a bit hollow. Especially with all the religious fundamentalist end of the world Al-Qaeda stuff which was meant to be tied to real world events. I don't know, maybe it's just me.

Good. Maybe a bit far fetched because I can’t get my head around the intensity of the “love” between Carver and Alix given that they only knew each other for a few days before the events of the end of first book but perhaps that’s just me. Anyway I enjoyed the book and might just go for the third in the series ……