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Review
‘If you like TV series like Spooks and 24, you’ll love this!’ Closer
‘A new cold war thriller from a pretty hot new writer.’ Manchester Evening News
Product Description
Embittered mercenary Alex Devereux has the fate of Europe in his hands when the British government orders him to overthrow a new Russian dictator, Viktor Krymov.
Working with an unstable Russian oligarch and his former lover, Lara, Alex races against the clock towards a violent showdown in Moscow – with the highest imaginable stakes.
Combining action, history and political intrigue, Steel creates a truly epic modern thriller. For anyone who's a fan of Robert Harris, Frederick Forsyth or Alistair MacLean, December is a must read.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I can wholeheartedly agree with N. Brett's review of December, the debut novel from James Steel. This is indeed a 'gritty, tense and pacy thriller' and is chock full of extremely well written, punchy action. Its essentially a 'men on a mission' story in the tradition of Alistair Maclean or Forsyth's The Dogs of War. At its heart its about professional military men staging a daring military operation against the odds, and on that level it works very well. The wider political background to the story also feels sufficiently plausible.
What prevents December earning a five star review from me, beyond the fact that characterisation remains sketchy across the board, is some bits of silly plotting that the author decides to throw in. The most glaring of these is the inclusion of an utterly superfluous and wholly unbelievable love triangle sub-plot, which seems to have been added purely so that the box marked 'obligatory love interest' could be checked off. It adds nothing to the story, is completely implausible, poorly written and could be expunged without any real damage to the book as a whole.
Other bits of poor plotting are more of the implausible kind. The final action set-piece in the Kremlin just feels like a step too far; especially after all the far more plausible action that has preceded it. In this context the idea of an assault on the seat of Russian government just seems unbelievable and unnecessarily OTT. Meanwhile the final scenes in Buckingham Palace just feel laughably ridiculous and are the sort of thing that an American thriller writer with no first hand understanding of Britain, the British establishment or the Royal Family might include.
Had James Steel stuck to doing what December does best by focusing on the more plausible military and political aspects of the mission I would have been able to give the book an unqualified recommendation. As it is some self-indulgent plotting marrs what is otherwise an excellent first effort from this author.
What prevents December earning a five star review from me, beyond the fact that characterisation remains sketchy across the board, is some bits of silly plotting that the author decides to throw in. The most glaring of these is the inclusion of an utterly superfluous and wholly unbelievable love triangle sub-plot, which seems to have been added purely so that the box marked 'obligatory love interest' could be checked off. It adds nothing to the story, is completely implausible, poorly written and could be expunged without any real damage to the book as a whole.
Other bits of poor plotting are more of the implausible kind. The final action set-piece in the Kremlin just feels like a step too far; especially after all the far more plausible action that has preceded it. In this context the idea of an assault on the seat of Russian government just seems unbelievable and unnecessarily OTT. Meanwhile the final scenes in Buckingham Palace just feel laughably ridiculous and are the sort of thing that an American thriller writer with no first hand understanding of Britain, the British establishment or the Royal Family might include.
Had James Steel stuck to doing what December does best by focusing on the more plausible military and political aspects of the mission I would have been able to give the book an unqualified recommendation. As it is some self-indulgent plotting marrs what is otherwise an excellent first effort from this author.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Set in the very near future as the UK struggles under heavy snow and fuel shortages. The fuel shortages have been caused by a new Russian President, an aggressive incompetent seeking to teach the West a lesson while abusing his power within Russia.
Britain secretly supports a planned coup/revolution by working with a Russian oil billionaire who plans on putting ex -Russian football captain, Roman Raskolnikov in charge as a popular 'people's choice'. The trouble is, Raskolnikov is in a Russian gulag as a result of his liberal political views, and he will need extracting and moving to a Moscow TV station to make a 'call to revolution' broadcast. The British support is in the form of a small deniable mercenary team led by an ex Household Cavalry officer....
This is a gritty, tense and pacy thriller with plenty of action. The plus points are the fast pace and very realistic action. Also the author presents a very believable Russian psyche that explains the actions of those involved. The weaker points are around an unnecessary love interest and a main character that is not quite fleshed out enough.
But it must be said that when this gets going, it really gets going and it was hard to put down. Despite it's minor flaws I'm giving this four stars because from the point that our mercenary team land in Russia, to the end of the book, the pace is relentless and totally gripping.
Britain secretly supports a planned coup/revolution by working with a Russian oil billionaire who plans on putting ex -Russian football captain, Roman Raskolnikov in charge as a popular 'people's choice'. The trouble is, Raskolnikov is in a Russian gulag as a result of his liberal political views, and he will need extracting and moving to a Moscow TV station to make a 'call to revolution' broadcast. The British support is in the form of a small deniable mercenary team led by an ex Household Cavalry officer....
This is a gritty, tense and pacy thriller with plenty of action. The plus points are the fast pace and very realistic action. Also the author presents a very believable Russian psyche that explains the actions of those involved. The weaker points are around an unnecessary love interest and a main character that is not quite fleshed out enough.
But it must be said that when this gets going, it really gets going and it was hard to put down. Despite it's minor flaws I'm giving this four stars because from the point that our mercenary team land in Russia, to the end of the book, the pace is relentless and totally gripping.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Ex-UK military special forces (therefore deniable) conduct government inspired winter raid on Siberian Gulag where former Russian football captain, Roman Raskolnikov, now a political liberal is incarcerated. The Russian dictator who has trounced Putin and Medevev plans his assassination. Journalists and broadcasters make preparations for Raskolnikov to address the country on TV from the Ostankino Tower (site of Gorbechev's resistance speech in 1991). Well researched with clear insight into Russian political thinking. Fast moving and believable tale. No holds barred characters and clear military detail. Highly recommended.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Solidly pleasing
I agree with others who have given this 4 stars - it's a solid read, certainly compelling and easy to run through at one sitting. Read more
Published 23 months ago by random bint
Disappointed
I had high hopes for this after reading some positive reviews but I found the whole book irritating and wishy washy. Read more
Published on 26 Dec 2009 by Ms. K. L. Finn
Great!
It's December ... and the lights have gone out. Russia is being run by a maniac who has cut off the gas to the rest of Europe. Someone has to stop him ... Read more
Published on 24 Dec 2009 by Steve Divall
Steel conjures up a forbidding modern Russia, some memorable...
This military / international thriller moves at a blistering pace. Newcomer Steel displays a command of his subject - the murky machinations of modern Russian politics - bound to... Read more
Published on 7 Dec 2009 by A. Ingr
Page-turner of the season
I can thoroughly recommend December to people who like:
- to read all through the night because they just can't put the book down
- action, and a degree of... Read more
- to read all through the night because they just can't put the book down
- action, and a degree of... Read more
Published on 25 Nov 2009 by C. Mollidor
Action suspense thriller coupled with some political intrigue and...
December taken from the name (Dekabristi, Decembrists) of the planned coup is a suspense thriller based around a hypothetical future date where Putin and Medevev have been replaced... Read more
Published on 23 Nov 2009 by H. Megerisi
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