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Evan Ryder #1
The Nemesis Manifesto
Note: this book was formally known as "The Bourne Nemesis". The author is no longer writing for the Jason Bourne series. This book has then become the first in a new series.
Russian meddling, American fragmentation, and global politics collide in this action-packed, international thriller.
In The Nemesis Manifesto, New York Times best-selling author Eric Van Lustbader, "the master of the smart thriller", delivers an epic and harrowing adventure of the predatory forces that are threatening the very fabric of democracy and kicks off a compelling new series with a singular new hero for our time (Nelson DeMille).
Evan Ryder is a lone wolf, a field agent for a black-ops arm of the DOD, who has survived unspeakable tragedy and dedicated her life to protecting her country. When her fellow agents begin to be systematically eliminated, Evan must unravel the thread that ties them all together...and before her name comes up on the kill list.
The list belongs to a mysterious cabal known only as Nemesis, a hostile entity hell-bent on tearing the United States apart. As Evan tracks them from Washington, DC, to the Caucasus Mountains, from Austria to a fortress in Germany where her own demons reside, she unearths a network of conspirators far more complex than anyone could have imagined. Can Evan uproot them before Nemesis forces bring democracy to its knees?
Russian meddling, American fragmentation, and global politics collide in this action-packed, international thriller.
In The Nemesis Manifesto, New York Times best-selling author Eric Van Lustbader, "the master of the smart thriller", delivers an epic and harrowing adventure of the predatory forces that are threatening the very fabric of democracy and kicks off a compelling new series with a singular new hero for our time (Nelson DeMille).
Evan Ryder is a lone wolf, a field agent for a black-ops arm of the DOD, who has survived unspeakable tragedy and dedicated her life to protecting her country. When her fellow agents begin to be systematically eliminated, Evan must unravel the thread that ties them all together...and before her name comes up on the kill list.
The list belongs to a mysterious cabal known only as Nemesis, a hostile entity hell-bent on tearing the United States apart. As Evan tracks them from Washington, DC, to the Caucasus Mountains, from Austria to a fortress in Germany where her own demons reside, she unearths a network of conspirators far more complex than anyone could have imagined. Can Evan uproot them before Nemesis forces bring democracy to its knees?
352 pages, Hardcover
First published July 21, 2020
About the author
Eric Van Lustbader
216 books1,185 followersEric Van Lustbader was born and raised in Greenwich Village. He is the author of more than twenty-five best-selling novels, including The Ninja, in which he introduced Nicholas Linnear, one of modern fiction's most beloved and enduring heroes. The Ninja was sold to 20th CenturyFox, to be made into a major motion picture. His novels have been translated into over twenty languages.
Mr. Lustbader is a graduate of Columbia College, with a degree in Sociology. Before turning to writing full time, he enjoyed highly successful careers in the New York City public school system, where he holds licenses in both elementary and early childhood education, and in the music business, where he worked for Elektra Records and CBS Records, among other companies.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/ericva...
Mr. Lustbader is a graduate of Columbia College, with a degree in Sociology. Before turning to writing full time, he enjoyed highly successful careers in the New York City public school system, where he holds licenses in both elementary and early childhood education, and in the music business, where he worked for Elektra Records and CBS Records, among other companies.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/ericva...
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July 21, 2020
I will be the first to admit that a political spy thriller is not exactly my usual read. That being said Eric Van Lustbader may have just created a new fan out of me. Evan Ryder is an agent dedicated to protecting her country from threats. In The Nemesis Manifesto we go on a journey with her and a group of other agents that will have you on the edge of your seat.
I appreciated how Lustbader showed agents in a negative and positive light. Sort of showing that dichotomy between humans period and not just the titles that they hold. I also appreciated the political and moral similarities of this fictional world compared to the real world. Yes, it’s nice to read to escape, but it’s also interesting to see hot topics hashed out in the fictional realm by fictional characters.
I don’t want to give too much away, so I will end by saying that this story is incredibly well written and once things get started you will not be able to stop reading. At first I did feel a bit like I was playing catch up, like the storyline was already well established and I was late to the party, but I personally feel the author eventually makes up for that later on as you read. I do appreciate that there wasn’t the usual first few chapters info dumping, but it would have been nice to have a little more background from the start.
Throughout this story I was easily rooting for Evan, and can’t wait for more of the stories in this world.
Available NOW!
*ARC provided by BookishFirst & Forge Books
I appreciated how Lustbader showed agents in a negative and positive light. Sort of showing that dichotomy between humans period and not just the titles that they hold. I also appreciated the political and moral similarities of this fictional world compared to the real world. Yes, it’s nice to read to escape, but it’s also interesting to see hot topics hashed out in the fictional realm by fictional characters.
I don’t want to give too much away, so I will end by saying that this story is incredibly well written and once things get started you will not be able to stop reading. At first I did feel a bit like I was playing catch up, like the storyline was already well established and I was late to the party, but I personally feel the author eventually makes up for that later on as you read. I do appreciate that there wasn’t the usual first few chapters info dumping, but it would have been nice to have a little more background from the start.
Throughout this story I was easily rooting for Evan, and can’t wait for more of the stories in this world.
Available NOW!
*ARC provided by BookishFirst & Forge Books
July 21, 2020
I usually wait until the end of my reviews to thank NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. But in this case, I'm sorry to report, the only honest review I can give is devastating, so I want to apologize in advance for having to be this brutally honest.
Super-agent Evan Ryder is indestructible, expert with every weapon from her hands to throwing knives to splashing hot soup to the most sophisticated of firearms, blessed with eidetic memory -- yes, I just described every super-agent ever, they always have eidetic memory -- and suffers from partial amnesia like Jason Bourne (guess who wrote some of the latter Bourne entries?). She is being targeted by an evil super-secret organization called, quite imaginatively, Nemesis. Why? Because she's, um, indestructible and has an eidetic memory.
This being the inaugural installment in a planned series starring Evan Ryder, it struck me as odd that there was no background on how and why Evan became so deadly that she had to be so specifically targeted by Nemesis, and b) there was no background on how Evan's black ops cell learned that the super-secret unaffiliated Nemesis even existed let alone that they were targeting Evan.
There has to be a thing, that something the good guys are trying to find out or the bad guys are trying to acquire, something us readers have to believe is important enough for them to go to such lengths to get it. That thing Hitchcock called the McGuffin. There is no McGuffin in this book. In the end there are some vague conspiracy theories that appear out of nowhere, but it's too little, too late, too too farfetched to count. With so many spy thrillers on the market, it's the McGuffin that makes a book stand out, and there is nothing here.
No, in Eric Van Lustbader's world, espionage agents exists for the sole purpose of killing other espionage agents, even their own agents as often as not (and their friends and family). Whatever causes they believe in have long been forgotten. All they care about is killing each other in the worst way possible. Why would anyone sign up to be an agent in this world? How can there be any agents left alive if they've spent the past 75 years killing each other (and their friends and family)?
Either Evan Ryder is a terrible agent or Eric Van Lustbader is a terrible writer. She finds the bomber who just bombed her car with her in it (which she survived because she is indestructible) and doesn't cuff her or subdue her, she lets her walk unhindered, pretext enough for a chase and fight to ensue (guess who wins). Either she's a terrible agent for letting her walk free, or the author is a bad writer for allowing that to happen just so that he can then write a chase and fight.
Ditto when Evan tries to ID the motorcycle riding assassin she just shot (motorcycle riding assassin, that's original) and he's still alive enough to start another major fight -- either she's a bad agent for not making sure he was dead or he's a terrible writer for signalling so blatantly that a fight was about to ensue. And when she lets a guy she's interrogating have a bottle of water -- is she a bad agent for letting him have it or is EVL such a bad writer for so obviously giving the guy a chance to poison himself?
And so it goes...
Evan's sidekick Brenda gets blown up three times, kidnapped three times, tortured, terrorized, threatened, and her boyfriend cheats on her -- with a rival espionage agency. But she takes a lickin' and keeps on tickin'. Brenda's boyfriend turns out to be exactly who you thought he'd be -- so much for the big reveal (there was never any other possibility). Nemesis turns out to be this massive evil global conspiracy that is no different than our current real world autocracy, kleptocracy, and corporate oligarchy, except that they want to make it explicitly Nazi -- literally, not figuratively or inspirationally (trying to avoid spoilers, but there's nothing to spoil here, it comes pretty much pre-spoiled).
Here's one example of how convoluted it all is: the bad guy had a chance to kill Brenda while she was in a hospital being treated for serious injuries -- simple, clean, we've seen it many times before. "It was the perfect place" to execute the, uh, execution, she says, quite reasonably. No, that would have been "untenable, too public". Instead, he has to trick her into traveling to the Bavarian Alps to a remote castle where the most tenable way to kill her is to hang her upside down and have his German Shepherd rip her throat out. (Cue Dr. Evil demanding his One. Million. Dollars -- actually, no joke, there are several times where bad guys cackle evilly in this book, except that one time it says chuckle instead of cackle, can you imagine someone chuckling evilly?)
Occam would be rolling over in his grave, his razor dull and useless.
That little colloquy comes as part of a long extended talking villain segment, you know, where instead of just killing his enemies and moving on to complete his dastardly deeds, the villain explains his plan in excruciating detail (in this case for about 15% of the book's word count). Usually just long enough for the good guys to escape and thwart it, but in this case even after they escape and thwart it. Can you say "discredited literary device"? It may as well have happened on a dark and stormy night -- actually, it was a dark and stormy night!
OMG, I could go on and on and on. On a granular level, not necessarily having much to do with the story or characters, there are just mistakes upon mistakes that are as distracting as they are unnecessary -- unforced errors. "Poisonous wolf spiders" -- no, wolf spiders are not poisonous, which is lucky for us humans since they are large and live in every single corner of the world. "His moods seemed as unpredictable as they were mercurial" -- uh, anyone look up the definition of mercurial? "Unpredictable mood swings." Gothic architecture that is as ignominious as the country's history (Austria -- what exactly was ignominious, i.e shameful, about Gothic architecture or Austrian history?).
And the scintillating dialogue! "'Don't worry.' -- 'I'm not worried.'" "Why do you answer a question with another question?" "You had to have your arm twisted. -- Figuratively speaking, yes." "He went through money like water through a sieve" (which is actually wrong as constructed, since "he" would be the water and "money" would be the sieve -- can't even get a cliche right). Coffee strong enough to put hair on your chest -- I shit you not. "Some looker you are, schatzi!" "'ID! Here's my ID.' Evan grabbed his head and slammed it down onto the sill." Yes indeedy do. "A penitent on the dusty road to Calgary." Auto-correct typo in a major publication? "Basilisk eyes" or "basilisk stare" -- eight times! Not even the same character's snake eyes.
And the similes! "Snow lay in the gutters like the huddled masses around church fronts." As if huddled masses around church fronts are common everyday sights. "A face as furrowed as a plot of land ready to be seeded." Why not just have corn stalks growing out of his furrowed brow? "His tanned leathery face reminiscent of any number of cowboy actors out of the 40s and 50s." Metaphors mixed with abandon, and not purposely for effect.
I'm not being nitpicky here -- these are just random samples of similar errors and cliches and nonsense that appear regularly throughout the text. Totally distracting -- although as I said the story really has nothing worthwhile going for it anyway, so the distractions are merely annoying.
I really wanted to like this book -- the author has ties to the school my daughters went to and I wanted to support a fellow C&C alum. But there is nothing here worth reading. I can't imagine that this will actually turn into a series, as planned. Who's going to want to read any more volumes of this... this... I don't know what else to say.
Super-agent Evan Ryder is indestructible, expert with every weapon from her hands to throwing knives to splashing hot soup to the most sophisticated of firearms, blessed with eidetic memory -- yes, I just described every super-agent ever, they always have eidetic memory -- and suffers from partial amnesia like Jason Bourne (guess who wrote some of the latter Bourne entries?). She is being targeted by an evil super-secret organization called, quite imaginatively, Nemesis. Why? Because she's, um, indestructible and has an eidetic memory.
This being the inaugural installment in a planned series starring Evan Ryder, it struck me as odd that there was no background on how and why Evan became so deadly that she had to be so specifically targeted by Nemesis, and b) there was no background on how Evan's black ops cell learned that the super-secret unaffiliated Nemesis even existed let alone that they were targeting Evan.
There has to be a thing, that something the good guys are trying to find out or the bad guys are trying to acquire, something us readers have to believe is important enough for them to go to such lengths to get it. That thing Hitchcock called the McGuffin. There is no McGuffin in this book. In the end there are some vague conspiracy theories that appear out of nowhere, but it's too little, too late, too too farfetched to count. With so many spy thrillers on the market, it's the McGuffin that makes a book stand out, and there is nothing here.
No, in Eric Van Lustbader's world, espionage agents exists for the sole purpose of killing other espionage agents, even their own agents as often as not (and their friends and family). Whatever causes they believe in have long been forgotten. All they care about is killing each other in the worst way possible. Why would anyone sign up to be an agent in this world? How can there be any agents left alive if they've spent the past 75 years killing each other (and their friends and family)?
Either Evan Ryder is a terrible agent or Eric Van Lustbader is a terrible writer. She finds the bomber who just bombed her car with her in it (which she survived because she is indestructible) and doesn't cuff her or subdue her, she lets her walk unhindered, pretext enough for a chase and fight to ensue (guess who wins). Either she's a terrible agent for letting her walk free, or the author is a bad writer for allowing that to happen just so that he can then write a chase and fight.
Ditto when Evan tries to ID the motorcycle riding assassin she just shot (motorcycle riding assassin, that's original) and he's still alive enough to start another major fight -- either she's a bad agent for not making sure he was dead or he's a terrible writer for signalling so blatantly that a fight was about to ensue. And when she lets a guy she's interrogating have a bottle of water -- is she a bad agent for letting him have it or is EVL such a bad writer for so obviously giving the guy a chance to poison himself?
And so it goes...
Evan's sidekick Brenda gets blown up three times, kidnapped three times, tortured, terrorized, threatened, and her boyfriend cheats on her -- with a rival espionage agency. But she takes a lickin' and keeps on tickin'. Brenda's boyfriend turns out to be exactly who you thought he'd be -- so much for the big reveal (there was never any other possibility). Nemesis turns out to be this massive evil global conspiracy that is no different than our current real world autocracy, kleptocracy, and corporate oligarchy, except that they want to make it explicitly Nazi -- literally, not figuratively or inspirationally (trying to avoid spoilers, but there's nothing to spoil here, it comes pretty much pre-spoiled).
Here's one example of how convoluted it all is: the bad guy had a chance to kill Brenda while she was in a hospital being treated for serious injuries -- simple, clean, we've seen it many times before. "It was the perfect place" to execute the, uh, execution, she says, quite reasonably. No, that would have been "untenable, too public". Instead, he has to trick her into traveling to the Bavarian Alps to a remote castle where the most tenable way to kill her is to hang her upside down and have his German Shepherd rip her throat out. (Cue Dr. Evil demanding his One. Million. Dollars -- actually, no joke, there are several times where bad guys cackle evilly in this book, except that one time it says chuckle instead of cackle, can you imagine someone chuckling evilly?)
Occam would be rolling over in his grave, his razor dull and useless.
That little colloquy comes as part of a long extended talking villain segment, you know, where instead of just killing his enemies and moving on to complete his dastardly deeds, the villain explains his plan in excruciating detail (in this case for about 15% of the book's word count). Usually just long enough for the good guys to escape and thwart it, but in this case even after they escape and thwart it. Can you say "discredited literary device"? It may as well have happened on a dark and stormy night -- actually, it was a dark and stormy night!
OMG, I could go on and on and on. On a granular level, not necessarily having much to do with the story or characters, there are just mistakes upon mistakes that are as distracting as they are unnecessary -- unforced errors. "Poisonous wolf spiders" -- no, wolf spiders are not poisonous, which is lucky for us humans since they are large and live in every single corner of the world. "His moods seemed as unpredictable as they were mercurial" -- uh, anyone look up the definition of mercurial? "Unpredictable mood swings." Gothic architecture that is as ignominious as the country's history (Austria -- what exactly was ignominious, i.e shameful, about Gothic architecture or Austrian history?).
And the scintillating dialogue! "'Don't worry.' -- 'I'm not worried.'" "Why do you answer a question with another question?" "You had to have your arm twisted. -- Figuratively speaking, yes." "He went through money like water through a sieve" (which is actually wrong as constructed, since "he" would be the water and "money" would be the sieve -- can't even get a cliche right). Coffee strong enough to put hair on your chest -- I shit you not. "Some looker you are, schatzi!" "'ID! Here's my ID.' Evan grabbed his head and slammed it down onto the sill." Yes indeedy do. "A penitent on the dusty road to Calgary." Auto-correct typo in a major publication? "Basilisk eyes" or "basilisk stare" -- eight times! Not even the same character's snake eyes.
And the similes! "Snow lay in the gutters like the huddled masses around church fronts." As if huddled masses around church fronts are common everyday sights. "A face as furrowed as a plot of land ready to be seeded." Why not just have corn stalks growing out of his furrowed brow? "His tanned leathery face reminiscent of any number of cowboy actors out of the 40s and 50s." Metaphors mixed with abandon, and not purposely for effect.
I'm not being nitpicky here -- these are just random samples of similar errors and cliches and nonsense that appear regularly throughout the text. Totally distracting -- although as I said the story really has nothing worthwhile going for it anyway, so the distractions are merely annoying.
I really wanted to like this book -- the author has ties to the school my daughters went to and I wanted to support a fellow C&C alum. But there is nothing here worth reading. I can't imagine that this will actually turn into a series, as planned. Who's going to want to read any more volumes of this... this... I don't know what else to say.
July 9, 2020
The Nemesis Manifesto is a complicated and preposterous spy thriller and the beginning of a new series about invincible American super-agent Evan Ryder.
This is my first read from this author although I’ve seen the name about.
I do like action novels with female main characters so liked the sound of this, but found it relatively hard word following the plot, although got there in the end I think.
Evan Ryder is a superspy working for a secret black ops program run by the unflappable Ben Butler. The Russian intelligence services hate her for foiling their nefarious plots, and especially for her friendship with one of their assets, Ludmylla, who they regard as a traitor to the Motherland, so they have hatched a plot to bring her down. Sent to interrogate another agent, the only survivor from an operation in Georgia, Evan and her colleague Brenda are nearly killed.
Who is behind the conspiracy to destroy the USA from within, and why does Evan keep having flashbacks of ravens and red bricks?
I found the first third of this so confusing, with a huge array of interconnected characters, most of whom seem to be double if not triple agents with dubious loyalties and conflicted motivations, that I had to go back to the beginning and speed-Read through it again to sort out who was who, especially as there were also a number of important but apparently dead characters too. Even so I found myself constantly using the search function to remind myself who they all were - if you’re going to read this in paperback I suggest taking notes.
By about halfway through this settles down and the plot begins to make sense.
While obviously a work of fiction, this was pretty close to the bone with it’s references to an incompetent US President and vainglorious Russian leader - known as the Sovereign, the role of internet disinformation, the increasing power of neonazi groups, and venal politicians who’ll backstab anyone to increase their own power. The spies aren’t much better, and both the strength but also the most exhausting feature of this book was never knowing who you can trust. I’m still in the dark as to who Isobel was actually working for! Not all the storylines were wrapped up as this is clearly heading for a sequel.
There’s plenty of action and globe-trotting, violent fight scenes and some gruesome deaths are implied rather than explicitly described. I liked Evan as a heroine, although she’s almost too good a warrior to be believable - although since that doesn’t bother me with Mitch Rapp or Evan Smoak, that didn’t bother me here either. Actually all the female characters, including the baddies, are tough as leather, which made a nice change. I definitely want to know what happens next! 3.5 rounded up for good storytelling & writing.
My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc which allowed me to give an honest review. The Nemesis Manifesto is published on July 21st.
This is my first read from this author although I’ve seen the name about.
I do like action novels with female main characters so liked the sound of this, but found it relatively hard word following the plot, although got there in the end I think.
Evan Ryder is a superspy working for a secret black ops program run by the unflappable Ben Butler. The Russian intelligence services hate her for foiling their nefarious plots, and especially for her friendship with one of their assets, Ludmylla, who they regard as a traitor to the Motherland, so they have hatched a plot to bring her down. Sent to interrogate another agent, the only survivor from an operation in Georgia, Evan and her colleague Brenda are nearly killed.
Who is behind the conspiracy to destroy the USA from within, and why does Evan keep having flashbacks of ravens and red bricks?
I found the first third of this so confusing, with a huge array of interconnected characters, most of whom seem to be double if not triple agents with dubious loyalties and conflicted motivations, that I had to go back to the beginning and speed-Read through it again to sort out who was who, especially as there were also a number of important but apparently dead characters too. Even so I found myself constantly using the search function to remind myself who they all were - if you’re going to read this in paperback I suggest taking notes.
By about halfway through this settles down and the plot begins to make sense.
While obviously a work of fiction, this was pretty close to the bone with it’s references to an incompetent US President and vainglorious Russian leader - known as the Sovereign, the role of internet disinformation, the increasing power of neonazi groups, and venal politicians who’ll backstab anyone to increase their own power. The spies aren’t much better, and both the strength but also the most exhausting feature of this book was never knowing who you can trust. I’m still in the dark as to who Isobel was actually working for! Not all the storylines were wrapped up as this is clearly heading for a sequel.
There’s plenty of action and globe-trotting, violent fight scenes and some gruesome deaths are implied rather than explicitly described. I liked Evan as a heroine, although she’s almost too good a warrior to be believable - although since that doesn’t bother me with Mitch Rapp or Evan Smoak, that didn’t bother me here either. Actually all the female characters, including the baddies, are tough as leather, which made a nice change. I definitely want to know what happens next! 3.5 rounded up for good storytelling & writing.
My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc which allowed me to give an honest review. The Nemesis Manifesto is published on July 21st.
April 12, 2020
Thank you to Bookish First and Forge for the raffle win ARC of The Nemesis Manifesto by Eric Van Lustbader! I loved his work in the Bourne series and was psyched to have a chance to read this one early.
As the description makes obvious, The Nemesis Manifesto has a massive scope. It is a classic spy novel with modern day conspiracy theories and such a tangled web of operatives and agencies that I could hardly keep track of the layers of intrigue. It was very well written and so full of action that it was quite hard to put down at times. From Washington D.C. to Russia, Georgia to Germany, arching eyebrows to immaculate suits and a Russian mafia style blood feud, this is a huge sweeping MUST for fans of spies and international intrigue
The book introduced Evan Ryder. She is a truly kick ass agent, proficient and deadly and wanted all over the world. After a small dissertation on why females do or don’t work as agents, the book smoothed out and let her do her job. There was a fairly slow start in general but once the action started it moved so quickly. The other female agent, Brenda, seemed to be there to serve as an example of a bad female agent. She was a bit of a mental loose cannon which issues that seemed to stem from seeing her dad in a compromising position. For example there was some clearly consensual sex going on in her adult consensual relationship, but then as soon as she found out the guy was a double agent she started on a rape tirade and made all sorts of terrible field agent decisions. Crying rape is never cute and omg did I want to reach through the page and shoot her! Thankfully throughout the book a handful of other agents, and ultimately Evan was there to bail her out.
Other than a few analogies and similes that seemed a bit over-written, the writing was fantastic and I don’t have much to say about it. The author is a strong storyteller.
Other than Brenda, my other small qualm is that I don’t know if quite enough loose ends were wrapped up. We were dealing with everything from a hilariously childish interagency blood feud to some fucked up family ties to Nazis, and somehow the DOD got thrown back in at the end. Nemesis seemed to provide a lot more questions along with their answers, and I never quite understood how things pieced together. Why were they ever targeting Butler, and what happened to him? I think, maybe these questions are going to be the basis of book 2, which had it’s own can of worms opened up by a minor cliffhanger.
The most impressive part was how relevant the plot is to today’s world. The American left and right are so obnoxiously far divided that it almost feels believable that Russian based dezinformatsiya is fueling it. Why not? They were alluding to a Trump type of POTUS as well, and it was even more interesting to consider who else in the international committee could be involved.
Last but not least - it's time for the @OneReadingNurse infamous medical rant. The book states a patients IV was pulled, and the nurse rushed to "put the needle back in." Guys that is not a thing, once we get it into the arm THERE IS NO NEEDLE, just a plastic cannula. There is NO way to reinsert it. Huge cringe moment but otherwise the book passes inspection.
Overall I would definitely recommend this to anyone who likes international thrillers and spy / black ops novels. There’s even a little agent holding a gun on the cover. Thank you again to BookishFirst and Forge for my copy. It releases in May so keep an eye out for it or preorder now!
As the description makes obvious, The Nemesis Manifesto has a massive scope. It is a classic spy novel with modern day conspiracy theories and such a tangled web of operatives and agencies that I could hardly keep track of the layers of intrigue. It was very well written and so full of action that it was quite hard to put down at times. From Washington D.C. to Russia, Georgia to Germany, arching eyebrows to immaculate suits and a Russian mafia style blood feud, this is a huge sweeping MUST for fans of spies and international intrigue
The book introduced Evan Ryder. She is a truly kick ass agent, proficient and deadly and wanted all over the world. After a small dissertation on why females do or don’t work as agents, the book smoothed out and let her do her job. There was a fairly slow start in general but once the action started it moved so quickly. The other female agent, Brenda, seemed to be there to serve as an example of a bad female agent. She was a bit of a mental loose cannon which issues that seemed to stem from seeing her dad in a compromising position. For example there was some clearly consensual sex going on in her adult consensual relationship, but then as soon as she found out the guy was a double agent she started on a rape tirade and made all sorts of terrible field agent decisions. Crying rape is never cute and omg did I want to reach through the page and shoot her! Thankfully throughout the book a handful of other agents, and ultimately Evan was there to bail her out.
Other than a few analogies and similes that seemed a bit over-written, the writing was fantastic and I don’t have much to say about it. The author is a strong storyteller.
Other than Brenda, my other small qualm is that I don’t know if quite enough loose ends were wrapped up. We were dealing with everything from a hilariously childish interagency blood feud to some fucked up family ties to Nazis, and somehow the DOD got thrown back in at the end. Nemesis seemed to provide a lot more questions along with their answers, and I never quite understood how things pieced together. Why were they ever targeting Butler, and what happened to him? I think, maybe these questions are going to be the basis of book 2, which had it’s own can of worms opened up by a minor cliffhanger.
The most impressive part was how relevant the plot is to today’s world. The American left and right are so obnoxiously far divided that it almost feels believable that Russian based dezinformatsiya is fueling it. Why not? They were alluding to a Trump type of POTUS as well, and it was even more interesting to consider who else in the international committee could be involved.
Last but not least - it's time for the @OneReadingNurse infamous medical rant. The book states a patients IV was pulled, and the nurse rushed to "put the needle back in." Guys that is not a thing, once we get it into the arm THERE IS NO NEEDLE, just a plastic cannula. There is NO way to reinsert it. Huge cringe moment but otherwise the book passes inspection.
Overall I would definitely recommend this to anyone who likes international thrillers and spy / black ops novels. There’s even a little agent holding a gun on the cover. Thank you again to BookishFirst and Forge for my copy. It releases in May so keep an eye out for it or preorder now!
August 11, 2020
Evan Ryder is a female super spy, with a hole in her memories. When she and another female agent (Brenda) are nearly killed by a car bomb after interviewing a former colleague, with a similar hole, the two are determined to find out who tried to kill them and why. Along the way, we meet a number of Russian spys or doubles, making for a somewhat confusing plot, which eventually comes back together. As Evan and Brenda's boyfriend pursue one line of inquiry, Brenda follows her own path, eventually leading to a reunification at an unexpected location far from Moscow. There is even some intense family drama thrown in for good measure. While this is nowhere near as good as his early Asian series, Van Lustbader does use disturbing real world trends in the novel: the rise of the far right and anti-Semitism across the globe. Also, too many POVs.
October 10, 2022
Lots of intrigue of course with this type of book and Evan Ryder as the one everyone is after. I had a hard time following but enjoyed the cloak and dagger.
August 19, 2020
I haven't read a van Lustbader book since the 1980-1990 Nicolas Linnear series - which I found very exotic, exciting, and sexy.
After reading Nemiesis Manifesto I'm now really sad that I've destroyed my decades-old image of this author as a dependable, great read.
Instead, I found this book almost incomprehensible as it jumped around so much that I literally thought I was skipping pages. As I turned back to find out that I hadn't skipped a page, I'd then wonder if the printer was setting the book manually and just occasionally dropping a sentence here and there. But, since I know books are all digital now, I finally came to think that maybe there must be an editor who is so ruthless that they think transitions are only for sissys.
Or, maybe - just maybe - this used-to-be-a-favorite author has become like a comic that's so in love with a joke that he jumps to the punch line without giving the setup. The comic is laughing uproariously but the audience doesn't get it because the comic's delivery left out some important pieces.
So, you've got a book that just seems to have missing pieces and then you add some really unlikable characters with impossible-to-believe physicality (I'm sorry - women do not win fist-to-fist competitions with huge muscly men; they may win by shooting first or being good at setting explosives, or any kind of at-a-distance method of destruction but a woman who has had head injuries day after day after day doesn't win hand-to-hand combat with healthy men) and the book becomes both a series of erratic, ridiculous scenarios and downright irritating to read.
I'm really sorry I picked this one up - ruined one of my decades-old positive vibes from the Linnear series.
After reading Nemiesis Manifesto I'm now really sad that I've destroyed my decades-old image of this author as a dependable, great read.
Instead, I found this book almost incomprehensible as it jumped around so much that I literally thought I was skipping pages. As I turned back to find out that I hadn't skipped a page, I'd then wonder if the printer was setting the book manually and just occasionally dropping a sentence here and there. But, since I know books are all digital now, I finally came to think that maybe there must be an editor who is so ruthless that they think transitions are only for sissys.
Or, maybe - just maybe - this used-to-be-a-favorite author has become like a comic that's so in love with a joke that he jumps to the punch line without giving the setup. The comic is laughing uproariously but the audience doesn't get it because the comic's delivery left out some important pieces.
So, you've got a book that just seems to have missing pieces and then you add some really unlikable characters with impossible-to-believe physicality (I'm sorry - women do not win fist-to-fist competitions with huge muscly men; they may win by shooting first or being good at setting explosives, or any kind of at-a-distance method of destruction but a woman who has had head injuries day after day after day doesn't win hand-to-hand combat with healthy men) and the book becomes both a series of erratic, ridiculous scenarios and downright irritating to read.
I'm really sorry I picked this one up - ruined one of my decades-old positive vibes from the Linnear series.
April 6, 2020
I’ll be the first person to admit that political thrillers are far from my genre of choice – typically I stick more towards the fantasy and sci-fi end of the fiction spectrum. But I’ll also be the first to tell you that Eric Van Lustbader’s latest book was pleasantly surprising in the way it kept me involved to the point where I was on the edge of my metaphoric seat the whole time.
The Nemesis Manifesto features a whole cast of wonderfully written and engaging characters but focuses its efforts on the enigmatic Evan Ryder, a slightly jaded and incredibly intelligent operative for an unnamed arm of the DOD. When we first meet Evan, she has been called in by her boss for a special assignment that has led more than one fine agent to their death. Now, with the pressure mounting and the stakes higher than ever, Evan must discover who the nefarious and deadly Nemesis is before its kill list can be completed. It’s a race against time as Evan fights not only unseen forces but also her own fractured memories, which tell her there might be more to this Nemesis than she – or anyone else – anticipated.
Although the prologue started off a little slow to me and was subsequently hard for me to get into, the rest of the book overall was a fantastic thrill ride packed full of adventure and intrigue. In every chapter lies a new mystery, an exciting twist, or a heart-pounding action sequence. There are well over a handful of key players in the book, all of which have separate but interconnecting plotlines – and their own agendas. I think under ordinary circumstances, this would be quite confusing to read, but somehow Van Lustbader succeeds in making all of these individual and intricate characters and their plotlines surprisingly clear and easy to follow. Van Lustbader is equally successful in his ability to make long conversations about politics and government engaging rather than droll. Add this to the fact that Evan, the very definition of calm, cool, and collected – not to mention effective – is a female operative (even Van Lustbader throws in a time or two that female operatives have been sorely underused) who always seems to be ten steps ahead of the opposition is the star character and you have a winner on your hands for sure. I can’t say that I enjoyed all the female operatives. I found Brenda rather exasperating both for her inability to see the bigger picture and her foolhardy decision to soldier on when that was clearly the wrong choice. But I was easily able to overlook that fact because of how interesting the other characters were.
The Nemesis Manifesto was gripping and thrilling, with unexpected elements, plot twists, relevant politics, and plenty of betrayals. Even if political thrillers aren’t normally your thing, I highly recommend giving it a fair shot – you might be surprised.
*I received an ARC from BookishFirst in exchange for an honest review
The Nemesis Manifesto features a whole cast of wonderfully written and engaging characters but focuses its efforts on the enigmatic Evan Ryder, a slightly jaded and incredibly intelligent operative for an unnamed arm of the DOD. When we first meet Evan, she has been called in by her boss for a special assignment that has led more than one fine agent to their death. Now, with the pressure mounting and the stakes higher than ever, Evan must discover who the nefarious and deadly Nemesis is before its kill list can be completed. It’s a race against time as Evan fights not only unseen forces but also her own fractured memories, which tell her there might be more to this Nemesis than she – or anyone else – anticipated.
Although the prologue started off a little slow to me and was subsequently hard for me to get into, the rest of the book overall was a fantastic thrill ride packed full of adventure and intrigue. In every chapter lies a new mystery, an exciting twist, or a heart-pounding action sequence. There are well over a handful of key players in the book, all of which have separate but interconnecting plotlines – and their own agendas. I think under ordinary circumstances, this would be quite confusing to read, but somehow Van Lustbader succeeds in making all of these individual and intricate characters and their plotlines surprisingly clear and easy to follow. Van Lustbader is equally successful in his ability to make long conversations about politics and government engaging rather than droll. Add this to the fact that Evan, the very definition of calm, cool, and collected – not to mention effective – is a female operative (even Van Lustbader throws in a time or two that female operatives have been sorely underused) who always seems to be ten steps ahead of the opposition is the star character and you have a winner on your hands for sure. I can’t say that I enjoyed all the female operatives. I found Brenda rather exasperating both for her inability to see the bigger picture and her foolhardy decision to soldier on when that was clearly the wrong choice. But I was easily able to overlook that fact because of how interesting the other characters were.
The Nemesis Manifesto was gripping and thrilling, with unexpected elements, plot twists, relevant politics, and plenty of betrayals. Even if political thrillers aren’t normally your thing, I highly recommend giving it a fair shot – you might be surprised.
*I received an ARC from BookishFirst in exchange for an honest review
August 17, 2020
Sounded promising, but in the end it failed to impress me.
I have been a fan of Eric's since 1980 with
. I have read many of the sequels and several other books by Eric, to include a few of his Jason Bourne thrillers. This book just did not measure up to his usual high standards of plot. I really had to force myself to carry on. Just a month ago I re-read
. Now that is good writing. So I figured I would jump on this new series.
I kept thinking this book was co-written with his son or daughter or someone else. No, it was not. Seemed to me to be a watered down thriller. Kind of simplistic. Probably will not move on to the 2nd Evan Ryder novel. I still have a few more Ninja books to read.
I have been a fan of Eric's since 1980 with
. I have read many of the sequels and several other books by Eric, to include a few of his Jason Bourne thrillers. This book just did not measure up to his usual high standards of plot. I really had to force myself to carry on. Just a month ago I re-read
. Now that is good writing. So I figured I would jump on this new series. I kept thinking this book was co-written with his son or daughter or someone else. No, it was not. Seemed to me to be a watered down thriller. Kind of simplistic. Probably will not move on to the 2nd Evan Ryder novel. I still have a few more Ninja books to read.
May 27, 2020
I received a free ARC of The Nemesis Manifesto from Macmillan in exchange for an honest review. The guy who wrote the sequels to the Jason Bourne books has created his own character. Cool! It's a spy too, but it's a woman. Okay, cool. She has amnesia. Dang it! Come on! Once my eyes returned to their normal positions from rolling to the back of my head, I read a book consisting of episodic chapters with as much action and detective work as an episode of "Walker, Texas Ranger." The overall plot reads like a James Gardner novel when he was writing the James Bond sequels. To say I was disappointed and underwhelmed would be an understatement. What redeems this book is the mouth dropping ending which perfectly sets up the sequel.
April 20, 2020
Eric Van Lustbader typically writes some of the best thrillers available. Unfortunately he missed the mark on The Nemesis Manifesto. The storyline made little sense as it was difficult to follow the characters, the first few, who were politically corrupt in both the U.S. and Russia but faded from the book about two-thirds of the way through. Only to be replaced by Neo-Nazis (the so-called Nemesis) and various intelligence agents thought dead only to be discovered very much alive, and the revelation that admired family members were treasonous double agents or possibly triple agents. It was never clear who was what. But the major disappointment to me was the key figure, super secret agent, Evan Ryder, feared by all, not once worked out, practiced her martial arts, or trained with her weapons but was able to dispatch bad guys with ease, heal quickly, and enjoy a good meal shortly after. Evan appears headed for a sequel. I hope the author finds his “A” game before Evan Ryder.2 hits the bookshelves.
January 4, 2022
It had been a long time since I read a good spy book. I love all things Jason Bourne and Mission Impossible and this book was a wonderful blend of all of those things. I did not like all of the cussing and there were a lot of characters so it got a bit confusing, but overall it was a great story. The twist and turns and shocking plot reveals kept me turning the pages. I had zero expectations going into the book since I have never read anything by this author, so I was pleasantly surprised. If you love a spy book (that is not creepy) then check this one out. I also loved that the main character was a strong and independent female who could survive on her own. She had friends to back her up, but she could stand on her own two feet.
July 4, 2021
These books never cease to amaze me. Fast action but accurately described. As a martial arts instructor, I appreciate the attention to detail. A must read for action novel funs...
August 11, 2020
This author continued the Jason Bourne series created by fabulous suspense author Robert Ludlum after his death. I had read the first three books of the Bourne series obsessively but was afraid Lustbader would disappoint so never continued. Now he has a new series all his own and my curiosity led me to check it out.
This is an international thriller that focuses on Russia, Germany and the USA so anyone with an interest in Russian meddling will be highly interested. This is also about neo-Nazis and white supremacy, so this topic will intrigue that audience. Women are the chief positive players and men are largely evil, so this just may well appeal to women thriller readers.
Evan (female) is an ace agent and can pretty much survive any situation presented to her, and there is indeed one 'situation' after another requiring creative weapons, facility with many languages, and extreme fighting techniques. As with the Bourne novels, there is a ton of subterfuge. Who are the good guys who are really the bad guys? Who is your ally? Who can you trust? These questions keep the pages turning.
There is a large cast which is a bit hard to keep track of; was wishing I had kept notes. There is no indication of the author's beliefs through 3/4 of the novel, but by the end the reader will know how he feels about the current political administration, current civil unrest issues, and more. This makes it a timely novel, but I am inclined to think authors should not include personal agendas.
Fast-paced, intriguing, and empowering. Nice set-up for the next novel.
This is an international thriller that focuses on Russia, Germany and the USA so anyone with an interest in Russian meddling will be highly interested. This is also about neo-Nazis and white supremacy, so this topic will intrigue that audience. Women are the chief positive players and men are largely evil, so this just may well appeal to women thriller readers.
Evan (female) is an ace agent and can pretty much survive any situation presented to her, and there is indeed one 'situation' after another requiring creative weapons, facility with many languages, and extreme fighting techniques. As with the Bourne novels, there is a ton of subterfuge. Who are the good guys who are really the bad guys? Who is your ally? Who can you trust? These questions keep the pages turning.
There is a large cast which is a bit hard to keep track of; was wishing I had kept notes. There is no indication of the author's beliefs through 3/4 of the novel, but by the end the reader will know how he feels about the current political administration, current civil unrest issues, and more. This makes it a timely novel, but I am inclined to think authors should not include personal agendas.
Fast-paced, intriguing, and empowering. Nice set-up for the next novel.
January 4, 2021
I enjoyed it up until the end. I liked Evan she was a likable character, but she was the only one. To me it played out like a mix of The tv show Covert Affairs and Jason Bourne. I liked how it progressed with Evan and her story line but all the others felt like filler. It ends with a tease for the next book but I'm not sure I'm going to read it.
May 16, 2020
Finally, we see a badass female killing machine who can give Jason Bourne a run for his money! How apt that it was written by Eric Van Lustbader!
This is an intriguing story of espionage pitting a new female character, Evan Ryder, against a company called Nemesis who is out to destroy America. It is full of action with well-developed characters and a fascinating storyline. There are twists and turns that will keep you on the edge of your seat with a brilliant climax.
I did get a bit confused keeping track with all the different characters but I still found it a very enjoyable read. It is the start of
a new series and I'm really looking forward to seeing how this character will develop.
Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan - Tor/Forge for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
This is an intriguing story of espionage pitting a new female character, Evan Ryder, against a company called Nemesis who is out to destroy America. It is full of action with well-developed characters and a fascinating storyline. There are twists and turns that will keep you on the edge of your seat with a brilliant climax.
I did get a bit confused keeping track with all the different characters but I still found it a very enjoyable read. It is the start of
a new series and I'm really looking forward to seeing how this character will develop.
Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan - Tor/Forge for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
July 11, 2020
This is one of those spy thrillers that are so much fun as a summer read. While there may seem to be links to the current political environment, everything is wildly made up. This book references the current administration obliquely. That's part of it's fun. I do have some quibbles with the book, but they are minor.
This is apparently the beginning of a series following the career of Evan Ryder, an agent in a black-ops agency that is part of the Department of Defense. Evan is pretty much the kind of super smart, super competent agent we are used to, sort of a modern day James Bond. In keeping with the modern dayness of the series, Evan is a woman. This is where I really had to suspend disbelief. Accept the female Evan and all is well in thriller land. Don't and you will have real trouble with the book.
Most every character I met in the story was some kind double or triple agent, either flipping for money or being blackmailed. The major villains were our ever popular Russians, either being Russian or pretending to be Nazis. There is a sub-plot about some internal strife with upper level Russian leaders, but I found it to be more comic relief than anything else.
I will admit I liked the book. In this time when mindless entertainment is badly needed, it fits the bill. I can see a fast moving action movie when I'm reading it.
This is apparently the beginning of a series following the career of Evan Ryder, an agent in a black-ops agency that is part of the Department of Defense. Evan is pretty much the kind of super smart, super competent agent we are used to, sort of a modern day James Bond. In keeping with the modern dayness of the series, Evan is a woman. This is where I really had to suspend disbelief. Accept the female Evan and all is well in thriller land. Don't and you will have real trouble with the book.
Most every character I met in the story was some kind double or triple agent, either flipping for money or being blackmailed. The major villains were our ever popular Russians, either being Russian or pretending to be Nazis. There is a sub-plot about some internal strife with upper level Russian leaders, but I found it to be more comic relief than anything else.
I will admit I liked the book. In this time when mindless entertainment is badly needed, it fits the bill. I can see a fast moving action movie when I'm reading it.
October 26, 2020
I hardly ever read books of this nature....and that is precisely why I wanted it. Pandemic fears and hostile political situations I decided that I need to dive feet first into things I have rarely attempted. I wanted a serious thriller of a book full of political drama. I want to see if I can find myself reading more of these books in the future.
With a few political thrillers under my belt I decided The Nemesis Manifesto was what I wanted to read to reignite the desire for these sort of stories. Evan Ryder is a female spy. Not just any spy. A super bad a## with some issues. Evan struggles to remember some things. Some very important things. Those lost memories become a hindrance and a danger to her. Thick with intrigue and a complex plot, The Nemesis Manifesto is an exciting and strong read. There is such an array of complicated characters that it was a little daunting to keep up with but it made the story so much more vivid and enticing and I appreciated that. So much going on and sometimes I had to go back and reread a few passages, I still powered through and not once felt weighed down by the lingo. A great read. I am eagerly anticipating #2 already.
With a few political thrillers under my belt I decided The Nemesis Manifesto was what I wanted to read to reignite the desire for these sort of stories. Evan Ryder is a female spy. Not just any spy. A super bad a## with some issues. Evan struggles to remember some things. Some very important things. Those lost memories become a hindrance and a danger to her. Thick with intrigue and a complex plot, The Nemesis Manifesto is an exciting and strong read. There is such an array of complicated characters that it was a little daunting to keep up with but it made the story so much more vivid and enticing and I appreciated that. So much going on and sometimes I had to go back and reread a few passages, I still powered through and not once felt weighed down by the lingo. A great read. I am eagerly anticipating #2 already.
May 7, 2020
A finely crafted tale of intrigue and espionage that links Russia, Germany and the United States. Central to the story are a secret group symbolized by ravens. There is almost a super hero woman named Evan who is the point person as the story evolves. Many times I get lost in the complexities of this type of novel. Although the plot is involved the author writes with such clarity that is was easy for me to understand. If you are a spy novel fan this is a good one.
May 18, 2020
I am always glad to see new books with strong females. There aren't enough in the literary world in my opinion. This is not the best book by Lustbader I have read but the sum total is good. If there should come a sequel about Evan I would read it. Thanks to Forge Books, Macmillan and Edelweiss for letting me read this one.
January 14, 2024
If you love an international spy thriller, then this might be right for you. Wasn't really my bag. Thin on humor and humanism.
December 12, 2022
Well written for most part, with several curious points that a reader may notice.
First and foremost is a combination of even-handed treatment of female characters, which doesn't ignore their physical beauty, but treats them as more than capable of superior qualities and achievements, playing roles in tandem with their male colleagues or solo, thus completely devoid of the all-too-pervasive misogyny of abrahmic cultures and of US more than most of West, except perhaps nazis. Or jihadists.
The name of the author does sound male, and the author does describe the attires of various females in detail that readers have come to not expect of run-of-the-mill male authors, which deepens the mystery, because his descriptions of US locals are quite authentic, complete with atmosphere thereof - so is Eric Van Lustbader a female, a Russian German migrated to US instead of Germany, .... ???
His - presuming Eric is a "he" - attitude towards Russia is very right-wing US stance that actually fits, not Russia so much, as so-called US allies - or erstwhile allies - jihadists and China far more. Which again makes one guess, but not confidently enough to bet one's life, that if author is an emigrant to US it was a journey at a tender age.
And then there's that lack of antisemitism too.
All in all, the mystery itself is worth reading even apart from the extra puzzling factors one notices as one goes along, but again, the description fits -for example - the horrendously fraudulent attacks perpetrated, by a cabal of Abrahmic-II, Abrahmic-III and Abrahmic-IV, against India and her ancient living culture, as internet era has proceeded to empower every evil attacker just as much as any poor student or old couple with a device.
It isn't Nemesis, this attack against India by a cabal, but has only changed its outer form. Once, several centuries ago, when it began, it was of physical brutalitites perpetrated against scholars, universities and temples, with international destruction of knowledge being motive - until British arrived and set in place Macaulay policy of wiping out everything good about India and lying with fraudulent propaganda against it meanwhile, which was continuation of fraudulent propaganda by prior colonial regimes. Current form is covert in its origin and that may be the only difference from the well over a millennium and a half of attacks that India has suffered.
All the more interesting then, to see how far Nemesis fits the scenario in real world.
................................................................................................
From political intrigues in D.C. to those in Moscow, from Berchtesgaden to ancient Celtics mythology, author paints a canvas with wide spectrum of colors, mostly with horror or reassuring small victories for the good side, building to a crescendo that's as much about horror as a definite tinge of disgusting, but no terror. Frederick Forsyth it's not, but there's a good deal of lyrical descriptions.
At some point, what with repeated motif and mention of ravens, one can't help but be reminded forcefully of The Birds, especially of Alfred Hitchcock's film version which differed from the original story by Daphne du Maurier - unlike the author, who'd mentioned varieties of birds involved but named few, Hitchcock used crows, almost exclusively.
................................................................................................
Here author propagates a falsehood rooted in racist colonialism, by borrowing concepts, words, images from other cultures, twisting them out of shape and context, and pretending that they have connections with - or that they belong to - Germany.
"“Actually, I’m doing you a favor,” Evan said. And when Arkady laughed, a bark not unlike the animal’s bark, Evan went on: “You must follow the Uthark runic order, Arkady.” When Arkady made no comment, Evan said, “It was posited in the 1930s—a theory Hitler picked up on and subscribed to—that the Uthark runic order, a modern interpretation of the ancient Futhark alphabet—creates cyphers, but I’m betting you knew that already.”
"“What has this to do with—?”
"“Everything, Arkady. The Dark Mother, the bringer of necessary but painful change. She’s known in India as Kali, Malka-ha-Shadim in proto-Jewish culture, and Maha-Kali in Indo-Germanic tradition. ... "
Whether Kaalie (usually spelt Kali), or Mahaakalie (usually spelt Mahakali or Maha Kali), the Deities are of India and have nothing whatsoever to do with Germany, and never did.
There's no "Indo-Germanic tradition" and never was.
Germany was fascinated with India after England was, and before the racist policy by Macaulay, of destroying India by false propaganda, was put in place.
Nazis borrowed some words, concepts and symbols - including occult powerful symbols of Swastika - from India, and her ancient language, Sanskrit, but gave them false meanings that had never existed in India.
This misuse destroyed their regime.
" ... The cypher in the Uthark runic order, however, reveals that her name is Mórrigan, later corrupted to Morgan. Brenna, the Raven, taught Morgan le Fay all she knew of magic.” She nodded her head toward Brenda. “You also might remember the story of Merlin hanging Brenna le Fay upside down for defying him. An hour after that, King Arthur Pendragon, the man Merlin was sworn to protect, was killed.”"
................................................................................................
Is author aware that Amiran literally means rich female? That'd never be name of a male, except when a western author seeks to take liberties with cultures he's no comprehension of.
................................................................................................
"Popping the cork, he poured the sparkling wine into a flute, took it and the bottle over to the window, stood sipping as he looked out onto Lubyanka Square, where the wide-shouldered buildings blocked out the fragile light of the coming day. Few people braved the elements at this early hour—just a few hardy souls, bundled into anonymity, hurrying diagonally across the square, coming to relieve members of the SVR night shift."
Next description is identifies author as either US born and bred, or one desperate to cater to US readership.
" ... he was served fresh coffee and a plate filled with a pyramid of Entenmann’s chocolate-glazed doughnuts, flown in daily for him. ... "
For someone with power to fo that, it's abominable low taste - after all he could far more easily have fresh croissants from Paris and chocolate truffles from Germany!
................................................................................................
Author does indulge in lyrical descriptions.
"Butler nodded toward Brenda’s food. “Now finish your food.”
"Brenda’s smile blossomed like a lotus in moonlight. “Every last bite.”"
Perhaps less realistic, since lotuses bloom in soft sun of early morning rather than moonlight - but one gets the enchantment of the image!
................................................................................................
"Evan said nothing. Peter Limas had never lied to her; it was Lyudmila who had lied to Peter, turning the real events on their head, saying she had infiltrated this place, rescued Evan. In fact, it was the other way around: Evan had rescued Lyudmila. She was hit so hard with this revelation that she stumbled, and Arkady laughed, believing that her strength was waning. For a moment, Evan lost track of where she was—or, more accurately, when she was. In a flash she was beside Lyudmila again, as Lyudmila led her through the tunnels. And with this image—so strong Evan could smell their sweat, hear the drip of water through the mineral—the entire episode came flooding back to her, and she remembered everything. Her heart was beating hard against her rib cage, she heard the blood roaring through her ears. For an instant the world turned upside down. Then, just as abruptly, it was returned to her, like an offering or a gift.
"“And yet you knew about this secret,” Arkady was saying, “about the way into the salt mines. How? How did you know?”
"Of course she now knew: it was Lyudmila who had guided her, Lyudmila her Virgil, holding her metaphorical lamp high through the darkness. Lyudmila who had meticulously done her research, who had told her that the Nazis, über-practical, not to say paranoid, had built escape tunnels into all their houses on this mountain, using the salt mines, so that if they were attacked by Allied bombing raids, they could hide there, safe within the mountain, and, if the worst came to the worst, they could disperse through those tunnels, escaping the invading enemy."
But allies were not likely to invade Bavaria and leave Austria alone, were they?
................................................................................................
"Now, on this icy winter’s eve he was sitting in his den, outstretched legs crossed at the ankles, sipping an iced vodka, watching his cache of Leni Riefenstahl films. Somewhere in the secret heart of the apartment, where neither his wife nor his cleaning lady would ever find it, was a lockbox chock-full of Nazi paraphernalia. Long ago, at school in St. Petersburg, he had come to the conclusion that there was very little difference between fascism and communism, being two paths to the same goal: to keep the masses under control. ... "
That defines the author.
................................................................................................
"“You’re handled by the SVR,” Roger said, somewhat defensively. “I get my orders from GRU.”
"Isobel watched him, doing her best to keep calm. How had it taken Evan Ryder to crack this rotten egg open? No matter. Why feel jealous when, because of Ryder, she was finally getting somewhere with Hollis? “So Nemesis is a Russian initiative?”
"Hollis shrugged. “I don’t know who’s behind it, but it’s been clear to me for a while that it’s needed.”"
"“That pin . . .”
"“The double ravens, yes.” Hollis shook out another cigarette and, without offering her one, lit up. “They’re a symbol—a symbol of a new era, the start of a cleansing.”"
Is this deliberate fraud, imposing nazi and KKK creeds on Russia?
................................................................................................
"Popping the cork, he poured the sparkling wine into a flute, took it and the bottle over to the window, stood sipping as he looked out onto Lubyanka Square, where the wide-shouldered buildings blocked out the fragile light of the coming day. Few people braved the elements at this early hour—just a few hardy souls, bundled into anonymity, hurrying diagonally across the square, coming to relieve members of the SVR night shift."
Next description is identifies author as either US born and bred, or one desperate to cater to US readership.
" ... he was served fresh coffee and a plate filled with a pyramid of Entenmann’s chocolate-glazed doughnuts, flown in daily for him. ... "
For someone with power to fo that, it's abominable low taste - after all he could far more easily have fresh croissants from Paris and chocolate truffles from Germany!
................................................................................................
................................................................................................
" ... “As of now, we’re starting a new phase of our cyber-warfare against the United States. We began our initiative to obscure the truth, to present a confusing array of alternate truths that would appeal to fringe groups. People believe what suits their prejudices best. We have achieved that goal. But that was only phase one. I want everything purged as if it had never existed. Give me an update on the new generation of bots.”
" ... “They’re to be programmed to create several million new IP addresses from which we will rotate our outgoing dezinfortmatsiya.”"
"“And then we’re going to use the new netbot—let’s call it Soul Searcher—to target Benjamin Butler,” General Boyko said. “Never heard of him, right? Neither has ninety-nine percent of the GRU and the FSB. Nevertheless, he runs the blackest of black shops for the American DOD—very smart, very skilled. Being Jewish, he’s also vulnerable. Keeping in mind the motto of the sheep we’re targeting, ‘Stupidity Is Power,’ we’ll tar Butler with fascist and socialist tags because our targets don’t know the difference. We’ll dox him as a man of loose morals, a security risk, a closet homosexual, and everything else in our malicious intent arsenal.” Doxing was an internet-based term, a method of broadcasting toxic private and/or fake information about a person through social engineering.
"“And why are we targeting this Benjamin Butler? So he’s a Jew, but is he a Zionist?”
"“Not as far as I know, but perhaps we’ll make him one of those scum as well!” Boyko said jovially. “We’ll create a false narrative, turn it into a conspiracy theory; our targets love nothing better than a conspiracy theory—they cleave to those like remoras to a shark.” Boyko sat back, hands locked behind his head. He was going directly against Gorgonov’s wishes, which was also the point. “However, Sammy, the real reason we’re targeting him is that he’s a good friend of Evan Ryder.” Gorgonov’s plan was pitiable. Boyko wanted Evan Ryder dead. Period. Dead stop. “He’s the bait we’re going to use to catch Ryder and kill her.”"
Isn't that precisely everything employed by anti-India brigade, increasingly post genocide of nonmuslims and their enforced exodus from Kashmir caused via terrorists infiltration from across the border and LOC, a decade before the new millennium?
................................................................................................
................................................................................................
Chapter 1
" ... As she made her way through the morning throngs on their way to jobs at various self-important bureaus, she was reminded all over again that DC was like Narcissus staring into a mirror, admiring his reflection instead of taking care of the difficult business of governing."
" ... Now Butler was a director, and Evan’s boss. A dyed-in-the-wool field agent, she was fine with that. Butler was one of the only two people alive whom Evan trusted; the handful of others were all dead."
" ... he should have been feared by everyone in the CI community. The reason he wasn’t was simple: unlike any other of his colleagues, Butler trained and deployed a good number of female field agents, whereas other clandestine agencies deployed none. He was alone in understanding, as his Russian counterparts did, that females could extract intel more often than male agents, and more of it to boot. Females were considered circumspect, and could play off men’s weakness for sex, love, and affection, which, most often, considering their profession, they failed to get from their wives—if they had wives, or ex-wives."
Others didn't do so, why? Misogyny of abrahmics thats rampantly prevalent in US, presumably?
................................................................................................
"Butler, having moved from his original, inadequate quarters near the NSA, was now installed on the eighth floor of a massive white-brick residential building whose façade was slightly curved to accommodate a semi-circular drive with a porte cochere, which allowed its tenants to delude themselves into believing they were living in a Southern mansion.
" ... she showed credentials identifying her as Louise Steadman, Consultant. What she consulted on wasn’t enumerated and wasn’t queried. She asked for Paul Roswell ... "
"“Paul Roswell” had had the entire eighth floor remade into a vast complex of rooms. ... "
" ... She glanced at the window glass: bulletproof, spidery with anti-eavesdropping networks. Even though this location was well-hidden, Evan saw that he was taking no chances. She approved; but then she pretty much approved of everything Butler did."
................................................................................................
................................................................................................
First and foremost is a combination of even-handed treatment of female characters, which doesn't ignore their physical beauty, but treats them as more than capable of superior qualities and achievements, playing roles in tandem with their male colleagues or solo, thus completely devoid of the all-too-pervasive misogyny of abrahmic cultures and of US more than most of West, except perhaps nazis. Or jihadists.
The name of the author does sound male, and the author does describe the attires of various females in detail that readers have come to not expect of run-of-the-mill male authors, which deepens the mystery, because his descriptions of US locals are quite authentic, complete with atmosphere thereof - so is Eric Van Lustbader a female, a Russian German migrated to US instead of Germany, .... ???
His - presuming Eric is a "he" - attitude towards Russia is very right-wing US stance that actually fits, not Russia so much, as so-called US allies - or erstwhile allies - jihadists and China far more. Which again makes one guess, but not confidently enough to bet one's life, that if author is an emigrant to US it was a journey at a tender age.
And then there's that lack of antisemitism too.
All in all, the mystery itself is worth reading even apart from the extra puzzling factors one notices as one goes along, but again, the description fits -for example - the horrendously fraudulent attacks perpetrated, by a cabal of Abrahmic-II, Abrahmic-III and Abrahmic-IV, against India and her ancient living culture, as internet era has proceeded to empower every evil attacker just as much as any poor student or old couple with a device.
It isn't Nemesis, this attack against India by a cabal, but has only changed its outer form. Once, several centuries ago, when it began, it was of physical brutalitites perpetrated against scholars, universities and temples, with international destruction of knowledge being motive - until British arrived and set in place Macaulay policy of wiping out everything good about India and lying with fraudulent propaganda against it meanwhile, which was continuation of fraudulent propaganda by prior colonial regimes. Current form is covert in its origin and that may be the only difference from the well over a millennium and a half of attacks that India has suffered.
All the more interesting then, to see how far Nemesis fits the scenario in real world.
................................................................................................
From political intrigues in D.C. to those in Moscow, from Berchtesgaden to ancient Celtics mythology, author paints a canvas with wide spectrum of colors, mostly with horror or reassuring small victories for the good side, building to a crescendo that's as much about horror as a definite tinge of disgusting, but no terror. Frederick Forsyth it's not, but there's a good deal of lyrical descriptions.
At some point, what with repeated motif and mention of ravens, one can't help but be reminded forcefully of The Birds, especially of Alfred Hitchcock's film version which differed from the original story by Daphne du Maurier - unlike the author, who'd mentioned varieties of birds involved but named few, Hitchcock used crows, almost exclusively.
................................................................................................
Here author propagates a falsehood rooted in racist colonialism, by borrowing concepts, words, images from other cultures, twisting them out of shape and context, and pretending that they have connections with - or that they belong to - Germany.
"“Actually, I’m doing you a favor,” Evan said. And when Arkady laughed, a bark not unlike the animal’s bark, Evan went on: “You must follow the Uthark runic order, Arkady.” When Arkady made no comment, Evan said, “It was posited in the 1930s—a theory Hitler picked up on and subscribed to—that the Uthark runic order, a modern interpretation of the ancient Futhark alphabet—creates cyphers, but I’m betting you knew that already.”
"“What has this to do with—?”
"“Everything, Arkady. The Dark Mother, the bringer of necessary but painful change. She’s known in India as Kali, Malka-ha-Shadim in proto-Jewish culture, and Maha-Kali in Indo-Germanic tradition. ... "
Whether Kaalie (usually spelt Kali), or Mahaakalie (usually spelt Mahakali or Maha Kali), the Deities are of India and have nothing whatsoever to do with Germany, and never did.
There's no "Indo-Germanic tradition" and never was.
Germany was fascinated with India after England was, and before the racist policy by Macaulay, of destroying India by false propaganda, was put in place.
Nazis borrowed some words, concepts and symbols - including occult powerful symbols of Swastika - from India, and her ancient language, Sanskrit, but gave them false meanings that had never existed in India.
This misuse destroyed their regime.
" ... The cypher in the Uthark runic order, however, reveals that her name is Mórrigan, later corrupted to Morgan. Brenna, the Raven, taught Morgan le Fay all she knew of magic.” She nodded her head toward Brenda. “You also might remember the story of Merlin hanging Brenna le Fay upside down for defying him. An hour after that, King Arthur Pendragon, the man Merlin was sworn to protect, was killed.”"
................................................................................................
Is author aware that Amiran literally means rich female? That'd never be name of a male, except when a western author seeks to take liberties with cultures he's no comprehension of.
................................................................................................
"Popping the cork, he poured the sparkling wine into a flute, took it and the bottle over to the window, stood sipping as he looked out onto Lubyanka Square, where the wide-shouldered buildings blocked out the fragile light of the coming day. Few people braved the elements at this early hour—just a few hardy souls, bundled into anonymity, hurrying diagonally across the square, coming to relieve members of the SVR night shift."
Next description is identifies author as either US born and bred, or one desperate to cater to US readership.
" ... he was served fresh coffee and a plate filled with a pyramid of Entenmann’s chocolate-glazed doughnuts, flown in daily for him. ... "
For someone with power to fo that, it's abominable low taste - after all he could far more easily have fresh croissants from Paris and chocolate truffles from Germany!
................................................................................................
Author does indulge in lyrical descriptions.
"Butler nodded toward Brenda’s food. “Now finish your food.”
"Brenda’s smile blossomed like a lotus in moonlight. “Every last bite.”"
Perhaps less realistic, since lotuses bloom in soft sun of early morning rather than moonlight - but one gets the enchantment of the image!
................................................................................................
"Evan said nothing. Peter Limas had never lied to her; it was Lyudmila who had lied to Peter, turning the real events on their head, saying she had infiltrated this place, rescued Evan. In fact, it was the other way around: Evan had rescued Lyudmila. She was hit so hard with this revelation that she stumbled, and Arkady laughed, believing that her strength was waning. For a moment, Evan lost track of where she was—or, more accurately, when she was. In a flash she was beside Lyudmila again, as Lyudmila led her through the tunnels. And with this image—so strong Evan could smell their sweat, hear the drip of water through the mineral—the entire episode came flooding back to her, and she remembered everything. Her heart was beating hard against her rib cage, she heard the blood roaring through her ears. For an instant the world turned upside down. Then, just as abruptly, it was returned to her, like an offering or a gift.
"“And yet you knew about this secret,” Arkady was saying, “about the way into the salt mines. How? How did you know?”
"Of course she now knew: it was Lyudmila who had guided her, Lyudmila her Virgil, holding her metaphorical lamp high through the darkness. Lyudmila who had meticulously done her research, who had told her that the Nazis, über-practical, not to say paranoid, had built escape tunnels into all their houses on this mountain, using the salt mines, so that if they were attacked by Allied bombing raids, they could hide there, safe within the mountain, and, if the worst came to the worst, they could disperse through those tunnels, escaping the invading enemy."
But allies were not likely to invade Bavaria and leave Austria alone, were they?
................................................................................................
"Now, on this icy winter’s eve he was sitting in his den, outstretched legs crossed at the ankles, sipping an iced vodka, watching his cache of Leni Riefenstahl films. Somewhere in the secret heart of the apartment, where neither his wife nor his cleaning lady would ever find it, was a lockbox chock-full of Nazi paraphernalia. Long ago, at school in St. Petersburg, he had come to the conclusion that there was very little difference between fascism and communism, being two paths to the same goal: to keep the masses under control. ... "
That defines the author.
................................................................................................
"“You’re handled by the SVR,” Roger said, somewhat defensively. “I get my orders from GRU.”
"Isobel watched him, doing her best to keep calm. How had it taken Evan Ryder to crack this rotten egg open? No matter. Why feel jealous when, because of Ryder, she was finally getting somewhere with Hollis? “So Nemesis is a Russian initiative?”
"Hollis shrugged. “I don’t know who’s behind it, but it’s been clear to me for a while that it’s needed.”"
"“That pin . . .”
"“The double ravens, yes.” Hollis shook out another cigarette and, without offering her one, lit up. “They’re a symbol—a symbol of a new era, the start of a cleansing.”"
Is this deliberate fraud, imposing nazi and KKK creeds on Russia?
................................................................................................
"Popping the cork, he poured the sparkling wine into a flute, took it and the bottle over to the window, stood sipping as he looked out onto Lubyanka Square, where the wide-shouldered buildings blocked out the fragile light of the coming day. Few people braved the elements at this early hour—just a few hardy souls, bundled into anonymity, hurrying diagonally across the square, coming to relieve members of the SVR night shift."
Next description is identifies author as either US born and bred, or one desperate to cater to US readership.
" ... he was served fresh coffee and a plate filled with a pyramid of Entenmann’s chocolate-glazed doughnuts, flown in daily for him. ... "
For someone with power to fo that, it's abominable low taste - after all he could far more easily have fresh croissants from Paris and chocolate truffles from Germany!
................................................................................................
................................................................................................
" ... “As of now, we’re starting a new phase of our cyber-warfare against the United States. We began our initiative to obscure the truth, to present a confusing array of alternate truths that would appeal to fringe groups. People believe what suits their prejudices best. We have achieved that goal. But that was only phase one. I want everything purged as if it had never existed. Give me an update on the new generation of bots.”
" ... “They’re to be programmed to create several million new IP addresses from which we will rotate our outgoing dezinfortmatsiya.”"
"“And then we’re going to use the new netbot—let’s call it Soul Searcher—to target Benjamin Butler,” General Boyko said. “Never heard of him, right? Neither has ninety-nine percent of the GRU and the FSB. Nevertheless, he runs the blackest of black shops for the American DOD—very smart, very skilled. Being Jewish, he’s also vulnerable. Keeping in mind the motto of the sheep we’re targeting, ‘Stupidity Is Power,’ we’ll tar Butler with fascist and socialist tags because our targets don’t know the difference. We’ll dox him as a man of loose morals, a security risk, a closet homosexual, and everything else in our malicious intent arsenal.” Doxing was an internet-based term, a method of broadcasting toxic private and/or fake information about a person through social engineering.
"“And why are we targeting this Benjamin Butler? So he’s a Jew, but is he a Zionist?”
"“Not as far as I know, but perhaps we’ll make him one of those scum as well!” Boyko said jovially. “We’ll create a false narrative, turn it into a conspiracy theory; our targets love nothing better than a conspiracy theory—they cleave to those like remoras to a shark.” Boyko sat back, hands locked behind his head. He was going directly against Gorgonov’s wishes, which was also the point. “However, Sammy, the real reason we’re targeting him is that he’s a good friend of Evan Ryder.” Gorgonov’s plan was pitiable. Boyko wanted Evan Ryder dead. Period. Dead stop. “He’s the bait we’re going to use to catch Ryder and kill her.”"
Isn't that precisely everything employed by anti-India brigade, increasingly post genocide of nonmuslims and their enforced exodus from Kashmir caused via terrorists infiltration from across the border and LOC, a decade before the new millennium?
................................................................................................
................................................................................................
Chapter 1
" ... As she made her way through the morning throngs on their way to jobs at various self-important bureaus, she was reminded all over again that DC was like Narcissus staring into a mirror, admiring his reflection instead of taking care of the difficult business of governing."
" ... Now Butler was a director, and Evan’s boss. A dyed-in-the-wool field agent, she was fine with that. Butler was one of the only two people alive whom Evan trusted; the handful of others were all dead."
" ... he should have been feared by everyone in the CI community. The reason he wasn’t was simple: unlike any other of his colleagues, Butler trained and deployed a good number of female field agents, whereas other clandestine agencies deployed none. He was alone in understanding, as his Russian counterparts did, that females could extract intel more often than male agents, and more of it to boot. Females were considered circumspect, and could play off men’s weakness for sex, love, and affection, which, most often, considering their profession, they failed to get from their wives—if they had wives, or ex-wives."
Others didn't do so, why? Misogyny of abrahmics thats rampantly prevalent in US, presumably?
................................................................................................
"Butler, having moved from his original, inadequate quarters near the NSA, was now installed on the eighth floor of a massive white-brick residential building whose façade was slightly curved to accommodate a semi-circular drive with a porte cochere, which allowed its tenants to delude themselves into believing they were living in a Southern mansion.
" ... she showed credentials identifying her as Louise Steadman, Consultant. What she consulted on wasn’t enumerated and wasn’t queried. She asked for Paul Roswell ... "
"“Paul Roswell” had had the entire eighth floor remade into a vast complex of rooms. ... "
" ... She glanced at the window glass: bulletproof, spidery with anti-eavesdropping networks. Even though this location was well-hidden, Evan saw that he was taking no chances. She approved; but then she pretty much approved of everything Butler did."
................................................................................................
................................................................................................
Shelved as 'unfinished'
March 20, 2021I think I’m destined to never finish an Eric Van Lustbader book. I’ve been trying to since I first got a copy of The Ninja in the 80s. And had a box set of his Bourne novels that never got read more recently. His concepts always seem cool, but his writing just fails to grip me.
July 17, 2020
While it had a good premise, the reveal of the conspiracy did not live up to the hype. I was severely underwhelmed at every part they uncovered. It also got quite repetitive, especially when they were interrogating people. Each interrogation ended within 4 lines and usually had their suspect nearly peeing himself in cowardice. It got overused and boring. None of the characters were particularly likable either. I never cared if any of them lived or died. Not a great thing when reading a book, especially when you're so clearly supposed to be rooting for a particular character. They kept bringing up someone called Lyudmilla as well like I'm supposed to be interested in who that is or their relationship with Evan. Could've done without any of that. I really wanted to like this story, I like other books by Eric Van Lustbader, but I can only sum up my feelings for this one with, meh.
December 12, 2022
Well written for most part, with several curious points that a reader may notice.
First and foremost is a combination of even-handed treatment of female characters, which doesn't ignore their physical beauty, but treats them as more than capable of superior qualities and achievements, playing roles in tandem with their male colleagues or solo, thus completely devoid of the all-too-pervasive misogyny of abrahmic cultures and of US more than most of West, except perhaps nazis. Or jihadists.
The name of the author does sound male, and the author does describe the attires of various females in detail that readers have come to not expect of run-of-the-mill male authors, which deepens the mystery, because his descriptions of US locals are quite authentic, complete with atmosphere thereof - so is Eric Van Lustbader a female, a Russian German migrated to US instead of Germany, .... ???
His - presuming Eric is a "he" - attitude towards Russia is very right-wing US stance that actually fits, not Russia so much, as so-called US allies - or erstwhile allies - jihadists and China far more. Which again makes one guess, but not confidently enough to bet one's life, that if author is an emigrant to US it was a journey at a tender age.
And then there's that lack of antisemitism too.
All in all, the mystery itself is worth reading even apart from the extra puzzling factors one notices as one goes along, but again, the description fits -for example - the horrendously fraudulent attacks perpetrated, by a cabal of Abrahmic-II, Abrahmic-III and Abrahmic-IV, against India and her ancient living culture, as internet era has proceeded to empower every evil attacker just as much as any poor student or old couple with a device.
It isn't Nemesis, this attack against India by a cabal, but has only changed its outer form. Once, several centuries ago, when it began, it was of physical brutalitites perpetrated against scholars, universities and temples, with international destruction of knowledge being motive - until British arrived and set in place Macaulay policy of wiping out everything good about India and lying with fraudulent propaganda against it meanwhile, which was continuation of fraudulent propaganda by prior colonial regimes. Current form is covert in its origin and that may be the only difference from the well over a millennium and a half of attacks that India has suffered.
All the more interesting then, to see how far Nemesis fits the scenario in real world.
................................................................................................
From political intrigues in D.C. to those in Moscow, from Berchtesgaden to ancient Celtics mythology, author paints a canvas with wide spectrum of colors, mostly with horror or reassuring small victories for the good side, building to a crescendo that's as much about horror as a definite tinge of disgusting, but no terror. Frederick Forsyth it's not, but there's a good deal of lyrical descriptions.
At some point, what with repeated motif and mention of ravens, one can't help but be reminded forcefully of The Birds, especially of Alfred Hitchcock's film version which differed from the original story by Daphne du Maurier - unlike the author, who'd mentioned varieties of birds involved but named few, Hitchcock used crows, almost exclusively.
................................................................................................
Here author propagates a falsehood rooted in racist colonialism, by borrowing concepts, words, images from other cultures, twisting them out of shape and context, and pretending that they have connections with - or that they belong to - Germany.
"“Actually, I’m doing you a favor,” Evan said. And when Arkady laughed, a bark not unlike the animal’s bark, Evan went on: “You must follow the Uthark runic order, Arkady.” When Arkady made no comment, Evan said, “It was posited in the 1930s—a theory Hitler picked up on and subscribed to—that the Uthark runic order, a modern interpretation of the ancient Futhark alphabet—creates cyphers, but I’m betting you knew that already.”
"“What has this to do with—?”
"“Everything, Arkady. The Dark Mother, the bringer of necessary but painful change. She’s known in India as Kali, Malka-ha-Shadim in proto-Jewish culture, and Maha-Kali in Indo-Germanic tradition. ... "
Whether Kaalie (usually spelt Kali), or Mahaakalie (usually spelt Mahakali or Maha Kali), the Deities are of India and have nothing whatsoever to do with Germany, and never did.
There's no "Indo-Germanic tradition" and never was.
Germany was fascinated with India after England was, and before the racist policy by Macaulay, of destroying India by false propaganda, was put in place.
Nazis borrowed some words, concepts and symbols - including occult powerful symbols of Swastika - from India, and her ancient language, Sanskrit, but gave them false meanings that had never existed in India.
This misuse destroyed their regime.
" ... The cypher in the Uthark runic order, however, reveals that her name is Mórrigan, later corrupted to Morgan. Brenna, the Raven, taught Morgan le Fay all she knew of magic.” She nodded her head toward Brenda. “You also might remember the story of Merlin hanging Brenna le Fay upside down for defying him. An hour after that, King Arthur Pendragon, the man Merlin was sworn to protect, was killed.”"
................................................................................................
Is author aware that Amiran literally means rich female? That'd never be name of a male, except when a western author seeks to take liberties with cultures he's no comprehension of.
................................................................................................
First and foremost is a combination of even-handed treatment of female characters, which doesn't ignore their physical beauty, but treats them as more than capable of superior qualities and achievements, playing roles in tandem with their male colleagues or solo, thus completely devoid of the all-too-pervasive misogyny of abrahmic cultures and of US more than most of West, except perhaps nazis. Or jihadists.
The name of the author does sound male, and the author does describe the attires of various females in detail that readers have come to not expect of run-of-the-mill male authors, which deepens the mystery, because his descriptions of US locals are quite authentic, complete with atmosphere thereof - so is Eric Van Lustbader a female, a Russian German migrated to US instead of Germany, .... ???
His - presuming Eric is a "he" - attitude towards Russia is very right-wing US stance that actually fits, not Russia so much, as so-called US allies - or erstwhile allies - jihadists and China far more. Which again makes one guess, but not confidently enough to bet one's life, that if author is an emigrant to US it was a journey at a tender age.
And then there's that lack of antisemitism too.
All in all, the mystery itself is worth reading even apart from the extra puzzling factors one notices as one goes along, but again, the description fits -for example - the horrendously fraudulent attacks perpetrated, by a cabal of Abrahmic-II, Abrahmic-III and Abrahmic-IV, against India and her ancient living culture, as internet era has proceeded to empower every evil attacker just as much as any poor student or old couple with a device.
It isn't Nemesis, this attack against India by a cabal, but has only changed its outer form. Once, several centuries ago, when it began, it was of physical brutalitites perpetrated against scholars, universities and temples, with international destruction of knowledge being motive - until British arrived and set in place Macaulay policy of wiping out everything good about India and lying with fraudulent propaganda against it meanwhile, which was continuation of fraudulent propaganda by prior colonial regimes. Current form is covert in its origin and that may be the only difference from the well over a millennium and a half of attacks that India has suffered.
All the more interesting then, to see how far Nemesis fits the scenario in real world.
................................................................................................
From political intrigues in D.C. to those in Moscow, from Berchtesgaden to ancient Celtics mythology, author paints a canvas with wide spectrum of colors, mostly with horror or reassuring small victories for the good side, building to a crescendo that's as much about horror as a definite tinge of disgusting, but no terror. Frederick Forsyth it's not, but there's a good deal of lyrical descriptions.
At some point, what with repeated motif and mention of ravens, one can't help but be reminded forcefully of The Birds, especially of Alfred Hitchcock's film version which differed from the original story by Daphne du Maurier - unlike the author, who'd mentioned varieties of birds involved but named few, Hitchcock used crows, almost exclusively.
................................................................................................
Here author propagates a falsehood rooted in racist colonialism, by borrowing concepts, words, images from other cultures, twisting them out of shape and context, and pretending that they have connections with - or that they belong to - Germany.
"“Actually, I’m doing you a favor,” Evan said. And when Arkady laughed, a bark not unlike the animal’s bark, Evan went on: “You must follow the Uthark runic order, Arkady.” When Arkady made no comment, Evan said, “It was posited in the 1930s—a theory Hitler picked up on and subscribed to—that the Uthark runic order, a modern interpretation of the ancient Futhark alphabet—creates cyphers, but I’m betting you knew that already.”
"“What has this to do with—?”
"“Everything, Arkady. The Dark Mother, the bringer of necessary but painful change. She’s known in India as Kali, Malka-ha-Shadim in proto-Jewish culture, and Maha-Kali in Indo-Germanic tradition. ... "
Whether Kaalie (usually spelt Kali), or Mahaakalie (usually spelt Mahakali or Maha Kali), the Deities are of India and have nothing whatsoever to do with Germany, and never did.
There's no "Indo-Germanic tradition" and never was.
Germany was fascinated with India after England was, and before the racist policy by Macaulay, of destroying India by false propaganda, was put in place.
Nazis borrowed some words, concepts and symbols - including occult powerful symbols of Swastika - from India, and her ancient language, Sanskrit, but gave them false meanings that had never existed in India.
This misuse destroyed their regime.
" ... The cypher in the Uthark runic order, however, reveals that her name is Mórrigan, later corrupted to Morgan. Brenna, the Raven, taught Morgan le Fay all she knew of magic.” She nodded her head toward Brenda. “You also might remember the story of Merlin hanging Brenna le Fay upside down for defying him. An hour after that, King Arthur Pendragon, the man Merlin was sworn to protect, was killed.”"
................................................................................................
Is author aware that Amiran literally means rich female? That'd never be name of a male, except when a western author seeks to take liberties with cultures he's no comprehension of.
................................................................................................
July 6, 2020
3 1/2 stars.
I received a copy of The Nemesis Manifesto in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Picture Black Widow meets Jason Bourne, and you'll have found The Nemesis Manifesto. Crated by Eric Van Lustbader, this is the start of a whole new series revolving around a highly competent spy and agent.
Evan Ryder prefers to work alone – she gets better results that way. But her most recent case has forced her to change her ways, and perhaps not for the better. The agents around her are being picked off, and thus time is running out.
A mysterious character known as Nemesis seems to be behind it all, but even the best reports have next to nothing on the person. That means all the hope resides in the best of their agents. It rests on Evan to solve the mystery and save countless lives.
The Nemesis Manifesto is a spy thriller through and through – with a few fun twists along the way. As I was reading, I couldn't help but feel like I was reading some sort of blend of Black Widow (one of my favorites) and Jason Bourne. It made for an interesting read.
There is no time wasted in the introduction here, you're quite literally thrown into the thick of things, with almost a sink or swim feeling. There are plenty of characters to keep up with, made all the more complicated by their varied motives.
This is a novel that is fast-paced and full of action, as well as twists, turns, betrayals, and deceit. The usual for a spy thriller, you know? That doesn't make it any less fun, though I'll confess that it stands out from the pack less than I would have expected.
On the whole, I enjoyed the read, and think others will as well. Especially people looking to branch out from their normal reading routine. I worry that fans of thrillers might find elements of the novel predictable, though sometimes that isn't a bad thing (it makes for a more relaxing read, for one thing).
I love that Evan is such a strong and independent character, that made for an interesting twist on the normal spy thrillers, at least for me. Throw in the layers upon layers of politics, and there's something worth talking about here.
I'm looking forward to seeing what sort of mess Evan gets herself into (and out of) in the following novels. While I didn't love The Nemesis Manifesto as much as I hoped, I still think that the series will be worth keeping an eye on.
Check out more reviews over at Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks
I received a copy of The Nemesis Manifesto in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Picture Black Widow meets Jason Bourne, and you'll have found The Nemesis Manifesto. Crated by Eric Van Lustbader, this is the start of a whole new series revolving around a highly competent spy and agent.
Evan Ryder prefers to work alone – she gets better results that way. But her most recent case has forced her to change her ways, and perhaps not for the better. The agents around her are being picked off, and thus time is running out.
A mysterious character known as Nemesis seems to be behind it all, but even the best reports have next to nothing on the person. That means all the hope resides in the best of their agents. It rests on Evan to solve the mystery and save countless lives.
The Nemesis Manifesto is a spy thriller through and through – with a few fun twists along the way. As I was reading, I couldn't help but feel like I was reading some sort of blend of Black Widow (one of my favorites) and Jason Bourne. It made for an interesting read.
There is no time wasted in the introduction here, you're quite literally thrown into the thick of things, with almost a sink or swim feeling. There are plenty of characters to keep up with, made all the more complicated by their varied motives.
This is a novel that is fast-paced and full of action, as well as twists, turns, betrayals, and deceit. The usual for a spy thriller, you know? That doesn't make it any less fun, though I'll confess that it stands out from the pack less than I would have expected.
On the whole, I enjoyed the read, and think others will as well. Especially people looking to branch out from their normal reading routine. I worry that fans of thrillers might find elements of the novel predictable, though sometimes that isn't a bad thing (it makes for a more relaxing read, for one thing).
I love that Evan is such a strong and independent character, that made for an interesting twist on the normal spy thrillers, at least for me. Throw in the layers upon layers of politics, and there's something worth talking about here.
I'm looking forward to seeing what sort of mess Evan gets herself into (and out of) in the following novels. While I didn't love The Nemesis Manifesto as much as I hoped, I still think that the series will be worth keeping an eye on.
Check out more reviews over at Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks
January 11, 2022
STUNNINGLY DISAPPOINTING!!! I only rated it one star because I couldn't find a way to give it a "negative-star."
It's been quite a few years since I'd read anything from this author. I was a huge fan of his "Ninja" action hero, Nick Linnear. When I was browsing Kindle e-books recently, I saw an endorsement by Nelson DeMille (another of my favorite authors) praising the "Nemesis" novel. Therefore, I thought it had to be a pretty good bet for me.
But, WOW! I read the first 100 pages in a state of complete confusion. By the time I got through the next 50 or so, I was only continuing for two reasons: (1) I was waiting to see if this was a satire of the spy genre, and (2) I was stubbornly proceeding because I had actually paid good money for the book.
Upon finally struggling to the end I was left with one (or maybe two) impressions. One was that the target audience for this work must have been eighth graders. The other was that it must have been written by an eighth grader. I wondered if this was one of those "co-authored" efforts, possibly handed over to an intern. From what I researched, apparently it was not. No "spy" novel cliche was left unused, The bad guys are really and thoroughly bad. They cackle, evilly. They, having captured the good guys, hold forth at length, describing their evil plans in the greatest detail to the hero instead of just efficiently dispatching their adversary. Of course the hero then, after learning all about the evil plan, finds some implausible way to extricate herself and vanquish the villain. (Bond tied up and spreadeagled with a laser beam approaching his privates: "What do you want Goldfinger?" Goldfinger to Bond: "I want you to die, Mr. Bond!") Time after time after time.
I'm making some suggestions for Mr. Lustbader with full awareness that opinions from rank amateurs such as myself mean little or nothing to an accomplished writer. Regardless, here goes. First, and foremost, PLEASE throw away your Thesaurus. Why describe a very ordinary activity in a straightforward manner when an unnecessarily obscure term can be used? "Ideating?" PLEASE! Second, HIRE AN EDITOR WHO ACTUALLY READS YOUR STUFF. How many times (and with different characters) can someone truly be described as having "basilisk stares?" How many times does an animal appear with "citrine" eyes (or worse, "lambent citrine" eyes)?
It's been quite a few years since I'd read anything from this author. I was a huge fan of his "Ninja" action hero, Nick Linnear. When I was browsing Kindle e-books recently, I saw an endorsement by Nelson DeMille (another of my favorite authors) praising the "Nemesis" novel. Therefore, I thought it had to be a pretty good bet for me.
But, WOW! I read the first 100 pages in a state of complete confusion. By the time I got through the next 50 or so, I was only continuing for two reasons: (1) I was waiting to see if this was a satire of the spy genre, and (2) I was stubbornly proceeding because I had actually paid good money for the book.
Upon finally struggling to the end I was left with one (or maybe two) impressions. One was that the target audience for this work must have been eighth graders. The other was that it must have been written by an eighth grader. I wondered if this was one of those "co-authored" efforts, possibly handed over to an intern. From what I researched, apparently it was not. No "spy" novel cliche was left unused, The bad guys are really and thoroughly bad. They cackle, evilly. They, having captured the good guys, hold forth at length, describing their evil plans in the greatest detail to the hero instead of just efficiently dispatching their adversary. Of course the hero then, after learning all about the evil plan, finds some implausible way to extricate herself and vanquish the villain. (Bond tied up and spreadeagled with a laser beam approaching his privates: "What do you want Goldfinger?" Goldfinger to Bond: "I want you to die, Mr. Bond!") Time after time after time.
I'm making some suggestions for Mr. Lustbader with full awareness that opinions from rank amateurs such as myself mean little or nothing to an accomplished writer. Regardless, here goes. First, and foremost, PLEASE throw away your Thesaurus. Why describe a very ordinary activity in a straightforward manner when an unnecessarily obscure term can be used? "Ideating?" PLEASE! Second, HIRE AN EDITOR WHO ACTUALLY READS YOUR STUFF. How many times (and with different characters) can someone truly be described as having "basilisk stares?" How many times does an animal appear with "citrine" eyes (or worse, "lambent citrine" eyes)?
June 12, 2022
My library is a wonderful place. It allows for serendipity, finding of new books and authors. For fiction, I am seeking to make most of the fiction books this year to be from authors new to me. Here is one of two that I pulled off the shelf to try out.
I like spy thrillers. I knew, reading the blurb, that this book was to be more comic book than John le Carre. I needed something light. What I found was a book where the main character isn't very likable and is essentially impervious to any physical trauma. More like Deadpool or The Tick, but without the humor or the wink that it is all make believe.
The plot is a mess. The beginning of the book feels like being dropped into the middle of a series, not the beginning of a series. Throughout I kept checking that I didn't skip pages, as the plot jumped without explanation. But I do admit to skimming a lot, as there wasn't much substance to it all.
Evan Ryder is a super operative that can do anything, except actual tradecraft. Remember everything, except a hole in her memory big enough to stuff a plot through. Can have her head slammed again and again against hard objects without worry of any brain injury. Sleep is for the weak. Believable and redeeming, she is not. Of fight scenes, one that threw me as even more over the top was Evan getting stabbed in the cheek with a small knife. Then runs away. Another character eventually takes the knife out of her cheek to stab another person. It is something Deadpool would do, not what I would expect to read in a "serious" book.
The super scary, super secret organization with the original name of Nemesis isn't so scary or secret. The ladies wear a specific necklace, the gents a specific pin on their suits to identify themselves. To make sure everyone knows it is all about Ravens, every member has some version of Raven as their name. All our super assassin needs to do is look around for people with the pin or necklace to find the bad people. In the end, the super scary, super secret group is a bunch of Nazis with a dog. Oh, they follow the early James Bond films of the bad guy laying out the dastardly plan so we readers will know what is happening.
I couldn't find anything to like in the book, from characters to plot. Not even cool toys. Just a big mess.
I like spy thrillers. I knew, reading the blurb, that this book was to be more comic book than John le Carre. I needed something light. What I found was a book where the main character isn't very likable and is essentially impervious to any physical trauma. More like Deadpool or The Tick, but without the humor or the wink that it is all make believe.
The plot is a mess. The beginning of the book feels like being dropped into the middle of a series, not the beginning of a series. Throughout I kept checking that I didn't skip pages, as the plot jumped without explanation. But I do admit to skimming a lot, as there wasn't much substance to it all.
Evan Ryder is a super operative that can do anything, except actual tradecraft. Remember everything, except a hole in her memory big enough to stuff a plot through. Can have her head slammed again and again against hard objects without worry of any brain injury. Sleep is for the weak. Believable and redeeming, she is not. Of fight scenes, one that threw me as even more over the top was Evan getting stabbed in the cheek with a small knife. Then runs away. Another character eventually takes the knife out of her cheek to stab another person. It is something Deadpool would do, not what I would expect to read in a "serious" book.
The super scary, super secret organization with the original name of Nemesis isn't so scary or secret. The ladies wear a specific necklace, the gents a specific pin on their suits to identify themselves. To make sure everyone knows it is all about Ravens, every member has some version of Raven as their name. All our super assassin needs to do is look around for people with the pin or necklace to find the bad people. In the end, the super scary, super secret group is a bunch of Nazis with a dog. Oh, they follow the early James Bond films of the bad guy laying out the dastardly plan so we readers will know what is happening.
I couldn't find anything to like in the book, from characters to plot. Not even cool toys. Just a big mess.
August 8, 2020
I liked The Nemesis Manifesto good enough that I'm certain I'll give the next book in the series a look, too.
It did however not live up to some of van Lustbader's earlier books like The Ninja (or I may be overly nostalgic of his older work). The book's plot is pretty thin and mainly driven forward by jumping from one action scene to the next, reading like some old pulp story or Hollywood spy action.
I found it initially hard to follow who's who in the story, and sometimes who they are working for, and the fact that the two Russian main adversaries went by several different names for reasons not quite clear to me made following events at times even harder.
Also there's a quickly escalating infight between these two Russians that never really adds to the story, maybe it becomes more important in future novels what happens here. I would have wished he had instead spent more time on developing some of the other side characters, like the completely enigmatic Charles Isaacs claiming to work for Interpol and possessing a lot of inside knowledge about Nemesis, a character whose role is never clearly defined beyond aiding the second main character and conveniently pointing her in the right direction when needed.
What I did greatly enjoy about the novel was how topical it is, with Russian bots attacking social networks like twitter, spreading disinformation, feeding conspiracy theorists, and encouraging white supremacists. Meanwhile America's being lead by an incompetent President, the senate is compromised and the Russians are led by a Sovereign who's an unabashed fanfiction version of Putin:
All in all The Nemesis Manifesto is a hugely entertaining read, but unfortunately also one that only really hits its stride past the mid-mark when it steadily progresses to its furious, satisfying finale.
It did however not live up to some of van Lustbader's earlier books like The Ninja (or I may be overly nostalgic of his older work). The book's plot is pretty thin and mainly driven forward by jumping from one action scene to the next, reading like some old pulp story or Hollywood spy action.
I found it initially hard to follow who's who in the story, and sometimes who they are working for, and the fact that the two Russian main adversaries went by several different names for reasons not quite clear to me made following events at times even harder.
Also there's a quickly escalating infight between these two Russians that never really adds to the story, maybe it becomes more important in future novels what happens here. I would have wished he had instead spent more time on developing some of the other side characters, like the completely enigmatic Charles Isaacs claiming to work for Interpol and possessing a lot of inside knowledge about Nemesis, a character whose role is never clearly defined beyond aiding the second main character and conveniently pointing her in the right direction when needed.
What I did greatly enjoy about the novel was how topical it is, with Russian bots attacking social networks like twitter, spreading disinformation, feeding conspiracy theorists, and encouraging white supremacists. Meanwhile America's being lead by an incompetent President, the senate is compromised and the Russians are led by a Sovereign who's an unabashed fanfiction version of Putin:
The Sovereign wore leather breeches that came up past his navel. Above the waistband he was naked, his hairless, hard-nippled chest bare to the first crescent of sun appearing over the horizon. He wore high boots, polished to a high gloss. Strapped to his right thigh was a leather holster that held his custom-made Colt .45 with crosshatched gold grips. It seemed to amuse him to be using an American manufactured sidearm.
All in all The Nemesis Manifesto is a hugely entertaining read, but unfortunately also one that only really hits its stride past the mid-mark when it steadily progresses to its furious, satisfying finale.
August 13, 2020
Not So Sure About This Espionage Thriller!
I tried to like this spy novel, initially seeing some of the depth, intrigue, and shadowy satire of a John le Carré tragic suspense. However, the book's initial strengths soon devolved into a rogue and repetitive Mission Impossible storyline.
The preface is critical to the whole book, so take time to read it carefully, noting names and hidden meanings in the complex interactions between two senior Russian intelligence leaders. Thankfully, Kindle's search option made it easy to link some critical names back to the several chapters for explanatory information.
Lots of action, violence, surprises, and characters make it challenging to know what's really going on among the crucial interactions among the ever-shifting characters surrounding Evan Rider, the invincable woman lead character with a secret past of her own.
A difficult read with the author's convoluted storytelling with too many details and subplots that never really came together. I was not satisfied with the strange ending that included so many "tricks," forcing the story into an inconsistent end. Possibly, the book is the first of a series, but I am not motivated to follow additional installments.
Perhaps the novel's greatest strength was its portrayal of the stupidity of US political leaders and the American press for being so gullible and too easily manipulated by Russian disinformation, dividing the country against itself into it's own destruction. Much revealed here creates huge distrust of the bureaucratic incompetence of US intelligence agencies and the foreign agents embedded deeply within its ranks and at the highest levels, all provoking national suicide. Yikes!
Some might find the book a worthwhile read, while most will likely fin the work having too many inconsistencies with an unbelievable storyline. Too many details made the plot lack substance or larger meaning.
Audible's narration helped me get through the trudge of shifting plots and characters.
As an escape read, it was okay, but it seemed much longer than it actually was. The slow start and mixed plotlines were hard to follow, and the characters were mostly unlikable.
I kept hoping for more and in the end grew disappointed with both the book and my slugging it out to the end. Ugh!
Please read the preview available from Kindle before you buy.
I tried to like this spy novel, initially seeing some of the depth, intrigue, and shadowy satire of a John le Carré tragic suspense. However, the book's initial strengths soon devolved into a rogue and repetitive Mission Impossible storyline.
The preface is critical to the whole book, so take time to read it carefully, noting names and hidden meanings in the complex interactions between two senior Russian intelligence leaders. Thankfully, Kindle's search option made it easy to link some critical names back to the several chapters for explanatory information.
Lots of action, violence, surprises, and characters make it challenging to know what's really going on among the crucial interactions among the ever-shifting characters surrounding Evan Rider, the invincable woman lead character with a secret past of her own.
A difficult read with the author's convoluted storytelling with too many details and subplots that never really came together. I was not satisfied with the strange ending that included so many "tricks," forcing the story into an inconsistent end. Possibly, the book is the first of a series, but I am not motivated to follow additional installments.
Perhaps the novel's greatest strength was its portrayal of the stupidity of US political leaders and the American press for being so gullible and too easily manipulated by Russian disinformation, dividing the country against itself into it's own destruction. Much revealed here creates huge distrust of the bureaucratic incompetence of US intelligence agencies and the foreign agents embedded deeply within its ranks and at the highest levels, all provoking national suicide. Yikes!
Some might find the book a worthwhile read, while most will likely fin the work having too many inconsistencies with an unbelievable storyline. Too many details made the plot lack substance or larger meaning.
Audible's narration helped me get through the trudge of shifting plots and characters.
As an escape read, it was okay, but it seemed much longer than it actually was. The slow start and mixed plotlines were hard to follow, and the characters were mostly unlikable.
I kept hoping for more and in the end grew disappointed with both the book and my slugging it out to the end. Ugh!
Please read the preview available from Kindle before you buy.
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