Gideon’s War by Howard Gordon
Read by Carlos Bernard
There are many reasons why I choose a novel to read or listen to. Sometimes it’s based on an author I’ve been a long time fan of, or recommendations from friends, or subject matter or heck, I just like the cover. When it comes to Howard Gordon’s Gideon’s War it came down to one thing… 24. Gordon is one of the producers of the hit FOX series, and being a fan I decided to give the book a try. If it wasn’t for his association with one of my favorite shows, I may have skipped over this one. While I enjoy fast paced actioners on TV, as far as books go, I tend to prefer a slower paced more developed thriller.
Gideon’s War was basically what I thought it would be, almost total nonstop action, full of twists and turns and suspenseful moments of danger. Gideon Davis is a somewhat engaging character, and the action is, at times quite clever, especially due to his distain for guns. This gives us a few interesting moments when Gideon needs to evade the badies MacGyver style. Yet beyond the surface plot, and action, there’s not too much else. Gordon doesn’t take too much time away from the action to do things like develop the characters or give nuance to seemingly cliché scenes. All in all, if you are looking for a clever, fast paced action novel, you don’t have to go much further that Gideon’s War, but if you are looking for something with a little more depth, you’ll probably be searching elsewhere.
For those interested in this novel, I highly recommend the audiobook version, due to its excellent narration by 24 cast member Carlos Bernard. Although this is his first foray into the world of audiobook narration, his simple approach to, basically just reading the book, is refreshing. He gives the character’s life, without making them seem like caricatures. If this novel turns into the first of a series, I hope Carlos Bernard continues as the narrator.
Grade B-
The Guilded Earlobe 
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