The Island is an adrenaline rush from start to finish. Ben Coes is back with an action-packed narrative that pulls back no punches and propels an insane number of slugs flying in all directions as Hezbollah executes an audacious plan to take out the US President by isolating the entire island of Manhattan while fulfilling another nefarious agenda that has catastrophic consequences for the world. Dewey Andreas is not alone this time, teaming up with a select few Tier One specified NOCs, including the fan favorite Rob Tacoma, to infiltrate the Hezbollah cordon and save the day. Imagine a rendition of Transfer of Power by Vince Flynn but on a wider scale with more action and an even more nefarious endgame.
Ben Coes backs up the fictional aspects with the necessary facts about weapons, tactics, and technology to keep the scales from tipping too far into the region of unbelievable. There is no wasted moment in the story as each paragraph emphatically conveys the carnage and chaos of the attack. The storyline feels fresh and does a good job of breaking out of the cliched trope while tackling the same subject matter by focusing more on the action and the psychological consequences of the bloodshed, highlighting a brilliant epiphany that rings a bell with today’s worldwide headlines.
Dewey Andreas goes full Rambo and racks up a glorious body count with his MP7 and M1911. The action sequences are some of the finest in the series, keeping the adrenaline high throughout with active as opposed to passive shootouts along with detailing the weaponry precisely for a vivid reader to thoroughly enjoy the relentless action. Even knowing that Dewey Andreas cannot die as he is the formidable protagonist, Ben Coes does a commendable job of making Andreas more human than superhuman as he bleeds, weakens, and slows down over time but still manages to persevere through his expert training and survival instincts. The action is made even better with the deadly quips we have come to expect from Dewey right before he shoots a bad guy in the head.
The Island is a smart narrative that stands out with gruesome action, brilliant plotting, and lively characters. I’d say it is my favorite Ben Coes book yet!
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