24 Declassified: Trojan Horse

most books based on action packed tv shows don't translate well when someone writes a book about it. the author did an excellent job here. all the hollywood stars are getting ready for the silver screens awards. terroist are planning a little surprise party that involves a computer virus that will wipe out the computers in the western world causing mass chaos and confuson. this book goes from a new drug that jack is tracking down to mexico and back. it will keep you up trying to figure out how it ends. it does take place in season 1 because they use his wife terri in here. but it is still a good read and might even make a good movie.

This was the third of the "24 Declassified" books that I have purchased and read, and it was the best. Don't know how an individual who is not a fan of 24 would feel, but I couldn't put it down. Stayed up far too late at night when my "few minutes of reading" prior to bed kept expanding into hours. It reads easy, and really grabs you. If you are a fan of Jack bauer and 24, you're sure to enjoy this book.

After being entertained yet slightly disappointed by Marc Cerasini's Operation Hell Gate and being satisfied by John Whitman's attempt at re-creating the '24' universe (in Veto Power), I did not know what to think when I first laid my hands on Trojan Horse. Cerasini's first take was a little dry and drawn out in parts, especially at the beginning, and its story and characters seemed to move all over the place. I also found that the novel failed to accurately portray the characters we've learned to love (or hate) from the television series. Trojan Horse opens up in the same way as Hell Gate. Richard Walsh and Jack Bauer sit down and prepare for Jack's debriefing of the mission that ended just a few hours ago. We learn of a company that may be producing an illegal drug much similar to methamphetamines known as "karma." Of course, the story develops gradually into a much more complicated plot (anyone who has ever seen a TV show or read a book could predict that). Thankfully, Trojan Horse doesn't contain any slow-moving or rocky chapters. My eyes were glued to the pages, and I could easily imagine the story on my television screen. Interwoven in the chaos are our favorite characters, such as Nina Myers, Jamey Farrell, Milo Pressman, Teri Bauer, and Tony Almeida. Heck, even Edgar Stiles and his lisp make an appearance. Cerasini really spends time to evolve these characters and make them do and say things that the TV characters would say. Trojan Horse surpasses Operation Hell Gate by far and barely has the edge over Veto Power. These books seem to get better and better. I can not wait for the 4th adventure in the saga.

Of the three 24: Declassified novels, this one is by far the best. Jack gets involved, then uninvolved, then involed once again. Tony has his own undercover assignment, and Nina, Jamey, and Milo all play key roles. Even Edgar Stiles, introduced in season 4 has a cameo appearance. There are many threads, but they all come together. A dead Hollywood producer. An assualt on a drug lab supposedly producing a new meth called Karma. A modelling agency. A Hollywood awards ceremoney Teri Bauer gets an invitation to attend. A techno-terrorist, a papparazii photographer who discovers something strange about a pregnant actress, and a cult loyal only to a man named Hasan. This is 24... always action packed, and a lot of fun, even if there are plot flaws or big coicindences.

The new "24" tie-in novel comes through as a satisfying action-packed techno thriller, but also contains a scathing indictment of the Hollywood scene, making "Trojan Horse" sort of a pulp fiction version of "Day of the Locust." This motif is established at the outset, when authorites raid a drug lab housed in an abandoned studio once used by a bottom-feeding producer of direct-to-DVD features. Entertainment industry big shots as well as small fry move through a plot that centers on a terrorist assault on a glitzy Tinsil Town awards ceremony. Scenes in which Jack Bauer and his CTU colleagues risk their lives in total anonymity, rooting out rat's nests of terrorists, stand in contrast to preparations for yet another awards telecast staged for the aggrandizement of already well-rewarded Hollywood elite. The awards show collapses into horror and chaos when the terrorists begin their attack, recalling the climactic movie premiere riot in "Locust." The villain who confronts Jack and CTU is a formidable foe who models himself on "The Old Man of the Mountain" --the world's first terrorist, an 11th Century Muslim holy man who brainwashed and manipulated a legion of suicidal murderers, the original "assassins." The original Old Man of the Mountain first became known to the west through the writings of Marco Polo. A summary of his career is given in "Trojan Horse." Readers interested in a more detailed account can find one in either of two books by Colin Wilson, "The Mammoth Book of True Crime" or "The Mammoth Book of The History of Murder." Both are currently available from Carrol and Graf, and can be found in the true crime section at the book store. Fans of the character Nina Myers will enjoy the way "Trojan Horse" gets Nina out of CTU headquarters and into action in the field. The dark turn Nina takes on the show is foreshadowed here. One of the show's popular newer characters, Edgar Stiles, is also seen briefly, during his early days at CTU. In closing, it is worth mentioning that the scope of the action in "Trojan Horse" is movie-feature BIG. The DEA, the Secret Service, the LAPD, the FBI, SWAT, and the National Guard all get into the act. If they ever do "24: The Motion Picture," this would not be a bad model.