The Tiger Warrior (Jack Howard)

Did not recieve

I eagerly awaited this book, having read the first three. If you like facts to go along with your fiction, if you like the idea that the great majority of what you read is true, and really being tested as to "is this fact or fiction" than this book is for you. Gibbins goes to great lengths both in the story and in the afterward to give you as much fact and background as possible, so much so you can truly believe the fictional threads that tie the story together could be true. I love to read, and these books can really stimulate your mind while being the escape people look for. Have already recommended this to my friends.

Its a good book if you like history and action combined, I am into more of the military based fiction so I wasn't over excited about it but it's worth a read.

I was horrified as I read the other reviews of The Tiger Warrior. I strongly disagree! This was one of the best books I've read in years. Instead of being all mindless, unbelievable action/adventure, this book was educational. I loved the historical context and the connections to other times and other places. I was so inspired I did the web thing, printing a map of Kyrgyzstan, Afghanistan, India, etc., to better follow the path of the story. I learned so much that my #1 travel destination is now Issyk Kul in Kyrgystan, a lake on the Silk Road that figures prominently in this book! The characters are not particularly deep, which leaves more time to savor the context, which is rich with archaeological intrigue and historical truths and possibilities. I did not know about the lost Roman Legion, nor did I know that the Romans made it all the way to the east side of India. The parts of the book dealing with Afghanistan and, especially because of the current US involvement there, show the futility of fighting the Afghan tribes. The action scenes in the book are believable, unlike most action/adventure novels that I read. Jack Howard is no Dirk Pitt, thank god! David Gibbons has tremendous, inspiring credentials to write this kind of novel, being a PhD archaeologist, from Cambridge, no less. His speciality is sunken cities. Using some characters based on his own incredible family just adds more awe. If you are looking for an exciting, interesting, educational read, one that will remain with you long after you're done, this is the one I'd recommend. If you're just looking for lazy, mindless action, give it a skip. I've read everything David Gibbons has written and now must face a long time yearning for his next one, The Mask of Troy, which won't be out until 2010.

While David Gibbins has never been the master of action oriented books, he does know a great deal about history. The way he takes facts and ideas from history and twists them into a fictional book that could almost be real is what makes him a great writer. Although his books end open, and never really finished, makes it possible to use your mind and draw your own conclusions. Plus what I have seen from his books is that if something in the main storyline is left open in the book, it usually is resolved in the next one, so don't get upset if gaps are there! But definately a great history writer for those of you who like historical fiction such as Angels and Demons and Da Vinci Code.

I'm a fan of the historical mystery genre that seems to be flourishing these days and this is another decent pass at the typical story line of "ancient mystery revealed by enterprising Indianna Jones type who just happens to have a team of special forces around for back-up". I enjoyed Gibbins previous books, and though I find myself skipping along in some parts where the history gets in the way of the story line, it met my expectation of being not overly thought provoking but yet interesting enough to not make me have to ditch my prescription for Ambien. Let's be honest here - if you're reading this genre or this book, you're not looking for prize winning prose or a highly nuanced plot line; most likely you'll be satisfied if the story doesn't follow point for point along with the last 23 books just like this that you've recently read. If you like Matthew Reilly, Clive Cussler (when he used to actually write books instead of TM character names) and James Rollins, you'll probably enjoy Tiger Warrior although I'd personally recommend starting at the beginning of the series with Atlantis and working your way forward. Happy reading.