Item - Libyan Strike

Much to my surprise, this final book allows the series to end on something of a high note. Of course, there are flaws: the story is as incredibly linear as the rest of the series, and there are a few jarring inconsistencies (characters are treated as dead even if you don't kill them, plot points are repeated just in case you come down a path where you missed them the first time around, and so forth). However, the book has a number of high points. First of all, the book seems to be free of the major typos that plagued the last two. Additionally, it's the only book in the series where the character background is just that -- a character background. The other books in the series contain pointless spoilers for the beginning of the storyline in this section, much to my annoyance; this book, though, simply speaks of your character's history and provides a useful context for your mission. It's not just you're character that's well-defined, either; the members of the supporting cast are also fairly detailed. Overall, the writing is above average; while the book isn't entirely free of cliches, it has style. The most interesting manifestation of the author's style is the fact that the story occasionally jumps away from the player and details what's happening to other characters in other places. This breaks immersion a bit, but it gives the book a cinematic feel that increased my enjoyment of the story. I actually wouldn't mind seeing this technique used more often. Also worthy of note is the generic death ending, which is interestingly written. If you have to read just one book from this series, make it this one... and go ahead and burn books four and five. I won't be offended.

More reviews by Demian