“The narrative is thrilling: the tension tightens with action…It’s a murder mystery, an illuminating account of contemporary international politics and a study of an unusual man.”
NO MAJOR SPOILERS
I AM PILGRIM – TERRY HAYES
“Writing a movie is like swimming in a bath and writing a novel is like swimming in the ocean”
Renowned hollywood script writer Terry Hayes(of Mad Max, Vertical limit fame amongst others; not to forget the incredible Australian TV series Bodyline) mentions this in the acknowledgements and saying he did justice to it would be an understatement. I AM PILGRIM is a winner all the way – a flawless page turning blockbuster which I would rate amongst one of the best novels I’ve ever read.
The ideas or the events aren’t exactly something new; in fact I’ve come across all the major themes in countless other novels – ingenious murders, an Islamic fanatic, a secret agent, a threat to America, and a thread to bind them all. However, it’s the way they are narrated – the very essence of writing, that is , story telling that makes this novel stand out amongst its competition. It delivers what it promises – non stop thrills and action without coming across as over the top.
Just one thing which I found he could have done better is keep it about 20 pages shorter. No, he hasn’t padded his story anywhere but I felt the ending had to be as heart stopping and deadly as the rest of the novel. He does provide a perfect climax but then doesn’t leave it there. Instead, he decides to tell some things after the curtain has come down which I feel would have been more apt as part of an epilogue. But that doesn’t take away the fun which lasts for almost 900 pages.
A blockbuster 5/5.
DO NOT MISS THIS!
Reviewed by:
Aditya Singh
Added 15th January 2018
