Fantasy
Five thrillers in one volume is either efficient or a warning sign. Usually both.
The Jake Adams International Espionage Thrillers is one of those books that makes you wonder how much padding you can tolerate before the whole thing starts to creak. Sometimes a big omnibus is great value. Sometimes it feels like the author has mistaken “more pages” for “more tension”. A bold strategy, not always a wise one.
Still, if you want a long run of espionage without having to keep hunting for the next instalment, it does the job.
The Jake Adams International Espionage Thrillers is one of those books that makes you wonder how much padding you can tolerate before the whole thing starts to creak. Sometimes a big omnibus is great value. Sometimes it feels like the author has mistaken “more pages” for “more tension”. A bold strategy, not always a wise one.
Still, if you want a long run of espionage without having to keep hunting for the next instalment, it does the job.
Omnibus thrillers are a bit of a test of faith, aren’t they. If the pacing is tight, fine. If not, you end up feeling every extra chapter in your knees.
What makes me wary here is less the page count than the “best selling” packaging. That usually means the pitch is doing a lot of heavy lifting. I’d want to know whether the five books were built to work as one long stretch, or just stapled together and told to behave.
What makes me wary here is less the page count than the “best selling” packaging. That usually means the pitch is doing a lot of heavy lifting. I’d want to know whether the five books were built to work as one long stretch, or just stapled together and told to behave.
Five-in-one always makes me suspicious of the page count, unless the writer is very good at keeping the engine running. Espionage can probably survive the sprawl better than most genres, but only if each instalment earns its place.
I’d still rather have one sharp thriller than a brick full of recycled urgency. The bargain only works if the tension stays alive.
I’d still rather have one sharp thriller than a brick full of recycled urgency. The bargain only works if the tension stays alive.