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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Iraq, Iran, Palestine, the Middle East ... will the conflict ever end?, Nov 25 2008
Built around the interminable Arab/Israeli conflict in the Middle East, the plot is simply enough told. Two Concorde jets, packed with a small army of politicians, diplomats, security agents and a typical administrative entourage take off from Lod Airport in Israel. Their destination is a UN peace conference that many believe will lead to a final and lasting peace in the Middle East. But there are also some so filled with hatred that they will do almost anything to sabotage the conference and ensure that the wish for peace becomes a house of cards collapsing in a hail of bullets and blood. In a cunning plan that stretches out years in the planning, a team of terrorists blow up one of the jets and skyjack the other forcing it to land in the desert along the Euphrates River.
"By the Rivers of Babylon" tells a thrilling tale of survival and the guerilla-like commando tactics of the heroic passengers of the Concorde as they struggle desperately against their attackers and attempt against all odds to reach the outside world with news of their plight in the Babylonian desert. In his first novel, DeMille makes grand statements about the nature of courage and heroism under fire, sacrifice, loyalty, altruism and love. He has crafted interesting characters such as Jacob Hausner, the security officer who cannot forgive himself for his careless oversight many years earlier that allowed the terrorists access to the Concorde's inner workings. We witness Miriam Bernstein, Golda Meir's young and beautiful hand-picked political protégé evolve away from her roots as a far left wing advocate of peace at almost any cost.
"By the Rivers of Babylon" is undoubtedly a page-turner but equally clearly it is an early work that simply doesn't measure up to his later thrillers and his ability to craft much, much deeper and more complex, multi-faceted characters such as John Corey and Kate Mayfield. Nor does the plot move along with the same speed and, by my measure, suffered from a certain repetitive sameness that would have been eliminated with some judicious editing to shorten the novel.
But that said, the techno-thriller would would be a poorer place without the benefit of "By the Rivers of Babylon". Recommended.
Paul Weiss
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
So Much Time Has Passed and Yet . . ., April 30 2004
I ran across this book while getting my house ready to sell. I saw that it had a 1975 copyright date and wondered if, while all that has gone on in the region since then, whether I would find it an interesting read. I believe it's timeless. If we don't delve more into the background of this conflict we'll never have an inkling of what it's about (even when we do so we may not!). At any rate it's a good book and I was riven by it
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4.0 out of 5 stars
SOMETHINGS NEVER CHANGE..., Aug 13 2009
Two jets on a peace keeping mission take off in Israel. Their ultimate destination is the United Nations in New York City. Each jet is carrying a load of people from a variety of disciplines. All aboard share the same goal: to secure a peace in the Middle East. Unfortunately, there are those for whom those goals are anathema. So, unbeknownst to these travelers, a bomb has been planted aboard one of those jets.
When this becomes known to them and they are forced to crash land in the desert, all hell breaks loose. Suddenly, like the Jews of Masada, those aboard are forced to make a stand. Unfortunately, their stand will be against a group of crack Palestinian commandos, and the peacekeepers are outgunned and outmanned. They must attempt to stem the bloody tide, until the world realizes their predicament, and a rescue mission can be mounted. It will be a battle to the finish.
This is an engrossing, well-executed thriller, Written just over thirty years ago, one would think that it were written today, given the state of the world. Those who enjoy action-packed, suspenseful thrillers will surely enjoy this book.
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