Book Review: The Warrior by Ty Patterson

The Warrior by Ty Patterson, is a military thriller, which tells the tale of Zeb, a private military contractor, recovering from horrors witnessed on a mission in the Congo. Now in New York, he attempts to track the perpetrators of the heinous crimes, but finds his path blocked by the FBI. This is the first of a series (Zeb and the Broker).

Firstly, I would like to say that this is a very new genre for me. I accepted this book for review to challenge myself. I knew that this was not a book that would typically capture my interest, but I read the synopsis, and decided to check it out. I am glad I did so, as it was an enjoyable ride.

I definitely liked the main character Zeb. I found him to be well-developed and interesting. I enjoyed not only his action scenes, but also the scenes where he interacted with other characters, and we got to see the softer side of him. I especially liked his interactions with Broker and Rory, and would have enjoyed seeing more interaction with the latter. I also liked the elements from different cultures interspersed throughout the book, such as the scenes with the tablas. As an Indian and a music-lover, this appealed to me, and I felt that these scenes, as well as the interactions with the supporting characters, allowed me to see beneath Zeb's battle-hardened exterior. The descriptions of Zeb playing the tabla were beautifully written, and it was nice to see Zeb transported to another place, where he could somewhat forget the tragic events he had witnessed. Overall, I found the way that Zeb was written very realistically. The way he spoke, interacted, and reacted to various events in the book were believable to me.

In terms of the supporting cast, I found many of them to be sufficiently developed as well. I especially liked Broker, Cassandra, Bear, and Bwana, and their relationships with Zeb. I felt that the character of Rory could have been fleshed out a little more, however. Additionally, I feel that the author established the various settings well. I felt like I was in the Congo with Zeb, and hunting the antagonist with him in New York as well. I really felt his rage, when dealing with the perpetrators of the atrocities in the Congo.

In technical terms, I felt that the book was a job well done! The story progressed quickly, but not so fast that the reader couldn't keep up. The well-executed action scenes are sure to appeal to many readers of all ages. Additionally, the dialogue is excellent and realistic. Some very minor editing is needed, but not so much as to distract me when I was reading. I do feel, however, that the pacing at some points needed a little work. Throughout the novel, the story was progressing at a certain rate and then, about 3/4 of the way through, became significantly more fast paced. This made me feel like the  reader was rushed towards the end a little bit. I would have liked the pacing to pick up a little more gradually, so that the ending didn't feel so abrupt.

The ending of the story was very unexpected, but not in a bad way. I enjoyed every bit of it, and was keen to read more upon reaching the last page. I am curious to see what the next book will be about, since the events of the last few chapters were so surprising to me.

In sum, The Warrior is well worth a read. It is a good introduction to an interesting series. Those who love action and adventure, as well as military thrillers, are sure to enjoy it. Still, those who don't like these types of novels, should keep an open mind, as it is a good read. I think that with some more character development and improved pacing, the next book could be even better.

Below is the link to the amazon page, so that you can check it out for yourself!

http://www.amazon.com/The-Warrior-ebook/dp/B00AMHDUMQ/ref=la_B00APU24BI_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1358229587&sr=1-1

My Rating: 3.5 stars