Official Review: Henchmen by Eric Lahti
Posted: 21 Jan 2016, 19:15
[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Henchmen" by Eric Lahti.]
3 out of 4 stars
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Henchmen, by Eric Lahti, is an action-packed, science fiction adventure novel that never slows down and keeps the reader asking for more. It is written from a first person point of view by one of the henchmen, named Steven. Steven is part of a team that is trying to eliminate Congress with the goal of building a new government; one that is more focused on the needs of the people. The leader of the henchmen is a woman named Eve and it is obvious right away that she is something other than human. Described as a "seven-foot-tall blonde bombshell," Eve is funny, intelligent, and bullet-proof. The other henchmen include Jean, Frank, and Jacob.
The action starts immediately, as the main characters infiltrate a secure building. Lahti does a wonderful job of describing the technicalities of the building’s security and the details of each character's duties. Each complex action scene is clear and easy to understand. The first person viewpoint makes the reader feel like part of the team, while they maneuver through their very illegal tasks. As the team celebrates a successful mission, they run into Jessica, who works at a local restaurant and happens to be in grave danger. The henchmen rescue her and she explains that the men that attacked her are looking for her father, who used to work for a secret project in the government before suddenly disappearing. Together, they determine that Jessica's father may have important information, possibly even a way to eradicate Congress. Jessica agrees to join the team and the six of them travel to New Mexico, where her father was last seen. This starts off an incredible journey that leads to an unimaginable weapon of mass destruction.
I give this novel 3 out of 4 stars. The action is very well described and easy to follow. Also, the dialogue may be some of the best that I have ever read. The characters are witty and sarcastic, which adds a lot of humor to the otherwise harsh violence. The dialogue is by far my favorite part of the novel, as well as the interesting perspectives the main character provides.
However, there are also many disturbing qualities to this novel. First, the characters appear to have a few psychopathic tendencies. There are multiple killings and murders throughout the course of the story and not a single one is presented in a way that mourns the loss of a life. Each minor character that dies is simply seen as cannon fodder or a body that got in the way. In fact, the main goal of the henchmen is a mass murder of every member of Congress. The clear lack of empathy at the loss of human life is horrifying, if one ponders it for too long. Next, the characters themselves are rather strange, not only in their complete disrespect for life, but also in the way they respond to their circumstances. For example, Jessica is a random woman who, once rescued, immediately decides to join this group of self-admitting villains that plan to kill the members of Congress. She is unmoved when her father is found mentally insane and she has no problem implementing mild torture and deception to aid in the plot to destroy Congress. All of the characters have a lack of normal emotions, which makes them both unbelievable and unrelatable. The only true emotion they all share is their hatred for Congress and the idea that killing all of its members would somehow fix the country's problems.
This novel is a good read for anyone who enjoys nonstop action scenes filled with humor and intense sarcasm. There is also a science fiction element to the novel, which I will not expand upon so that the story can remain untainted for those who would like to read it. However, I would not recommend this novel for anyone who is squeamish or working in Congress.
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Henchmen
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3 out of 4 stars
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Henchmen, by Eric Lahti, is an action-packed, science fiction adventure novel that never slows down and keeps the reader asking for more. It is written from a first person point of view by one of the henchmen, named Steven. Steven is part of a team that is trying to eliminate Congress with the goal of building a new government; one that is more focused on the needs of the people. The leader of the henchmen is a woman named Eve and it is obvious right away that she is something other than human. Described as a "seven-foot-tall blonde bombshell," Eve is funny, intelligent, and bullet-proof. The other henchmen include Jean, Frank, and Jacob.
The action starts immediately, as the main characters infiltrate a secure building. Lahti does a wonderful job of describing the technicalities of the building’s security and the details of each character's duties. Each complex action scene is clear and easy to understand. The first person viewpoint makes the reader feel like part of the team, while they maneuver through their very illegal tasks. As the team celebrates a successful mission, they run into Jessica, who works at a local restaurant and happens to be in grave danger. The henchmen rescue her and she explains that the men that attacked her are looking for her father, who used to work for a secret project in the government before suddenly disappearing. Together, they determine that Jessica's father may have important information, possibly even a way to eradicate Congress. Jessica agrees to join the team and the six of them travel to New Mexico, where her father was last seen. This starts off an incredible journey that leads to an unimaginable weapon of mass destruction.
I give this novel 3 out of 4 stars. The action is very well described and easy to follow. Also, the dialogue may be some of the best that I have ever read. The characters are witty and sarcastic, which adds a lot of humor to the otherwise harsh violence. The dialogue is by far my favorite part of the novel, as well as the interesting perspectives the main character provides.
However, there are also many disturbing qualities to this novel. First, the characters appear to have a few psychopathic tendencies. There are multiple killings and murders throughout the course of the story and not a single one is presented in a way that mourns the loss of a life. Each minor character that dies is simply seen as cannon fodder or a body that got in the way. In fact, the main goal of the henchmen is a mass murder of every member of Congress. The clear lack of empathy at the loss of human life is horrifying, if one ponders it for too long. Next, the characters themselves are rather strange, not only in their complete disrespect for life, but also in the way they respond to their circumstances. For example, Jessica is a random woman who, once rescued, immediately decides to join this group of self-admitting villains that plan to kill the members of Congress. She is unmoved when her father is found mentally insane and she has no problem implementing mild torture and deception to aid in the plot to destroy Congress. All of the characters have a lack of normal emotions, which makes them both unbelievable and unrelatable. The only true emotion they all share is their hatred for Congress and the idea that killing all of its members would somehow fix the country's problems.
This novel is a good read for anyone who enjoys nonstop action scenes filled with humor and intense sarcasm. There is also a science fiction element to the novel, which I will not expand upon so that the story can remain untainted for those who would like to read it. However, I would not recommend this novel for anyone who is squeamish or working in Congress.
******
Henchmen
View: on Bookshelves
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