Curse of the Eagle

By: Michael Nathanson

Narrated by: Kevin Charles

Length: 14 hrs and 49 mins

Publisher's summary

The Council of Practitioners of Jihad sounds the call for an unprecedented meeting.

More than 200 prominent jihadis from all over the world will gather in Mecca during the Hajj for a secret meeting, ensured by their hosts. They have not officially met since the group’s formation some 30 years earlier, and leadership wants to revive the vision and renew the purpose, strategy, and tactics of the next generation. Power moves, treachery, and sectarian infighting threaten unity. The vision cast is for the creation of United World Islam, a globally unified force to topple the West within 10 years. New tools, methods, and practices will strengthen the next wave of terrorists. Ultimately a unified, unstoppable military confrontation is planned. Armageddon.

FBI agents Gerry Bolton, Jan Hanson, and now FBI Special Agent Aziz Malawi return from Cries of the Eagle. Bolton and Hanson find themselves tracking down clues to the murders of several high-profile government officials across the country that share too many common details. When the truth is revealed, it is positively alarming.

Aziz Malawi, an easygoing, basketball and movie-loving American Muslim patriot, embarks upon his career as an official special agent of the FBI, probing into the underworld of terrorist activities in America. He is drawn by chance into a very dark world he thought was only the conjured tales of fictional plots and film but now is all too real. He calls upon the skills of his prior life as an engineer along with his natural acting ability to craft a plausible legend.

Aziz is plunged into the workings of a large-scale terrorist operation in America. He is accepted and employed. He must live his legend as a terrorist to the fullest to get close enough to take it down. His FBI team must give him enough leash to get the job done, yet extract him before he becomes another victim of this brutal world.

Curse of the Eagle is a work of “faction”, combining elements of history, a suspense thriller, and modern-day reality.

©2021 Michael E. Nathanson (P)2023 Michael E. Nathanson

Captivating and Thought-Provoking

I recently read Curse of the Eagle, written by Michael Nathanson, which seamlessly blends suspense with a sophisticated cultural commentary. What stands out is Nathanson's insightful portrayal of the complexities within the Muslim community, consciously avoiding oversimplified categorizations while recognizing the fact that extremist views are held by a minority.

Most striking to me was the character of Aziz, an American Muslim who becomes an FBI agent tasked with thwarting terrorism. Aziz as a protagonist injects a refreshing and much-needed perspective in today's literature, bringing to light the complex layers of identity and loyalty.

While I do read written books, I also listen to many of them on Audible while commuting throughout the city. The narration by Kevin Charles introduced an additional dimension that kept me gripped with anticipation for the next chapter. This installment, which continues the series (the first book is Cries of the Eagle), showcases Charles's adeptness in storytelling, maintaining a taut tension that propels the audience from one chapter to the next.

Curse of the Eagle is a remarkable read (or listen), and I highly recommend it, along with the first book of the series, for those seeking a story that is not only thrilling but also thoughtfully challenges common perceptions.