The Unknown Soldier

By: Gerald Seymour

Narrated by: Simon Vance

Hidden in the vastness of the Saudi Arabian desert, a camel caravan of fugitives moves slowly toward its goal. Deep in the sand and out of sight are the men they seek, leaders of Al Qaeda, regrouping to strike again. One man in the caravan stands out for his strength and self-discipline. His identity is masked, his past blanketed from memory. His obsession is to be briefed on his next target. Searching for him in the limitless sands are American and British counterterrorism experts with their sophisticated electronics. If they fail to find and kill him, if he receives his orders, he will disappear again to re-emerge in a teeming Western city with a suitcase bomb that will create the ultimate devastation.©2004 Gerald Seymour (P)2005 Blackstone Audiobooks

Critic reviews

"he plot of Seymour's skilled thriller could be a contemporary headline 'Al Qaeda Terrorist Escapes; Allies Pursue Through Desert'....[He] offers an engrossing and thought-provoking look at an all-too-possible crisis." (Publishers Weekly)

The Unknown Future

Written shortly after 9/11, this book is a description of nightmarish technology, the rage behind terror, and the grotesque desert from which the three desert religions sprang. The reader wants the comfort of knowing what’s going to happen next, but that’s the whole point. The last paragraph could just as easily been the first. One of the traits that makes this author unique is that he doesn’t like people. For this reason, I would call his books literary rather than thrillers.

Ends with a whimper not with a bang

The author's technique of fragmenting the story makes it intriguing for much of the book but eventually becomes tiresome. It also makes listening to this audiobook a bit challenging. The narrator has a wondeful voice and is excellent with accents-except for the American accent. He gives them all the same extra syllable pronunciation and it makes them seem a bit stupid. The ending will leave you saying, "huh?".

Great narration. Stroy, not so much.

Just couldn't get into the story. Very slow from beginning to end. I do not recommend.