The Empty Quarter: A USAF Pararescue Thriller, Book 2

This was an Amazon Kindle First monthly pick for me, and only the third book review I have done. I felt compelled to leave one after seeing (and passing) many a novel about romances involving women pining away for their ideal man, I was excited to see something else. Initially I was going to pass on this (book) particular months read because none of the books actually stood out to me, not even the "Empty Quarter." But then I read the reviews, and one review in particular stood out because it totally panned the author just because they felt like it. I left some comments asking questions to probe why they had left the only one star review with no explanation whatsoever, out of the five reviews that were left at the time, however, that particular comment chain is deleted. Anyway, I decided then that I would choose this and read it for myself.Overall, I agree with many of the comments already left- the books is a bit difficult to get started, the pace zigs and zags to such a great extant that it left me wanting to walk away for a good two-thirds of it. Its also true that much of the chapters just seem disjointed with no intersection in sight. But its also unexpected, and even better the book actually delves into nuances and subtle cultural norms that many authors writing about terrorism, the US special forces and/or military, and Islam, seem to always get bungle up.This is not to say that the book is not without fault. There are glaring problems with it in terms of the authenticity of cultures, religions and customs that the author is trying to write about. If I may indulge the author in a small bit of feedback on that- first its understandable to use the word "hadji" within the context of a conversation between military personnel, however, to use it within the narrative voice is not simply problematic, but also racist. For all the nuances and insight weaved into the plot about Saudi, Yemeni and Turkish cultures, you totally missed the point when incorporating the term "hadji" within your narrative voice. It not only made me cringe, but it made me want to stop reading because it was offensive, and its offense made me wonder what other sort of indignities awaited me as I read through the book. It was offensive also because it didn't fit the rest of the enlightened depictions given later on in the book. There was something greatly disturbing and wrong about its casual use, especially since you weren't using it to depict a outwardly unrepentant bigoted racist character (or voice).Like I said, there was a good degree of understanding of Islam (as a religion) and the diversity of cultures (and nationalities) that Muslims make up. But things as simple as knowing that Muslims do not prostrate in front of their dead, or even on top of their dead during the Janazah (funeral prayers) would be expected knowledge from someone who wrote so intimately about other aspects of Muslim life. As is the fact that the term "MashaAllah" is used, but not in the way you used it, and that there are many other (even regional) variations of similar religious (and secularized) blessings. For me, again coming from my place of privilege, made the dialogue boring (and one dimensional at times) because they couldn't utilize or use these other sayings. You could have easily used them, and added the footnote, along with the dozens of other footnotes left for the reader to decipher the multitude of military acronyms you used, and it would have just been fine because at least it stuck to the norms of "Muslim" speech.There are more small things I could add, but overall the book was enjoyable and I don't want to take away from that sentiment by driveling over those other aspects. I honestly thought there would be the time tested twist of exotic foreign girl falling for white caucasian prince charming who came to rescue her from her murdering fanatical Arab husband, however, that was not the case, and I greatly appreciate that aspect. In fact, there was a twist to that tired and useless trope, which I very much appreciated, because being free from it, you took the plot to the next level. You also explored relationships in the larger context of world events and far off distant policy decisions, ditching the stereotypes and reveling in the ambiguity of these decisions, focusing on the reality closer on the ground. This is another reason why you broke the mold of this genre of books.In the end though, the more salient takeaway from reading this book was your exploration of relationships, intimate at times. It was relationships between husband and wife, between community, individuals and tribes, societies, as well as relationships built within groups of warriors. This focus propelled me as a reader, creating my own relationships with the characters, to see them through to the resolution of the plot. That was what made the book engaging. It also helped that the dialogue was believable and the representation of people and cultures I am familiar with to be believable and also relatable. There aren't too many books like this one in this genre, so I recommend it to a casual reader.

What an exciting adventure combining military and medical thriller elements! It takes place in the Rub’ al-Khali, the world’s largest desert (“the empty quarter”), which occupies most of the southern third of the Arabian Peninsula. People are scarce there, except for the ones you most do not want to meet.It’s a multiple point-of-view novel, told mostly from the perspectives of members of a U.S. Air Force pararescuemen (PJs) team. PJs’ combined military-medical mission is personnel recovery, and they use both conventional and unconventional combat rescue methods. The motto of this branch of service is “That Others May Live,” and Robbins effectively describes the team members’ dedication to that mission, despite their differences in personality and temperament.We also read the point of view of Arif, a middle-aged Saudi man whose wife Nadya is a member of the Saudi royal family. Her father, Prince Hassan bin Abd al-Aziz is the country’s head of security. Arif has fallen out with his father-in-law, and he and Nadya are in hiding in the tiny Yemeni town of Ma’rib. Robbins portrays their mutual devotion quite movingly. A third key point of view is that of Josh Cofield, a former Army Ranger, assigned to the American Embassy in the Yemeni capital Sana’a. Everyone, the ambassador included, erroneously believes Josh is CIA, because he is “awkward as a diplomat,” a bit of a bull in a china shop, but a skilled speaker of Arabic.When an attempt is made on Prince Aziz’s life, he mistakenly blames the exiled Arif. He wants his son-in-law dead and his daughter returned to him, and he wants U.S. help in achieving these goals He cannot get it, however, unless an American life is threatened. A plan begins to take shape in diabolical minds.A wild nighttime chase across the desert occupies the last half of the book. Part of Robbins’s skill is in avoiding making any of the principal players obvious bad guys. They’re complex characters with conflicting goals, and all doing their best to resolve an impossible situation. I appreciated that the book includes helpful maps. Not as helpful—and something readers are bound to object to—is the frequent use of military abbreviations and acronyms. While Robbins defines a few of these in footnotes, it might have been better to have a list in an appendix or to retain the abbreviations in speech, but not rely on them as much in the narrative. It would be a shame if readers abandoned a top-notch tale because of the resulting confusion. Robbins has 10 other novels under his body armor. I’ll be reading more of them!

The PJ team we met in Robbins' first USAF novel returns, which is great news, as they were absolutely cracking when combatting Somali pirates. The Empty Quarter places them in the desert between Yemen & Saudi Arabia, which should have worked just as well. However, the narrative here is occupied more than 50% with background stories and plot development outside the action zone, which is rich in cultural detail and well written, but, well, a bit boring. The suspense doesn't quite build up as it should, and there is a tad too much focus on emotions for my taste (from such a novel). Still, definitely a good read.

Second one in and loved it. Number three is next, reviews look great so I can't wait. LB and the team are already legends

An exciting book written by someone who knew a lot or had researched carefully what he was writing. However it is spoilt by the large number of acronyms - I would have given it 5 stars but for this deficiency. The explanation for most acronyms is to be found at the end of each chapter, but this is too late if one is to make sense of what is being read! I never knew what a PJ stood for right to the end.

This is a very clever thriller by an author who knows - or has thoroughly researched - his subject. The apparently disparate strands are ingeniously drawn together as the tension mounts.Sometimes, though, it feels that there has been just one twist too many, making for a long story. And it must be added that this not a book for the squeamish.

Having not read anything from this writer, he has got me reading other books he has writen.I really have enjoyed this book and found myself wanting to know the next part of the story, unable at times to put the book down. War, Far East, America it's there, the Who do you trust and who don't you trust.