This is the third Splinter Cell novel I’ve read and it’s in my opinion, the best one so far. Compared to previous novels in the series, there’s a lot more action (hard to believe) that takes place all over the globe. It’s a non-stop ride of infiltration, gadgetry and surreal situations that often come close to what we imagine black ops are like with a little bit of creative leeway for technology.

The other major difference with this novel is that it reads and feels more like the games than the previous two stories did. Everything is well detailed and explained and the action is similar to what you’d find in the games themselves. So much so you can easily imagine each action Sam makes which makes these books even more fun to read.

As usual, everything (at least to my knowledge) is well researched and well thought out. From the politics, to the weapons, vehicles, cultures in each location, right down to foreign languages. You can learn a lot just from reading these novels. It just makes everything flow better by tying the story elements together while skirting that edge of “eerily believable”.

Take a 90 minute James Bond film, subtract the 45 minutes of schmoozing women and jet setting, then replace that with 45 minutes of badass action with a little bit of dry humour for good measure. That’s what a Splinter Cell game is and that’s what a Splinter Cell novel is as well. As this point I realize that my reviews are starting to sound repetitive. Don’t take that to mean the books are as well. It’s hard to differentiate them without spoiling the story but suffice to say I enjoy each one as a new experience and I’m sure most fans will as well.