Review - Critical Mass by Whitley Strieber

This was another book I just grabbed because the blurb sounded interesting.  I knew the name Whitley Strieber but had never read anything by him.  Now I know I won't be reading anything else by him.

The story line is interesting enough.  What if terrorists could sneak the components for a nuclear weapon, a real one not just a "dirty bomb", into the U.S. and other western nations?  It's a very real concern for the real intelligence and security services of the world.  There is more unaccounted for weapons materials (plutonium and the like) floating around out there than anyone really wants to think about.  And there are people who would be more than willing to use it.

Sounds like a concept.  Sadly the author lets the concept down.

Stephen King introduced me to a concept (may be unique to King, I don't know) called author intrusion.  It's when the author uses language or structures that are designed primarily to show just how smart and talented they are.  In fact they show how insecure the author is more often than not.

Strieber is guilty of it all.  Peculiar sentence structures, grandiose language, bizarre character motivations.  I found virtually none of the characters particularly believable or sympathetic.  Characters do things for no obvious or seemingly rational reason and are generally cardboard cut outs.  It's really pretty bad.  He does keep the story moving along (well with the exception of the extremely long section where he described the deaths due to a nuclear explosion of what seemed like every single person on the Las Vegas Strip.  It was both tedious and a bit disgusting).  Periodically I would have to stop and go back over a sentence just to make sure it was a tortured as I'd thought.  I was usually right.

So interesting idea told in a good tempo but written badly.  It's too bad because the writing is just an anchor that drags the rest of it down.  Too many other authors out there to read.