Siege

Paul Thornley is a great narrator -wolf hall a masterpiece of narration as well as literature.
The book however is 3rd rate creative writing drivel and not worth the investment in time. Cliche riddled teenage boy level plot and obviously churned out.

My commute to work took longer than normal last week due to public transport issues but instead of berating being stuck on a bus in slow moving traffic, I willed the traffic to all but come to a standstill so that I could enjoy as much of Siege as possible before the daily grind at work began.

Siege is narrated by Paul Thornley. Paul Thornley is pure listening gold and if Paul Thornley has escaped your radar up until now then this is something you should immediately rectify.

Siege tells the tale of just another day in a top hotel in London except the day is far from ordinary and for the staff and guests of the hotel, it will be a day they will never forget.

Right from the get go, this book grabs you and doesn't let you go until 10 odd hours later, you are left bewildered and stunned. I almost felt I was there languishing with the other guests whilst chaos reigned all around.

I highly recommend Siege. I have no complaints about this book other than I have now finished it :( and I would have liked more background as to the whys and wherefores. Also an interview with the author would have been nice.

The disparate motivation and aims of the group that take over the hotel ( The Stanhope not The Lanchester for some reason) are a bit vague, but the shocking body count certainly isn't and Simon Kernick has done a tremendous job here. Having the action take place in real time over the course of one day works well and the pressure is piled on with unexpected twists and turns.
I went to bed at 11 one night intending to listen to just a little bit more and was still wide awake when the book finished four hours later.

I'd meant to listen to this book over a week or so but was so gripped by the story I kept returning to the recording eager to find out what happened next. I felt I was witnessing the siege in real-time as the events only span about 15 hours. There are twists and turns and surprises along the way and moral dilemmas for the characters to wrestle with. Paul Thornley's narration is excellent and help to jack-up the tension. Great stuff!

Siege is a great book with a good plot, believable 3 dimensional characters and a fast pace.



The author gets the readers immediate attention and holds it throughout the book, which is full of intrigue, action and emotion that results in real concern for the characters.



Firstly the hostages: It is the first time I have been rooting for a man I know has murdered 3 people, without knowing why! The book draws you into the feelings and rational of the hostage's, explaining why they take the actions they do. Normal people caught up in extraordinary circumstances.



The Rescuers: An insight in to the pressures on police, armed forces and negotiators that has you shouting advice at the characters.



The Perpetrators: A chance to read the views of those responsible.



Great book - enjoy

I really enjoy reading Simons books always delivering an edge of your seat non stop listen! Siege is no exception to that rule more please!

Had to read one of this Authors books for my book club and I chose this one. A first for me but will not be the last.

A good thriller that is bang up to date.

It was hard to say whether i enjoyed this or not as i found it a run of the mill, linear and predictable thriller book and not in the same league as a Tom Clancy or Utopia by Lincoln Child. It was formulaic to the point where i just wanted to skip to the end. If you like James Patterson then it is in a similiar vein and will probably enjoy this too, otherwise skip it and use your credit elsewhere.

Looking at the negative reviews on this book I ask myself were we dealing with the same story. Of course it's nonsense - it's entertainment - a way of passing the time in an enjoyable manner. And I enjoyed this book thoroughly. Tightly paced, admittedly cliched characters and a plotline which stretches credulity but, one of those stories you can't wait to see what happens next. Oh yes - and very good narration.

I wished I'd believed the other person who gave this a poor review as they were absolutely right. It's not a great story. It's not very well written. The narrator's style quickly becomes irritating. The plot is really Die Hard with a few wrinkles. I also should have also remembered that I didn't enjoy Relentless when I read that. No more Simon Kernick for me.