I read Rainbow Six before this, and to be honest, I felt that this was, for the most part, a more enjoyable experience. It is extremely action-packed, and I cared more about the characters involved.

It's a short read, only 400 pages compared to 900, but it accomplishes what it needs to do. In fact, this is my second time reading this book. I read it 10 years ago, and enough time has passed for me to enjoy it again. This says a lot because I don't often do that, which is why it has 4 stars instead of 3.

It's not revolutionary, and the plot won't surprise you in any memorable ways. Nor will the characters, although I really like Sam, have an impact on you in unimaginable ways, but it could still happen. That being said, it's still fun, and I would recommend it to fans of the game or those looking for an action-packed military/spy thriller novel, or if you, like me, were left disappointed by Rainbow Six.

This was the worst edited book I've ever come across.

There were countless tense contradictions, with the plural forms not agreeing with their articles, missing articles here and there, and duplicate words aplenty.

I actually found myself laughing out loud and yelling out "c'mon!" on multiple occasions. It was truly a terrible exercise in reading.

The publisher clearly didn't take the time or effort to actually read their own darn book before unleashing it upon the masses.

I would not recommend this book to anyone. It was an absolute chore to get through, and the actual story itself simply wasn't engaging or diverting enough to make up for its numerous flaws.

This was a completely generic spy novel that really should not have seen the light of day. It represents the lowest bar and is the only way a book can earn a measly 1 star in my opinion.

I was truly excited to embark on reading this book as I had been a regular player of the video game.

It's important to remember that this is a book inspired by a video game, and if you keep that in mind, you're likely not to be disappointed. For me, it was quite a challenge to not hear the familiar voices of the characters from the game and instead envision the action in the book as a video game. But then again, I was a rather addicted Splinter Cell enthusiast.

Regrettably, delving into Sam Fisher's life through the pages of this book wasn't all that great. The writing left a lot to be desired, and it was truly awful. Whoever was responsible for the copy editing did a terrible job as well. It took a great deal of self-restraint on my part to not reach for my trusty red pen and start correcting all the mistakes.

Nonetheless, I would wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone who is a die-hard fan of the video game, solely for the entertainment value it offers. However, if you're not familiar with the game, it's probably best not to bother.

It was better in some ways than the previous books.

However, the first-person parts that I liked had been removed.

And its story wasn't bad either.

Overall, it still had its own charm and attractions.

Although the omission of the first-person parts was a bit disappointing, the remaining content was still able to hold my attention.

The author's writing style was engaging, and the plot development was smooth.

Even without those familiar first-person perspectives, I could still feel the emotions and experiences of the characters.

Perhaps this was a new attempt by the author, and I was willing to give it a chance to see how it would unfold.

Despite its flaws, I still believed that this book had something valuable to offer.

Sicuramente il più figo letto finora. It truly is the coolest thing read so far. Zero sentimentalismi, zero storie esterne e zero inconvenienti. There are no sentimentalities, no external stories and no inconveniences. Solo Sam che viaggia da una parte all'altra del mondo infiltrandosi in zone ad alto rischio senza lasciare alcuna traccia. Only Sam travels from one part of the world to another, infiltrating high-risk areas without leaving any trace. Il più rappresentativo della serie videoludica sia per stile che per immaginario. It is the most representative of the video game series in terms of both style and imagination. Peccato per il finale un po' debole, scontato e più "da film d'azione americano" rispetto agli altri. It's a pity that the ending is a bit weak, predictable and more "American action movie-like" compared to the others. However, despite this small flaw, the overall experience of reading this has been truly amazing and engaging. It has taken the reader on a thrilling adventure across the globe, filled with excitement and danger at every turn.

This book would have been better had I not read the first two books prior.

In general, this book truly irritated me for the initial two-thirds of it. The author of this book made absolutely no effort to maintain continuity with the first two installments.

The main characters all behaved differently. There was no mention of the old villains and events.

Heck, the beginning of this book has the same disaster potential as what occurred at the end of the last book, yet they acted as if it never happened.

The writing style, which was one of the most engaging and unique I've come across (the main character was in first person, allowing for an intimate connection with his thoughts), but they described the movements of the other characters in third person, so there was no sacrifice of the plot for that intimate first-person view...my major pet peeve with first person. It was a great way to tell a story.

Overall, I believe this book was poorly researched. He refers to the Hotel in Dubai, and it's evident that he simply read a fact sheet, looked at some Google pictures, and considered that sufficient.

The tennis court he referenced was actually the helipad. He just Googled the hotel, and some of the first images to come up were of tennis players playing on the helipad.

Also, his pretense that Lambert, the head of intelligence, had never heard of this hotel is absurd. Just because the author didn't know and did lazy research, he thought it would be acceptable.

This may seem nitpicky on its own, but it pervades throughout the book.

By the end, the plot was okay, the action was good, and the story was decent...I just couldn't overlook the changes in how everything functioned and the personalities of the characters. This book should never have been permitted to be written in such a manner.

4.5 stars

This was likely the finest installment of the Splinter Cell novel thus far. It presented almost non-stop action as Sam Fisher traversed the globe, striving to prevent a war between the US and Iran. The true mastermind behind this conflict, well, that would be revealing too much, and I'll ensure this review remains spoiler-free.

The plot of this particular novel was extremely well thought out. It seemed so plausible that it was rather alarming. It was truly a well-crafted action/adventure novel. I'm eagerly anticipating the arrival of the new volume. I can't wait to see what new challenges and adventures Sam Fisher will face in the next installment. The author has done an excellent job of creating a thrilling and engaging story that keeps the reader on the edge of their seat from beginning to end. I highly recommend this novel to fans of the Splinter Cell series and anyone who enjoys a good action/adventure story.

This is what I have planned for my vacation.

I will pick up a book that is not written by Tom Clancy. The reason? Simply because it is there on the shelf, waiting to be discovered.

I anticipate indulging in its implausible plot, following the adventures of its invincible hero as he dashes from Dubai to West Virginia, then to Turkmenistan and finally to Chernobyl. The speed at which the story hops from one location to another is faster than most people can manage to get to the post office.

Afterward, I will come here to this platform and leave a detailed record of my reading experience. Why? Because one of these days, when my memory fails me and I think "what was that crazy book that had a plot as wild as a Mission Impossible scenario set in a nuclear reactor?", Goodreads will be there to jog my memory and remind me of the details of that thrilling read.

Who on Earth copy-edited this thing? Fire them now. Strike one.

Okay, it's an action novel, and one would expect action. I can support a hero who takes on daunting tasks, pushing their physical and mental limits in pursuit of a noble goal, such as averting a ballooning geopolitical crisis. However, Fisher just moves around too much. It's as if they had an idea to send him to Mars for a chapter and then bring him back to Earth. It seems like someone thought, "How many different places can I incorporate into this story?" and based the entire narrative around that. Strike two.

With Clancy's name on it, one knows there will be some tactical military jargon. And boy, is there a lot of it. I've only read one of Clancy's books that he actually wrote, not just ones where he put his name on to boost sales. Maybe my basis for comparison is limited, but I don't remember having trouble using both hands to count the number of times a clever acronym appeared, followed by the obligatory reveal of what it stood for. Strike three.

As I send this book away with its head hanging down, I'm reminded of the ludicrous cover with Fisher wearing a getup more suitable for something from Arthur C. Clarke. Maybe my facetious Mars angle wasn't that far-fetched after all. Strike four.

Oh yeah, and the whole chess metaphor thing reflected in the title. Could there be a more overused metaphor? Spoken from an aspiring author who has also abused this metaphor in my failed attempts at writing fiction. Strike five.

I have a great deal of respect for the military, especially those in real life with half the courage of Fisher. And while I'm sure David Michaels is more than capable of weaving a compelling story in this genre, it's just sad that it could result in this output. Not that I'll ever write anything better. I'm just some guy who gets to read published works and criticize them on Goodreads. :-)

Chess references and print errors are extremely prevalent in Checkmate, which is the third book in the Splinter Cell series and the first one penned by author Grant Blackwood, who uses the pseudonym David Michaels for most of the books in this series.

This particular installment kicks off with a heart-pounding scene where a ship transporting radioactive material is hurtling on a collision course towards the American shore. As a result, NSA Third Echelon operative Sam Fisher is dispatched to prevent the disaster.

Although he manages to do so, a second mass casualty attack that is even more lethal than 9/11 is successfully executed in a small American town called Slipstone, leaving over 5,000 people dead. The evidence quickly points the finger at Iran as the culprit behind these terror attacks. However, could there be more to this than what initially meets the eye? And will Fisher and his team be able to stop the perpetrators before they strike again?

Unfortunately, this book represents a significant decline for the series. Many reviewers have already remarked on this, but it is now undoubtedly the worst-edited book I have ever read in my life, surpassing the dreadfully-edited novelization of Godzilla vs. Kong by Greg Keyes. I am not exaggerating when I state that there are at least three or four major mistakes on every single page of this book. With over 400 pages, this amounts to thousands of errors. It is truly so糟糕 that I highly doubt this book was edited at all. It seems as if they simply took it directly from the author and published it in its original state.

The story itself was also rather lackluster. It truly reads as if Blackwood merely watched five minutes of gameplay from one of the video games or was provided with some brief notes on it. The plot is almost a poor stereotype of a Splinter Cell game. Fisher is constantly toggling his goggles on and off and switching between night vision and infrared modes. He repetitively moves from one place to another and inspects what is in the various rooms, and so on. However, unlike the games, many of the places he visits in this book are just empty rooms, empty houses, and so forth, which makes it rather dull. At least the games had more enemy NPCs for him to shoot at.

Nevertheless, it wasn't all bad. Blackwood portrays Sam Fisher's personality better than the author of the first two books in the series, Raymond Benson. In this entry, Fisher is very concise, and his thoughts and speech are more professional and refined, just as they are in the games. Benson sometimes wrote Fisher as if he were an immature idiot, with many of his thoughts and sentences worded in a rather goofy or childish manner.

Overall, if you are considering delving into these books, it would be advisable to skip this one. The editing, or rather the complete absence of it, is so糟糕 that it can sometimes disrupt your immersion in the story. Moreover, there is no continuity between the previous two books (which were interconnected and part of one larger story) and this one. Therefore, you are unlikely to be missing out on much, as I highly doubt there will be any continuity between this installment and the next book, Fallout. I sincerely hope they actually edit that one, but in any case, I probably won't get around to reading it for a while. I am currently a bit exhausted from reading Splinter Cell books; three in a row is more than sufficient for now.

This book was truly awesome!!

I have a great penchant for stealth/action types of books, and this one did not disappoint.

The thrilling plot and intense action scenes had me on the edge of my seat from start to finish.

What made it even more enjoyable was the element of humor that was interwoven throughout the story.

The witty remarks and comical situations brought a smile to my face and added a lighthearted touch to the otherwise intense narrative.

It was a perfect combination of excitement and entertainment, making it a book that I would highly recommend to anyone who loves this genre.

I can't wait to read more from this author and see what other amazing stories they have in store for us.

I gave this one my usual 100 pages to impress me and keep me reading.

I made it to 120 pages, but unfortunately, it didn't quite meet my expectations.

I didn't really expect a great book, but this one was just too much like reading a video game script with no surprises.

The story seemed to unfold in a rather predictable manner, lacking the element of excitement and unpredictability that I was hoping for.

I guess I should have expected that, given the nature of the subject matter.

However, I was still hoping for a little more depth in the characters and the plot.

Perhaps with a bit more development and a less formulaic approach, this could have been a more engaging read.

As it stands, it was an okay book, but not one that I would highly recommend.