This is a spy thriller, and as such, I anticipate a fair amount of technical jargon. However, in this book, it can get a bit excessive at times. There are multiple pages dedicated to minute details about a boat or a particular weapon. While it's interesting for a paragraph or so, it drags on and on. Eventually, I resorted to skimming the pages and even outright skipping sections to get back to the main story.
The core story is actually quite engaging and closely resembles the missions in the video game. The portrayal of Sam Fisher feels remarkably accurate, and I couldn't help but have the voices of the video game actors playing in my head throughout the reading. Additionally, you can sense the time period in which this was written, especially with some of the descriptions of the Middle East. There were several moments when I audibly exclaimed, “ooohh” while reading.
This book serves as a good starting point for this series, but I truly hope that from the next installment onwards, the author(s) can strike a better balance and not overburden the story with excessive details that aren't really crucial. You can inform me about the super weapons and Sam's arsenal, but I really don't require multiple paragraphs about a boat.