Scan barcode
A review by richardrbecker
I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I Am Pilgrim is an escapism spy thriller with a slightly horrific plot — the creation of the hardened smallpox virus by a terrorist who wants to unleash it on the American public. Terry Hayes introduces our protagonist, Pilgram, when he is called in to give his opinion on a crime scene.
The subplot crime is later used as a cover when Pilgram is asked to come out of retirement to stop the Saracen, who is dead set on inflicting a fatal blow on what he considers the "far enemy" of the Middle East. The Saracen was radicalized after his father was beheaded by the Saudis and his wife and daughter were killed by an Israeli missile. Discontent to settle the score with "near" enemies, the Saracen is convinced that his suffering is the will of Allah to fuel his jihad. As a doctor and veteran of the Soviet-Afghan War, his is more than formidable.
Pilgram, a.k.a. Scott Murdoch (among other names), is an Americanized post-9/11 James Bond/CIA superspy. In some ways, Murdoch is more accessible than many spies. Namely, he has a heart. But he is also ruthless and fanatical about protecting the United States.
Hayes weaves in Murdoch's interesting backstory as an orphaned child, one who grew up with the benefit of having an adoptive billionaire father but the misfortunate of an adoptive mother who didn't love, like, or even want him. This makes Hayes a loner and ideal for being recruited out of an Ivy League school to serve an off-the-book intelligence agency primarily charged with investigating double agents and traitors within other intelligence agencies. In sum, he is the best of the best. He has to be or he would be dead.
Some readers find I AM Pilgrim's Australian author to be pandering to Americans, but I disagree. While he certainly knows his readers, Hayes makes a great case for being sympathetic to the Saracen's cause, if not for his ruthlessness and disregard for human life. He callously kills innocent people to further his objective, which is to kill as many people as possible because he doesn't believe any infidels are innocent.
At the same time, it's nearly impossible not to root for Murdoch in trying to stop the Saracen from dealing a fatal blow to America by introducing an especially vicious and deadly plague. However, despite his humanity, Hayes makes it clear that Murdoch can be equally cruel. And maybe that's the point. All humans tend to chastise what others are capable of and yet give themselves a pass for doing the same things in the name of national security or dogma.
This is also why Murdoch and Saracen seem to reach an unspoken understanding by the novel's end. Then again, this isn't the kind of book you need to think so deeply about. Simply put, it's a five-star spy thriller, but I won't put it on my favorite books shelf.
The subplot crime is later used as a cover when Pilgram is asked to come out of retirement to stop the Saracen, who is dead set on inflicting a fatal blow on what he considers the "far enemy" of the Middle East. The Saracen was radicalized after his father was beheaded by the Saudis and his wife and daughter were killed by an Israeli missile. Discontent to settle the score with "near" enemies, the Saracen is convinced that his suffering is the will of Allah to fuel his jihad. As a doctor and veteran of the Soviet-Afghan War, his is more than formidable.
Pilgram, a.k.a. Scott Murdoch (among other names), is an Americanized post-9/11 James Bond/CIA superspy. In some ways, Murdoch is more accessible than many spies. Namely, he has a heart. But he is also ruthless and fanatical about protecting the United States.
Hayes weaves in Murdoch's interesting backstory as an orphaned child, one who grew up with the benefit of having an adoptive billionaire father but the misfortunate of an adoptive mother who didn't love, like, or even want him. This makes Hayes a loner and ideal for being recruited out of an Ivy League school to serve an off-the-book intelligence agency primarily charged with investigating double agents and traitors within other intelligence agencies. In sum, he is the best of the best. He has to be or he would be dead.
Some readers find I AM Pilgrim's Australian author to be pandering to Americans, but I disagree. While he certainly knows his readers, Hayes makes a great case for being sympathetic to the Saracen's cause, if not for his ruthlessness and disregard for human life. He callously kills innocent people to further his objective, which is to kill as many people as possible because he doesn't believe any infidels are innocent.
At the same time, it's nearly impossible not to root for Murdoch in trying to stop the Saracen from dealing a fatal blow to America by introducing an especially vicious and deadly plague. However, despite his humanity, Hayes makes it clear that Murdoch can be equally cruel. And maybe that's the point. All humans tend to chastise what others are capable of and yet give themselves a pass for doing the same things in the name of national security or dogma.
This is also why Murdoch and Saracen seem to reach an unspoken understanding by the novel's end. Then again, this isn't the kind of book you need to think so deeply about. Simply put, it's a five-star spy thriller, but I won't put it on my favorite books shelf.