tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6161526002238586054.post6410309206839725098..comments2023-09-08T08:20:13.780-04:00Comments on Two-Fisted Blogger: New Podler Reviews Hell and GoneHank Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01241805904517893443noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6161526002238586054.post-22560493733737489262010-11-27T10:19:35.813-05:002010-11-27T10:19:35.813-05:00There is a book called "Gideon's Spies&qu...There is a book called "Gideon's Spies" about the history of Mossad which was pretty interesting. They have a lot of the same issues our intelligence agencies have from what I gather.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6161526002238586054.post-43658670028585765952010-11-26T23:34:19.431-05:002010-11-26T23:34:19.431-05:00Absolutely. Entebbe was a masterpiece of a SpecOps...Absolutely. Entebbe was a masterpiece of a SpecOps mission. The Six-Day War was probably their peak, but the way they turned the disaster around during the Yom Kippur War was almost as impressive. Not living in Israel and never serving in the IDF or Mossad, I could only speculate about why the decline. Complacency and moral decay, perhaps.Hank Brownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01241805904517893443noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6161526002238586054.post-81612563233721006522010-11-26T17:11:59.151-05:002010-11-26T17:11:59.151-05:00Dreizil was the true believer. He was probably as...Dreizil was the true believer. He was probably as fanatical as the terrorists he was fighting. I thought he was interesting and multiple points of view were represented. The IDF...yeah, along with Mossad, they seem to have gone way down hill. Watching what they have gotten into over the last few years its difficult to imagine that these are the same organizations behind the hostage rescue at Entebbe, the Six Day War, and the kidnapping of Adolph Eichmann, all of which are impressive to say the least.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6161526002238586054.post-27144288364223264252010-11-24T23:10:47.479-05:002010-11-24T23:10:47.479-05:00Thanks for your honesty. I certainly don't wan...Thanks for your honesty. I certainly don't want to beat anyone over the head. Well, not my readers, anyway... :-)<br /><br />For the record, though, I don't consider the Israelis to be infallible saints. Their politicians are just as corrupt as ours, I'm sure. Their policies, both foreign and domestic, are sometimes wrong. There are Israelis at every level of society who do wrong--whether by mistake or because of evil intent. Including in the IDF which, from 1948-1973 at least, was a superb fighting organization.<br /><br />I see Dreizil as the kind of man who is more painfully aware of this than anybody...but he'd be reluctant to discuss it with foreigners. In mixed company his bone to pick would focus on the international press, the US State Department and the United Nazis.Hank Brownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01241805904517893443noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6161526002238586054.post-20351312466385744562010-11-24T12:36:05.207-05:002010-11-24T12:36:05.207-05:00Exactly, Mai is an example of the dark side of the...Exactly, Mai is an example of the dark side of the Army. He's supposed to be despised by the reader. I think the characters were the strongest part of your novel, Dreizil just comes on so strong that you can't help but feel the author is really beating you over the head with a message. Still, it is your novel and you have every right to do that. I prefer to read something with a point of view (even if it isn't mine) than empty "entertainment" even if it is in the action genre.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6161526002238586054.post-54478450054871464652010-11-17T21:11:05.263-05:002010-11-17T21:11:05.263-05:00You can rest assured Dreizil won't be in the s...You can rest assured Dreizil won't be in the sequel, if there is one. ;-)<br /><br />The other character that really got on some readers' nerves was Mai. One person hinted that I should dial him down because Mai had him grinding his teeth every time he opened his mouth. To which I said, "But he's SUPPOSED to do that."<br /><br />He actually started out as an amalgam character, but as I wrote further, he became one specific NCO I had the displeasure of knowing.Hank Brownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01241805904517893443noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6161526002238586054.post-34954065465972834852010-11-17T13:47:31.572-05:002010-11-17T13:47:31.572-05:00Hey, you were true to his character at least. You...Hey, you were true to his character at least. You also juxtaposed his views with that of the protagonist and his Mossad handler who plays the part of the cynical intelligence agent.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6161526002238586054.post-61662229964019743622010-11-15T19:18:21.719-05:002010-11-15T19:18:21.719-05:00Dreizil is a dude who sees things in black & w...Dreizil is a dude who sees things in black & white,for sure. Myopic in some ways, overbearing in his opinions, but could never be accused of being wishy-washy. Kinda' like a Jewish Kowalski (from Gran Torino).<br /><br />I dropped a line thanking Podler for this review. I'm grateful for them all, of course, but this one is in my top 3 favorites. The reviewer was up front about both their likes and dislikes, yet still counts it an overall positive experience. Podler may not have the clout that Midwest Book Reviews does, but I thought this one was more thoughtful and more fluently expressed than MBR's. They seemed to not only "get it," but the review on the whole will give readers a good feel for the book, too.<br /><br />You're right, and I'm stashing it away in my mental filing cabinet for future reference.Hank Brownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01241805904517893443noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6161526002238586054.post-80965026085395103012010-11-15T18:15:01.258-05:002010-11-15T18:15:01.258-05:00I thought it was a pretty good review as well. It...I thought it was a pretty good review as well. It's cool to see criticism when it gets into specifics and becomes something you can think about and maybe use in the future. To add some detail about the NeoCon thing...I think he was mostly talking about Drezel's dialog, almost monologues in a few places, that yes, read like straight up propaganda. I used to have comparable views regarding Israel but not anymore. Without getting into the politics involved, I do think that the view point expressed was consistent and made sense for that character. Regardless of your personal opinion it makes for some interesting reading regarding our foreign policy in the middle east as the reviewer pointed out.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com