Shadow Puppets

Shadow Puppets has a much better story than its predecessor (Shadow of the Hegemon), however, it suffers from a weak points.

In this novel, the world Hegemon (Peter) kidnaps the villain Achilles during a prison transfer in China. However, bringing him on board causes most of his closest allies to depart. He thinks this is fine because he thinks he can "control" him, and has plenty of network monitoring software in place. However, it turns out that Achilles is really controlling them psychologically and using the position to his benefit. In the end, however, with some help, they are able to cause Achilles to overreach, leading to his isolation and eventual downfall.

Meanwhile, our hero, Bean, aligns himself with the Arab Caliphate in the planning for their war against the Chinese empire. He also gets married and attempts to have "normal" babies through in vitro fertilization. One is implanted in his wife (Petra). However, others are stolen by those allied with Achilles.

Its not that bad for a storyline. However it is the details that bring the book down. At one point Bean is described as having a child's ability to absorb new languages. However, despite living in Damascus and hanging out with Arabs, he does not seem to understand a lick of Arabic. The initial encounter between Petra and Ali (the Arab Caliph) also comes across as somewhat unbelievable. Then there is the final scene where Bean kills Achilles. Ugghh. The violence and fast pace help to bring down Bean's character (though it does eliminate a character that has become annoying.) Bean and Petra's willingness to trust a doctor they both know is a scoundrel is far fetched. (Especially since the trust is in place in part to overcome a marital disagreement.) There are also a lot of dumb luck that helps our "heroes" get out of quandaries. (For instance, Bean happens to prefer an Indonesian cabbie over a smoking Dutchman)

On the positive side, there is significant growth in the relationship between Peter and his parents. The parents finally come alive, showing their intelligence, and playing a key role in getting Peter out of a mess. Bean and Petra have one of the first "youthful" romances in the series. (Though of course it is very cerebral, and they seem to suddenly end up married.) Overall it works fairly well, and seems to have plenty of threads left open for a sequel.