Day 5: “24 Declassified: Trojan Horse”

The book comes with a definition for what the term “Trojan horse” means in computer terms: a kind of virus. It's debatable whether that was needed, but it sure helped the reading of it for me. I should tell people that the main antagonist in the novel has a tie to a character who plays a very important role in the series: Victor Drazen. I've been hearing the name, but I never actually knew he was part of the show. I can safely say that in terms of action, this novel is the best “24 Declassified” novel so far, with the final six chapters a race to uncover the conspiracy. There are also a fair bit of cyanide pill bites over the course of several interrogations throughout the novel, and this is also the bloodiest book so far. Story-wise, it doesn't cover much new ground, but is still quite enjoyable. Sensitive readers should also note that there is a very gruesome murder of a character, who, early on, seems like she'll be very important. But this is a well-paced and to the point thriller that delivers on what it promises, nothing less and not much more.

Day 4: “24 Declassified: Operation Hell Gate”

After a bit of an absence, I have returned, exhilarated, from reading the next piece of “24”-related media on my list. This is another print book, which means that I'm a little slowed down by their density, but I can safely say that “Operation Hell Gate” is every bit the equal of “Trinity,” and in some cases superior, even. It involves a planned bombing of a plane carrying samples of the 1918 flu outbreak that would effectively wipe out all of NYC in a week. The last two chapters (excepting an epilogue afterwords) are essentially one long, extended, exciting battle, with the epilogue ending the story in a satisfying and “leaving-the-door-open-for-the-following-books” way. I'm really starting to sympathize with the character of Jack Bauer, as so many already have done over the course of the show's nine seasons. He's rough on the outside, but despite that, we still sympathize with him. I'm reading the next chronological book as soon as possible at this point.