Hitman: Enemy Within
by William C. Dietz
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Book Summary Information
Author: William C. DietzEdition: Mass Market Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2007-08-28
ISBN: 0345471326
Number of pages: 320
Publisher: Del Rey
Book Reviews of Hitman: Enemy Within
Book Review: A surprisingly good adult Mac Bolan type thriller
Summary: 5 Stars
"Enemy Within" certainly starts off with a bang, literally and figuratively. In the first few pages we will be introduced to the two main backstage gameplayers who will cause the conflict that will draw Agent 47 into the novel's story. We then skip to Washington State in which Agent 47 infiltrates a biker gang, and then is suddenly outed by Marla Norton, a rival assassin with the Puissance Treize company, and who has been hired to protect the gang, out an FBI mole, and to assassinate 47. Marla underestimates 47 and his resourcefulness, her assignment goes sideways, and people die. A lot of people die, hell, EVERYBODY dies thanks to 47, and Marla herself just barely gets out alive.
The Agency then realizes that there is a traitor in their top echelons and they start an internal investigation. Meanwhile, Agent 47 is given the assignment to find out who Marla is, and to track down an informant that knows who the traitor is, who is now being guarded by Marla, who is being given one last chance after screwing up in her last assignment.
After the Washington State slaughter in "Enemy Within", we quickly exit the U. S. and head over to the sleazier parts of Morocco, where we spend the bulk of the novel, as Agent 47 hunts Marla and the informant Al-Fulani, who Agent 47 can't kill, but must interrogate. During this part of the novel we are treated to much material in which we are shown glimpses of Agent 47's origin, and how Agent 47 operates, preferring finesse over clumsy and unwieldy slam-bang action. Not that there isn't a fair share of action, it's just that Agent 47 is man of many abilities, and being a master of disguise is one of them.
This is an adult adventure novel that isn't afraid to make the story and background tawdry, and possibly uncomfortable to the reader, and make the main characters unsympathetic. Agent 47 is a cold-blooded murderer and assassin, and Marla is truly a piece of work, as she is a sociopathic killer, assassin, whore, and child-rapist, who must protect Al-Fulani, a killer, murderer, arms dealer, white slaver, kidnapper, and a child-rapist himself. If Marla fails in this assignment after her last failure, she will be paid off with a bullet from the Puissance Treize, which is trying to destroy The Agency. It's this that gives Marla an edge of desperation, and to counter this, Agent 47 must succeed, or his only trustable contact in The Agency will be tortured to death, as his contact has been framed by the real traitor.
Dietz is good with characterization, as he keeps what is essentially, a shallow one dimensional killing machine interesting, while not afraid to leave some plot-threads dangling. "Enemy Within" does not have a neat and tidy ending as we are given the impression that there might have been plans for a sequel, or eventual series. Marla escapes, leaving her open to appear in a future "Hitman" novel. Although, since the movie tanked, and this novel was published two years ago, I guess we shouldn't hold our breath waiting for any sequel. Although I would have liked another novel in which there is a final confrontation between 47 and Marla, who makes a good counter-character to Agent 47.
Still, this book may not be for everybody because of the subject matter. Still, despite the hard realism of its plotlines, and its hard look at some very seamy individuals, "Enemy Within" has a matter-of-factness to its storyline, making this novel not particularly sensationalistic, or pornographic. Orphans are saved, and the final end to Al-Fulani is long over-due and deliciously appropriate.
I collect media related works, and I originally bought "Enemy Within" thinking that it would be a novelization of the (at the time) upcoming movie, and I always like to read novelizations after seeing the movie. Since the movie and the novelization are often created at the same time, but by different people, in theory, each work should have scenes and exposition that are not in the other. I was pleasantly surprised to find that "Enemy Within" wasn't a novelization of the movie but an " . . . official novel of the blockbuster video game!". Whatever THAT means, although, I guess, that "Enemy Within" is an original novel BASED on the game, and NOT a novelization of anything in particular. So, as such, how does it stand up? Pretty damn well by the reviews on this page, and those are by the fans of the game. As an outsider, who has never played the game, and has only seen the movie, which I liked, I can only say that found "Enemy Within" to be a fun and exciting novel, much like an adult "Mac Bolan" adventure.
I have been getting Dietz's novels for quite some time, and you can tell the worth of any writer not by their own original work, but by their work-for-hire jobs. And, Dietz is just as good at mainstream, modern action thrillers as he is at far-future military techno-thrillers. There coulda, and shoulda been a sequel, but it seems that this won't come to be, so if you can, buy, read, and enjoy this adult adventure novel, because you don't have to be familiar with the "Hitman" mythos to do so. I found "Enemy Within" exciting and well-written and this novel would have made a great movie in and of itself.
Summary of Hitman: Enemy Within
The clone assassin has been played long enough?now it?s more than a game.
Bred to kill, Agent 47 is The Agency?s most valuable assassin. So when a competing murder-for-hire organization decides to destroy The Agency, the first person they target for elimination is Agent 47. Tasking someone to off the best hitman in the business is one thing; getting the job done is another. When the attempt falls short, Agent 47 is ordered to track down and kill the culprit who is feeding vital information about The Agency to its enemies.
Agent 47 must follow a bloody trail halfway around the world, fight his way through the streets of Fez, Morocco, and battle slavers deep inside Chad. Then he will discover a shattering truth: If he fails at his mission, the price he?ll pay will be far greater than his own life. . . .
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