Assessment:
Plot: Carlyle’s political plot is intricate and stealthy. His novel is quickly paced, and the storyline overflows with plausible but exhilarating twists.
Prose/Style: Carlyle’s expertly fashioned prose bolsters his political thriller. The writing drives the plot’s breakneck speed with procedural rhetoric and well-turned phrasing.
Originality: The Eel and the Angel hits all the marks of a political thriller, although well-seasoned readers may predict the ending as it speeds to a close.
Character Development/Execution: Carlyle’s characters fit smoothly into the thriller genre but are lacking in profoundness. Thad Walker is the ultimate hard-edged military hero, while most of the other characters play equally supportive, but not memorable, roles.
Date Submitted: July 28, 2021
