A Passage To Burma By Jason Denaro Reviewed

A Historical Political Thriller From Avid Readers Publishing Group

Dec 4, 2008 Steve Williams

A review of A Passage To Burma by Jason Denaro, a detailed political thriller with historical themes about a team of American spies under the Bush administration.

Advertised as a historical work of fiction, this thriller from Jason Denaro tells the story of a doomsday-like Chinese military operation seeking to control the weather and the team of US elite agents that are sent into the heart of Beijing to steal a computer flash drive pivotal to stopping that plan reaching fruition.

In A Passage To Burma, Jason Denaro blends a story of betrayal, death defying battles and fast paced deceptions against the complexity of American foreign policy and the tenuous balance of peace with foreign powers such as the Chinese and Taiwanese whilst also touching on the war in Iraq.

What Does Jason Denaro do Well?

Most successful are Denaro’s characterisations of the Bush administration which he does with a subversive wit and intelligence that is both sympathetic to the Republican cause whilst being damming at the same time.

Jason Denaro's ability to create mercenaries that can both casually 'kill Commies' and yet reveal empathy for the plight of the repressed Chinese and Burmese people gives a depth to A Passage To Burma that was unexpected but certainly welcome.

Problems in A Passage To Burma

That said, there are some serious weaknesses in A Passage To Burma. Denaro’s writing is expressive and at times, truly excellent, but there are moments where the narrative lacks context and as such makes the story difficult to follow.

The style of A Passage To Burma is fluid, and whilst this engages and helps the narrative move along, it requires the reader to somehow intuitively know where and with whom they are currently in residence with. This can be frustrating and, at times, even irritating.

Also, Jason Denaro’s need to explain his enviably complicated and genre subversive story forces his characters into lengthy exposition and whilst they speak with clarity and believable inflection, their conversations are laboured and stall an otherwise well paced plot.

Concluding Thoughts on A Passage To Burma

All that said, A Passage To Burma is relevant to the current political climate and capitalises well on the idea that, by engaging in war, America has overstretched itself and left itself vulnerable, and whilst there are some problems, the charming and at times almost satirical plot of A Passage to Burma eventually manages to convince in both tension and situation.

Indeed, it is worth wading through the pools of impeccably researched jargon and conspiracy theories, which are seamlessly blended to make a compelling, if lengthy plot, simply to hear Jason Denaro’s version of President George Bush utter the immortal words, 'Jesus H. Christ, I sent Connie over there to lodge our objection.'

A book that, once it gets going, is quite a ride if you can see past the technical flaws that wound the otherwise enjoyable story of A Passage To Burma.

(Avid Readers Publishing Group, ISBN-13: 978-0-9801438-4-3, originally published 2006, reprint 2008, 474 pages.)

The copyright of the article A Passage To Burma By Jason Denaro Reviewed in Mystery/Crime Fiction is owned by Steve Williams. Permission to republish A Passage To Burma By Jason Denaro Reviewed in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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Comments

Jan 9, 2009 3:27 PM
Guest :
Hi Steve.
Thank you for the review, I am most appreciative. "A Passage to Burma" was a major work for me and finished at 163,000 words, plenty of research. (In hindsight I should have used more PROFESSIONAL editing, as well as less passive prose.) Your review is most gratifying and I believe your summation of "Passage" is perfect. My writing style has tighetened up considerably since the release of the second edition of "A Passage to Burma."I am now under the close guidance of one of New York's best editors. My current manuscript is under submission at this time (January 2009) . It is titled "Shades of Gray." Steve, it would be an honor if you could find time to review it once published.
Very best wishes.
Jason Denaro
PS: Since "A Passage to Burma" my thriller, "FIDDLER," (ISBN 978-1-935105-14-5) has been published. I would be most appreciative should you have the time to critique it as well.
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