A prequel to the popular TV series Homeland, Andrew Kaplan’s “Homeland – Carrie’s Run” is an exciting and action packed read, and much like it’s TV counterpart, masterfully weaves in intricate twists and turns while rarely coming up for breath.
“Homeland – Carrie’s Run” Focuses on CIA agent Carrie Mathison’s work in the middle east as she tries to track down al-Qaeda leader Abu Nazir and his right hand man Abu Ubaida. Filled with bucket loads of suspense and mystery, Carrie tries to weed out the double agents, uncover potential terrorist plots. The book also explores some back story points only briefly touched upon in season 1 of Homeland but never followed up on.
Along the way there are appearances from many characters that appear in the show: Carrie’s mentor Saul Berenson, deputy director of the CIA David Estes, and subservience expert/black-bag-man Virgil.
With the main protagonist being Carrie, the book gets to flesh out her inner struggle with bipolar disorder, something that the TV show couldn’t really do. We get to delve into her head during her highs and lows in order to find out exactly what she is thinking, which only adds to the experience of watching the TV show. We also get to further understand her chaotic and random thought processes as she tries to connect the dots in order to fill in the missing gaps of the puzzle.
While some plot lines in the book are somewhat far fetched, they are not jarring in a way that drags you out of the story. They are like a spicy garnish that keeps things interesting and keeps the plot driving forwards. There are also several long ‘talky’ chapters, however they by and large consist of expository dialogue that helps the reader better understand the objectives and what is at stake. While these scenes slow things right down, they are few and far between and ultimately serve as bridging sections while allowing the reader to pause for breath.
Coming in at 368 pages long, “Homeland – Carrie’s Run” dovetails perfectly with the TV show and you’ll be reaching to press ‘play’ on the DVD player as soon as you reach the climactic conclusion of this gruesomely action packed and brilliantly written book.
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Josh Gill 