I love a good thriller and this definitely qualifies! It’s well written with a tight plot and fascinating characters.. My one criticism is that the book runs too long. If you’re one of the people who love a fast paced thriller than this book is for you.
I really enjoyed the twists and turns and the story kept me entertained. 4 stars.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley, I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I can't give a good review for this book. I read "I am Pilgrim" by Terry Hayes years ago it and quickly became one of my favorite books. I waited patiently for this one, but I tried, and tried to finish this book and I just couldn't. I picked it up, started it, dropped, picked it up again, and ultimately it becamse a DNF for me, which is incredibly rare as it bothers me not to finish a book. I will try again another day, but with all the books out there, it's going to be difficult for me to find another time to pick this up.

I enjoyed reading this book by Terry Hayes. It held my interest throughout. I didn’t like it as much as his previous novel, but I do recommend it for fans of spy thrillers.

I loved I Am Pilgrim back when it was released, and so was very excited for this title. I only liked this one, as I felt it was WAY too long and, during the third act, took a turn that I wasn't expecting. That can be okay, occasionally, but this one was way out of left field.

Unlike many others, I have not read the author's first novel, I Am Pilgrim. Consequently, I had no expectations going in to this highly anticipated sophomore novel, other than I knew that many of his fans felt hoodwinked by the last 3o percent of the novel. Indeed, it was the strong need to know what they were talking about that lead me to read this book. I found The Year of the Locust to be a well written and propulsive thriller that kept me turning the pages. I didn't have a huge reaction to what happens at the 70 percent mark- maybe an eye roll here and there, but it didn't detract from my overall rating of 3.75 stars. I will definitely go back and read I Am Pilgrim to see what all the hype is about!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC.

I was so excited for this book after his last novel, but I didn’t enjoy it as much. It was a long and hard to follow. SPOILER: The futuristic twist threw me for a loop and I didn’t love it.

The Year of the Locust is about 400 pages long. Why the approximation? Because after that, The Year of the Locos begins. The book makes a sharp left turn into the dimension of imagination, as Rod Serling put it, what he called The Twilight Zone. A diversion so abrupt, so jarring, so weird that the reader is thinking, Is this where Terry Hayes died and Neil Gaiman took over? (No offense, Neil!) And also, so unnecessary. I'd already been casting the film: Jack Lowden as Our Hero and perhaps Dave Bautista as the Locust. Now I'm thinking, would even Ridley Scott take this on? Like millions of others I really dug I Am Pilgrim and eagerly waited over the last decade for, if not a sequel, something resembling a successor -- a Pilgrimage, shall we say. So Terry, why did you go off the rails when you had a decent, mostly credible, yarn going? And you knobs who were supposed to edit this nearly 700-page hot mess -- did you believe there was so much pent-up hunger for this book that it didn't matter what Hayes wrote? I am disappointed. I almost feel cheated. And I was so willing to overlook the hackneyed writing (his mouths are always cruel). The wait was not worth it.

THE YEAR OF THE LOCUST
by
Terry Hayes

The Year of the Locust is the first novel in a decade by Terry Hayes, following his 2013 debut thriller, I Am Pilgram. I loved I Am Pilgram, so I was pleased to receive a copy of The Year of the Locust through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

In The Year of the Locust, we meet a CIA Denied Access Area spy, code name Kane. As a Denied Access Area spy, Kane is expected to enter forbidden areas, complete the mission, and exit again, all on his own. While working such a mission, to meet and exfiltrate an informant and his family, Kane meets the Locust.

I love The Year of the Locust, but I say this with a hesitation. I keep thinking "it is a great book, but...." I would give it 5 stars, but because of this hesitation, it is 4.5 out of 5 stars. However, I think that the reason for these hesitancies has to do with me, not the book. Here's the reason:

One of the genres of books that I enjoy is thrillers. The Year of the Locust is not only a thriller, it is an Epic Thriller. It is a massive book with many subplots, leaving Kane seemingly operating all over the world. It also conveys a great deal of insight into the life of a spy. And then suddenly, the book seems to jump genres, taking a sharp turn into apocalyptic genre, a genre that I absolutely do not enjoy. It returns to thriller, but that leap left me sitting there wondering what just happened. So, that brief digression has made me pause, and hence my hesitation.

Even so, The Year of the Locust is undeniably an Epic Thriller. It is a breathtaking experience, a must read for all thriller fans. And so, despite its one "glitch" it is definitely HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

The Year of the Locust by Terry Hayes is an international spy thriller with a twist that jumps genres. This book was my most anticipated book of 2024 after reading I Am Pilgrim Terry Hayes's debut. His follow-up The Year of the Locust is part great international spy thriller and part what the heck is going on here. There's a huge twist in this book that changes this book into a completely different genre and direction. I'm going to say flat out I did not like this twist and it is really unfortunate because I was enjoying this novel up to this point. I'm not going to give away the twist but I will compare it to Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull movie, you know when they involve aliens at the end and your like I don't know if this fits this action adventure is the same I felt with this book. I just felt like the twist did not fit with the book, there was only one hint in the book and it was one that I bought okay your CIA you would have weapons that do stuff I don't think is possible, but okay I'm with you. Then Terry Hayes says hold my beer I will show you unbelievable. When the book is about the spy aspect you'll think Terry Hayes was reading government files because it feels so real and reminded me of early Tom Clancy writing. The pace of the story is good with for the most part small chapters that are easy to consume, some aspects are over-explained but for the most part, they are always interesting. There was a backstory for an HR rep that I'm like is this even necessary and later in the story it is necessary to get him to sign off on the main character's mission. I will say Hayes tells a well-rounded story where every piece of dialogue and event even after the crazy twist leads you to the conclusion. The ending was great and very intense it relies on the crazy twist and it made me like the crazy twist a little bit more. This book was my hardest to rate I liked well over 75% of this book but the twist was so bad. I will say I read an ARC copy and it seems like my copy is a hundred pages longer than it is listed in Kindle and will take that into account in my rating. I read this book for free in exchange for a review thanks to Netgalley and Atria Books. The Year of the Locust was published on February 6, 2024.

Plot Summary: Kane is a Denied Access Area spy for the CIA, his specialty is getting into the hardest areas and getting out. His mission is to get into Iran rescue an informant and his family and get the information on a new terrorist threat. When Kane is already behind enemy lines does he realize this mission is compromised and has to get out? Kane sees the informant crucified and his wife and two young kids forced to starve at his feet, as members of the terrorist group look on. Kane's mission is complete once he sees the informant dead and is trained to walk away but he can't and retaliates killing the group and leaving him stranded behind enemy lines. Little does he know he killed the younger brother of a terrorist who will do anything to kill Kane. Kane gets the information he was hoping for as a thanks for saving the family but he must now escape without the terrorist group finding out that is now looking for retribution. Will Kane be able to escape with his life?

What I Liked: I love when the story is grounded and real which is 75% of it. Terry Hayes can write international spy like no one business when the book is focused on it, it is the best. Al Tundra the villain is great there are a lot of layers to him. His backstory of when he was a child and had to kill for the first time is so good. The soldier trapped behind enemy lines we've read a hundred times, the way the escape plan is planned and goes horribly wrong was so interesting and tense. The ending was fantastic it was super tense and very well plotted you could feel the time ticking by second by second as Earth's last hope fought. The epilogue was good and checked in with every character in the book you cared about.

What I Disliked: The twist was way too much there are two elements, Kane's and Al Tundra's if maybe one happened I might have been okay but for both of them together the book jumped the shark. Here's my biggest issue when the bad guy finds a weapon to increase his strength he gives it to everyone and a war starts just because people are different and stronger. Al Tundra is a terrorist leader who could have made his terrorist group take it and then he would have controlled it, if he viewed it as a gift from God why would he give it to unworthy and infidels? Kane's storyline I have similar problems why would the government let civilians on a super secret new vehicle, There was no way to predict what the vehicle would do a second time. There was a lot to disbelieve. I did not like how much at the end the focus was dropped off stopping Al Tundra who Kane knew survived.

Recommendation: This story is going to be heavily divisive, if you read and loved I Am Pilgrim I think you will be disappointed like I was that this story is not a cut-and-dry spy thriller. New readers might like it, the twist on the surface is different and even though I did not like it some elements were exciting, if it was a film I would probably be behind the choice a little more, but still layered it in a little bit more. I'm fine as a reader if you prepare me for it to get crazy Blake Crouch's Dark Matter is a perfect example. I recommend you skip this book if you have read I Am Pilgrim. I would recommend it if you have not read I Am Pilgrim, which I think will introduce you to fantastic writing without disappointment.

Rating: I rated The Year of the Locusts by Terry Hayes 3.4 stars out of 5. Reading this book does make me want to revisit the excellent I Am Pilgrim again. I will give Terry Hayes another shot I hope he does a sequel to I Am Pilgrim next.

This was one of my most anticipated books of the year as I loved I AM PILGRIM. Alas, I couldn't get through this and abandoned after several hundred painful pages.

great long book about a spy who fights to make the world a better place. enjoyed the first two-thirds of the book about the actual path of being a spy and all the tricks. did not like the part about the sparks that changed people and created trouble in the future world. I was hoping for another book about Ripley and Rebecca.. Maybe one of his children can pick up spy work as their profession.

This isn’t the type of book I normally read but I wanted to branch out and try a new genre. I’m glad I did because this was a great read.

This book felt like two novels in one as it transitioned from a traditional spy novel to another genre entirely (fantasy? Sci fi?) about 3/4 of the way through. Both parts were compelling, but it took some time to bridge the transition.

Great action and suspense throughout the entire book — and I learned a lot. My only real issue was the length of this book. If I’d known how long it was before diving in I don’t think I’d have taken the leap.

Would definitely recommend to anyone who enjoys espionage/action novels that’s open to a broad approach to the genre.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC.

3.8 rounded up to 4.

If you are a thriller lover, then this book is for you. Buckle up and hang on tight while you are slingshotted from one harrowing adventure to the next. The action never seems to stop and although the book is quite long that doesn’t take from its readability. However I do feel it was too wordy in some places and could have been condensed some. Then there is the section where it goes off track and seems to take a sci-fi direction. I would have preferred the original terrorist-spy confrontation. Who knows? With all the secrets of intelligence communities, anything is possible. I’ll let you be the judge of that when you read the book.

Thank you publishers and NetGalley for the ARC.

Highly recommended!

This book is a lot of things -- it's got action, super spy stuff, suspense, a scary apocalyptic future, some cool high-tech gear, and a really evil bad guy. Even though it comes in at nearly 800 pages, it is really hard to put it down.

"We're riders on the storm, that's all we are and can ever hope to be..."

Ridley Walker, AKA Kane, is a Denied Access Area spy for the CIA. He goes into hostile places and does whatever needs done and gets back out again. Hopefully. When the US government gets intelligence that the New Islamic Army of the Pure is about to create a spectacular, Kane is sent to the middle east to prevent a global terrorist event focused on America. The borderlands of Afghanistan, Iran, or Pakistan might be harboring a man who could be the leader of this group. He is known as the Locust. Kane's mission is to prevent this devastating attack.

The book is divided into 4 parts, each focusing on aspects of Kane's objective and spycraft. The last part takes an unexpected turn that was so fantastical that I was caught completely off guard. I could not put the book down. No spoilers.

I had been waiting for another book by this author since loving his first when I reviewed it back in 2013 and stalked everyone I knew until they read it. This is also good, but in a different way. There are some really great, fully developed characters that elicit all kind of reactions in the reader. The descriptions of the settings and the detail provided about all of the equipment and machinery is amazingly well done. I don't know how much of this is actually real and what is make-believe (well, except for one thing that I will not mention here) but it seems that Mr. Hayes did a ton of research. So, don't wait, grab a copy and dive in. It's quite a story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for this e-book ARC to read, review, and recommend.

As a big fan of author Terry Hayes previous novel, I Am Pilgrim, I was excited when The Year of the Locust finally came out after many delays. It is not a sequel to Pilgrim, and it is also not as good. Hayes takes us through the career of Ridley Kane, a Denied Access Area spy, which seems to mean that he goes it alone in troublesome areas. Kane's career is not all thrilling battles, although there are some that I enjoyed reading. Rather, Hayes presents much of the tedium of a spy's like in between the excitement. Too many details in my opinion weigh the story down.
At about the 75% point in the novel, Hayes takes a huge chance that he will lose his readers with a pretty incredible twist. I won't spoil it for you. But I will say that it turned me off but not so much that I didn't keep reading. I was pleased that I did.
Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC

This is a long book, but you won't mind because it is a real page turner. A deep agent in the CIA is assigned to rescue an informer from Afghanistan, but things do not go well. The story is told in the first person so you are completely aware of what is happening around him and what he is thinking. Lots of situations where you might hold your breath in fear of what will be coming. With all that said, it lost me in the last hundred pages or so, because it turned sci-fi, and that is not my genre. Thanks to NetGalley for an arc and for not influencing my response.

This is one of the best espionage books I have ever read. The vividly portrayed characters come alive in this superbly written epic of a novel. The non stop action propels the plot forward on every page. Don't let the 800 pages dissuade you from picking this up, It is so action packed that I couldn't put it down. I blew through this in 3 days. Highly recommended

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria/Emily Bestler Books for an advanced reader copy.

The search for the shadowy leader of a new terrorist group will take an elite spy across the world….and become very personal.

As part of the CIA’s Denied Access Areas group, Kane is regularly called upon to go to some of the most dangerous and inaccessible areas around the world and undertake missions where the odds are definitely not in his favor. When rumors surface that a new terrorist group known as the New Islamic Army of the Pure, radical religious fundamentalists led by a man known as the Emir who hate the West, are planning a major event….a “spectacular” in the parlance of the intelligence community, Kane is sent into the area known as the borderlands where Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan meet, hostile territory indeed for an American spy. His mission is to smuggle out a man who says that he can reveal where the Army of the Pure are, as well as the location of their leader the Emir and a second man long thought to be dead. When the mission goes sideways, Kane’s path will cross that of said resurrected terrorist (known as al-Tundra)….and it won’t be the last time they meet. The fate of the world may depend on Kane stopping al-Tundra for good, and it may well require the ultimate sacrifice.

The Year of the Locust is not your average spy thriller. Kane is no James Bond, donning tuxedos and popping in and out of casinos. The reader is taken behind the curtains, from the planning that goes into an op before the operative hits the ground to the immense resources at the Agency’s disposal. Conditions on the ground are generally lousy at best, things seldom go according to plan, and the person on the mission has to continually adapt to survive. As Kane says, one of the tenets of the intelligence world is that only the paranoid survive. The toll that this life takes on an operative physically, mentally and emotionally is on display here as well, as is the price paid by the people they love who are left behind and, should the worst happen, may never know what really transpired. In what other world is it likely that the casket you are told holds your loved one’s remains is probably empty? These elements are woven into the journey that Kane undertakes to find a dangerous terrorist and neutralize the threat he poses, no easy task when the adversary is every bit as good at his craft, maybe even better, than Kane is at his. In places the novel even takes on a hint of Michael Crichton, with an armorer who would give Bond’s Q a run for his money and enhancements to battle tools that may not yet be in existence but probably are well on their way to being there….and more. The characters are developed well, from Kane and the woman he loves, Rebecca, to his boss Falcon and his nemesis al-Tundra. This is a hefty book, and while I would not characterize the pace of the story as brisk it does keep moving at a steady pace and will keep the reader engaged. Just as missions in the real world don’t get wrapped up neatly in a day, The Year of the Locust takes the reader from one set of events to another. It doesn’t end when the reader thinks it will, and I can guarantee that it will go places that the reader would never expect. Fans of Frederick Forsyth, Nelson DeMille, Robert Littell and Brad Thor should absolutely snatch up a copy of this novel, the latest from the author of I Am Pilgrim.. My thanks to NetGalley and Atria/Emily Best Books for allowing me access to this enthralling new novel.

Nope, nope. Too testosterone-y, too chiche-y, too silly. As a devoted fan of Mick Herron's Slough House series, which is always well-written, smart and believable, this stuff is not for me,

Terry Hayes has written another fabulous thriller! I loved his first novel I AM PILGRIM and happy to say THE YEAR of the Locust is just as amazing as it!