This book suffers less than its predecessor from outlandish superpowers or sex skills, but still walks the line between homage and parody. It grounds itself in very real politics of Vietnam, Communist China, and the US. The action was fast and furious, and the intrigue held my attention. I would compare it favorably to some of the Bond novels, which have nostalgia in their favor for me. It does drag on entirely too long, we could have cut the last act and had a tighter, more focused book and story arc.