The Trade Mission: A Novel of Psychological Terror

by Andrew Pyper

Book Overview

On the heels of his acclaimed bestselling debut Lost Girls, Andrew Pyper brings his darkly musical language, chilling suspense, and psychological complexity to a story of survival in the Amazon... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0743234227
• ISBN13: 9780743234221
• Release Date: February 2003
• Publisher: Scribner Book Company
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 1.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.3" x 9.5"

Customer Reviews

Sophmore effort is excellent!

In Pyper's second book, all of the flaws of "Lost Girls" fail to exist. The plot is simpler, but just as suspenseful. There are no loose ends this time around. No mini-plots that were never finished. His social commentary and character development are just amazing. And the fact that it's written all in present tense adds a mystique to the entire book. Excellent, excellent book. I cannot wait for more from Pyper. - Delaney

Wow!

Just when I thought that Lost Girls was a fluke for Pyper, a first time novelist, along comes his second effort, The Trade Mission, which has all the power of Lost Girls and is pure story from beginning to end.It's a difficult book to put down. The plot unfolds at roughly the speed of light. The Trade Mission examines what happens when civilized (although emotionally damaged) people are thrown into an unfamiliar survival situation. Great book!!

I know these people

You may wish they didn't exist, but the main characters (heroes? anti-heroes?) of The Trade Mission are representative of their age and time and place -- more than that, damn if I didn't recognize myself in the way they thought, what was important to them, the way they saw their harsh "reality" at a remove, as though a movie or "interactive" game. Yes, the novel is exciting and brooding and suspenseful and gruesome at times, but it's also a fantastically spot-on characterization of a generation...MY generation. Who would have guessed that a book that nails twentysomething, 21st century North American psyche takes place in Brazil?

An excellent (and smart!) novel with thrills

What I loved most about THE TRADE MISSION is the way it tellsa compelling, thrilling, thoughtful story, while at the same time tackling some of the most important questions that accompany living in the contemporary world: the negotiations between individual identity, technology, morality in an age when traditional moral guidance has all but disappeared. Pyper is a fine and original writer, to boot. This novel takes risks and succeeds, both at the level of its ideas and its language. It kept me up late with its narrative revelations and its insights. A huge -- albeit grisly -- pleasure!

Loved It!

Well, this is a different novel from Lost Girls, but in my view, an even better one over-all (and I loved Pyper's first book, too). It's a more straightforward narrative, but the suspense is all the greater for that. I really believed in the characters (even if I'm glad I don't have to count them among my best friends!) and they felt real to me. And man, can this author write an original, thrilling, feel it in your bones action sequence!I was a fan before, and remain a fan. Here is a case of an author who not only deserved the hype the first time round, but has managed to live it down on the second effort. Can't wait for the next one.....