Hitman: Enemy Within: A Novel

Hitman #1

by William C. Dietz

The clone assassin has been played long enough—now it’s more than a game.

Bred to kill, Agent 47 is The Agency’s most valuable assassin. So when a competing murder-for-hire organization decides to destroy The Agency, the first person they target for elimination is Agent 47. Tasking someone to off the best hitman in the business is one thing; getting the job done is another. When the attempt falls short, Agent 47 is ordered to track down and kill the culprit who is feeding vital information about The Agency to its enemies.

Agent 47 must follow a bloody trail halfway around the world, fight his way through the streets of Fez, Morocco, and battle slavers deep inside Chad. Then he will discover a shattering If he fails at his mission, the price he’ll pay will be far greater than his own life. . . .

Genres: Fiction, Thriller, Video Games, Mystery, Mystery Thriller, Novels, Crime

320 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

New York Times bestselling author William C. Dietz has published more than fifty novels, some of which have been translated into German, Russian, and Japanese. He grew up in the Seattle area, served as a medic with the Navy and Marine Corps, graduated from the University of Washington, and has been employed as a surgical technician, college instructor, and television news writer, director and producer. Before becoming a full-time writer Dietz was director of public relations and marketing for an international telephone company. He and his wife live near Gig Harbor, Washington.

Reviews

[C.T. Phipps · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hitman: The Enemy Within is a Expanded Universe novel of the Hitman video game franchise. Much like the movies, it attempts to add much-needed depth to the character of Agent 47, the International Contract Agency (ICA), and the universe which our anti-hero operates. As much as I've come to love the Hitman universe in the short time I've been a fan, I've got to say I was very grateful for some expansion beyond the role of killer and killed.

The premise is one of the ICA's board members, Aristotle Thorakis, is close to bankruptcy despite being a billionaire. A thinly-disguised Aristotle Onassis, Thorakis seeks out a means of maintaining his lavish position and this unwittingly leads him to the Agency's enemies in Puissance Treize ("Power Thirteen" in French). Aristotle is given a 500 million euro loan in exchange for information which will allow them to eliminate the Agency's top earners, including the inhumanly gifted Agent 47. 47 survives the initial attempt on his life, which starts him on a globe-trotting adventure to find the traitor so he can get back down to business--as well as save his handler Diana from being framed for Thorakis' crimes.

William C. Dietz has a good grasp on 47's character with a man who is the consummate professional in all things. 47 has no human connections so he exists almost in isolation of the rest of the world, observing it from an outsider's perspective and soaking in the details of a loner who doesn't need friends or family. Much of the book focuses on 47's love of food and local culture, which is an interesting take but makes sense given he's not interested in sex or companionship.

Perhaps because Agent 47 isn't the most talkative protagonist, we get him from the perspective of his antagonists to get the bulk of the novel's emotional core. I was very fond of Puissance Treize assassin Marla who, after failing to kill 47, decides to do anything to survive his wrath. This leads to some rather despicable decisions on her part but, by the time 47 catches up with her, your sympathy is as much with her as our erstwhile antihero. Much of the novel tends to treat 47 like the Terminator, an unstoppable force no one can really impede from his target and that's a really interesting take on the character.

I also appreciated much of the supporting cast, including well-realized takes on series mainstays Father Vittorio and Diana Burnwood. Diana, in particular, gets portrayed with a strong will that never bends even when in an extremely compromising position. The character doesn't play a big role in the novel but from what we see, she's sexy, intelligent, confident, and charismatic. I also liked Mister Nu, another ally for 47 in the Agency, and wish he would show up in the games.

Dietz realizes that ninety-percent of 47's skill is in staying hidden, though, and the best part of the book's action sequences are when he's planning his elaborate takedowns. These include some truly interesting ways of dispatching his foes, straight from the video games, like a piano-wire decapitation of a motorcycle gang member, and the all-too-realistic peanut allergy poisoning. Watching 47 plan his meticulously crafted hits is much better than a novel focusing on him pulling out his pistols to go John Woo on his enemies.

The book makes a couple of missteps. For example, not believing we're going to hate Puissance Treize enough to want to see them destroyed for being assassins out to get our protagonist, they make one of their leaders a pedophile running a ring of them. While it's gratifying to see 47 do an almost-afterthought rescue of the tykes, the entire thing smacks of trying too hard. Likewise, when 47 doesn't kill one of his targets belonging to this child-slavery ring, you think he's being too merciful. There's also a few plots left hanging, which seem to be setting up a sequel which never came. This is unfortunate since I really enjoy Dietz's writing style.

Some readers may be put off by the fact 47 is portrayed as a man who has almost no redeeming features other than his professionalism. His only decent act occurs almost toward the end of the book and his perspective is of a man devoid of any sympathy for his fellow human beings. This is strange as the book references Father Vittorio and shows Agent 47 still maintains strong feelings toward his former mentor. Despite this, I don't think this is an inaccurate portrayal of 47 as he's always displayed a near-total amorality.

In conclusion, this is a really fun book and I think fans of the franchise will enjoy it. Much of the world-building absent from the main games is present here and I wouldn't have been averse to seeing characters from this book return. Sadly, this is a "one and done" sort of deal and the only other legal Hitman novel is by a different author.

9/10

[Fairuza · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a fan of the Hitman game series, I always wonder what it would be like if this turn out to be a movie? Total disappointment actually, which is why I swore to myself to never go and see it. Up until now I still haven't seen it. But, I did read the book! And this was right after the movie came out. I said to myself that if the book turns out to be bad, I thought that wasting my life reading this 300 pages wouldn't hurt much.

So I read it, and I actually liked it!

The book felt like I was actually doing a walk-through in all of the game series, but too bad it was told in a very short manner. It could have been easily made into a trilogy collection.

Agent 47 was a very private man, with nothing much to talk about, which is why every scene always cut to the next one in just seconds. But the story foretold about his quest through countries and fighting bad guys was just breath-taking!

It's a good action-fiction book, but by the time I felt my adrenaline rised, immediately I went back to null mode.

I could have read this book in less than a day. But since each scene was cut short, I always stop reading, and waited till later hour to continue reading it.

Good, and could have been better..

[Breezalee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hitman: Enemy Within is about Agent 47, who is on a mission for The Agency, a top-secret organization that employs only the best of the best hitmen in the world. And, of course, Agent 47 is the best of the best. Unfortunately for The Agency, there is a rival organization, called the Power Thirteen who has been able to infeltrate the company with turning one of the members. When The Agency finds out, suspicion is thrown on Agent 47's controller, Diana. Agent 47 doesn't want to believe that his only human contact is the traitor, and given the assignment from the superiors in The Agency, Agent 47 embarks on a mission to find the leak and plug it. Without getting into too much detail what would totally spoil the book, he succeeds in ways that I would have never guessed.
This book was AWESOME! It was well written and extremely well thought out. There was times in the book that I acutally learned stuff because the author obviously knew what he was talking about. The book was fast paced and every page was a fount of information and interest. Even the non-action moments were build-up because you just knew that it was leading into another explosive climax. Agent 47 is just what you want a hitman to be; cold, calculating, but has some sort of weird sense of justice within his hardened heart (the scene with the orphans was great and I had to grin at what he did).
I have to admit that I am a total girly girl and only got this book because I thought that it would be like the movie. If you're like me and love to read books that were made into movies, this is not the book for you. It's better! While Timothy Olyphant is smoking in the movie, and it's not hard to imagine him as Agent 47 in this book, and as much as I love the movie, I have to say that this book is MUCH better. That almost pains me to say it, but there it is.

[Dimitris Papastergiou · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was ok, and even though 47 was in character and everything in the story seemed nice, there was an exposition on how he kills his targets that was a bit like someone explaining to me the game but he's 70 years old and that went cringe very fast. And unfortunately, it was a simple plot with 47 traveling around the world, trying to kill people who are trying to kill him because they have the same job as him.

[Dayton · Rating 2 out of 5]

I want to emphasize that, although I have A LOT of complaints, I did enjoy this book. It’s fun, stupid and the action flows very well.

That being said there’s a lot of times I was laughing at the book rather than with it.

The story is a simple one. A board member of the ICA gets into personal financial trouble and gets into contact with a rival agency that bails him out if he helps them kill Agent 47. This of course fails spectacularly and sends 47 on a globe trotting adventure to find out who and why sold out the ICA.

And as you can already see, there’s an issue. There is zero mystery or intrigue in this book. It often feels like scenes are setup in reverse order. 47 sets off to find the mole, but the mole has already been introduced, explained, and expanded upon, but the book plays it like it hasn’t done this. It still tries to be mysterious. Another scene, 47’s target is advised to not go to a location he frequents. He takes that advice and stays home. Next chapter 47 goes to that location and spends a chapter searching for his target that the book has already established isn’t there. Reverse these chapters, give us some mystery. One of the other targets, Marla is introduced as this mysterious counter agent to 47. That would be the case if she wasn’t completely spoiled to the reader. 47 encounters her, wonders who she is, then rather than the book going down a long investigative path as to who the mysterious woman is, the next chapter lays out her entire life’s story to the reader,thereby ruining any mystique 47 she has.

On top of those chapters mentioned above feeling out of order there’s a jarring chapter where the book cuts away from the main story and tells a short tale about a group of Dinka refugee trying to flee into Chad only to be killed by slavers and their children kidnapped. These characters won’t return until the very end of the book for little less than shock value. I won’t go into detail but I will leave you with a bit of writing advice I learned: “If you can use anything else but rape, don’t use rape.”

That is another colossal hurtle with this book. There is a lot of seemingly random cruelty. Sometimes it appears to be purely to shock the reader rather than flavor a scene or character. For example, during a gunfight, 47 targets a man’s testicles for no other reason than he could. There’s an entire scene where 47 encounters an “orphanage.” You never want to see orphanage in quotes, do you? Turns out it’s a brothel that caters to pedophiles and one of 47’s targets frequents it. It feels like it was done purely to make the target more evil. Like Dietz couldn’t come up with anything else other than “just make him a pedophile!”

47 is just wrong in this book. He doesn’t behave like his source material. Game 47 is cold, robotic and professional to a fault. Book 47 is clumsy, cruel, crude and at times, extremely stupid. For example, once he catches up to Marla, his plan is to slip a tracker onto her so she can lead him back to her employer. 47 could have done this a number of ways, one including an homage to the games where he slips a tracker onto her car after he discovers it. No. 47’s plan is to break into her houseboat, confront her directly and blowing his cover, nearly get beaten by her, subdue her and force her to strip naked (why?) and then set her house on fire revealing LATER that he slipped the tracker into her purse and basically just hoped she would grab her purse as she escaped. It’s nonsense. Why was she stripped naked? Was this just to entice readers?

There’s another scene where 47 flips off Diana and says “screw you.” That’s so out of character I was certain a rival agent was impersonating 47.

There’s long scenes that demonstrate how particular 47 is when coming home. This is to showcase how paranoid and careful he is. He spot welds a tiny wire on his door and if it’s broken, someone was or is in his room. He methodically clears his room before he rests, keeps his silverballer pistol in the shower, and another one on top of the toilet. He doesn’t sleep on his bed, as he believes that’s the first thing that will be shot if someone breaks in (I guess missing the bald guy laying next to it.) and when he goes to restaurants (ALL THE FUCKING TIME) he sits with his back to the wall, near an exit.

The book establishes that he is extremely careful. UNTIL he gets into action. Every. Single. Job. 47 fucks up in strange and avoidable ways. For example, in the big African job. He has to break into a church. He sits outside with a sniper rifle, kills a guard in the bell tower, then without even checking the surrounding area he leaps the fence and is caught not once but twice as he tries to break in. Once he has she shoots one target then tries to open dialogue with the other where he says “it’s nothing personal” which gives the target time to pull a gun and nearly shoot 47. Another one, he sees a tourist and decides it would make for a good disguise. He doesn’t knock out or sedate that tourist, he simply copies his look down to every detail. Then later, as he is casually strolling by the mansion of his target, Marla notices two completely identical people walking by and thinks “huh..” and has a sniper shoot one. It could easy have been 47 and even he gets frustrated on how careless he was.

Then there is Dietz’s writing. Oh my god. The absolute madness that is the prose of this book. Dietz is VERY obsessed with certain particulars that either slow down the book or make it look like he’s trying to show off. For example here is one line; “she looked scared, because she was!” That is horrendous writing. Dietz will add exclamation marks wherever he feels, there’s no rules here.

Any chapter that focuses on 47, except for possibly one, will go into excruciating detail about the restaurants he goes to and what he eats. Sometimes mere sentences apart where it’ll go into detail about where he goes for breakfast then onto dinner. Dietz is OBSESSED with “mom and pop” stores which the book loves to call them incessantly. That and Denny’s, I guess. I don’t know why he chose to do this. I started laughing out loud and my wife even became interested when it became a small meme between us about where 47 is going to eat next because it happens ALL. THE. TIME.

Anytime 47 uses an object, it just can’t be “he looked through the binoculars” or “he spoke into the walkie-talkie.” Dietz will go on at length calling the object by name and model number. “47 picked up the NIKON MONARCH 5 10x42 binoculars” yes, he even includes the magnification number. And once that name is established HE DOESNT SHORTEN IT. It will always be referred to as Nikon Monarch 5 10x42 binoculars, any other time it’s referred to. And it’s not just binos. It’s walkis-talkies, vehicles, weapons, suits, televisions, tools, aircraft, and a straight razor. Even a goddamn straight razor.

Then there’s his weird fixation on calling objects and places what they are called in their local language. Anytime 47 is outside of America, Dietz will jump back and forth between calling objects by the language the book is written in and the language of the setting. This can be interesting if done once or twice…but he keeps doing it… even for small things like a mound. Where he will call the mound by its local name then put (mound) right next to it. Over and over again.

And it isn’t even always correct.

For example. The main antagonist group and rival agency is French, and is called “Puissance Treize“ or Power of Thirteen. This isn’t correct as it should be “La puissance de treize.”

Despite all of this, I still had fun with it. Albeit, it was at the book’s expense most of the time. This book is considered canon so, for better or worse, this is part of 47’s story.

[Carlos Trevino · Rating 4 out of 5]

A few pages in, I quickly realized I'd actually read this book back in my high school years. A bummer because the book draws you in to the Hitman universe rather quick. I loved how the book stayed loyal to the game but was saddened by the fact that A: it's too short and B: it took five years for another Hitman book to come along. I'd have loved if this had been turned into a lengthy book series

[Kristopher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Captures the feel of the games very well. The unique settings, evil antagonists, and similar features combined with the welcome change of 47 having a few assistants definitely spices up the formula. A welcome addition to the Hitman universe.

[Hidekisohma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having played the three new hitman games, i thought i'd read one of the novels based on the series to see if it was any good. Was it? I mean...it was fine.

Short version, there's a mole inside of 47's agency and he has to capture a guy who knows the identity of the mole. That's basically the premise.

*Slight Spoilers*

The story in itself was pretty good in the first third (a battle in a biker bar in washington) and the last third (the climax). The middle third did get a bit sluggish though. Basically it was him following this guy, almost being able to catch him, something happening, and him having to try again later.

*End slight spoilers*

There were some weird things they included in this book and i have no idea why they did it. One of the things i was very surprised about was just how many times they mentioned 47 eating and them describing every single thing he ate. i felt like i was in a Sue Grafton novel. I don't need to know that in the morning he had a breakfast of bacon, eggs, buttered toast, and a coffee while at lunch he had a rice dish with eggplant and - I DON'T CARE. it would have been fine if it was once or twice but jesus it was at LEAST ten times.

The other weird thing about this book was the character or Marla. She was this bodyguard-esc person who worked for the bad guys. Every now and then the POV would change to see what she was up to as well as a bit of her internal struggle of what she was doing.

*Slight spoiler*
Then, 3/4 of the way through the book, she's knocked out and we never hear about her again.

It was really confusing because they kept hyping this character up and acting like she was the secondary main character of the novel and then she just gets unceremoniously knocked out and we never hear from her again. it was very confusing to me. it was like the author realized he couldn't tie her into the finale and was like "uhh... just knock her out and hope the audience forgets about her." it was very odd

*End slight spoiler*

Having played the games before, i know they're meant to be violent, but JESUS this book was the definition of "Adult". like, if these cutscenes were a game, it would be rated AO instead of MA. you have to know what you're getting into when you read this book. I would NOT recommend this book for anyone under 18. like, at all. There was definitely "Shock value" writing going on here and they used the fact that it's a book and not a visual medium to their advantage.

I do have to say though, the book read VERY fast and it wasn't bogged down with too much description, but enough to have you understand what was going on. 47 acted a little TOO human in the book at times and took away from it as throughout all the games he's far more robotic and his human qualities peaking through made him feel a little more mortal and ironically, that was a bit detrimental for this character.

Also, this author liked ending sentences with exclamation points. i honestly couldn't tell you why. It just seemed off to me that at times all of a sudden there would be an exciting sentence ending with one, like he would say "There was an explosion!" and i'm like..... is that exclamation point really necessary?

All in all though, for all the nitpicks and complaints, i DID enjoy this book. it was fun, energetic, and although there was literally NO epilogue whatsoever, like, the book ends STUPID abruptly, the overall story was entertaining enough. If you shut off your brain and want a testosterone fueled explosion and bullet fest, it's a good brain cleaner. i hear there's another hitman book, and yeah, i'd read it.

3.5 out of 5 rounded down (damn you goodreads not allowing 1/2 stars) to a 3.

[J.B. Mathias · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of the problems with hiring a known writer who does scifi and video game adaptations to do a well known series rather than someone who knows the series very well is you get a well written book...that doesn't capture the franchise all that well. The bones are there and all the information is certainly correct...but there's something missing.

For one thing the main objective for the assassin throughout the book is not to kill someone. For large chunks of the book he's chasing someone he has to keep alive and capture alive to interrogate them. It has more of a spy thriller feel to it than a Hitman story. It's 47 in a spy thriller that pays occasional lip service to the games. There's almost never a point in the story where 47 shines as the silent assassin, sure there are moments where he's a badass...but it's during shootouts and motorcycle chases.

Hitman is a sandbox video game where the objective is to kill a target as quietly and unnoticed as possible. This is the reason it's hard to adapt into a cohesive story and still capture that vibe because in most games the targets have nothing to do with one another and each mission is it's own little story. The PS4 Hitman games found a way to do it very well, but even then the story is minimal.

A better way to do the same plotline would have been to have not one but multiple ICA traitors and have all their identities well known from the start. Then the book could follow 47 as he finds a way to kill all the traitors while the rival agency also hunts him. Say you have four traitors you could divide the book into four parts and have 47 finding creative ways to quietly eliminate them in different settings...with different difficulties. Then you could have one of the jobs go sideways and still get to write an action sequence and have 47 do all the action hero spy thriller stuff...while still mostly keeping to the Hitman style of the video games for the rest of the book.

Instead we watch 47 tediously fumble his way through trying to take one single target alive. The only other time he kills people is to help keep that guy alive, and as I mentioned they were not carefully calculated hits but loud action packed kills. The book is also padded with sections where we see through the perspective of very minor characters that read as quite pointless. I also didn't care much for the Marla character and she seemed to have no point in the story, and for a story that followed the ICA a lot Diana was not in it very much.

That all being said I still enjoyed it, I think fans will still find something to enjoy and though it didn't capture the franchise as well as it could have what it did do it did well.

[Chris The Lizard from Planet X · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hitman: Enemy Within By Willam C. Dietz, is a video game tie-in novel based on the Hitman video game franchise.

Set sometime after the events of Hitman: Blood Money, when one of the Agency’s board members, Aristotle Thorakis, is close to bankruptcy despite being a billionaire. A thinly-disguised Aristotle Onassis, Thorakis seeks out a means of maintaining his lavish position and this unwittingly leads him to the Agency's enemies in Puissance Treize ("Power Thirteen". Aristotle is given a large sum of money in exchange for information which will allow them to eliminate the Agency's top earners, including the inhumanly gifted clone assassin Agent 47. Agent 47 survives the initial attempts on his life, which starts him on a globe-trotting adventure to find the traitor so he can get back down to business as well as save his handler Diana from being framed for Thorakis' traitorous crimes.

How do you find then eliminate a traitor? Within the first few pages, this book answers that question and more by diving right into the action. Immediately the reader learns master assassin Agent 47 has a deadly aim and is the doyen of disguises. He’s meticulous, thorough, and above all precise to the point of flawless. The unfolding story of how 47 finds his target is beautifully woven with snippets from 47’s past life and we learn exactly why he is the way he is. But there’s a conflict with 47, his old friend and mentor is Father Vittorio. How then can 47 be an assassin? Keep reading, you’ll find out.

The sordid elements within this novel is not for the young reader,  it’s clearly an adult story. Dietz takes the reader on a fast-paced, wild and unimagined journey around the world. His descriptions of people, places, and things grabs the readers attention and plunges them into the sometimes seedy covert world 47 is forced to maneuver. Though Agent 47 is a genetically-altered clone assassin, he’s still a full-bodied, interesting character with feelings, desires, and worries of a normal human being.

Overall, This book did not disappoint. Indeed it was hard to stop turning the pages as each action had an equal and opposite re-action. It was interesting to find out just how it all played out. The end provided some closure, but there were still some plots points left dangling which gave the impression of an impending sequel. As this novel was published quite some time ago, I’m not sure a sequel is in the making. But I sure do want to know what became of Marla and the Puissance Treize.

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the mood for some action thriller I decided to take a dip in the Hitman universe as adapted from the video game franchise. Although I have given up on finding another Victor the Assassin, a story about a clone assassin working for a killer-for-hire agency was too intriguing to ignore.

I was pleasantly surprised by the opening chapters of the book, video game inspired and all, the writing was clear and fluff free and the action was top notch. It introduced an interesting assassin in Agent 47, detached and competent, an expert in the art of killing, be it with stealth, accidental or guns blazing. Being a foodie was a surprise though.

Having near zero knowledge of the lore of the game series as a whole, I thought the author did a good job in introducing various essential elements in a manner that doesn't leave a new reader lost.

The plot was one of the high points, not original but well executed. A senior member of the Agency on the verge of losing his wealth and legacy, seeks the aid of a rival agency, the Puissance Treize, who want their aid to be repaid in the destruction of the Agency, starting with its most valued agent, 47.

So what follows is Agent 47 trying to stay alive and uncover the traitor. The setting was expansive, covering three continents. Agent 47 was an efficiently written assassin, he was calculating, inventive and quite ruthless. The action scenes were decent, although I felt a little more tension could have elevated things if Agent 47 wasn't protrayed to be near invincible.

An okay storyline with a climax that was a bit underwhelming, good enough to engage me even in my poor reading mood, but just a just lacking a little edge I think.

[Nicolle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a fun read for fans of the games, but honestly it's really just that, as odd sentence fragments, superfluous physical descriptions, and awkward/slightly out of place sex scenes abound. All that aside the story itself is reasonably interesting and enjoyable. It was nice to get an expanded view of the world of the Hitman games, learn more of 47's backstory, learn more about the structure etc. of the Agency, and so forth. Part of me wants to side with those that have stated that the novel's portrayal of 47 is not in keeping of the character we know from the games, but I'm on the fence. This book takes place after second game in the series, and having just finished those two games I wasn't really feeling too much in the character development department, so there was something of a blank slate there. The quirky one-liners and such are definitely not in keeping with the more stoic 47 we know from the more recent games, but I appreciated the attempt to make an otherwise potentially unapproachable character seem less so. At times it was a bit over the top, and I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels that a lot of the character's appeal comes from that distance. And really I just don't understand why every somewhat major female character had to end up naked at some point in the story. Still a solid read if you're after something quick and light. I was planning on giving it four stars, but the ending is hugely abrupt and dissatisfying in its seeming lack of closure. But hey at least now we know 47 loves a good breakfast, and really who doesn't?

[Alexandru Negoita · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would give it a 3.5 if I could. I love the Hitman universe, but because of their nature the games are not fit for relaying much detailed backstory for the characters. A book is the perfect setting for minute details that serve as the foundation for building a good character backstory. This one however failed terribly in its purpose because. Outside of the asylum escape to Brașov, there's not much information on 47's life that would bring new light onto the character. We're presented numerous times how he sleeps on the floor instead of the bed in hotels and inns and how he likes fine dining, but those things get old fast. I would've loved to see details about his life in the asylum, Ort-Meyer, other clones or even his relationship with Diana or the Agency and answers to the why he acts the way he does psychologically. Instead we got an uncalled for oversexualized Diana. Most of the scenes she appears in or is mentioned, there's some sexual aspect to it. The Italy hotel scene is the stupidest of them all. Another weird thing is how Marla completely evaporates from the plot after 47 catches Al-Fulani. She unties herself - which goes to show a very careless 47, unlike his character in the games - and escapes from the compound in the desert never to be heard of or from again and that's awkward because she was a major character up until that point.

What I liked was Vittorio making an appearance and the memories from the asylum.

[esha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Following 47's hits, the successes and failures, the improvisations, his inner musings and thought processes - absolutely brilliant I loved it. And this is the reason the I'm rating the book so highly, as it made for a compelling and enjoyable read. The switching between storytelling perspectives I also enjoyed as it successfully brought the world of the book to life. However, this book undelivers in other aspects.

The majority of the narrative is set in North Africa and absolutely plays into some of the well-established negative stereotypes the espionage genre already has with this part of the world and it's cultures. But what this book does much worse in my opinion is the male author's strange and frankly creepy descriptions of women. The two main female characters - Diana and Marla - are always described in terms of their looks, other people's perceptions of their looks or their body parts. This is not something the author does with the male characters. The words chosen are so odd. The author puts both female characters, individually, in narrative circumstances where they are forcibly stripped naked for whatever reason. And then proceeds to tell the reader about their nipples or underwear choice. Completely unnecessary, disrespectful, just strange.

The climactic showdown between 47 and a Puissance Trieze is compelling but it introduces a whole new assassin, whilst Marla, who up until a few chapters ago has been 47's nemesis, just disappears. The character who we follow for most of the novel as the counter-assassin to our protagonist just... isn't used at the end. Very strange decision, and the ending would have been more satisfying if the final showdown was between those two.

In terms of game/lore accuracy there's a few inconsistenties - especially as a reader coming to this book after the WoA trilogy of games and Birth of the Hitman comic. 47 makes a few decisions that I feel are perhaps a little out of character and sometimes the Diana/47 dynamic seems a bit off but overall they seem to be mostly what you'd expect them to be.

So in conclusion, a great insight into a compelling video game character in book form but definitely suffers from creepy-male-authoritis and perhaps a little outdated.

[Rey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Didn't expect much so was pleasantly surprised. First third of the book is action packed. 2nd act meanders with Agent 47 mostly being thwarted and just waiting around for opportunity. The finale was decent with him finally being able to get some action.

Loved the Agent 47 character. Cold and cunning, meticulous and well prepared. He pretty much embodies the perfect hitman.

Liked the writing style and way story developed as well. It didn't seem far fetched and felt a certain amount of realism due to the various details described before commiting a hit. Also as a variety of different locations were used from Morocco to Portugal, did give a James bond vibe.

Even though had some go elements, wished the 2nd act had a bit more action in it instead of the extended waiting period. Not a bad read overall.

[Kieslowski · Rating 3 out of 5]

چون نسخه ترجمه فارسی کتاب تو گودریدز خراب شده پیج نداشت، اینجا می نویسم.
کتاب رو محمد رحمانی در دو جلد ترجمه و انتشارات دنیای بازی اون رو چاپ کرده.
آشنا شدن با اصل و ریشه مامور ۴۷ و اینکه چطور تبدیل به آدمکشی حرفه ای شده در طی جریان کتاب لذت بخش بود.
ریشه های هر کارکتر در هر مدیومی اگر قوی نوشته و خلق بشه، همیشه جذابه و میتونه سال ها منشا خلق گیم ها،انیمیشن ها،فیلمها و سریال های مختلفی باشه.
نویسنده به آرامی موقعیت های مختلف رو توصیف میکنه و به مخاطب اجازه میده با دنیای فکری هیتمن آشنا بشه و دلیل رفتارهای اون رو درک کنه.
یه دورانی مجله های گیم منبع اصلی اطلاعات ما و عامل سرگرمی و دلخوشی ما بودن.در کنار چاپ مجله و دیسک بازی ،انتشار کتاب های مرتبط با گیم یکی دیگه از فوائد اون انتشاراتی ها بود که تا چند سال هم ادامه داشت.متاسفانه با از بین رفتن اون مجلات،این فعالیت های جانبی هم متوقف شد و صد حیف که نسل بعد نمی تونه اون لذتی که ما در ورق زدن صفحات مجلات میبردیم رو بچشه و درک کنه.

[Addison Filpo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just finished this book. Honestly I enjoyed it!

It’s a standalone story in the Hitmanverse that takes place between Silent Assassins and Contracts. Have new names and familiar names such as Father Vittorio from Silent Assassin and of course Diana. We get a better understanding of Agent 47 thought process during his task. The author does great detailing how 47 changes his outward appearance and studies the playing field to take out his targets. The way he eliminates people is exactly like in the games. You have your all out shooting moments (for those complete missions that way), you have your sit still and listen to intel moments, you have your sneak around and poison your target moments. This books is a great addition to the Hitman universe.

[Jaffer Luba · Rating 4 out of 5]

The amount of detail the author describes in this fine piece of work is amazing, the gore, the action, the nudity, every detail is described in explicit and well picked statements. Definitely better than Damnation. Agent 47 was portrayed to show more human behavior in this story as compared to other media that portray him as a supernatural soldier. However the author should have done alittle more research on the assassin. However If you are a fan of Agent 47 and the HITMAN franchise, I definitely recommend this. Hell even if you just into well written action scenes, I definitely recommend this. The author tackles some sensitive topics, which were a welcome addition.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

As someone who has only dabbled in the games, but enjoys the concept, I was interested in an original story told in this universe. As a spy thriller, it's decent - Agent 47 is a man without morals, so you never really know who he might choose to spare on any given day. There are a few twists here and there to keep things interesting. I'm not in love with the author's style ("x completed the outfit" was used far too often, and what was the in depth description of a woman's breasts about?), but it moves along fairly briskly. Then it ends on kind of a flat note, as if he just didn't feel like writing anymore, which was a bummer. I feel like there was enough there for some kind of epilogue.

[Aizuddin Khalid · Rating 4 out of 5]

The novel has the perfect flow of storytelling, even for a person not familiar with the game and the Agent 47 character. The novel doesn't fail from character introduction to plot build up, some minor twists and conflicts but never deviating from the objective. The title "Enemy Within" definitely befits the novel with the end goal to track down and eliminate the traitor within the agency.

If you enjoy a good action pack "John Wick" style story with a series of missions, and overcoming hurdles to get to the ultimate goal, this is the book.

[Nu · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is less a reflection on the book and more of a reflection on the author. Having zero knowledge of Arab, Sudanese and "African" culture, coupled with zero knowledge of the Muslim religion hasnt stopped this author from making up his own culture that is born of his own stereotypes and prejudices. Do some research or avoid the topics.

[Allison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Parts of this book were pretty good, I especially enjoyed the final target's ending. Much of the plot felt bloated. I get the distinct impression that 47 would rather review small Mom and Pop restaurants. Some of that inner dialogue made me laugh out loud. In the end, I didn't hate it, but I should have read something else.

[Nicholas · Rating 2 out of 5]

A real “Man’s Book”, and from that comes everything you might expect.

Lots of description given to guns, thugs, breasts, shootouts and, for some reason, breakfasts. Is breakfast an important theme of the games? Who knows, but the main character seems to wax poetic about his early morning meals more than just about anything else.

It IS the most important meal of the day, so they say!

[Israel · Rating 5 out of 5]

"If our man is innocent, he won't do anything at all. But I'm betting that he'll phone his contact within the Puissance Treize and beg for help. When that help comes, I'll be waiting..." - Agent 47

"And then?" - Mr. Nu

"And then Mr. Thorakis is going to have an accident."- Agent 47

[Nalina · Rating 3 out of 5]

as a big fan of the game series always wanted to see a expanded universe for agent 47! story wise this is good unfortunately i don't think writer fully understand the concept or the background behind agent 47.

[Mark Desmit · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's some cool hitman stuff sometimes, but the book gets bogged down by certain things. The way sex is used feels really juvenile. Some things feel shocking just for effect. Hitman doesn't have a great track record for adaptations

[sonya · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book somehow broke through my reading slump. So. I really loved the plot and all the characters, they were very vivid and storytelling was compelling. Some moments, 47 felt out of character but they weren’t too bad, at least not for me.

[David Wellens · Rating 1 out of 5]

An unbelievable mess that has absolutely nothing to do with 47 nor The Agency. It reads like a half forgotten mercenary killer manuscript that Dietz turned into a Hitman novel by simply replacing the protagonist’s name wherever necessary.

This man does not know 47’s character at. all.

[Hussain Ahmed · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very nice story showing different aspects of 47's life and relation with Diana.

[Jap Hengky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really great and thrilling.