Tag Archives: fiction
The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Locke Lamora is what Oliver Twist could have been, had he not been so impossibly perfectly naive to the point of stupidity and dull innocent. Actually, I suppose one would have to say Locke has more in common with The Artful Dodger. An orphan who becomes a skilled thief, but with far more intelligence and skill. And burning down of large inns. In The Lies of Locke Lamora Scott Lynch creates a cast of characters who you’ll love and who will make you laugh. An equisite work of fantasy that overlaps heavily with the action genre, I highly recommend this work to anyone who likes their characters to be badass and have questionable motives.
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Leave a comment | tags: 4 stars, action or adventure, badassery, bloody spiders, book review, books, everybody dies, fantasy, fiction, questionable motives, review, up to no good, xposted to OSgA reviews | posted in Words
The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Given how many of [a:Agatha Christie|123715|Agatha Christie|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1190633574p2/123715.jpg]’s works I read as an adolescent, I was somewhat astounded to realize as I read that I had not read [b:The Mysterious Affair at Styles|140290|The Mysterious Affair at Styles|Agatha Christie|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1207178577s/140290.jpg|3366260]. Written in 1916 and set during the first World War, it introduces us to both Hastings and Hercule Poirot. Like the first Miss Marple book, it is primarily fascinating because of the “origin story” aspect. Both characters became more fascinating over time as Christie developed them. That being said, this was a delightful read filled with the red herrings and twists that made Dame Agatha a master of the genre. I highly recommend this for any aficionado of English mysteries.
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Leave a comment | tags: 3 stars, book review, books, country houses, eccentric old men, fiction, greedy relatives, mystery, never-ending tea time, review, star-crossed lovers, time to break out the brandy | posted in Words
Uncle Silas by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu does bone-chilling creepiness exceedingly well. This book made the hairs on my neck stand up at least twice; not the easiest thing to accomplish with fiction. The story contains several villains, with varying degrees of overt nastiness and subtlety. That being said, I found myself repeatedly grinding my teeth at or wanting to shake the heroine into using her brain at least once in a while. Admittedly, I am relatively unversed in the gothic horror sub-genre having only previously read the Bronte sisters, but I do not recall their heroines being quite so limp and hysterical. This definitely hurt my enjoyment of an otherwise excellent book. Uncle Silas is yet another book that makes me wish I had the option to give 3.5 stars. As it is, being unable to accurately give it 4, I have to downgrade it to 5.
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Leave a comment | tags: 3 stars, book review, books, fiction, gothic fiction, horror, review | posted in Words
The Skystone by Jack Whyte
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I really did not care for the beginning section of the book. It was boring. Once it got past the initial stage, I really enjoyed it. The story is told as the memories of Publius Varrus, a former Roman soldier of noble blood who is also a blacksmith. Much of it concerns his relationship with Caius Brittanicus, an even higher noble who is his military commander for years and becomes a very close friend. The title comes from a rock which fell to earth thirty years prior from which Varrus’ grandfather made him a dagger of an unknown, extremely hard metal. Both Britannicus and Varrus become obsessed with the hunt for more of these stones. Their search takes place against the backdrop of a Britain preparing for the Fall of the Empire. Overall, an excellent story. I look forward to continuing the series.
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Leave a comment | tags: Arthurian legend, Britain, fantasy, fiction, Roman Empire | posted in Words
Gravity’s Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon is, without doubt, the most dense and one of the most challenging works of fiction I have ever read. It lives up to its reputation of being a madcap, sprawling yet tightly packed, post-modern epic. It also lives up to its reputation of being difficult. Despite my original skepticism and the sheer pretentiousness of the book, I was pleasantly surprised by the degree to which I enjoyed it. Below is a comprehensive description of my thoughts and feelings on the book, as well as my views on what it is. Continue reading
Leave a comment | tags: 4 stars, book review, books, fiction, review, science fiction | posted in Words
