Review Forum

The Bodysurfers by Robert Drewe

feeds@yuku.com (Golophin) — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 08:44:44 GMT

A collection of short stories following the Lang family through three generations. Set in Australia the book mostly features David Lang ( who narrates the first story) and his brother Max there sister Anne features in the first two stories but then disappears without trace. Something which i noticed happened a lot with the female characters in this authors work. Chronologically the tales tell of Davids unsuccessful attempt to save his failing marriage, his search for contentment and how thats...

A BOOK OF A THOUSAND DAYS

feeds@yuku.com (TheNunns) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 23:12:45 GMT

by Shannon Hale

This is a story I won't forget - a book to have when I need it. It is written as entries into a "thought book" by a peasant of a different world and culture, so I guess a fantasy, perhaps history, believe what you want. Another remake of a fairy tale, but oh it's not. The story reads fast and you don't want to put it...

The Irresistable Revolution by Shane Claiborne

feeds@yuku.com (Golophin) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 07:14:22 GMT

Shane Claiborne is a founding partner in a religious community in Philadelphia called The Simple Way. In The Irresistible Revolution the author describes his personal journey from Eastern Tennessee through various religious campuses in the USA and the backstreets of Calcutta in India to where he is today. He shares his thoughts on a variety of issues that affect the world today viewing them as someone who describes himself as a "Jesus Follower". Claiborne also talks about the...

The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher or the Murder at Road Hill House by Kate Summerscale

feeds@yuku.com (tabbynera) — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 06:38:45 GMT

It could also be titled "or the first police detective in the British police force". The story tells of a crime committed in the 19th century, 1860, in a large country house occupied by the family of Samuel Kent and his servants.

One morning someone is missing in the household and the body is soon found. It is for me a detective story in the true olde englishe fashion. There are many suspects and as the crime takes place in a small english village the local constabulary is...

Raiders from the North by Alex Rutherford

feeds@yuku.com (Golophin) — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 08:35:58 GMT

Another addition to the growing body of fiction fictionalizing the lives of various warlike historical figures. Like all those books the plotting in this book is constrained by the fact that the author has to make sure that his characters are all in certain places at certain times for various historical events whos outcome we already know to take place.

Rutherford is even more constrained than usual as Babur the founder of the moghul empire and star of his novel took time out from...

Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell.

feeds@yuku.com (Golophin) — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 16:42:18 GMT

A novel which was recently in the running for various literary prizes, no wait come back!

Cloud Atlas is divided into sections with different narrators in various periods of history and the future passing the story from one to another. In an amusing trick some of the narrators are aware of those narrators who have preceded them while others aren't. So far so pretentious yes? agreed i thought it was an annoying device too but each of the stories which make up the whole are...

The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton

feeds@yuku.com (TheNunns) — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 11:47:25 GMT

taken from the Kate Morton website

A brief synopsis

A lost child...
On the eve of the first world war, a little girl is found abandoned on a ship to Australia. A mysterious woman called the Authoress had promised to look after her - but the Authoress has disappeared without a trace.
A terrible...

Venus in Furs by Jospeh Von Sacher-Masoch

feeds@yuku.com (Golophin) — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 03:02:42 GMT
Leopold Von Sacher-Masoch was born in what is now Belarus in 1836. A member of the Austrian ruling class he trained as a lawyer but really saw himself as a man of letters. He devoted himself to writing full time and planned an ambitious series of books examing all aspects of comtemporary life (that is the life of the upper classes in the Austro-Hungarian Empire). A series of six books were planned; Love, Money, Property, The State, War and Death. only two of these works were ever completed...

The Blackened Canteen by Jerry Yellin

feeds@yuku.com (jaybird) — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 13:20:28 GMT
This is a poignant fictionalized story of a true event that occurred during World War II. The true story goes like this: on a bombing mission just before the end of the war on June 20, 1945 over the Japanese town of Shizuoka, 2 B-29s collided and crashed. Thousands were killed in the bombing raid, including the 23 Americans in the 2 B-29s. A brave Japanese humanitarian, at great risk to himself, buried the remains of the Americans and erected a memorial to those killed in the bombing raid,...

The State of Africa by Martin Meredith

feeds@yuku.com (Golophin) — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 12:10:20 GMT
An overview of the last half century since most African nations became independent by the journalist Martin Meredith. Okay this is a 700 page book taking a look at an entire continent looking at economic development and the geo-politics of the region as well as the effects of AIDS and trade barriers. so it is can only be a tale told in broad brushstrokes illuminated by character sketches of some of the rulers who have left the nation states of Africa as hollowed out shells presided over by...

Sputnik Sweetheart by Haruki Murakami

feeds@yuku.com (Golophin) — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 14:32:01 GMT
In this short novel the narrator K tells the tale of his friendship with a bohemian young writer called Sumire and her passion for an enigmatic older woman called Miu. Simure and Miu travel to Europe and after Simure disappears K travels to Greece to try and unconver the mystery of where "his one true friend" has gone.

Like Murakami's other novel Norwegian Wood this book is set in a urban Japan which in many ways seems very similar to the West but in other ways is...

One Second After by William Forstchen

feeds@yuku.com (Guttergoddess) — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 21:02:00 GMT
This book is set in the time just before and the year after an EMP (ElectroMagnetic Pulse). Imagine suddenly being thrown back 150+ years in time....but not being prepared for it. In this day and age, we rely completely on electricity and electronics. We live in a "just on time delivery" schedule. Most people have no larder to speak of. This book is centered around a family and how they deal with it. It's an amazing read. The charachters come to life. I honestly found...

Evolution of Consciousness by John Kuykendall

feeds@yuku.com (soma77) — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 14:13:53 GMT

"Evolution of Consciousness" by John Kuykendall is appealing in particular because it explains the Christian mysteries so...

Mr. Build by Steven Kreg & Kathy Evans

feeds@yuku.com (Warrior Warren) — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 08:49:00 GMT

Well I guess I'm not really witty or much of a review writer, but I'll give it a shot.

After reading this book I just lifted my head and said... "woah." Its one of those books that has an effect on you. I wish I could express myself better, its kind of hard to put into words. Its a very unique concept, and not one for the squemish... I guess I'd put it as Psychological horror/Suspense. Its well crafted and the story keeps you wanting to find out what...

Stripped by Brian Freeman

feeds@yuku.com (Golophin) — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 13:58:52 GMT
The second Johnathon Stride adventure finds our two dimensional hero and his partner Serena Dial relocated from Minnesota to Las Vegas.

Immoral is a tired plot so unoriginal that even i knew who the killer was before the half way point. The story is decorated. with some of the Las Vegas glitz and a cast of characters who seem to have stepped of the screen straight from Casino and Showgirls. In this book everything revolves around sex and death and Freeman spares no punches in his...

Diary of a Madman and other Tales by Nikolai Gogol

feeds@yuku.com (Golophin) — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 03:41:41 GMT
Written in the first half of the 19th century this collection of short stories is at times surreal and shot through with dark humour. The author seems to me to have been a great observer of mankind and the personalities and motivations of his characters always rings true. Gogol rights movingly of the plight of the poor neglected government official toiling in obscurity and his descriptions of his homeland the Ukraine evoke the rural life of the 19th century gentry from which his family comes...

The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga

feeds@yuku.com (Golophin) — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 16:58:12 GMT
The debut novel by Aravind Adiga tells the story of Balram, the White Tiger a rickshaw pullers son born in deepest darkest rural India who escapes from his simple beginnings to become a servant, philosopher, murderer and finally a successful entrepreneur in Bangalore. The book takes the form of a letter which Ashok Sharma writes to the Prime Minister of China over the course of seven nights. A letter which warns the Prime Minister what to expect during a visit to India by telling him Balrams...

The Rats by James Herbert

feeds@yuku.com (tabbynera) — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 11:26:47 GMT
I just posted this review at Pat Lewins, so thought I would put it here as well, I hope you don't mind

I have just finished reading The Rats by James Herbert. I ordered the book in my local bookshop in Solothurn, Switzerland, and after a wait of two weeks it arrived, just 197 pages. I was surprised. James Herbert is a well known horror/ghost story writer and this was his first...

The Oathsworn Series by Robert Low

feeds@yuku.com (Golophin) — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 06:51:27 GMT
I have read the first two books in this series ( The Whale Road and The Wolf Sea) and have lazily decided to combine my review, my apologies.

The Oathsworn are intended to be a series of books based on the memoirs of a successful former Viking called Orm Rurikssson. The first book The Whale Sea tells the tale of how young Orm comes to join the crew of the Fjord Elk a band of Pagan Norse warriors under the leadership of Eirk the Black. The Oath in question is a dreadful holy...

Immoral by Brian Freeman

feeds@yuku.com (Golophin) — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 16:25:23 GMT
Two girls go missing almost exactly a year apart. Lieutenant Jonathon Stride is called on to investigate. The book is split with action taking place in Duluth and the Great Northern Woods and the city of Las Vegas. Reading Immoral i was reminded of watching an episode of Law & Order the first third of the book is back story and police procedural then the book rather abruptly becomes a courtroom drama before a lengthy resolution which explains and ties up every loose end.

Good...

Review Forum

The Bodysurfers by Robert Drewe

A BOOK OF A THOUSAND DAYS

The Irresistable Revolution by Shane Claiborne

The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher or the Murder at Road Hill House by Kate Summerscale

Raiders from the North by Alex Rutherford

Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell.

The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton

taken from the Kate Morton website A brief synopsis

A lost child... On the eve of the first world war, a little girl is found abandoned on a ship to Australia. A mysterious woman called the Authoress had promised to look after her - but the Authoress has disappeared without a trace. A terrible...

Venus in Furs by Jospeh Von Sacher-Masoch

The Blackened Canteen by Jerry Yellin

The State of Africa by Martin Meredith

Sputnik Sweetheart by Haruki Murakami

One Second After by William Forstchen

Evolution of Consciousness by John Kuykendall

"Evolution of Consciousness" by John Kuykendall is appealing in particular because it explains the Christian mysteries so...

Mr. Build by Steven Kreg & Kathy Evans

Stripped by Brian Freeman

Diary of a Madman and other Tales by Nikolai Gogol

The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga

The Rats by James Herbert

The Oathsworn Series by Robert Low

Immoral by Brian Freeman

taken from the Kate Morton website

A brief synopsis

A lost child...
On the eve of the first world war, a little girl is found abandoned on a ship to Australia. A mysterious woman called the Authoress had promised to look after her - but the Authoress has disappeared without a trace.
A terrible...