Mike's Book Review Thread.

[RedWolfRacer]

IT'S DONE! IT'S FINALLY DONE!!

Three years, two-hundred and some odd pages, 60 or so "chapters" divided into three parts.... It's finally done! I finished my novel, FINALLY!

Now all I have to do is make a second draft.

 

[Submerged]

Last Book Read: The Stand (Complete version)

Author: Stephen King


Acquired From: WHSmith

Rating: 8.5/10

Type: Not sure. A Blend of Horror with slight ting of Fantasy in it. I think

Comment: Well, this is one massive book! It totalled 1,400 pages (give or take) and could be better describe as a book for holiday reading. That is, if you didn't mind being kept awake at night with the possbilities of what would happening next in the story! (Over-active imagination i know...)

Basically, it contains everything that Stephen King had to edit out on the first edition, as apparently "we had to keep cost down in printing". It must be remembered that he created this story in 1979. However, as i haven't read the first edition i cannot compare that version to this. But as i have not read the previous edition, this allowed me to view this book with a blank slate, free from expectations. Apart from expecting a good read of course. Which is what i will be coming to.

As soon as you read the first chapter, it is a classic Stephen King affair, the story effortlessly gripping you into the story of survival, the regeneration of society after a man-made disease outbreak that went wrong, deaths, deceit, surprises and many others. It is just uncanny the ability of the book to make you want to read and carry on reading it. I will admit that if the story is good, i will read it as much as i can. To the exclusion of other things (within reason of course). This book was able to do that easily.

Now, the story. As already stated, it is about a man-made virus that went out of control, killing most people apart from the lucky few. It is about the journey of the lucky few from different areas of America to all meet together at a particular spot, as told by dreams...(fantasy area!). It is also a battle against Good vs. Evil, but not in a traditional sense. (Not as in an all-out war with battlions of armies...)

However, at times, the vast amount of the story does tend to make it seem like a chore as it does leave you wondering, while reading it, how exactly the story end out, when you are half way there. It is a fairly slow paced story too, so for those who like Dan Brown fast-paced style are sure to be disappointed. When I finished the story and thought about it, there wasn't a lot i could remember from the actual book, due to the nature of the book being about the journey to the "meeting place", which does give it an air of....frustration of the characters and of the reader, in a bizarre way which i cannot quite explain yet.

To conclude, i did enjoy the story a lot and was very happy that i had brought it, as i wanted something big (which is was, come on! 1,400 pages?!), to keep me reading for a long period of time (well, two weeks) and grabbed my attention as well. Remembering that the main bulk of the story was created in 1979 which is 27 years ago(!) and has things/objects that i didn't know about (I'm British, not American...) i would say that it stood the test of time very well.


Edit: I have a question for everyone. I recently purchased a book by Stephen King, "From a Buick 8". It is a really good book, till page 120. Cos there is no pages from 120 to 153! I am just wondering if anyone knows whether printing mistakes like this are likely to become vauable? (normally i would have got it swapped for a full paged book. However a friend did mention that, which made me think a bit more...) It is the third Edition of that book, hardbacked with a really cool bookcover graphic on it! (ok, i admit. I brought it for the cover...and plus, it was for £2.99!) So, worth keeping or replacing?

 

[Zrow]

Book: The King of Torts
Author: John Grisham

Type: Fiction


Rating: 8/10

Grisham's fifteenth novel is a legal thriller involving massive class-action lawsuits and the tort lawyers behind them. Clay Carter is a poorly paid public defender in Washington D.C. who comes across a client charged for murder. The murder appears random, but Carter becomes privy to some inside information that suggests otherwise, giving him the chance to settle for millions. What follows is a pretty fascinating ride into the world of mass-tort litigation and the tremendous wealth that can be aquired.

It's an entertaining read. The numbers got a bit tiring from time to time, but the situations and wealth that the main character comes into are all extremely interesting. It's a great look into how fast somebody can be swept up into the 'game', and how easily it is to take what you have for granted.

It's a pretty quick read, too - check it out!

 

[Anderton Prime]

Submerged:

I wouldn't throw it away, but I doubt it's worth much, especially since it's a third printing and Buick 8 is not one of King's better sellers. Still, if you want to read the whole thing, why not go to the library? YOU probably wouldn't have to even take the book out; you're only missing 30-odd hardcover pages, which is about 15 minutes of reading at the most.

 

[Submerged]

Submerged:

I wouldn't throw it away, but I doubt it's worth much, especially since it's a third printing and Buick 8 is not one of King's better sellers. Still, if you want to read the whole thing, why not go to the library? YOU probably wouldn't have to even take the book out; you're only missing 30-odd hardcover pages, which is about 15 minutes of reading at the most.

I did presume that it wasn't really worth a lot. The story itself is pretty...strange. I will do a quick nip in the library to read the missing pages and resume on my read. (Actually i hadn't thought about the library thing).

It's kinda a tad annoying when the publisher manages to *forget* to print the missing pages! I just wonder how it happens...

Oh btw RedWolfRacer, well done on your novel!

Note to Zrow: The numbers in that novel does get a bit tiring with the amounts of zeros it has..but i do agree with you, its a good and fairly short read!

 

[Slicks]

Book: Strangers
Author: Dean Koontz
Type: Fiction

Rating: 8.25/10

Comment:
One of Koontz' older books, it was the first of his that I've read.
This is an involving book with a great deal of imagination going into the writing. While slightly predictable in the final pages, it still takes the reader on a ride that you'll want to do in one session. Ideas introduced and implicated in the book are insightful and creative, given the context of the book. It develops the characters thoroughly, giving background information and clues to the plot before unravelling before you.
Superbly written, especially given its' action-thriller-ish genre.
The storyline involves a group of people who appear to be unrelated, strangers to one another. From different backgrounds, different places, and different lifestyles, they have only two things in common: Gripping, irrational fear, and an unremembered chain of events that took place years ago. As they begin to put the peices together, they find out that they are not alone, and come together to finally grasp the big picture, and their place in an extensive cover-up.

(If I don't read anothe Koontz book next, I think I too will read From a Buick 8. It's interested me for a while, but I have not had the oppertunity to pursue that interest yet).