Robert H

• Rated 5 stars

“Surprisingly short, surprisingly easy to read, and surprisingly deep. As Holocoaust / Third Reich based literature goes, this is perhaps the most interesting book I've read. Interesting despite, or perhaps because of, not featuring the victims and victim mindset very much at all. This is the story of a young boy whose affair with a slightly older woman becomes overshadowed, later in life, by her past as concentration camp guard. Daring to show Nazis as humans, rather than monsters, daring to be slightly sentimental (and perhaps corny) while still carrying depth and humanity in its pages, it is a book I would recommend.”

Robert H wrote this review Sunday, June 8 2008. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 5 stars

“I don't think I'd like the man, but he certainly led an interesting life. Storming through the 50s and 60s, spearheading the hippie generation while strongly advocating LSD, this odd psychologist sure lived life to the max. The book made me want to try LSD. Fantastic read, interesting history, great character.”

Robert H wrote this review Sunday, June 8 2008. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 5 stars

“It's not quite up there with Neil Gaiman's Stardust or William Goldman's The Princess Bride, but it's fantastic nevertheless. It's not so much a fairy tale for grown-ups (as the other two are), but a swashbuckling tale of rolicking adventure (and fantasy) that delights the 8-year-old boy inside. Stardust and Princess Bride are, to my mind, gender-neutral, that is to say, probably appreciated by the child inside. Name of the Wind is written firmly for boys. The writing is mostly competent and solid, but it does allow itself the odd moment of bravado, the odd slice of cheese, and a plot that is, to put it bluntly, not exactly new. However, it does so with a wink in the eye, self-consciously, and constantly trying to convince the reader that it's a little more post-modern than that. And it is. This isn't Lord of the Rings or Raymond Feist territory - the novel does not take itself too seriously. I absolutely loved it, and even though it's as thick as Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, I read through it within three days. Its pace is rushing along with gusto enough for ten adventure movies, its humour is sprinkling just the right amount of mischief and joy into the story, and its sheer energy is riveting. It's one of the most enjoyable books I've read in a long while. (As for the inevitable Harry Potter comparison: This book is twice as funny, thrice as energetic and quadruple the pure reading joy of the average Potter novel. However, it is very much a boys' novel, in my opinion, with a good 500 pages passing before a serious romantic interest is developed, and the story being driven by the lust for adventure (and occasionally revenge) much more than any grown-up desires....)”

Robert H wrote this review Sunday, June 8 2008. ( reply | permalink )

3 of 3 members found this review helpful.

• Rated 4 stars

“Usually, I hate books with spelling adapted to the narrator / character. In this case, it's a bit limited and quickly absorbed by the rapid narrative. The narrative moves along at breakneck pace, putting a mini-cliffhanger at the end of every chapter (probably the oldest trick in the book, but boy, does it work), making this an exciting sci fi thriller. Mostly, I loved the book - highly engaging concept, well-executed for the most part. There are some flaws: the complete and utter cliffhanger ending is, to be blunt, a bastard. ending a book at its most dramatic point with a big bold "End of Book One" is simply cheating! And the teenagers act and speak like adults, which is sometimes a little hard to swallow. I should probably point out that I couldn't put the book down - I read it until 1am and longer even on work nights, and finished it in less than 3 days of frantic reading at every possible opportunity.”

Robert H wrote this review Friday, June 6 2008. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 5 stars

“A fairy tale for grown ups (and, let's be honest, not-so-grown-ups), this book is more delightful than the movie by a long way. OK, so some of the asides by the author / abbreviator are perhaps a little superfluous, and the first chapter of the sequel never quite manages to sustain the same amount of energy and fun as the Princess Bride, but it's beautifully written, funny, swashbuckling, pure delight. Highly recommended. And fantastic even on the second read.”

Robert H wrote this review Thursday, June 5 2008. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 3 stars

“More or less like the first. This man-and-his-dragon series is readable, if nothing else, and occasionally exciting. There is also much hand-wringing, frutration, and passive waiting for stuff to happen, which makes the novel not a very consistent read. The detail is a nice touch adding to the suspension of disbelief, but in the resolution in the end is not entirely satisfying - a dragon love interest arrives out of the blue, replacing what seemed like a natural love interest. I've vaguely enjoyed the book, but not enough to want to read my way any further into the series.”

Robert H wrote this review Monday, May 26 2008. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 4 stars

“Neil Gaiman writing superhero comics... Well, I didn't like 1602 very much, but The Eternals is suitably exciting, with epic undertones and some hinted-at-mythology. It's difficult judging this comit without comparing it with the Endless / Sandman series, in particular because of the subplots of certain humans with incredible longevity that features heavily in one of the Sandman books. The Eternals is different - these are superheros of theuniform-wearing, technicolor variety. It's a much shorter story, and while there is an occasional feeling that some of the characters could be as rich as Alan Moore's Watchmen, the brevity of the series limits their development. I'd say it's entertaining, highly readable, with glimpses of Gaiman mythology / magic / depth, but not the kind of classic which will be read for centuries to come...”

Robert H wrote this review Monday, May 26 2008. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 4 stars

“Imagine a crossing between Sandman, A Christmas Carol, and Harry Potter - written before Harry Potter was even conceived - and you get Neil Gaiman's The Books of Magic. It's got his trademark epic grandeur and eye for sinister beauty. It's got cameos by various other characters (including some of the Endless). And it's enjoyable, thrilling, although not very plot driven. It feels more like a showcase of a universe, rather than a story with protagonists and antagonists. The Books of Magic is a trailer, not a feature. I'd recommend it, but don't expect it to feel complete.”

Robert H wrote this review Sunday, May 25 2008. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 3 stars

“One of my students is a fan of Richard Laymon's work, so I thought I'd give him a try. Having read only The Cellar so far, my review is specific to that book (for now). The Cellar has two things going for it: A mighty rapid pace and some thoroughly chilly creepiness. I can see where the appeal lies. Unfortunately, it is also full of characters who never feel real, or at least authentic, or at least convincingly consistent. Each character is there to fulfill a role, as a tool to the plot. And they all feel like they belong in a B-movie slasher rather than in a book, somehow. Basically, they're cardboard. As horror goes, this is cheerfully depraved stuff, featuring rape, pedophilia, sadomasochism, bestiality and all kinds of uncomfortable things. If only the book could stick to its guns, leave The Beast chillingly undefined, as it is early on, rather than give a full description and partial history (which rather ruin its scariness). I think I'll probably read the other books of this trilogy - but not right away.”

Robert H wrote this review Monday, May 19 2008. ( reply | permalink )

1 of 1 members found this review helpful.

• Rated 3 stars

“Martin Millar has two things going for him as a writer (with regards to this book): He's good at plotting/pacing, and he's got a wink-in-his-eye sense of humour, which makes some of his characters a delight to read (particularly Malveria and Agrivex, it has to be said). Unfortunately, there are many, many flaws in this book, starting with the dire need for a proofreader (oh, the punctuation, the typos, the spelling mistakes! Probably at least one on every page!), and continuing to the strange tendency for information to be repeated every few pages - almost as if Millar doesn't trust his readers to retain any, so he feels the need to reiterate, constantly. Then there's the issue of perspective - his third person narration hops from being close to one character after another, even in his very, very short chapters / scenes. Reading a chapter which is barely a page long, and skipping from characters in Scotland to London, then to another group in London and then to a firey dimension - basically, this book is suffering from a very, very short attention span. I enjoyed it despite its flaws - but it doesn't strike me as the kind of book likely to impress mature readers.”

Robert H wrote this review Sunday, May 18 2008. ( reply | permalink )