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Book Reviews
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The New York Trilogy: "City of Glass", "Ghosts" and "Locked Room"
Kenji Lloyd27 August 2011
Originally published as three separate novels, Paul Auster's The New York Trilogy has since been published as a single volume that collects together three masterful stories that wonderfully, impressively, and entirely unexpectedly relate to each other. Auster's ability to connect the three seemingly stand-alone stories is absolutely astounding, and will leave you wondering how on earth such a talented writer has escaped larger recognition in mainstream literature.
Auster himself has been described as many things; a postmodern writer, a metafictional writer, an experimental writer, a realist writer, a detective fiction writer. His work is by far one of the most elusive to describe I have come across, that I personally would rank as some of the best literature that has come out of America in the second half of the 20th Century.
The New York Trilogy is divided into three separate stories: City of Glass, Ghosts, and The Locked Room. Each is fantastic on their own, and their brilliance is only enhanced when connecting them together, as this volume enables the reader to do. At the heart of each of these three stories lies a problem that needs solving, which is why Auster's work is often referred to as detective fiction. But it is easy to see that its reach goes far beyond the boundaries of detective fiction too.
City of Glass begins with a phone call in the dark. Ominous and haunting, that phone call ushers into this dark world of Paul Auster. The protagonist, Daniel Quinn, picks up the phone to hear someone asking after a Mr. Paul Auster - in true postmodern style, Auster embeds his own name within the novel - and saying they need this man's help. Quinn, a detective fiction writer seeking something more, takes it upon himself to take up this persona of Paul Auster, private detective, and we follow him through the case that ensues, trying to protect a man scared for his life, worried that his own father is set out to kill him.
Ghosts is a fascinating story of another detective, a private eye by the name of Blue. Just like in Quentin Tarantino's brilliant cinematic debut, Reservoir Dogs, the protagonists of Ghosts are known not by their real names, but by their colour-themed aliases. Our hero, Blue, trained by the older Brown, is hired by White to investigate the comings and goings of Black, who lives on Orange Street. Superficially, one might think that the colours might get confusing, but it is very easy to immerse yourself in this highly creative world and follow the different characters in an incredibly intriguing plot. Blue doesn't know, nor does he ask, exactly what White's reasons are for wanting Black to remain under surveillance, and it is far from obvious what those reasons might be based on Black's actions. But we slowly but surely start to see potential connections between Ghosts and City of Glass, and things start to get extremely exciting to read as they do.
Such connections start becoming more and more clear through the course of the final novel, The Locked Room. The protagonist of this final novel is a writer unable to produce his own work, plagued by writer's block. He finds, however, that his childhood best friend, Fanshawe, has done precisely what he can't, and he decides that when Fanshawe voluntarily disappears, he will publish the work as his own.
It is hard to describe precisely how the three novels connect to each other without spoiling the surprises that are utterly delightful to discover whilst reading, and so I shall leave the precise details of the relationships between all three novels for you to discover on your own. The New York Trilogy is a fascinating and intriguing work of three novels that are sure to be unlike any other trilogy that you've ever read. Auster is clearly in a league of his own on this literary front, able to produce something that is beyond astounding. How he manages to devise these three separate but inter-linking worlds, each with their separate and over-arching plots, is almost incomprehensible, and certainly it is one of the finest pieces of fiction I have come across to date.
The New York Trilogy is perhaps not the lightest of works to read, but as we are now coming out of the summer season, light beach-reading is no longer what many of us are looking to read, and thus The New York Trilogy is perfect to pick up as we head into autumn. It is truly a stroke of genius on Auster's part that bears no worthy comparison in the literary world. It will be like nothing you have ever read, pulling you into a world you won't soon want to leave, and what more can we ask of a book? -
Sam Birch14 August 2011
Bear Grylls autobiography Mud, Sweat and Tears ties knots around any of his others books, this one just takes the Twinkie ration! This man is not only a great adventurer but a great author. He thrives for adventure and he's taking you with him every step of the way!
After his schooling he was hiking in Himalayan Mountains, he then passed a very tough SAS(R) selection. A horrific free fall parachuting accident it was questioned if he could ever walk again. However, against all odds he pulled through and pursued his lifelong dream to climb the highest peak - Everest. In 1998 he was the youngest British climber to reach the peak and return alive. Bear Grylls is a great author with a story to tell!!
This book is one you could read once, then pick it back up and read again! He keeps you hooked with excitement in each chapter. For the first time he write his life in his words! There are no faults here! -
Nariece - www.solostinstereo.tumblr.com11 August 2011
A really good follow up to the start of the series 'Uglies'. Some rather original ideas - and I like the way there is always something to be discovered. A very good read if you are into reading about the future, adventure and a dash of romance. Well worth a read. (But read Uglies first!)
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A Mysterious Affair of Style: A Sequel (Evadne Mount Mystery 2)
Jo Leddington07 August 2011
"A Mysterious Affair of Style", Gilbert Adair's affectionate homage to Agatha Christie and the golden age of detective fiction, is the second book in the Evadne Mount trilogy of whodunits.
"A Mysterious Affair of Style" is set in post-war London and at Elstree Studios in Hertfordshire. Evadne Mount and her trusty sleuthing companion Chief Inspector Trubshawe [formerly of Scotland Yard] are visiting the Studios to watch the shooting of a film intended to re-launch the silver screen career of Cora Rutherford, an aging star and old friend of Evadne's. While filming a scene which involves her drinking a glass of Champagne, Cora Rutherford is poisoned.
It quickly becomes clear to the police that, although a fair number of people had the means and opportunity to kill Cora Rutherford, none of the identified suspects actually has a motive for doing so. Fortunately, eccentric amateur sleuth Evadne Mount is on hand to dig into the past of the victim and help identify the culprit.
"A Mysterious Affair of Style" is another excellent whodunit from Gilbert Adair which has a delightfully twisting plot that should keep readers guessing until the end. Evadne Mount is on fine form here and, although I'm sure she would be rather awful to encounter in real life, she is a perfect amateur sleuth. I love the way that Adair has Evadne Mount as the President of the Detection Club and expresses her worries that, despite having published 20 successful detective novels, she will be forever trapped in Agatha Christie's shadow [Mount even has a long-running stage play called The Tourist Trap!]. Of course, Evadne Mount doesn't work alone and here she is aided once again by the dear Trubshawe and for the first time young detective Calvert. The three make a great team and it is only through a combination of their efforts that the crime is solved.
Gilbert Adair's Evadne Mount mysteries are delightfully charming and devilishly clever detective novels. I would recommend this book for readers who love the cosy mysteries of the golden age, humorous detective stories in general and those who love to spot pop-culture references. -
Mike Kenny24 July 2011
I won't review the individual titles that make up George R. R. Martin's Song of Ice & Fire here so as not to repeat myself, but I have just seen this boxed set advertised and wanted to make a comment about what great value it is. I have been collecting this series in individual volumes [and have to say that each book has been truly excellent] but this set would have been far more economical. It also would have solved the problem of finishing one book and being desparate to know what happens in the next volume!
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Captain Underpants and the Attack of the Talking Toilets
Josh18 July 2011
In this book captain underpants fights against terrible talking toilets that have come to life after Harold and George use Melvins special invention to copy their comics. This is another great captain underpants book. I like it when George and Harold are in charge of the school.
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The Adventures of Captain Underpants
Josh18 July 2011
This is the first captain Underpants book. Comics come real for George and Harold when they turn their headmaster into Captain Underpants. I like drawing my own comics to but my teachers are not superheros! I liked the robots and doctor Nappy but Captain Underpants was the best. I have all the Captain Underpants books now and they are great.
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The Act of Roger Murgatroyd: An Entertainment (Evadne Mount Trilogy)
Jo Leddington18 July 2011
'The Act of Roger Murgatroyd' is the first volume in Gilbert Adair's trilogy of whodunits featuring the redoubtable sleuth and author Evadne Mount. A locked room mystery with all the ingredients of a classic 1930s cosy detective story, Adair describes 'The Act of Roger Murgatroyd' as "at one and the same time a celebration, a parody and a critique not only of Agatha Christie but of the whole Golden Age of English whodunits". However, this novel is actually far more than a mere homage, it is a puzzling whodunit in its own right which should more than please fans of gripping, old-fashioned thrillers.
The setting for 'The Act of Roger Murgatroyd' is certainly reminiscent of the Agatha Christie classics: Colonel Ffolkes and his wife Mary have invited a group of friends to spend Christmas at their remote country house on Dartmoor. While the main group of guests settle in well and seem to get along famously, there are a few latecomers that seem destined to disturb the peace and tranquillity of the gathering. The Colonel's daughter, Selina Ffolkes, arrives late on Christmas Day with two admirers in tow: Donald Duckworth, an American student, and Raymond Gentry, an irritating gossip columnist. Unfortunately for Gentry, he proves more than irritating to one of his fellow guests and is found murdered on Boxing Day morning.
Since the group are snowed in and have no way of contacting the police, they decide to ask the Ffolkes' neighbour Eustace Trubshawe, a retired Scotland Yard detective, to help. Rather bored in retirement, Trubshawe is keen to lend a hand but finds that he has a rival sleuth in Evadne Mount, guest of the Ffolkes and a celebrated writer of whodunits. As the various investigations begin, it soon becomes clear that each of the guests has something to hide.
With 'The Act of Roger Murgatroyd' Gilbert Adair has produced a truly intriguing whodunit filled with nefarious characters and bountiful red herrings. Evadne Mount, the "Dowager Duchess of Crime", is a delightful heroine and believable sleuth, with Chief Inspector Trubshawe providing an excellent foil for her many eccentricities. The supporting cast were equally good, being both villainous and peculiar to exactly the right extent. Adair makes a good job of recreating the atmosphere of the period and capturing authentic dialogue. Occasionally it seems that the jokes and quips come a little thick and fast, but he is always able to return the mystery to the forefront of the story and make sure that the readers are puzzling it out as well as enjoying being along for the ride.
Moving away from the actual mystery at the heart of 'The Act of Roger Murgatroyd', the novel offers additional fun for crime buffs as it features [beyond the title's allusion to Agatha Christie's masterworks] many references to prominent crime writers and their works, including a tongue-in-cheek allusion to Edmund Wilson's famous essay, "Who Cares Who Killed Roger Ackroyd?". While these references will of course mean more to fans of the genre and to those with a good knowledge of the crime classics, they do not detract from the story and should not put off readers with little or no knowledge of the golden age of detection.
'The Act of Roger Murgatroyd' is a delightfully cosy detective story packed full of mystery, intrigue and humour. I would recommend it and the following volume in the Evadne Mount trilogy wholeheartedly. -
Murk the Swamp Man (Beast Quest)
jamie swift01 July 2011
Murk the swamp man -Adam blade
I think this book is a great read.it is the 4th book in the 6th seris of the brilliant best quest books.I love this book because it exciting action and a new exciting best called murk the swamp man.My favorite part of the book is when a mystirous man with a eye patch comes and takes silver, Elenna's and Tom's trusty pet wolf. he takes him to a murky swamp where Tom and Elenna meet Murk the swamp man and have the big fight.I also loved the collecter cards and enjoyed the pics -
Murk the Swamp Man (Beast Quest)
jamie swift27 June 2011
In my opinion this book is a great read.I highly enjoyed it,because of all the action. It was really exciting when a mysterious man with a eye patch came and took silver,tom and elenna's trusty companion pet wolf.Then they are taken to a murk swamp with deadley leeches. This is no ordinary swamp beacause all the muddy swamp water turns into a beast called murk the swamp man.
I give this book 5/5 also beacuse there are really cool pic's
