More meta-fictional mediocrity from Auster

This novella ultimately speaks to leftist American fantasies of what might have been following the effective coup de gras of the 2000 election, and of a subsequent fantasy usurpation of the hegemony of the Bush administration (Auster was one of a coterie of writers who remarked in 2004 That if Bush got re-elected he would leave America. He did not.)

From a narrative viewpoint, August Brill re-imagines an ersatz post-2000 America in which none of the"Bush-crimes" that we know occur, and tells the story of Owen Brick, (Barack Obama???) a reluctant hero figure who goes through the exact same trajectory of countless other Auster protagonists - memory loss, identity crisis, sex with beautiful stranger, physical violence and an ignominious and ambiguous death. This plot had some promise but is jettisoned 2/3rds of the way through the book for no apparent reason other than Brill (Auster) can't be arsed finishing it. The rest of the book features Brill lying in bed waffling for hours about how his dead wife, his decapitated granddaughters boyfriend and the remorse he feels for the whole mess. The original Brick narrative is not even given a mention after.

The writing is sparse, which is fine if you're Raymond Carver but the novella features some truly cringing scenes, (notably the 73 year Brill lying in bed at 4 in the morning with his granddaughter telling her about the anal sex he had with her grandmother.) which from a narrative viewpoint are as irrelevant as they are turgid.

Paul Auster hasn't written a good novel since Oracle Night, and has not written an important novel since Moon Palace. Like DeLillo, Auster pointedly fails to address the fallout of the defining moment of his time. The waning powers of these behemoths of American literature is sometimes uncomfortable to witness.

As a person who was always both stimulated and entertained by Auster's novels I feel disappointed. It is as if he has forgotten how to tell stories, or rather he cant be bothered finishing them. If you want to original read literature that really confronts 9/11 read Safran Foer or Lydia Davis. For all the fetishization of the primacy of the Author in Man in the Dark, Auster does not deliver. The failure of his characters to tell stories is sadly matched by his own.

was reasonable

having read and enjoyed nearly all of the previous books in the Horus Heresy series, i had high hopes for this one as it is now becoming clear to the loyalist who is with Horus and who's with the Emperor. With the odd shade of grey thrown in with the world eaters and the thousand sons who are on board with the loyalists.

As far as action goes its a very good read with plenty of blood and gore to get your teeth into, but as highlighted, the main characters are all starting to sound very similar, or are being made to sound like all the stereotypical space marines. None of their characters are really being explored as fully as they should be and its starting to get annoying. That goes for all of the Word Bearer Legion as well, we are not given any real reason as to why they have decided to side with horus or the dark powers of chaos. They just have, for all we know they could have been like this from the very start and they have only just decided to act upon ther beliefs.

But on the plus side, it sets the stage for the coming battle and does give us an insight into what the Mechanicum have been up to, for it must of taken a long time to build the word bearer ship and so raises the question, how long have they been planning to rebel, and were they the only one's planning such a thing for any length of time? Has anyone else had any ideas of treachery before Horus?

FANTASTIC! BUY THIS BOOK NOW!

This plot has more twists than a high speed rollercoaster!! Fantastic book! I couldn't put it down! 10/10 Brilliant!!

Secon Volume is quality...

Well, theres no Superman fight in this one...so there. But then we don't read comics for gimmickry! Jeph Loeb takes some brave steps with the Batman universe, bringing back old characters, reFACING some (big clue there) and delivering a quality set of stories, which is the best work Loeb has done in a while.
The artwork is also gorgeous, with Jim Lee showing some of the best images of Batman EVER. Its worth the great Amazon £6.99 price, as it used to be £19.99 in hard back.
Why only 4 stars then? Because its too short. This is the problem with comics now; too many adverts mean that individual issues get barely any bang for their buck.
This is the best Batman title in a while though, and its gonna take a lot to beat it.

Essential reading for any kind of visual artist

This compact, easy to read pictoral/text book is a great aid to understanding the semantics of visual conception. You may think some of it obvious, and some of it a bit cooky, for example its marxist angles on the reasons why we see things the way we have come to, but it does get the student of all things visual thinking hard about it all. Whilst not being a specific aid to any particular field, it is an essential general reader for anyone studying the visual arts, from graphic design to theatre design, and from architecture to photography, and it's why it is still a standard first year college issue on so many courses.

Absolute rubbish.

This book is bloody awful. The entire central premise is patronising gibberish. If this book was written by an aspergic person about his life it would excuse the bad writing. If it was an intelligent, well written explanation of an aspergic child's life then it would be alright but it's not. This book is poorly written gibberish with the pretense of being written by an Aspie to cover up its bad writing. This is so patronising it's unbelievable. If this was done of any other social group there would be howls of protest and quite right to. It's no more subtle than a white person putting on blackface for a good 'ole minstrel show.

The worst thing is that this isn't even a particularly accurate portrayal of an aspergic person. It's a ridiculous caricature with a generic group of various"asperigc" traits thrown together all in one, reinforcing the same old stereotypes (Rain Man) about this cross between an asperic/autistic savant, as though most aspergic people were savants. The plot itself is so thin that it does nothing to make up for the pretentious but yet awful writing. Oh yeah, also it gets resolved half way through and after that the book has no point.

The sheer volume of ridiculous asides are an annoyance and they also compltely fail. If the author really wanted to present Christopher as some kind of mathematical genius he may have bothered doing more than the most basic math. Prime Numbers? Who cares. Calculating prime numbers is trivial for anyone who can manage times tables. We're to take this as proof that this kid is a mathematical genius? And in the second half it gets even more bizarre with large parts of this already thin book taken up by random rants against religion. This becomes even more ridiculous when you learn that these are in fact the authors own views. Wow, using your"exploration of life from the perspective of an autism sufferer" to parrot your tedious philosophy, how incredibly subtle. So we're meant to believe that Christopher is incredibly intelligent and obssessed with math and logic and this inevitably leads him to the necessity of science and atheism to go along with them and this also happens to be the author's view, what a subtle point. This is not to mention the repeated and pointless profanity in this apparent children's book. Please. Do not buy this book. Just save your money. Buy something good, like candy, instead.

Plenty of twists

I wouldn't say that this is my favourite book by Adele Parks, but I enjoyed it more than I did her last one (Young Wives' Tales). I had a little trouble with the character of Elizabeth. I did warm to her, but she was obsessed with having a baby, to the point of only seeing her husband, Roberto, as the means of making a baby. I did feel a lot of sympathy for Elizabeth, however, because she does have a difficult time in Italy, and Roberto does not really help. The characterisation of Elizabeth's mother-in-law is excellent. I'm glad my mother-in-law isn't like that! Then there's Chuck. His friendship with Elizabeth is developed in such a nice way. I was kept guessing about which man Elizabeth would end up with. There are some other clever twists too, which I won't spoil. I particularly enjoyed the description of various parts of Italy.

Short & sweet... oh, and really funny too!!

If you need some brightening up at the end of a dull day, then this is the book to pick up. It's deliciously entertaining and great fun and will take you no more than a couple of hours to read.

'It was the dogs' fault.' The Queen's corgis, sensing an imposter in their garden, go racing around the terrace barking away at what turns out to be the City of Westminster mobile library. The Queen feels compelled to take out a book, choosing an Ivy Compton-Burnett novel, and from here the Queen's interest in literature begins. Her appetite for books becomes insatiable as she works through many different authors, and as her public duties begin to suffer (in the eyes of her private secretary, Sir Kevin), her equerries, under the instruction of Sir Kevin, conspire to bring her literary quest to an end.

Pure unadulterated delight - the perfect booklovers' bedtime companion.

Goodbye and Thanks For The Memories

What a fantasic send off for one of the great creations of modern literature.
I have read all the Rebus books in sequence over the years and fans of the series will be delighted to know Ian Rankin has written a a suitable finale.
We join Rebus with one week until his retirement and in a great device the chapters count down the days no surprising the pieces don't slide together until the final day of the week.

A murder of a Russian poet in Kings Stable Road gives Rebus one last case to solve soon ties are being made to big business, politicians and the criminal underworld led by Rebus' nemesis Big Ger Cafferty. Is this the last chance saloon for John to finally nail Edinburgh's gangster ?
As has been the case with the last few Rankin books the reader is left guessing right until the final pages who has commited the crimes. I can say that I guessed part of it but I doubt anyone will be able to predict all the conclusions.

The early books in the series were enjoyable but it's been the last half dozen that have really elevated the series the introduction of DS Siobhan Clarke I feel was where it really kicked in giving Rebus a genuine partner to bounce off. This book is no exception with the scenes with them together being the strongest. It's real shame in some ways that Rankin's decision to age Rebus in real time deprives us of further INSPECTOR Rebus books but if you haven't ever read any of the series you are so lucky to have twenty books available to you.

For the rest of us here's looking forward to the first of the DI Clarke stories which if Ian Rankin decides not to write then there really will have been a crime committed.

Penguin 1963, 143 pp, translated by Ralph Parker

How to endure the unendurable if you want to survive. How, even at the very lowest level of society in one of the most repressive and totalitarian states we have known, the prisoner's labour and cooperation have value for the system and therefore they can be used to bargain for small privileges, enough to tip the balance in favour of survival. How it's impossible for the state to regulate and control every circumstance of human existence because (a) the circumstances are simply far too varied and complicated, and (b) regulation and control are mediated through human beings who have all the usual human imperfections.
For a Nobel Prize winning book, I was surprised that the prose writing was not what I would call brilliant. The dialogue often seemed stilted, as if written for a play, and the descriptions of scenes often seemed vague. Perhaps there are better translations. It's written as one long chapter, but that worked ok because it did only cover 24 hours.

An enjoyable romp through ancient Egypt

Nefertiti is one of ancient Egypt's most legendary rulers. She was the Second Wife of the heretic king Akhenaten and, as Queen, had just as much influence and status as her husband. Renowned for her extraordinary beauty, she was more than a pretty face -- as this compelling novel by Michelle Moran demonstrates.

In fact, the Nefertiti presented in this book is not exactly the most likeable of characters. She's manipulative, calculating and shrewd. Despite the fact she was chosen to marry Akhenaten because everyone believed she was level-headed enough to tame his erratic, egotistical tendencies, she does the exact opposite. When her husband marks his rule by elevating a minor god, Aten, to a position of power, obliterating Amun and destroying all of Amun's temples, she doesn't bat an eyelid but actually encourages him to make further irregular and unpopular decisions.

And if that wasn't enough, she's riddled by jealousy over the Pharoah's First Wife, Kiya, who has already given birth to a son and heir, and does whatever she can to bed her husband in an attempt to produce the next prince -- with mixed results.

All the while Nefertiti's younger sister, Mutnodjmet (Mutny), is treated like a slave who must obey the Queen's every whim. As she watches Egypt become besieged by religious and cultural changes that she is powerless to stop, Mutny dreams of the day she can escape the clutches of the Royal Family so that she can live a quiet life, growing herbs and other plants in her own little oasis. When she falls in love with the General Nakhtmin, she thinks she may have found her"get out clause", but alas, Nefertiti doesn't exactly see it that way...

This is a dramatic family saga that is full of corruption, intrigue and dirty tricks that kept me on tenterhooks throughout. Mutny is a delightful narrator, patient and wise, who charts her sister's rise from teenage Queen to Egyptian goddess. And while I'm not sure how historically accurate Nefertiti's portrayal is, this book certainly captures the flavour, sights and sounds of ancient Egypt so that it's easy imagining yourself sailing down the Nile, or tucking into platters of honeyed nuts, plump figs and pomegranates, or wandering the altars draped in gold and crowned in myrrh.

The style of story-telling reminded me very much of Anita Amirrezvani's The Blood of Flowers, which is also about one girl's journey from innocence to adulthood, although Nefertiti is less about the subjugation of women and more about the subjugation of an entire race of people, male and female alike.

This is by no means high-brow literary fiction, but it's an entertaining, fast-paced and thoroughly enjoyable romp, with a smidgen of romance, a touch of war and a little bit of double-dealing thrown in for good measure. I found the ending surprisingly suspenseful but despite the 460-odd pages I didn't want the story to draw to close, and I was genuinely sad when I reached the final page.

I had a lot of fun reading Nefertiti and I suspect many others will do so too.

Excellent, twenty first century plot

A brilliant story. Very scary and thought provoking. I'm a great fan of Lincoln and Amelia and Mr Deaver has certainly not let me down with this thriller. It could well change the way you look at your life after reading this book.

full of heartache and love not realised

this novella is a wonderful exploration into the deeper emotions - today is a world of excess and exposure with little censure - this book is an amazing contrast, tapping into emotions, uncertaintly and misunderstanding with such precision, such clarity and such understanding to leave the reader unable to put the book down - it doesn't get 5 stars because the end feels rushed and lacking completeness - otherwise one of Ian McEwans best

Has nothing I loved about the TV series

First of all I've seen season 1 and 2 of the series DEXTER, really enjoying the characters of Dex, Doakes and such twists as having his victims over-power him and go running off into the night, opening a whole bunch of directions the story could go. Upon discovering that the second season went in a different direction to the books I looked around to see what happens in the novels, surely what's on TV is just a watered down version of the novels, right?

Then I come across the description for Dr. Danco, the lead villian in this piece,"Danco would cut off the victim's ears, nose, eyelids, lips, tongue, arms (first at the wrist, then elbow, then finally to the shoulder blade), genitals, and legs (first at the ankles, then knee, then pelvis). All the while, the victim would be in front of a mirror so that the torture victim would be forced to watch. Dr Danco would spread this sequence of mutilation out over weeks."

Jesus, no wonder the TV seasons took the story in a different direction, for numerous reasons, this'll be great if handled right.

But it wasn't handled well at all. Not just the depictions of the victims but the characetrs didn't seem anything like those from the TV series at all. Dexter was terribly unfunny, spoke in non-sequitors and never shut up. Doakes on the other hand barely did anything to be considered an antagonist and just grumbles throughout instead of getting under Dexter's skin. And the dismemberment could have been great if handled by someone who had a clue how to maximize it's effect, but Lindsay has Dexter being an groan-inducing smeghead over it all, describing victims as howling pillows and such.

The closer I was getting to the end the less interested I found myself becoming in the story's conclusion. A total chore to finish.

I was really looking forward to this but now I at least know to avoid anything Jeff Lindsay writes from now on. I'll stick with the TV series.

History lessons you don't fall asleep during!

Well I'll get all the negative stuff out of the way first! Uhtred really is just a dark ages 'Sharpe' he even has an Irish side kick now and whilst Sharpe was loathed as a commoner amongst upper class twit fellow officers, Uhtred is loathed because he is a pagan amongst pious preachy christians!

That said for many years I loved Sharpe! and likewise I am loving Uhtred and the Saxons, a major part of our national history largely ignored till now! Romans and vikings by the score, Saxons, hardly any!.

Back to the book it's architypical Cornwell. Our hero is unloved by his masters, out numbered by his foe's but backed up by his savage comrades. Yes we've seen it a hundred times before from Cornwell but it is such a winning formula and he does it probably better than anyone. Also I like the stories being told from the first person perspective by Uhtred himself as you really feel like you are in the heart of the action.

This book starts with the re-taking of London from the Danes an actual event but then takes a sharp left down imagination lane to put Uhtred in a daring rescue bid. As with most Cornwell stories the action is compelling gritty and believable, the book is fast paced though perhaps a hundred pages short of what we normally expect of him.

We are promised more Uhtred action shortley by the author and I'll no doubt be there with my credit card though I hope he doesn't over do it as I felt he did with Sharpe as there are so many other great bits of history he can take us to but I have not quite had enough of Uhtred yet! So I'll be sharpening my battle axe for next time.

Hmmm

I read 'Lady Elizabeth' recently and unlike all the other reviews here it left me cold. I must admit to not usually choosing to read historical novels and so have little to compare it to in terms of peer comparison.

Whilst the portrayal of Elizabeth as a teenager and feisty young woman was good, and showed well the intertangled web of relationships in which she was involved, Alison Weir's characterisation of the young Elizabeth, I feel, was somewhat clumsy. She seemed desperate to emphasise the childs precociousness and in doing so lost sense of her innocence (except where sexual matters were concerned) as a young girl.

Her writing throughout the book remained very literal, showing little fiction writing skill of using inference and deduction to intrigue the reader and let him or her draw their own conclusions by leaving clues through characters actions and speech.

Despite it being referred to in the authors note in the back of the book, the speech throughout the book veered from authentic Tudor phrasing to more modern variations, which often made for uncomfortable reading.

However, her true skill throughout the book lay in her conjuring up colourful and authentic historic images, which she did well, her 'history' cannot be doubted, although I would question her decision to include Anne Boleyn's ghost which had no place in the book and felt entirely incongruent with what she was trying to achieve.

A useful book in terms of bringing history to life but not one I would read for reading pleasure.

Thanks for the memories

What a fantastic book! I have to say I couldn't put this down when I was reading it on holiday recently in Spain. My family thought I was mad laughing out loud and needing a tissue in other parts. My favourite character has to be Joyce's Dad - it was so funny when he was at the airport trying to get to London. I wish I had someone so funny in my family!!! I recommend this book to anyone, this is definately my favourite Cecelia Ahern book so far - way better than PS I love you.

Brilliant

Had to read this to school and I've never loved reading a book thats been forced on me so much. The story is imaginative and questions the need for rules in society and the way people regress to savages without much help. The characters are persued well, considering the books length, and there are times when you feel the same as the boys in the story, you can connect and understand the aspects of human nature the whole way through. I suppose it is slightly dated but considering when it was written and the fact that class and society is a theme that's not surprising. A good book, a bit like vintage Battle Royale, read it.

Boring

Takes to long to get to the subject (the siege)evidently a period of Roman history the author and his learned friends are well versed in.
Having to refer to a very large glossary at the back of the book.Not for me. I will definitly not bother with part 2. Conn Iggulden need not look over his shoulder.