Troy: Lord of the Silver Bow Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Are you looking to buy Troy: Lord of the Silver Bow? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on Troy: Lord of the Silver Bow. Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

Troy: Lord of the Silver Bow ReviewThis book was released in England on the 1st of September and since I couldn't wait until it was released here in the U.S., I ordered.
I was not dissappointed and neither will you be.
David Gemmell fans know that this British author is most famous for writing in the fantasy genre. He is a master of creating a world and then peopling it with characters that are more human than any writer I have encountered. Though "Lord of the Silver Bow" is the first part in a trilogy about the Trojan War, Gemmell still writes like it were his own world. In fact, if the reader didn't know better, he would think that David Gemmell had been in ancient Greece scribing the events as they happened.
Historically, Lord of the Silver Bow is probably not accurate as it is peopled with real historical figures as well as figures from Gemmell's fertile imagination. Whatever historical "truths" that Gemmell misses are more than made up for by his deep insight into the minds of his characters. As in all of his novels the characters contain within them the whole range of human strengths and weaknesses; David Gemmell seems to suggest that a strength and weakness can be one and the same thing.
The story follows Helikaeon a sailor, warrior (and possible King) as he deals with love, death, loss and gain. Odyseuss is a homely, story telling, king that adds wisdom and humor to a world that for the most part is pretty grim.
"Lord of the Silver Bow" is a wonderful beginning to what could quite possibly be the greatest work of an already brilliant writer.
I for one can hardly wait for the rest of the trilogy to unfold.Troy: Lord of the Silver Bow Overview

Want to learn more information about Troy: Lord of the Silver Bow?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now

Read More...

All Quiet on the Western Front Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Are you looking to buy All Quiet on the Western Front? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on All Quiet on the Western Front. Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

All Quiet on the Western Front ReviewErich Maria Remarque (1898-1970) served in World War I, where he received wounds five times in battle. The searing images of trench warfare left indelible scars on Remarque, who then attempted to exorcize his demons through the writing of literature. "All Quiet on the Western Front" is Remarque's most memorable book, although he wrote nine others dealing with the miseries of war.
"All Quiet on the Western Front" is the story of Paul Baumer, a young German soldier serving in the trenches in France. Baumer's story is not a pleasant one; he volunteered for the war when his instructor in school, Kantorek, urged the class to join up for the glory of Germany. After a rigorous period of military training (where Paul and his buddies meet the hated drill instructor Himmelstoss, a recurring character throughout the book), Baumer and his friends go to the front as infantrymen. Filled with glorious ideas about war by authority figures back home, Baumer quickly discovers that the blood-drenched trenches of the Western Front are a quagmire of misery and violent death. As soon as the first shells explode in the mud Paul and his friends realize everyone back home is a liar, that war is not the glorious transformation of boys into men but rather the systematic destruction of all that is decent and healthy. As Paul's friends slip away one by one through death, desertion, and injury, Paul begins to wonder about his own life and whether he will survive not only the war but also a world without war.
Remarque's book exposes all of the insanities of war. The incongruities of violent battle versus long periods of boredom repeatedly appear throughout the book. On one day, Paul and his friends sit around discussing mundane topics; the next day they are bashing French skulls during an offensive. It is these extremes that caused so many problems with the psychological disposition of the men. In one chapter of the book, Paul and several new recruits, hunkered down in a dugout, withstand hour upon hour of continuous shellfire until one of the green recruits snaps and tries to make a run for freedom. Where else but in a war could one walk through a sea of corpses while enjoying the sunshine and the gentle cadences of the birds in the trees? That such an unnatural activity as mass murder takes place surrounded by the natural beauty of the world is a theme found in many World War I authors and poets. Remarque's book is noteworthy because he does a better job of showing this strange duality than other writers.
Also of interest is that this book views the war from the German side. From what I read recently, the Germans had a tough time throughout the war with rations, troop rotations away from the front, and supplies. This is apparent in Remarque's treatment of the German war effort, especially toward the end of the book when Germany begins to retreat in the face of overwhelming American military power. Paul's remarks about the evil presence of tanks are an interesting insight into the effect those iron behemoths had on the ill-equipped and exhausted Germans.
The cover of this edition trumpets this as "the greatest war novel of all time." And so it is, but not in the way some people might think. This is the greatest war novel ever because Remarque's book is anti-war. Those that read "All Quiet on the Western Front" will see warfare stripped of its flag waving, parades, and John Wayne glory. War is death, with the glory going to the few who survive. Remarque makes a brilliant contribution to world literature with this riveting novel.All Quiet on the Western Front Overview

Want to learn more information about All Quiet on the Western Front?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now

Read More...

Atonement Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Are you looking to buy Atonement? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on Atonement. Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

Atonement ReviewThis is an engaging story and so finely written that the reading is both effortless and seductive. After I had finished (that is, after drying my eyes and regaining my breath), I was amazed to realize how complex a plot it is considering how smoothly it is told. By far, it is the best book I have read in years.
The story starts on a summer day at a large country estate in pre-WWII England. For anyone who delights in the heady mix of intelligence, innocence and youthful imagination, the beginning is like eating rich chocolate: 13 year old Briony has written a play -- the references to Austen, Burney, and family performances within 18th century lore are abundant and perfect -- to be rehearsed and performed by her unwilling and displaced visiting cousins in order to celebrate her brother's return to home with his sophisticated friend. However, reheasals in the playroom for THE TRIALS OF ARABELLA (of course) do not run smoothly: the twins boys do not understand what is expected of them; there's tension between Briony and 15 year old Lola. During the hot summer afternoon, Briony looks out the window to see her older sister Cecilia and Robbie, the cleaning lady's son, having what looks like some kind of menacing (and intimate) interaction in the fountain. The rest of the day's events and mishaps play out without implication until nightfall when a real crime of a sexual nature occurs and Briony's overactive imagination and lack of sophistication lead her to make a accusation which results in genuine tragedy for everyone. Without revealing the entire plot and overwhelming descriptions of war and survival, Briny spends her life paying for this mistake. Near the end of her long life, and having enjoyed without enjoyment a successful writing career, Briony's birthday is celebrated by her relations. This party is held at the old country house, now a renovated hotel, where her grand nieces and nephews perform THE TRIALS OF ARABELLA, a deeply emotional and incomprehensible experience for all (the surviving twin boy, now an old man, breaks down completely, as will nearly every reader).
This book goes into my unofficial rank as one of the best reading experiences I've ever had. It tooks me days to shake the feeling that Briony was a part of my life. I was completely transported and I don't think there can be better praise than that.Atonement Overview

Want to learn more information about Atonement?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now

Read More...

Blade Runner (Movie-Tie-In Edition) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Are you looking to buy Blade Runner (Movie-Tie-In Edition)? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on Blade Runner (Movie-Tie-In Edition). Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

Blade Runner (Movie-Tie-In Edition) ReviewAndroids takes place in a not-so-distant future where a world war has spread a cloud of radioactive dust across the globe, many forms of animal species are extinct, many of the survivors have emigrated to colonies on Mars and the remaining humans are encouraged to emigrate, except for those who have been tested and classified as "specials" meaning the ones with diminished mental abilities because they have been affected severely from radiation. Emigrants are given androids, very sophisticated robots, as slaves. As the technology gets better, newly manufactured androids become more and more human-like, both in appearance and behavior, to the point that they are very hard to distinguish. Discontented androids sometimes kill their masters and find ways to smuggle themselves to earth, in hopes for a better life. In the post-world war earth, life is regarded so precious that owning and caring for an animal is both considered a highly moral life and a status symbol. Because real animals are so rare, many people have fake, very sophisticated and real-like electronic animals that they care for and hide from their neighbors the fact that their animal is fake. On the one hand there are bounty hunters who catch and kill androids, human robots which dreamt of a better life, evidently with some feelings. And on the other hand there is the value which people place upon animal robots. On the one hand there are intelligent, sophisticated androids like the one who made a successful carrier on earth as an opera singer; on the other hand there are hunters who emotionlessly kill her without regard to her artistic talent, or there are simple-minded specials. Throughout the plot, readers are given a lot to think about questions like what is life, what is empathy, where do you draw a line between the value of real and artificial life? It is a philosophical novel and the author puts all these questions before us with brilliant comparisons between characters. The only negative feeling that one might get is the unusual, somewhat simple prose style but overall, a very good, thought provoking novel.
Blade Runner (Movie-Tie-In Edition) Overview

Want to learn more information about Blade Runner (Movie-Tie-In Edition)?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now

Read More...

The Supernaturalist Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Are you looking to buy The Supernaturalist? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on The Supernaturalist. Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

The Supernaturalist ReviewThe story begins with Cosmo Hill at the Clarisa Fayne Institute for Parentally Challenged Boys, and this Institute makes Oliver Twist's orphanage look like a day spa. No-sponsors live here - children without biological or adoptive parents. And here they conduct scientific experiments on these "expendable" children, the same experiments that our society currently conducts on animals. It's a gruesome, heart wrenching sight.
A chance comes for escape, and Cosmo breaks free of Clarissa Frayne, although suffering terrible injuries while doing so, and before he is found by anyone that would deliver him back to the testing lab, he is rescued and healed by the self-titled Supernaturalists. They can see "Parasites", blue creatures who thrive on energy, and who are believed to suck the life source from humans. The sole purpose of Supernaturalists is to eradicate this strangely listless, supposedly evil species. Not many people can see these Parasites, but Cosmo can, and delighted to have found purpose, and finally something resembling a family, Cosmo joins forces with the Supernaturalists.
And then the story moves from a simple fight against these Parasites to a remarkable, breathtaking series of twists and turns. Some may be predictable, but many are not, and all are exhilarating. During one such twist I found myself staring at the page thinking, "I should have known", smiling, and impressed with Colfer's seemingly boundless creativity.
The only complaint I have is that during action sequences I had to pay very close attention to make sure that I was understanding what was happening, and even doing so, wasn't certain that I had it right. Also, some of the physical descriptions were lacking - again, I had to struggle to see them, and even so, wasn't certain that the image I was supposed to see was what my mind formed. Also, Cosmo was functioning fairly well for a child who had only one year left to live - given that the life expectancy of kids at Clarissa Frayne was 15 years.
But Colfer excels in other ways. He has a razor sharp wit which had me laughing on nearly every page, and an excellent feel for the emotions of teenagers. And his ability to create unique and fully realized universes within a bare minimum of pages is beyond compare.
If there were 10 stars, I would give this a 9. It's not a perfect work. There are only 5, and I think it's closer to "I love it" than "I like it", so I'm giving this a 5.
The Supernaturalist Overview

Want to learn more information about The Supernaturalist?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now

Read More...