Books Books Books!

Genre: Historical Action Publisher: Arrow Books Date of Publication: 2008 ISBN: 978 0 0995 2234 8 No. of Pages: 92

Shocking from the start, this 'quick read', gives a very realistic account of one man's experience during the first world war. There are no holds barred, and the events that take place, which lead to unjust tragedy, although fiction, ring uncomfortably true to the many awful real stories that one hears regarding the horrors of war, particularly, during this inhumane period of history. The story is cleverly written, allowing the events to move forward quickly, and giving the reader no time to reflect on the horrendous descriptions, until the end, when the reader will put the book down, and be left with a clearly painted picture of the ugliness of war and death.

Overall Verdict: 4/5; A real eye-opener and a truely educational account.

Genre: Fiction; Short Stories Publisher: Chatto & Windus Date of Publication: 2008 ISBN: 978 0 7011 7760 7 No. of Pages: 246

This book, unlike the title suggests, is not a comedy or amusing set of stories or anecdotes, but more a collection of individual scenarios with different and unusual angles. Each scene is not a rounded story with introduction, plot and conclusion as one would normally expect. They are more short surreal descriptions of situations involving everyday people, and often have no ending whatsoever. Instead, they leave the reader slightly on edge, slightly disturbed and often uncomfortable. The book is easy to read and useful for short intervals of reading, though a little disappointing in its refusal to follow a story through to a natural ending.

Overall Verdict: 3/5; Skillfully written and thought provoking!

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This story captures the readers imagination from the start with its descriptive narrative of the main characters' current situation, and then invites the reader to follow through a sequence of events from his childhood through to being an adult, which leads to the resolution of his present circumstances. The main character, Henry Redips, is an ambitious, deceitful, self-important man with unreal, delusional aspirations for the future. Through the course of the plot, the reader is shown how his manipulative mind works and what drives him in his implausible plans. The story is well rounded and clearly written, and has a completely unexpected, though justified, twist at the end that brings the plot full circle and leaves the reader both surprised and satisfied.

Overall Verdict: 4/5: A great read, polished and brilliantly concluded.

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This book has a metaphorical hook in its prologue which clinches the readers attention and holds them virtually through to the end. It is written in the present day, about a young psychic woman named Simone and her ever intensifying relationship with the bitter Xypher, a dream god, sent to earth from hell, by Hades for one month to redeem himself for his past. But Xypher is desperate for veangence against the evil Satara who is responsible for his centuries spent in hell. Based in New Orleans, the story focuses, maybe a little too much, on Xyphers pain and runs the risk of becoming repetitive with this theme, but it is worth sticking with, as, when the story does start to move, it is fast and unpredictable, and has a satisfying resolution at the end. This is an easy read, suitable for adults with an interest in dark fantasy.

Overall Verdict: 4/5: Both exciting and touching with a feel-good ending!

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Genre: Fiction; Action Publisher: HarperCollins Date of Publication: 2008 ISBN: 978 0 00 723481 3 No. of Pages: 452

As hardened Jack Higgins fans will know, Touch The Devil is a re-release of the original 1982 work and is every bit as gripping as it was twenty-six years ago. It revolves around several key characters; Martin Brosnan, a wealthy Irish-American who after Vietnam, joined Liam Devlin and Frank Barry in the IRA. Years later, Barry is an international terrorist and the British government need Brosnan and Devlin to hunt him down. But first they must spring Brosnan from an impregnable french prison island. The story moves between France and Britain as they follow Barry and his dealings with the Russians, and has several unexpected twists which serve to tighten the books hold on the reader even further. Skillfully written and impossible to put down, this book is an absolute must for avid fans of action / adventure.

Overall Verdict: 5/5: Breath-taking, unpredictable, and fast moving. Thrilling escapism for any adult reader!

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This unusual story took a while to hold the attention of the reader when started, and then was easy to put down. It tells the story of Leanne Crompton, a former glamour model, and her conflicting family. It is set mainly in a northern English town of Bradington, where Leanne's family live, and where Leanne finds herself moving back to with her young daughter, Kia, as she comes to the end of her modelling career. With no money to support herself, she relies on help from her tough wayward family until she learns to stand on her own two feet again. But the past keeps catching up with her as someone in her family betrays her secrets to the papers, and then Kia's famous father starts to aggravate matters. The storyline is simple to follow, but fails to reach any significant climax, and would probably appeal to younger women readers.

Overall Verdict: 3/5: An easy read, good for busy women who need a book that enables them to read in short intervals, without losing the thread of the story.

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This work of fiction takes a while to take hold, but is worth the wait as it begins to move on quickly and has the reader wanting to know where the story goes next. The main character is a man named Amos Giles and it is set in the 1700s. Amos moves from a poor upbringing, to servitude in Oxford, and from there to a highly regarded position in Coombe. It describes the challenges and obstacles he has to overcome and the difficulties he must face in order for a man from such a lowly background to succeed. The book is descriptive and clearly written and appeals to an older audience, particularly those with an historical interest of the era.

Overall Verdict: 3/5: An unusual but extremely interesting little book.

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This book takes a while to get going as huge emphasis is placed upon setting the scene. However, the author writes with such depth of detail that, as a result, the developing story is superbly underpinned. It is told from the point of view of a family man named Ezra, and the changing needs of his wife, daughter and two sons, each character being given immensely believable individual personalities. Their home life and Ezra's contrasting work life interact and meander until the storyline reaches a point where events become out of control as Ezra's daughter's actions force himself and his wife to face up to the real problems in their marriage. The book is very fluid in movement and uses an easy style of language for the average adult reader.

Overall Verdict: 3/5: A long but remarkably easy and satisfying read.

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