Reviews Written By: A3C0380R9NMLHDprovided by Amazon.com |
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 | The Known World : A Novel | |
 | "An intricately woven tail of life during slavery" | 2009-10-06 |
| This rich, complex novel transports the reader through time and space to the last decades of slavery in America, and sheds light on the lives of blacks (both slave and free) living in Virginia during this period. The story is roughly centered around the plantation of Henry Townsend, a free black man, his family, and his slaves. (That there were free black men that owned slaves is a bit jarring, but upon reflection, probably not terribly surprising.) However, this book is painting a much larger picture, and the brush strokes sweep in a wide cast of characters, black, white, Native American, rich and poor. The prose is lyrical, prone to sudden and dramatic asides, and the threads of the various stories weave around each other to form a rich, detailed cloth. This is a book you don't so much read as experience, and it truly provides the reader with a deep appreciation for the hardships and trials of life for blacks in the South during slavery. A remarkable book that does much to shed light on this dark piece of American history and to show how the institution of slavery served to corrupt an entire society. | ||
 | The Known World | |
| "An intricately woven tail of life during slavery" | 2009-10-06 |
| This rich, complex novel transports the reader through time and space to the last decades of slavery in America, and sheds light on the lives of blacks (both slave and free) living in Virginia during this period. The story is roughly centered around the plantation of Henry Townsend, a free black man, his family, and his slaves. (That there were free black men that owned slaves is a bit jarring, but upon reflection, probably not terribly surprising.) However, this book is painting a much larger picture, and the brush strokes sweep in a wide cast of characters, black, white, Native American, rich and poor. The prose is lyrical, prone to sudden and dramatic asides, and the threads of the various stories weave around each other to form a rich, detailed cloth. This is a book you don't so much read as experience, and it truly provides the reader with a deep appreciation for the hardships and trials of life for blacks in the South during slavery. A remarkable book that does much to shed light on this dark piece of American history and to show how the institution of slavery served to corrupt an entire society. | ||
 | Death Comes As Epiphany : A Catherine LeVendeur Mystery (Catherine LeVendeur) | |
 | "A tangled web of mysteries in 12th century France" | 2009-09-25 |
| Catherine LeVendeur, the heroine of this novel, is ill-suited to the realities of her era. Strong-willed and learned, she has little interest in the subservient life expected of wives in the 12th century. Her only chance for happiness is life as a cloistered nun, working and studying within the confines of a convent. Unfortunately for her, someone has set out to discredit her order, pointing to a psalter made by Catherine as evidence that they are promoting heretical teachings. At the request of the Abbess, Catherine sets out to uncover the source of these attacks. What she uncovers is a tangled web of conspiracy, theft and madness that threatens to destroy her family. Can Catherine overcome her worldly innocence and unravel the threads of the mystery, or will the forces of evil prevail?
Filled with rich detail, this story transports the reader back to medieval France, providing an authentic glimpse at the struggles of life in the middle ages. From the power of the clergy, to the violence of both the knights and the poor, this book doesn't shy away from the less pleasant aspect of life in the period, but provides a believably realistic setting for the story. It should satisfy readers who enjoy historical fiction as well as those fans of complex mysteries. | ||
 | Early Bird: A Memoir | |
 | "A warm and quirky look at retirement" | 2009-08-20 |
| When Rodney Rothman finds himself unemployed at 28, he decides to give retirement a try. Why wait until you're old to retire and enjoy yourself, he reasons. So he sets off to find a place for himself in the retirement communities of South Florida. His first obstacle is finding a place to live. He discovers that most of the retirement communities have rules that exclude young people from living in them. Eventually, he finds a widow to rent a room from and settles in to experience the retired lifestyle.
This account of his experiences during the months he tried to live as a retired person is a quirky, sometime irreverent look at what life is like after retirement. Eventually, as Rothman becomes accepted as part of the community, he learns that retirement is as different for each person as anything else in life. He develops surprising friendships, and while he might not learn much about what retirement will be like, he does learn about himself and life. In the end, this is a warm-hearted look at an often overlooked segment of society. | ||
 | The Clowns of God | |
| "How do you announce the end of the world?" | 2009-08-14 |
| After receiving a vision of the End of the World and a commission to announce that it is imminent, Pope Gregory XVII is forced to abdicate. Is his vision a symptom of insanity, or is he a new prophet, proclaiming the End of Creation? If his vision is true, how does he disseminate his message, and how will the world react to it?
Written during a period of escalating tensions during the Cold War, the impending doom of the world, as described here, no longer seems to be such a threat. However, this book explores themes of faith that are relevant, even if the End isn't imminent. Morris West clearly is a proponent of compassionate Christianity, where the fallibility of man is acknowledged, and forgiveness is the defining characteristic. As world tensions escalate towards the ultimate conflict, the characters struggle to spread a message of hope and faith in a environment that is bereft of both. The final pages provide a surprising climax that touches at the very core of faith. | ||
 | LINCOLN AT GETTYSBURG: THE WORDS THAT REMADE AMERICA | |
| "A look at Lincoln's most famous words in the context of their times" | 2009-07-28 |
| The subtitle of this book suggests that Lincoln's speech at Gettysburg changed America. The author argues, reasonably persuasively, the Lincoln was consciously using the speech to rally people to his view of the nature of the American experiment in democracy. While this book is somewhat dry and academic in its treatment of the material, it does place the Gettysburg Address in the context of the speech making styles of the time, and shows how Lincoln not only changed how people thought of the United States, but also how they made political speeches.
While most people today would probably take Lincoln's views on the nature of the Union that binds the states together, at the time of his speech, this was not only not universally accepted, but it was the very issue that Lincoln saw at the root of the Civil War. This book helps place Lincoln's most famous speech into the context of the politics, the war and the social climate of its time. The result is a deeper appreciation for the importance and impact of this short speech. | ||
 | Darwin's Radio | |
| "Would we be ready for the next evolutionary leap?" | 2009-06-18 |
| What if all the "junk DNA" in our chromosomes, which appear to be discarded remnants of our evolutionary past, really have a purpose? What if they were to become active agents of the next evolutionary leap forward. How would our scientific community react? What about the general public? This thriller extrapolates from the edges of scientific knowledge in much the same way Michael Crichton does in many of his novels. However, the tension here isn't primarily built around the scientific inquiry into the genetics or the changes occurring because of the ativation of these DNA segments. Instead, this novel focuses on the interplay of the scientific and political arenas, and especially on the panic of the masses that can't understand the nature of what is happening. The story reminds us just how willing we can be to sacrifice our liberties and freedom in the face of fear. An interesting look at the social and political impact the appearance of a sudden genetic shift might have on our society. While the extrapolated science might be of questionable merit, it makes for an interesting and compelling story. | ||
 | Darwin's Radio : In the next stage of evolution, humans are history... | |
| "Would we be ready for the next evolutionary leap?" | 2009-06-18 |
| What if all the "junk DNA" in our chromosomes, which appear to be discarded remnants of our evolutionary past, really have a purpose? What if they were to become active agents of the next evolutionary leap forward. How would our scientific community react? What about the general public? This thriller extrapolates from the edges of scientific knowledge in much the same way Michael Crichton does in many of his novels. However, the tension here isn't primarily built around the scientific inquiry into the genetics or the changes occurring because of the ativation of these DNA segments. Instead, this novel focuses on the interplay of the scientific and political arenas, and especially on the panic of the masses that can't understand the nature of what is happening. The story reminds us just how willing we can be to sacrifice our liberties and freedom in the face of fear. An interesting look at the social and political impact the appearance of a sudden genetic shift might have on our society. While the extrapolated science might be of questionable merit, it makes for an interesting and compelling story. | ||
 | Darwin's Radio by Greg Bear, ISBN 0613277864 | |
| "Would we be ready for the next evolutionary leap?" | 2009-06-18 |
| What if all the "junk DNA" in our chromosomes, which appear to be discarded remnants of our evolutionary past, really have a purpose? What if they were to become active agents of the next evolutionary leap forward. How would our scientific community react? What about the general public? This thriller extrapolates from the edges of scientific knowledge in much the same way Michael Crichton does in many of his novels. However, the tension here isn't primarily built around the scientific inquiry into the genetics or the changes occurring because of the ativation of these DNA segments. Instead, this novel focuses on the interplay of the scientific and political arenas, and especially on the panic of the masses that can't understand the nature of what is happening. The story reminds us just how willing we can be to sacrifice our liberties and freedom in the face of fear. An interesting look at the social and political impact the appearance of a sudden genetic shift might have on our society. While the extrapolated science might be of questionable merit, it makes for an interesting and compelling story. | ||
 | A Treasury of Great American Scandals: Tantalizing True Tales of Historic Misbehavior by the Founding Fathers and Others Who Let Freedom Swing | |
| "Putting modern political scandals into perspective" | 2009-06-11 |
| With all the media coverage of politics and government feeding our insatiable appetite for news (how ever dubious in nature it might be), it is sometimees tempting to think that our current leaders are woefully inept and corrupt by comparison to those from earlier periods. This book is an antidote to any such temptations. Enshrined in these pages are the details of scandals both large and small that have swept through the American leadership from before the United States even came into existance. Some of these are fairly well known, such as Benjamin Franklin's estrangement from his son, or the issues President Lincoln had with General McClellan (or Truman vs. McArthur). Others have been largely forgotten with time. This book is a quick read that provides a nice overview of the scope and characters involved in some of the scandals that swept through America through its history. It is a powerful reminder that politics seems to be fraught with the potential for scandal, and that even our greatest leaders can sometimes find themselves drawn into them. In many ways, the scandals of today all have precedents in the past, and the modern scandals often seem tame in comparison to their earlier counterparts. | ||
 | A Short History of Nearly Everything | |
| "A nice summary of the vast scope of scientific understanding" | 2009-06-02 |
| Covering topics from geology to physics and chemistry, to biology, genetics and paleontology, this book provides a sweeping overview of the state of modern scientific understanding. While it deals with a number of complex and difficult concepts, such as quantum physics and relativity, the material is presented in an extremely approachable manner, which should help even the most science-phobic reader grasp the broad concepts in these areas. Perhaps the most lasting impression from this book is the almost unbelievable scales involved in many of these fields. Bryson does a good job of convey just how unimaginably big the universe is, how incredibly small the realm of the atom is, and just how vast a stretch of time is involved in the history of the world. It is truly a blow to realize just how little of the universe we have explored, and how little time we have existed. The other point that Bryson drives home well is the notion that we are far from possessing even close to a complete understanding in any of these fields. The more we learn, the more we discover how incredibly complex everything is. In all, it is incredibly humbling to contemplate how much we know, and how very much more we don't know. | ||
 | A Short History of Nearly Everything | |
| "A nice summary of the vast scope of scientific understanding" | 2009-06-02 |
| Covering topics from geology to physics and chemistry, to biology, genetics and paleontology, this book provides a sweeping overview of the state of modern scientific understanding. While it deals with a number of complex and difficult concepts, such as quantum physics and relativity, the material is presented in an extremely approachable manner, which should help even the most science-phobic reader grasp the broad concepts in these areas. Perhaps the most lasting impression from this book is the almost unbelievable scales involved in many of these fields. Bryson does a good job of convey just how unimaginably big the universe is, how incredibly small the realm of the atom is, and just how vast a stretch of time is involved in the history of the world. It is truly a blow to realize just how little of the universe we have explored, and how little time we have existed. The other point that Bryson drives home well is the notion that we are far from possessing even close to a complete understanding in any of these fields. The more we learn, the more we discover how incredibly complex everything is. In all, it is incredibly humbling to contemplate how much we know, and how very much more we don't know. | ||
 | A Short History of Nearly Everything | |
| "A nice summary of the vast scope of scientific understanding" | 2009-06-02 |
| Covering topics from geology to physics and chemistry, to biology, genetics and paleontology, this book provides a sweeping overview of the state of modern scientific understanding. While it deals with a number of complex and difficult concepts, such as quantum physics and relativity, the material is presented in an extremely approachable manner, which should help even the most science-phobic reader grasp the broad concepts in these areas. Perhaps the most lasting impression from this book is the almost unbelievable scales involved in many of these fields. Bryson does a good job of convey just how unimaginably big the universe is, how incredibly small the realm of the atom is, and just how vast a stretch of time is involved in the history of the world. It is truly a blow to realize just how little of the universe we have explored, and how little time we have existed. The other point that Bryson drives home well is the notion that we are far from possessing even close to a complete understanding in any of these fields. The more we learn, the more we discover how incredibly complex everything is. In all, it is incredibly humbling to contemplate how much we know, and how very much more we don't know. | ||
 | When You Ride Alone You Ride with Bin Laden: What the Government Should Be Telling Us to Help Fight the War on Terrorism | |
| "Issues worthy of debate" | 2009-05-20 |
| I've enjoyed watching Bill Mahar on his various TV shows, and while I don't always agree with his politics, he can make be both laugh and think. I was intrigued by the premise of this book, a collection of "propaganda" posters modelled after those produced during WWII, to show the American people what they can do to contribute to the War on Terrorism. Beginning in the months right after the September 11th attacks, I've believed that the messages we were hering and the choices we were making seemed to be at odds with being at war. We moved on, almost as if nothing had happened, no one was asked to make any sacrifices. It seemed like (actually, still seems like) a strange way to fight a war. This book is full of Mahar's characteristic sarcasm and biting irony, and his fans are sure to love it. But even thoughtful people who disagree with him should find this book of interest. If you look beyond the attempts at humor, there are a number of issues here that merit debate, a debate that we have, thus far, largely avoided. Whether Mahar is right or not, a public debate on these issues would be healthy for the country, and might actually help us improve security in meaningful ways while also reducing the need for it. While the book may have been rushed to the presses in order to prevent it from being overtaken by events, it has weathered the passage of time well, and still remains pretty relevant to current conditions. | ||
 | When You Ride Alone You Ride With Bin Laden: What the Government Should Be Telling Us to Help Fight the War on Terrorism | |
| "Issues worthy of debate" | 2009-05-20 |
| I've enjoyed watching Bill Mahar on his various TV shows, and while I don't always agree with his politics, he can make be both laugh and think. I was intrigued by the premise of this book, a collection of "propaganda" posters modelled after those produced during WWII, to show the American people what they can do to contribute to the War on Terrorism. Beginning in the months right after the September 11th attacks, I've believed that the messages we were hering and the choices we were making seemed to be at odds with being at war. We moved on, almost as if nothing had happened, no one was asked to make any sacrifices. It seemed like (actually, still seems like) a strange way to fight a war. This book is full of Mahar's characteristic sarcasm and biting irony, and his fans are sure to love it. But even thoughtful people who disagree with him should find this book of interest. If you look beyond the attempts at humor, there are a number of issues here that merit debate, a debate that we have, thus far, largely avoided. Whether Mahar is right or not, a public debate on these issues would be healthy for the country, and might actually help us improve security in meaningful ways while also reducing the need for it. While the book may have been rushed to the presses in order to prevent it from being overtaken by events, it has weathered the passage of time well, and still remains pretty relevant to current conditions. | ||
 | When You Ride Alone You Ride With Bin Laden: What the Government Should Be Telling Us to Help Fight the War on Terrorism | |
| "Issues worthy of debate" | 2009-05-20 |
| I've enjoyed watching Bill Mahar on his various TV shows, and while I don't always agree with his politics, he can make be both laugh and think. I was intrigued by the premise of this book, a collection of "propaganda" posters modelled after those produced during WWII, to show the American people what they can do to contribute to the War on Terrorism. Beginning in the months right after the September 11th attacks, I've believed that the messages we were hering and the choices we were making seemed to be at odds with being at war. We moved on, almost as if nothing had happened, no one was asked to make any sacrifices. It seemed like (actually, still seems like) a strange way to fight a war.
This book is full of Mahar's characteristic sarcasm and biting irony, and his fans are sure to love it. But even thoughtful people who disagree with him should find this book of interest. If you look beyond the attempts at humor, there are a number of issues here that merit debate, a debate that we have, thus far, largely avoided. Whether Mahar is right or not, a public debate on these issues would be healthy for the country, and might actually help us improve security in meaningful ways while also reducing the need for it. While the book may have been rushed to the presses in order to prevent it from being overtaken by events, it has weathered the passage of time well, and still remains pretty relevant to current conditions. | ||
 | Lost World : Alien Voices Series | |
| "A grand romp back to the Age of Exploration" | 2009-03-06 |
| What if dinosaurs had somehow survived, living in isolation in some remote, unexplored corner of the world? This classic adventure story starts with just that premise, and builds it into a lively tale of exploration and discovery. Mostly told in a first person narrative, the reader is taken into the very heart of the story as a team heads off to South America to verify a discovery that is impossible for a skeptical world to believe. Written almost a century ago, Doyle's novel takes us back to the age of Empire and Exploration, when anything seemed possible, and the there were still places on the Earth that had not yet been fully explored. This story grabs the reader and doesn't let go until the very last page. | ||
 | The Lost World: Being an Account of the Recent Adventures of Professor E. Challenger, Lord John Roxton, Professor Summerlee, and Mr. E by Arthur Conan Doyle, ISBN 0897333314 | |
| "A grand romp back to the Age of Exploration" | 2009-03-06 |
| What if dinosaurs had somehow survived, living in isolation in some remote, unexplored corner of the world? This classic adventure story starts with just that premise, and builds it into a lively tale of exploration and discovery. Mostly told in a first person narrative, the reader is taken into the very heart of the story as a team heads off to South America to verify a discovery that is impossible for a skeptical world to believe. Written almost a century ago, Doyle's novel takes us back to the age of Empire and Exploration, when anything seemed possible, and the there were still places on the Earth that had not yet been fully explored. This story grabs the reader and doesn't let go until the very last page. | ||
 | The Lost World | |
| "A grand romp back to the Age of Exploration" | 2009-03-06 |
| What if dinosaurs had somehow survived, living in isolation in some remote, unexplored corner of the world? This classic adventure story starts with just that premise, and builds it into a lively tale of exploration and discovery. Mostly told in a first person narrative, the reader is taken into the very heart of the story as a team heads off to South America to verify a discovery that is impossible for a skeptical world to believe. Written almost a century ago, Doyle's novel takes us back to the age of Empire and Exploration, when anything seemed possible, and the there were still places on the Earth that had not yet been fully explored. This story grabs the reader and doesn't let go until the very last page. | ||
 | The Lost World by Arthur Conan Doyle, ISBN 0899662331 | |
| "A grand romp back to the Age of Exploration" | 2009-03-06 |
| What if dinosaurs had somehow survived, living in isolation in some remote, unexplored corner of the world? This classic adventure story starts with just that premise, and builds it into a lively tale of exploration and discovery. Mostly told in a first person narrative, the reader is taken into the very heart of the story as a team heads off to South America to verify a discovery that is impossible for a skeptical world to believe. Written almost a century ago, Doyle's novel takes us back to the age of Empire and Exploration, when anything seemed possible, and the there were still places on the Earth that had not yet been fully explored. This story grabs the reader and doesn't let go until the very last page. | ||
 | The Lost World (Dover Thrift Editions) | |
| "A grand romp back to the Age of Exploration" | 2009-03-06 |
| What if dinosaurs had somehow survived, living in isolation in some remote, unexplored corner of the world? This classic adventure story starts with just that premise, and builds it into a lively tale of exploration and discovery. Mostly told in a first person narrative, the reader is taken into the very heart of the story as a team heads off to South America to verify a discovery that is impossible for a skeptical world to believe. Written almost a century ago, Doyle's novel takes us back to the age of Empire and Exploration, when anything seemed possible, and the there were still places on the Earth that had not yet been fully explored. This story grabs the reader and doesn't let go until the very last page. | ||
 | The Lost World (Tor Classics) | |
| "A grand romp back to the Age of Exploration" | 2009-03-06 |
| What if dinosaurs had somehow survived, living in isolation in some remote, unexplored corner of the world? This classic adventure story starts with just that premise, and builds it into a lively tale of exploration and discovery. Mostly told in a first person narrative, the reader is taken into the very heart of the story as a team heads off to South America to verify a discovery that is impossible for a skeptical world to believe. Written almost a century ago, Doyle's novel takes us back to the age of Empire and Exploration, when anything seemed possible, and the there were still places on the Earth that had not yet been fully explored. This story grabs the reader and doesn't let go until the very last page. | ||
 | The Lost World | |
| "A grand romp back to the Age of Exploration" | 2009-03-06 |
| What if dinosaurs had somehow survived, living in isolation in some remote, unexplored corner of the world? This classic adventure story starts with just that premise, and builds it into a lively tale of exploration and discovery. Mostly told in a first person narrative, the reader is taken into the very heart of the story as a team heads off to South America to verify a discovery that is impossible for a skeptical world to believe. Written almost a century ago, Doyle's novel takes us back to the age of Empire and Exploration, when anything seemed possible, and the there were still places on the Earth that had not yet been fully explored. This story grabs the reader and doesn't let go until the very last page. | ||
 | Dark Angel: Skin Game (Dark Angel) | |
| "A fun return to post-Pulse Seattle" | 2009-02-26 |
| Okay, nobody is going to confuse this with great literature, but for fans of the short-lived television series, this book should provide a satisfying trip back to the Dark Angel world. This story is essentially a sequel to the final episode of the series, and tells us the story of the showdown between Max (and the other transgenics) and Ames White, renegade NSA agent and member of a secret conclave dedicated to erradicating the transgenics. As the tensions between the two groups build, Max and her friends must find out if a transgenic is behind a string of gruesome murders, as reported, before they are used as an excuse to slaughter the transgenics. This was a very fast read, and fans of the show will find the characterizations true to the on-screen depictions. For a television tie-in novel, this book actually tackles some moderately heavy themes of discrimination and ways of comping with it. Even so, this book never gets too weighted down with moral ambiguity, and provides an entertaining return to the post-Pulse Seattle of the series. | ||
 | The Bone Collector (Lincoln Rhyme Novels (Paperback)) | |
| "A bone chilling mystery" | 2009-01-29 |
| Amelia Sachs is working her last shift as a beat cop when she discovers a grisly crime seen. Acting on instinct, she quickly tries to preserve the evidence, an action that antagonizes those above her in the chain of command, but draws respect from retired forensics expert Lincoln Rhyme. Paralyzed in an on-the-job accident, Rhyme is called upon to consult on this crime scene, which includes an unusual set of planted evidence, which provide clues to a series of subsquent crime scenes. Rhyme calls upon Sachs to be his eyes, ears and legs as the race to stop a serial killer begins. Set against the sprawling geography and history of Manhattan, this is a tightly woven thriller, with few wasted clues, including a few that set the stage for the very conclusion of the story. While the characters aren't the best developed, the story is well paced and the clues keep the reader guessing as the the identity of the killer until the very end. | ||
 | The Bone Collector | |
| "A bone chilling mystery" | 2009-01-29 |
| Amelia Sachs is working her last shift as a beat cop when she discovers a grisly crime seen. Acting on instinct, she quickly tries to preserve the evidence, an action that antagonizes those above her in the chain of command, but draws respect from retired forensics expert Lincoln Rhyme. Paralyzed in an on-the-job accident, Rhyme is called upon to consult on this crime scene, which includes an unusual set of planted evidence, which provide clues to a series of subsquent crime scenes. Rhyme calls upon Sachs to be his eyes, ears and legs as the race to stop a serial killer begins. Set against the sprawling geography and history of Manhattan, this is a tightly woven thriller, with few wasted clues, including a few that set the stage for the very conclusion of the story. While the characters aren't the best developed, the story is well paced and the clues keep the reader guessing as the the identity of the killer until the very end. | ||
 | The Bone Collector | |
| "A bone chilling mystery" | 2009-01-29 |
| Amelia Sachs is working her last shift as a beat cop when she discovers a grisly crime seen. Acting on instinct, she quickly tries to preserve the evidence, an action that antagonizes those above her in the chain of command, but draws respect from retired forensics expert Lincoln Rhyme. Paralyzed in an on-the-job accident, Rhyme is called upon to consult on this crime scene, which includes an unusual set of planted evidence, which provide clues to a series of subsquent crime scenes. Rhyme calls upon Sachs to be his eyes, ears and legs as the race to stop a serial killer begins.
Set against the sprawling geography and history of Manhattan, this is a tightly woven thriller, with few wasted clues, including a few that set the stage for the very conclusion of the story. While the characters aren't the best developed, the story is well paced and the clues keep the reader guessing as the the identity of the killer until the very end. | ||
 | The Manchurian Candidate | |
| "A classic thriller" | 2009-01-27 |
| What if a "brainwashing" could create the perfect assassin...One with no memory of the killing, no remorse or guilt. Medal of Honor recipient, Raymond Shaw is just such an assassin. The actions that won him his medal are fictional, memories implanted in his fellow soldiers to position him for future use. Eventually, some of his comrades begin to suspect the truth, but can the solve the puzzle before its too late? The writing here is similar in style and tone to that of Joseph Heller (Catch-22), though it lacks the humor of Heller's work. The characters here are almost characatures, so over the top that they are almost hard to believe. Yet, somehow they make the story work, and the climax, when it arrives, is entirely satisfying. Though dated in some ways, this is still a gripping thriller. | ||
 | The Manchurian Candidate | |
| "A classic thriller" | 2009-01-27 |
| What if a "brainwashing" could create the perfect assassin...One with no memory of the killing, no remorse or guilt. Medal of Honor recipient, Raymond Shaw is just such an assassin. The actions that won him his medal are fictional, memories implanted in his fellow soldiers to position him for future use. Eventually, some of his comrades begin to suspect the truth, but can the solve the puzzle before its too late? The writing here is similar in style and tone to that of Joseph Heller (Catch-22), though it lacks the humor of Heller's work. The characters here are almost characatures, so over the top that they are almost hard to believe. Yet, somehow they make the story work, and the climax, when it arrives, is entirely satisfying. Though dated in some ways, this is still a gripping thriller. | ||
 | The Manchurian Candidate | |
| "A classic thriller" | 2009-01-27 |
| What if a "brainwashing" could create the perfect assassin...One with no memory of the killing, no remorse or guilt. Medal of Honor recipient, Raymond Shaw is just such an assassin. The actions that won him his medal are fictional, memories implanted in his fellow soldiers to position him for future use. Eventually, some of his comrades begin to suspect the truth, but can the solve the puzzle before its too late? The writing here is similar in style and tone to that of Joseph Heller (Catch-22), though it lacks the humor of Heller's work. The characters here are almost characatures, so over the top that they are almost hard to believe. Yet, somehow they make the story work, and the climax, when it arrives, is entirely satisfying. Though dated in some ways, this is still a gripping thriller. | ||
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