Book reviews (part 8)

Most of the books I've read over the last few months have been by my favourite authors, but I've also sampled a few authors who are new to my reading list. Here's another selection of book reviews from some of the books and short stories I've recently been reading.

I, Partridge by Alan Partridge

I, Partridge - We Need To Talk About Alan by Alan Partridge - 5.0 / 5.0

One of the first reviews I read of 'I, Partridge' called it, "The funniest book of the year, and possibly all time," and I would have to agree. Even if you had never heard of Alan Partridge before or never seen any of his shows, this would still be a hilarious book with several laugh out loud moments on every page.

If you're already an Alan Partridge fan, then some of the chapters where he describes events already seen on his TV shows are especially amusing, particularly when Alan recalls certain events through his rose-tinted memories and portrays himself in a favourable, often heroic, light when the reality was somewhat different.

Even Steven by Wright Forbucks

Even Steven by Wright Forbucks - 4.0 / 5.0

Although I wouldn't quite rank Even Steven right up there with The Walking Man, this is nevertheless another highly original and enjoyable novel by Wright Forbucks. The theme of revenge appeals to me as a subject (and features in my own book The Quiz Master) so my interest was immediately piqued by the character of Steven Zangst who always gets even with those who cross him, thus earning him the nickname Even Steven. There's a lot more to the plot than just a guy who likes to get even though, and it's fair to say that I've never read a book like this one before.

The originality and weirdness of the plot perhaps might not be to everyone's liking, and if you've never read any of Wright Forbucks' books yet then I would recommend The Walking Man as the best starting point. However, any readers who enjoy unusual non-conventional stories and are looking for something a bit different with a few dark chuckles along the way, might find that Even Steven is just their type of book.

Two Birds by Vicki Tyley

Two Birds by Vicki Tyley - 4.0 / 5.0

This crime/mystery genre short story opens with a dramatic first scene which immediately grabs your attention and gives the initial impression that it's fairly easy to work out what has happened. As the story progresses though, a few additional details are revealed that have you questioning whether things are quite as simple as it originally seemed.

Two Birds is a clever and well told short read which kept me intrigued right up to the very end and it's got me interested to read more of Vicki Tyley's work.

The Associate by John Grisham

The Associate by John Grisham - 4.4 / 5.0

Kyle McAvoy is blackmailed by a group of professional thugs into working on a high profile legal case which could earn or cost billions for the two parties involved. Kyle quickly realises that these are dangerous people, but he's not prepared to play the role of mindless puppet and tries to make a few secret moves of his own.

For the first four hundred pages or so, I was absolutely hooked by this book. However, in my opinion the ending was a little bit of a letdown and slightly unsatisfying. I realise that John Grisham probably wanted to go for an ending which he thought was believable but there must have been another plausible ending which would have left the reader a lot more satisfied. Overall though, it was still a great book and a real page turner.


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The above reviews are the opinions of Charles Fudgemuffin. Charles is the author of 'The Quiz Master' which is available for kindle from Amazon.

More book reviews:
Book reviews (part 10)
Book reviews (part 11)

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