Saturday 23 April 2016

Book reviews (part 14)

It's time for another round-up of book reviews and this week I take a look at books from the genres of non-fiction, comedy, action and sci-fi.

A Brief History Of Time by Stephen Hawking

A Brief History Of Time by Stephen Hawking - 3.9 / 5.0


I found some parts of A Brief History Of Time fascinating, but on occasions there were a few sections that were a little less interesting. The enjoyable chapters were the sections where you could quickly read through it and the theories were all fairly straight forward and easy to take in, but there were also other more complicated chapters involving less conventional scenarios (in terms of everyday life), and this was when you had to concentrate a bit more and it felt more like doing homework.

That said, there were one or two sections where Stephen has overlooked some really obvious points, and I suspect it's a case of the 'emperor's new clothes' that no-one has pointed these out to him. Overall though, given the subject matter Stephen Hawking has written a reasonably entertaining book.






The Apologist by Jay Rayner


The Apologist by Jay Rayner - 4.3 / 5.0


The Apologist tells the story of Marc Basset, a restaurant critic who gives one restaurant such a scathing review that the owner and head chef kills himself in the restaurant oven. This leads Marc to apologise to his widow, and the resultant guilt-free feeling leads him into a quest to apologise to all the people he has wronged throughout his life. Just when you think the story is starting to get predictable, Basset's apologies lead his life in a very unexpected direction.

It's a funny book, and plot-wise you could describe it as a book of two halves, but in terms of laughs it's an amusing book from start to finish.










Trojan Odyssey by Clive Cussler


Trojan Odyssey by Clive Cussler - 4.4 / 5.0


The first third of the Trojan Odyssey describes a devastating hurricane which hits the Caribbean, and Clive Cussler has basically written a big budget Hollywood disaster movie. However, even a top Hollywood director with a massive special effects budget would have quite a task matching the superb story telling skills of Clive Cussler, as it’s so well written that you feel as if you’re there watching every towering wave crash down and wreak its destruction.

The post-hurricane part of the novel is almost like a different book, although it still reads like an adaptation from an action-packed movie. This was my first Clive Cussler novel, but it won’t be my last.







Flow My Tears, The Policeman Said by Philip K. Dick

Flow My Tears, The Policeman Said by Philip K. Dick - 4.5 / 5.0


Flow My Tears, The Policeman Said follows the story of Jason Taverner, a successful singer and famous TV show host who one day wakes up to find that his previous life appears to have mysteriously disappeared from existence. Philip K. Dick has created a detailed 'retro' futuristic world, and as well as the sci-fi theme of the main plot, there are several incidental sci-fi elements along the way which help to immerse you in the world.

Flow My Tears seems to attract a range of opinions from readers, but I enjoyed it and particularly liked the fact that many of the concepts get you thinking, and it's a book that sticks in your head after you finish reading it.

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The above book reviews are the opinions of Charles Fudgemuffin. Charles is the author of 'How To Poison Your Husband And Get Away With It, and Other Short Stories' a collection of lighthearted crime themed short stories.

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More book reviews / information on woodpeckers:
Book reviews (part 12)
Migratory patterns of the red-headed woodpecker

Footnote: Or perhaps that final link is actually 'Book reviews (part 13)'. You'll just have to click the link to find out.

Legal note: All cover images used on this blog remain the copyright of the respective authors and publishers and are used in accordance with 'Fair Use' legislation for review purposes.

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