Falling short of Perfection ... by a FEW TIMELINES
Dark Matter is what introduced me to Blake Crouch and his crazy imagination. That book was a Sci-F Falling short of Perfection ... by a FEW TIMELINES
Dark Matter is what introduced me to Blake Crouch and his crazy imagination. That book was a Sci-Fi landmark for me, with "genius creativity" written all over it. Since reading that masterpiece, I was anticipating Crouch's next and "Recursion" offered the promise of a worthy successor with its premise.
Whereas the previous book offered an entirely novel concept, the latest by Crouch just revisits (no pun intended) an old concept by redecorating it with sparkles of the author's creativity. Concept of "Time-Traveling" is as old as time itself, as far as Science Fiction is concerned. Authors and readers have been equally enthralled by the thought of going back in time and fixing the future (or the present) by doing something different in crucial moments of life.
Lately, "Multiple Timelines" has been an added prop in narration of time-travel tales. We have read many books and watched many movies where a protagonist is simultaneously living multiple versions of his own life. So the first (and major) disappointment for me is the fact that Crouch has not been able to introduced any ground-breaking "out-of-the-box" concept with his latest book.
Having said that, I admire the finesse with which he has narrated this tale. He continuously manages to keep the proceedings interesting and never lets the tempo fall down. Although anyone who has read/watched such tales in the past can decipher the culmination, the to-and-fro of time and space (a bit over-stretched at times though) keeps one looking forward to the modalities through which that culmination is achieved. And full marks have to be given to Crouch for keeping a reader engrossed throughout.
The best thing for me is the lesson delivered by the book. even if we have the power to change our future, we ultimately have to return to the original scheme of things. We are better-off by accepting things as they happen' the way they happen". Playing "God" is a responsibility our feeble and emotionally vulnerable specie is not capable of handling
Delivering this message in a story about scientific magnificence in itself is a big achievement by the author.
As for characters, the balance is just right. We get the know people to the depth which was required to be known; Nothing less-nothing more.
So in a nutshell, the book is not a let-down at all and it teaches us something which I believe to be the fundamental prerequisite of "Faith". Anyhow, if we are looking for a Sci-Fi concept which is altogether unheard of, this is not the book to look in.
Overall a decent read which had a potential of being much more than decent....more
Promising Start; Excellent Proceedings; Pathetic End
It seems that the author was hell-bent on packing the book up with maximum number of twists. Wel Promising Start; Excellent Proceedings; Pathetic End
It seems that the author was hell-bent on packing the book up with maximum number of twists. Well to be honest, he is successful in doing that. The book keeps twisting and turning after every few pages. But in doing so, the author unfortunately forgets to give it a smooth and worthy culmination.
From the the start till a certain point in the book, it kept me glued and interested but after that certain point; i.e. (view spoiler)[ where the narrative goes back to where it started from (hide spoiler)] it loses its steam and moves ahead in an erratic disarray of multiple twists which seem forced and uncalled for. The end result is an uncomfortable abundance of "more_than_required_hollywoodish_no-brainer_stuff".
Specially the heroic and so-conveniently-placed-return- of (view spoiler)[ Maria to the culmination scene (hide spoiler)] is so cliched and gimmicky that it washes out all the impact that the book created earlier with its multiple-yet-creative twists before this point.
The lack of character development can be excused to an extent as thrillers do need the characters to remain ambiguous to a certain degree.
To be honest, till the point in narrative mentioned above, I was sure to assign at least 4 stars to this book. But the naive narrative in the penultimate portions spoiled it all for me and that part of the book doesn't have merits of anything higher than 2 stars. So I will be a nice guy and place my final rating between the both; i.e. 3.
Final Advice: If you are in higher years of your teenage, or if you have just started reading fictions thrillers, than you might love it... but for a 42 year old like myself, who has been reading the genre for more than 20 years now... this is disappointing stuff....more
When an ex-president of USA writes a book about a serving president of USA, you are more than sure that the protagon A "Politically Correct" thriller
When an ex-president of USA writes a book about a serving president of USA, you are more than sure that the protagonist is going to be much more than a president; he would be a war-hero, an ideal family man with a heart of gold, a perfect crime detective, the supreme diplomat, a code-cracker of highly understated yet highly effective caliber, and above all, the one and only living soul that will take the burden of saving the world and actually delivering on that promise.
Well...the book doesn't fall short of these expectations as the president of USA in this crime-fiction story proves to be all the above and yet some more. He is that PERFECT human being that has his heart, brain and brawn at exactly the right place...he could very well fit into the role of a Greek god with lightening bolts shooting out of his hammer.
The important question is... do these heroics hinder the ability of this book to keep a reader interested? Well to be honest... the answer is "No, it doesn't"... the book still proves to be a page-turner and there is not a dull moment in the experience. Its just that after all the thrill fizzles down, you don't find it believable. Throughout the book, you keep on rooting for the president to succeed (although you always knew that he will), but as soon as he does succeed, the bubble bursts and you keep on looking at the narrative from the perspective I've mentioned above.
With all said, the writing is crisp and shows effective collaboration between the two co-authors. Even if the proceedings seem a bit "filmy", yet they are engrossing and especially the later half of the book makes it very difficult to put the book down.
The book is screaming to be adapted as a motion picture and I am quite confident it will make a better movie than earlier political thrillers featuring a president of USA.
To conclude, this turns out to be one of those books that is best suited for weekend / vacation reading or to accompany you in a long journey. It is good as long as it is there. So a decent quick-read nevertheless....more
The thing I have always liked about Wilbur Smith is his attention to detail. He writes about distant cultures and envir Beautiful Story; Hasty Ending
The thing I have always liked about Wilbur Smith is his attention to detail. He writes about distant cultures and environments and always succeeds in bringing it close to his readers. He succeeds yet again in this highly important story about effects of the brutal deforestation in Africa. The book transports the continent to the reader's living room with all of it's sounds, smells and scenery. While the scenic beauty urges your inner tourist to plan your next vacation to the continent, at the same time you feel pity and rage on the political atrocities and their impact on the poor people.
Another plus for the book is the characterization. Each character leaves exactly the desired impact on the reader. You can relate with the protagonists and you absolutely despise the antagonists. Different African tribes, their sociology and their differences with each other are portrayed effectively. But as far as my favorite character of the book is concerned, its the forest itself. It has been described with such devotion that I couldn't resist to fall in love with it and I literally cringed to read about each tree it loses and each blow it suffers at the hands of money-hungry devils.
Along with all these pluses, the narrative of the book is also highly engaging and keeps you interested for almost 80% of the book. The remaining 20% anyhow, spoils the fun to a large extent. The ending chapters seem hastily concluded. I don't know if its because the first 3 quarters of the book were dragged too much or if the last quarter is not as expanded as it should've been. Looking at the number of pages, I feel that the middle portion of the book probably could've condensed a bit to give that extra space to the ending parts.
Up till the part where (view spoiler)[ Daniel agrees to join the uprising against the oppressors (hide spoiler)] it all happens too quickly to allow a satisfactory end to those antagonists who you despised so much; you yearn for a stiffer culmination for them; you yearn to feel more heroism in the revolution against them.
Despite the hasty conclusion, the book still manages to increase my respect for Wilbur Smith as a writer. It sheds a worthy light on the problems of the continent. And it also makes you realize the on-ground hazards of sacrificing the "green" of our planet to accommodate the "grey" of our civilization!...more
I absolutely loved the story presented in this book. The underlying pulse is heartwarming, novel and makes A Beautiful Story; A Disjointed Narrative
I absolutely loved the story presented in this book. The underlying pulse is heartwarming, novel and makes a lot of sense. Full points to Ondaatje for illuminating a dimension of war-struck generations that seldom gets attention and even if it does, it doesn't get the stage it deserves.
The book beautifully describes the emotional and practical dilemmas in the lives of those who chose to leave their lives behind for a national cause. How much do their hearts yearn and how less are they able to convey.
Even more than this, what confusions are caused in the lives of those children who are left half-abandoned by these selfless soldiers. The absence of any direction in lives of such kids is very effectively highlighted in the book. The book makes one wonder which of the two types of pain is more severe; the pain of abandoning one's family or the pain of being abandoned. The answer, though not provided loud and clear, is quite painful in itself. A child can never understand the pain behind a sacrifice of a parent; and a parent can probably never live the struggles faced by such children.
After reading both perspectives, the most important questions are "Are these wars worth all the sacrifices?; "Do we have to destroy domestic lives for national glory?" "Cant their be another way to it?"
So... as far as the theme and the story of the book are concerned, its absolutely beautiful.
That said, I have some serious reservations with the flow of narrative. The skips and hops between different stages of the protagonist's life are not only abrupt but the gaps in between are mostly left to the imagination of the reader. There are indeed explanations provided towards the end...but those are quite abstract. In my humble opinion, the issue at hand could've created more pull if the narrative was more straight forward. The narrative, in my opinion, should've focused more on emotions rather than the psyche of the characters.
There are episodes that are all together left unaddressed. The flashbacks happen too randomly and more than often, create confusion regarding the chronological sequencing.
I am sure a lot of readers would loved this style of narrative, but for me, my connection with the characters is more important than being convinced on the author's intellect.
Anyhow, in a nutshell, the beauty of the story itself was stronger than the annoyance I felt with the narrative. I might not remember the details of the story after a few months, but i will definitely never lose the perspective about "impacts of war" that the book has taught me....more
Reading a Stephen King novel, for me, has always been synonymous to loosing night's sleep and having shivers Interesting but below the King's Stature
Reading a Stephen King novel, for me, has always been synonymous to loosing night's sleep and having shivers while and after reading. His books have always offered the face of supernatural which I have set as the benchmark of quality horror stories. But this book, though not bad at all, failed to make me feel any of this.
The story is nothing new, yet it is absorbing due to a quick paced narrative. Despite lacking the trademark shock value of earlier Stephen King novels, this book does not let you fall into boredom either But is that enough for an ardent fan of the author's work? No; Not at all
The horror element is almost non-existent. The book does manage to hang you (briefly though) in that void between staying brave to jump and falling down in the endless pit of being terrorized. But this happens only till the basic idea is pitched for the first time. After that point (quite early in the book) , its only the pace of proceedings that keep you hooked. Not only the horror dies, but the mystery of Who did it also fizzles out and the only interest remains that how was it done .
The evil force might be evil to the core, but it was not viscous at all and once we meet the evil force in physical form, we feel a bit disappointed, as it falls way short of the propagated hype. The ease with which it is overcome is also bit of a let-down.
The plus for the book is that despite being extremely weak on the mentioned elements,it does manage to keep your attention as long as actively reading. But on the hind-side, it lets your senses free as soon as you close it and put it down and this has never happened before while reading King's work.
To sum it up, its a "slightly above average" book but it feels more like reading a James Patterson novel rather than a Stephen King classic.
This mystery tale by Robert Goddard made me yearn for it to reach its full potential...I kept yearni Always Almost There ... But Never Actually There
This mystery tale by Robert Goddard made me yearn for it to reach its full potential...I kept yearning for the same even when I turned its last page. Its like a recipe having scrumptious ingredients...but the resultant meal actually makes you wonder if the proportions of these ingredients was in correct balance or not; maybe the meal remained under-cooked. Whatever the reason, the end product leaves an intangible and irritable sense of "something is missing".
I mean...its difficult to put a finger on the exact spot. To begin with, I am not at all satisfied with the character building. All the characters have quite strong motives but the background reasons of these motives are not established in a convincing way.
(view spoiler)[ I understand that "Blake" is determined to bring "Jane" back to her parents due to her own disturbed family background. But the extent to which she is hell-bent to accomplish the task is not at all justified by whatsoever little we come to know about her past. interesting but not properly explained .
The relationship between "Blake" and "Don" is another unexplained myth. Does Don take Blake as the child he never had? is he experiencing a romantic pull at his heart... why in the world is he supporting her to the degree he is? again interesting ... but not explained at all
Each character poses a similar problem for me. But the biggest void is associated to the most important character of the book; Jack Harkness... Why in the world is he the way he is...why is he so aloof towards his sins ... and ABOVE ALL ... how in the world was he able to tag with Jane to bring her on-board the BIG PLAN (which by the way is a damp squid in its own, as it has been read and watched many times in other books and movies- nothing new or unique there). The scale of operation is not at all justified through narration or perspective (hide spoiler)]
Having said all this, I would not call it a bad book by any means. It does have plenty of intriguing moments. The story telling is simple and quite effective. It does manage to raise questions and urges you to find answers. Its only that the answers (when you find them) are not worth the effort and interest. I strongly believe that a better insight into the characters and their motives would've made this a real treat to read. As it turns out, the way it is, this book only manages to save it self from becoming a bad investment of money and time.
Not a bad read at all, anyhow, it misses to reach its full potential by quite some distance. ...more
Merging facts into fiction can become a tricky business; the author might be clear in his mind about An Intriguing story with a Distracting Narrative
Merging facts into fiction can become a tricky business; the author might be clear in his mind about the difference of the two, but it can get quite confusing for a reader. Add to that a first person narrative, where the author tries to make his personal career an integral part of the story, and the end product can become a continuous battle for the reader's mind. How much of the story is real and how much is made up? which characters were part of the real story and which were fabricated?
As for the main story of the book... its brilliantly engaging and keeps you guessing for most of the part. As a reader you get a classic flavor of Agatha Christie books along with a delicious tinge of Sherlock Holmes adventures. The characters (whether real or fiction) are effectively defined and play their parts in the overall flow of the story. The narrative helps a readers to easily get comfortable with the cultural and atmospheric setting of the book. Overall feel of the book is quite mellow despite the disturbing murders. This in my opinion is a major accomplishment at the part of the author as it speaks volumes about his strong grip on his art.
The idea of narrating the story from first person's perspective is not bad at all. It actually gives the book a unique dimension and makes it standout among the crowd of whodunit mysteries. But after a while it becomes more of a distraction for the reader, as a major chunk of the book is used to describe the author's career and his personal life, which in no means adds anything to the actual story. All it establishes is an uncomfortable feeling that the author is indulging in self-projection which was never required at all.
Besides, the best part of reading fiction is the freedom experienced by a reader's mind; the freedom to expect the unexpected and to take a break from reality. My main problem with the book is that I spent a significant time to deliberate and search what aspects of the story were real and which were fiction. I mean they have newspapers archives and biographies for reading about real life incidents. The reader's frame of mind is totally different when he is reading a fiction as compared to when he is reading an account of a real incident. And if he is continuously confused in what is real and what is fiction, he would stay divided in the diverse frames of mind.
So in my opinion even if he had to include himself as a principal character, the author could've done it with a story which was totally fiction. Adding real life incidents and characters to it reduces the authenticity of the book's impact.
To sum it up this is not a bad book by any means... it tells a highly engaging story but the reader's confusion regarding genre of the book and the undesired details about the author's personal life are factors which collectively work as distractions and cause a significant reduction in the book's effectiveness. ...more
Rave reviews ... Promising synopsis and Critical Acclaim received by this book kept on tempting me to read it. I finally submitted to the temptation aRave reviews ... Promising synopsis and Critical Acclaim received by this book kept on tempting me to read it. I finally submitted to the temptation as it's been quite a while since I've read a decent Historical Adventure which is not based on wars and racism. The idea of joining a nineteenth century mob of rowdy voyagers to gather some whale oil among a few conspiracies and calamities, sounded good.
This is not the first story about a whale hunting voyage gone bad; we've had a number of classics where similar eras have been narrated with almost similar settings. The first and foremost analogy that pops up in mind is "Moby Dick". So what was so unique about this book that got it noticed to such an extent? What has Ian McGuire done to give this adventure an identity of its own?
As it turns out the answer is quite obvious. All the previous books of similar genre have a moral to teach and they had always been about "Good vs Evil". These traditional ingredients which have always been the hallmarks of this genre have been replaced with the following 2 alternatives...
1- There are no specific moral lessons to take out from this story. The book doesn't preach ... it only narrates a story ... as simple as that!
2- The "Good vs Evil" has been replaced with "The Lesser Evil vs The Bigger Evil". Though a certain character is pin-pointed as the main antagonist, yet the others which could've been soulful and God-Fearing protagonists...are no saints by any means. Even the noblest of them is much darker than grey.
With these presumably original dimensions as his USP, the author sinks the story in blood, gore and shit. When I say "shit"...I don't mean the symbolic miseries that happen in life...when I say shit...i mean the real abdominal excretions! Similarly when I say "blood and gore"I literally mean A LOT of BLOOD and GORE!!! I have never read a book this violent; I have never read a book which actually made me twitch with the foul smells of its filthy and bloody descriptions.
While at one hand this barbaric and crude violence becomes quite disturbing for the reader, on the other hand this goes as a big compliment to the author for creating such thoroughly detailed atmosphere and transporting the reader to those filthy ships and those impossible to survive circumstances.
On the same notes, the brutally honest crudeness of all the characters and their barbaric instincts might reduce the comfort level of the reader but it is bound to raise the respect for author's focus and determination to present the story without any commercial compromises.
Anyhow, despite this commendable originality in the basic story setup, the execution sometimes produces alarming resemblances with the stories already read and movies already watched. (view spoiler)[ especially a few similarities are so beyond coincidence; for example, Sumner's metaphysical connection with the bear revives the connection between Pi and the Tiger in "Life of Pi" ... The scene where Sumner hides inside the bowels of a bear is sinfully similar to a scene in Leonardo Decaprio's "The Revenant (2015)"... the crew and atmosphere of the ship and the descriptions related to weather conditions not only have a continuous recall from the classic tale "Moby Dick" but also has obvious similarities to the tale's 2015 cinematic adaptation "In the Heart of the Sea". (hide spoiler)]
Whereas I admire McGuire's success to narrate the story so effectively, I have some serious reservations with the last two chapters of the book. A narrative that was going quite smoothly got multiple abrupt thrusts during the final chapters. It seems that he himself got so fed-up of all the violence and obscenity that he decided to conclude the story earlier than he had planned. I might be totally wrong in my perception, but I would've definitely preferred a gradual conclusion rather than the abruptness.
Overall, its an interesting tale very effectively told. But you got to have a stomach of steel if you want to complete this book and actually enjoy it. If you can handle the intensity of the unlimited violence and filth, you would really end up enjoying this book. Otherwise you might end up tearing its pages out and using them as vomit bags (at least twice in every chapter)! ...more
Being motivated by a particular book by a particular author to read more of his / her books is a testimony not only to the greatness of the first bookBeing motivated by a particular book by a particular author to read more of his / her books is a testimony not only to the greatness of the first book but also to the writing abilities of the author. In case of S.K Tremayne, I read his second novel "The Fire Child" and fell in love with the author's ability to knit a web of mysteries and to not let the reader off the hook. Therefore, going ahead to read his only other novel was quite natural.
As far as Tremayne's writing abilities are concerned, "The Ice Twins" is yet another solidly supporting evidence. The way he sucks you into psychological labyrinth and the dark world of supernatural mischief is exemplary. Irrespective of how you respond to the basic idea or how you feel about the characters, you are bound to stay glued and intrigued with his narrative. Staying true to the other book, "Ice Twins" also haunts you to the limits of exhaustion. As the story unfolds with a gasping pace, it keeps on flooding your mind with questions and makes you desperate to find answers. So...as far as the book's ability to keep you hooked is concerned, you are bound to get your time's worth.
My problem with the book though is with the story and one of its principal characters. The story picks up with a strong promise and the twists keep on intensifying the mysterious fog around the narrative. But eventually when the fog clears, when it all gets unraveled, the real cause behind the mystery left me somewhat disappointed. Though the justification and reasoning is effectively done, yet the actual incident which triggered all the misfortune and confusion, looks absolutely vague; even obnoxious.
The second aspect which I never got comfortable with was the character of the main protagonist (Sarah Moorcraft). Its another thing if that's how the writer intended us to feel about Sarah, but despite that, even the phases of the book where the intention was to gain her some sympathy, the outcome was not at all the same. Her outlook of the life itself, her intentions towards her loved ones, the level of her intellect and her overall behavior was too one dimensional and shallow throughout. For a reader like me, who looks to connect with the characters of a story and try to relate to their feelings and choices, it was a bit disturbing.
In addition to these two negative factors (which are quite serious for me), there is a certain twist in the story which was not at all called for but it took out a major chunk of the book. Though it eventually got nicely arrayed in the overall scheme of things, yet the very conception of the idea was absolutely rubbish (I am avoiding any spoilers over here).
As I mentioned earlier, despite how I felt about the characters or the story, the narrative and its twists always managed to keep me engrossed. The masterstroke of this narrative though comes in the final two pages of the book. When you start to believe that you have it all figured out and you have got answers to all the questions...BOOM comes yet another twist catches you unaware and hits you hard...real hard! For me...this final twist is the USP of the book and lifts the overall experience to much higher levels than the entirety of the book accounted for.
To sum it all up, though I had serious issues with the protagonist and had multiple disagreements with the rationale behind the story, yet the sheer brilliance of the author's storytelling skills and the stroke of genius which he pulls in the final pages, the book ended up an above average reading experience.
For anyone who wouldn't feel the disconnects which I have mentioned, this book will become a real treat. In the end its all about perspective....more
Another of those books which confuses me when reviewing them... it has it merits which push me to give it a highly positive verdict, and it has some iAnother of those books which confuses me when reviewing them... it has it merits which push me to give it a highly positive verdict, and it has some issues which put downward pressure on the final ratings.
For this book,the biggest merit is that as long as you are reading it, it keeps you engaged and interested; as a result before you know, you are headed towards the final chapters. The editing is crisp and the narrative is devoid of any unnecessary complications (at least, most of it).
The characters are not very deeply crafted, but their shallowness actually adds to the eerie feel of the book. Their imperfections compliment the deceptive ebb and flow of the story. The initial chapters contain ample moments which make your skin crawl with mild but creepy shocks and this builds up the anticipation quite nicely. You actually start looking forward to the big event.
On the negative side, right after the arrival of the TV crew and the priests, the narrative gets sucked into a nagging & stagnant phase which eats up a significant chunk of the book. The shocks and shivers keep landing lower than the anticipation which was earlier set.
I found the whole "Blog" thing to be bit of a distraction. I understand its utility in translating the inner conflicts faced by Merry, but I still would've preferred her interviews with Rachel to be the primary tool of disclosure. Those interviews felt like a more direct and fluent mode of expression, but that fluency was always distracted by the blog.
The biggest problem for me in the book though is the fact that it is pitched as a Horror fiction, whereby actually its more of a psychological mystery. Honestly speaking, beyond a certain point in the initial parts, the horror element is totally non-existent. The mystery, anyhow, is quite intriguing and keeps you hooked till the very end.
Speaking of the end, I liked the sublime twists towards the penultimate chapter, but the blandness of the last couple of paragraphs was a bit of a put-off. I would've preferred an ending which was a bit more open-ended and which could tease the reader's imagination a bit.
So, I still feel a bit confused in passing an overall verdict about the book. I have my issues with the genre this book wants to position itself in, but I cant ignore the fact that I was thoroughly engaged in the story due to its direct nature. For me, the book had more mystery than it had horror to impress me.
In the end a decent read if you start reading it with appropriate expectations. If you expect it to give you sleepless nights full of horror, you might be disappointed. But if you look for its ability to hook you with its mysterious twists, you might end up enjoying it a lot....more
Not as good as his other two books, but still a very decent read. The humor was not very frequent but what i liked about the book was its honest and hNot as good as his other two books, but still a very decent read. The humor was not very frequent but what i liked about the book was its honest and humble style....more
This is such a difficult book to review as I am totally impressed by the originality of style and the genius of the writer to take 3 equally engrossinThis is such a difficult book to review as I am totally impressed by the originality of style and the genius of the writer to take 3 equally engrossing narratives parallel to each other ... that too in different narrative styles and from different perspectives. And I must admire that eventually, the writer's decision to present the story the way he has, proves to make a lot of sense. Anyhow ... it takes quite some time to get a grasp on the proceeding amidst the starkly different narratives.
The wit is exemplary and the fact that the humor is intertwined within a story which is achingly tragic ... it creates a dignified literary respect in the reader's mind for the immensely talented writer (whose other novel "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close" is yet another testimony of his genius).
Despite all these positive points ... I must admit that no other book has taken more days than this for me to finish. Although I thoroughly enjoyed the proceedings, yet there were days when I simply didnt feel the urge to start the next chapter. Considering that it took me 12 days to finish this book with 276 pages and fact that the average time it takes for me to complete a 400 plus page book is 4 days (including "extremely loud...", this was embarrassingly slow progress I made in this book.
I just can not put my finger on the reason ... cuz i really loved the story; I loved the humor and I felt for the characters ... I just can't explain the little nagging annoyance that kept on pinching me all through y journey through centuries.
If it had taken me this many days to finish any other book, I would've found it hard to rate it more than 1/5 ... but since this book presents such a beautiful story in such a unique style ... I confidently rate it 3/5....more
Cliched ... quite predictable ... yet extremely entertaining. The pace suits the genre and the plot twists are frequent enough to warrant an engaging Cliched ... quite predictable ... yet extremely entertaining. The pace suits the genre and the plot twists are frequent enough to warrant an engaging read.
The characters, in my opinion, should've had deeper build-up and insight. The actions of all the characters are vastly entertaining but the characters themselves appear to be shallow and one-dimensional.
But I guess, this was never meant to be a statement on intelligence. The book was supposed to serve up a decent suspense thriller...and that it succeeds in doing.
I have always been crazy about everything written by Sir Archer. And while this book again proves that there can not be an iota of doubt about his ability to construct brilliant stories, I do have to admit that it lacks the usual stamp of "The Archer Genius"; something which makes his books deliver entertainment along with establishing a strong emotional connect with the reader. "A Matter of Honor" successfully manages to entertain, but falters on the emotional quotient.
The hallmark of a great writer is the ability to raise mediocre stories to heights of splendor through marvels of his/her writing. Same is the case wiThe hallmark of a great writer is the ability to raise mediocre stories to heights of splendor through marvels of his/her writing. Same is the case with this book. Unlike "The Godfather" and "The Sicilian", this novel does not boost of a great story. "The Last Don" narrates the story which conveniently lies in a zone where Puzo has always been the best. As a result, we get an "ordinary story, extraordinarily told".
The book is overloaded with characters; there are so many of them. In normal circumstances, such abundance of characters in a single story would've caused extreme confusion and annoyance. It does happen in "The Last Don" as well ... but every time I started getting annoyed with yet another new character after every few pages, up came the literary brilliance of Puzo to turn that annoyance into a state where i could only praise the finesse with which the character was built within a paragraph or two; I marveled how important each character became for better understanding of the proceedings. There was not a single character which was left unexplained; whose motives were not elaborated to fit in the overall scheme of things.
This brilliance in development and collective effectiveness of so many characters is good enough a reason to overlook the overall insignificance of the story. There is nothing fundamentally wrong with the story either ... but I just could not find that grandeur which, for me, is synonymous with Mario Puzo's stories. I had some problems with the scale of the final "communion" ... The solid build up towards the most significant event of the book should've been complimented with a grander culmination.
The first half of the book was a bit low on the pace with major focus being on the buildup of characters and premise. The later half, anyhow obtained a feverish pace and became almost "Un-Put-down-able". Even the cliches were put through in exciting avatars during the second half.
to sum it up, "The Last Don" might not be the best story told through Puzo's pen ... but it definitely is a treat due to technical superiority and brilliant writing skills of the Don of Mafia Fiction....more
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