Book Reviews

Knights of Dark Renown by David Gemmell

2018-04-24 I have to admit I couldn’t get into this book for some time. There are a lot of characters, and I often struggled to differentiate them – some had similar names, others went by more than one name, and some had popular names from Irish mythology – none of which made for easy reading when tired. However, where this story absolutely excels is in... Continue reading

Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah

2018-04-24 This autobiography about Trevor Noah growing up in South Africa is full of great insights, genuinely entertaining, and recommended reading. Where it loses a star is simply because I had really hoped to read of his journey in becoming a successful comedian, but unfortunately there’s barely any mention of that in this book – though apparently there’s another book coming out later this year... Continue reading

The Lord of the Rings (The Lord of the Rings, #1-3) by J.R.R. Tolkien

2018-04-16 I think LOTR is one of those books you have to find at a certain age or time to really feel the magic of it. That never happened for me. Even re-reading it 25 years later I’m just too familiar with the story to feel any sense of discovery. Additionally, the archaic style of writing grated at times, as did some of the social... Continue reading

Osiris (The Locus #3) by Ralph Kern

2018-04-09 I’ve really enjoyed this series so far, and this book does not disappoint. Everything we’ve seen so far finally comes together and wraps up nicely. And yet… there remains the possibility of further books in future. The Locus Trilogy has been a really great science fiction thriller, and showcases the best from both genres. Here’s hoping we see more again sometime. 🙂 Rating: 5/5 Continue reading

Dictator (Cicero, #3) by Robert Harris

2018-03-23 Another good book from Robert Harris. As ever, strong with the storytelling, though I actually had a couple of niggles with this novel: The first is that the narrator, Tiro, was freed from slavery at the end of the last book – but about a third of the way into Dictator he is … freed from slavery. I may have misunderstood something, but I... Continue reading

Lustrum (Cicero, #2) by Robert Harris

2018-03-19 Lustrum shows a master writer at work. The second book in a trilogy, it clearly establishes Robert Harris as one of the two great pillars of Roman historical fiction writing. What’s especially gratifying is that the other, Colleen McCollough, approaches the story from a completely different angle in her excellent Masters of Rome series. So where she has Caesar as the protagonist and Cicero... Continue reading

A Column of Fire (Kingsbridge, #3) by Ken Follett

2018-03-14 This is a decent book that does a great job of teaching Elizabethan history by proxy – but it somewhat falls flat when it comes to making the experience feel real through the characters. Follet’s plotting is often masterful – covering the rise, reign, and aftermath of Elizabeth I via a dozen POV characters in 4 countries is a genuine achievement. But all too... Continue reading

The Story of Egypt: The Civilization that Shaped the World by Joann Fletcher

2018-03-14 I’m going to have to be harsh with this book for 3 key reasons: 1. It’s mainly just political history – so it’s basically a narrative about which Pharaoh sat on the throne, who he married, and who his kids were. This tells us nothing about Egypt, the country, the life of its people, or its culture – which is what the book title... Continue reading

The Blackhouse (Lewis Trilogy, #1) by Peter May

2018-03-14 A miserable detective investigates a miserable murder on a miserable island, forcing him to face his miserable childhood while surrounded by miserable people and miserable weather. Much of the story itself was okay, but trying to pin it all on a romance between 6-year olds stretched things a bit thin. It didn’t help that the male lead was and still is a jerk, making... Continue reading

Rome’s Sacred Flame (Vespasian, #8) by Robert Fabbri

2018-03-03 Another great book in his Vespasian series, with some real shocks as it builds up towards a dramatic climax – to be concluded in the next book! If you haven’t yet read Robert Fabbri, his Vespasian novels do an amazing job of connecting much of the history of the early Roman Empire into a single, clear, and entertaining narrative. If that sounds like it... Continue reading