"Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read." Groucho Marx
The Bone Doll's Twin is the first installment of a fantasy/science fiction trilogy. The appearance of witches and wizards satisfied my desire for a fantastical escape while the tales of battle and kings and queens struggling for power appealed to my love of historical fiction. A royal court in a fantasy land very much resembles a royal court anywhere else :0). The three books in the trilogy bleed right into each other. The second one picks up in almost the same breath as this first one leaves off. You won't reach a satisfactory end by just reading this first one and will have to resign yourself to all three to truly enjoy the tale. This first one was my least favorite of the three. I fell further into the tale with each book. This is not a series written for young adult readers so prepare yourself for the vulgarity and violence of an ancient court fighting age-old battles.
You will find an official description of the plot line at:
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8190383-the-bone-doll-s-twin
The gentlemen in Archer's Kane and Able are incredibly frustrating! The lengthy battle for power that the two main characters engage in is drawn out and exhausting. You spend an exorbitant amount of time watching each man grow into his own fortune and power and then the rest of the time is spent watching them waste that same fortune and power, not to mention years of their lives, in a constant misplaced and unnecessary feud for revenge. Both men are annoying in their own right but I found Abel downright unlikeable. His myopic view of the world, big business, and the amazing self-righteousness he displays in placing his ideas of what is moral and ethical are infuriating. I like him when is young and struggling but when he finally makes it he has the attitude of a born-again Christian or an ex-smoker. The people not inspired to bend to his will are clearly in the wrong-always. I kept thinking that eventually I would come into this lovely tale of partnership and friendship but no such luck. There is a developed irony in the novel and I typically appreciate that talent in authors but by the time I got to that point I was too irritated with the characters to give the ironic twist any more than a dissatisfied snort.
I never attached to any of Archer's characters. I wanted to really love at least one of them so I could root for someone, hold my breath in anticipation for someone, but I never got sufficiently engrossed in the tale to fall for any of the characters. Despite the novel's length, the characters remain two-dimensional and undeveloped making it impossible to really invest in their story.
You will find an official description of the plot line at:
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8702790-kane-and-abel
Henry's story is touching. Ford did a good job of moving smoothly between Henry's youth and the time of his adult maturity. I thought it was a little strange that Henry's son was such a prolific patron of the world wide web in 1986. That would have been VERY forward thinking of him. I'm not sure that I was even playing Oregon Trail using the dinner-plate sized floppy in 1986 but I never have been a computer whiz kid. That minor detail aside, the story was touching, though a little grim. I would have liked a little humor. I shed the requisite tears but a little joke every now and then wouldn't have hurt anything. There isn't anything funny about this novel though. If you want funny you'll have to move it over to Tina Fey or Erma Bombeck. Jamie Ford isn't having any part of it. All said, this was a very average read for me. Neutral. Like the color taupe.
You'll find an official description of the plot line at:
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/165984995
I used to read a Sookie Stackhouse novel at random intervals amidst heavier reading. When I finished all there was of Sookie I began the search for another series to take the 'break' time spot. The idea was that the creator of Sookie must be the best place to find a Sookie replacement but I'm thinking I'm still on the market. Harper, Grave Sight's main character, isn't funny. I know, I know- how could that be? I've asked myself the same question over and over again. But she's just not. And she's not a strong character either. She's weak and dependent and kind of a pain in the ass. But-I didn't like Sookie at first either so I'll give Harper another go and hope that she gets her spine straight and finds her clearly missing sense of humor.
Find an official plot line description at:
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58077.Grave_Sight
I'm breaking up with John Irving-effective immediately. I've tried. Since the movie adaptation of Cider House Rules, which incidentally, I loved, I've tried. I struggled through A Prayer for Owen Meany and 158 Pound Marriage and nearly half of A Son of the Circus and I just can't do it anymore. I don't know what the point of the story is and I can't even stay interested long enough to figure out who the people are and what part each of them plays in this maniacal collection of nonsense and pointlessness. I read an interview Irving did about this book and he thanks his wife for reading every draft of this novel. God bless her heart-how did she manage it? I hope he did more than thank her. She deserves diamonds for that one.
Find an official description of the plot line at:
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40031.A_Son_of_the_Circus
