BOOK REVIEW : ARTEMIS FOWL

Rating            : 4.5/5

Genre             : YA/Fantasy

Author            : Eoin Colfer

Other works    : Half Moon Investigations, Airman

Synopsis         :

                        Artemis Fowl was 12 years old when his father went missing and he became heir to Fowl family crime organization. Pressed for funds, Artemis comes up with a marvelous scheme: kidnap a fairy and ask fairy gold as ransom. Assisted by his personal bodyguard Butler and a fairy Bible, young Artemis kidnaps an elf, Holly Short. What Artemis doesn’t realize is that the fairies will do anything to protect their gold. Fowl Mansion is laid under siege but Artemis manages to stay one step ahead of the fairies, thanks to the Book. But that is when the fairies stop playing by the book…

Plus Points     :

                        The plot is simply brilliant. The narrative is fast and humorous. The characters are well etched. The strategies used by Artemis is mind blowing. There is never a dull moment.

Fascinating Fact: The protagonist is the main antagonist.

Remark: Go for it. There are six books in the Artemis Fowl series and you will love it.

 Who should read this: Those who want to see what happens when magic weds science.

Who shouldn’t read this: Those who like real life fiction.

  

You can order this book from: Flipkart , Amazon

BOOK REVIEW : BOY SOLDIER

Rating           : 2/5

Genre            :   YA/Thriller

Author           : Andy McNab and Robert Rigby

Other works   : Payback, Avenger(part of Boy Soldier series)

Synopsis        :

              When Danny Watts, 17 year old orphan whose ambition is to join the army, is turned down because his grandfather is a traitor, he decides to hunt him and bring him to justice. But can he catch Fergus Watts, an SAS veteran, who has been able to evade the country’s top investigation agencies? Danny has only his friend Elena to assist him in his quest. And unknown to them, the MI6 is watching their every move.  

Opinion        :The story is too slow and the plot shallow. If you are above 17, you will get bored. As for the kids, the military jargon makes it confusing.

Who should read this    : Young teens with interest in espionage or super spy stories.

Who shouldn’t read this: Those with no interest in buying the sequels(The story seems to be incomplete without them).

  

BOOK REVIEW : CAT O’NINE TALES

Author: Jeffrey Archer

Other works: ’Kane And Abel’, ‘Not A Penny More, Not A Penny Less’

Synopsis:

A collection of 12 short stories, nine of which are based on stories he heard while in prison.

1.    "The Man Who Robbed His Own Post Office"- A couple decide to rob their own post office so as to retrieve their hard earned money.

2.    "Maestro"- A master chef and his tax evading antics.

3.    "Don't Drink the Water"- A husband plotting the death of his wife.

4.    "It Can't Be October Already"-A man who makes an annual “visit” to prison.

5.    "The Red King"-How a man came to represent both competing parties in an auction for an item which belonged to him.

6.    "The Wisdom of Solomon"-A divorce case

7.    "Know What I Mean?"-A smuggler’s tale.

8.    "Charity Begin at Home"-The noble accountant.

9.    "The Alibi"-How a prisoner murdered his wife.

10. "A Greek Tragedy"-A Greek wedding.

11. "The Commissioner"-An ex-con turns a new leaf.

12. "In the Eye of the Beholder"- Why a football star married a stout lady.

Note: None of the stories make a lasting impression. Jeffrey Archer’s greatest gift is his narrative skill. He rarely got a chance to use it. In a short story, it is the plot that matters and he has been found wanting in this direction.

The fact that most of the stories were those heard from prison means that most of the protagonists end up in jail. This takes the sting off the plot.

Plus Points: None that I can think of.

Things to ponder: “It Can’t Be October Already”. Is it based on an O.Henry short 

story? Why has Cat O’ Nine Tales got 12 tales?

Remark: Archer should stick to novels.  

Who should read this: Die-hard fans of  Jeffrey Archer.

Who shouldn’t read this: Those who don’t want to waste their time and money.

 

BOOK REVIEW : THE FIVE PEOPLE YOU MEET IN HEAVEN

Author: Mitch Albom

Other works: Tuesdays with Morrie

Synopsis:

Eddie, a maintenance man in a fair, dies in an accident. In heaven he has to meet five people. Five people who played a significant role in his life. They will help him understand his life better. So, it comes as a surprise, when he finds that he barely knew most of them.

Plus Points: The brand new version of heaven.

Fascinating Fact: The story begins with the protagonist’s death.

Remark: I won’t guarantee satisfaction. But this is one of those books which you ought to read in your life. Who knows, may be heaven would be like the one stated in the book.

Things to Ponder: Who would be the five people you would meet in heaven?.

Who should read this: Those who like to ponder about the message of the story even 

after reading it. In short, those who like philosophical books may read these.

Who shouldn’t read this: Those who want a fast paced story with lots of twists.

You can order this book from:   Amazon.in , Flipkart.com

BOOK REVIEW : THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY

Author: Michael Crichton

Other works: Jurassic Park, The Lost World

Synopsis:

A daring Englishman decides to pull of the crime of the century- rob 12,000 bullions in gold kept in two strong safes which are placed in a speeding train. The simplest solution- blow up the safes and escape with the loot using a racing car. But there is one problem- the year is 1854. So what? Well, dynamite has not yet been invented. So you can’t blow up the safe. And other than the train, the next fastest transport is a horse cart.

Follow Edward Pierce as he solves problem after problem in this thrilling adventure.

Plus Points: Crichton is a master storyteller. Pierce is a brilliant criminal mastermind. When two geniuses join hands you can do nothing but surrender.

Fascinating Fact: This is based on a true story.You can read more about it in

                                David C. Hanrahan: The First Great Train Robbery.

Remark: Go for it. There is never a dull moment.

Who should read this: Those who loved Ocean’s Eleven.

Who shouldn’t read this: Those who wish to read a philosophical book like The Alchemist.  (I suggest they read The Five People You Meet In Heaven by Mitch Albom. I will be reviewing it next).

You can order this book from:Amazon.in ,  Flipkart.com

GREAT AUTHORS , BAD BOOKS – 1

Every family has a black sheep and every author has a bad book. In a world where one buys a book by looking at the author, it is important that one knows these black sheep beforehand. Otherwise one would end up losing one’s money and time.

Listed below are three such books from three famous authors. Frankly speaking, none of them is truly bad. They are average, readable books. Yet they do not do justice to 

their author’s name nor to the expectations of the reader.

    1.     Digital Fortress by Dan Brown

Angels & Demons is by far the best work of Dan Brown. Though Da Vinci Code is more popular, Angels & Demons has more twists, better suspense and less inaccuracies. Compared to these works, the Digital Fortress is a fish out of water. Dan Brown should have stuck with symbols and secret codes.

When a person reads a book, his/her mind becomes one with the protagonist’s. A master storyteller ensures that this bond continues till the end of the book. In the Digital Fortress, the identity of the antagonist becomes clear to the reader soon after the halfway mark. Yet the protagonist is blind to the facts till the very end. This is the most frustrating part of the novel.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

    2.     A Caribbean Mystery by Agatha Christie

Agatha Christie is best known for her two characters namely Hercule Poirot and Miss Jane Marple.Two detectives with very different approaches to a case. One a thorough professional and the other an amateur.

Yet ( as far as I have read )  Hercule Poirot is the more enjoyable. Mainly because he uses his ‘grey cells’. The major flaw with Miss Marple is that she doesn’t play an active role in the case until the climax.

In A Caribbean Mystery, this drawback is badly exposed. Miss Marple’s role is more a cameo than that of a protagonist. When your leading character’s soul is missing, you find yourself lost and confused.

     

     3.     The Witch of Portobello by Paulo Coelho

Paulo Coelho is a much acclaimed author and his Alchemist is one of a kind. Simple and yet profound, this book is a treat. Therefore it was with great expectations that I began to read The Witch of Portobello.

But my enthusiasm was short lived, as I could not sustain any interest after the first few pages. Many times have I tried to read this one, but I have failed to get any connection with the book. Truly a forgettable book, it still remains unread. All I remember is that the novel is a collection of memories of different people about the ‘Witch’.    

                                   

P.S: These are the opinions of the author only. So feel free to correct him.                                                                                                                                                                                              

BOOK REVIEW : AND THEN THERE WERE NONE

In popular booklore, the name Agatha Christie is synonymous with ‘Suspense Thriller’. Do you like novels that keep you at the edge of your seats? A who-dun-it where the suspense is well kept and the murder is innovative? Then Agatha Christie is your perfect getaway.

Known as the ‘Queen of Crime’, her books have kept generations of readers on tenterhooks. She has been outsold only by the Bible and Shakespeare. What makes her sell? Simple. A racy narration. Interesting murder theories. A double climax. And in the end , a killer with a sensible motive and a near perfect plan.

'And Then There Were None’(Ten  Little Indians) is widely regarded as Agatha Christie’s masterpiece.

Ten people are invited to a party in an isolated island by one Mr. Owen. But when they arrive, it is not Mr. Owen who is waiting for them but Death itself. Each one of them is charged with murder and served a death sentence by a mysterious voice.

Though they first take it as a joke, things get serious when they begin to get killed one by one as per the nursery rhyme written on the wall. A thorough search of the island ensues but the bodies keep piling and one thing becomes clear. The murderer is one among them.

The tension keeps building as they begin to suspect each other. Each has a reasonable chance of killing others. But none fit the role of a psychic serial killer. Slowly old skeletons fall out of the cupboards and murky pasts are revealed.

Will anyone survive the “writing on the wall”? Or will the killer have the last laugh? To find out read Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None.

P.S: There are two different endings to this suspense thriller. So keep your fingers crossed. 

You can order this book from : Amazon.in , Flipkart.com