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A review by dirk_bannion_author
Zig Zag by José Carlos Somoza
5.0
7/6/12
I'm intrigued to crack open this book. The cover snagged me on the library shelf and the jacket copy guaranteed I would bring it home. Now, reading over the polar extremes of the reviews on Goodreads, I'm excited to find out how good (or bad) this book really is!
7/15/12
I have to tell you... this was a good book. A solid read (at 525 pages or so) that kept me interested and wondering throughout and provided a satisfying ending. As an author, I started turning my nose up at the author's repeated use of that time-worn cliche': "had she known what would happen next, she would never have..." He used it about 30 times throughout the first 200 pages. But you know what? It did exactly what it's intended to: it cranked up the tension and kept me turning pages. I don't know that I would have the guts to stick something so blatant and laughable into my novel, but it worked, so who am I to complain?
Beyond that little idiosyncrasy though, it was a Crichtonesque combination of theoretical physics and good old scare-your-pants-off horror. I tended to cringe at some of the (male) author's obviously shallow treatment of the female characters. Like any B movie would, he made sure they rarely wore anything that wasn't revealing, and he made sure to explain exactly what these ridiculous outfits were revealing as well. Beyond that, they seemed to have little to do or say, even though one of them was the lead.
But again, these silly little things aside, I enjoyed the book, I got through it quickly, which is tough for me, and I hope my next read is as much fun!
I'm intrigued to crack open this book. The cover snagged me on the library shelf and the jacket copy guaranteed I would bring it home. Now, reading over the polar extremes of the reviews on Goodreads, I'm excited to find out how good (or bad) this book really is!
7/15/12
I have to tell you... this was a good book. A solid read (at 525 pages or so) that kept me interested and wondering throughout and provided a satisfying ending. As an author, I started turning my nose up at the author's repeated use of that time-worn cliche': "had she known what would happen next, she would never have..." He used it about 30 times throughout the first 200 pages. But you know what? It did exactly what it's intended to: it cranked up the tension and kept me turning pages. I don't know that I would have the guts to stick something so blatant and laughable into my novel, but it worked, so who am I to complain?
Beyond that little idiosyncrasy though, it was a Crichtonesque combination of theoretical physics and good old scare-your-pants-off horror. I tended to cringe at some of the (male) author's obviously shallow treatment of the female characters. Like any B movie would, he made sure they rarely wore anything that wasn't revealing, and he made sure to explain exactly what these ridiculous outfits were revealing as well. Beyond that, they seemed to have little to do or say, even though one of them was the lead.
But again, these silly little things aside, I enjoyed the book, I got through it quickly, which is tough for me, and I hope my next read is as much fun!