leventmolla's reviews
1640 reviews

One aspect of Agatha Christie's works is that she frequently uses one of her popular protagonists for each book and sets the tone of the book based on that protagonist. Most people know about Hercule Poirot or Miss Marple but I had not heard of the protagonist couple Tommy and Tuppence.

This elderly couple has been involved with government agencies and trying to enjoy retirement but they get involved in strange events and try to solve these in their own style.

I found these protagonists far less interesting than the better known ones such as Poirot and Marple. This particular book also had a very boring and uninteresting story, thus a disappointment for me. The only value the book has is the superb description of the English countryside and the mood of people living in that area.

Don't assume that the book's title (taken from Shakespeare's Macbeth) has anything to do with the storyline.

Another hefty tome from the master of the supernatural. Koontz is narrating the story of Bibi Blair, who is a young girl trying to cope with the demons of her past and establishing a life of her own. When she is diagnosed with a very dangerous tumor and is declared to have at most one year to live, she challenges the doctor and says "we'll see". Events take a strange turn after that moment and she is pursued by strange people or creatures, illness mysteriously healed, a lunatic neo-Nazi threatening to kill her in the most violent ways and the goal to save a girl named Ashley Bell.

The first half of the book is very exciting with chapters alternating between current time and flashbacks of earlier periods in Bibi's life, slowly unfolding the mysteries of her life. While she is tackling a host of dangerous adversaries, her SEAL boyfriend is pursuing enemies of a different type but as dangerous in faraway lands.

Koontz is introducing supernatural characters and events as usual, but is introducing a very interesting concept in the conclusion of the book which has to do with the creativity of authors and the relation with their characters. Although the ending might be a little bit disappointing, it also opens up the possibility of a sequel, albeit very faintly.

Enver Aysever'in bu deneme kitabı ilk bakışta sanki yazarlıkla ilgili ipuçları sunacak bir kitapmış izlenimi veriyor, en azından ilk deneme böyle bir beklenti yaratıyor. Daha sonra kitaptaki yazıların Aysever'in yazarlıkla ilgili genel düşüncelerini, beğendiği yazarlarla ilgili samimi anılarını, kendi yazarlık geçmişiyle ilgili bazı bilinmeyenleri anlattığı, ortak konusu kitaplar ve yazarlar olan bir derleme olduğunu anlıyorsunuz. Tabii ki bu tür bir deneme kitabı olması gayet mantıklı ama sanki kitabın tanıtımı ve sunumu farklı bir beklentiye yol açıyor.

Ben doğrusu kitapta aşırı ufuk açıcı bir içerik bulamadım ama yine de eli yüzü düzgün bir deneme kitabı. Aysever'in bu günlerde yazdığı siyasal yazılarını daha çok beğendiğimi belirtmeliyim.

Simple Young Adult book on the paranormal.... Not very interesting and does not add much to the genre....

This book starts with the standard formula that many fantasy books have followed in the last few decades except for the few which managed to create their own atmosphere independent of the legacy of Tolkien: Girl (or boy) who is an average person with a regular life finds out that she (or he) actually has a different background/hidden skills/is a descendant of a prominent person and has to fight many evil opponents to get her (or his) rightful place. No surprises there, Megan Haskell uses familiar creatures from Tolkien's lore, high elfs, dark elfs, goblins, trolls etc.

What gives this author a slightly positive edge is the elaborate background story that she manages to build in this first book of the series, which can provide interesting sequels and promises to have enough details for new adventures.

Better than average for sure, but does not walk in uncharted territory.

Classic adventure novel from H. Rider Haggard telling the story of an Immortal Queen in an unknown land in Africa, simply referred to as She-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed. It was serialised in 1886-87 as was the custom of the day.

The story is told in the style of most late 19th century novels, namely a narrator - in this case the author - tells the story as narrated to him. Mr. Holly is the protector of a young boy, Vincey and accompanies him in a voyage to Africa, to find the remains of an ancestor buried in a mysterious land. Vince is the descendant of Kallikrates, who is in love with Amenartas of the Royal House of the Pharaohs in Egypt. However they had to flee South and encountered this strange Queen who had her eyes on Kallikrates and kills him when he refuses to join her, Amenartas barely escaping and giving birth to her child in Athens, the child being the ancestor of Vincey.

They board a ship and travel to Africa, finally reaching the mysterious land and meeting the terrible Queen Ayesha, who claims to be still alive after 2000 years from the time of the story.

Haggard has a style similar to Edgar Rice Burroughs in his Tarzan or The Land that Time Forgot stories. The story is interesting, although the style might be a bit heavy for today's reader. Still, if you like 19th or early 20th century adventure novels, this could be one for you.