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137th out of 166 books
—
33 voters
Book of Secrets
by
Chris Roberson (Goodreads Author)
IT'LL TAKE MORE THAN ANGELS AND DEMONS TO STOP HIM.
Reporter Spencer Finch is a journalist embroiled in the hunt for a missing book, encountering along the way cat burglars and mobsters, hackers and mysterious monks. At the same time, he's trying to make sense of the legacy left him by his late grandfather, a chest of what appear to be pulp magazines from the golden age of...more
Reporter Spencer Finch is a journalist embroiled in the hunt for a missing book, encountering along the way cat burglars and mobsters, hackers and mysterious monks. At the same time, he's trying to make sense of the legacy left him by his late grandfather, a chest of what appear to be pulp magazines from the golden age of...more
Published
(first published 2009)
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If I had to describe The Book of Secrets by Chris Roberson in one word it would be interesting. I love books that are mystery's that involve religion, books and puzzles. That is what from reading the blurb on the back of the book I thought this one would be. It was not, but it was not a bad book.
The back of the book talks about a secret in human history that is found in old pulp sifi stories. No, not really. There is a secret that has been hidden in history, but not in sifi stories. The stories...more
The back of the book talks about a secret in human history that is found in old pulp sifi stories. No, not really. There is a secret that has been hidden in history, but not in sifi stories. The stories...more
Over the weekend I received and read two books from Amazon.com.uk: Chris Roberson's "Book of Secrets" and Lauren Beukes'"Moxyland."
Both books are from "Angry Robot" and both books are supposedly science fiction. However, no two books could be so different and yet inhabit the same "genre" space. Roberson's book is a look-back at the glorious age of pulp and therefore a meta-fictional exercise in types and sub-categories of genre; whereas Beukes' novel is a peek into a dark and perilous near-futur...more
Both books are from "Angry Robot" and both books are supposedly science fiction. However, no two books could be so different and yet inhabit the same "genre" space. Roberson's book is a look-back at the glorious age of pulp and therefore a meta-fictional exercise in types and sub-categories of genre; whereas Beukes' novel is a peek into a dark and perilous near-futur...more
I was drawn into this book immediately, with its nod to noir fiction and its hardboiled protagonist. A nice mystery immediately starts to unfold, and we are led hither and thither on Spencer Finch's journey to discover something or other about a book, a weird millionaire, a murdered so and so, and--most importantly--his own family history.
The details were not really all that important, quite frankly, and I discovered that I lost track of who was who and who was trying to get what and so on. What...more
The details were not really all that important, quite frankly, and I discovered that I lost track of who was who and who was trying to get what and so on. What...more
This book from the start was a bit of a hard read for me, the fact that we went from the story line of the book into reading other books was a bit strange to get the hang of, but with a bit of perseverance I found that I actually started to like it. I found all the character to be very believable and as I usually do started to sympathise with the main character Spencer Finch.I found the relationship between him and his grandfather a hard one to read because I wanted Spencer to have more time for...more
Dec 19, 2010
Stefan
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
fantasy,
www-fantasyliterature-com-review
Spencer Finch is an investigative journalist who is researching billionaire J. Nathan Pierce for one of his stories. In the course of his research, he discovers that a mysterious book was recently stolen from Pierce, and it’s this book that will lead Finch on a fascinating and unlikely journey with far-reaching implications. Early on in the story, Finch also receives his recently deceased grandfather’s inheritance: a box full of stories and other texts. These gradually add a whole new dimension...more
Book of Secrets is an interesting adventure/murder mystery with enough twists and turns to keep you guessing. The mystery is centred around an ancient book and the thief who was murdered after stealing it. Finch must learn why the thief was murdered to find out where the book has ended up. Along the way he pieces together memories from his childhood and in so doing discovers that the grandfather who raised him was a completely different man than he remembers. In the end, Finch finds that he has...more
I am a sucker for "secret knowledge" stories, and Roberson has written a fun one. The best part is that the protagonist is a jerk, so you spend a lot of the book being pissed at this guy. He's not the innocent, always-well-meaning Robert Langdon. He's like us - pissy, self-centered and sad.
The last section of the book (no spoilers) seemed to go really really quickly, almost like too much information at once, but it's still very enjoyable. More like "Foucault's Pendulum" than "Da Vinci Code," I t...more
The last section of the book (no spoilers) seemed to go really really quickly, almost like too much information at once, but it's still very enjoyable. More like "Foucault's Pendulum" than "Da Vinci Code," I t...more
Although Angry Robot Books lists this book under the Thriller / Urban Fantasy category, it contains multiple genres: short stories similar to the noir pulps of the forties and fifties; adventure/action, spiritual journey and fantasy. The story comes in layers providing clues along the way. Some seem insignificant until the end of the book until the ‘ah ha’ moment.
Spencer Finch has been trying to find his way in life, struggling with situations that occur during his life as a journalist. He has a...more
Spencer Finch has been trying to find his way in life, struggling with situations that occur during his life as a journalist. He has a...more
This one had plenty of potential, but it didn't live up to my expectations. The way it was structured, with old pulp stories about a vigilante, The Black Hand, was a good idea, but it stopped the story cold for me. And I won't discuss the ending, other than to say it also seemed to stop cold, leaving me skipping pages at a time, not something a reader should do anywhere in a book, let alone in the last act. Overall, I'd hoped for more.
c2001/2009. Different dates as book indicates that it was initially self published in 2001 and then substantially revised and published in 2009. I am not sure why because it really is drivel. Finished it but plot, narrative, characterisation all so thin, they are invisible.So many cliches, that it is hard to move. "..but I am an old man, too set in my ways, and not long for this world...."Yuk!
Started out strong and fell apart a bit towards the end. The main story is punctuated by "found" manuscripts of masked vigilantes and pirates through the ages, united by a common name. I enjoyed those stories better than the main storyline which, suddenly, and without foreshadowing, becomes a supernatural and non denominational revision of the the fall of Lucifer. I recommend getting it from the library if you are interested....
Loved everything about this book, apart from the end.
Was disappointed that I thought elements were quite predictable.
However the pacing and the storytelling were great, and I really hope for more of this kind of writing from this author.
Was disappointed that I thought elements were quite predictable.
However the pacing and the storytelling were great, and I really hope for more of this kind of writing from this author.
What started out as a bit of a 'who-dunnit' ended up in the realms of somewhere else. Particularly enjoyed the forays into different writing styles.
Jan 19, 2011
Jo-Anne
added it
Loved most of it, right up to the mystical weirdness. Really liked the mention of Don Hutchinson's book on the pulps.
Loved the "adventure stories" spread through out the book but the Deus Ex Machina ending left me feeling lackluster.
Meh.
According to the interview with the author at the end of the book, he thinks the protagonist is cool. I thought he was a mean-spirited, largely ineffectual drunk.
However, his story was mildly intriguing and I thought the structure of the book and the uncovering of the secrets was rather interesting up until the Big Reveal at the end. Then came the "Meh" response. Not a particularly novel "secret".
According to the interview with the author at the end of the book, he thinks the protagonist is cool. I thought he was a mean-spirited, largely ineffectual drunk.
However, his story was mildly intriguing and I thought the structure of the book and the uncovering of the secrets was rather interesting up until the Big Reveal at the end. Then came the "Meh" response. Not a particularly novel "secret".
This was pretty decent. I think the ending was a bit of a letdown, but still worth reading.
The only problem with this book was the ending, that was utterly confusing and unnecessary in my opinion. Aside from that, it was a good reading experience.
Liked 'End of the Century' a bit better than this.
Apr 30, 2013
Andrew Savory
added it
Apr 24, 2013
Bianca
marked it as to-read
Apr 06, 2013
Gina
marked it as to-read
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Chris Roberson is a science fiction author and publisher based in Austin, Texas, best known for alternate history novels and short stories.
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