Phil read and liked Martine's review of Cloud Atlas:

"Cloud Atlas was the most challenging book I read in 2006. It was also the most rewarding. A bravura literary performance if ever I saw one, Cloud Atlas weaves together six vastly different stories which are all, in a way, about story-telling. We star...more Cloud Atlas was the most challenging book I read in 2006. It was also the most rewarding. A bravura literary performance if ever I saw one, Cloud Atlas weaves together six vastly different stories which are all, in a way, about story-telling. We start reading the journal of a nineteenth-century traveller, then move on to an English snob's letters from 1930s Belgium, a 1970s California thriller, a contemporary horror film of sorts and two tales from a dystopian future, one of which is written in a somewhat-hard-to-decipher phonetic dialect. Each of these stories is completely different. Mitchell has a fabulous command of language which enables him effortlessly to switch personae and change perspectives. The result is an impressive mix of styles and genres, full of stimulating ideas on human nature and, well, lots of other things. At first, none of the six stories seems to have a proper ending (one of them even ends mid-sentence!), which is disappointing as you don't want to leave the characters just when you've become emotionally attached to them. However, once you've reached the end of story No. 6, you realise why the previous stories didn't have endings -- because Mitchell takes you back to the characters he left earlier, to show you where they fit into the magnificent tapestry he has woven, to close the circle he has begun drawing. He also subtly shows you how the stories are interconnected. It's fun picking up on these clues, though puzzling is not what the book is all about.

Now the above probably sounds like a lot of literary gimmickry, and it is. Yet the stunning thing about the book is not how well Mitchell blends genres (although he does so extremely well), but how engaging it is on an emotional level. I deeply cared for some of the characters and really, really wanted to find out how their stories ended. So there you have it -- a stylistic, intellectually stimulating tour de force which is also, somehow, a page turner. Definitely one to cherish.(less) "

Phil read and liked Robin's review of The Time Cavern:

"One word comes to mind after reading Todd Fonseca's Time Cavern...charming. It is a wholesome fun tale with a lot of heart.

While I love YA books, the audience of this book is a bit younger than I'm used to. The main character is 10-years...more One word comes to mind after reading Todd Fonseca's Time Cavern...charming. It is a wholesome fun tale with a lot of heart.

While I love YA books, the audience of this book is a bit younger than I'm used to. The main character is 10-years old. I thought this might make the book a bit boring for a 40-something but on the contrary. I was engrossed.

This book reminds me of Scooby-Do and the Hardy boys and I love the way Todd weaves the life lessons and science lessons seemlessly in his book without dragging down the story...in fact they enhance the story.

If you have a nephew, niece, grand child, of child of your own in the 8 - 12 age group ... Get this for them for Christmas - trust me you'll thank me!

Robin (The Crown Conspiracy | Avempartha | Nyphron Rising)(less) "

Phil read and liked Abigail's review of The Count of Monte Cristo :

"One of Alexandre Dumas' most popular works, The Count of Monte Cristo is an epic tale of wrongful imprisonment and masterful revenge, standing at the apex of this kind of nineteenth-century adventure novel. The story of Edmund Dantes, a young sailor ...more One of Alexandre Dumas' most popular works, The Count of Monte Cristo is an epic tale of wrongful imprisonment and masterful revenge, standing at the apex of this kind of nineteenth-century adventure novel. The story of Edmund Dantes, a young sailor from Marseille whose happiness and good fortune arouse the jealousy of his enemies, the novel follows its hero from his terrible years of imprisonment for a crime he didn't commit, through his escape and reinvention of himself as the Count of Monte Cristo, a shadowy and charismatic figure who enacts his meticulous plan for revenge against the backdrop of Paris.

As someone passionately interested in issues of translation, I should perhaps begin by mentioning that I read the edition published by Penguin Books as part of their "Penguin Classics" line, translated by Robin Buss. I understand from the introduction that it is the first complete English translation of The Count of Monte Cristo ever made, and I am quite glad that I never happened to read the novel before this edition was released in 2003. I am sure that my enjoyment was enhanced by Buss, who "disappeared" as it were, creating a literary product that never felt "foreign," despite its obvious French milieu.

As for the book itself, this was my first foray into the work of Alexandre Dumas, but I certainly hope it will not be my last. I enjoyed the story immensely, and was amazed at how quickly I flew through the pages. Although quite long (1243 pages of actual text) I never found myself bored or impatient, never got bogged down in minute details, or felt confused by the many sub-plots. This is owing, I am sure, to the fact that The Count of Monte Cristo is narrative-driven, and less given to philosophical musings than a more psychological novel would be. Dumas, after all, is no Russian...

Which brings me to my criticism. Although a most engaging story, with moments of true emotional impact, I found it somewhat lacking in intellectual depth and moral clarity, particularly as it concerned the hero's evolving rationale for his actions. While nothing could be more natural than the desire for revenge, Monte Cristo's vision of himself as an avenging angel of God was problematic for me; not because of the hubris implicit in such a position, but because of its reliance on emotion, rather than reason.

I am aware that this is a hallmark of the Romantic movement, and was therefore unsurprised when Dumas addressed his character's hubris, but not his emotionalism. Nevertheless, Monte Cristo's vacillation between certainty: "Yes, I am the agent of God," and uncertainty: "Perhaps it's wrong to punish the guilty and innocent alike in my quest for vengeance," was unsatisfying and unconvincing, largely because his uncertainty is answered, not by a counter-argument, but by a resurgence of his original anger. The moral ambiguity of this formulation meant that, unlike so many other readers, I was unable to appreciate the novel as a tale of redemption.

I was struck, moreover, by the fact that I often had to read with a "dual consciousness," as it concerned the issues of gender and sexuality. When I could immerse myself in Edmund/Monte Cristo's perspective, when I could become him, I was largely untroubled by the many instances of chauvinism and misogyny. But when I could not become Edmund, I noticed the utter dearth of three-dimensional female characters, and the many ludicrous stereotypes and double-standards. Dumas was a product of his time, and my dissatisfaction with his flaws is tempered by that knowledge. I enjoyed The Count of Monte Cristo, despite my qualms. But it is still a melancholy reality, when we must divorce ourselves from a portion of our own self-knowledge, in order to appreciate a piece of literature...(less) "