Doug Lewars's Blog

Feet Of Clay

Feet of Clay by Terry Pratchett

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

A proper romp through the streets of Ankh-Morpork as Vimes sets about solving murders and determining who is attempting to poison Vetinari. Golems, dwarves, trolls and werewolves all play their role. The pacing is quick. The pages turn readily and there are plenty of chuckles along the way. Pratchett has some fun with religion, heraldry and eugenics in the process. I've never met a Terry Pratchett book I didn't like and I doubt I ever will. This one is no exception.



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The Double

The Double by Fyodor Dostoevsky

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

This is one of Dosteovsky's earliest works and it is a little more straightforward than some of his later ones. It is also comparatively short. In it he explores mental illness, probably paranoid schizophrenia although there are elements of dissociative personality disorder. He seems to suggest the formality and pretentiousness of society at the time with it's grades of civil servants, aristocratic classes and peasants contribute to mental aberrations. The book is interesting, and, compared to some of his later works, reasonably well paced but modern readers are still likely to find it moving painfully slowly. If you like his works in general, I think you will enjoy this one as a bit of light reading.



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The Brothers Karamazov

The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

If you don't like digressions, don't read this book. It seems Dostoevsky never met a digression he didn't like and didn't want to pursue. There's a lot of tangential material in this book. I find for long works such as those of Dostoevsky and Tolstoy along with some other 19th century writers, the audio versions work best. If a digression becomes boring you can just let the reader drift into the background for a while. There is lots of speculation on honour, God, religion in general, and man's relation to the law. To some extent it reminded me of discussions some of us had back in our university days when these subjects seemed terribly important.

Overall, I liked the book but if you want fast pacing and perhaps some excitement, you may want to pass this one by. Any possible suspense is suppressed by the author through foreshadowing.

If you want likeable characters I think you may want to pass this one by. There are three brothers and not one of them has anything approaching intelligence. Still the fact that all three didn't completely self-destruct impressed me. I also found some of the lifestyle of upper class life in Russia in the 1800s quite interesting. If you like a long, very slow read, I think you might enjoy this but if you want action you should try something else.



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The Saint of Wolves and Butchers

The Saint of Wolves and Butchers by Alex Grecian

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

I prefer to use 3 stars for books I find neither good nor bad but merely bland. I also use it when I can't decide of a rating. In this case parts of the book I'd rate a 1 and parts a 5. Let's start with the good stuff.

The pacing is fast, the story exciting. It kept me wanting to read more and get back to it if I had to leave for something else. I think most people who enjoy thrillers will enjoy this one. In addition the word smithing is fluid and the text is easy to read. All this was worth 5 stars.

Now the negative part. It seems as if the author found or was given a checklist and set about making his characters conform to it.

Travis Roan is a Nazi hunter but he hunts 'bad' people in general since most people who were alive during WW2 have passed on. We don't learn much about him. He's Jewish, quiet, is alleged to have anger management issues and is skilled at armed and hand-to-hand combat.

Now for our villain and here comes the checklist:
White Supremacist - check
Nazi - check
Extreme Sadist - check
Death Camp Director - check (associate director but the actual director was incompetent)
Preacher of Evangelical Religious Christian Fundamentalist cult - check
Controls much of a small town community - check

Working with Travis is Scottie Foster
Female - check
Black - check
Single Mother - check
Issues with young Daughter - check
Impoverished - check
Was formerly in abusive relationship - check
Conflict with her own mother - check
Career woman - check (State Patrol Officer)
Boss interested only in maintaining status quo - check

The setting is in small-town America, and, of course, we have a small-town sheriff .
White - check
Belligerent - check
Fat - check
Doesn't like strangers - check
Willing to use force on suspects - check
Not too bright - check

Finally a bit of a twist. Eventually our sheriff decides to be one of the good guys. It seems he was willing to let most things go but human trafficking, kidnapping, murder, arms dealing is a little too much for him.

If you can get past the checklists this is a pretty good story and moves right along but you may find the characters a little hard to stomach. Oh, and of course the daughter, who, I believe would be in Junior High, is rebellious. After all, he couldn't leave that out.








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Soul Music

Soul Music by Terry Pratchett

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


*** Potential Spoilers ***

This was a great book. The pacing kept things moving right along. I found it difficult to put it down as I wanted to find out what happened next. That said, this book is not for everyone. (No book is.) Checking the Goodreads statistics and subject to rounding error, 73% like it (5 or 4), 4% dislike it (1 or 2) and 21% are in the middle (3).

One critic referred to it as confusing. Another found it slow and disjointed. There are two main plots which are woven together. One is Susan's attempt to take over when Death goes AWOL and the other is Buddy and the introduction of Rock and Roll to the Discworld. Therefore if you like books with a single plot in a story this is probably not for you. Some others didn't like the humour. That's to be expected. Humour is a very personal thing and what one individual likes, another will dislike. I think if you don't like frivolity you won't like this or any other Discworld novel for that author. Another critic complained there is "little to no storyline that advances from one book to another, just an infinity of inconsequential stories, and little to no character growth." This also is characteristic of Discworld novels. If you want strong character development look elsewhere.

In general, I think if you like light-hearted fun and don't take things too seriously you'll enjoy this book. I'll concede there are things which might have been improved. For me, Susan was a good character but had potential and should have been given more focus. In addition, I found the ending a little rushed. Nevertheless, I loved the book and can certainly recommend it to most people.



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Men At Arms

Men at Arms by Terry Pratchett

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

This book combines humour and adventure but there was more of the latter than the former. The pacing is good and I never wanted to put it down although reality dictates certain interruptions. If you like Discworld books in general I think you'll enjoy this one.



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Crime and Punishment

Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky

My rating: 1 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

If you enjoy listening to very young children whining and having a meltdown, you'll absolutely love this book. On the other hand, if you like sympathetic characters you may want to give it a pass. It is conceivable, Dostoevsky was attempting to explore the mental process of madness. If so, he demonstrates beyond a doubt that madness is excruciatingly boring. In modern terms Raskolnikov, the protagonist, is likely suffering from Bipolar disease. In addition he suffers from massive paranoia along with what appears to be a few hallucinations. For page after agonizing page, we, the readers are subject to his incessant ranting. I was tempted to DNF this book by about the 25% mark but I persevered to the end in hopes the story might improve. It did, but about the 95% mark.

According to Wikipedia, this book is considered 'one of the supreme achievements in world literature'. Evidently lots of people like it because it is highly rated. I'm not one of them. I read The Idiot and quite enjoyed it. I'm now reading the Brothers Karamazov and so far I quite like it as well, but I found Crime and Punishment painfully tedious. Raskolnikov supposedly suffers from a painful moral dilemma. There's no such thing. He murdered an old lady in cold blood along with her half sister. The murder was premeditated. His motive was to get her money. His delusion was believing himself so superior as to be above the law. While it is true you can find plenty of Raskolnikovs on Twitter and Redit, their self-righteous sense of entitlement is little more than the cranky whining of three-year-olds. Raskolnikov is not different.

Generally when I write reviews I try to think who might enjoy any given book. I think Crime and Punishment might be enjoyed by some liberal-minded students of the humanities who believe there is no crime but merely societal inequalities driving certain marginalized individuals to violence. Everyone else might be better off reading something else.



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Tilly's Moonlight Garden

Tilly's Moonlight Garden by Julia Green

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

This is a children's book so I gave it a rating of three because, while I didn't care for it, it wasn't written for me. I'm not certain whether it's good or bad.

It certainly seems consistent with modern children's literature so that's something to consider. I think this book would be very appealing to parents. I have some doubts about its appeal for children. The children I know like a bit more spice to their stories. This author keeps the tension level very low. There is some, but overall it seemed quite bland. Frankly I think what children like, and what adults believe is good for them are two radically different things. If you're a parent, go for it. If you're a child, you're not likely reading reviews on Goodreads so it doesn't matter.

Having discussed the book, I'd like to point out this book is very useful for authors and not just authors of children's literature. Study it carefully scene by scene. The author provides a Master Class in how to put a story together. While I can't recommend it for children, I can recommend it for authors.



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Maskerade

Maskerade by Terry Pratchett

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

This was an excellent riff on opera, musical theater in general, and specifically, The Phantom of the Opera. It was amusing with plenty of digs at the genre in general. Terry Pratchett also had fun with a certain genre of best sellers. We also see Nanny Og as more than just a sidekick to Granny. Overall it was a splendid romp and I highly recommend it.



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Is There Bacon in Heaven

Is There Bacon in Heaven?: A Memoir by Ali Hassan

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

There are quite a few chuckles in this book as might be expected since the author is a comedian. In addition, he describes some of the complexities of being a Pakistani Muslim in Canada. The pacing is good. He keeps things moving right along. I recommend it.



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