Antoine Van Lierde Van Lierde itibaren Nathupur, Bihar 804453, Hindistan
There is so much to take from this book, I think each person in the book group interpreted characters and themes slightly differently. It was a very interesting chat. Who amongst us understood Anna... what would we have done in her shoes.. who liked Levin.. opinions on kitty and dolly... not to mention, who would have fallen for Vronsky! It was also very interesting get a snapshot of what it might have been like in high society Russia at that time. Interesting.. but at the same time, the level of detail could be boring. If 'Interesting but boring' makes sense?! We all found it a tough slog reading it but most of us felt an achievement on finishing it and that we would remember and draw from it for a long time. It is a book that stays with you. No need to mention the skill in the writing, this is Tolstoy.. enough said.
I may never forgive Doug and Linc for the ending, but in order to ensure this review will not be biased, I'll leave that be. The book follows men of all trades into the pursuit for the world's largest meteorite. A rich man, paying millions of dollars for it's safe passage to his New York museum, pressures ship crews, scientists, engineers, and geniuses to ensure this is done. Nothing is ever as easy as it seems in a Preston-Child world. And, as usual, they hover over their books with a giggling madness as they point, laughing, and totally screw with the lives of their characters. I love being a Preston-Child fan. Probably wouldn't do so hot being a character, however...
In late 18th century England, Daniel Rooke is a marine lieutenant who reluctantly goes to war for the Crown in the American Revolution. He was always a square peg, bullied by other boys in his youth. A generally solitary person, he studies math and music and gazes at the stars. His true calling is astronomy and linguistics, not fighting. Physically toughened by the violence he witnesses in the war, he continues to remain an outsider to the status quo. He seeks knowledge, unity, and connectedness with the constellations and the cosmos. He is not comforted by the stern God of the chaplain's book; his heaven is within the heavenly bodies of the universe. He believes that to injure any is to damage all. After the war, Daniel is recommended to go with a regiment to remote New South Wales, where his Majesty has mapped it as an ideal place to deposit an overflow of prison convicts. Rooke goes primarily as an astronomer, as a man of science--to deduce, to calculate, and to wait for a comet. He constructs an Observatory away from the regiment and the convicts and busies himself with his sextants, his books, his graphs, and his thoughts. What follows is a stunning journey of Rooke's consciousness, instigated by the presence of the Aboriginal natives of the island. Before long, a contrast takes shape between the regiment's condescending treatment and Daniel's touching gestures toward the natives. He opens his Observatory and his soul to them, awed by their strange beauty and unfamiliar language. For the first time in his life, his heart overflows with his fate as he is magnetized and forever changed by the humanity of a community and by a child that especially and fiercely affects him. Inspired by a true event, this story is a timeless, soul-piercing tale of compassion, mercy, and empathy. It is a parable limning the harmonic essence of our link to every human being, to our poignant connection to all galaxies, to our bearing with every rock and our inextricable flow with every river. It is a beauty that cannot be destroyed by our crude conquests. It is the eloquence of humanity. A searing epic is contained in this slender novel that unfolds like a fugue. It is, finally, a beautiful, peerless image of grace and benevolence. If an artist captured this eloquence in a painting, the canvas would reveal the forgiving soul of nature and mankind.
"War of the Witch" by Angel Haze is a standard fantasy novel that follows the adventures of a young common lad known as Astanyx. He returns home one day from a hunting expedition with his friends to find their village in ruins. When they find Astanyx's dying father, he provides some information on what happened and asks them to go and warn the king. So begins an adventure across the kingdoms of humans, dwarves and elves to try and build an army that could stand against the greatest threat in centuries. The plot does make it sound like this book is an epic fantasy novel but I found that it was just a little bit too lacking in deeper substance to qualify it as such. Simply put it is fantasy light with limited political intrigue, character development and little sub-plotting. However, this simpler format has led to a fast paced novel that is full of action and gets straight to the point of a good versus evil battle. One of the nice elements about the novel is that Angel Haze has created a varied and interesting world and back story. The history is revealed slowly as the novel progressed and I found it all to be quite enjoyable and would actually like to know more about it. In addition, the large and colourful mix of creatures that are used keeps the reader guessing about what Astanyx may encounter next during his adventures. There are the usual staples of fantasy literature such as orcs, dwarves and elves, yet we also get to encounter talking wolves, birdmen and the undead. However, there are some issues beyond the rather barebones main plot line, the first of which is in regards to how people treat Astanyx. I found it completely ridiculous that a young commoner could just arrive at a castle, suddenly meet the King without any real checking and then be treated as a equal, or even a better to other more seasoned soldiers. I almost gave up altogether when Astanyx ends up going to a meeting between various heads of state where his opinions seemed to actually be listened to and given equal weight with others. I understand that the reader has to sometimes suspend disbelief, especially in regards to the fantasy genre but I think this novel pushes it a little bit too far. The characters themselves were also severely under developed. Astanyx seems to act like a 16 year old common boy from start to finish which is why I find it even harder to understand why he gets VIP treatment as the story progresses. In addition, the other characters appear to be little more than cardboard cut outs. The young princess is stubborn and smart, the elven king is arrogant and the witch herself is just evil. That is the type of development we see in the novel and that is it. Overall, I really wanted to like this story as it did have an interesting premise and I did find the back story to be quite enjoyable. However, when I read fantasy novels I prefer them to have a little bit more depth than what is on show here. Therefore, I was a little bit disappointed and suspect that the book is really only going to appeal to people who are after a quick light fantasy read to pass the time.