Introduction

Welcome to the book pages.

If you have read any of the books detailed on these pages then do get in touch. Do you have a favourite book written by one of these authors, which I have not reviewed? Contact me via my contacts page and tell me. I might then try and review it next!.

P.S. a big plea. Does anyone know who ran the Colin Forbes site at Colin-Forbes.co.uk, I think it was called the Forbes File. The site has now gone but I would be interested in utilising the vast amount of data that had been accumalated. Can anyone help?

I've finally realised that the Covert One series seems to have stopped with the last one being published back in 2007. The Ludlum stories now seem to be limited to the endless Bourne series. The original trilogy was brilliant, the latter less so, and just seem to be a rehash of the old workings. Bourne at the end of the Bourne Ultimatum, was nearly healed (still broken) but healed, but he seems to be back where he started. Still I suppose it will make money when Hollywood decide on more Bourne films!

I have reorganised the Bourne books, so that you can just read reviews related to his story. The film reviews are going to follow shortly. I just need to find 9 hours to sit and watch the 3 films plus the mini series. It might be a while :0)). Some good news, there is a new Covert 1 story -The Ares Decision that has just been released. Funny how I've just realised the series had stopped (its been about 4 years since the last one), and now a new one, with a new author has appeared. Watch out for the review.

It would appear that a new Ludlum series set around Paul Janson, is to be released in 2012, and along with lots of books from the Cussler stable it looks set to be a busy year. 2011 looks as if it will be a great year for book reviews. Still to come are reviews of the new Clancy novel (which has been co written), Bernard Cornwells new book, and the last Dick francis story. Hopefully I will also make inroads into some of the older books that have not been reviewed. I just need to find a lot more time to do it. Any way keep watching.

A new 'Dick Francis' is also out, under the auspices of his son Felix. This will be my Christmas Present, so you will have to wait for the review. - Only I didn't get it :0((

A new Francis novel is due out in September 2012. Seems funny to be planning that far ahead. Regards
John

9 January 2012

How books are rated, and details of icons used on these pages are just below.

The Authors

The above links to the authors will take you to an individual home page. From this home page you will be able to get some background information on the author. The home page may lead to several other pages as well as reviews of the books themselves. In general to get back to the books home page go to the authors home page and click on the relevant icon.

Why do I read books ?

I read books mainly for enjoyment, escapism, and to give my imagination something to do. I like nothing better than to get comfy in a chair with some classical music playing quietly and read for a couple of hours. Usually the time is enhanced with an alcoholic beverage. I must admit that my reading is somewhat restricted to technological thrillers / crime thrillers, as you will have gathered from the index of authors.

I am not adverse to other reading and have read the Icelandic Sagas, translated by one of Icelands most famous residents Magnus Magnusson. This first volume is truly epic, and not for the faint hearted. I have also read The Arabian Nights (original translation).

Will books be replaced by computers ?

I hope not and I certainly don't think this will happen for years to come if ever. The advantage with a book is that it doesn't need batteries, or an electric source to use. You can read a book in all manner of positions, and not need to worry about screen reflections or about dropping it. It has no noisy fan to disturb the atmosphere. If you drop the book and damage it, it is only a few pounds to replace, unlike the hundreds to repair or replace a computer.

I really feel that people like Bill Gates who predict the end of the printed book do not read for pleasure. I also have to admit to not liking to have to read large amounts of text on screen even though I am a computer enthusiast, and would certainly not try to read a 500 page novel on screen.

Who is my favourite Author ?

I tend to go in phases. For a very long while it was Tom Clancy. However Clancy does seem to be in the doldrums at present. With Red Rabbit I thought that he was picking up again, but his latest effort 'The Teeth of the Tiger' is very lame. Bernard Cornwell remains my favourite author at the time of this update (25/1/04). His writing remains consistently high even though I was not keen on the last of the Grail trilogy. To date his best novel by far is Stonehenge, and far surpasses the more famous Sharpe novels.

Do I like screen adaptations of novels ?

I have to say in general no. The Clancy adaptations whilst very glossy certainly, lose a lot of there appeal. In the main, the novels of most of my favourite reads are far to complex to easily convert, with sub plots having to be dropped. The best example of a film turning a great book into a joke was Clive Cusslers 'Raise the Titanic'. The book is full of adventure with spies, gung ho action and great characters. The film seemed to lose all of the subplots along with the main plot as well. The characters were deeply uncharismatic, boring and wooden. I have watched the film twice and both times fallen asleep!!

On the other hand the Sharpe novels, converted into a long running UK tv series was remarkably well done and reasonably faithful to the books. The casting of Sean Bean as Sharpe could not be bettered.

If you want to get into an author - read the book first and let your imagination fill in the detail, then perhaps see the film. There is no better medium for a book than your own imagination.

The Rating System

All the books reviewed are rated on a scale of 1 to five 'bookies'. The minimum standard for an author is three 'bookies', anything less and it's below par. Anything above means better than average.

Please note that in scoring the books, I am not comparing author with author, as in general it would be very unfair. Clancy writes complex novels, with subplots, and a huge amount of technical detail, whilst Dick Francis writes on a more human level with usually just one plot.

Rating	Comment	Rating	Comment
	Book has not been reviewed.		A better than average novel, but tails off.
	Oh dear - don't buy!		A really good read, with pace maintained throughout.
	Well below par. Read the jacket before buying.		A very good read, but has an unsatisfactory element that stops it being a five.
	A good average novel for the author. A good one to try as an introduction		Excellent, a truly outstanding read. Very few of these are awarded.

If you have read any of the novels listed, and disagree with my reviews why not send me a guest review. Any received will be published. All I ask is that language is moderated. Please see the Feedback page for further guidance.

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A key to icons used

Moving around
	Return to Graphical Index.		Go to the previous novel		Go to the next novel.
For authors that have written a lot of books, you have the choice of a graphical based index or a text index. If you are on Dialup you may well choose the text index for speed. To return to a text index simply click on the text under the 'Up arrow'. One or two of the authors have multiple series which have been broken down into separate pages in which case there is only one index, a graphical one.
Other icons
	A guest review is available.		The novel has been filmed / televised.		There are additional resources / links on this subject.
If any of the above 3 icons are grayed out it means that there is nothing. Throughout the site a grayed out icon means it is not available yet.

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