His Toy, His Dream, His Rest - John Berryman

Advantages: Easy Reading Format, Amusing Celebrity Anecdotes
Disadvantages: Dumbed Down Language, Poor English TBH

...of the ginger one. Great, we all wanted to know about that. He also covers his first big break on Radio Luxembourg and the team he worked with there. I noticed at this point that he takes a lot of time talking about the people he worked with in radio in his early days and barely even mentions his family throughout the first 8 chapters or so (To call them chapters is a bit of a misnomer since they can't really be described as such. Read the book and you'll see what I mean.) Even after 11 chapters, he has only actually told one story about his family. Surprisingly enough, it was about getting drunk with his brother and dad in Luxembourg and breaking something. Great. The rest of the book pretty much carries on in this vein. There are a couple of sections of photo's which provide a brief distraction from the book, although I (and most... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: A thrilling continuation of the Gaunts Ghosts Series. Will keep you gripped.
Disadvantages: Due to pace it appears quite short and leave the reader waiting at end.

...declared dead, but are accused of having a chaos taint - it is felt it was impossible for them to survive on Gereon without picking up this. After trials by the commisarite which are intervined by the inquisition, the team is found innocent, but with Gaunt being stripped of his title of colonel. Gaunts men re-join the rest of the tanith platoon which now has its own new command with commisar Hark and is now part of a new army. Gaunt, although on the same planet is sent elsewhere with his advisor junior commisar Ludd. Without giving the gripping storyline and twists away, Gaunt and his Ghost's paths cross (how could they not) and slowly aid each other with link backs to past events. When the force they are fighting for could have been crippled when taken by surpise, The ghosts manage to intercept and uncover more details about the old enemy... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Beautifully written, expertly crafted, unbearably emotional
Disadvantages: It has to finish

...Philip Pullman was a name known to me and his work something I saw on the periphery of my vision. I saw the title The Northern Lights but that was all. If someone mentioned the book, on TV or something, it registered vaguely, but I was kind of uncertain as to exactly what it was all about. I’m not quite sure why I went and looked at it in the bookshop a month or two back, I simply did. I picked it up and read a paragraph or two as is my wont in a bookshop. I bought it with two other books and returned home. The next day I rushed out to buy the two sequels. I rest my case. But more specifically, The Northern Lights is what many great novels that are part of a trilogy or series is, especially if they are meant to have a continuous narrative thrust. It is a novel that sets the ground; it digs the foundations... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful