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Written by Tom Holt

Flying Dutch is the third Tom Holt book I’ve read so far and now I’m two for three.

So the synopsis of the story is basically looking at the Wagner Opera “The Flying Dutchman” from a completely different angle. Here we meet Julius Vanderdecker (or is it Cornelius? Characters in the book kept referring to him as Julius but the book reviews refer to him as Cornelius – perhaps it is both. I dunno) Anyway, Captain Vanderdecker has been sailing around the world for roughly 450 years and it is finally getting a little interesting. I don’t want to say too much about the plot because I can’t really tell what will give away surprises or not but I will say that it does involve Mozart, nuclear power and one very boring accountant. Wait, make that several very boring accountants. Oh, and I enjoyed the hell out of it.

The story differed wildly from my last two experiences with Holt’s writing in that it was much slower in pace. This had the fortunate effect of showcasing his writing abilities more. By this I mean that it was easier to focus on his story construction and actual use of characters because I wasn’t always running to catch up with the plot. In my opinion Holt shines through as a very talented writer. From character introduction to clever twists of language, I found the story compelling and thoroughly entertaining. Most interesting are the nonchalant ways he has of introducing us to new people. They may become very important or they may fade into the background but he treats all of them with the same respect. And while we may only get a few sentences with that person but his descriptions allow you an immediate glimpse into their personalities without prying.

If you are looking for something to get you through a long plane trip, a summer afternoon or a wintery weekend trapped inside pick this book up. You won’t regret it.

I am now 4 months pregnant (although I look and feel anywhere from 16 months to Dom Deluise) which means that I’ve been lacking in the energy department lazy, I mean lately. To prove my point I will confess that I’ve actually read or listened to somewhere around 18 books in the last few months. I usually like to review the various stories I read and I have been meaning to – only, well, I’ve been too tired.

So this afternoon I have decided to give you a brief overview of the latest books I’ve experienced in some fashion or another and a short description/review of each. Hopefully this will set me back on track. So without further delay here we go….

Written by Tom Holt

 I read about this book on some random person’s Amazon list. It was recommended to anybody who liked “Bear Went Over the Mountain” (which I loved) and “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” which I also enjoyed a great deal. 

The description on the back of the book was a little worrying since it really sounded like a recap of Hitchhiker’s only with a different guy. It really made the author seem as though he had the same wit and humor as Douglas Adams and was simply writing a tribute novel. Fortunately for the author, and the book, this was not so. Holt’s humor seems to be somewhat darker than Adams and his abilty to weave a complicated story much more ambiguous.

I say ambiguous because it was unclear during many points just who the hell was in charge of the story and where the hell it was going. It was enjoyable but hard to follow at times because the author had a way of turning the situation ninty degrees to the right and rotating it so that all of a sudden what you though was going on was completely not what was the truth. Then you’d have to adjust your ambitions for the main character to fit the new model of the world, which would last a few pages and then twist and turn itself all around again. It was rather like trying to read a Rubik’s Cube.

I will reiterate what I have heard said about this book (by more than one source): If you liked the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy you will probably like this book.

Written by Tom Holt

After the enjoyable “Falling Sideways” I decided to check out Tom Holt’s other writings. After reading the description of “Little People” at the local big box bookstore I decided to give it a try. Though it was an interesting and well thought out book, I did not enjoy it nearly as much as “Falling Sideways” My main complaint being that the main character suffers through some quite unexpected problems. Tom Holt’s writing style is spontaneous and enjoyable when he’s in good humor but this doesn’t seem to hold true in the downward spiral of “Little People” There are many intregueing characters that you genuinely come to care for and it is difficult to watch as their lives go from good to bad to worse. The ending was almost worth the price of admission but the last three pages reveal the story for what it truly is: the tale of one guy’s really crappy life.

I wanted so much for the protagonist to triumph in the end. And to a small extent he does. But the sacrifices he makes throughout the book tilts the narrative balance toward cruel and unusual punishment. I am wary that there is an undercurrent of humor I have missed because I get the feeling that Holt is a talented writer and perhaps this book was written in some dark, morbid phase of his (Maybe his dog died?)  So I’m planning to read more of his books before I make any sort of decision.

Written by Clive Barker; Narrated by Frank Muller

This is the second book by Clive Barker that I’ve read (the first being “the Great and Secret Game”) Like TGaSG it was a very large story with quite a bit of interesting ideas that are not necessarily tied together so well.

Basically Coldheart Canyon in about a silent movie actress who made a bunch of money. Her paramour, Zephyr something-or-other, traveled back to her native Romania with her and, as she visited with her folks, he went to the local monastery and bought her the basement. No, I’m not kidding, he buys her the entire room – not the stuff in it, the tile mural that covers the walls. All 70 bajillion of them. Then he has it brough back to Hollywood and reconstructed in the basement of her “Dream Palace” in Coldheart Canyon, wherein she then finds immortality and a very naughty definition to the word “party”

Fast Forward to present day where our protagonist Todd Pickett (read: Brad Pitt) comes to the conclusion that his career is on a downward spiral so he decides to take the (more…)

Written by Nadine Gordimer; Narrated by Lisette Lecat

I rarely put down a book. I usually can find some thread of the story that is interesting enough for me to follow it till the end. I will put down a book if I can’t find anything redeeming about the characters though. I will also stop reading if the story doesn’t appear to have any hope. This happened to be one of those books. I did like the characters but the writing was circuitous, vague and gloomy. Almost as if Gordimer is really a tragic poet at heart but decided to try her hand at story writing. I’m sure there is a certain beauty to it when read. But for a novel set in Africa, even Lisette Lecat could not bring enough warmth to the storyline for me to continue with any interest which is a real shame. Lecat has such a melodious and compelling narrative style that I found myself listening to the audio book long after I lost touch with the plot just to listen to her sing song voice.

Perhaps the book would have been a better choice but I probably won’t pick it up again.

Every fall, when I drive into the parking lot at work there’s a 50/50 chance of ducks. There is a huge tree across the street from the entrance to the garage and it drops some sort of nourishing duck treats on the ground as it looses it’s leaves. The ducks aren’t stupid, they know about this tree. Naturally, they are inclined to take advantage of the arboreal duck treats so they waddle all over trying to eat them as fast as they can. This would be funny to watch if the tree did not lean over the street so severely. As it stands now, most of the good bits appear to land in the street where, every other day, there is a congregation of ducks waddling about trying to fill their tummies. In case you didn’t know this, ducks are NOT like crows or pigeons or, in fact, like any other city-rat type of bird that can stare down a car up until the last minute whereupon they jump straight up and get out of the way.

No no. Ducks do not understand the dangers of cars and waddling about in the middle of the road. They don’t pay attention. So, every morning for those few fall weeks I have a 50% chance of having to slow down, honk the horn, and generally twiddle my thumbs holding up traffic waiting for the idiot ducks to move out of the way. Last year there were about seven of them. This year there are at least fifteen. When I see them all grouped together like that I always think “Oh damn, the soccer hooligans are back”

I’ve decided that the plural form of ducks is “a gang of soccer hooligans”