Reviews: "The Blockade Runner" "Cleopatra" and "The Black Arrow"
"The Blockade Runner" by Jules Vern
This adventure story set during the Civil War features an British Merchant, James Playfair bent on fortune by running through the Union blockades to trade with the South. Their ship, The Dolphin was built to purpose as the fastest vessel of its kind. The captain's plans got a wrench in the works early on their sailing when he accepted an old "sailor" and his nephew as part of the crew. The sailor turned out to be a man servant and the nephew was his master's daughter. Their intent was to go and be with the girl's father who was held captive at Charleston.
It was a short and enjoyable litttle story, but not too gripping. Vern's writing style seems to keep the viewer a little back from the action and I never really got a good sense of peril or fear that the characters weren't going to make their goals.
"Cleopatra-The Biography" by Jacob Abbott
This one was so dry. It seemed like half the book was backstory and you didn't really get to "meet" the title character until nearly halfway through. If I thought the people of "Wuthering Heights" were deplorable, the people of ancient Rome and Egypt were absolutely detestable. The Ptolemeys, Julius Ceasar, Anthony, and Cleopatra herself, all of them absolutely despicable. This would not have been a book I would have bothered to sit and read through myself. There were some interesting points of history and I learned things, but still. Not my type of book.
"The Black Arrow" by Robert Louis Stevenson
This one was quite engaging, the story between Dick and Joann and how they met and all that befell them was very interesting. There were twists and turns, intruigue, danger, and plenty of action to keep the reader interested. An enjoyable romp into the middle ages of England with battling factions framing a love story underrun with betrayal and old unjustices to be righted.
I think much of my LJ-time has been sucked up with my book of late, which I am not too upset about. Fire Forged Key hit 250 pages by the skin of its teeth and I've sent it off to my most awesome and patient beta readers to be reviewed. Going to beat on DotF for a bit in the meantime and maybe work on the outline for the driving training course, which needs to be done as I really need to get bustling on that this summer.
This adventure story set during the Civil War features an British Merchant, James Playfair bent on fortune by running through the Union blockades to trade with the South. Their ship, The Dolphin was built to purpose as the fastest vessel of its kind. The captain's plans got a wrench in the works early on their sailing when he accepted an old "sailor" and his nephew as part of the crew. The sailor turned out to be a man servant and the nephew was his master's daughter. Their intent was to go and be with the girl's father who was held captive at Charleston.
It was a short and enjoyable litttle story, but not too gripping. Vern's writing style seems to keep the viewer a little back from the action and I never really got a good sense of peril or fear that the characters weren't going to make their goals.
"Cleopatra-The Biography" by Jacob Abbott
This one was so dry. It seemed like half the book was backstory and you didn't really get to "meet" the title character until nearly halfway through. If I thought the people of "Wuthering Heights" were deplorable, the people of ancient Rome and Egypt were absolutely detestable. The Ptolemeys, Julius Ceasar, Anthony, and Cleopatra herself, all of them absolutely despicable. This would not have been a book I would have bothered to sit and read through myself. There were some interesting points of history and I learned things, but still. Not my type of book.
"The Black Arrow" by Robert Louis Stevenson
This one was quite engaging, the story between Dick and Joann and how they met and all that befell them was very interesting. There were twists and turns, intruigue, danger, and plenty of action to keep the reader interested. An enjoyable romp into the middle ages of England with battling factions framing a love story underrun with betrayal and old unjustices to be righted.
I think much of my LJ-time has been sucked up with my book of late, which I am not too upset about. Fire Forged Key hit 250 pages by the skin of its teeth and I've sent it off to my most awesome and patient beta readers to be reviewed. Going to beat on DotF for a bit in the meantime and maybe work on the outline for the driving training course, which needs to be done as I really need to get bustling on that this summer.