Rating: 
Summary: plausible and entertaining, if somewhat plodding
Review: Perhaps more true to the facts of the film than the facts of history, Michael Walsh does a good job of tying up loose ends and presenting a plausible storyline to continue the classic WWII era film. Walsh did his homework in analyzing the details of Rick, Ilsa, Renault and Victor Lazlo's pasts, and I don't think the blame for his inability to really pin down their personalities can be laid entirely at his doorstep - after all, the script of the film had been worked on by many different hands, the characters themselves were inconsistent in the film (which actually contributed a sense of realism), and much of the characters' backgrounds and motivations were left to the viewer's imagination. The book involves an assassinatin plot on famous Nazi Reinhard Heidrich, who is tall, slender, handsome, and elegant in this fiction, unlike the wide-hipped large-bottomed homely Heidrich of historical reality. And while Walsh casts him as a Hitler admirer, historically it is probably more accurate to say that Heidrich resented the Feuhrer, viewing himself as more qualified to lead the nation. There is some speculation that Hitler felt Heidrich a threat, and in fact Heidrich's widow swears that he was recovering nicely from the bombing, when Hitler put him in the care of his private physician, followed shortly thereafter by Heidrich's death. All this aside, 'though, the book is an entertaining read (if not exactly a page-burner) for those who long for another story with the familiar cast and crew of one of the most beloved films of all time.
Rating: 
Summary: Please Tell Me Who Has the Movie Rights!
Review: This was a real pleasure to read, and I've been 're-reading' scenes in my head ever since. Much of the style and the cadence of the movie's dialog was captured in this novel. I could 'hear' the characters speaking - especially Rick and Renault. Wonderfully crafted character backgrounds, especially for Rick in New York in the 30's. I totally got it. Happy also to see the attention paid to Sam and Renault. Can't wait to see who picks up the movie rights! So, grab a copy, pour yourself a stiff bourbon, or a glass of champaign ("sure does take the sting out of being occupied"), relax and travel back to 1941.
Rating:
Summary: Entertaining but Completely Unnecessary Book
Review: If this were not a sequel to a beloved film, I would be able to recommend it to anyone who likes old-fashioned WWII potboilers where good and evil clash and heroes make sacrifices, win the girl, and sneer at the coldness of their seeming superiors. It's an old, winning formula and makes for a good read. But as the sequel to "Casablanca," it can't hope to live up to the original. What made the film is just not here. The actors who brought rather limited characters to life are missed. The sharp and quotable script is replaced by less lively dialogue and weak narration. The love of the characters and the fun Walsh has with them keep this readable, but the original can't be imitated and perhaps should not have been continued. Fans of the film are not likely to be angry with this, but some may be better off skipping it altogether. As for the backstory of Rick Blaine, it's cute but I don't buy it. Everyone knows Rick is really the great-grandson of Rhett Butler, descended from that illegitimate child he left in Charleston. :) Making Rick what Walsh did adds little to the character, even if the scenes in prewar NYC are fun to read.
Rating: 
Summary: As the Author Thought That Time Might Have Gone By
Review: ... First, I applaud Author Michael Walsh for the tremendous effort that went into constructing such an project. But its downfall, I believe, is that the style and clear, crisp, concise story and plot of "Casablanca" disappears in the novelization. I've long imagined Rick (whose surname, Blaine, is mentioned only once in the film and constantly throughout the book) as the compleat urbane New Yorker of the 1930s -- complex, subtle, sarcastic. And certainly several generations past Ellis Island. Not so, in this book. I don't buy the crude gangster adventures for Rick (he's a little cooler than that ... isn't he?) nor the strained attempt to manufacture a stereotypical 1930s ethnic criminal angle. My opinions aside, this manuscript, handed off to a competent copy editor should have been trimmed 30% into a tightly written, compelling book. Instead, the language is bloated, cumbersome, and reader-unfriendly. And those endless analogies and metaphors for each trivial action (ouch). Apparently a journalist reaching for those "impressive big words" that his savvy editors line out in his daily prose (and for good reason). However, next time I'm at The ..., I'm going to buy up all the hardcover copies to hand out as gifts to people who loved the film but who I suspect do not read books. Write On!
Rating: 
Summary: Writing this book must have been difficult
Review: Michael Walsh writes very readable prose and I am impressed with this grammar, syntax, diction, descriptive ability, and overall use of the English language. He writes far more well than I ever could. Nonetheless, I think he undertook an impossible task in writing "As Time Goes By," which, ultimately, was disappointing to a lover of the nearly film "Casablanca." Walsh's efforts are clearly a labor of love and I don't know that anyone could have produced a better novel. I like the concept of "As Time Goes By" in terms of its being both a prequel and a sequel to the movie. What I didn't much like were what he made the characters to be. His reasons for Rick Blaine's inability to return to the United States made me dislike Rick Blaine way too much. I just didn't want Rick to be a reformed mobster and I just couldn't picture him as a renamed Yitzak Baline. Walsh gives all his reasons for the character backgrounds he invented for Rick Blaine, Ilsa Lund, Louis Rénault, et al. and, while I appreciate his reasons, the characters he creates just didn't ring true for me. The sequel plot doesn't cut it for me, either. It just isn't the sort of thing the Victor Laszlo we saw in "Casablanca" would do. "Casablanca" as a film is a wonderful thing, far surpassing the play upon which it was based (so I'm guessing, from what I've read about the original plot of "Everybody Comes to Rick's"), one of those amazing experiences in movie-making where everything came together -- cast, writers, director, etc. When something is that good, who could write anything by way of a prequel and/or sequel that would satisfy. I did finish the book. I had to see where it went and how it ended. But, frankly, I had to get out my video of "Casablanca" immediately afterward as an antidote for the whole thing, to reacquaint myself with the originals of Rick Blaine, Isla Lund, Victor Laszlo and Louis Rénault because I didn't like the ones left in my mind from having read "As Time Goes By." As I said, Michael Walsh can write and I'd be happy to read other works of fiction by him, hopefully ones with characters he originated himself.
Rating:
Summary: Very satisfying
Review: Actually, I didn't read this book but rather listened to it read to me by the very talented Alexander Adams through Time Warner's audio version of the novel. I got caught up in the storytelling on a long trip and found myself urging the narrator to get on to the next chapter so I could find out what happened next in crime-ridden Harlem or war-torn Europe. Being a fan of the movie and fully aware that most sequels bring disappointment, I was hesitant at first to purchase this audio-book, but my curiosity at what the author, Michael Walsh, envisioned as the outcome of events following Casablanca and glimpses into the past of most of the major characters, overrode my concerns. I'm glad I took a chance. This is a very creative and well constructed book, and the author is clearly as big a fan of the movie as anyone. He seeks to enhance our appreciation of the film, I think, and to me he did so very well.
Rating:
Summary: Ultimately unsatisfying
Review: This book serves as a prequel and sequel to a film classic. Perhaps THE film classic of all time. Why would such a book be necessary? ****The answer relies on three things. First of all, "Casablanca" is a story that the audience fell into. A wealth of backstory exists that we only caught glimpses of. Second, the audience has an innate desire to know that Rick and Ilsa see each other again. Third, a film sequel is no longer possible with its original players (principally Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, and Claude Rains). The book allows their irreplaceable images to remain intact while giving the characters new things to do. ****Walsh is mildly successful in not making a complete travesty of his assignment. He picks up on hints imbedded in "Casablanca." From Rick's comment to the Nazis that there are certain sections of New York they shouldn't try to invade, Walsh rumminates that Richard Blaine was originally Yitzhak Baline, a Jewish gangster and speakeasy manager in New York. ****Louis Renault's curiosity and remarks about Rick's past is also useful: "Did you abscond with the church funds? Did you run off with the Senator's wife? I like to think that you killed a man -- it's the romantic in me." In the film, Rick replies that it was a combination of all three reasons and Walsh draws on that idea as well. ****The down side to this novel involves the characters of Victor Lazlo and Ilsa. Victor carries on like a self-righteous man blinded by "the cause" and revenge. Walsh has Ilsa go undercover in an attempt to portray her as more active in the war intrigue and her destiny. However good the intent, the scenario plays out poorly. ****"As Time Goes By" does give food for the imagination -- if only how you would've written a better story. But you can easily live your life without ever reading Walsh's book. The best advice, really, is to see "Casablanca" again. The original never disappoints.
Rating:
Summary: A terrible sequel
Review: I know that writing is difficult, and I look for the good things in a book. But I really thought that this one completely failed to capture the magic of Casablanca. The characters, the settings; you could have put different names in the story, and it wouldn't remind you of "Casablanca" at all. I think that Time-Warner wanted to make a buck on the renewed interest in Casablanca and put this out. You'd get a better "Bogart" story by reading Dashiell Hammett's "The Maltese Falcon" or Raymond Chandler's "The Big Sleep."
Rating:
Summary: Open your minds
Review: I have watched Casablanca for years and have enjoyed the film tremendously. When I first saw this novel on the bookstore shelf, I hesitated. I thought it would be a cheesy sequel to a classic film. But when I finally broke down and bought it, I enjoyed it throughly. I could hear the voices of Bogie and Bergman as though they were still alive and living the parts of Rick and Ilsa. The book was well written and dialog was true to the film dialog! Obviously, you can never replace Rick and Ilsa with other actors and I agree this book should remain a book and not be filmed.... But I thought the story an interesting take on the continuing saga of Rick and Ilsa. I thought the book was worth reading just to hear the immortal charactors of Rick and Ilsa come back to life. It's a fun read...
Rating:
Summary: not good
Review: It was brave of Walsh to try and write a sequel,but it really isn't very good.What made Casablanca such a good movie(in my opinion)was that Rick gave up Ilsa for the greater cause and the way Victor loved Ilsa so much,but in this sequel Rick was simply separated from her for a while and the bittersweet romance is gone;also,Victor was willing to let Ilsa die,and has become much more jealous of Ilsa and Rick's love then he was in the movie. I would recommend NOT reading this book.
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