The Unburied

Rating:
Summary: Fiction to be read with a fork!
Review: Palliser achieves a densely plotted novel in "the Unburied." Set in Victorian England, the main plotline chronicles Dr. Courtine's efforts at solving a Christmastime murder mystery in a sleepy Wessex college town. However, bound up within this is a closely intertwined ghost story (which is something of a murder mystery in and off itself). However, the real theme of the novel is Courtine's own journey of self-discovery, starting with his re-acquaintance with an old college chum and then on through his own halting investigation.

The novel is densely plotted, and it requires some focus to keep all of the details ordered. You learn something new about the novel's historical background, a character, or some event on every single page. If you like novels so thick that you need a fork to get them down, then this novel is for you.

I have read this author's work being favorably compared to Umberto Eco's. I disagree. The two authors share a propensity to write about academics, and love their esoteric details, but Palliser's work is not so relentlessly academic and philosophical. I love Eco, but acknowledge that his work is not fully accessible even for brainy types. Palliser is generally more approachable. I would put him on a par with Arturo Perez-Reverte.

Rating:
Summary: A superior echo of the 1860s sensation novel
Review: Palliser has been described as "the best Victorian writer working today," but that wans't really true until the publication of THE UNBURIED. His previous major foray into Victorian fiction, THE QUINCUNX, was all virtuoso plot twists and sudden character reversals with no one to care about and an unbelievable Jamesian ending of renunciation.But, in the ten years intervening between that novel and THE UNBURIED, Palliser seems to have learned a great deal. His newest novel is much briefer and much more engaging. It does require from its readers a great deal of prior knowledge regarding the seventeenth-century English civil wars and the hierarchy of the Anglican church, but it's still a great read, with a terrific sense of physical atmosphere and interesting characters. Some of the plot twists are telegraphed a little too clearly ahead of time, but for the most part this adds to0 the book's enjoyment rather than detracts from it.

Rating:
Summary: Difficult at Times, But Worth the Effort
Review: Palliser presents a fine story in the pages of the Unburied and I join the other readers who appreciate the layering of both story and elements that Palliser uses to tell a fairly complex tale. Still, this book is not an "easy" read. If you skim portions of it in search of more action, you are likely to miss out on the details and nuances that give this book its flavor. Palliser continues to write intriguing stories, but I also join the readers who found the Quincunx a more satisfying experience. If you haven't read any of Palliser's books, I'd give the Quincunx a first read, then come back to the Unburied if you like his style of writing.

Rating:
Summary: Suspense and complexity, but too much of a good thing?
Review: Palliser's prose is fluent, the cast of characters interesting, and the plot gripping.
However, I found myself wishing for a more straightforward story. The narrative jumps between the 1910's, 1870's, 1850's, 1640's and the early Middle Ages. People in more or less obscure positions in Church and School make an appearance: headmasters, deans, canons, vergers, precentors, and others. A lengthy tease with many hints precedes the final relevation, which spoiled the surprise for me.
But, then, Palliser's style is supposed to be Victorian, and maybe I shouldn't complain that the Unburied is stuffed with detail.

Rating:
Summary: Superb
Review: Readers of "The Quincunx" will not be dissapointed in this splendid novel. Though it uses a smaller canvas than Palliser's first novel, that canvas is very finely worked, rather like the difference between Dickens and Austen. I appreciate a book that makes me work. By the way, admirers of "The Unburied" might also enjoy Pears's "An Instance of the Fingerpost," which employs a similar plot device.

Rating:
Summary: A many-layered, many-textured story
Review: Reading The Unburied is rather like unwrapping a mummy, and finding the jewels within the wrapping until the whole is laid bare and you still have to piece together the identity of what you've found. It is not a light and easy read, but the work of reading it is a pleasure in itself. Those who appreciate Victorian masters M.R. James, Wilkie Collins, and Charles Dickens, who like a chill and murky atmosphere, who are not put off by a bit of ambiguity, and who can cope with a cast of characters worthy of Tolstoy will probably enjoy this book. While a great deal of the mystery behind the murders will be fairly obvious to anyone who's read a murder mystery, many of the details are revealed slowly. Those who have had to sit on a jury will be amused by Charles Palliser's sly digs at the judicial system, and anyone who knows anything about the machinations of academia will recognize much of what's going on with the academic subplot. I also enjoyed his take on the constant rewriting of history. Under it all, however, are Palliser's ruminations on the nature of vengeance and how we damage ourselves in seeking vengeance against others. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and look forward to reading more of Palliser's work.

Rating:
Summary: Not easy, but ultimately satisfying
Review: Several years ago I had the great pleasure of reading Charles Palliser's magum opus, the Quincunx. As a long devotee of Dickens, I found this great book to be a wonderful re-creation of the world of Dickens. When the Unburied was published, I immediately bought it. Twice I was able to make my way to about page 100, but for various reasons never made it beyond that point. It simply didn't pull me all the way in and I let myself be drawn to other books and other demands of life.

Ten days ago I decided that I was going to finish the book, come hell or high water. I'm glad I did because it's a very good novel. Once I made it to page 150 I was hooked and finished the book in a large gulp.

This novel requires patience and an ability to keep a lot of facts and clues straight. There is a multi-leveled story set in the Victorian times involving a murder, a literary mystery about King Alfred, a recounting of cathedral politics in the 17th century, a fairy tale, and several other sub-plots.

In the end, the read is well worth the effort. Palliser is particularly good at creating atmosphere ( in this case dark, foggy and wet) and in fleshing out memorable characters.

But this isn't a book for those who want a quick, easy read. However, if you're willing to invest some effort, I recommend the book.

Rating:
Summary: Too disjointed for my taste...
Review: The plot of The Unburied intrigued me so much that I started reading this book as soon as I bought it. At first, I thought the writing was quite imaginative. Charles Palliser has a rather vivid and compelling imagination. But as I continued to read I noticed that this novel lacked plot and characterization. There are so many dead ends and unimportant pieces of information that I felt lost. I don't always have problems with miscellaneous information, but it appears that the clues and so-called twists were thrown in for no reason other that to lengthen the book. At the end, I ended up closing the book with the intention of never opening it again. The writing is too disjointed to be enjoyed. Disappointing...

Rating:
Summary: I could not finish this book
Review: The plot of Unburied sounded so intriguing that I picked it up and started reading it immediately. The writing was very imaginative, Charles Palliser really colored my imagination - I felt as tho I was scurrying through the pits of the catacombs with Courtine.

Unfortunately, the beautiful writing could not make up for the confusing lack of plot. There were so many dead ends and unimportant pieces of information that I felt lost. While I do not normally have problems with miscellaneous information, here is just felt like it was thrown in for no reason other that to lengthen the book.

This style of writing may not be for everyone but many do enjoy it, I however, am not one that does. The kiss of death for me was putting the book down and not having any interest in picking it back up while on my Thanksgiving holiday - when I kept passing the book up for whatever was on TV I knew that had to give up on Unburied. This has only ever happened to me with one other book.

Hopefully others will be able to muddle through and discover who dunnit and will let me know.

Rating:
Summary: The Unburied
Review: The story is a whacky, weird book that a lot of people would enjoy.I would say that a lot of people can relate themselves to the main characters of this book.The way people's minds want to go figure out a problem or they are just so curious about something they want to go figure it out.The main character's name is Julia and she has some dreams about a strange character,who haunts her in her dreams.But she recognized the background of where the strange being was at in her dreams. It was where she grew up,in Little Rock,Arkansas.

I could relate to Julia because she wants to go see if this thing is real and that's propably what I would have done.My favorite part of the story is where Julia finally gets to confront the strange being and wait...I will let you read it for yourself to find out what happens.

I liked the book because it is not at all predictable.This book makes you want to read more and more untill you get to the end.I heard on the downlow that there is going to be a sequel to this book.

I would recommend this book to almost everybody but I would say about 14 and up should read this because it's pretty hard to follow.Some parts were a little gory so I would say mostly males should read this book.