Rating: Summary: A Glorious Success Review: In WAKE OF THE PERDIDO STAR I found everything I could hope for in a novel: memorable characters, a suspense-filled plot, unusual historical details-even romance. Its protagonist, "Black Jack" O'Reilly, is sure to go down as one of the great characters, as notable for his courage as he is for his satisfying character arc. At every step there is an obstacle: mutiny, shipwreck, savages, drought, pirates, oppressive governments; each chapter propels us into the next, and it is precisely this which makes WAKE so satisfying. Lesser novelists would have succumbed to stock heroes and villains, to a more linear tale of revenge, but it is WAKE'S multi-faceted characters and complex, unexpected plot twists that make this as fine a piece of literature as one could hope for. It is the type of tale Conrad or Poe would have embraced: one that favors the reader's wishes' over the writers'. To talk of judging WAKE in the context of Hackman's acting career is, of course, as irrelevant as judging LORD JIM in the context of Conrad's being a native of Poland. Anyone who has applied any amount of time to the study of literature knows a work must be evaluated on its own merit, regardless of the authors' background. In its four hundred-plus pages, WAKE is an ambitious undertaking by any novelist's standards. And it succeeds--gloriously.
Rating: Summary: Deeper than "20,000 Leagues"/More Bite than "Jaws" Review: Jack's character building was magnificent. I close my eyes and smell the sea. It's remarkable to me that this is Hackman and Lenihan's first effort. Can't wait for their next.
Rating: Summary: The pintles were sprung from the gudgeons! Review: Let me start by qualifying my review--I'm not ordinarily a big fan of seagoing adventure tales and would not have read Wake of the Perdido Star if it had not been given to me as a gift. I don't wear an eyepatch, don't have a hook, a parrot or a pegleg, don't go around drinking grog and saying "Arrr, mateys!" and have never buckled a swash as far as I know. So I'm obviously not the ideal reviewer for this book, but nevertheless...I guess that his experiences filming The Poseidon Adventure and Crimson Tide got into Gene Hackman's blood, as Wake of the Perdido Star is full of every seaman's cliche conceivable. One character does end up with a hook (no eyepatches, thankfully), the captain has premonitions of his own death, there's plenty of Jolly Rogers and piracy and cannonshot and shipwrecks and fathoms and beautiful native girls and evil Spaniards and noble British and Americans and topsails and broadsides and press gangs and fantails and even a letter of marquee, with the whole thing tied together in the tale of a young man out to avenge the death of his father. About the only thing that doesn't happen is a shark attack--maybe they are saving that for the sequel. However, that doesn't make it a bad book, just entirely predictable. Clearly the authors know their seamanship--Hackman's coauthor has impeccable credentials in this regard--but they don't always fill in the reader in a timely fashion, probably expecting him to either know the terms already or care enough to look them up. I'm sorry to admit that I didn't, and when I read the sentence I've used for my title, I couldn't help but think that it sounded like a Dr. Seuss version of The Night Before Christmas: The pintles were sprung from the gudgeons with care/in the hopes that Saint Nicholas soon would be there!" Not for several hundred more pages (literally) do Hackman and Lenihan tell us what pintles and gudgeons actually are, and the truth is that it doesn't really matter even then. Wake of the Perdido Star is the perfect beach book for those who prefer their beach books without any hint of erotic character whatsoever. The writing is workmanlike--the tale solid and familiar, and if the book gets washed away by a freak wave it is no great loss.
Rating: Summary: Writing vs Acting Review: Stay with what you know, Gene. Good storyline, but not a well-written novel. Skin-deep characterization. In witnessing his parent's violent deaths: 'It was his father. Dead' 'He saw in her eyes what could only be triumph. Triumph and love.' Ye Gods, man, the woman just had her throat cut! Come on, you're speaking of the violent deaths of loved parents, not what you had for breakfast. Gene, all your acting roles were great. Be content with that, and leave the writing to professionals. I note that the book was not published by a big name firm. That should give a buyer pause.
Rating: Summary: A Boys' Adventure Story Review: That STAR is the first effort of Mssrs. Hackman and Lenihan is painfully obvious. The plot is sophomoric, the dialog is trite and the characters much less deep than the sea over which they sail. The book reads like an old fashioned pulp Adventure Story for Boys. Our hero, Jack, is a pre-industrial Tom Swift, capable of remarkable inventiveness and inbred combat leadership. He can take a licking and keep on ticking...indeed he is regularly beaten nearly to death by villains or nature, only to be on his feet in the next paragraph for an amazing feat of daring do. Sidekick Paul is appropriately witty and irreverant, a walking encyclopedia, and overfull of the weak emotions which dull Jack doesn't have the time for - a perfect Dr. Watson. As for the evil Count de Silva, imagine Snidely Whiplash with a Cuban accent, or for you PC gamers: simply remember the evil Spanish noblemen you endlessly chased around the Carribean in the '80s classic PIRATES! Perhaps the plot and characters will entertain a 13 year old with no previous reading experience in the genre; do the kid a favor and buy him TREASURE ISLAND instead. All in all: cookie-cutter characters in a story of teenaged loss and revenge that's been told better countless times since the advent of literature.
Rating: Summary: Suprising Book Review: The "Wake of the Perdido Star" really surprised me. The book was much better than I expected. The story accelerates from the beginning and doesn't slow down until the last page. The characters are likeable, the plot is exciting and intense, and the story is an adventure, taking the characters all around the globe. I had a hard time putting this book down once I started reading it. This book was truly a pleasant surprise.
Rating: Summary: Suprising Book Review: The "Wake of the Perdido Star" really surprised me. The book was much better than I expected. The story accelerates from the beginning and doesn't slow down until the last page. The characters are likeable, the plot is exciting and intense, and the story is an adventure, taking the characters all around the globe. I had a hard time putting this book down once I started reading it. This book was truly a pleasant surprise.
Rating: Summary: Perdido Star lives up to its name (lost) Review: The authors should keep their day jobs because writing just ain't their longsuit.
Rating: Summary: An amateur Review: The book was written by a rank amateur. If it were not for his name, no publisher would have touched it. Either stick to acting,Gene,which you do exceedingly well, or serve an apprenticeship, as other writers must do.
Rating: Summary: A swashbuckling tale Review: The novel is a change of pace for Gene Hackman who is best known for his acting roles ("The Unforgiven," etc.). While not great literature, it is an interesting tale in the swashbuckling tradition of years gone by. The setting is in 1805-1808. The hero rescues himself and others from various hazards and improbable situations. He is, perhaps, a little too straight-laced, spurning the advances of a voluptuous native woman. The agressive hero acquires a sidekick who faints at the sight of blood, and a Chinese cook who is a little more than that. With various enemies, intrigues, battles, hazards at sea, etc., it never gets dull. The native women match the description from "The Journals of James Cook," i.e., naked and promiscuous. There is enough sex, language, and violence to give it, at best, a PG-13 rating. It will require some re-writing to make it into a reasonable length for a motion picture.
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