Ex Libris

Rating:
Summary: Historical thriller minus the thrill
Review: There is a popular kind of "mystery" novel in which the story becomes increasingly complex, with more characters, more possibilities, and more paranoid plots introduced until the reader gets swamped with them all. Then in the last few pages, the secret is unlocked, and something that could not possibly have been guessed is revealed as the key. Ex Libris repeats this formula in 17th-century England, and I found it as exasperating as the versions that take place in present-day California.
There are some nice historical touches in the book, although the narrator is clearly unrealistic in a number of respects in order to help the modern reader through the 17th century. The problem is that the plot moves slowly, the protagonist wanders around aimlessly for much of the book, and the digressions and explanations dilute any excitement one might have felt. The ending is simply absurd, and the reader feels cheated, as events that were never mentioned previously turn out to be key to explaining the mystery.
It was an excellent idea to attempt to import the modern noir thriller to this historical setting, but the pacing and plotting of the novel do not live up to the initial conception. I found that I had to force myself to finish the book.

Rating:
Summary: Ross King shines!
Review: This is a fabulous book! I absolutely loved it. Granted, it is not for everyone, as the content is more historical than fictional. Ross King does a splendid job of weaving together every aspect of the 17th century, from book-selling to travel to exploratory expeditions to wars. In addition, he captures the beauty of the book as an art form. Almost every page is bursting with description and the plot kept me on the edge of my seat until the final page. This is a must read.

Rating:
Summary: The Devil Is In the Detail
Review: This novel will have limited appeal except to ardent bibliophiles, and even they may be bored to tears with the details. This book is closer to a textbook than a novel. There's plenty of excellent 17th century background, but the plot is too complicated, the characters undeveloped and the finale incredible. I'm amazed I hung in there and finished Ex-Libris.

Rating:
Summary: At least it managed to catch my attention
Review: This reminds me of those mystery stories having endings that spill out everything leaving you mildly insulted and exasperated. You'll start asking yourself why you bothered to plough through those chapters that go on and on about the history of events, people and things.

But a clever ploy; style seems to rule over substance here.

Rating:
Summary: Ex-ceptionally boring
Review: Too bad. I started reading this book expecting to have the intriguing and intellectual experience of "The Name of the Rose"...and was so terribly disappointed. King is certainly knowledgeable, but that knowledge creates a jumble of a book. One gets the feeling that King would rather try to impress us by the breath of his knowledge, rather than the depth and more so, rather than give us a story that holds our interest. Just sound and fury signifying nothing. His characters are poorly developed stick figures, and by the time I was 3/4 of the way through, I really found I no longer cared about the mystery at the heart of it. How boring was it? I didn't even care enough to read the last pages to find out what all the fuss was about.