Rating: 
Summary: Not worth the price of the paper it's printed on
Review: Throughout the whole book I was waiting for something to happen, and then nothing did. I suppose it was an interesting attempt at creating a denouement, but it fell miserable on its face as the event in question could be seen a mile away. The only reason I finished this was to see if it would get any better (which it didn't).
Rating: 
Summary: Elton has tried, and failed, to write a semi-serious book.
Review: Why oh why?I absolutely loved Elton's first three novels (Stark, Gridlock and This Other Eden) which were topical, political and most importantly the funniest books I have read. In Blast from the past, however, Elton dumps his usual extreme-and-action-packed-plot-intertwined-with-hilarious-comedic-observations style in favour of a more sombre look at love and politics. Unfortunately, Elton is not good at it. His 'subtle as a steamroller' tone worked well in his first three novels where character development needed to be sacrificed to comedy, but in a book that focuses on two central characters, it falls flat. And in a book that is meant to be little less extreme than its predecessors, the dialogue is simply implausible. After all, if a lover who disappeared 16 years previously turned up at 3 in the morning, would you spend the first hour of your reunion discussing Thatcherite politics? Even the characters themselves are tired and unoriginal. In all of Elton's books there has been an attractive left-wing woman who has it in for a right-wing male a**hole. Blast from the Past continues this tired tradition and makes you wonder if Elton is good at anything else. And while this book does have it's funny moments (the first chapter for example), they are few and far between and do not justify the boring political banter and teen lovers angst that fills the rest of the book. Elton, stick with what you do best: comedy!
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