Rating: 
Summary: My First Let Down
Review: I have loved Simon R. Green's work since I first read Deathstalker. I loved his psychopathic characters, the not-so-good good guys, and the not-so-bad bad guys, the same old plot but with some original twists, and the sarcastic twists of humor that he wove within his novels. When I finally got around to picking up his latest novel, however, I found myself in a world of disappointment. While I enjoyed the characters of Jimmy Thunder and Angel, I found Toby Dexter a rather obnoxious character who couldn't get through his head that when a woman says that she's uninterested, it means that she is uninterested! And I thought that Gayle could have been a lot more intriguing if you got the impression that she thoroughly knew that she could never fall in love with Toby and never did. The plot failed to hold me, and I hate to admit that I put the book down midway, a first for a Simon R. Green novel considering I read the first three Deathstalker novels within the space of a week. The plot seemed rushed, the characters embryonic and seemed more than anything the author's attempt to escape into a fantasy world through Toby rather than helping us to escape into that world. I think I'll be sticking to the worlds found in the Deathstalker and Hawk and Fisher novels.
Rating: 
Summary: Cute, but basically piffle
Review: I have to agree with the person who compared this to Neil Gaiman's "Neverwhere". There are a lot of similarities, though Neverwhere is much darker and more intricate. I think, though, it would compare more precisely to Gaiman's "Stardust" as that's lighter and also shares elements. As the old saying goes, there are only so many original plots. Everything else lies in the execution. My main complaint about this book, is that though it's an entertaining read and never so bad as to make you toss it away, it does leave you wanting. It's as if Piers Anthony, in a Xanth mood, decided to re-write "Neverwhere". It's cute and has some fun moments, but all in all it's like cotton candy... spun sugar with little nutrition or mass, but fluffed up to seem like more than it is. My main measure of quality in a book is whether it makes me want to read more by its writer. For example, after reading "The Color of Magic", I read every Terry Pratchett "Discworld" novel I could get my grubby hands on as fast as I could read them. But, though this book was good enough to read it all the way through, I have no desire to pick up more books by Simon R. Green. Therefore I can only give it 2 stars. I'd prefer to give 2 and a half...
Rating:
Summary: Interesting concept, but seriously flawed execution
Review: I picked out this book because the premise sounded interesting and I was looking for a light, enjoyable read; I couldn't have picked a worse book. The prose is painfully repetitious. Green seems to think that his readers can't remember basic plot points or character background for more than ~10 pages. The characters themselves are cute and funny, but barely one dimensional. The dialog is unnatural with many illogical jumps just to further the plot. For anyone who enjoys a good story with quality writing and characterization, don't bother buying this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent book!
Review: I think Simon Green's Deathstalker series is one of the best Space Opera, Sci-fi, and Action series out there. So when I saw he was also writing outside that genre, I knew I had to grab it. (For the record, I also love his Hawk and Fisher stories.) This is an excellent book and although it seems to set up sequels, it is a stand alone book. He takes this novel into our present day, which he hasn't done before, but with a nice twist. There is another world that exists parallel to ours that is full of magic. This world wasn't fleshed out enough in this book and hopefully we will see more of it in future installments, but what was shown of it just leaves you hungering for more. The characters are wonderfully written, my favorite being Johnny Thunder (who is a decsendant of the Norse God Thor) but all are equally well written. The main character of the story is a sort of reluctant hero, much like Owen was in the beginning of the Deathstalker series, but he grows into his role soon enough. The only other book that I can equate this to is Neil Gaiman's "American Gods" but to be honest, I liked this book a bit better. Good work Simon and keep it up.
Rating:
Summary: An author continues to grow in maturity...
Review: I've been a fan of Simon Green's writing since I first read the books in his 'Darkwood' world - "Blue Moon Rising", and "Down Among Dead Men", namely. When he began the Deathstalker saga, I continued to enjoy his writings as well as enjoy watching the complexity of his style continue to deepen.
With this, his latest effort (Drinking Midnight Wine), the jump in complexity and character development has advanced even further. The book starts at a much slower pace than his previous novels, but more thought has been given to the character's and they are less "anti-hero/stereotypical" than his former protagonists. Although he does at several junctures fall back upon cliché relationships between characters to make connections between the diverse cast, the book manages to stay above the predictable level that portions of his latter "Deathstalker" books descended to.
Although I was disappointed by the rapid conclusion to the book, I did feel that the speed did not diminish the impact of an ending that did indeed tie up the plotlines neatly. A few small points were questionable, but easily ignored with the usual suspension of disbelief that is required for the reading of any fantasy novel.
All in all, I would put this book on my list of books to highly recommend to the average fantasy reader who has an appreciation for witty dialog, snappy one-liners, and dysfunctional characters who somehow end up doing the right thing. (Of course, having said that, you'll be able to easily figure out who my favorite character in the book was when you read it.)
As for my reasons for rating this book a 4 instead of a 5 (I'd actually rate it more of a 4.5 out of 5), that's because I feel that the talented Simon Green has yet to reach his full potential as an author, and am eagerly awaiting the forthcoming sequel trilogy to the Deathstalker saga, which is being set 200 years in the future from the extant prior books. With any luck, he'll finally break through his unfortunate tendency to forget his novel ability to create odd relationships in favor of using cliché familial connections between varied protagonists and antagonists, while maintaining the new complexity of plot that was present in "Drinking Midnight Wine".
Rating: 
Summary: Getting it...or not
Review: I've seen a few reviews compare this to a comic book, to which I can only say, you don't "get it". That's fine, there is nothing wrong with that, but my belief is that those who loved Deathstalker, don't necessarily get Green's other work. Green's mastery is as a wordsmith. His genius is in the use of character. It's a bit incorrect to say a Norse god gets modern and becomes a Private Detective, it's a lot more accurate to say that a guy who can't find his place in the world (And who also happens to be the great to the 13th or so power removed in lineage from the Norse Gods) finally finds a nitch that works for him. That's what makes Green readable, you can always find something to identify with in his characters. The human condition is prevalent and strong in Green's writing and that is what links you to his characters. Whether that's Jimmy Thunder or his superlative Hawk and Fisher, they all have something that tugs at you. They all have something with which you can draw a parallel. And along the way you get the best banter in the business short of Brust. I wholeheartedly recommend Drinking Midnight Wine to pretty much everyone. Keep an open mind, relax, enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting concept, but seriously flawed execution
Review: I've seen a few reviews compare this to a comic book, to which I can only say, you don't "get it". That's fine, there is nothing wrong with that, but my belief is that those who loved Deathstalker, don't necessarily get Green's other work. Green's mastery is as a wordsmith. His genius is in the use of character. It's a bit incorrect to say a Norse god gets modern and becomes a Private Detective, it's a lot more accurate to say that a guy who can't find his place in the world (And who also happens to be the great to the 13th or so power removed in lineage from the Norse Gods) finally finds a nitch that works for him. That's what makes Green readable, you can always find something to identify with in his characters. The human condition is prevalent and strong in Green's writing and that is what links you to his characters. Whether that's Jimmy Thunder or his superlative Hawk and Fisher, they all have something that tugs at you. They all have something with which you can draw a parallel. And along the way you get the best banter in the business short of Brust. I wholeheartedly recommend Drinking Midnight Wine to pretty much everyone. Keep an open mind, relax, enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: Getting it...or not
Review: I've seen a few reviews compare this to a comic book, to which I can only say, you don't "get it". That's fine, there is nothing wrong with that, but my belief is that those who loved Deathstalker, don't necessarily get Green's other work. Green's mastery is as a wordsmith. His genius is in the use of character. It's a bit incorrect to say a Norse god gets modern and becomes a Private Detective, it's a lot more accurate to say that a guy who can't find his place in the world (And who also happens to be the great to the 13th or so power removed in lineage from the Norse Gods) finally finds a nitch that works for him. That's what makes Green readable, you can always find something to identify with in his characters. The human condition is prevalent and strong in Green's writing and that is what links you to his characters. Whether that's Jimmy Thunder or his superlative Hawk and Fisher, they all have something that tugs at you. They all have something with which you can draw a parallel. And along the way you get the best banter in the business short of Brust. I wholeheartedly recommend Drinking Midnight Wine to pretty much everyone. Keep an open mind, relax, enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: A comic book without the pictures
Review: If you bought this book based on the rear cover summary, you're in for a surprise...and not a pleasant one. Instead of the expected semi-serious (or at least moderately dignified) literary excursion, you're treated to a tossed salad of comic-book style action, a jumble of confused and reused mythology, and heaping helpings of lowbrow humor. Toby, our protagonist, is the only character above the level of cardboard, and he simply alternates between a desire to fall in love and a fear of farting in public. I'd excuse it all if the jokes were at least funny, but they mostly set your teeth on edge. If you're the sort of person who finds nothing strained in Norse gods "getting with modern times" by becoming private eyes, and considers the characterization of Satan as a handsome, oily-tongued rogue in a three-piece suit as "new and refreshing", then you'll probably adore this book. If not, you'll have a hard time even finishing it.
Rating:
Summary: A comic book without the pictures
Review: If you bought this book based on the rear cover summary, you're in for a surprise...and not a pleasant one. Instead of the expected semi-serious (or at least moderately dignified) literary excursion, you're treated to a tossed salad of comic-book style action, a jumble of confused and reused mythology, and heaping helpings of lowbrow humor. Toby, our protagonist, is the only character above the level of cardboard, and he simply alternates between a desire to fall in love and a fear of farting in public. I'd excuse it all if the jokes were at least funny, but they mostly set your teeth on edge. If you're the sort of person who finds nothing strained in Norse gods "getting with modern times" by becoming private eyes, and considers the characterization of Satan as a handsome, oily-tongued rogue in a three-piece suit as "new and refreshing", then you'll probably adore this book. If not, you'll have a hard time even finishing it.
|
