Book Review: The Illearth War by Stephen Donaldson (The First Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever #2)

  Does morality only apply to a world that we believe is real?

Stephen Donaldson (perhaps unintentionally) provoked his readers to explore this question, in Lord Foul's Bane, the first book to The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever. I thought Lord Foul's Bane had an interesting story, but I found it very difficult to read, because Donaldson's writing style was verbose and overly flowery. Yet, I decided to continue with reading this series, because the premise behind the story intrigued me. Furthermore, Donaldson named his fictional hero, Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever. With a name like that (and what it may imply), I thought this series must contain some aspects of significance, for it to have achieved such a wholesome reputation.

At this point, I am happy to report, that I like the second book of this series, titled The Illearth War, ALOT more than Lord Foul's Bane. Today, I would like to provide a review for The Illearth War. If you have read Lord Foul's Bane but is uncertain if you would like to continue with reading this series, then feel free to read on. I hope my review will provide some useful information for your decision making.

Synopsis:

In Lord Foul's Bane, Thomas Covenant, an American man inflicted the dire disease of leprosy, was transported to a fantastic world known as the Land. He helped the Lords to retrieve the Staff of Law, an instrument to combat the evil Lord Foul. Upon the completion of the quest, Thomas Covenant woke up, and found himself returned to the “real” world. Covenant doubted the genuineness of his experience from the Land, he thought of it as an unreality, spawned from the depth of his tormented consciousness. Yet, he could not shake away those vivid memories from his mind. Nor can he ignore the overwhelming sense of responsibility and connections which he felt towards the people from the Land.

It has been a month since Covenant returned to the “real” world, Covenant has resumed his life as a leper. One night, Covenant once again found himself summoned to the Land for the second time. Upon his arrival, Covenant discovered that, 40 years has passed in the Land. During which, Lord Foul has gained possession of the Illearth stone, a source of ancient power. With this power in hand, Lord Foul marches unopposed, towards fulfilling the prophecy of doom. In their moments of helplessness, the Lords turned to Covenant once again for hope. However, Covenant lacks conviction, because he still does not believe his experience is a reality. Furthermore, Covenant is filled with self loathing and bitterness from his life as a leper. As a result, Covenant remains to be a wild card in the upcoming struggles against Lord Foul.

Will Covenant bring salvation to the Land? Or will he doom it for eternity?

What I think about this book:

In my opinion, The Illearth War is a much, much better book than Lord Foul's Bane. Perhaps I am getting used to Donaldson's writing style, but I found this book a lot easier to read than its predecessor. Whatever the reason may be, but the language in The Illearth War is not as verbose and pretentious as the one found in Lord Foul's Bane, and this book is more readable than the one before it.

This book is also structured differently compared to the previous installment, because the story in this book is narrated in the style of POV characters. The introduction of POV narration is a welcoming change, because it sheds new lights on the various characters who appeared in this book. Therefore, instead of constantly reading about Thomas Covenant's self loathing and bitterness as a leper, readers get to see the story from the perspectives of other characters in this book. More specifically, it is really interesting to see how other characters in the story viewed Thomas Covenant, i.e. how they marveled at the extent of Covenant's emotional wounds, therefore they are sympathetic towards Covenant although he continued to act like a jerk throughout the entire book.

The most intriguing aspect of this book, is the introduction of a new character called Hiles Troy, he is a major POV character in this book. In the story, Troy is like Covenant, who also (allegedly) came to the Land from the “real” world. Troy is an interesting character, because in many ways, he is what Covenant should have been, a courageous hero possessing convictions and certainty. Unlike Covenant, Troy is very sure about his beliefs, and he is unafraid of using available resources and powers for the benefit of his existing course. However, (without spoiling the story) it is for this reason that Troy is not, and can never be in the role that Thomas Covenant was meant to be in.

Thomas Covenant still occupies the spotlight in this book. I think Donaldson did an excellent job at portraying the character of Covenant. This time around, he is still the selfish, pathetic and bitter man who cowers in fear at the onset of every challenge. Yet, while I read this book, whenever I became frustrated at Covenant and despised him, I was also reminded that Covenant was a leper who tried to survive his ordeal. In fact, at several occasions, I was stunned by the extent of Covenant's emotional wounds. The wounds which he sustained from being branded as unclean, the wounds from being shunned by the people in the “real” world because he was a leper. Furthermore, Donaldson setup the plot quite well, so readers would eventually, at the moment of its revelation, grasp why Covenant's unbelief, despite being a doubled edged blade earlier in the story, is central to the story arc of this series.

At this point, I speculate the next book will probably contain the theme of power versus corruption. Meanwhile, I found The Illearth War to be a major improvement over its predecessor. I am glad that despite a somewhat frustrating experience with the first book, I hanged on and continued to read this series. I still spotted some problems found in the first book appearing in this book, such as the use of flowery language. Perhaps this is just Donaldson's default writing style, but compared to the first book, this book is more readable. Some readers may dislike this whole series, because Covenant is such a useless, whiny and pathetic creature. If this is you, then I suppose you would probably dislike this book as well. However, for those who found aspects of intrigues, in the premises behind the character of Thomas Covenant, may found this book to be an enjoyable read. As for me, I am looking forward to reading the third book, which is the final installment to The First Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever, titled, The Power that Preserves.

Thank you for reading this book review. Until the next time, happy reading!

Book Review: Lord Foul's Bane by Stephen Donaldson (The First Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever #1)

Does the human morality still apply in the virtual worlds, such as dreams?

In 1978, author Stephen Donaldson explored this fascinating, philosophical question, when he debut with a novel called Lord Foul's Bane. This is the first book to an epic, 10 books fantasy series, following the adventures of a man called Thomas Covenant, and his quests in a strange world called the Land.

The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever, is very well known in the genre of fantasy fictions. It is reputed for its extensive use of uncommon vocabulary, and the interesting portrayal of anti-heroism. I added this series to my “to-read” list 2 years ago, I bought the first 3 books (i.e. The First Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever) from ebay. it has been sitting on my bookshelf for months. Finally, I ventured into this series last week. Today, I would like to provide a book review for Lord Foul's Bane, the first book to this series.

Synopsis:

Thomas Covenant was a best-selling author, he had a wife and a son. Everything was going well in his life, when Ill-fortune struck, and he was inflicted with the dire disease of leprosy. Even in the 20^th century America, Covenant found himself labeled as unclean, his wife took their son and left him, while the community treated him as an outcast. Although his life hit an all-time low, Covenant was determined to battle leprosy and survive for as long as he can.

One day, a police car ran into Covenant, and he swooned, fading into unconsciousness. Covenant woke up in a foreign, and strange world known as the Land. The people here thought he was a hero with untapped powers, whose coming to the Land was foretold in an ancient prophecy, to free the Land from the claws the tyrant, Lord Foul. Covenant had no choice but to embark on this quest. However, he did not believe his experience was a reality. Instead, Covenant suspected he was in a dream, a very convincing, realistic dream.

Calling himself by the title “Unbeliever”, Thomas Covenant embarked a quest to foil Lord Foul's devious plans. The question remains whether if Covenant's unbelief will save, or doom the Land for eternity?

What I think about this book:

I have mixed feelings about this book.

First of all, I thought the ideas and conceptions behind the character of Thomas Covenant, is very interesting. Never in the world of fantasy fictions, have I ever encountered a hero as useless and lame as Thomas Covenant, and that made this book fascinating. Although the general plot in this book follows the traditional fantasy trope (i.e. a quest to rescue a powerful artifact from the clutch of an evil overlord), yet what sets Covenant apart from other “goodie-goodie” type fantasy heroes such as Aragorn, or Harry Potter, is Covenant's unbelief. Throughout this book, Thomas Covenant remained a skeptic, he thought he was in a dream. Therefore, in this book, as a man embittered by his experience as a leper, Covenant constantly wrestled with moral uncertainties of his actions, running into crises of virtue, in what he believed, was a dream world. The result is, as the story unfolds, Covenant's unbelief often led to unpredictable and interesting outcomes. This means, despite being a lame hero, who lacked any form conviction or brevity, Thomas Covenant is indeed, a unique hero (or specifically, an anti-hero), whose unbelief served both as a strength and a weakness. I was fascinated by the character of Thomas Covenant, and the waves of philosophical questions marching behind this story.

Having said this, I must say, for me, Donaldson's writing style killed much joys in my reading of this book. I thought the language used in this book, is both unwieldy and flowery. Donaldson seem to have this strange tendency to jam as many uncommon words into one sentence as possible. Perhaps to some people, employing this type of linguistic style, is deemed as having reached the art of writing at its highest form. However, some readers (myself included) can be frustrated by this form of writing style, while it make the book hard to read, it also retards the pace of the book, stretching the plot to a line of perpetual boredom. The result? The book felt slow, overly long, and I skimmed through at least a third of the book.

As I turned to the last page of Lord Foul's Bane, I felt relieved that it was over (and that's not necessarily a compliment). I thought it was an interesting book hindered by a pretentious style of writing. The character of Thomas Covenant certainly provoked interesting questions about morality. This character, is both fascinating and unique. However, because Donaldson told the story of Thomas Covenant in such unwieldy language, the book lose its luster. In the meantime, it is commonly agreed that Lord Foul's Bane, being the first book to the series, is also the weakest book in the series. As I found the character interesting, so I will venture to read the 2^nd book in the series, titled “The Illearth War”.

Thank you for reading this review. Until the next time, happy reading!

Book Review: Small gods by Terry Pratchett (Discworld #13)

“ Only a mile away from the shepherd and his flock was a goatherd and his herd. The merest accident of microgeography had meant that the first man to hear the voice of Om, and who gave Om his view of humans, was a shepherd and not a goatherd. They have quite different ways of looking at the world, and the whole of history might have been different.

For sheep are stupid, and have to be driven. But goats are intelligent, and need to be led.”

                                        -Terry Pratchett, Small gods

For the most parts of my career as a reader, I have always been some sort of a “proto-fan” for Terry Pratchett's Discworld series. That is, I've heard of what Discworld is about, I knew it exists, and without reading it, I already knew I would like it. Discworld is a comedic fantasy series, often poking fun at things in our society using satires. The stories are set in a fantastic world, flat as a disc, supported on the backs of four elephants standing on a giant, space turtle who, swims across space. I thought this idea was grand when I heard it for the first time, it was love at the first sight! This sort of things are right up my alley, and immediately, I knew that I was going to be a fan for it.

My experience with Discworld franchise is limited to the TV adaptations for “Going Postal”, and “Hogfather”, and I liked both of them. However, I have never read any Discworld novels, mainly because the amount of books in this series, add up to a jaw-dropping number of 40 books! I simply didn't know where or how to start. But I always wanted to read these books. After doing some extensive research, in collaboration with Dr. Google, I sheepily acquired a handful of Discworld novels, subsequently arrived at the decision that Small gods, would be my entry to the eccentric yet fantastic world of Discworld. Small gods is a satirical portrayal of organized religion (in particular, Christianity) and politics, and I love this book! While reading this book, I laughed so hard and loud in a manner, that I suspect my neighbors were probably wondering if it was time for them to call the men in white coats. Today, I would like to provide a review for this book.

Synopsis:

Religion is a serious business.

Even on Discworld, a flat, circular world carried by the Star Turtle A'tuin, religion is as serious a business as it is anywhere else in the universe. On Discworld, many religions exist, competing against each other to have its influence and presence felt. At this point in time, our story takes us to an empire called Omnia, a theocratic kingdom who believed in a monotheistic religion, worshiping the one and true God, Om. The time has come again for Om to manifest himself in the world. However, this time, Om found himself manifested in the form of a small tortoise, stripped of all of his power. This is a most unexpected result! Under these drastic circumstances, Om knew he needed a disciple. This is when brother Brutha, a young novice from the temple of Om, came into the play..

What I think about this book:

I love this book! This book is full of humors and satires, and very well written. This book was poking fun at a variety of aspects in the human society; from religion, philosophy, to politics. Terry Pratchett made sharp and crisp observations about these things, then dressed them up in the colorful cloth of parodies, inviting his readers to unwrap and think about these issues for themselves, in a light-hearted, humorous manner. The characters in this book, from heroes to villains, are vividly portrayed and unforgettable. I especially enjoyed reading the interactions between Om and Brutha, and watched Brutha gradually develop from an unthinking novice in a religious order, into a wise and compassionate sage.

This book explored some thought-provoking themes. For example, (without spoiling the story), one aspect of the story questions religious individuals, that between the actual God of their religion, and the structure/theology/doctrine/worldview they established for their religion, which one is the true basis for their belief? Hence, should this God be surprised, when He found out, that just as silence stole into the heart of a moonless night, His followers has ceased to believe in Him, but are now believing in the system that promotes the religion instead?

This question touched me deeply, because my personal experience showed me that, most times, organized religion is often busy playing the role of a gatekeeper, separating the “true believers” from the “non-believers” (or fake believers) by enforcing a narrow-minded certainty and division, based on a non-negotiable, systematic dictatorship over one's theology/doctrine, or worldview.

This book, also suggested an alternative perspective on how to look at humanity. i.e. one of my favorite quotes from the book is this: “Just because you can explain it doesn’t mean it’s not still a miracle”. I believe the book is suggesting that there is awesomeness, and something miraculous about the things that occur in daily lives. Allow me to explain: A lot of the times, some people (such as moi) have the tendency to find amazement ONLY in things that we are unable to understand. While taking for granted, failing to notice, that miracles are in fact, all around us. For example, comparing to the rest of the (known) universe, it is indeed miraculous for humans to build street lamps and sewerage system on earth, while we could have just sat around and did no such thing! I mean, where else in our solar system, would you find a group of corporeal creatures, transforming metals, glasses and concrete into street lamps and sewerage system, to serve a purpose? Among the things in our dark and cold solar system, humans can give meanings to things that don't necessarily have meanings, isn't that miraculous and special? This book widened the way I look at things, and broadened my perspective. It made me appreciate humanity in a whole different, positive way that was previously absent from my religious worldview.

Overall, I deeply enjoyed Small gods. It has a thought-provoking and humorous story, set in a fantastic and imaginative world, filled with eccentric and funny characters who are absolutely unforgettable. Most importantly, I am so glad that I have now, been initiated into the universe of Discworld. I look forward to reading other Discworld novels in the near future. In the meantime, I would recommend this book to those who like comedy, fantasy, and satires, also to those who like thinky books that explore religion, philosophy and politics in humorous and creative ways.

Book Review: Misery by Stephen King

Misery is a psychological horror novel, written by Stephen King. He published this book in 1987, and the book was adapted into a movie in 1990. Misery is often considered as one of Stephen King's best books. When I was 11 years old, I watched the movie adaptation of Misery on VHS. Although I can't remember the details about the movie, but I can still recall the movie kept me on the edge of my seat for 2 hours. It was one of the most terrifying movies I have ever seen in my life. However, until recently, I have never read Misery the novel. Today, I would like to review this book.

Synopsis:

Do you have fans? A lot of famous people do. As for me, I am an ordinary person, and I don't think I have any fan (not that I am aware of). But I'd speculate meeting someone who claims to be your number one fan, could be a flattering and positive experience. Well, that is, unless you are Paul Sheldon, whose experience of meeting his number one fan was anything but positive.

Paul Sheldon writes historical romances. Through his Misery series, Paul became an international best-selling author. But in secret, Paul despised his own creation, especially Misery Chastain, the protagonist in the Misery series. In the fifth Misery novel, Paul killed off the protagonist in the book, hoping that he could close off the series, so he can move on and write something different.

Paul had a car accident while he was driving to Los Angeles. When he regained his consciousness, he found himself with broken legs, and lying in the house of Anne Wilkes, who rescued Paul from the wreckage. Anne also told Paul that she is his “number one fan”. Soon, Paul discovered that Anne is crazy and mentally unstable. He was in reality, imprisoned by Anne. Then Paul found out, that there are worse things than death, especially when he was under the “care” provided by Anne Wilkes, his most loyal and number one fan...

What I think about the book:

I used to think Misery the movie was terrifying. Now I think Misery the novel is petrifying. This is to say that I think the novel is scarier than the movie. As a psychological horror novel, Misery successfully terrified its readers, not with acts of violence and gores (though the book is gory), but because the story made its readers “understand”, that the antagonist, Anne Wilke, is a truly disturbing individual, someone to be feared. This understanding surrounds the protagonist in a sense of real danger, weaving a constant suspense into the entire book. The result is a page-turner! i.e. When I was reading this book, I never knew what to expect in the next page. I was terrified, I didn't want to know what was going to happen, but I just had to to know.

This book is very simple. In this instance, simplicity is a strength rather than a weakness. For the most of the book, there are only 2 characters, Paul and Anne. But the book never bored me. Instead, this simplicity allowed the story to focus on the fascinating interactions between the protagonist and the antagonist. This allowed the readers to explore the minds of the characters in depth, making them vivid and impressionable. In fact, while reading this book, I started feeling sorry for the antagonist, Anne Wilkes. This is because from reading the interactions between Paul and Anne, I saw the true depth of Anne's insanity. I was deeply disturbed by Anne, but I also felt a sense of sympathy towards her. In vice versa, while I thought what happened to Paul Sheldon (the protagonist) was horrible, but there were times when I was annoyed by Paul because he could be very arrogant on occasions. The book also depicted an interesting portrayal of Stockholm Syndrome.

Stephen King wrote many horror novels; Carrie, Pet Sematary, IT, Salem's Lot etc.. Most of them terrorized readers with waves of supernatural horrors. After I read this book, I can see why Misery is often considered as one of Stephen King's best horror novels. This book does not terrorize readers with supernatural entities such as ghosts and monsters. Instead, Misery slices and drives horror into readers' minds, with a knife of spine-chilling realism. Its serrated edge, is coated with our profound fear for human insanity.

I highly recommend this book to those who enjoy horror/thriller, or to those who are just looking to read a good book. This book will not disappoint.

Book Review: Legion and The Emperor's Soul by Brandon Sanderson

Legion and The Emperor's Soul is a very short book, its author is Brandon Sanderson. At 200 pages, this little book contains two novellas; Legion, and The Emperor's Soul. These two novellas are very different to each other in terms of themes, genre, and settings. I read this whole book in the space of one day. I was so impressed by this book, that I have decided to add it to my list of favorite books. Today, I would like to share some of my thoughts about this book in a review. Let me start this review, by providing a synopsis for this book:

Synopsis:

Legion

Have you ever had experiences where you hallucinated? Are hallucinations results of unhelpful mental disorders, or can it bring positive benefit(s) to a person?

Stephen Leeds suffers from a unique mental condition, where it enables him to generate multiple personae in the form of hallucinations. Each of his hallucination has his/her own personal traits, but they also possess a spectrum of highly specialized skills. Stephen is nicknamed “Legion” for this unique condition he is in. However, because Stephen can access the unique skill sets possessed by his legion of hallucinations, he became a man who is highly skilled in virtually every field ever existed, making him a renowned detective with unparalleled problem solving ability.

One day, a client seek out Stephen's help. This client brought a mysterious photograph. The story behind this photograph, could open a window to new ways of accessing information that will rock and change the entire world...

The Emperor's Soul

An assassination attempt was made on Emperor Ashravan of the Rose Empire. The emperor suffered a head injury, leaving him without consciousness. Meanwhile, Shai, a master forger, failed an attempt to replace the Moon Scepter with her forgery. She was caught and subsequently imprisoned. For her crime, Shai was sentenced to execution. However, the emperor's arbiters offered Shai freedom, on the condition that she must complete an impossible task: Forging Emperor Ashravan's soul within 100 days.

Being confined to a tiny room, and spied by politicians from the imperial court, Shai embarked the monumental task to forge the emperor's soul, knowing that failing the task would mean her ultimate demise. What will be Shai's fate?

What I think about this book:

My first experience with Brandon Sanderson's works, was Mistborn trilogy. Although Mistborn wasn't my cup of tea, but I did like Sanderson's style of writing. However, I much prefer Legion and The Emperor's Soul instead. This is a short and sweet book. The writings are descriptive and clear. The story is full of energy, while the characters and scenery are portrayed in vivid details. The pace of story development in (both) novellas flowed at a good pace. The storytelling felt natural and not forced, with unexpected twists and turns which led to thought-provoking conclusions.

In my opinion, while Legion and The Emperor's Soul are equally as good. Yet, they are very different tales. Where The Emperor's Soul is a fantasy novella, set in a fantasy world that resembles the Asian culture, Legion is a detective/mystery thriller set in our world at the present time. I found Legion to be thought-provoking, because this 80 page novella explored a variety of themes; from mental disorder, politics, religious faith, to how technology impacts the human civilization. Sanderson managed to tell a full story that is packed with actions and thrills, while exploring the whole spectrum of thought-provoking subjects, all in the space of 80 pages! I think this is an impressive feat, Sanderson is very good at what he does.

On the other hand, The Emperor's Soul is a very unique fantasy novella. While most modern fantasy fictions are set in worlds resembling medieval Europe, The Emperor's Soul is set in a world that resembles the medieval, eastern Asia. This is a refreshing change. The invention of “stamps” played an important role in this story, and Sanderson shared that the inspiration for The Emperor's Soul came into his mind, when he visited National Museum of History in Taipei. I have visited this museum in the past. This museum has an immensely large collection, containing fascinating artifacts that spanned over thousands of years of Chinese history. If you ever visit Taiwan, I would strongly recommend that you stop by, and visit National Museum of History.

I was really impressed with The Emperor's Soul, because in a short space of 140 pages, Brandon Sanderson managed to successfully build an entire fantasy world, that is fully established with its own culture and history. At the same time, while the story is entertaining, but it is also embedded with interesting, philosophical subjects such as personal identity, and the meaning of art. Personally, I would really like to see Sanderson continue with the story from The Emperor's Soul, and write sequels in the future.

I had a great time reading Legion and The Emperor's Soul. This book proves that fictional novella is not dead. In fact, because the stories in this book are short and sweet, I can see myself re-reading this book in the days to come. In the world today where so many books appeared in the form of series, this one feels refreshing. If you are looking to read a book with an engaging story, but do not feel like picking up a whole series, then I recommend Legion and The Emperor's Soul to you. This book will not disappoint.

Book Review: Salem's Lot by Stephen King

  Bram Stoker published Dracula in 1897, he brought the folklore about vampires into the mainstream culture. In the two centuries that followed, stories about these blood sucking, undead creatures became the centre stage for many books and movies. Over the years, the image of vampires has evolved, from scary and brutal monsters, into exotic and sexy superhuman (which has become the predominant image for vampires in today's popular culture).

Personally, I am not a fan of these modern-day, exotic interpretations on vampires. In my opinion, vampires are supposed to be scary and evil. Instead of being champions for love in romantic novels, vampires should be nightmarish creatures playing the role of antagonists in horror stories. This is why I adore Stephen King's book, Salem's Lot. I think this is what a “real” vampire novel should read like. Let's have a further look at this book.

Synopsis:

The Martsen House, a derelict building with a sinister reputation, squatted on a hill, overlooking at the sombre town of Jerusalem's Lot. Meanwhile, its terrible past, lie buried and forgotten from the minds of the town's populace.

For decades, the people of Jerusalem's Lot lived in disquiet peace, going about their own businesses. One day, Kurt Barlow, an immigrant from Austria, treaded into the town. He purchased the Martsen House and opened an antique store. Barlow himself was barely seen in the town, only his business partner, Richard Straker, appeared in public. After the duo's arrival, people began to disappear under mysterious circumstances, a once quiet town gradually fell into a deadly silence. Underneath this silence, is a growing trend of a lurking horror.

Who, or what is behind these strange disappearances?

What I think about this book:

This book is scary, really scary. I read this book in 4 nights, usually after work. This book is so scary, that I developed the habit of closing the windows in my apartment while I was reading this book. What made this book truly terrifying, is not the vampires, violence or the gore, but the creepy, sinister atmosphere that constantly lurks in the background in each page. For example, in this book, there is a sub-plot about a woman who was unhappily married, and often vented her anger by secretly abusing her 10 months old baby. The way this sub-plot is portrayed in the book, creates an atmosphere that is equally as sinister as the terror emanating from the main plot, which is the secret in the haunted Martsen House. These evils, are locked away in the vault of secrecy, festering under the guise of a disquieted peace. It makes a reader think twice about the reality of evil, and what may lie hidden underneath the cycles of everyday life for ordinary people.

Some have complained, that the pace of the book is slow. Admittedly, Stephen King did spend the first 200 pages to setup the premise of the story. He ventured into details, describing the daily lifestyle of town people in Jerusalem's Lot. He also spent a good chunk of his time, to build up the background story for the protagonists. Personally, I did not mind the first 200 pages. I actually enjoyed the first 200 pages, because Stephen King vividly described the lives of these town people with masterful storytelling. In my opinion, the first 200 pages of this book is important, it is told at a good pace, allowing a reader to become attached to the town people, such that when the town people began to disappear in large numbers, a reader can feel how tragic and sinister this outcome truly is. Once the book passed the 300 page mark, the pace of the book quickened, as a surge of terror electrified the story all the way to the closing chapter.

Stephen King explored the topic of religion and faith in some of his books. Salem's Lot is one of them. In one of the scenes, a terrifying, ancient vampire challenged a priest to throw away his holy cross, then face the vampire by relying on his faith, instead of relying on a religious object. I thought that was a rather interesting comment about the nature of religious belief. It seems to me Stephen King was implying that all the sacred "stuff" is pointless if one does not have faith. In my opinion, Stephen King has hit the nail on its head, digging straight to the heart of Christian faith. I think this is a good example, showing that not all horror stories/books are meaningless nonsense as some in the Christian community tend to believe.

I enjoyed Salem's Lot. This is one of the classics belonging to the genre of horror fictions. It is appropriately scary, as a vampire novel should be. When you read this book in the deep of a starless night, as you hear strange outside noises, perhaps you too would feel the urge to fasten the bolt for your window. Vampires aren't real... or are they?

Book Review: The Secret of Excalibur by Andy McDermott

  I am very fond of Arthurian legend. From literature, films to documentaries, I have the tendency to develop interests in most things related to King Arthur. Some of my favorite books include The Once and Future King, and Le Morte D'Arthur.

A week ago, I was browsing at the local library, and I came cross The Secret of Excalibur. I was immediately drawn to this book because of its title (and the fact that this book belongs to the exciting genre of historical thriller). The author of this book is Andy McDermott. I have read other books written by him in the past. Despite the fact that I was not impressed with other books from this author, I decided to try this book anyway, because this book seems to promise an interesting, treasure hunt story based on the legend of the once and future king. So I quickly snatched this book off the shelf from the library. After a magical swipe with my library card, I came home with this book in my hand.

Today, I would like to provide a review for this book.

Synopsis:

Excalibur, the sword of power, is a legendary weapon belonged to the mythological King Arthur. It was said that King Arthur was invincible when he wielded Excalibur in battles. Is the story of Excalibur just a legend? What if it is real? If it is real, where is the sword now?

Archaeologist Nina Wilde, and her fiancee Eddie Chase, were on a trip to England to meet Eddie's family. During their trip, Nina received an unexpected meeting invitation from her parents' friend, a scholar possessing immense knowledge in Arthurian legend. The meeting revealed to Nina and Eddie, the hidden knowledge about the secret of Excalibur. This piece of knowledge drew Nina and Eddie into a global hunt to gather the clues that would lead to King Arthur's final resting place. Nina and Eddie needed to recover the sword and prevent it from falling into the wrong hand, lest its secret be exploited by ruthless individuals, plunging the world into darkness.

What I think about this book:

I have mixed feelings about this book. On the positive side, I like how the author implemented Arthurian legend to form the background of the story. I also like how this adventure took place over a few exotic locales around the world. This is a fast paced, action packed thriller. This book has car chase, fist fights, gun fights, and lots of explosions. Yet, I was not particularly impressed with this book.

Let me explain:

Personally, I prefer a book of this genre to maintain the esoteric atmosphere, where the story unfolds gradually as secrets and mysteries are solved, then leading to the climax at the end. In The Secret of Excalibur, however, the structure of the book made the story feel anticlimactic, because Excalibur was discovered halfway into the book, then the remaining book focused on how the protagonists tried to prevent the sword from falling into the hands of the bad guys. This means for me, when I was reading this book, my interest in this story disappeared rapidly past the halfway mark. It felt like the story reached its climax halfway, and then the rest of the book just descended into prolonged sequences of action scenes, which were often over the top and unrealistic. The result was I skimmed through the second half of the book, because I just didn't care about the action scenes.

Overall, my opinion is that The Secret of Excalibur is the kind of book to read, if you have nothing else to read, or if you just want to read a book where you don't have to think. The premise of this book, centred around Arthurian legend, is intriguing. But ultimately this book did not impress me. I could not maintain my interest in the story, because its structure created an anticlimactic feel about the book after the halfway mark. While the unrealistic, over the top action scenes made this book feel cliched and formulaic instead of being entertaining.