The Casebook of Victor Frankenstein by Peter Ackroyd

 

The Casebook of Victor Frankenstein by Peter Ackroyd

Nan A. Talese/Doubleday

Published in 2008

ISBN 9780385530842

353 Pages

PLACES TO BUY FROM:

Amazon (Paperback)
Barnes & Noble (Paperback)

CHECKED OUT THE BOOK FROM MY PUBLIC LIBRARY.

APART OF THE GOODREADS 2011 READING CHALLENGE.

2ND REVIEW. 1ST REVIEW IS HERE.

Review/Rating:

4 out of 5



After Victor Frankenstein goes to London to study at Oxford, he meets Percy Bysshe Shelley. They become fast friends, but with Shelley's radical views, will Victor get an idea that will put him on the road to darkness?

This is the second time I'm reviewing this because I want to. :X Actually, I'm re-doing some (most) of my reviews so that I can make them (hopefully) better. With this one, I will compare it to the original a little bit more.

Anyways, in this retelling of Frankenstein, Peter Ackroyd makes it out so that a fictional character actually knows historically accurate people. I still find that part of this part kind of intriguing, and it also made this book rather interesting than if the author just told it through Victor Frankenstein's and a little bit from his monster's perspective. However, now that I read the original, I don't know what perspective is better since they both were interesting, so they both get equal points in that.

Although how both Mary Shelley and Peter Ackroyd told the story gets equal points, the descriptions and the growth of the characters actually goes to Peter Ackroyd. With Mary Shelley's, it is mostly someone re-telling Frankenstein's story as Frankenstein tells him it, so the growth and descriptions really don't have that much to grow. So, basically, I like how Peter Ackroyd tells it because the way he makes the characters grow appeals to me more than the original. Also, in Ackroyd's version, the person who turned out to be the "monster" was someone Victor Frankenstein knew and maybe even friends with. I found that also very interesting and even gave the monster even more of an identity than Shelley's version. The characters are also completely different in Ackroyd's version. It has the same thing happen to a character in each book, but the circumstance and character are off. I also like how Ackroyd did his version in that aspect as well since it had a little bit more depth and development than the original.

Let's see, some other things that are different, but I wish Ackroyd put in his version. In Mary Shelley's version, I actually felt like crying and feeling pity towards both Frankenstein and his monster. However, with Ackroyd's version, it had less emotion. Also, the ending is more disappointing and confusing than the original. The ending in the original is more emotional and appeals more to me.

Now that I had a chance to read the original, I think it would have been better if some of the original's aspects, like some of the emotion, was in this book. So, I rated it a four stars this time because, despite the original re-telling thing, I like the emotion and ending of the original Frankenstein more.

Other Reviews/Author Site:

Peter Ackroyd
Goodreads: The Casebook of Victor Frankenstein by Peter Ackroyd
Library Thing: The Casebook of Victor Frankenstein by Peter Ackroyd
New York Times Book Review: The Casebook of Victor Frankenstein
A Study of Reading Habits: Peter Ackroyd - The Casebook of Victor Frankenstein
Everything of Something: The Casebook of Victor Frankenstein by Peter Ackroyd

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, Introduction by Diane Johnson

 

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, Introduction by Diane Johnson

Bantam Dell

Published in 1818. Republished in 1967, 1981, and 2003

ISBN 0553212478

216 Pages

PLACES TO BUY FROM:

Amazon (Hardcover)
Barnes & Noble (Hardcover)

CHECKED OUT THE BOOK FROM MY PUBLIC LIBRARY.

APART OF THE GOODREADS 2011 READING CHALLENGE.

Review/Rating:

4 out of 5



While voyaging through unexplored regions of the ocean where only ice dwells, Robert Walton discovers something more than new regions. He finds a man, Victor Frankenstein, on top of an ice raft. Robert finds a friend in Victor, but he finds out that sometimes knowledge is better left alone through Victor's story --- where Victor was in the same pursuit of knowledge and created a "monster" from it.

Okay, not really a good summary, but it will do. I checked out Frankenstein from my library because I wanted to compare it with The Casebook of Victor Frankenstein by Peter Ackroyd, which I will (re) read after I finish this review. :)

Anyways, the version of Frankenstein that I read has an introduction by Diane Johnson, author's introduction and a preface by Marlow before the beginning of the actual story part. I read all those, so I will mention how informative and good they are, of course. However, it is up to you, if you read this version, whether or not you want to read them or not. With the introduction by Diane Johnson, it was very err... informative. She writes information over Mary Shelley's life and how she kind of incorporate it in her story. It also talked about some of the themes that are in the book, so if you want to draw your own conclusions, don't read the introduction all the way. Anyways, I find it interesting, and it saved me some time because I didn't have to research Mary Shelley's life. Anyways, don't read it, read it up to you. ;) Next is the author's introduction. This is where Mary Shelley explains how she got the idea, why she wrote it, and things like that. Not really necessary to read, but it is interesting. Last is the preface by Marlow, where he explains the feelings he had over Frankenstein and makes over comments. Out of all the intro parts, I would say that the preface is the least necessary one, and it is only kind of interesting. However, it is up to you whether or not to read them. :D

Anyways, onto the main part of the novel and what I thought about it. ;) This novel is told by Robert Walton through letters to his sister, Margaret. Through these letters he retells the story of Victor Frankenstein as Victor tells it to him in some sort of lesson format. Why do I say a lesson format? Hmm... Because like Victor, Robert wants to further scientific discovery, and (I think) Victor wants him to learn that with discovery comes some consequences as he found out the hard way. There are other lessons like you shouldn't judge someone by how they look because you never know how good they are on the inside. Also, if you treat them harshly just because of their looks, you don't know how they will react and take it out on someone else. And I guess another one of the lessons is that you shouldn't create something (like life/a child) if you are just going to abandon and hate it. :( Like I said, a lot of lessons about moral compasses and how you should think before you act, and I like how the author makes all these lessons visible and pull your heart to it.

Now for the things that are both good and bad. Another thing I like is how the descriptions just pull you into the book, and you can just imagine how it might look like, but it does kind of get tiring to read all them to the point where you just skip over it. So, the descriptions are both a good thing and bad thing since there are so many of them. And I think that's all the things that are both good and bad. Now, this could be good or bad to you, depending how you are, but I don't think it was really "horror" since I didn't drop the book and run away. I don't like horror since I get scared a little too easily sometimes, so the book being kind of horrorless might appeal to some of you.

While I loved the lessons, descriptions, and emotions the novel tries to surface on you, I didn't like how disappointing it was, and how empty some of the actions were. But then again, I think this book is more a "lesson" one than an action or any other type of book. Though, I was still disappointed on how it ended and the lack of details of the actual experiment and other actions, which is why it is rated 4 out of 5. Though, even though it is sort of disappointing and leaves you wanting more, it leaves enough to make you think about things you normally wouldn't or try not to. Also, the character development doesn't happen that often in Mary Shelley's version, so the book is disappointing on that end as well. However, you feel sorry for both Victor and the monster on both ends --- and feel like they are both stupid in their ways of thinking.

Overall, the disappointment is a little bit overshadowed by how it makes you think how humane you really are. Also, the lessons it teaches and the emotions it shows leaves a strange mark on your heart. I definitely will read it again because of the emotions it brings out, that is, if I ever decide to re-read it. Though, I don't think I will check out the same book because this one is kind of falling apart. :X

Other Reviews/Author Site:

Mary Shelley
Goodreads: Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, Introduction by Diane Johnson
Library Thing: Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, Introduction by Diane Johnson
The Lost Entwife: Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, Introduction by Diane Johnson

The Casebook of Victor Frankenstein by Peter Ackroyd

 

The Casebook of Victor Frankenstein by Peter Ackroyd

Nan A. Talese/Doubleday

Published in 2008

ISBN 9780385530842

353 Pages

PLACES TO BUY FROM:

Amazon (Paperback)
Barnes & Noble (Paperback)

CHECKED OUT THE BOOK FROM MY PUBLIC LIBRARY.

Review/Rating:

5 out of 5



When Victor Frankenstein goes to London to study at Oxford, he meets Percy Bysse Shelley, and they form a friendship. Will this radical thinker change Victor's musings into creating life. If he succeeds this madness, what will befall him and those around him?

In this retelling of Frankenstein, Peter Ackroyd makes it out so that Victor Frankenstein, a fictional character, actually knows Percy Bysshe Shelley, Godwin, Lord Byron, John Polidori, and even Mary Shelley, historically accurate people. I find that part of this part kind of intriguing, and it also made this book rather interesting than if the author just told it through Victor Frankenstein's and a little bit from his monster's perspective.

The description and characters' personality were all wonderful, but whether it is from solely from this author, borrowed from Mary Shelley, or a combination of his and Mary Shelley's works, I wouldn't know. Reading this retelling has made me want to read the original writing of the novel, so I can compare and see how much is his and how much is from the original. Also, the person who turned out to be the "monster" was someone Victor Frankenstein knew and maybe even friends with. I found that also very interesting and even gave the monster even more of an identity.

Let's see, I don't really know what I didn't like about the book, but the ending may be a little disappointing and unfulfilled for some (most) people. To me, the ending is only a little disappointing and unfinished, but the ending is still a little bit intriguing. Also, I think the ending of this book differs from the original. I'm not sure. :|

Other Reviews/Author Site:

Peter Ackroyd
Goodreads: The Casebook of Victor Frankenstein by Peter Ackroyd
Library Thing: The Casebook of Victor Frankenstein by Peter Ackroyd
New York Times Book Review: The Casebook of Victor Frankenstein
A Study of Reading Habits: Peter Ackroyd - The Casebook of Victor Frankenstein
Everything of Something: The Casebook of Victor Frankenstein by Peter Ackroyd

First Light by Peter Ackroyd

 

First Light by Peter Ackroyd

Grove Press

Published in 1989 (Republished in 1996)

ISBN 0802134815

328 Pages

PLACES TO BUY FROM:

Barnes & Noble (Paperback)
Amazon (Paperback)

CHECKED OUT THE BOOK FROM MY PUBLIC LIBRARY.

Review/Rating:

3 out of 5



With the discovery of an ancient astronomically aligned grave site in Dorset, everyone is excited over it --- well, pretty much everyone. You see, something or someone is doing its best to sabotage and scare the archaeologists, led by Mark Clare, from digging there and Pilgrin Valley. How is it that something as small as a grave site will bring together a group of people, who seem to have nothing in common with each other?

I'll be honest with you. I absolutely hated this book. :| And it isn't because of a lack of descriptions, which I love to have in the novels I read. I'll continue with the reasons why I didn't like the book in another paragraph since there are a lot of them. :( Oh, yeah, there might be some spoilers about the book toward the end of the review. :X

The first thing I didn't like about this book is that it was really redundant, which is one of the reasons why the book was extremely slow-moving. The slow-moving plot is another thing I didn't like about the book. It took about 100 pages just to get the characters digging and for the something/someone to sabotage the dig. Then, it went back to slow-moving until the last couple of chapters. The slow-moving gets kind of annoying, so I suggest just reading 20 pages each time you read, then take a break, and then start reading again. It kind of eases the pain of it. ;) Oh, also, the book kind of jumps from one point to another, which may confuse you if you don't take breaks to think about it.

Another thing, I found the characters rather, umm, boring and depressing. I'm used to reading books where it shows different personalities for each character, like them being happy, sad, etc. In this book, they remain their depressing selves. I can just imagine a frown on all their faces everyday.I think that's also what made it slow-moving because the characters were a little too depressing for me. :(

That's pretty much the only things I didn't like about this novel, now for the things I did like about it. Even though it is very slow-moving, the characters are depressing, and very little action, I liked how the descriptions were always there, no matter how boring it got. I know I say the book is "boring", but in a weird way, it isn't. The author uses poetry, metaphors, descriptions that make it a little less boring, and the author also uses the poetry to bring out a deeper meaning than just having a plot.

I read online that some people might be confused about the ending of the book. I have my own opinions about what it means. Think about it like this the theme mostly is about stars and how everything is connected in some sort of way, it is also about time, change, and death. At the end of the book, the characters realize that even though their find is old, the person's family, still has the right to send them back to the sky to be stars (which you may say God, in some sort of way). Also, that as stars, the souls can still be with their loved ones and watch over them. And that to see every star (soul) in the sky, will be nothing but light, which is what one of the characters sees at the end of the book. Well, I that's what I think what the ending means, whether it is right or not, I don't know.

Also, I know I put "supernatural" and "horror" as the genre, but it isn't really supernatural or horror. I just put that because of the summary on the back of the book. Unless you scare easily or are very superstitious, it won't be those genre for you. :)

I rated it a three mostly because of the deeper meaning... I would have rated it a two, that is, if it didn't have that deeper meaning that I like so much. ;) So don't read, if you don't like slow-moving, redundant novels. Also, you have to figure out the deeper meaning to really enjoy the book, but you have to get through the parts I found annoying first. :D

Other Reviews/Author Site:

Peter Ackroyd
Goodreads: First Light by Peter Ackroyd
Library Thing: First Light by Peter Ackroyd
LA Times Book Review: First Light by Peter Ackroyd

Trust Me by Jeff Abbott

 

Trust Me by Jeff Abbott

Dutton

Published in 2009

ISBN 9780525951216

372 Pages

PLACES TO BUY FROM:

Amazon (Hardcover)
Barnes & Noble (Hardcover)

CHECKED OUT THE BOOK FROM MY PUBLIC LIBRARY.

Review/Rating:

3 out of 5



Working on his stepfather's think tank, Luke Dantry posts on forums and other online communities known for their users being extremists and reports back to his stepfather the users who he thinks are capable of doing terrorists acts. Mostly, Luke thinks the majority of them are just frustrated and aren't capable of doing the things they say they will. However, he is proven wrong when he is kidnapped and taken to a cabin hidden in the woods. What will he do when he finds out this betrayal runs deeper than he thinks?

This time the book review is over a mystery, suspense, action, thriller adult novel. I'm trying to take a break from the young adult books for a little bit. ;)

For an action and thriller novel, the plot and characters are all pretty average. Why average? Because in most action and thriller books I read it usually goes like this: The main character gets in trouble, main character escapes multiple attempts on his/her life, main character meets up with old faces and gets betrayed by someone they know, and then, the main character saves the day. That is pretty much how this book went.

Although there were a lot of details, going through and finishing the book was very tedious and sort of boring. In this case, I found it boring because of how typical it was, not because of too many details and descriptions. I liked how the author described the appearance of most of the characters in the book since not that many authors give those kind of descriptions anymore. Another thing I liked about the book is that it showed that the Internet isn't as safe as you think because people can still find out where you are --- it is something to think over when you do things online.

Those are pretty much the only things I liked about the book. The main things I didn't like about the book are the typical plot for this kind of genre, even though it is enjoyable on some levels in other books, it isn't in this book. Also, the politics in the book are very boring. Anyways, it is an okay read, if you want the typical parts and like descriptions. As for me, it was an average book with a lot of boredom in-between the action parts.

Other Reviews/Author Site:

Jeff Abbott
Goodreads: Trust Me by Jeff Abbott
Library Thing: Trust Me by Jeff Abbott
Diana Page Jordan: Stepfathers, Terrorism on the Web, and Trust Me!
Genre Go Round Reviews: Trust Me - Jeff Abbott
Trust Me by Jeff Abbott (Mystery Book Review)

The Scourge of God by William Dietrich

 

The Scourge of God by William Dietrich

Harper Collins Publishers

Published in 2005

ISBN 006073499X

334 Pages

PLACES TO BUY FROM:

Amazon (Paperback)
Barnes & Noble (Paperback)

CHECKED OUT THE BOOK FROM MY PUBLIC LIBRARY.

Review/Rating:

5 out of 5




When Attila, king of the Huns, seeks to invade Rome, he threatens the end of civilization as Jonas knows it. In order to prevent Attila from invading the Eastern Roman Empire, they dispatch a group of ambassadors to Attila's camp in order to seek peace. However, some people in that group is in a plot to get a Hun warlord to assassinate their leader, and when Attila finds out about this, he keeps Jonas hostage while killing or sending away the others. As a hostage at the Hun camp, Jonas meets a beautiful, captured Roman woman, Illana, and falls in love with her, but the problem is that she is promised to the Hun warrior that saved her during the destruction of her city. Jonas, wanting to escape with Illana, tries to come up a plan to escape with a sword, Illana, a fool and his wife, and himself --- but it fails, leaving Illana in the clutches of a very angry Attila.

With the sword, they try to gather allies to help Rome and all of civilization to win against Attila, who threatens to destroy everything they hold dear. Will they succeed --- and will Jonas rescue his love?

Okay, first of all, I love history-fiction, so, of course, I'm going to give this book a good review. :) There also might be spoilers in my reviews, but please try to ignore that. :P

I admit that I didn't know much about this time in history, but even though it is fiction, I became interested through the characters, plot, and a lot of description. ;) Though, the description of the battle scene and what the corpses looked like --- I could have gone without that. :(

There is enough description in this book to drag you into that era and get an idea of how people might have lived during the time Attila might have been alive, and also it will get you thinking what would have happen if Attila had won those deciding battles/war in history. The politics in the book were kind of blech, but it makes up the boring politics with some very descriptive battles --- to the point you just read quick over --- and some history. I haven't verified how much is actually true, but the general outlook of the plot --- minus 3 or 4 of the main characters --- is pretty accurate to what happened in history, for what we actually know from that time period.

The book begins with a prologue, but in the book, they called it "introduction". In the introduction, it begins with Jonas telling you a very general summary of what had happened to him in the past and kind of what's happening with him now. Then, after that, it goes on about the affair of Honoria and the events that Jonas was hinting about in the introduction. So, basically, it goes from the present to the past and back to the present again and then a little bit, maybe, of what will happen in the future.

I think it was very descriptive --- I know I've said that like 200 million times, but, hey it is my review --- and didn't have that many or no holes in the plot or the time line of what was happening. The ending was an epilogue and made the plot a little bit more completed than if the author would have stopped with just what happened to Jonas and Illana. I suggest you don't read if you don't like history fiction or a little bit of gory details. :)

Other Reviews/Author Site:

William Dietrich
Goodreads: The Scourge of God by William Dietrich
Library Thing: The Scourge of God by William Dietrich

The Romanov Prophecy by Steve Berry

 

The Romanov Prophecy by Steve Berry

Ballantine Books

Published in 2004

ISBN 0345460057

373 Pages

PLACES TO BUY FROM:

Amazon (Paperback)
Barnes & Noble (Paperback)

CHECKED OUT THE BOOK FROM MY PUBLIC LIBRARY.

Review/Rating:

5 out of 5



After the Russian citizens votes to bring back the monarchy, it is up to Miles Lord, a lawyer from Atlanta, to make sure there is nothing in his client's, Stefan Baklanov, background that will take the throne away from him. It was just an ordinary assignment until gunmen try to kill him on the city plaza, and now, he has to figure out why they are after him. He does some research and through reading Rasputin's writings, he discovers that there might be a direct descendant from the last tsar, Nicholas II, which will threaten the plans set by the people, who were sent to kill him. Miles only companion is Akilina Petrovna, and it's only with these two can the mystery of Nicholas II's direct descendant be solved, according to Rasputin's prophecy, but, first, will they be able to survive from the attempts on their lives?

In the beginning of The Romanov Prophecy, it starts with violence and some gory details of the scene --- yeah, it was a lovely, vivid picture in my mind, and I didn't like that much detail of gory scenes filled with blood that much. Anyways, it starts with the killing attempts on Miles Lord's life, but if you're wondering why he's in Russia getting killed, you have to either read the summary or wait until later on in the novel --- which will explain in great detail as to why he's there and all those tid-bits that can be boring at times. ;)

The idea of the prophecy and combining it with Rasputin, who is usual is viewed as a conman, was very well thought out mixed with some history of Russia --- it was pretty interesting reading that Rasputin was a viewed as a good guy in the end of a novel. This is one of the main reasons I wanted to read this book. :)

The ending was well thought of and came to an end that was really good, and to get to the great ending, it had great detail of history and description of what happened --- which got a little boring at times. Throughout the book there are a lot of politics, violence, racial prejudice, culture and history of Russia, a little bit of mystery, and a lot more politics --- bleh! :( Things I liked about the book are the culture and history of Russian that he added in there, the clever idea of Rasputin actually being a good guy and coming up with the prophecy, the mystery whether or not there was a direct descendant of Nicholas II, and also, how it showed that the United States isn't the only one that has racial problems and how to deal with it. The things I didn't like about it are the politics and details of the murder/gory scenes. All in all, it was actually a pretty good book, if you can stand the violence, politics, details, and the boring parts.

Other Reviews/Author Site:

Steve Berry
Goodreads: The Romanov Prophecy by Steve Berry
Library Thing: The Romanov Prophecy by Steve Berry
Bookwormom: Review: The Romanov Prophecy by Steve Berry