The Private Patient

The Private Patient - P D James

This is an example of PD James at her very best.  The private patient is another of the Adam Dalgleish Mysteries. Dalgleish and his team get involved in a murder which occurs at a private clinic in Dorset.  A patient has been murdered and as usual there is a list of characters who we can choose from who is the culprit.  It is gentle and beautifully written as one would expect.  I read this on holiday which is the best time as you can give the novel your full attention.  I recommend PD James to anyone who likes murder mystery stories.  The characters are beautifully crafted however they are from another time.  They do appear to be slightly dated in their construction and could have walked out of an Agatha Christy story.

I give this an 8 out of 10

JB

The Enemy

The Enemy by Charlie Higson

First book in a new series by the bestselling author of Young Bond.
This book has been written for teenagers about my age. I did enjoy this book but I was a bit unsure about the plot. The book was mainly about every adult over fourteen turning into a zombie that feeds on the human population that’s left. This means that only children are left and they are fighting for survival. Many groups of kids have joined up in supermarkets and buildings that have defence mechanisms built in already. The group we read about is living in a Waitrose that has automatic gates at the front of the store. They then get news that Buckingham palace has lots of children that are safe and are eating good and home grown food. They then set off across London to get to Buckingham Palace. On this journey they encounter many adults and lose a lot of small kids. I am giving it 6/10 as I don't personally like zombie stories.

MB

I was not sure about this book when I first picked it up. However Charlie Higson as always is a masterful story teller and tells a tale of horror and a post apocalyptic world where all of the adults have been infected by a virus or infection which turns them into thoughtless zombies who roam the streets eating anything they encounter. Children on the other hand are not infected and spend their time avoiding the adult zombies. This is not a new concept and a number of books and films have dealt with this type of story in the past. However Charlie is able to direct this effectively at the audience he is aiming for making it relevant and interesting. I did enjoy this story and was impressed with the detail. I am not sure that there is a main character in this story however that does not detract from the quality of the writing. I give this a 7 out of 10 and will be reading the next one when it comes out.
JB
Overall 6.5/10

All Quiet on the Western Front

All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque

This book came originally from school as I read it in class in my English lessons. It was a very good book as it explained what life was like in WWI. It told us how battles were won and lost, a lot about life in trenches and the kind of food a treatment they get from high ranking officers. I really enjoyed this book as it linked in with what I have been doing lately in my History lessons. The story was based on a German soldier called Paul Baumer who was on the Western front, fighting against British and French troops. It tells us about how he recruited along with his school mates at the age of seventeen and went straight to a training camp on the outskirts of his town. It then says how he goes up to the front line and sees terrible things: People being ripped to shredds by machine guns and mortars, gas bombs and people suffocating in them and horses being wounded in battle. Unfortunately he is wounded nearer the end and has to go to a hospital that is run by nuns. As soon as he gets out and back to the front line he finds out that most of his friends are dead. Suddenly his last friend dies and he is left alone to fight with other German soldiers he does not know. I really enjoyed this book as I thought that it spread light on what soldiers in the First World War had to put up with. I am giving it 9/10.

MB

I had never considered reading this book until Matthew told me about it. I was surprised at how easy it was to read, a reflection of the superb translation that was done. I was impressed by the graphic detail which did not hold back on the horror of the Great War and the impact that it had on a generation. At the time we were in Normandy and we visited a number of sites which had been attacked during the Second World War and it brought home to me the massive impact that war has not only physically but also psychologically on the troops and the local population where the battles took place. The style reminded me of the books by Sven Hassle which I had read as a teenager. This book is moving and though provoking and at this time of conflict (Afghanistan and Iraq) it is just as relevant today as it was then. No wonder the Third Reich banned it and revoked his citizenship. I give it a 10 out of 10.

JB

Overall 9.5/10

Brisingr

Brisingr by Christopher Paolini.

Third book in the Inheritance series.

This book by the Italien writer Christopher Paolini was a very amzing book. I liked the style, the story, and the way the characters behave and interacted with each other. I believe that the way the humans act towards the Kull is much like the way humans would in a real life situation. This was a very big book with over seven hundred pages and a few diiferent parts. They included Eragon rescuing his brother's beloved, going back to Farthern Dur to prompt the dwarves in making a decision on who should be their new king, the journey to Ellesmera where he gets more tuition and then an attack on a city controlled by The Empire. There is one more book in this series which I am really looking forward to reading and will sadly end the Inheritance series. I am giving this book 9/10.

MB

The story of the boy who found a dragons egg which hatched for him and turned him from a lowly farmboy to a famed Dragon Rider continues.  In this the third installment from this young writer who is able to weave three or four threads of the story together at the same time.  In this the story follows the Cousin of Eragon known as Stronghammer and his ascent as a leader of men.  As fanatasy stoires go this is a good example of the Genre with a well though out plot and a gripping story.  I am suprised that the story will now continue into a fourth book as I was under the impression that it ws going to be a trilogy.  I hope the author does not make the mistake of continuing into a fifth and sixth book as I feel that this would be a case of milking the success of this story.  I would like to see the author stretch his obvious talent in another direction. I give this an 8 out of 10

JB

Overall 8.5/10.