Date Read: February 2010
In 256 A.D., the specter of treachery hangs ominously over the Roman Empire. The sparks of Christian fervor have spread through the empire like wildfire, and the imperium is alive with the machinations of dangerous and powerful men. All the while, Sassanid forces press forward relentlessly along the eastern frontier. The battle-bloodied General Ballista returns to the imperial court from the fallen city of Arete only to find that there are those who would rather see him dead than alive. Ballista is soon caught in a sinister web of intrigue and religious fanaticism, and his courage and loyalty will be put to the ultimate test in the service of Rome and the emperor.
My Thoughts: I think that the first in this series was brilliant and so I read the second with a slight amount of caution and absolutely loved it. I am desperate for the third book to be published now - I just can't get enough of this heroic Roman warrior and his entourage...
I RATED IT 8/10
Date Read: February 2010
Death, a sardonic and articulate character who is afraid of humans, narrates this WWII coming-of-age story about faith, love, hope amidst tragedy.
My Thoughts: The only book that has ever made me cry. The Book Thief is the most beautifully crafted read, as told by Death himself (who has much more to him than you would imagine). Zusak has such a stark and colourful way with words that quite often I found myself nodding with approval at the pages. His characters come to full life and the settings are vivid and very real.
This is a book to immerse yourself in completely; it will run you right through every emotion and back again, dealing with friendship, love, loss and death in the most delicate and touching way possible.
Heart breaking and heart warming all at once.
I RATED THIS 10/10
Date Read: January 2012
A father and his son walk alone through burned America. Nothing moves in the ravaged landscape save the ash on the wind. It is cold enough to crack stones, and when the snow falls it is gray. The sky is dark. Their destination is the coast, although they don't know what, if anything, awaits them there. They have nothing; just a pistol to defend themselves against the lawless bands that stalk the road, the clothes they are wearing, a cart of scavenged food—and each other.
My Thoughts: An anonymous man and his anonymous son follow a long road towards hope in a post-apocalyptic America. We never get to know how the end of the world came about, the characters themselves probably don't have a clue either and it really doesn't matter; all that they have left is each other and the supplies that they can carry with them.
Full of grit and imagery that will appear as vivid as it is haunting, the style in which McCarthy writes suits the situation so perfectly that it is stunning. Exploring the relationship between a father and his son, the nameless pair battle on together even when everything around them crumbles and falls. I know that there has been a lot of controversy surrounding this title: some love it and some hate it. I loved it for it's brutal darkness, tenacious hope and bleak settings. I could see it - it was right there as I was reading.
I RATED IT 10/10
Date Read: January 2010
A world of tomorrow in which capitalist civilization has been reconstituted through the most efficient scientific and psychological engineering, where the people are genetically designed to be passive, consistently useful to the ruling class.
My Thoughts: A stunner of a book. Brilliantly written and has some great characters. This book not only is clear, moves quickly and keeps the pages turning (which can't really be said for Orwell's 1984) - but it raises similar questions about society and our individual personal struggles for happiness.
Would we cut out the struggle if we could? Would we give up everything if it meant we could be content? A disturbing dystopian read which certainly made it's mark on me and I'm sure will do the same for others.
I RATED IT 10/10
Date Read: September 2009
The most shocking secret in the history of mankind is about to be revealed...
A murderer is on the loose on the streets of New York City: nicknamed the Doomsday Killer, he's claimed six victims in just two weeks, and the city is terrified. Even worse, the police are mystified: the victims have nothing in common, defying all profiling, and all that connects them is that each received a sick postcard in the mail before they died - a postcard that announced their date of death.
My Thoughts: I thought that this book was amazing - Will was a well-rounded character, and the flips back in time kept the story interesting and flowing nicely. I absolutely loved the ending (which is always important as it made me want to get the next one).
The way that the plot laces together and ties up at the end is fascinating - it left me with a bit of a chill down my spine and I couldn't help but smile at the cleverness of it all as I closed the book after reading the last page.
An awesome read - definitely one to be recommended. Specially if you love a bit of mystery and want something that is going to get your brain ticking over.
I RATED IT 10/10
Date Read: July 2009
AD 255—the Roman imperium is stretched to the breaking point, its authority and might challenged throughout the territories and along every border. One man is sent to marshal the defenses of a lonely city and to shore up the crumbling walls of a once indomitable symbol of Roman power, a man whose very name means war: a man called Ballista. So unfolds an epic drama — a story of empire, heroes, treachery, courage, and most of all, of brutal, bloody warfare.
My Thoughts: Warrior of Rome - Fire in the East, was the very first book of Roman fiction that I picked up and I definitely was not disappointed. Harry brings you right into the world of Ballista and his entourage, and you experience the twists and turns and betrayals first hand.
Ballista is a very strong character, and this most certainly is the main driving force behind my adoration of the books.
I RATED IT 10/10
Date Read: February 2010
