Matthew ( Arizona )
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Matthew's reviews
| My Reviews - Page 1 of 15 |
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Matthew posted a review at 2009-11-14 12:44:38 for The Shack.
(Language: English)
   
Definitely an interesting read that offers an insightful and very accessible interpretation of Christian theology. The manifestation of the Trinity is the best part of the book, wherein fully demonstrating the worldliness and connectivity of different people and classes among the religious world—something sorely lacking in today’s society. While the repetition of Mack’s outbursts in every chapter does get literarily trite and stagnant, it does push increasingly difficult theological issues to the forefront every chapter, which is where the novel’s success ultimately lies.
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Matthew posted a review at 2009-11-11 19:57:32 for The Idiot.
(Language: English)
I am now fully convinced that the reading of Dostoyevsky is best appreciated in the there-after, instead of the present-time. That said, this novel is a melodramatic and overzealous pairings and sparings among a large (although extremely well developed) set of characters---"frenemies," if you will....ugh. However, it is the complexities in trying to decipher Dostoyevsky's symbolizism of the "idiot" (who is one really, why, how, and for what purpose in society) that one gets the shocking breadth of this immense work in the there-after.
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Matthew posted a review at 2009-10-19 15:13:54 for Rising Sun.
(Language: English)
Lackluster ‘whodunit’ plot that gets a little preachy about Crichton’s own views on the Japanese—it plays a fine line between intriguing thoughts and inappropriate denouncements. However, Crichton’s affinity for the “car accident ploy,” that he uses effectively in State of Fear, started (ineffectively) here in this novel first. Ugh.
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Matthew posted a review at 2009-10-10 11:10:00 for Congo / Congo.
(Language: English)
Compelling, if not a bit jumpy, read about an exciting trip into the heart of Congo. Crichton’s take on the Lost World format is refreshing, but very much a deadening homage as well. I’d rather read his Jurassic’ Lost World or some old-school Bertram Mitford instead.
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Matthew posted a review at 2009-10-06 20:04:48 for The Best of H. P. Lovecraft: Bloodcurdling Tales of Horror and the Macabre.
(Language: English)
A great literary medium wherein the horror lies in what it not seen, versus the oh-so-usual bloodiness of what is seen. Lovecraft dwells on the unexplainable and the ineffable for scares, and while it can be pretty damn boring some times, it’s outright genius and sophisticatedly frightening in some stories in this collection: The Shadow Over Innsmouth, The Shadow Out of Time, and The Call of Cthulhu.
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Matthew posted a review at 2009-09-30 05:22:49 for Digital Fortress.
(Language: English)
A lackadaisical read that felt like a lame picaresque novel, going from point A to point B with too many “of course,” moments. The reader seemed to always know what was going to happen before the characters, creating a static plotline with seemingly unemotional characterization. Besides, I expected Dan Brown to dig deeper with the NSA, the book’s hot-button, but seemed less than interested in this secret government agency.
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Matthew posted a review at 2009-09-20 13:04:33 for Deception Point.
(Language: English)
A very compelling read about the possibilities of extraterrestrial life, and at what cost people will go to ensure those possibilities. The first half of the book is all on the book cover, but the last half is very exciting and with "edge-of-your-seat" thrills. However, the sub rescue in the middle of the book was a bit too much deus ex machina....and a bit too ridiculous. But overall....great read.
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Matthew posted a review at 2009-09-14 17:04:13 for Eaters of the Dead.
(Language: English)
Interesting, fictious "scholarly monograph" that revolves around the Beowulf myth, wherein Crichton challenges himself to make the original story exciting for a modern audience. He does succeed in keeping the action upbeat, but always reminded how much I actually do like the original more than this updated version.
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Matthew posted a review at 2009-09-11 23:13:51 for Disclosure.
(Language: English)
Solid and tense Crichton book that lacks any sort-of action, but makes up for it with the conflict of the genderized glass ceiling. And Meredith Johnson is a classic femme fatale, or really quite literally, a ripe (capitalized) Bitch. Even with mostly dialogue and out-dated technology, it was a very exciting book throughout.
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Matthew posted a review at 2009-09-04 11:33:13 for The Great Train Robbery.
(Language: English)
Fast-paced heist that lacks certain Crichtonian elements (like tons of science and a wide range of characters), yet still manages to entertain and keep the excitement going. The sole main character, Edward Pierce, is loosely based on Edmond Dantes, and the story revolves around him being a jack-of-all-trades. The story's interest is in the gothic way the novel is "retold" a century later as our narrator recounts about the crime and, mainly, the ensuing trial.
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