Pound for pound, the greatest novel ever written in the English language.
Conrad got to see King Leopold's Africa and brilliantly portrays it in this classic frame tale. Journey with Marlowe up the mighty mysterious Congo River and discover the brutality that all humans are capable of.
The ending? It punches a hole straight through my heart, every time.
This is a surprisingly modern thriller with espionage, geopolitics and good old-fashioned fisticuffs. It's compulsively readable. A rip-roaring story told in the chaos after World War 1, about British and regional interests in the Middle East. The anti-Semitism disappointed me quite a bit but if nothing else is true to the time and place of the story.
I read all five books in this series and truly enjoyed them. All too often we find that these out-of-copyright ebooks are difficult to read and generally inaccessible. This book and its sequels are different. They are truly excellent stories that hold up vs. today's thrillers.
This is a solid piece of golden-age science fiction. It has adventure aplenty along with the standard scifi conceits that seem rather primitive by today's standards (a robot controlled with an "infrared pencil," neutronium armor on ships, interstellar conquest). Nevertheless it's great fun.
If you fused Star Trek with Blackbeard the pirate, you'd get Space Vikings.
Although the racism of the time is hard to stomach, Haggard's work is one of the best adventure stories I've ever read. It's like Indiana Jones meets Conan the Barbarian. Highly recommended for anyone who enjoys the adventures of Robert Louis Stevenson, or for anyone who likes stories set in colonial Africa.
A lot of fun -- a great read -- some truly memorable moments.
This is not your typical ebook -- it's not a "quick read," nor a "quick easy read." These stories are challenging and require some work on the part of the reader. I can't, for example, imagine reading them on an airplane. Dan Brown fans need not apply.
Nevertheless, Stranger Things Happen is a fantastic book. Each story takes the reader to a strange new world where unexpected things happen. Each story is like a piece of intricate jewelry unearthed at an archaeological site.
Is it for everyone? Absolutely not. Is it for you? If you love fairy tales, urban magic and Shirley Jackson, then yes.
Recent comments: User reviews
Conrad got to see King Leopold's Africa and brilliantly portrays it in this classic frame tale. Journey with Marlowe up the mighty mysterious Congo River and discover the brutality that all humans are capable of.
The ending? It punches a hole straight through my heart, every time.
I read all five books in this series and truly enjoyed them. All too often we find that these out-of-copyright ebooks are difficult to read and generally inaccessible. This book and its sequels are different. They are truly excellent stories that hold up vs. today's thrillers.
If you fused Star Trek with Blackbeard the pirate, you'd get Space Vikings.
A lot of fun -- a great read -- some truly memorable moments.
Nevertheless, Stranger Things Happen is a fantastic book. Each story takes the reader to a strange new world where unexpected things happen. Each story is like a piece of intricate jewelry unearthed at an archaeological site.
Is it for everyone? Absolutely not. Is it for you? If you love fairy tales, urban magic and Shirley Jackson, then yes.