Book Review - 'Something Wicked This Way Comes' by Ray Bradbury

2020 EDIT: Yeah, I'm not wasting any more of my time on this.

SO. MANY. METAPHORS.

The amount of metaphors and self-aggrandizing in this book could topple the Eiffel Tower.

Ray Bradbury was a good writer, but he tended to wax lyrical a lot, and go overboard with meandering purple prose in order to evoke imagery. He took it to whole new levels in 'Something Wicked This Way Comes', where the imagery isn't very provocative or clever, and often makes no sense. Too many times whilst slogging through 'Something Wicked' I thought, "What the hell are you talking about? Get to the bloody point already!". If not that, then I'm constantly blinking and thinking, "...what?". The beginning of the book is the worst offender. Figures of speech are repeated and switched around over and over again.

The written word that is obsessed with metaphors is done at the expense of the plot and the characters. Action takes so far a backseat (at least in the first seventeen chapters or so) that even details that should flow naturally in the writing go missing; such as what certain characters, interacting with one another, are doing and/or holding on to at that moment. Events, voices and things just pop right into the narrative, out of nowhere, and the reaction of the characters is less than nonplussed. It's like people and settings barely exist on page.

If that was the intended atmosphere, I still don't have to like it. It is the same reason why I'm not a fan of magical realism novels: For me personally, if you want to get "weird" or "mysterious", remember that even in the fantasy genre, there needs to be rules and some grounding in reality, for believability and investment, and we should still care about the characters - who should feel like real people - and what happens to them.

The writing overshadows and undermines those most crucial elements in any book - characters, story and action - and I didn't care about anyone and anything. Hardly any of the names on the pages act like human beings.

How did I manage to read 'Something Wicked' all those years ago, let alone love it? I don't remember. To be honest, I hardly remembered anything that happened in the book before deciding to reread it. The creepy horror atmosphere had stayed with me, thanks to the overly-wordy and self-indulgent writing. Sorry, but 'Something Wicked This Way Comes' is pretentious. It contains some awesome horror elements, but the writing ruins it for me.

And what is all this about women being magical creatures who are unaffected by time, who are time, who are never stressed, and who never worry and tire? Not like men do - like fathers do. Women are "immortal" and perfect angels because of motherhood? Aaaaaaaaaaaarrrrgh! Again, what was even the point of those paragraphs (on pages 51-52 of my copy)? The stay-at-home mothers in this book are barely characters, predictably. They don't do anything!

Based on my original review, I'm sure 'Something Wicked This Way Comes' has an audience, particularly with younger readers. But I couldn't stand it now, without the nostalgia goggles. It's no longer a favourite of mine.

Final Score: 2/5





Sometimes it's hard to review something you love. Because you can't top what others have already said about it, praising it. They've taken the words right out of your mouth and said it better than you ever could. That's the case for me anyway.

But I feel I have to say my piece regarding Ray Bradbury's masterwork, 'Something Wicked This Way Comes'. It is beautiful, haunting, frightening, sad, intelligent, poignant, very imaginative, and is written in a prose and choice of words which any poet would be jealous of.

'Something Wicked This Way Comes' is a tale about friendship, family, growing up, growing old, and the dire consequences of wishes. You'll feel glad of your life and childhood once you've read this. Another way to describe it is that it's a coming-of-age magical reality horror story that is executed to pure brilliance. Its imagery, themes and characters are engaging and they grip you on each thrilling page.

Mr Dark, aka The Illustrated Man, is one of the best literary villains of all time. Scary, sadistic and macabre to the extreme, you won't believe he might be an actual human being and not an evil spirit. The eyes, the eyes!

The carnival - the Pandemonium Shadow Show - shrouded in mystery, is alluring to children and their parents. But what lies beneath is blood-curdling; a realm where wishes lead to torture and doom. Not to mention the carnival itself is creative - with mirrors that reflect one's very soul and insecurities, etc. It's a vampire carnival of sorts, as it and its poor "freaks" only appear at night.

Rich, dark, claustrophobic, and as spellbinding as the contents in the story, 'Something Wicked This Way Comes' is a truly wicked read.

(I've tried to make this review all mysterious without giving much away, to make it seem fresh, and to emulate the novel. I can't do it well - I can't write like Mr Bradbury could - but it never hurt to give it a go. How 'bout you give 'Something Wicked' a go if you haven't yet, hmm?)

Final Score: 5/5

Book Review - 'Paradise Lost' by John Milton

2021 EDIT: The language is still beautiful and enticing, but maybe I no longer have the patience for poetry that's hundreds of pages long. 'Paradise Lost' is a triumph in classic literature, but good grief it is dense. It might be best absorbed slowly and at one piece at a time. I don't agree with a lot of its views (what the myriad of interpretations can be gleaned out of them, anyway). And yeah, it is sexist, but I expected that. I hope Milton appreciated the hard work his daughter did in helping him to write this, in his blindness.

Final Score: 3.5/5





Original Review:



'Better to reign in Hell, than serve in Heav'n'


The longest poem I've ever read.
I regret not one bit of it.

Once I got used to the language and prose,
'Paradise Lost' left me feeling anything but lost.
It is gorgeous, slow moving
But beautiful literature.

I prefer not to say what my religious beliefs are here. But I will talk about this book from a literary standpoint and will put my own interpretations on what poet John Milton wanted to say in his last masterpiece, which he put together when he was blind.

Contrary to popular belief, 'Paradise Lost' is not intended to make us sympathise with Satan and his fall. The first quarter or so of the book does focus on the rage, jealousy and deep-rooted despair of Satan - also called Lucifer, the Devil, and the Fiend - at being driven all the way down to Hell after a battle in Heaven. However, the rest of the story focuses on Adam and his not heeding the warnings of God and the angel Raphael about giving in to temptation. Adam's damnation over his and Eve's sin - dooming earth and mankind forever - becomes the ending revelation. Satan physically disappears back in Hell (he is the Serpent - the form he possessed when he first brought sin into the earth) and is an enigma that humanity must defeat by not repeating the mistakes of their forefathers.

It is clear that Milton wanted to use Satan as a cautionary figure against temptation and hence sin. 'Paradise Lost' is Adam's human tragedy with a light of hope for the future.

As for the first mother Eve, I have a complex and rambling theory about her role in Genesis as Milton told it:

History and our oldest surviving stories do seem to paint women as being the blame for all things wrong with humanity and the world. Just look at 'Pandora's Box'. I always saw this as an excuse for patriarchal societies not wanting to portray men as being weak and responsible for their own actions. In 'Paradise Lost', Eve is made to see herself in relation to Adam only; she herself is not her own person - as shown when she sees her reflection for the first time in water after being born out of Adam's rib. She seeks independence by doing her labours in Eden without her deemed-superior husband - and independence means being seen as equal to man, and not as an inferior. She thinks their gardening work will get done faster if they do separate tasks. Eve does her work out of love and obedience to God - her other creator - as Adam does, so she should already be seen as equal to her partner in love and helping.

When Satan sees Eve alone, he tricks her into eating the fruit (which he calls apples: no one else in the poem calls them that, symbolising his rebellion against God) from the Tree of Knowledge. Eve hopes to become as wise as a man - who she is made to see as higher than herself, like God - by eating the fruit. But in doing this, she performs humanity's first great sin - curiosity.

As for the Seed of Women being the source of all evil: when you think about it, the males in 'Paradise Lost' - such as Adam, the Almighty King and Satan - are, to put it mildly, not very nice. Adam is bitter to Eve when he lets himself give in to eating the fruit by Eve's recommendation; he blames her, however it is not clear whether he wouldn't have eaten the fruit if he were the one first persuaded by Satan alone. Eve may have just been at the wrong place at the wrong time. This links to stories often blaming a hero's fall on a woman, not considering that men, like everyone else, are responsible for their own actions, even if women (seeking equality) did tempt them. And who knows if either Adam or Eve would not have eaten the forbidden fruit sooner or later anyway - and Satan was only speeding things up. Adam doesn't change his views on women in the end when he repents for his mistakes; continuing to view his wife and only lifetime companion as inferior and meek.

God works in mysterious ways by creating and placing the forbidden Tree of Knowledge in Eden in the first place. Perhaps he was testing humanity, seeing if they would avoid the tragic sin of temptation and curiosity; which would end up being a very human trait. Satan, a former and supposedly androgynous angel, expressed humanity - meaning: temptation - when he became jealous of the Son of God for being higher up and more loved than the most revered of angels. So he formed a rebellion - and thus his downfall.

And all this simply because the tragic figures of this story wanted to see if they could be equal to God. To serve him wasn't enough: true love and devotion might come out of not only being good, but out of being treated equally to their Creator.

So while I do see how 'Paradise Lost' can be viewed as a misogynistic piece of work, really the masculine forms are not seen in a much better light. Eve wanted to be independent and like the more "superior" man, and by expressing curiosity and greed, she achieved that. She achieved being human - both a man and a woman.

I view 'Paradise Lost' as being about human's so-called faults in trying to be more than they were set out to be by their Maker. Whether its morals are right or debatable is up to the reader.

I know I'm rambling, and likely Milton did not intend this to be his message, but this epic poem is such that different interpretations can be read from it by different people.

Interpretations such as: what is paradise exactly? Is it the same to everyone? An idea for a world of peace and purity, no sin whatsoever? Where the bad side of humanity cannot stain, otherwise all is lost?

'Paradise Lost' - told to justify the ways of God? Or to show the cruelty of Christianity? Or better still, to show that Christianity might have been built on misanthropy, to set us right with morals?

Well, however you view it, it is a brilliant literary landmark. Best read slowly, especially if like myself you are not used to reading poetry form. But in the end it is worth it; if not for its Genesis retelling, then for its language.

Similar to the Bible, it is an epic to last all of mankind with its messages, long after the time it was written.

Final Score: 4.5/5

Book Review - 'The Hobbit' by J.R.R Tolkien

2021 EDIT:

I don't care for this anymore. I haven't cared, really, for a very long time. In fact I never cared for anything Middle-earth, as blasphemous as that sounds coming from a fantasy fan. I still highly respect it, and appreciate it for its gargantuan impact and influence on the fantasy genre - and on literature as a whole. It's a classic. But is it to be enjoyed in this day and age? In my opinion, not so much.

Read this Goodreads review here for more information, on why I ultimately decided to change my rating.

Final Score: 3/5





Original Review:


A joyful and very well-written children's fantasy adventure. J.R.R Tolkien's creation and its consistent world building is astounding. It's hard to believe he actually started Middle Earth out as a setting for his children's bedtime fables. No doubt the Oxford professor could write worlds on such a huge scale, but at the same time not forgetting the most important aspects in telling a story - the story itself and the characters.

Now I confess that despite being a lover of fantasy, I'm not a big fan of 'The Lord of the Rings'. I don't think it's bad or anything, it's just too much of a spectacle for me, with not enough distinguishable characters. The vast world and history of Middle Earth is overwhelming. Also I'm a fantasy fan who prefers stories a bit closer to home.

But I found I still enjoyed 'The Hobbit', because despite being grounded to consistent rules it doesn't take itself too seriously. It's just so much fun. Some lines in the book did make me laugh out loud.

Each character is surprisingly distinguishable - there are so many dwarves on the quest! With poor Bilbo Baggins being dragged into it by his wizard friend Gandalf for no explained reason. As is the way with children's stories, you may have to come up with your own theories for these fun leaps in logic. Mine is that Gandalf wanted to get Bilbo out of his comfort zone in his little Hobbit hole and experience adventures outside the Shire. Never mind handkerchiefs and buttons! The hobbit himself develops throughout his story and becomes braver, smarter and more resourceful. He does his hobbit legacy proud, and his species' natural skills are not wasted.

The journey has many memorable events and creatures, each as dangerous as the last. Stakes are high, and life is made very difficult. All for taking back gold from a villainous dragon - this isn't a saving-the-world-type quest Bilbo finds himself in, it's to get back a dwarf's gold and restore a kingdom after so long. All the more entertaining and wacky right?

Now, the reasons why 'The Hobbit' misses one star? I thought it did drag somewhat towards the end, when the quest should be complete but other things need to be sorted out, which involve locals and with locals come more characters to remember. This was when I got exhausted by the writing that is rich in detail.

Also there isn't a single female character in this book. Yep, not even a chambermaid or wife or mother of any of the characters is mentioned (except for Bilbo's mother, but very briefly and only in the beginning of the book). Later 'The Lord of the Rings' will show us that the species of Middle Earth don't reproduce asexually, but where were all the women at the beginning?

But despite all that, 'The Hobbit' is a classic fantasy enjoyable for both children and adults. You feel you are on the hard journey with Bilbo across Middle Earth.

In a lot of ways 'The Hobbit' paved way for the conventions and tropes we see in the fantasy genre today. J.R.R Tolkien is considered the father of modern fantasy (or high fantasy) by some, and this brilliantly written and funny tale tells of how he got started in earning that title.

Final Score: 4/5

Book Review - 'Howl's Moving Castle' by Diana Wynne Jones

2019 EDIT: Changing this to three stars now, because I don't have a lot of fond memories of this book. 

It's clever and complex, but the main character, Sophie, annoyed me. The more I think about it, the more I realise I might not have really connected to her and cared for her. Her curse really doesn't hinder her much; it could have been anything other than living in an old woman's body, and not much would have changed in her character or the story. Such a great concept, too. And oh, how repetitive Sophie can be with her moaning about having misfortunes because she's the eldest sister! 

The ending is very rushed as well. After that exciting climax. The pacing is slow, while at the same time it felt like too much was going on. It's too complicated. Everything from the magical kitchen sink is thrown in here, and some of the charm gets lost as a result. Plus the tone is quite cynical and heavy-handed. 

I like the film better. There, I said it.

Final Score: 3/5





Original Review:



A clever and witty fairy tale full of magical spells, castles, boots, scarecrows, dogs, guitars, haughty witches and childlike wizards. I read 'Howl's Moving Castle' after I saw the Hayao Miyazaki adaptation, and I think both the book and the movie are great. Such a funny and complex story Diana Wynne Jones created; set in the magical world of Ingary, and in Wales (it'll make some sense once you've read it).

I'm not sure why I never read a book by this author before, despite them being fantasy and in my school library. Were their covers and premises too strange or too cliche-sounding to me? I don't know. But recently I felt I had to read something of hers for two reasons: 1. Her passing only two years prior to this review being written, and 2. The Miyazaki film.

'Howl's Moving Castle' is anything but cliche. Ms Wynne Jones subverts fantasy tropes and therefore reader's expectations with a hint of cynical charm and a pinch of whimsy. Above all it's good storytelling. 

Sophie Hatter is a great heroine. She's practical, brave, calm but has limits, and doesn't take no for an answer to her questions. She's not a typical action girl, but a homely hat shop owner with pessimistic views of her future. A curse is put on her and she does whatever she can to find a way to break it, whilst making the best of her situation. Externally, she learns more about her world and how to live in it; through magic and other means. Internally, she learns more about herself and her capabilities that require brain and heart power. An assertive and stubborn but flawed voice of reason, Sophie is very much the type of human being to root for in a story; regardless of the fantasy world she lives in. 

Sophie's relationship with Wizard Howl is one of the best developed romances I've ever read about. It's not obvious - they're polar opposites and quarrel a lot - and it takes the whole book to build up their connection - it's not until the very end that they fully realize they may love each other. Made even better when Sophie starts out distrusting Howl because of the rumours that he eats the hearts of pretty young girls, as he has no heart himself. But he helps her out when they first meet, and since the next time she meets him she looks like an old lady, she has nothing to be concerned about in regards to him, more or less. They share different world viewpoints, and their dialogue and action exchanges are witty and well-written.

Other characters such as Calcifer, The Witch of the Waste, the scarecrow, Miss Angorian, Lettie and Martha add a wonderfully colourful mixture to the story of Sophie and Howl. Nice or nasty, they are dynamic and funny in their own ways.

So 'Howl's Moving Castle' should be one of my favourite books right? Well, I'm sorry to say not so much. The reasons why it misses a star for me are: 

1. Sophie's old woman's body doesn't hinder her that much, it seems; even before she develops and becomes stronger, 

2. Sophie's exclamations of receiving misfortune because she is the oldest of three sisters gets annoying and is overplayed and unsubtle, unlike the other themes in the book (but I still love her), 

3. There are a lot of characters and not all of them are particularly interesting or memorable, despite how over-the-top the fantasy setting of Ingary is, 

and 4. I thought the world itself and it's politics and relationship concerning our own world could have been explained and explored more. It got confusing after a while, so I missed a part of the heart and passion obviously written into this book.

But I loved the beginning and end of 'Howl's Moving Castle'. Everything in the story fits together in inventive and clever ways, even if I thought that parts in the middle had to drag in order to reach that exciting conclusion.

To conclude the review, I recommend this fantasy novel to everyone - young and old, realist and idealist. It is arguably Diana Wynne Jones' best fantasy, and perhaps sometime in the future I'll read more of her work if I get through my other reading material fast enough. 

'How's Moving Castle' may not be one of my absolute favourite fantasy reads, but it still has a number of merits and reasons for admiration going for it. Smart and creative, it certainly shows a lot of the author's talents.

Final Score: 4/5

Book Review - 'The Neverending Story' by Michael Ende

2020 EDIT: I read 'The Neverending Story' in two days. It's as wonderful and imaginative a fantasy book as on my first read, if not better on my second. It is fantasy beyond words and other forms of human expression. It is truly beyond this world.

As well as the power of imagination, this magnanimous masterpiece also expounds a lot about human nature, and how it can come to its own self-destruction; through greed, apathy, entitlement, and power for its own sake. Emptiness, ego, no satisfaction no matter what, and no love - these destroy civilisations.

This story would work phenomenally as a TV miniseries. It is such a charming and, dare I say, relevant epic.

Currently, 'The Neverending Story' is my favourite book ever.

Read my original review for more detail.

Final Score: 5/5





Original Review:



It's books like 'The Neverending Story' that make me love fantasy. It's 'The Neverending Story' that defines the meaning of fantasy, and turns it on its head in a way that's out-of-this-world. Literally. It's not just for children, but for adults looking for a philosophical analysis on why some people just love the fantasy genre and don't want to let it go even after growing up.

'The Neverending Story' has so many layers to its world, and so much depth to its well-thought-out themes about why childhood and reading are important. It is written in such a truly magical way that I could believe Michael Ende really was a wizard from a world like Fantastica - sent on a mission to help us to understand. To love stories. To be as creative as he was. Basically, this book within a book, with all its amazing depth, is about the most vital and growing progression in humanity: imagination.

So much imagination is at work in 'The Neverending Story', I simply don't know where to begin. It's charming and clever from page 1.

Bastion Balthazar Bux is your normal and relatable young protagonist who is bullied at school and hates it. What he loves more than anything in the world is reading. And when he hides in a book shop called Carl Conrad Coreander Old Books, he sees a book with the title "The Neverending Story". He can't resist. He takes it from the shop owner and ends up hiding all day in his school's attic to read it. With the power of his imagination and passion for stories, he is inadvertently helping the world of Fantastica, the "fictional" world the mysterious book is set in.

Once he grasps that the fate of Fantastica - and hence the realm of human imagination - is in his hands, will he have the courage to rise to such a challenge? Will his decision to help the characters - who he grew to care for in the book - make him come out of his insecure shell?

With the power to imagine comes the power to wish, and with the power to wish for anything comes a price. Will his wishes in his new life in Fantastica end up destroying everything he once was? And will he destroy the world - the one in which he himself created, in his own way - that he once loved?

All after stealing one special book.

Like 'The Shadow of the Wind' and 'The Book Thief', 'The Neverending Story' is a book for book lovers. Its author knew the power of stories and how they shape us.

You won't believe how much I enjoyed this reading experience, how much I felt and thought. I wondered open-mouthed at the concept of the light and dark sides of imagination; what this story about stories shows us. I never thought a piece of fiction could make me this expressive and passionate about fantasy, and make me believe in so many things. The world is beautiful, humanity is beautiful.

Hugely creative - from the settings, creatures, and the colourful characters such as Atreyu, Falkor and the Childlike Empress. It is one of those rare fantasy novels where not only does the worldbuilding work - after all, fantasy worlds have to have grounded and consistent rules - but it is wholly believable. Fantastica is all at once a dream, a nightmare, and reality; depending on how we imagine it as we read 'The Neverending Story'.

If there is one negative I have to say about it though, it's that it may ruin your view of the movie version, which is a nostalgic favourite for many. It only covers the first half of the book (I'm not going to talk about the sequels here). The novel has more depth in terms of fairy tale and myth deconstructing. I am sad to find that because of the film - which, don't get me wrong, is good in its own right - not a lot of people have even heard of the book, or they just don't want to give it a try. 'The Neverending Story' teaches us the importance of reading - adding to the sadness of its unfortunate obscurity.

'The Neverending Story' is a true fantasy, and a true epic. I cannot recommend it enough, whether you saw the film or not. The book is, and always has been, its own thing to behold.

Final Score: 5/5

Other reviews:

'A rich, enjoyable read... drawing in the most potent elements of fairytale, myth and invented fantasy' - Observer

Book Review - 'Nineteen Eighty-Four' by George Orwell

2023 REREAD: A relevant, ingenious, believable, haunting, horrifying, flesh-and-bone-chilling classic masterpiece. It's a shame that its protagonist is a misogynist who is no better than his enemies, and totalitarianism as a whole.

When in the first chapter of a dystopian novel the protagonist fantasises about torturing, mutilating, raping, and slitting the throat of his "love" interest, then there is a problem. But, and I didn't think it possible, an even bigger problem comes later on when he admits his fantasies to her, adding in another way he's thought about violently murdering her, sparing no detail, and in immediate response, "The girl laughed delightedly," (page 139 of my copy). She only thinks he is absurd for suspecting her of being a Party spy. She really does not care.

Could it be more obvious that this book was written by a man?

I never for one second believed in Winston Smith and Julia's "love" story in the novel - he infantilises and sexualises her constantly, and she is a proto-Manic Pixie Dream Girl, his ideal "girl" - sexually liberated, easy and "corrupted", hell, she even has internalised misogyny - and her always calling him "dear" gets old fast - but it was from that point on that I definitely thought, "Yeah, I don't want to read any more, I'm going to skim it." It is not a romance. It is not true love. It is not love at all. So the "betrayal" at the end loses its impact, its climatic tragedy.

Or was that part of the intent all along?

One of Winston's most traumatic and angry memories is when he had sex with a prostitute who was in her fifties at least, and he openly regrets not killing his estranged wife Katherine in the past. And Julia doesn't even have a last name. So who knows which writing decision was unconscious bias, and deep-seated issues on the author's part, and which was pointed, authorial intent; social commentary.

It is a shame, because 'Nineteen Eighty-Four' is well written, and it remains an important text. An important historical text. Frighteningly, a lot of it isn't even fiction anymore. It grows more in relevance every generation. Everyone should read it - I still stand by that claim. It's just that forties casual misogyny written by otherwise, *ahem*, learned men is hard to overlook nowadays. Glossing over it and ignoring it is going to take a hell of a mental wave of doublethink. Of cognitive dissonance. Nowadays, because humanity continuously, determinedly finds new ways to be awful and power hungry over others for the satisfaction of and sake of power itself - wave after wave, generation after generation - we have a newer term of psychological abuse to go with what is present in 'Nineteen Eighty-Four', called gaslighting.

The same cognitive dissonance, "of its time" thinking process applies to the racism: on page 88 someone is described as "monstrous" - a term for bigness or fatness in the book - BUT with the added offense of the person having "thick n[*****]d lips." Yikes.

'Nineteen Eighty-Four' - still recommended, but still a blatant product of its time, socially. No longer a favourite book, after over ten years since I first read it, but it is vital in many respects to our society and world nonetheless.

Final Score: 3.5/5





Original Review:



'Nineteen Eighty-Four' - one of the best works of fiction ever written. And one of the most important pieces of writing ever published.

Really, I can't say much more than that. This masterpiece was George Orwell's last novel, and the first I've read of his.

Historically, politically, and intellectually well thought-out and stimulating. Usually this sort of thing should have bored me to tears, but it didn't. Sure, anyone can write a morality and cautionary tale, but not everyone can write interesting and human characters in a world made real by how he or she has created it. Not everyone can weave a story together with these things to keep in mind. Orwell achieves all story functions spectacularly, with the ultimate moral/caution looming over the writing like an omen. Winston Smith, Julia, and others have realistic personalities, jobs, backgrounds and even habits in a society that forbids individuality.

To date, 'Nineteen Eighty-Four' is the most realistic and terrifying dystopian story I've ever read or seen. It is a nightmare that sticks with you long after you've finished experiencing it. It is a book where even the title is possibly misleading, as no one in the story is sure what year it is - as the past is being rewritten and it keeps changing. No one is sure of anything anymore, and yet they don't think that anything is wrong. The process of doublethink can make susceptible human beings believe anything at all. There is a reason why the two countries that Oceania is "at war" with - Eurasia and Eastasia - sound the same: leaders who want unlimited power keep changing who's at war with who and why. And no civilian will question it. It keeps the news and therefore the days going.

Change what is written about the past, you effect the present - and you have a degree of control over people.

Truths are lies, lies are truths,

WAR IS PEACE
FREEDOM IS SLAVERY
IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH

And no one is safe from Big Brother and the Thought Police. Thinking differently can get you killed, or tortured; which, as demonstrated in the story's tragic end, is worse still.

Even sexual thoughts - or any passions - are deemed bad. Big Brother is watching you. He sees you when you sleep, he sees you when you dream - dream of rebellion, and the Thought Police will come knocking at your door. Thinking differently from a universal "truth" is a crime. A Thoughtcrime. Risks of rebellion are destroyed immediately. You are insane if you are not a happy and mindless slave to the leaders like everyone else is.

Will it ever be possible to beat the regime with so much against you? Will such a thought even be dreamed of anymore in Orwell's view of the future?

'Nineteen-Eighty-Four' is a relevant and human cautionary tale. Fresh and evocative in levels I didn't believe a novel could reach. It teaches us to think; to think for ourselves. Don't let "progressive" technology or higher-ups dictate your life - your mind - for you. Keep dreaming. Keep being an individual. Keep trying to seek out real truths.

Before it is too late.

Final Score: 5/5

Other reviews:

'The book of the twentieth century... haunts us with an ever-darker relevance' - Independent

'His final masterpiece... enthralling and indispensable for understanding modern history' - Timothy Garton Ash, New York Review of Books

Page quotes:

'I understand HOW: I do not understand WHY' - Page 91

'Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two makes four. If that is granted, all else follows.' - Page 93

Book Review - 'A Christmas Carol' by Charles Dickens

2024 EDIT: Here I am, rereading 'A Christmas Carol' right after Christmas! But I'm glad to have managed to finish it in one night. Short as it is at barely a hundred pages (yet still dense, wordy and filler-ry, as is typical of Dickens), by the end I really felt the Christmas spirit. It truly is a timeless story.

Everything in my old review applies, from when I first read the novella, well over ten years ago.

Final Score: 3.5/5





Original Review:



A quick but substantial Christmas story, filled with characters and magic that would become iconic in the hundreds of film and TV adaptations. I don't believe there has been a single bad adaptation of 'A Christmas Carol' - people love and respect it that much; perhaps much more than Charles Dickens's other books.

I can think of only one negative in the original source material; the writing. I got through it okay, mostly. But there are many uses of colons and commas, and over-descriptions that threaten to undermine Scrooge's presence in the story, even in a short book. But I connected to old Scrooge and his visits from the spirit of his doomed partner Marley and the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet To Come (Future).

In the end, 'A Christmas Carol' is a warm and festive read to cheer you up in the cold days of winter (being in England, I needed it). Really spooky as well. A great story that teaches us that you are never too old to redeem yourself and change.

God bless us, every one!

Final Score: 4/5