Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl

2005, Puffin

Series: Book 1 of Charlie Bucket

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Rating

Synopsis: Willy Wonka's famous chocolate factory is opening at last!

But only five lucky children will be allowed inside. And the winners are: Augustus Gloop, an enormously fat boy whose hobby is eating; Veruca Salt, a spoiled-rotten brat whose parents are wrapped around her little finger; Violet Beauregarde, a dim-witted gum-chewer with the fastest jaws around; Mike Teavee, a toy pistol-toting gangster-in-training who is obsessed with television; and Charlie Bucket, Our Hero, a boy who is honest and kind, brave and true, and good and ready for the wildest time of his life!

The Good: The book is written well for its intended age group, vocabulary and structure-wise. And at least I couldn't hear the creepy Oompa Loompa's singing.

The Bad: I'm probably in the minority here, but I just did not like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (or its movies). Grandpa can't get out of bed to help the family, but if there's chocolate involved he's all spry and nimble? And sure, Charlie is the hero to root for, but what are your other options when all of the other children are atrocious? The book was definitely a cute idea, but just failed to deliver on just about every level for me.

The Lucifer Code by Charles Brokaw

Book Details
The Lucifer Code by Charles Brokaw
Hardcover, 368 Pages
2010, Forge Books
ISBN: 9780765320933
Series: Book 2 of Dr. Thomas Lourds

Synopsis

AN ANCIENT MANUSCRIPT HAS REMAINED CONCEALED FOR CENTURIES -- WITHIN ITS PAGES LIES THE KEY TO THE MOST UNHOLY SECRET KNOWN TO MANKIND.

A sacred brotherhood has sworn, generation after generation, to protect this terrifying truth from those who would use it to unleash doomsday upon mankind.

When the unthinkable happens, and the holy scroll is uncovered, the race is on to reveal the true meaning of the cryptic language. Only one man, Dr. Thomas Lourds, the world's foremost scholar of ancient languages, who we first met in the bestselling novel The Atlantis Code, can safely decipher this most deadly scripture.

Lourds soon becomes the bait in the most lethal manhunt -- knowing he must confront the true face of evil if the world is to be saved...

Review
The Lucifer Code is the second book to feature Dr. Thomas Lourds, but the first one I've read. Thomas is rather famous, between being the foremost expert in languages, discovering the lost city of Atlantis and penning a popular novel that make the ladies swoon. Each of these accomplishments goes hand-in-hand with different sides of Thomas's personality. He's a highly educated, intelligent and knows it. He's got a lust for adventure. And he's a ladies man who fancy's himself quite attractive to the opposite sex, especially those much younger than himself.

Sounds like Indiana Jones to me, except Thomas lacks self-defense abilities and has no real instinct of self-preservation when faced with danger. Where Indy would whip the gun from the bad guy's hand, Thomas just kind of sits there waiting to be shot -- or saved by a much more impressive woman. Thomas is not exactly a womanizer, but feels as though he must take all carnal opportunities presented to him. He's visiting a former lover, currently sleeping with her (a lot) and yet jumps right into bed with a pretty young thing. When the former lover catches them, he expects her to be okay with it, because that's just who he is. Thomas's way with women will likely impress some and offend others.

The adventure starts off quickly and proceeds at a jaunty pace. Lots of shooting and explosions occupy the first chapters of the book. The pace slows once Thomas is tasked with deciphering an ancient coded language. The translations lead him on a race to save the world against the ultimate evil. The believability of this premise will depend on your religious beliefs. Personally, I found it to be a wildly entertaining ride, as long as I didn't try to see it as possible.

The Dr. Thomas Lourds series has been and will continue to be compared to the Robert Langdon series by Dan Brown. An academic racing to solve an ancient mystery that effects the world today could easily be the description of The Da Vinci Code or The Lucifer Code. The difference is that the Da Vinci Code felt like it had a much higher probability of actually happening in the real world, even for religious skeptics. The Lucifer Code felt more supernatural towards the end.

Dr. Thomas Lourds isn't quite Indiana Jones or Robert Langdon. He's less likable that either as far as I'm concerned. The Lucifer Code is an exciting book that will appeal to fans of intelligently written adventure mysteries, as long as they don't mind rolling their eyes at the main character from time to time.

Rating

Links

Charles Brokaw's
Website

The Inner Circle by Brad Meltzer

Book Details
The Inner Circle by Brad Meltzer
Hardcover, 464 Pages
2011, Grand Central Publishing
ISBN: 0446577898

Synopsis
There are stories no one knows. Hidden stories. I love those stories. And since I work in the National Archives, I find those stories for a living.

Beecher White, a young archivist, spends his days working with the most important documents of the U.S. government. He has always been the keeper of other people's stories, never a part of the story himself...

Until now.

When Clementine Kaye, Beecher's first childhood crush, shows up at the National Archives asking for his help tracking down her long-lost father, Beecher tries to impress her by showing her the secret vault where the President of the United States privately reviews classified documents. After they accidentally happen upon a priceless artifact - a 200 hundred-year-old dictionary that once belonged to George Washington, hidden underneath a desk chair, Beecher and Clementine find themselves suddenly entangled in a web of deception, conspiracy, and murder.

Soon a man is dead, and Beecher is on the run as he races to learn the truth behind this mysterious national treasure. His search will lead him to discover a coded and ingenious puzzle that conceals a disturbing secret from the founding of our nation. It is a secret, Beecher soon discovers, that some believe is worth killing for.

Gripping, fast-paced, and filled with the fascinating historical detail for which he is famous, THE INNER CIRCLE is a thrilling novel that once again proves Brad Meltzer as a brilliant author writing at the height of his craft.

Review
The Inner Circle is a smart political adventure full of intriguing mystery. The novel starts with a bang and continues at a thrilling pace until the very last word. Brad Meltzer takes political history and turns it on its ear. Creating a massive presidential conspiracy theory that surpasses even the wildest of imaginations, Meltzer convincingly leads the reader on a joyride through the darkest of presidential secrets.

Beecher White is a compelling lead. An average guy with job steeped in history finds himself caught in a fight for his life. Racing to learn the truth before his time runs out, Beecher loses his naivety and learns that the advice "trust no one" is harder than it may seem.

The Inner Circle could easily be compared to The Da Vinci Code. The historical attributes and adventure feel is the same. The Inner Circle replaces religion with politics and adds a more intellectual feel though.

The Inner Circle is a thoroughly modern novel, though it leans heavily on events in the past. It's a wonderful mix of old and new with a mystery that will spin you in circles. I was blown away by this novel. Reading The Inner Circle is, by far, the best adventure I've been on in quite a while.

Rating

Links

Brad Meltzer's
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Airman by Eoin Colfer

Book Details
Airman by Eoin Colfer
Hardcover, 416 pages
2008, Hyperion Book CH
ISBN: 1423107500

Synopsis
Born in the basket of an air balloon, Conor Broekhart is sure he is destined to fly. But at 14, he accidentally witnesses the murder of his tutor and the sovereign of the tiny Saltee Islands where he lives, and everything changes. Villainous Marshall Bonvilain throws him into prison, convincing him that his family believes him guilty of the crime. Thus begins his new life as inmate Conor “Finn,” who devotes his considerable abilities to breaking out of prison.

Review
I read Airman because I'm a big fan of Eoin Colfer's Artemis Fowl series. His engaging, child-like humor really brings his stories alive. Unfortunately, Airman didn't contain his usual style and flair. While still an interesting and well written story, Airman doesn't come close to his other books. Maybe Colfer has set the bar too high and is having trouble even competing with himself.

Airman is a historical-type book that takes the reader back in time to before people flew routinely. Flight is a major theme in the novel, touching just about every event in Conor's young life. He's a dreamer and after seeing a murder, his life goes downhill. The plot was good, but felt familiar. Perhaps this book would be a bit more engrossing to the kids it is written for, but as a pretty well-read adult I would have to call this book average.

Rating

Links

Eoin Colfer's website

The Call of the Wild by Jack London

Book Details
The Call of the Wild by Jack London
Paperback, 160 pages
2003, Aladdin
ISBN: 0689856741

Synopsis

First published in 1903, The Call of the Wild is regarded as Jack London's masterpiece. Based on London's experiences as a gold prospector in the Canadian wilderness and his ideas about nature and the struggle for existence, The Call of the Wild is a tale about unbreakable spirit and the fight for survival in the frozen Alaskan Klondike.

Review
I remember The Call of the Wild being a perennial book report choice for many students when I was in school. I never selected it and for that I am glad. I don't think it would have held my interest in elementary school as it barely held my interest now. While reading the book, I saw the hard life of a dog through a dog's eyes. It was a decent enough story but I just can't grasp why it's a classic. There was a lot of dog on dog violence and some brutal animal abuse. All in all, it was kind of depressing.

Rating

Life After 187 by Wade J. Halverson

Book Details
Life After 187 by Wade J. Halverson
Paperback, 238 pages
2009, Xlibris Corporation
ISBN: 1441540261

Synopsis
Sentenced to life in prison when he executes the men who murdered his wife, Kane Silver is singled out by the warden for his fighting ability. Along with inmates Valentino Lopez and Si’Ling Lee, Kane is drafted into service and forced to fight for money in high-stakes tournaments. But when the three friends escape during a New Year’s Eve match in Lake Tahoe—saving the warden’s life in the process—their situation becomes more complicated.

Their status undetermined, they vanish underground and sign on to help a young woman whose parents are being held by an Argentinean drug kingpin. Follow Kane and his friends as they compete and grow closer while rediscovering what it means to be free. From Lake Tahoe and the western United States to Costa Rica, Hong Kong, Buenos Aires, and Thailand, Life After 187 takes readers on an exhilarating ride filled with big money, intense action, justice, and the pursuit of honor.

Review
Life After 187 was packed with non-stop action for the first word to the last. The story was a face paced journey into worlds I knew nothing about and yet I couldn't put it down. I had to know how Kane was going to deal with the next situation he found himself in. Military, prison life, no rules fights for cash among many other foreign topics kept me enthralled throughout. The biggest shocker - I told my husband about it and he (being very proud of his utter dislike for reading) asked me to hold onto it so he can read it too.

Rating

Cyclops by Clive Cussler

Book Details
Cyclops by Clive Cussler
Hardcover, 475 pages
1986, Simon & Schuster
ISBN: 067150374X
Series: Book 8 in the Dirk Pitt series

Synopsis
Written in the bestselling style of Pacific Vortex! and Deep Six, and with the indestructible Dirk Pitt as its hero, this latest Cussler suspense caper features, and ingeniously connects, a maverick American colony on the Moon, a fabulous sunken treasure sought by an unscrupulous, blimp-owning financier, and two cunningly devised Soviet schemes, one to steal U.S. space secrets, the other to replace Fidel Castro with a Kremlin puppet, no matter what the cost in human lives. The nonstop action involves murder and torture as well as superpower politicking, and Pitt extricates himself from one desperate situation after another, even finding time for a little romance. The writing is brittle, but the reader is not likely to worry about that in a story whose plot resembles a box of exploding fireworks and poses some interesting questions regarding both Cuba and the militarization of space.

Review
This was the 6th novel from the Dirk Pitt series that I have read. I enjoy series. Many claim that they have no literary value since they aren't always capable of standing alone. I don't believe that and very much enjoy revisiting with favorite characters as they embark on new journeys. Dirk Pitt is essentially the James Bond of the sea and Clive Cussler's novels are rather heavily geared towards men. I like adventure and am a large fan of political incorrectness, even when directed towards women. This particular book included cosmonauts, a blimp and Fidel Castro. Random things coming together and working well, as it does here, makes me particularly giddy. I would have rated the book higher but I couldn't help comparing it to other books in the series and the female protagonist was unintentionally annoying.

Rating

Links

Clive Cussler's
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