The Great Gatsby
F. Scott Fitzgerald
2013, Orion Publishing Co, 192 pages
ISBN 13: 9781409147442 ISBN 10: 1409147444
Jay Gatsby is the man who has everything. But one thing will always be out of his reach ... Everybody who is anybody is seen at his glittering parties. Day and night his Long Island mansion buzzes with bright young things drinking, dancing and debating his mysterious character. For Gatsby - young, handsome, fabulously rich - always seems alone in the crowd, watching and waiting, though no one knows what for. Beneath the shimmering surface of his life he is hiding a secret: a silent longing that can never be fulfilled. And soon this destructive obsession will force his world to unravel.
Beautifully written novel about a man who you want to detest at the same time pitying him. Ozick shows his prejudices and his convictions, his failure to reflect upon them. Cynthia Ozick || Antiquities #CynthiaOzick #Antiquities #weidenfeld&Nicolson
Ozick is a writer with an impressive body of work who for some kind of reason escaped my attention. In my favourite bookshop her Antiquities was on display; one look at the internet had me buy it. I was pleasantly surprised: Antiquities turned out to be a delight.
In Antiquities Lloyd Wilkinson Petrie looks back on the time he spent in de Temple Academy for Boys, first as a pupil, later as a…
I adored this book (it possibly helped that part of it is set on a Greek Island and I was lounging about on a Greek Island as I was reading it). It’s easy to compare it to One Day, but it’s so much better. The hardback edition is lovely, isn’t it? Signed copies in Foyles.
By: Mark Stay
Publisher: Gollancz, an imprint of Orion Publishing
Paperback: $14.95
ISBN-10: 1-4732-0486-0
Rating: *****
Synopsis: It’s been three years since Earth was conquered by an alien robotic force. They have promised the world they will only be on earth for a limited time and will leave once their mission is complete. They have one rule - STAY IN YOUR HOMES. If humans, regardless of age, step over the threshold they get one warning before the countdown begins. The final outcome is vaporization by a massive robot Sentry, or a crawling Sniper, or a flying Drone.
The last time Sean Flynn saw his father, an RAF pilot, was as he was heading out the door to fight in the war against the robots. Sean is convinced his father is still alive. When he and his friends accidently discover a way to disable the robots' implants, they set off on a quest to find Sean’s father and rumors of a resistance. Their journey brings them face to face with the might of the robot overlords, the humans who serve them, and the dark secret their metallic imprisoners are hiding.
Review: Author Mark Stay’s ROBOT OVERLORDS was a screenplay before he embarked on the novelization. I’ve not had the pleasure to read Stay’s screenplay, but regardless his novel proves to be a delightful and engaging contemporary work of science fiction.
An avid reader of the genre, Stay’s novel clearly embraces the science fiction tradition as its contemporary setting and characters struggle to overcome an alien force reminiscent of such literary classics as John Christopher's The Tripods series or John Wyndham's The Day of the Triffids or The Midwich Cuckoos. It’s contemporary tones are grounded in the classic British literary roots as his underlying style often takes on a Dickinsonian flair. I enjoyed Stay’s inventiveness through his story’s ability to have these high tech machines that come across as having this clunkiness, and in making them earthy adds a Steampunk flavor the mechanized characters. His descriptions of this alien technology takes on a Jules Verne's aspect. The tale takes place three years into the robot occupation, but there are still contemporary elements in this alien occupied universe that establishes the time period of the plot. His prose brings the world of ROBOT OVERLORDS to life in the reader’s imagination.
The story of Sean Flynn starts from a place where we feel that this is a young adult science fiction tale but Stacy quickly begins to weave in darker overtones and adult characters to give the novel a broader appeal, in much the same way many adults embraced the Hunger Games trilogy. His characters are clearly defined and each possesses a unique voices within the narrative that sets them apart in the reader’s imagination. While there are some wonderful adult characters the figure this is Sean Flynn’s story. There is an excellent character arch where the reader gets a clear sense of the character's growth and he is forced to deal with the novel’s many villians.
Stay adds a double encore to the novel. The first is a short story that provides an origin story for the robotic interface that attempts to put on a human vestige. It’s a wonderful compendium piece that dovetails nicely into the the narrative. While it is kind of prequel, I found it well placed coming after the novel. Stay also offers readers his diary from the film production. If you've ever wondered what the filmmaking process is like, this is an excellent inside glimpse into the trials and tribulations of what transpires as chronicled through the screenwriter’s eyes. He offers some interesting and entertaining insight.
ROBOT OVERLORDS is an entertaining and epic science fiction tale with a broad audience appeal. This nicely crafted tale of a dystopian tale of earth’s alien robotic occupation will leave the reader with a desire to seek out the film of the same title, and also looking forward to Stay’s next literary endeavor.
Publisher’s Site: www.ipgbook.com/robot-overlords-products-9781473204867.php?page_id=21
Author Site: unusuallytallstories.com
Reviewed by Joseph B Mauceri
Hazel kissed boys for all kinds of reasons — because they were cute, because she was a little drunk, because she was bored, because they let her, because it was fun, because they looked lonely, because it blotted out her fears for a while, because she wasn’t sure how many kisses she had left.
Horrid Henry’s Tricky Tricks #Review from @the_orionstar @hermslawton @ninadouglas
Horrid Henry’s Tricky Tricks is a book written by Francesca Simon and illustrated by Tony Ross. This is the ten favourite stories with some brand-new material to celebrate 20 horrid years of the nation’s favourite naughty little boy Horrid Henry’s trickiest ever tricks! It was released on 6th November 2014 and published by Orion Publishing.
The book is hardback containing about 224 pages across…
A Year Full of Stories from @the_orionstar #review @hermslawton @ninadouglas
A Year Full of Stories is a book written by Georgie Adams and illustrated by Selina Young. It was released on 7th November 2013 and published by Orion Books.
The book is hardback containing about 264 pages with many lovely full coloured illustrations. The font come in one size. As the title have gave itself away that this is a book full of stories fill up for a year. There are 366 fabulous…
Miaow Miaow Bow Wow #book #review from @the_orionstar @hermslawton @ninadouglas
Miaow Miaow Bow Wow is a book written by Francesca Simon and illustrated by Emily Bolam. This is the red Early Reader and is the next step on your reading journey. It was released on 2nd August 2012 and published by Orion Books.
The book is paperback containing about 64 pages with many beautiful water colour illustrations. The font varies in size. Before the story begins, there are a few pages to…
