Tag Archives: Sequel

Dr. Sleep by Stephen King

American Literature October 9, 2013 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: Danny Torrance from The Shining is now a grown man, an alcoholic that the demons inside him are no match for the demons driving the highways of America, looking for psychic kids so that they can torture them and steal their essence, and a young girl with whom he has a mysterious connection is their next target. Review: Of course I always read a Stephen King novel the minute it comes out, but I harbored trepidation about Dr. Sleep. In the afterword, King astutely…

World Without End by Ken Follett

British Literature October 17, 2011 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: The intertwined lives of the inhabitants of the Kingsbridge priory and town, through the stories of four children who become keepers of a terrible secret. Review: I almost gave up on World Without End about halfway through. Ken Follett’s plotting is so mathematical that I felt like I could predict how all the story lines would resolve themselves. I am glad that a friend encouraged me to stick with it, because even though everything did tie itself up pretty neatly, I did find a…

The Magician King by Lev Grossman

American Literature September 6, 2011 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: Now a king in the magical land of Fillory, Quentin still fights with the demons of depression and purposelessness, so he goes on a quest and risks losing Fillory forever. Review: You have to understand what Fillory means to Quentin to truly understand his position at the outset of The Magician King. He has literally gotten everything he has ever wanted–he is a king in the magical country from the books he loved as a kid. It’s as if you grew up loving Narnia,…

Wolf’s Brother by Megan Lindholm

American Literature June 20, 2010 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: As a group of reindeer herdspeople approach their summer grounds, simmering tensions and unspoken accusations bubble up with murderous results. Review: Wolf’s Brother is the completion of the story begun in The Reindeer People, and I was more than satisfied with the resolution. While the book’s setting recalls Clan of the Cave Bear, the story itself focuses around what could be considered a murder mystery, and the genre-blending is what really kept me turning pages. Megan Lindholm brings the action to a thrilling climax…

Home by Marilynne Robinson

American Literature September 18, 2008 Superfast Reader 3 Comments

Synopsis: Prodigal Jack Boughton has returned to Gilead, bringing joy to his dying father and an ache to his lonely sister’s heart. Review: It breaks my heart to say this, but I don’t think Home lives up to Gilead. Mailynne Robinson’s prose is still astonishing in its simplicity, and the characters are just as sharp as ever. Even her digressions are riveting. But when it was over, I did not feel it added anything to Jack Boughton’s story. If anything, it reads like an appendix…

Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch

American Literature November 13, 2007 Superfast Reader 1 Comment

Synopsis: Master thief and con artist Locke Lamora is back with his steadfast sidekick Jean Tannen, both set to pull off the scheme of a lifetime when they are coerced into becoming–pirates? Review: Red Seas Under Red Skies is the follow up to Scott Lynch’s debut The Lies of Locke Lamora, a smash hit which placed a Sopranos-esque crime drama within a fresh, imaginatively realized fantasy world. The sequel throws swashbuckling in the mix, and the overall result of this melange is one of the…

Beyond the Chocolate War by Robert Cormier

On Reading May 28, 2007 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: Trinity High and the Vigils struggle to pick up the pieces after the fallout from the chocolate sale stunt, but when Vigils secretary Obie discovers that new student and loner Ray has a working guillotine, he sets in motion a plan for revenge.

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