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Aug 26, 2004 [Book review.] What makes a good read? I suppose it is different for each person. But I find there is a certain ingredients, that if missing, it can get on your nerves at best. In Pompeii, it has all the ingredients I feel that makes a good novel. And I do not believe there are many books out there today, [contemporary] worth their salt. And when I find one, the author normally disappoints me with his next book. In "Pompeii," you find just the right amount of descriptiveness, not like Faulkner, trying to run around and catch the dog's tail. I have many of his first editions, and I like him, but try to enjoy reading him, you got to turn the TV off, make your house sound proof, and concentrate. Also, the book is clarifying: explains what needs to be explained [explanatory], and easy does it; and deals with the subject at hand, dealing with an the Roman Empire in 79 AD; a young engineer of the Aqua Augusta, an huge aqueduct that brings fresh water to not only the countryside, but to 200-thousand inhabitants at Pompeii. But yet he does not over explain. Unlike Hemingway, who did little of both, explaining and descriptiveness? And was very short with his sentences; too much dialogue can bring the show down. I like Hemingway, but too much is too much. Harris seems to add just enough of the dialogue so you know people are alive and life goes on. One might add the book is a page turner, in that capacity. Now there are three more main ingredients I like to see in a book: a good theme, plot, and insight. Often times today, there is no insight, why write then [?] But anyhow, all three of these elements are fixed quite solid in the book. And it is mixed with history, which I like, making everything a little better. We all know about Pompeii, but very few have taken a trip to the background of it, I mean, what was happen beyond and before the eruption of the volcano? Life was going on you know, and this is what make the plot special, and the theme have daggers, and the insight have its suspense. The title is short, and to the point, it makes you look to the back of the book and read what it is about. I never buy a book until I read half of it first, then if I can make it through that, I'll buy it. And I bought it. I will have to find out how to get it signed though, Harris lives in Berkshire, England. All in all, he did a good job, and I do not want to say much more because I do not want to spoil the book for the reader. ------------ About the author: Mr. Siluk is a world traveler, a lover of the mysteries around the world, and has visit many World Heritage Sites, the most recent being Easter Island and the Galapagos. His most recent book: "After Eve," and his 26th book thus far, can be seen on/at Barns and Nobel.com, Amazon.com, Walmart and several other sites. He spends his time between Lima, Peru and St. Paul, Minnesota, and is wroking on two more books: "Stay Down, Old Abram," and "Curse of the Abyss Worm," the second being a suspensful mystery. Visit http://dennissiluk.tripod.com Email: dlsiluk@msn.com Tell a friend about this site! ------------ |
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