Crux – Classics Retold Review and Giveaway

Title: Crux
Author: Richard Aellen
Source: bought on Amazon
Rating: ★★★★☆
Review Summary: By far my favorite Count of Monte Cristo re-telling, this book kept all the most important things about the original and in doing so became a great thriller with a lot of depth.

Keith Johnson is happily married and pursuing a career as a helicopter pilot when he’s sent to Vietnam. When evidence suggests his sergeant has killed one of his own men, Keith is unable to keep silent. Unfortunately, one of his friends is willing to betray him for a chance at a safer posting and his sergeant is desperate to get rid of him. Sent on a mission meaning almost certain death, Keith is reported as missing in action but actually survives only to be thrown into a prison camp for 20 years. When he eventually escapes, his only thought is of revenge.

Edward Maret – Classics Retold

Title: Edward Maret: A Novel of the Future
Author: Robert I. Katz
Source: bought on amazon
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Review Summary: Although this re-telling lacked the complexity of the original, it was a well written, believable story and the world building was fantastic.

In this futuristic retelling of The Count of Monte Cristo, Edward Maret is a happy man. He is engaged to a women he loves and destined to inherit a bountiful estate. Little does he know that he has enemies who are prepared to betray him because they covet what he has. Denounced as a revolutionary and condemned by a corrupt judge, Edward is turned into a mindless cyborg and sent to kill any who threaten his world. When he is eventually freed from the mind control, his first thought is of revenge…

Soundbites About The Eyre Affair

Title: The Eyre Affair
Author: Jasper Fford
Narrators: Gabrielle Kruger
Rating (Story): ★★★★☆
Rating (Narration):★★★★★

Since I already reviewed the book version of The Eyre Affair, I won’t say too much about the story here. All of the strange things that happen in this book, the things that make it remind me of Douglas Adams, were initially a little harder to follow as an audiobook. That got better as I went, but I still might recommend the written version over the audio. The narrator was very good, however, doing both female and male voices convincingly and with emotion. For that reason, I would certainly recommend re-reading as an audiobook. In fact, I think I enjoyed the story even more than the first time, once I got into it. I wasn’t quite as focused on how novel the world was and was able to enjoy this more as an adventure/mystery. Now I can’t wait to read the rest of the series!

The Sultan of Monte Cristo – Classics Retold

Title: The Sultan of Monte Cristo
Author: The Holy Ghost Writer
Source: bought on amazon
Rating: ★☆☆☆☆
Review Summary: The writing style was similar to the original, but the plot was boring, unbelievable, bizarre, and not true to the spirit of the original.

This book is supposed to be a sequel to The Count of Monte Cristo. My review contains some spoilers for this book but none for the original.

Initially, I actually had high hopes for this book. From the first few pages it was clear that the author had done a good job capturing Dumas’ writing style. The language was flowery, Dantes was arrogant, and Hadee subservient. Not my favorite things about Dumas but integral to his work and well represented here. However… The book opens with a blatant sex scene between Dantes and Haydee. Now, I don’t have a problem with sex scenes in principle, but nothing like this happens in the original. More than that, I thought the ambiguous nature of Dantes’ relationship with Haydee was part of the first book’s appeal.

The Count of Monte Cristo

Title: The Count of Monte Cristo
Author: Alexandre Dumas
Source: library
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Review Summary: While not as well written as many classics, this was an exciting adventure with an intriguingly complex plot.

The Count of Monte Cristo is a classic story of betrayal and revenge. Edmond Dantes has it all: a father he loves, a pending promotion, and a beautiful fiance. Unfortunately, others envy him his good fortune and conspire to have him sent to prison for a crime he didn’t commit. When a fellow prisoner informs him of a treasure located on the Isle of Monte Cristo, he determines to escape and use that treasure to enact his revenge.

The Picture of Dorian Gray

Title: The Picture of Dorian Gray
Author: Oscar Wilde
Source: library
Rating: ★★☆☆☆

Dorian Gray is a beautiful and likable young man until presented with opportunity to remain unchangingly young. The influence of an immoral friend and the temptation to do wrong without showing any signs of his corruption soon prove too much for Dorian.