Scathing Book Reviews of Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut

Slaughterhouse Five, by Kurt Vonnegut is a book that I read by choice, and after I read it, I had two reactions.  The first was “huh?” and the second was, “I’m only 18.  I guess I’m not mature enough to appreciate it.  Well, I reread it recently, and while my first reaction was still “huh”, [...]

Scathing Book Reviews of Fantasy Lover (The Dark Hunter Series), by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Fantasy Lover, by Sherrilyn Kenyon, is Book 1 of what became the The Dark Hunter Series of Books. What exactly is a Dark Hunter?
Sherrilyn Kenyon’s website has the answer we seek:  ”You want to know what a Dark-Hunter is? We are what the intro says. We’re Mad, Bad and Immortal. We’re ancient warriors with attitudes who fight [...]

Scathing Book Reviews of Eragon (Book 1 of the Inheritance Cycle), by Christopher Paolini

I remember when Eragon, by Christopher Paolini first gained media attention. It was back in 2003 when all things Harry Potter dominated the book publishing world and news, and the idea of yet another unknown author creating a breakout book just seemed made for the news cycle. Plus, the fact that Paolini was [...]

Scathing Book Reviews of the Lord of the Rings, by J.R.R. Tolkien

The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien is many things to many people. To some, a fun fantasy. To others, the cornerstone of their reading list. To an unfortunate few, a way of life, and to Peter Jackson, an admirable achievement and cash cow.
I read the Lord of the Rings for the first time [...]

Scathing Book Reviews of Twilight (Book 1, the Twilight Saga) by Stephanie Meyer

The Twilight Saga by Stephanie Meyer is one of those success stories that every publisher dreams of, and that every writer dreams of as well. One indicator of success? Over 1,800 book reviews of Twilight as of July 2008, for crying out loud! That’s 9 times as many as “The Sound and the Fury”.  If [...]

Scathing Book Reviews of Battlefield Earth, by L. Ron Hubbard

Battlefield Earth by L. Ron Hubbard is a book that I confess, I read back in High School, lo these many moons ago. I recall thinking of it as “entertaining pulp”. At that time, Scientology had yet to make any headway in Hollywood, so buying the book had no undertones of furthering a [...]

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, by Michael Chabon

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon made quite a splash when it was published in 2000. A serious author writing about comic books? Since the book was awarded the Pulitzer Prize, that was, to the literary world, the equivalent of making a silk purse from a sow’s ear. [...]

Scathing Book Reviews of The Sword of Shannara, by Terry Brooks

The Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks is an interesting book to read, particularly if you read it before reading or seeing The Lord of the Rings. OK, I admit it, I read it when I was 12, and its a great book for 12 year olds of any age. It was a [...]

Scathing Book Reviews of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, by J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter, that plucky boy wizard, may have conquered the publishing world and the multiplex, but there are still a few reader’s hearts that he has yet to win over. Here are a few critical reviews of Harry Potter that “go all Voldermort” on J.K. Rowling’s first book:
Harry Potter books are written by an [...]