Book Review : "Le papillon des étoiles" (B. Werber)

This book (in English: "The butterfly of the stars") deals with a crazy idea of saving the humanity through the building of a special spaceship (actually a space-boat) and to send it as far as possible from the Earth in order to create a new place to live without repeating the errors humans have made on Earth.
The book is based on the sentence: "The last hope is to flee". Which is exactly what 144.000 chosen ones will do in order to start over on a planet after a trip planned to last over 1,000 years. Well you get it right: quite futuristic!

I have to recognize that I devoured other books from this author (among others the trilogy of "the ants"), but was not as captivated by this one. The story sounded of interest but not enough to get my attention completely. Well, I read it all. I enjoyed the way the author is detailing the errors made by humans on Earth. However it sounds like quite superficial throughout the book. The chapters are quite short (you like it or not...). Which does not make the reading easier in my view. I was definitely disappointed to see his way of dealing with the 1,250 years of travel (read here a few pages in the book). And the conclusion of finding the planet (with sneezing dinausors...) for saving the humanity, the last man and woman having issues make it impossible to procreate (especially as the woman dies). A replay of the origins with Adrian (the last man) creating a woman from a frozen embryo and marrow from his ribs (you see the connection ; )?)...

Well, no I was not sold at all. The beginning was quite promising, but the action (if ever existing) is way to quick and does not settle the reader in the story. A shame as the original idea was quite good. I am grading this book with a 4 out of 10. If you have time to waste, read it : )

Book Review : "Le cercle de Sang" (J. Delafosse)

OK, this one is again a Wow-book in the thriller area. Don't misunderstand me here: I am no great fan of thriller (especially not movies!) but here I am: two thrillers devoured within 48 hours! (I believe it being my record so far!).

"The Blood Circle" starts with an amnesia. Nathan Fahl wakes up in a hospital in Norway without even knowing who he is. When he gets his doubts about his place in his whole diving accident story. No family, but still he feels hunted. Same time in Italy an old manuscript is getting its secrets reveiled uncovering a strange story mixing curse, old-fashion witchcraft and hate. This Nathan seems to have the keys to this whole mystery... the problem is that he has lost his memory. Throughout the book, Nathan will find clues and one leading to the other the scary secret of the blood circle will be unveiled...

Really cool story. The author keeps it simple, short chapters enabling us to breathe and swallow the whole intrigue and keeping us alert to the next move. A bit too close to "The bourne identity" story which is a bit disappointed as the intrigue may let the reader guess a bit what will happen at the end. However it has been really well written, with great descriptions of all the countries where the hero travels to get more pieces of his memory. The decription of the Rwanda and its horror clearly opposite to the calm and quietness of the Arctiv and Norwegian land. The action will bring you to Italy, Netherland, Belgium, Rwanda, Norway, Egypte and finally to the heart of the Blood circle secrets.

So well written, easy reading. No reall great best-seller I am afraid (at least not in the level of Da Vinci Code or S. Larsson's trilogy!) but still. For a first roman, the author makes a great deal of it.
Recommended with a 6.5-7 out of 10 (it would have received a higher mark if I would not have seen "the trilogy of the Bourne movies". no real copycat- Hey! What do you make me say! but a bit too much correlation with the Bourne's to get a free ticket to my top ratings!)

Book Review : "La forêt des ombres" (F.Thilliez)

In French in the text! This thriller titled "the forest of shadows" from Franck Thilliez is crazy. Really! It takes you deep into a strange story where a writer has been asked to write a special story for a rich eccentric man about a murderer active 25 years ago . When they arrive with his wife and daughter in the cabin in the middle of the Black Forest, the atmosphere is definitely the one of murder scene in an idyllic place (everything is there: snow, chalet in a no man's land in the middle of the German lack Forest, feared lynx coming at night, dead porks hanging for a strange experiment... well, you dream of getting away from this place really!)

Throughout the book the author makes us share this singular daily life of his character and the action is so intense that I devoured this book within a few hours! The fact that the book is in French may help to read it quicker. Moreover the thriller action is really smooth and breath-taking from the beginning to the end. Some hints here and there make the reader guessing a bit of the following story. However the action behind closed doors shows every single character becoming more and more crazy by this situation. During most of the story, the author goes deeper and deeper in the psychology around the characters and their special place in the story. Except for a few quite gory description, well this thriller is pretty much in the heads of each and one of them (and yours as well!). You may need to watch your back a few times after reading this (and checking if you have numbers tatooed on your skull...).

Well, I really loved it, for the ease to be read, the strong red line throughout the book, the detailed falling down of the characters, the crazyness of the story in itself... a good 8.5 out of 10 and WELL RECOMMENDED (if you like thrillers...).

Book Review : "Slå tillbaka! handbok i självförsvar för kvinnor" (P.Östergren)

This book had an attractive title "Slå tillbaka" (in English: "Hit back"). The author write without discussion a clear and easy understanding handbook about self-defence for women. She is dividing the situations into three categories: (1) to avoid dangerous situations, (2) to get away from a dangerous/insulting situation without violence and (3) when unavoidable, to get away from a dangerous/insulting situation with violence.

The descriptions and exemples are well taken from daily life and the author makes it clear than mental preparation can be the trigger.

This handbook should be available for any girl, teen, woman to get them winning back the control of their life. Self-defence is a necessity and being aware of the solution existing makes it easier to handle when the situation well does become seriously dangerous.

Difficult to give a mark on this, but well written, well furnished in example... a good 7.5/8 out of 10. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Book Review : "Castles in the Sky" (S. Larsson)

Here it comes again! The final volume of Stieg Larsson's trilogy Millenium is titled Castles in the Sky (if I understood well, no yet available in English...). Could not sleep last saturday until I finished the final 200 pages (yes it was a long night!). The tension and excitement arising at the end of the second volume are continuing THROUGHOUT the final volume, so you can imagine how it is. The style of Stieg Larsson continue to impress as it did in the two first volumes. Light, understandable, intense, detailed, smooth... well, this "all-in-one uncomplex style" is made for creating excitement and suspens, intensity and interest.

The story continues with the characters now familiar from the previous volumes. The intensity of the descriptions makes the reader fully intrigued and excited. The story about a secret organisation within the Swedish Security Service following no rules, having no external connection and functioning on its own... Well a first price intrigue which brings us to higher level. James Bond can just go back to the men's lockerroom (as we say in French!), this is for real (or isn't it?). You live with the characters, you feel for them - their pain, love, sadness.

Well, it includes as well really well-developped and integrated a sex-story, a stalker-story, a court story in parallel with the main "Salander's story". Lots of pieces of the puzzles are finding (finally) their place in this final volume. (and the reader is really thankful about it!)

I regret that this final volume has so long chapters. The two first volumes were are bit more handy with shorter chapters, which made the reading a bit smoother (especially when it comes to put the book on the side in the evening). Here it was difficult to finish a whole chapter at once sometimes (well, yes! I am tired sometimes and need some rest ; ) but also difficult to leave the book and story on suspens...

Well, where did all this come from? Really, a masterpiece in the intrigue and excitement, in the field of crime writing. A bit sad that the trilogy is ending (well as all trilogies, the end might be a bit "boring" in comparison to the rest of the intense writing throughtout the story. But, hey! there' got to be an end, or? ; ) So for this third and final volume of Stieg Larsson's trilogy, I am allocating a strong 9/10 and continue to HIGHLY RECOMMEND the three books!

Book Review : "The girl who played with fire" (S. Larsson)

Second Wow-experience in such short time period. The first book (see previous review: HERE) was one of a kind. Well-written. Breath taking, well it had it all (even though I had my guess quite early on what had happened and will happen).
This second volume of the Millenium trilogy was also one of a kind. No real guess about the finish on the book actually. The red line starting and following during the whole book does not really let us guess ... anything actually! Well just lay back and relax.

The start is quite calm and the intrigue begins soon. A pity that a part of the intrigue is described on the back of the book cover (i.e. the death of two main characters). As I was reading, I was trying to anticipate this event (and could not actually, until 2 pages from the crime!). The violence and sex in the book are also quite special. The topic of trafficking (sex trade) does "require" such, and eventually push me to watch on tv a recent movie title "Lilja-4-ever" (highly recommended as well. Topic is the traffic of women between eastern Europe and well yes, the least country you may guess, Sweden, where those women are sold as prostitutes).

One of the heroes (Lisbeth Salander) is quite quick described as the murderer and a (wo)manhunt starts and is not yet finished at the end of the book (sorry, I said it!). Lots of ups and downs, deep insights in Lisbeth's obscure past and a final which was not to be guessed! The writing is profound and get the reader's interest from the beginning to the end (well to the next book also actually!). No wonder it got a price in Sweden! This is a masterpiece of description, of intrigues, of relationships analysis, of current issues in Sweden (which happened to start quite a while ago but got on the surface only recently...).

For this second volume of Stieg Larsson I would give a strong 9 out of 10. Have already started the third and final volume. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!