"Ethan Frome" by Edith Wharton

“He seemed a part of the mute melancholy landscape, an incarnation of its frozen woe, with all that was warm and sentient in him fast bound below the surface; but there was nothing unfriendly in his silence. I simply felt that he lived in a depth of moral isolation too remote for casual access..."

The unnamed narrator, an engineer, is spending the winter in the fictional New England village of Starkfield. There he meets Ethan Frome, a quiet, friendly, but weary-looking and limping old farmer. Frome is a well-known figure in Starkfield and the mysterious 'smash-up', which happened to him years ago, is still the talk of the town. The narrator hires Frome as a driver, and while spending some time at the farmer's place, held-up by a violent snowstorm, he learns Ethan Frome's sad story.

Flash back twenty-four years and we find a young and vibrant Ethan Frome living with his cranky, sickly wife Zeena on his late parents' farm. Also living with them is his wife's cousin, the young and beautiful Mattie. Tired of the self-centred Zeena's constant nagging and verbal abuse, he turns to Mattie for company and he soon falls in love with her. Piece by piece, Frome's tragic story is revealed up until the famed accident. The surprising ending packs quite a punch.

At 120 pages, this is a very short and concise novel, but just the right length to generate the effect that it does. What at first seems a bit of a banal story, turns out to be a very deep and heartfelt tale about the tragedies of life. I really like the way the cold and harsh rural landscape is used as a device to describe Ethan Frome's character and personality. This is a story about morality, solitude and isolation; it's about destiny and abandoned dreams. A wonderful read.

Author: Edith Wharton
Title: Ethan Frome
Publisher: Oxford Universtity Press, London
Year: 2008 (orig. 1911)
Number of pages: xxxiii + 120 p.
ISBN: 9780199538096

"Conan the Invincible" by Robert Jordan

"Conan's breath rasped in his throat, and the blood pounded in his ears. A growl built deep in his throat. He forced the man's head back. Back. Abruptly there was an audible snap, and the guardsman was a dead man sagging on his chest."

Years before he gained fame & fortune with his "Wheel of Time" series, Robert Jordan wrote a couple of Conan novels, based on the character created by Robert E. Howard. "Conan the Invincible" was one of his earliest books, the first of seven Conan novels by his hand (and also the first of the TOR Conan series, which was launched at the time of the popular movie starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, and was to extend to over forty books, written by many different authors).

Conan, the mighty barbarian, is still a young man in this novel, and is spending his time in Zamora, drinking & womanizing, thieving when appropriate & killing when provoked. The evil wizard Imhep-Aton approaches him with a request to enter the king's palace and steal some items. When Conan learns about the phenomenal reward that awaits him, he doesn't think twice and heads for the palace, only to find out that someone has beaten him to it.  Conan sets off in pursuit of the thieves, to retrieve what he thinks should be his, while at the same time trying to rescue the fair maiden Velita, who was kidnapped in the process. Meanwhile, Imhep-Aton thinks Conan has double-crossed him and sends out his demons to destroy the barbarian.

As you can expect from any Conan story, there's lots of violence, wizards, demons, tons of blood & gore and a bunch of naked women, who are all too willing to open their hearts (and their legs) to Conan. If you know Jordan from his "Wheel of Time", you'll be surprised by this novel, which is a fast moving, action packed adventure without any trace of subtlety, and is nothing like his well-know series at all. It was already clear, though, that Jordan had a knack for writing fantasy tales. Sure, he is no Robert E. Howard - this book doesn't compare to the powerful original stories. But at least Jordan has written a very entertaining Sword & Sorcery adventure that you will enjoy, if you like this kind of thing.

Author: Robert Jordan
Title: Conan the Invincible
Publisher: Tor
Year: 1982
Number of pages: 284 p.
ISBN: 0812509978

"The Third Man" and "The Fallen Idol" by Graham Greene

“We never get accustomed to being less important to other people than they are to us.”

"The Third Man" is probably best known for the 1949 film starring Orson Welles. As Graham Greene writes in his introduction, the tale he wrote was never meant to be read, but to be seen. Here's the story:

Greene was asked by film producer Alexander Korda to write a screenplay for a movie, directed by Carol Reed. The story was to take place in post-war Vienna, which was occupied by four main powers: the Americans, the British, the Russians and the French. Greene already had a story in mind and was enthusiastic. As he liked to flesh out the characters before starting on the screenplay, he wrote it out as a story and it turned out to be short novel I have here in front of me.

Rollo Martins is a writer of pulp westerns. He is invited by his longtime friend Harry Lime to join him in Vienna. But when he arrives there, he learns that his friend has died in a car accident. To his amazement, he is told that Lime was under investigation from the police for black-market dealing. Martins can't believe the Harry Lime he knew, could ever be a criminal, so he starts an investigation of his own. He is absolutely certain Lime was framed and murdered. According to the official statement, two men were with Lime when he died, but Martins is able to find a witness who saw there was a third man involved. But then that witness is murdered...

As always, Greene is fabulous at creating atmosphere - in this case the paranoid atmosphere of occupied Vienna. And although this might not be Greene's best book (a bit let down by the odd point of view, in my opinion), there are some unforgettable chapters here. The scenes in the Ferris wheel and in the baroque Vienna sewers, for instance, show exactly how good Greene was at making an Unforgettable Personality out of a character. One note of warning: if you're not familiar with the story yet, whatever you do: don't read the introduction first, as it gives away all of the plot.

Also part of this book is "The Fallen Idol", a short story about a young boy who witnesses someone he absolutely admires commit murder. Another great story about morality.

Author: Graham Greene
Title: The Third Man and The Fallen Idol
Publisher: Vintage, London
Year: 2005 (orig. 1949 and 1939)
Number of pages: 130 p.
ISBN: 9780099286233

"Flowers for Algernon" by Daniel Keyes

“I don’t know what’s worse: to not know what you are and be happy, or to become what you’ve always wanted to be, and feel alone.”

It's not often that I re-read books. There are far too many other books that deserve to be read and besides, there's always the possibility of being disappointed the second time around. Now that would shatter all those fond memories. But "Flowers for Algernon" is a story that I have read countless times, both the original short story from 1959 and the novel which appeared a couple of years later. Both won prestigious science fiction awards. Now, before you skip this review because you normally don't like 'SF', please read on...

A new method has been developed to increase human intelligence. The technique has already been tried on the mouse Algernon, with fantastic results. Now it is to be used on a human being, and Charlie -a mentally backward 37-year-old with an IQ of only 68- is chosen as the test subject. The treatment works and soon Charlie's IQ is rocketing. But then Algernon starts to behave erratically...

The novel is built-up out of progress reports written by Charlie himself. The fact that the story is told from his point of view, makes his development very poignant. Starting with the childishly naive first entries, you can see him gradually turning smarter, into brilliance. But along with this intelligence, he also gains insight into the people around him - and this is not always a positive thing. The ending is absolutely shattering, but oh-so beautiful.

"Flowers for Algernon" isn't only my favourite science fiction story, it is in my Top-5 novels I have ever read, in any genre. This story gets to me every time. Each. And. Every. Time. The SF-aspect is only very slight. Apart from the new treatment, it reads like a contemporary psychological novel, which is just deeply, deeply moving. Read this one, please. I can guarantee that Charlie is a character you will never ever forget.

Author: Daniel Keyes
Title: Flowers for Algernon
Publisher: Gollancz, London
Year: 1994 (orig. 1966)
Number of pages: 237 p.
ISBN: 1857989384

"Dune" by Frank Herbert

“No more terrible disaster could befall your people than for them to fall into the hands of a Hero.”

There's no doubt that Frank Herbert's "Dune" is one of the most popular science fiction novels ever. It is still widely read today and it is not too difficult to see how this massive work has influenced modern icons like "Star Wars" and "Game of Thrones", to name just two.

In the far future, humanity has spread throughout the galaxy. Padishah Emperor Shaddam IV assigns control of the planet Arrakis (aka 'Dune') to the Atreides family.  But the rival House Harkonnen is not very happy with this, as the planet, though barren and dry, is the only place in the galaxy where 'melange' can be found, a spice which is used to increase mental abilities. Mining this spice is a very lucrative business. The power-hungry Baron Vladimir Harkonnen has Duke Leto Atreides murdered and tries to wipe out all House Atreides. But then he hasn't counted on the survival of Paul Atreides, the son of the late Duke and the Bene Geserit witch Jessica, who is destined to become a religious prophet, the Muad'Dib, ànd a great ruler in his own right.

OK, so it isn't easy to summarize a complex book like "Dune" in just a few lines, but believe me: it absolutely deserves its legendary status. What I really enjoy about it, is the scope of the storytelling. Herbert created a living, breathing world, which is absolutely fascinating. There's politics & religion, mythology & environmentalism, love & betrayal and a cast of characters which are all captivating. And I'm not even talking about the giant sandworms.

The author wrote five sequels to "Dune" and his son Brian, along with Kevin J. Anderson, extended the series with another dozen or so novels. I might end up reading some of them. Then again, I might not, because the original novel is just perfect in its own right.

Author: Frank Herbert
Title: Dune
Publisher: Gollancz, London
Year: 2007 (orig. 1965)
Number of pages: 611
ISBN: 9780575081505

"Moving Pictures" by Terry Pratchett

“There’s a saying that all roads lead to Ankh-Morpork, greatest of Discworld cities. (...) And it’s wrong. All roads lead away from Ankh-Morpork, but sometimes people just walk along them the wrong way."

"Terry Pratchett was born in 1948 and is still not dead." That's the way the author is introduced in the editions of his books that I own. Typical Pratchett humour, but it does sound a bit bitter now that he is dead. Anyway, despite the sadness for his passing, if you're looking for something laugh-out-loud funny, Terry Pratchett is always a safe bet.

A new invention is changing the Discworld. The alchemists have developed the technique of making 'moving pictures' (which involves tiny demons in a box and a highly explosive substance called 'octo-cellulose'). Young wizard-in-training Victor Tugelbend is lured to the city of Holy Wood, although he doesn't quite know what he'll be doing there. What he finds is a booming new industry of movie-making, and he soon becomes a leading actor. But strange things are happening: people are acting totally out of character and animals are starting to speak. Creatures from another dimension are breaking through. Holy Wood is bending reality in the Discworld and Victor Tugelbend seems to be the only one who can stop it...

I've read about a dozen of Pratchett's Discworld novels and this one is certainly among the best. Outrageously funny and full of references to real life. In this case it's obviously a spoof of Hollywood. Yes, there are ruthless producers and smug starlets. There's aggressive merchandising and Oscars. There's popcorn and hot dogs. In between the lines, you'll recognize Marlène Dietrich, Marilyn Monroe, Humphrey Bogart and Lassie.  There are references to titles like "Singing in the Rain", "Gone with the Wind", "Conan (sorry, Cohen) the Barbarian", "Tarzan of the Apes", "King Kong" and many others, albeit most of them with a twist. Even if you miss half of the hints (which I'm sure I have) you're in for a rollicking bit of fun.

Author: Terry Pratchett
Title: Moving Pictures
Publisher: Corgi, London
Year: 1998 (orig. 1990)
Number of pages: 333 p.
ISBN: 0552134635

"Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens

“Heaven knows we need never be ashamed of our tears, for they are rain upon the blinding dust of earth, overlying our hard hearts. I was better after I had cried, than before - more sorry, more aware of my own ingratitude, more gentle.”

I started reading this novel with quite some anticipation. Many still consider Charles Dickens to be the greatest novelist ever, and this book is widely recognized as one of his very best. Great expectations indeed.

The book's Great Expectations, of course, are the main character's. Philip Pirrip, Pip for short, is an orphan who is raised by his mean older sister. As a child, he is invited by the wealthy Miss Havisham to be a regular companion. At her place, Satis House, he meets Estelle, Miss Havisham's beautiful, but cold and rude adoptive daughter, whom he falls in love with. Her upper class life style soon becomes his ideal. He realises, though, his apprenticeship with his brother-in-law, a blacksmith, will never get him to lead the kind of life he yearns for. But then, very unexpectedly, a lawyer, Mr Jaggers, appears with the news that a mysterious benefactor is willing to invest in Pip's dreams. With quite a fortune in his hands, Pip heads to London to become a gentleman and to make his great expectations come true.

Dickens is a joy to read. His writing is inventive, incredibly witty and dramatic. His descriptions are phenomenal: Pip's meeting with an escaped convict in a graveyard, the creepy atmosphere at Satis House, where the old spinster Miss Havisham is still wearing the faded and cobweb-covered wedding gown she wore when she was abandoned at the altar,... These are all scenes and characters that are unforgettable. The story meanders quite a bit, especially in the middle section, but this was a characteristic of most Victorian novels, of course. The best novel ever? Well, maybe not, but it's easy to understand why Dickens is still held in such high regard.

Author: Charles Dickens
Title: Great Expectations
Publisher: Penguin, London
Year: 2003 (orig. 1861)
Number of pages: xxv + 514 p.
ISBN: 9780141439563