Review of ~ G.K. Chesterton – The Innocence of Father Brown

6/10 My dad is currently watching the BBC series of Father Brown and after jokingly telling him how terrible the show seemed (which it really didn't at all) I decided to pick up Chesterton's first Father Brown collection to see how the stories compare to the show and because I love to sink my teeth...

Review of ~ Arthur Conan Doyle – The Sign of Four (Sherlock Holmes #2)

8/10 The narrative begins with a very bored Sherlock Holmes at 221b Baker Street. With nothing to focus his incredible powers of deduction on at the present time, he decides to spend his days injecting a seven-percent-solution of cocaine. Conveniently a client with a particularly peculiar and complex case appears that very day. The potential...

Review of ~ Arthur Conan Doyle – The Lost World (Professor Challenger #1)

9/10 “If in 100 years I am only known as the man who invented Sherlock Holmes then I will have considered my life a failure.” - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle This review will contain minor spoilers. Although Sherlock Holmes, Dr. John Watson, Mycroft Holmes, and Professor James Moriarty are Doyle's most known creations, Professor Challenger, the hot-tempered...

Review of ~ Voltaire – Candide

9/10 Voltaire's novel introduces the reader to Candide, a wide-eyed, calm and slightly bland young gentleman who resides at Castle Westphalia and who believes in the philosophy that "everything in the world is for the best." One of the first scenes is filled with two emotional opposites for Candide who first gets to kiss his...

Review of ~ Robert Louis Stevenson – Kidnapped

7/ 10 "I have seen wicked men and fools, a great many of both, and I believe they both get paid in the end, but the fools first." We find ourselves in Bonny old Scotland - circa June 1751 - King George and the red-coats rule this empire. Following on from the Jacobite Revolution; we...

Review of ~ Robert Louis Stevenson – Treasure Island

7.5/10 Treasure Island is arguably one of the most influential tales in the world of fiction. Every pirate stereotype that we take for granted these days we can see the foundation somewhere in this magic tale. Approaching this story; I am quite lucky that I knew nothing about the plot except that there was a...

Review of ~ Jules Verne – Journey To The Centre Of The Earth (Extraordinary Voyages # 3)

8/10 "As long as the heart beats, as long as your body and soul keep together, I cannot admit that any creature endowed with a will has need to despair of life" I thought this book was brilliant and superbly well written by Venre as I will summarise below. It follows 3 main characters:- 1)...

Review of ~ Jules Verne – Around The World In 80 Days (Extraordinary Voyages #11)

9/10 "Truly, would you not for less than that make a tour around the world?" This is the second Verne book I have devoured in under two days which have both been accredited five stars. I could end the review at that and I would be content! Similar to The Journey to the Centre of...