Author: H.G. Wells

Publication Date: 1898

Review Score: 5/10

The night after a shooting star is seen streaking across then night sky from Mars, the villagers of Horsell Common discover a large crater in which lies a metal cylinder. Not long after this, Martians emerge from the pit and although they are greeted with a white flag and general curiosity, they soon start to kill all of the locals with a devastating heat ray that destroys all in its path.

Soon more cylinders arrive and the Martians start to build gigantic killing machines which tear through London wreaking havoc and killing all of those who stand in their way. Scared, dumbfounded and only having basic defences the human race looks to be on the brink of extension, but the Martians may have underestimated the resilience of Earth to foreign invaders.

Looking back over the synopsis I just wrote, the first thing I realise is that this book sounds so much more exciting than it actually is! The premise for this novel is fantastic, especially when you take into account that it was dreamt up over 100 year ago when Sci-Fi was in its infancy, but the delivery is just not that great.

For starters, we are taken through this novel by a narrator, who is recalling what happened to him during these events, and so we already know before starting that the humans come through this attack and are not wiped of the face of the planet, meaning that we are only really in it for the ride and to find out how the humans destroy the seemingly invincible Martians.

Secondly, although the ideas in this novel are amazingly original for the period it was written in, the actual events in the book do not do justice to the original idea and often fall flat, either being predictable or just not that exciting.

Finally, I don’t mean to spoil the end of the book for those who haven’t read it, but let me just say that the way the Martians are defeated is very disappointing and is almost as bad as “and then I woke up and it was all a dream!” ending in an abrupt and lack lustre manner.

What I find odd is that a lot of people view The War of the Worlds as H.G. Wells greatest novels, but having read The Time Machine and The Island of Doctor Moreau I can honestly say that this has been my least favourite of his so far.

The War of the Worlds will always be regarded as one of the greatest ever Sci-Fi novels, and given how progressive and mind blowing it was at the time I can understand this, but as an actual novel, rather than an idea, it is not all that great.

Although if you disagree with me please let me know, I would love to hear why!

It may seem absurd but there is good cause for this sticker as Haunted is a messed up book and at points even had me feeling faint when reading it (no joke!).

You may not have heard of this novel but I am sure most of you will have heard of his most famous novel; Fight Club, which should really have made it onto the list of 1,001 Books to Read Before You Die but sadly didn’t.

Anyway, enjoy the pic and if you like being scared and sickened they check out the book!

Author: Oscar Wilde

Publication Date: 1891

Review Score: 4/10

Dorian Gray is a young, handsome man enjoying the fruits of the rich English life he has been borne into. Many people take a shine to Dorian but no more so than Basil Hallward, a painter who sees the young man as his new muse.

After Basil Hallward paints a portrait of young man, Dorian wishes that he could be preserved as the good looking man he is and the picture grow old instead. Well this vain and frivolous wish comes true and Dorian is able to stay as handsome as ever as his portrait takes on all of the burdens of life.

Dorian then begins to grow into a callous, selfish shell of his former self, culminating in his ability to kill a young girl without feeling any remorse or any impact upon his life. As he proclaims “The roses are not less lovely for all that. The birds sing just as happily in my garden.”

What this book is, is an excellent portrayal of how vain and selfish people can be, which is just as relevant today as it was when it was written over 120 years ago. However, although I can appreciate this element of the novel it is not to say I like it, in fact I distinctly dislike it for 2 main reasons:

1 – Although the idea is that the reader grows to despise Dorian and hope that he gets his ‘just desserts’, I found that I hated the character right from the get go, and not for the reasons I was supposed to, but rather just because I felt there was not a single element, either as hero or anti-hero, that I could side with him on.

He has not a shred of depth or character in my mind and for me even an anti-hero should have some draw on the reader. What’s more, even when we reach the final climax, when really he should have a new outlook on life or at least a hint of remorse, he is still completely oblivious and selfish making the whole journey through the book rather pointless.

2 – I know a lot of people will disagree with my point above, as many people love The Picture of Dorian Gray, so I believe I can shed some more light on it with this second point; which is I am a huge fan of literature that looks at the hardship of the lower classes, such as Dostoevsky and George Orwell, and so to read about some rich, whiny kid who has no cares in the world but acts as if he is some sort of martyr does my head in!

I tried to leave my bias out of it but I am a book lover and can’t help put compare books in my mind when I am reading them. The Picture of Dorian Gray is just not my cup of tea but if you like it good for you!

It is of course wrong to judge the contents by the cover, but they do often encapsulate the book, the writing period or the underlying message of the story within.

So, to break up my reviews and add a mention of some titles that didn’t make the list, I have decided to post up some pictures of my favourite book covers and quirky ones I find on my travels.

And I begin with this copy of Orthodoxy by G.K Chesterton, probably the best author not to appear on the 1,001 list:

Anyway, to help me along the way and to save of money and space, my lovely wife bought me a Kindle for Christmas. Now I know a lot of people hate the idea of Kindle’s and prefer good old paperbacks, and I used to think the same, but the Kindle is surprisingly enjoyable to read on.

As it isn’t backlit, like a computer screen or tablet, it is very easy on the eyes and with the size of the pages and text I find myself getting through books a lot quicker! It is also easy to carry about, pretty sturdy and only needs charging once a month.

Now, the best thing about the Kindle I have found so far is the Magic Catalogue of Project Gutenberg. For those who don’t know, the Magic Catalogue is a huge list of public domain books (novels with intellectual property rights that have expired) that have been turned into Kindle books and are available completely for free!

As you can imagine, with the 1,001 Books list mainly made up of classics, I have been able to find most of them for free on the Magic Catalogue of Project Gutenberg, which is going to make this challenge a lot less expensive!

Anyway, for all you Kindle users interested in getting a load of free books you can find the Magic Catalogue here: Magic Catalogue of Project Gutenberg

P.S. as you can see from the image above you can now get my publishing company’s first novel, Pure Bred Chihuahua by Marco Zaffino, on the Kindle. Download it here: Pure Bred Chihuahua

Author: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Publication Date: 1891-1892

Review Score: 10/10

A couple months ago I read the Hound of the Baskervilles, which was my first introduction to Sherlock Holmes, and I was absolutely blown away by how good it was. I was therefore happy to see that The Adventure’s of Sherlock Holmes had also made it onto the list of 1,001 Books to Read Before you Die.

In this collection, the reader is treated to 12 of Sherlock Holmes’s adventures, brilliantly told by Dr Watson and featuring some of the most bizarre circumstances ever dreamt up. Within these tales Sherlock encounters a league of red-haired men, the KKK, opium dens, a hidden jewel in a goose and a plethora of mysterious happenings that only he can solve with his brilliant deduction and logical reasoning.

What is brilliant about his collection is that Conan Doyle does not make Sherlock an invincible hero who always gets his man and serves justice. No, instead we see that even Sherlock can be duped and although he most often is able to deduce every crime and finger the criminal, he does not always send his man to the gallows.

Sherlock is not a policeman or a vigilante, he is purely a logical man who is interested by these mysteries and likes to solve the puzzle, and the way in which he comes to his conclusions, through pure reasoning logic, is mind blowing.

The brilliance of Sherlock Holmes as a character, the superb originality of the stories and the twisting path the reader is taken on makes The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes a ridiculously addictive novel and one of the best books I have ever had the pleasure to read.

I have given it my first ever 10/10 for a book on the list and would recommend it to anyone and everyone. If you want a good book to read, choose The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.

Author: John Buchan

Publication Date: 1915

Review Score: 8/10

In The 39 Steps we are introduced to the steely, charming and witty Richard Hannay, the adventure hero who appears in 5 of Buchan’s novels, but none so delightful as this first one.

In this original Richard Hannay novel we find our leading man accidently caught up in an international plot of war, after a murder is committed in his apartment, and so, to save himself from the clutches of the police or worse, he must flee London, travel to Scotland and figure out what rouse is a foot.

It may sound like a basic idea and a story that has been told a hundred times, but the way in which Buchan weaves the plot makes it highly exhilarating and very unpredictable.

Giving the reader very little to piece the mystery together throughout, the book is able to hold its fast pace right until the end. Along the way you can’t help but get caught up in the continual shock and awe of events and become completely compelled towards Hannay who is a fantastically well developed character.

This may just seem like a stream of praise rather than an adequate description of the book, but there isn’t much to say but that. You know what a mystery, adventure tale is and this is one of the greatest!

I suppose, the best way I can think to describe it is by saying, the mixture of mystery, crime and adventure makes The 39 Steps a kind of cross between Sherlock Homes and James Bond. Hannay is less intelligent that Holmes and not as violent as Bond, but he is adequately equipped in both departments.

Inspiration to the likes of Graham Greene, Ian Fleming and John le Carré, The 39 Steps is well deserving of its place in literary history and on the list of 1,001 Books to Read Before You Die.

Author: H.G. Wells

Publication Date: 1895

Review Score: 7/10

One night at a gathering at his house, a Victorian scientist tells his guests of how he has invented a time machine. Obviously no one believe the young man and so to try and prove that time travel is possible he first shows them a scale model of his machine which he sends into the future.

Still not convinced, the scientist invites the men to come to dinner again next week and once they are again all gathered he emerges from his laboratory, tired and dishevelled, ready to regale his guests with the story of his time travelling adventure.

The scientist then takes his guests, and the reader, on a journey into the future, to the year 802,701 AD, where he first discovers a peaceful, calm and beautiful society, where a small, simple elf like race of people, known as the Eloi, play all day and live in peace with each other.

This at first strikes the time traveller as a wonderful society, until he discovers a second branch of our once great humanity, that live underground, feed of human flesh and have hidden his time machine. The Morlocks are a disturbing, ape like race, which the time traveller must confront in order to secure his machine and get back to his own time.

Given that the time traveller himself is telling this story in his own dining room, after the events have occurred, we know from the outset that he must find a way to get back to the Victorian age. However, although this does at first take some of the drama out of the book you will soon find yourself so wrapped up in the tale of his adventure that it becomes a fleeting thought and does not stop you from experiencing the highs and lows of his journey.

What’s more, as with War of the Worlds and the Island of Doctor Moreau, Wells has been able to come up with remarkably original ideas in The Time Machine that are still ingenious by today’s standards, despite being written over 100 years ago.

As with his other novels I am surprised at how much he Wells able to fit into such a small book and my only wish is that it had continued for a second adventure, perhaps into the past or less distance into the future.

This is the 1 of 3 books H.G. Wells has on the 1,001 Books to Read Before you Die list and, in my opinion, they are all well deserving of their place. This is once again a fantastic read for anyone who loves Sci-Fi or just great storytelling.

Author: Lewis Carroll

Publication Date: 1871

Review Score: 7/10

Through the Looking Glass is the sequel to Alice in Wonderland, and in this adventure we follow young Alice as she steps through a mirror into the opposite world that lies beyond it.

In this backwards place Alice encounters a living chess set and a world that is one giant chess board that she must traverse in order to become a queen. Along the way she meets Humpty Dumpty, Tweedledum and Tweedledee and host of new characters that sing, dance and of course talk back!

In this second Alice novel, Lewis Carroll continues to charm the reader with his nonsensical, loopy and just plain insane ideas! The characters are just as mischievous and everything they do is upside-down, back-to-front and the wrong-way-round.

As with the first novel, Through the Looking Glass had me laughing out loud on almost every page with unfathomable ideas that just baffle the mind. I was delighted to find Carroll was no less ingenious with the second novel and yet again astounded with the originality of the book.

Given that it is the original and so brilliant, I think I do still prefer Alice’s Adventured in Wonderland, but Through the Looking Glass is still a fantastic novel and well deserving of its place on the 1,001 Books to Read Before you Die list.

The one thing I am surprised by is the fact that there hasn’t been a big Hollywood film version of Through the Looking Glass yet, although given my fondness for books over films I am quite glad about that!

Would love to hear all your thoughts of Through the Looking Glass and if you thought it was as Good as Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland?

Author: Emily Bronte

Publication Date: 1847

Review Score: 2/10

SPOILER ALERT: If you love this book you might not want to read this review!

Mr Lockwood, the new tenant of Thrushcross Grange, is forced to take shelter one night at Wuthering heights, the home of his landlord. It is here, in this run down house, on the bleak Yorkshire Moors, that Lockwood learns the story of this bitter mans history and the tempestuous events that have taken place at Wuthering Heights.

On the journey through this book the reader learns of the passionate relationship between Healthcliff and Catherine, her apparent betrayal of him and the vengeance he then visits upon all he comes into contact with.

Ok that’s enough of that! You might as well ignore that synopsis as it may make the book sound interesting and good and I definitely don’t want to give off that impression! Of all the books I have read during my life I don’t think I have found one quite so terrible as Wuthering Heights!

I know a lot of you will think I’m mad and even people who haven’t read the book will probably think I’m wrong, given the fame of this novel and Emily Bronte, but trust me I have my reasons for making these claims.

Wuthering Heights is acclaimed as a work of brilliance as it is supposedly the ultimate tale of love and betrayal but it just isn’t! Women all over the world gush about Heathcliff but when it boils down to it he is just an evil, violent little man, who’s physical and mental abuse of women, children and even animals is god awful!

The back and forth between Heathcliff and Catherine is stale and boring, there isn’t a single likable character in the book and everything just feels stilted, cold and un-engaging.

Honestly I struggled to find a single enjoyable thing about this book! When you can’t sympathise with, or relate to, a single character it makes a book incredibly hard going and that is exactly how I found it, and I don’t understand why so many people can sympathise with these characters, they just don’t deserve it!

Anyway, I could continue but will stop there as I know that the majority of people reading this will disagree with me. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion so I will just if you love Wuthering Heights good for you but it just isn’t for me I’m afraid!