books | Guy Portman's Blog

My Year In Books

Dec 26 2014

This time last year I devoted a blog post to the books that I had read in 2013. I have decided to do the same for 2014. In addition to releasing my second novel, the satirical black comedy Necropolis, I read 34 books.

Here is a breakdown of the books I read in 2014. Click on the links to read my reviews.

Non Fiction

If you are interested in African history you might like:

King Leopold’s Ghost by Adam Hochschild – The Belgian King, Leopold II, had grown envious of his European neighbours’ portfolio of colonies, and longed for a colony that he could call his own… (More)

Classics

I read a couple of books that could be termed Classics in 2014, including:

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

The Brother Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Transgressive Fiction

Click here for a definition of Transgressive fiction. Here are 3 very different Transgressive novels that might be of interest if you haven’t read them already.

High Rise by J. G. Ballard

Post Office by Charles Bukowski

Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut

Black Comedy

I read a couple of books that could be termed black comedies, including:

Death and The Penguin by Andrey Kurkov – Kiev resident and journalist Viktor lives in a small flat with Misha, his pet Emperor Penguin, purchased from the near destitute city zoo…(More)

I also wrote a black comedy, which I would highly recommend.

Necropolis by Guy Portman – Dyson Devereux is Head of Burials and Cemeteries for the local council … (Click here to read Crime Fiction Lover’s review of Necropolis)

Crime Fiction

I read a fair bit of Crime fiction in 2014 including:

In Cold Blood by Truman Capote

Chasing The Game by Paul Gadsby

Slur by Diane Mannion

Real Crime

The best Real Crime book that I read this year was Helter Skelter. It is about the Manson murders.

Helter Skelter by Vincent Bugliosi – In one of the most infamous mass murders in history, Sharon Tate, the Hollywood actress and pregnant wife of film director Roman Polanski, is brutally slain in her home,…(More)

Best Novella

The Old Man and The Sea by Ernest Hemingway – Set in the Gulf Stream off the coast of Cuba, this is a tale about an old man, a boy and a colossal Marlin…(More)

The Old Man And The Sea

Books about Drug Addiction

I read some good books about drug addiction in 2014 and some not so good ones. I would highly recommend these 3:

Junky by William S. Burroughs

Wasting Talent by Ryan Leone

Novel with Cocaine by M. Ageyev

Biggest Disappointments

I am a big fan of Easton Ellis and Palahniuk, but these two books failed to meet my lofty expectations.

Lunar Park by Bret Easton Ellis

Doomed by Chuck Palahniuk

Favourite Book

Post Office by Charles Bukowski – Henry Chinaski is a heavy drinking, womanising, race track frequenting low-life, who works at the post office. The story follows his menial existence of twelve-hour night shifts, sorting post, …(More)

Are These The 12 Best-Selling Books Of All Time?

Dec 14 2014

This blog post is dedicated to 12 of the best-selling books of all time. It is with a heavy heart that I announce that none of my books made the list.

The Bible is omitted by design. After all half of the World’s Bibles have been given away for free, and are currently gathering dust in hotel room drawers. I have also ignored Mao’s Little Red Book for similar reasons.

The 12 books are:

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger – 65 million copies sold – Reclusive author J.D. Salinger’s seminal work was published in 1951. The iconic book continues to sell at a rate of approximately 250,000 copies a year.

Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill – 70 million copies sold – Published in 1937, Think and Grow Rich remains the best selling self-help book of all time. It certainly made its author rich, though not sure the same could be said for its readers.

The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown – 80 million copies sold – This Christian themed mystery thriller complete with conspiracy theories has become a global best seller. I am probably merely one of millions who don’t like Dan Brown, but nevertheless own a copy of The Da Vinci Code.

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis – 85 million copies sold – Published in 1950, this Christian themed children’s fantasy tale, which has been adapted for the stage and big screen, continues to sell well to this day, and no doubt will continue to do so.

Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James – 125 million copies sold – Published in 2011, this, the first instalment of the Fifty Shades erotic fiction trilogy, more than makes up for any perceived lack of literary merit with massive global sales.

She: A History of Adventure by H Rider Haggard – 100 million copies sold – Published in 1887, She is about two men who discover a lost kingdom in Africa. Perhaps I shouldn’t be admitting this, but I had never even heard of it (I mean She) prior to writing this post.

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien – 100 million copies sold – Prior to inspiring an ~~unnecessary~~ incredible three films in consecutive years, all based on different sections of the book that inspired it, The Hobbit was known as the bestselling prequel to The Lord of the Rings.

Dream of the Red Chamber by Cao Xueqin – 100 million copies sold – Mao’s Little Red Book is not the only bestselling Chinese book with the word ‘red’ in its title. Written in the 18th century, Dream of the Red Chamber is a semi-autobiographical account about the author’s family and friends.

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie – 100 million copies sold – Best selling, prolific mystery writer Agatha Christie’s top selling book is about 10 people lured to an island and then murdered, following the pattern of the nursery rhyme Ten Little Indians.

Le Petit Prince (The Little Prince) by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry – 140 million copies – Voted the best book of the 20th Century in France, this novella, complete with watercolour illustrations, tells the story of a pilot stuck in the desert, who meets a little prince.

The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien – 150 million copies – Another Tolkien book, another Peter Jackson directed film. The Lord of the Rings is the second best selling book ever. Tolkien’s two entries on this list add up to 0.25 billion books sold. That is more than the population of Brazil and Colombia combined (2014 estimate).

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens – 200 million copies sold – A Tale of Two Cities is the best-selling book of all time. This iconic piece of historical fiction set during the French Revolution continues to grace bookshelves around the globe, including mine, though I must confess I haven’t read it yet.

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Record Breaking Old & Young Authors

Nov 28 2014

I have written numerous author themed blog posts. Topics include – the most prolific authors ever, drug addicted authors, posthumously famous authors, and the longest and shortest time it took to write a novel. Earlier this week I took to thinking about who were the oldest and youngest authors to achieve various literary milestones. This is what I discovered:

Oldest Best Selling Author – Helen Hoover Santymeyer was an American writer, educator and librarian, whose seminal work …And Ladies of the Club was published when she was 88. The book became a best seller in 1984, after it was selected for the Book-of-the-Month Club.

Oldest Winner of Nobel Prize for Literature – British playwright and author Doris Lessing was 88 when she won the prestigious prize. In 2008 The Times ranked her 5th on a list of ‘The 50 greatest British writers since 1945’. The author died last year aged 94.

Oldest First Time Author – Bertha Wood was a pioneer of the holiday camp movement, who became the oldest first time author ever when on her 100th birthday, her memoir Fresh Air and Fun was published.

World’s Oldest Ever Author – Ida Pollock died last year at the age of 105, just weeks before her 125th book was published. The romance author sold millions of books over the course of her long lifetime.

Youngest Best Selling Author – Christopher James Paolini is an American author, who is best known for his series the Inheritance Cycle, which consists of 5 books. Paolini became a New York Times bestselling author at the tender age of 19.

Youngest Winner of Nobel Prize for Literature – Rudyard Kipling is the younger ever winner of the Nobel Prize in literature. He was 42 when he achieved the accolade in 1907.

World’s Youngest Ever Author – Dorothy Straight is on record as being the youngest published author ever. At the age of 4 she wrote a story for her grandmother, which went on to be published by Pantheon Books in 1964 when the author was 6.

My Top 5 Transgressive Novels

Nov 21 2014

Definition: Transgressive literature is a genre that focuses on characters who feel confined by the norms and expectations of society and who break free of those confines in unusual and/or illicit ways.

Here are my Top 5 Transgressive Novels:

Fight Club

Chuck Palahniuk’s seminal work is about a nameless narrator, who starts a fight club with a charismatic anarchist by the name of Tyler Durden. Their fight club concept becomes very popular and spreads across the nation.

My Review: The protagonist, who remains nameless, is an insomniac leading a bland corporate existence, investigating accidents for a car company, whose only concern is profit. Unable to find meaning in a faceless consumerist society, he instead seeks solace in… (More)

American Psycho

American Psycho is a satire of the yuppies culture of the 1980s that caused outrage when it was published due to its explicit violent and sexual content. It went on to become a cult classic.

My Review: American Psycho is a highly controversial novel that brought its young author Bret Easton Ellis instant fame. The book is written from the perspective of a young Wall Street financier, Patrick Bateman… (More)

Junky

Junky is a sardonic, dark and humorous semi-autobiographical account of William S. Burroughs’s years spent using heroin. Its protagonist Bill Lee struggles to escape a cycle of drug dependency whilst trying to find meaning in his life.

My Review: Set in 1950s America and Mexico, Junky is a confessional novella about drug addiction. Its protagonist Bill Lee chronicles his drug-centred existence, which entails searching for his daily fix, scoring, and intravenous drug consumption …(More)

Post Office

Post Office is a darkly humorous, semi-autobiographical work about Charles Bukowski’s years spent working for the United States Postal Service. It describes the banality, dehumanisation and hardship of unskilled drudgery.

My Review: Henry Chinaski is a heavy drinking, womanising, race track frequenting low-life, who works at the post office. The story follows his menial existence of twelve-hour night shifts, sorting post, delivering mail, observing his fellow colleagues and facing countless disciplinary measures… (More)

Necropolis

Necropolis is a satirical black comedy about a sociopath called Dyson, who works for the burial and cemeteries department in his local council. Okay, so I might have left myself open to accusations of hubris in including my own book alongside these four iconic texts…

Review: ‘The book is full of razor-sharp satire. No politically correct madness escapes unscathed, and no sacred cow remains un-butchered and served up in freezer packs.’ (More)

My Book Reviews

Oct 03 2014

On Tuesday I redesigned the book review section of my website (see My Reviews tab). There are now 56 reviews covering a diverse range of books. Previously resident book blogger Adam also contributed reviews, but he has found a home of his own (details to follow).

This week’s post takes the form of a friend asking me questions about my book reviews, and me answering. Perhaps this will lead to you discovering new books that are of interest.

(Note: Click on the book links to read my review)

Q. You have written 57 book reviews since you started your blog in addition to your weekly blog posts. Why?

A. As a writer of novels I find it useful to review the books I have read, as it helps me to analyse other authors writing styles. Above all I like writing book reviews because I enjoy sharing my reading experiences with others.

Q. Where else do you share your reviews?

A. goodreads, google+ and Twitter.

Q. What is the latest book you have read and reviewed?

A. Helter Skelter by Vincent Bugliosi. It is a 600+ page true crime classic about the Manson murders – a fascinating, if at times heavy going read.

Q. I see you have reviewed 4 of John Steinbeck’s lesser-known works? Would you recommend any?

A. All of them, but particularly The Wayward Bus and the novella The Pearl.

Q. As you know I love non-Fiction, particularly history. Have you read any non-Fiction lately that you think I would enjoy?

A. King Leopold’s Ghost by Adam Hochschild tells the brutal history of the Belgian Congo. It is a fascinating if disturbing book.

Q. Have you reviewed any Indie books?

A. Yes, a few, and I have a couple more on my to-read list. I particularly enjoyed Barry Braithwaite’s Last Life by A R Lowe. It is a heart-warming tale about an alcoholic, with a less than impressive front cover that belies what lies beneath.

Q. Do you have a favourite non-English language author?

A. Joseph Roth, the Austro-Hungarian Jewish author. He is only now 75 years after his death getting the attention he deserves in the English speaking world. I have reviewed his seminal work, The Radetzky March and his novella The Legend of the Holy Drinker. His writing has a nostalgic tone, which I appreciate.

(Click here to read my rather morbid blog post about Roth’s demise).

Q. Your second novel Necropolis is a satirical black comedy that could be labelled as Transgressive Fiction. Have you reviewed any Transgressive books?

A. Yes, I’ve reviewed many books that could be labelled as Trangressive, including 6 Chuck Palahniuk novels and 4 of Bret Easton Ellis’s works. Peruse my book reviews and you will discover many more.

(Click here to read my blog post about the Trangressive genre).

The 12 Most Influential Books Ever

Sep 26 2014

This week’s blog post is dedicated to 12 of the most influential books ever.

Relativity: The Special and the General Theory by Albert Einstein – First published in 1916, this three part book not only explains the theory of relativity, it also gives an insight into one of the greatest minds of the 20th Century.

The Art of War by Sun Tzu – Written around 500 B.C., The Art of War gives advice on how to win wars. The book has been embraced by a host of military strategists down the years, in addition to business leaders looking to vanquish their competitors.

The Rights of Man by Thomas Paine – Paine, a fervent supporter of the French Revolution, wrote The Rights of Man in 1791. This influential book argued revolution is permissible when a government does not protect the rights of its people.

Civil Disobedience by Henry David Thoreau – Thoreau argued that governments generally do more harm than good, and that the government that governs least is the best. The book influenced many important leaders, including Gandhi, Martin Luther King and Leo Tolstoy.

The Origin Of Species by Charles Darwin – No work of scientific literature has been more influential than The Origin of Species. Its premise that evolution is a result of natural selection is still controversial to this day, over a hundred and fifty years after it was written.

The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli – In this, one of the most influential books ever written about politics, Machiavelli argued that the end justifies the means. Evidence of The Prince’s influence is the fact that the term ‘Machiavellian’ has been incorporated into the English language.

The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels – Published in 1848, The Communist Manifesto analysed the class struggle and argued against capitalism. Not only was it a founding document of Communism, it is regarded as one of the most important works of the 20th Century.

The Republic by Plato – Written by arguably the greatest philosopher to ever live, The Republic, Plato’s most important work, is concerned with the notion of justice. This iconic text, which has played an integral role in the development of Western culture, continues to influence philosophers to this day.

Mao’s Little Red Book by Mao Tse-tung – Mao’s Little Red Book consists of selected quotes from the founder of Communist China, Mao Tse-tung. It was required reading for the Chinese nation, and is considered to be one of the most printed books in history.

Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe – Published in 1852, Uncle Tom’s Cabin is an anti-slavery novel that changed the way many Americans living in the north perceived the practice of slavery. The book became a bestseller, and no doubt contributed to the ensuing Civil War.

Qu’ran by Mohammed – Muslims believe that the Qu’ran was verbally revealed to Mohammed through God, via the angel Gabriel. Its teachings quickly spread. Today Islam is the World’s second largest religion, with over a billion followers.

Bible by various authors – It is difficult to argue that any book has been more influential than the Bible. Written over a period of about 1,500 years, this two part book is responsible for spawning a religion that has over two billion adherents.

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7 Prolific Authors

Sep 12 2014

As an author I am intrigued by how much other authors write. A few weeks ago I wrote a blog post about the longest and shortest amount of time authors have taken to pen a novel. This week’s blog post is devoted to seven of the most prolific English language authors ever.

Enid Mary Blyton (1897-1968) – 800+ Books – This highly productive English writer wrote about subjects as diverse as natural history and the Bible, but she is best remembered for her children’s books, particularly The Famous Five and The Secret Seven. In the early 1950s’ Blyton was publishing more than 50 books a year – a remarkable feat, even if some could be argued to have questionable literary merit (Noddy).

Isaac Asimov (1920-1992) – 468+ books - Russian born author and professor Isaac Asimov was a prolific writer of both science fiction and science of the non-fiction variety. After the invention of the word processor, Asimov estimated that he published on average 1,700 words a day. The iconic writer is perhaps best remembered for I, Robot, a collection of nine science fiction short stories about interactions between humans and robots.

Barbara Cartland (1901-2000) – 723 books – Not only was Cartland the most prolific writer of historical fiction ever, she also wrote health and cookery books, as well as plays. The British society figure’s prolific output was due in part to her long life. Cartland’s accolades include holding the Guinness World Record for the most novels published in a single year – 23.

Lauran Bosworth Paine – (1916-2001) – 1000 books (approx.) – This American born author’s prodigious writing output consisted largely of Westerns, as well romance, mystery, science fiction and numerous non-fiction titles. Paine had more pen names (70) than most authors have titles. Many of Paine’s books, which were published in the UK, never graced the shelves of bookshops in his native land.

John Creasey (1908-1973) – 600+ books – John Creasey was an English writer of science fiction, Westerns, romance, plays, short stories and books for children, who is best remembered today for his crime novels, many of which have been adapted for television. He used 28 different pseudonyms during his celebrated writing career. Creasey founded the Crime Writers’ Association (CWA) in 1953.

Ursula Bloom (1892-1984) – 560 books - Bloom was an English romance novelist, who was published under numerous pseudonyms. She also wrote non-fiction books and radio plays. Bloom wrote her first book at the tender age of seven and never looked back. At one time the English author was listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the British author with the greatest number of published full-length titles.

Kathleen Lindsay – (1903-1973) – 904 Books – Kathleen Lindsay was according to the 1986 version of the Guinness Book of Records, the most prolific novelist in history. Though this remarkable feat has since been surpassed, this prolific English romance author, who used eleven different pseudonyms, still has a place in the hearts of romance writers around the world.

The Tortoise And The Hare

Aug 29 2014

No doubt like many writers I find there are days when I can effortlessly write several thousand words, and others when I struggle to write anything of note. This has often led me to wonder how long it has taken famous authors to write their novels.

On The Road by Jack Kerouac – The defining text of The Beat Generation was written in only three weeks, on a 120-foot scroll of paper. In this largely autobiographical account of Kerouac’s adventures in America and Mexico, the speed of the journey is mirrored by the frenzied pace of the prose. Click here to read my review.

The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne – This contemporary Irish novelist claims to have written his best selling fictional account of a boy living through the Holocaust in only two and a half days, which left him very little time to eat or sleep.

The Gambler by Fyodor Dostoyevsky – The iconic Russian author purportedly wrote this novella in only twenty-six days, which is all the more impressive when one considers that he was also working on Crime and Punishment at the same time.

The Tortoise and the Hare by Elizabeth Jenkins – This largely autobiographical account of the author’s romantic relationship with a man, who refused to leave his wife, was written in only three weeks. Jenkins has stated publicly that she has never looked at the book since.

Catch-22 by Joseph Heller – Based on Heller’s own experiences as a bombardier in WWII, this best-selling, satirical, anti-war novel, took the American author eight years to write. Catch-22 is frequently cited as one of the greatest literary works of the 20th century.

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov – The Russian-American author’s seminal work took five years to pen. This highly controversial novel is about a man’s (Humbert Humbert) infatuation with a twelve-year-old girl called Lolita. Click here to read my review.

The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett – Published in 1989, The Pillars of the Earth is a popular historical novel, about the building of a cathedral. The story, which is set primarily in the 12th century, took the former thriller author ten years to write.

And Ladies of the Club by Helen Hooven Santmyer – This story about a group of women, who start a study club, in a fictional town in Ohio, took its author fifty years to write. The eighty-eight year old Santmyer achieved critical acclaim when it became a best seller in 1984.

Controversial Authors (Part 3)

Jul 12 2013

This is the third and likely final instalment of the Controversial Authors series. The following blog post is dedicated to two widely acclaimed literary figures whose work provoked controversy.

Vladimir Nabokov

(April 22nd 1899 – July 2nd 1977)

Notable works: The Defense, Lolita, Pale Fire, Speak Memory.

Born in Saint Petersburg, the son of a politician, Vladimir Nabokov was a renowned novelist, lepidopterologist (someone specialising in the study of moths) and chess composer (creates endgame studies/chess problems). The author’s first nine novels were in Russian, but it was his later English prose which assured him a place in the pantheon of literary greats.

Lolita, Nabokov’s most famous work, is widely regarded as one of the greatest novels of the twentieth-century. Accolades such as the book’s inclusion in Modern Library’s list of the 100 best novels of the twentieth-century bear testimony to this. Lolita is also amongst the most controversial books of all time due to its sensitive subject matter.

The story is about a man named Humbert Humbert, who falls in love with a twelve-year-old girl, Lolita, the daughter of his landlady. Humbert Humbert goes on to marry the mother so he can stay close to Lolita. When the mother dies in a car accident, the protagonist takes care of Lolita, in exchange for sexual favours. Lolita eventually leaves him and marries someone else, infuriating Humbert Humbert to such an extent that he kills the man.

The book’s pedophilic theme resulted in Lolita being rejected by numerous American publishers when it was written in 1953. Two years later the book was published by Olympia Press, a Paris based publisher. To this day the book courts controversy. The producer of a long-running one-man show in Saint Petersburg, in which Leonid Mozgovoy reads out passages from Lolita on-stage, was assaulted after being accused of being a pedophile. A disturbing clip of the incident was posted on YouTube.

Salman Rushdie

(Born: June 19th 1947)

Notable works: Midnight’s Children, Shame, The Satanic Verses.

No list of controversial writers is complete without the inclusion of the Indian born British writer, Salman Rushdie. Rushdie’s second novel, Midnight’s Children, won the Booker Prize in 1981. The author went on to achieve further success with his third novel Shame, published in 1983. His fourth book, The Satanic Verses, published in 1988, caused controversy from the outset. The title of the book was deemed offensive by many Muslims as it refers to a number of allegedly pagan verses, temporarily included in the Qur’an and later removed. Some pious Muslims were also displeased that the prophet Abraham was referred to as a ‘bastard’, in addition to various other insertions, too numerous to mention here.

Any hopes Rushdie may have harboured over the furore dying down were shattered when the Supreme Leader of Iran, The Ayatollah Khomeini, issued a Fatwa against the author in January 1989. Rushdie was rushed into the protective custody of Special Branch as rioting, book burnings and fire-bombings raged through the Muslim world. The left-wing bookshop Collets was burned down and a Dillons firebombed as the hatred spread west. In August of 1989 Mustafa Mahmoud Mazeh was martyred in a failed plot to blow up the author in Paddington, London. In a separate incident Hitoshi Igarashi, the Japanese translator of the book was stabbed to death.

To this day the author receives death threats, including a Valentines Day card of sorts that he gets every February 14th, threatening to kill him; and no they are not from one of his four ex-wives.

Click here to read Part 2 of the series.

Movie Adaptations of Books

Apr 25 2013

This week’s blog post is about books that inspired great films and others that perhaps should have remained in print form only. Of course this is a highly subjective matter and these are merely suggestions on my part.

Books that made great films

Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk

Book Synopsis: Every Sunday during the early hours men congregate to fight one-on-one in basements and car lots. These disenfranchised young men were brought up with absent fathers and fed on a diet of mass media that led them to believe they would be superstars.

The Film: Released in 1999, the film starred Brad Pitt, Edward Norton and Helena Bonham Carter. Fight Club was nothing if not controversial and the the critics loved and hated it in equal measure.

Summary: There is no doubt that Chuck Palahniuk’s dark, menacing, brutal and nihilistic creation was not to all readers liking. However there are few films that have kept so closely to the book that inspired them. The screen writer’s job must have consisted of little more than some cutting and pasting.

Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton

Book Synopsis: As we all know the story the book is about an island off Costa Rica, where a billionaire philanthropist and a small team of scientists have created a wildlife park of cloned dinosaurs, which end up running amok. Did I mention it’s fiction.

The Film: Directed by Steven Spielberg, Jurassic Park was a landmark with regards the use of computer generated imagery. It was also the highest grossing film in history at the time.

Summary: Crichton’s imaginative and suspense filled tale was perfect for adaptation and so it proved with Spielberg wielding the genius and the financial backing to make it a reality. The sequel The Lost World was a great success too, but then lamentably came Jurassic Park 3 and 4, both abject straight to DVD B movie atrocities.

The Shining by Stephen King

Book Synopsis: The ill-tempered Jack, his wife Wendy and young son Danny move to an isolated resort, the Overlook Hotel, where Jack has taken a job as a winter caretaker. But paranormal activities that involve telepathy and possession result in disaster.

The Film: Directed by the iconic Stanley Kubrick, the film was not initially well received having been criticised by many as deviating from the book. However over time the slow moving film has been widely accepted as a masterpiece.

Summary: The image of the crazed Jack Nicholson peering through the partially open door is one of the most memorable film shots of all time. However author Stephen King remains unhappy with Kubrick’s adaptation of The Shining to this day. What can I say other than to praise it, after all criticising Kubrick would be an act of hubris.

Books that perhaps should have stayed in print form

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

Book Synopsis: As we all know the book follows the quest of Bilbo Baggins, beginning in the Shire and culminating in The Battle of Five Armies. Ultimately it can be viewed as a book about the development of the protagonist’s character.

The Film: Directed by Peter Jackson the film is the prequel to The Lord of The Rings trilogy. A number of characters reprise their roles from the earlier films.

Summary: Many have deemed it questionable why after three great films we really need this fourth instalment, a case of milking the cow to death perhaps. The book moves at a slower pace than The Lord of The Rings trilogy and lends itself less easily to film than the first three. And then there’s the issue of reprising the roles of Hollywood stars Orlando Bloom, Cate Blanchett and Elijah Wood, even though their characters do not even appear in The Hobbit. Did I mention it’s 169 minutes long.

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S.Thompson

Book Synopsis: The book, which is partially autobiographical in nature, follows protagonist Raoul Duke and his attorney Dr.Gonzo to Las Vegas, where they discuss the 1960s counterculture, whilst indulging in a dizzying array of drugs.

The Film: Directed by Terry Gilliam and starring Hollywood heartthrob Johnny Depp, the film was a disaster at the box office. However over time it has become something of a cult classic.

Summary: Hunter S.Thompson voiced concerns about a movie adaptation of the book. After all Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is not a plot based story and there is no doubt that personal hallucinatory experiences do not lend themselves easily to film. There is also the fact that many viewers struggled to empathise with a character who insisted on taking large quantities of drugs at every opportunity. Personally I enjoyed it but the book is much better.

The Informers by Brett Easton Ellis

Book Synopsis: The Informers are a collection of short stories set during the decadent 1980s. The author attempts to link these stories together with the same continuity. In typical Ellis fashion the characters are mostly vapid, shallow and obsessed with image and consumption. The book can be viewed as a commentary about the decline of society.

The Film: The 2008 film saw a star studded cast acting out the mostly soulless characters from the book. There was Winona Ryder, Kim Basinger, Mickey Rourke, Billy Bob Thornton and the list goes on.

Summary: Short stories involving numerous mostly vapid characters was never going to be easy to film and so it proved. The film was lambasted by the critics and viewers alike as being tedious, tepid and a disgrace to cinema. But this was not Brett Easton Ellis’s fault okay. I stress again he was innocent and can take no responsibility for how the film came out.

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My Year In Books

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Are These The 12 Best-Selling Books Of All Time?

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Record Breaking Old & Young Authors

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My Top 5 Transgressive Novels

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My Book Reviews

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The 12 Most Influential Books Ever

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7 Prolific Authors

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The Tortoise And The Hare

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Controversial Authors (Part 3)

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Movie Adaptations of Books

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