Jim

Previous people reviewing this seemed to have wanted to learn more about Sir Issac Newton. This is a FICTIONAL account of Newton's time at the tower mint, hence not the place to learn the whys and where fors of Newton's life. What you do get is a lively, detailed and enjoyable piece of mystery fiction, with believable well thought out characters and an engaging sense of the period in which it is set (including the coarse language and occasional bawdy sex). I initially feared the author was shoe-horning newton into a sherlock Holmes persona, but this quickly passed and the CHARACTER took on his own shape. If this is not what you want then there are several good biographies in print at the moment, which will save you having to seperate plot device from fact.

I really like a good claustrophobic ghost story and this had all the right ingredients and was obviously quality writing and voice acting but....

I was left feeling really rather flat and went through it rather dutifully rather than enjoying it or being affected by it.

I'm pretty much in the minority here and not really sure why it didn't work for me. Pity really, I just found it slightly dull.

Mr Kenny is a superb complement to this excellent book. I had to smile as he subtly changes the voice of a character as they moved between sexes. Very slick!

Its up there with "Consider Phlebas" in terms of breadth of story, large ideas and character detail. Compulsive reading for Culture addicts.

See above, but I also liked the conceit of giving the ship minds british regional ( and occasional colonial :-) ) accents that really rather suited their personalities. Really a very impressive rendition.

Hard to imagine it being a film, but I bet it is "the way many people want the future to be", which is the function of good sci-fi; to inspire.

Great writer at the top of his game. If we lose him it will be a big loss to our collective imagination, so my best wishes to the man.

Unfortunately the author decided to narrate his own work. I suggest you listen to the sample before buying as I'm afraid I really ended up hating his voice and couldn't face listening to another is he was reading it.

So listen to the sample and make up your own mind

More a pastiche of a pastiche than an original story, as it resembles one of the "wolfman meets Dracula" films of the 40's rather than one of Conan-Doyle's efforts. Basically a sequel to the hound of the Baskervilles with Dracula tacked on. Not that there isn't some slight entertainment here, but fans of Holmes or the Count may be disappointed by this rather cardboard outing for their heroes.

Though basically a modern version of the wise cracking gumshoe, the story works well and brings in a cast of interesting, believable charators. If your looking for some fun escapism this is for you. The narrator was a truly excellent voice actor, I will look out for him again.

A beautifully crafted historical mystery, which gives a real sense of the period, while maintaining a tight and intriguing story line. The characters are as well realised as their setting, and their actions and underlying motivations are believeable and natural. The pace of the book is gentle, this is not a swashbuckling romp, but what there is is gripping enough. I am not sure what vague dissatisfaction made me drop the rating from a five to a four, but I can whole heartedly recommend it as a companion for the 10 hours it will take to finish.

I have enjoyed the two previous Nightstalker books. Well, once I got used to the narrator's eccentricities and limited vocabulary. His pronunciation of debacle is a total tongue twister and he's never obviously stood on a quay before. That aside, the first two books were cheerful romps through an colourful world, populated by interesting characters, with some truly bizarre names. Unfortunately, this third instalment, went away from this and bogged itself down in a political tale and the description of a culture. When the characters complain of their boredom and chaff under inactivity, I could only sympathise. I will still read the fourth instalment when its comes out in the hope that it will represent a return to night running.

Though I am a fan of both the genre and era, I find this, Collins' last major work, to really show its age. The plot chugs along its torpid course, with much remonstrations of benighted heartfelt-love, for women with all the personality of a wilted salad. Imagine a novel with all the dull parts of Stoker's Dracula, but without the characters and action to balance it. The detective element of the novel is hardly a twist in the tale and the supernatural elements are pure Victorian mummery. The narration and quality are acceptable. I could only recommend it to a Collins completist.

Its been sometime since I've read these stories and being in need of some comfort reading, I decided to download an audible version. These stories are like some old friends and the narrator, who I have heard with his work on John Buchan's books, only enhanced the stories with his most complementary reading. If you like Holmes you will not be disappointed. The final story is also interesting for the very singular time in history in which it was written.

Drivel of the standard of a fifteen year old's wish fullfilment fantasy. When the hero (ruggedly handsome) gets of on a secret jet, shaped like a space shuttle, made out of matrix bonded something or other, which can fly at MACH 24, you know what you are in for. Never mind suspending your disbelief, you would have to string it up from the rafters! I've never read any of the author's other books, including the best selling De Vinci code, and on the strength of this I never will. You would need a sharp knife to cut this bland old cheese.