Ray

Chilling gothic for the young

Well worth the decision to re read. Bellairs has some nice touches as an author. His portrait of Lewis runs true as it should with his uncle and Florence shadowy as befits their warlock and witch status and yet leaves Lewis room to move and grow. So even if Lewis is up against the dead and blackest of necromancy the two adults provide reassurance. Lean nothing wasted in the story telling, no more complicated than it need be but always hinting at greater depths.

Overall greatly enjoyed. Have watched the TV documentaries [ series : A History of Ancient Britain; A History of Celtic Britain; Sacred Wonders of Britain; The Celts [Blood, Iron and Sacrifice with Alice Roberts]. This book is 2012, which is contemporaneous with the first two series or thereabouts; but also forms the content for the others. So I had an idea of what I was in for before I turned a page. This didn't spoil the read for me, rather it allowed me to visualize thus enhancing the text. For example the fascinating Dover Boat sequence or the handling of the “Red Lady” of Paviland. As a young lad with a fascination for ancient history, I dragged my parents on our camping holidays around some of the sites Oliver gives an account for so that was an added dimension for me. How much of the history of the Great Orme, for example, that has been revealed in the 50 years since I last visited was awe-inspiring. I suspect that some of his daydreaming, “philosophizing” time-traveling jaunts may annoy some readers as it may work better to the camera than it does on the written page but it doesn't seriously distract and personalizes the history. Sometimes I did get dizzy from skipping from site to site as he built up the detail and by the last chapter “Romans” I had more detail than I could retain. It would have been nice to see a timeline or two as I did occasionally get lost.
Going to watch the videos again [plus a newer one on the Orkneys] just to see if I get any further enhancement having now read the book.

Deserved winner of 1982 Hugo award. Finished re-reading again after 40 years. Enough time to have forgotten details of the plot and enabled me to re-read afresh. Acclaimed example of Military SF, but don't go looking for space battles. Cherryh does what she does best world-building, characterization, and politics. Don't look for muscle-bound heroes with halos either. There are “sides” with men and women on whatever “side” attempting to survive or do best for themselves in circumstances they have inherited or are compelled to follow in a time of war. Everyone does what is expected of them as in fact living in space means living in a hostile environment of a space station or the crew of a merchant or warship. Early on we are told of a station destroyed and refugees crowded into a warship and deposited liked or not at another station ill-prepared for a frighted crazed refugee population whose first response is to panic, form a mob, and lash out. Throughout the novel, these refugees are a constant threat to Pell station used and manipulated. Given the murder and mayhem, they cause it is hard to retain the sympathy they deserve. All in all, I found it hard to shout for one side or another. My greatest attachment being to the Ghandi like aliens, the hisa. Will the hisa survive mankind's propensity to solve problems with violence? Cherryh also has a deserved rep for her aliens. Haven't read the rest of this series; the Alliance-Union Universe, but I think I will have to.