Customer Reviews

The Blackford Oakes Reader: Ten Characters from Ten Best Sellers

Don't get me wrong, I am a great fan of William F. Buckley, and have read most of his published books. In addition, I have read his columns and subscribed to his magazine, National Review.

Nevertheless, this is not what I expected.

This book is a compilation of several characters, drawn from his Blackford Oakes series of stories. The characterizations are good, of course, and the writing is up to Buckley's standard, which is high. But, there is nothing original in the book. It is simply a collection of characters.

The book was scanned from originally published material. Some of the scanning was faulty, resulting in mistakes like 'War College' being translated into 'Wan College'. Every 'r' is not changed to an 'n'; just often enough to irritate the reader.

For Buckley, who is a perfectionist, it must be cause for great annoyance.

William Buckley is a good, if not a great writer, who has spent his lifetime worshipping the English language. Buy the original stories, wherein you will get all of these characterizations, and the rest of the story to boot. This book is only an appetizer.

Joseph Pierre,
Author of THE ROAD TO DAMASCUS: Our Journey Through Eternity