Customer Reviews

Blast from the Past

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Why oh why?

I absolutely loved Elton's first three novels (Stark, Gridlock and This Other Eden) which were topical, political and most importantly the funniest books I have read. In Blast from the past, however, Elton dumps his usual extreme-and-action-packed-plot-intertwined-with-hilarious-comedic-observations style in favour of a more sombre look at love and politics.

Unfortunately, Elton is not good at it. His 'subtle as a steamroller' tone worked well in his first three novels where character development needed to be sacrificed to comedy, but in a book that focuses on two central characters, it falls flat.

And in a book that is meant to be little less extreme than its predecessors, the dialogue is simply implausible. After all, if a lover who disappeared 16 years previously turned up at 3 in the morning, would you spend the first hour of your reunion discussing Thatcherite politics?

Even the characters themselves are tired and unoriginal. In all of Elton's books there has been an attractive left-wing woman who has it in for a right-wing male a**hole. Blast from the Past continues this tired tradition and makes you wonder if Elton is good at anything else.

And while this book does have it's funny moments (the first chapter for example), they are few and far between and do not justify the boring political banter and teen lovers angst that fills the rest of the book.

Elton, stick with what you do best: comedy!

I have been a huge Ben Elton fan for years (unusual for a yank for sure, however lived in Australia for 8 years, so...), and have read all his books. I felt that this had it's truly enjoyable Elton comic moments, however the story was rather weak. Buy, hey, what the hell! Ben's books have never been literary masterpieces nor the top of the pops when it comes to 'the most clever plot line' either. Stark was better than this, however this was a far cry better than the pathetic 'Other Eden' thing he did a few years back. Overall, this book moves along pretty well, and sprinkles some of the ole Elton humour liberally amongst the situations. Can Ben really write the thriller of the year? NO - however this book is great bit of fun, and we all need that every so often, eh?

Enjoy it for what it is - Ben is not out to be the next Hemingway or anything - I think he just likes to write, and he doesn't do a bad job of it at all.

This is the best kind of comedy, the kind used in shows such as Blackadder, Red Dwarf and One Foot in the Grave - plenty of humour and hilarity but also a serious underlying theme.

'Blast from the Past' is a masterpiece. The characters are believable and all of them, even the disturbed stalker, are sympathetic. Though there is no shortage of political and social humour (a certain head of state even makes an appearance), the 'Fox and Hound'-type storyline - two characters who live in a society which refuses to allow them to be close because of their backgrounds - means you genuinely care about the two central characters and are kept glued to the book until the very end.

Throughout the whole book I was waiting for something to happen, and then nothing did. I suppose it was an interesting attempt at creating a denouement, but it fell miserable on its face as the event in question could be seen a mile away. The only reason I finished this was to see if it would get any better (which it didn't).

A long time Ben Elton fan, I was keenly looking forward to his latest work. I was a little dissapointed. While an easy read, the book certainly was not as funny as previous works. The main characters started off well but by the end they were nothing if not annoying, both as inflexible as each other. The nasty subplot of the stalker tried to treat a very serious matter somewhat lighheartedly.

The ending became predictable although the advertised 'twist' was a nice touch. Ben Elton seems to be ending his more recent books with a note of hope unlike the bleak endings of Stark and Gridlock.

Overall a reasonble novel, certainly not as good as previous novels and probably only for fans.

I love Ben Elton. Read all his works. Seen all his TV series. Seen his play (Popcorn). But there has been an annoying trend of his to stereotype his characters. This is odd because he often writes well in denunciation of cliches and assumptions. His stereo types started cropping up right from Stark onwards. He portrays Americans as John wayne/Clint Eastwood style hamburger eating whisky drinking cigar smoking walking cliches. Their speach pattern is 'God damn this, Ass hole that and Son of a Bitch' the other. The cliches ooze from every page. Even his characters are Jack (the four star General) or General Schultz ..well...you get the picture. Has he garnered every idea of an American from old TV series and movies?

This is a great shame because he also has an obvious fascination with the states. There is an American main character in every book. I am British but live now in the USA and am happy to report that Americans are no more like this than the English are all having tea at four saying "I say old chap".

Come on Ben. Do what you do best. Your social observations about UK life. Your view of the US is clearly antiquated.

Ben Elton's commentary on gender politics is a mildly compelling, though ultimately disappointing attempt at amalgamating poignant contemporary issues with an edge-of-the-seat thriller. His characters are so unbelievable, making their dialogue even more so, which is a problem because the entire book is fueled by what the two protagonists say to each other. What results is a less-than-intriguing, muddled social commentary that lacks the usual verve of previous Elton novels. He's off the mark this time.

The premise of the book is the reuniting of two ex-lovers: one, a straight-edged military general; the other, a female British ex-activist. When the general turns up on his old fling's doorstep at 2am, all sorts of complications ensue. The pace of the book slows down thereafter because Elton delves into the rather extensive (and rather boring) history of the two characters. Eventually, their history is covered and their present situation meets them head on, resulting in a truncated, unsatisfying denouement.

Elton isn't his usual best in Blast From the Past. If you're looking for vintage Elton, try the classic Stark, as well as Gridlock or This Other Eden. There you'll find rollicking, hilarious, action-packed plots with way out characters that, strangely enough, seem more believable than BFTP's, in which Elton attempted to make them as real as possible. Social commentary? More like unbelievable nonsense.

I think Ben Elton has a lovely sick sense of humor that I can't help but respect. Some people have complained that the characters in this book are too stereotypical but I think that is what makes this book so funny. But I will admit that this book is not as good as "Popcorn" but it is still a very funny book.

I wanted to love this book; I truly did. I fell in love with Elton's humor and political satire when I read Stark years ago. This book doesn't measure up. The pacing was great, and I confess there were times I had trouble putting the book down. I did find parts quite amusing, and, as a political junkie, I enjoyed the debate.

The problem I had was two-fold. First, I didn't think the story had enough depth. I found it frustrating that on one hand Elton seemed to be trying to tell a serious story about these two people who loved each other, but couldn't find a way to bridge the gap between their two vastly different worlds, and on the other hand, he was just doing a broad satire of left wing vs right wing politics, with a stereotypical stalker thrown in for good measure. He didn't give the characters enough depth to make me fully care about the love story, so why did he bother with all those flashbacks? Yet, in giving me the background, he seemed to almost want me to care about the characters - he just didn't give me enough to allow me to buy in. Also, I saw the ending coming a mile away. Elton is capable of better than that. In general, I don't think there was enough to the story to make a full length book - this would've worked alot better as a short story.

I know it sounds like I'm being harsh, and I probably am. I did enjoy the book, it just wasn't memorable, and it wasn't up to the standards I've come to have for a novelist the calibre of Ben Elton. Anybody who isn't already a fan may well read this book and wonder what the fuss is all about.

I found Elton's book both funny (as he often is) and as such covers subjects which are guenuinely serious. It is this merging of subjects which are totally different in places that helps this book to achieve such mixed reactions from the reader. And, it is all in the space of a single night. My one worry is that Elton steriotypes different nationalities ( or it is just how he sees them) either way, this can tarnaish what is otherwise an enjoyable read. Surely no American really believes the way that he portrays this particular character. One must also remember that this is a slow starting book for some. When it does start to roll into motion then the wait is worth it. I would simply advise to be patient and merely dismiss this because it does not start with all guns blazing. But, such a wait might just prove too long a wait for some readers.

Overall, though, it still contains Elton's trade mark humour. Especially when dealing with ordinary British social life. If you are looking for a book to put a smile on your face then this could just prove to be it.