Customer Reviews

Cryptic Crosswords from The Nation

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I am fairly new to cryptics, but have really enjoyed this book. There is a real sense of humor in many of the clues, and most are fairly to very clever. Sometimes downright devious - in a good way. I find the British cryptics too obscure because of cultural differences, and I love the fact that this book is more accessible to Americans. There are many challenging clues, it wouldn't be an interesting collection if there were not, but I do not think most experienced cryptic fans would find it so difficult that they cannot eventually solve the puzzles. I have the benefit of a British spouse experienced with cryptics who can help me. Those who are starting out, and don't have that kind of help available, might want to invest in a guide which explains cryptics before tackling this book. Others will most likely find it the right blend of challenging and accessible.

First off, the format is horrible. The book is not spiral-bound, but the binding is too tight to keep open easily. The clues are below and to the right of the puzzle grid, so as a right-hander, my hand is always blocking the clues. There are no explanations to the clues in the back, just answer grids, which some may find bothersome.

If you've never done a cryptic crossword puzzle before, start someplace else--101 Cryptic Crosswords: From the New Yorker is excellent.

Frank Lewis apparently has been making cryptic crosswords since the late 1940s. He doesn't play by standard cryptic crossword rules. (Maybe they were developed afterwards?) You aren't guaranteed two "definitions" in a clue (there may be one or three), and there may be no straight definition anywhere in the clue. In addition, he often combines multiple words in the grid together and gives one clue. (e.g. NEO in one place and GOTHIC in another, and one clue that produces NEOGOTHIC). In essence, you have to obtain a lot more long answers than short answers, which, for me, makes the puzzles harder to solve.

The clues are very fun and playful, but I find the puzzles much more difficult than normal cryptics, because of the abnormal clue format.

I would encourage cryptic fans unfamiliar with Lewis's puzzles to find a copy of the Nation and try out its puzzle before buying this book. Those used to the clues of puzzle writers like Henry Hook, Fraser Simpson, Emily Cox, Henry Rathvon, and Richard Maltby, Jr., will find Lewis's clues substantially different. Lewis's clues are long and rambling and contain a lot of stuff that is neither part of the definition nor part of the word-play. I suppose that some people might find the extra challenge of sorting the wheat from the chaff enjoyable, but I suspect that many (like me) won't.

These cryptic puzzles have given me a great deal of solving pleasure. I wonder if other less admiring reviewers who found the references obscure are from a (much) younger generation, as I thought most of the references, while often dependent on some knowledge of literature and culture, even pop culture, perfectly accessible. Lewis's word-play is fun and refreshing, making one rethink even the syllables of words. I enjoyed this book quite a lot.

I do his puzzles in the Nation regularly. Many of these are a cut above them in difficulty. I was unable to complete several of them, and even after checking the answers was at times in the dark about how he came up with them. So the book is for the real aficionado. It pays to read the Introduction carefully.

Mr. Lewis has been puzzling and delighting Nation readers for 50 years. He just keeps getting better and better. Each of the 80 puzzles reprinted here is a little masterpiece.

I am a cryptic puzzle fan, but the definitions in this one are so obscure as to be improbable and virtually impossible to do. I gave it to my sister-in-law. Haven't heard from her since.

I'd recommend not buying this book. The clues are inconsistent, there are no explanations for the answers, and, essentially, the author made some mistakes. Buy something from Henry Hook instead.