Customer Reviews

Katastrophe

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book hooked me from the very start. What would happen if a happily married father of one was hyponotized and recalled an earlier life as Adolf Hitler? Author Boyll puts together a chilling tale of how the media will take an incident and create news and what this can do to the life of a family. While far fetched in some aspects, you can quite literally picture seeing this on "Current Affair" or "Hard Copy". The writing is extremely well done and the characters are fully realized. I would recommend this book highly.

Halfway through this rather lengthy novel, I found myself wondering why I was reading it. At that point, however, I found it impossible just to stop reading it! Good thing I didn't! This is an unusual book in its plotting, pacing, and the complexity of its characters. The whole premise of a "reincarnated Hitler" is far-fetched, indeed, but Boyll handles it with finesse and you as the reader know that there is something deeper than this hypnosis-induced confession. The book is populated with some very likeable and dislikable characters. Hank and Rebecca Thorwald are interesting victims, in that they try to react in ways that would get them out of their predicament. Rebecca is particularly resourceful, determined, and a strong female character. Karl Von Wessenheim, Ronno Ulgard, and his mother are villains of the most unusual sort. There are times when you actually root for Karl and Ronno; but the mother is reminiscent of the Angela Lansbury character in "The Manchurian Candidate"---what a witch! (Substitute a b for the w in this one!). A strong supporting characters is Dutch, a retired cop who helps Rebecca out. And of course we can't forget Alan Weston, the epitome of the t.v. tabloid host. A bitter, caustic, and lonely man, Alan emerges as a very focal character in the book. It's scary to think that Adolf Hitler could still have such an influence on any society, and that Americans would react in such a violent way. However, in reading the papers recently, I can see where something like this could unfold easily. But read this book, and enjoy it's excellence. The semi-climax on the train is breathtaking; the final scene with von Wellenheim is priceless. Look for more expert stuff from Mr. Boyll!

Michael Butts

This is an excellent read. I usually read only good stories because I spend a lot of time "prepping" my reading. I read reviews, the dust jacket, talk to ople, etc. This was a rare impulsive buy - it looked good from the jacket, I was traveling, I needed something to read, etc. Well, I must tell you this was a good choice. the characters are three dimensional, the plot is just twisted enough to be interesting, the story itself just unbelievable enough to be considered. It is a fast read, but don't skip over too many paragraphs thining you a getting ahead - you will miss something. Buy it, read it, lend it to your best friend. Do it now.

reading the reviews here you would think this is one of America's great works of fiction... did people read the same book I did?

the "what if Hitler were reincarnated?" angle is a great start, but the Nazi Youth/find his bones subplot wasn't compelling and didn't resonate with me at all -- I found myself counting the pages until those sections ended and the rest of the book picked up again.

I made it about halfway through before I finally gave up. I could live with the unsympathetic characters and unrealistic situations, but yet another implausible plot twist was the last straw. I skipped to the last chapter just to find out how it ended and I am SO GLAD I didn't waste my time getting there.

I think Boyll has potential but tried too hard to make it "exciting" and "gripping". instead it just got over-the-top and pointless.

bottom line: you better REALLY like German history if you want to enjoy this one.

I will start this review with a confession... . I have not YET finished this book. Ahhhh, I feel better now. Saying that, I must tell you (the reader of this review) that I felt compelled to write a review even though I haven't finished this book. It is that good! The writing is exquisite and the storyline is relentlessly paced. I find myself wanting to call work and telling them I'm sick just to read more and more of this book, but since I work in a bookstore, I just read at work (only on breaks and lunches of course). I plan of finishing this book before this review gets posted, so feel free to email me and I'll tell you if the ending is as good as the rest of the book (which I'm guessing it will be). If you are like me and love to read a good thriller, then do yourself a favor and read this book.

Was it a page-turner? Maybe. Did it make me embarrassed to be reading it? Yes.

This book features a solid idea, a stupid plot, average writing and B-movie twists that require the kind of faith leaps usually reserved for suicide cults.

You may like this book. But you are smarter than this.

I will never understand why King recommended this novel.

Trying to find a good book for me to read is always a challenge. Walking through the bookstore one day, I noticed the large swastika on the cover of Randall's book. Intrigued, I picked it up and bought it. BEST INVESTMENT EVER! I tell ya, I couldn't put this book down. Once I was finished with it I kept going back to read more of it only to find that I had already finished the whole book. I'm hoping for more books like this from Randall Boyll. I know to look for his name in the bookstores from now on. I was on the edge of my seat during most of this book and enjoyed it immensely. I highly recommend it to anybody who is looking for something a little different.

I started off reading with a "prove it to me" attitude about whether ordinary people would be so mean-spirited as to persecute a person as shown in the way the book opens. By the time television journalist Alan Weston crosses paths with booze and bikers, I was hooked by Mr. Boyll's ability to flesh out his characters. The action throughout develops from the truth inside each of us. There is a good sense of timing and full development of all the scenes. Katastrophe is well worth the read. And, yes, the world can be a cold place but there are heroes out there.

"Katastrophe" starts off in a barn, late at night, somewhere in Ohio. Our main character, a disheveled Hank Thorwald, is caught wearing only one shoe, holding a chicken and a revolver with only four bullets left. He is being held at gun-point by the chicken's owner who recognizes Hank from recent television reports. The sound of approaching police sirens can be heard in the background. What a great way to start off this story!

"Katastrophe" is a very good and swift read. Without repeating past reviews, the Thorwald family fall prey to an easily excited and relentless media, and the Grade-A whack-a-loons that come out of the woodwork when a particular story is overhyped.

There are plenty of twists and turns in this story that will surely entertain. The pacing for most of the novel is first rate. There are plenty of people who would like to get their hands on Hank. Some of those people have come from as far away as Berlin. But that's a story within the story that needs to be read to be believed!

My only nitpick comes in the form of the character Detective Gleeworth. I wasn't overly impressed by his procedural tactics and his automatic assumption of guilt towards Hank Thorwald. I was also disturbed by the glibness and utter lack of concern from the entire Terre Haute police department following a shocking incident involving the Thorwald's daughter. (I don't want to spoil anything... read the novel and find out!)

That and the novel's rather quick wrap-up are my only TEENY TINY faults with what is otherwise a great read. I would not hesitate to pick up another novel by Mr. Boyll. I'm a tough grader and this novel was a lot of fun. This one gets 3 and 3/4 stars... so very close to 4 stars.

This novel will certainly entertain! Give it a read.

A soild first novel. Unlike the usual genre, an every-day guy and his family become emeshed in a siutation that spins out of control. While I didn't think the writing was all that stunning or superior, the storytelling is. What happens when a typical family become isolated and caught up in agenda's that are not thier own, makes for a compelling read, creating a terrific book. The ending feels a bit abrupt, given the careful weaving of plot strands - but when I closed the book, I wanted someone else to read it so we could talk about it, and I was sorry that the ride was over.