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41 of 41 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of my favorite books, October 28, 2006
This review is from: The List of Seven (Mass Market Paperback)
There are books that are OK, books you like, books you love, and then there a another whole class of very special uber-books that you flat-out enjoy, devour every page, and feel devastated when they are finished. The List of Seven is one of the latter types of books and I whole-heartedly recommend it to others. It gets a six star review from me. Set in Victorian England this book has everything a rollicking good adventure yarn should. Follow a young Arthur Conan Doyle as he gets swept up into a grand adventure with secret agent Jack as they race desperately around the country trying to foil a devilish plot against the crown. Murder, magic, mayhem, zombies, the occult, recidivist arch-nemeses, crazed aristocrats, beautiful girls, reformed second-story men, the British Museum....this is one crackerjack of a novel that will leave you panting for more.
This book features AC when he is still a struggling doctor and before he has penned the Sherlock Holmes stories. Indeed, as you read, you begin to see that the future Sherlock Holmes is built upon AC's experiences with his secret agent friend Jack, who himself is the model for Holmes. This is one of the most inventive, enjoyable and wonderful books I've read in recent years, a superior example of magic realism that thrills you to the last page. Make sure you don't miss the sequel, The 6 Messiahs.
The author, Mark Frost, apparently had a hand in the Twin Peaks series. Whether you enjoyed that series or not, don't miss out on this book. They are as much fun as you can have with a novel in my estimation. I am not sure why Mr. Frost has not written more novels but I surely wish he would. If this book, and the sequel, leave you wanting more fictional accounts of Arthur Conan Doyle battling with dark occult forces then don't miss Thomas Wheeler's The Arcanum either. It's another very enjoyable book in the same vein.
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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Belongs on a "List of 7" perfect vacation books..., June 6, 2000
This review is from: The List of Seven (Mass Market Paperback)
If you haven't read Conan Doyle, you'll love this novel anyway. It's full of non-stop adventure, twists and turns, bigger than life characters, mysticism, and all out fun. If you HAVE read Conan Doyle, it's even more fun (if that's possible). Here Frost gives us the 'prototypes' for all the main characters that appear in the Sherlock Holmes mysteries, and it's a delight to recognize them in their other guises. For complete and total escapist fun, this is the book to take on vacation this, or any other, summer.
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The best book I've read in five years!, February 4, 2003
This review is from: The List of Seven (Mass Market Paperback)
If you have any interest in victorian adventure...heck, in ANY kind of adventure that involves breakneck chases, dastardly fiends, undead warriors, suspenseful escapes, a plot to conquer the world AND a pit filled with giant leeches...well, you can't go wrong! It has been many years since I was so addicted to the book I could NOT put it down until I raced through it. My wife mocked me to no end, but if I could write half as good as this guy I'd be a happy fella. The only reason why it's not 5 stars is that the action does get a little absurd, written with broad strokes as if meant to be translated into a screenplay, and inadvertantly jostles the reader back into reality. But the rest is so pervasive it's hard to stay away for long. Again, if you're not sure to purchase this or not--DO IT!
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