Sliver (Signet) [Import] [Paperback]

Ira Levin (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Signet Books; Film & TV Tie-in Ed edition (1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451177789
• ISBN-13: 978-0451177780
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,793,890 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Don't waste your time with this one!, August 24, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Sliver: A Novel (Thorndike Press Large Print Paperback Series) (Paperback)

I read this book several years ago (before the movie), and it still sticks in my mind as one of the worst books I've ever read. The entire story line is unlikely at best, and parts (notably the end) are so conveniently contrived, it becomes silly and pathetically comical. Rent the movie if you're curious. It was universally panned, but it couldn't be any worse than the book.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A disappointing novel from a master novelist. See the movie., April 18, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Sliver: A Novel (Thorndike Press Large Print Paperback Series) (Paperback)

For Levin and Levin fans this is a disappointing novel. The story line is long, drawn out and not very exciting. The reader is hoping constantly that the next chapter will bring an actual event but each page only brings disappointment. The climax at the end of the novel passes uneventfully and you should be careful that you don't miss it. A poor effort for Levin who has written a number of very good and imaginative stories that you can't put down. Better luck next time Ira. For prospective readers - see the movie instead

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Satisfying if slightly flawed, October 12, 2002

By 

Thomas "Reader, Writer, Music Fan" (Bay Area, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sliver (Mass Market Paperback)

There's a lot to like here: The plot moves fast and suspensefully, making it hard to put this one down. The female protagonist is interesting, educated, down-to-earth yet urbane and sexy. The male protagonist is evil enough not to make excuses for, yet the book challenges you to at least consider his point of view.

Most excitingly, this book gives an incisive observation of maybe the most important social phenomenon of the TV age: voyeurism. Written before the Internet craze, this book has become only more relevant since! It describes aptly the temptation of wanting to play god in the form of an all-knwoing observer, as well as the dangers of such hubris: addiction, the seduction into doing something the perpetrator would intellectually/morally violently disagree with yet feels strangely compelled to perpetuate. Ultimately, the book discusses the consequences of such behavior as the perpetrator resorts to criminal behavior to continue his game.

Granted, there are a few flies in the ointment: the premise may not be considered terribly plausible. Yet, I believe it stacks up well against the suspense of disbelief required in most novels. The ending, however, while symbolically quite interesting (the voyeur becomes blinded, tying also into the Oedipal theme which is one thread in the book) is ultimately fairly contrived. Even more so, the final climactic scene, including the blinding, is just too far over the top to not teeter on the verge of the absolutely ridiculous! Mr. Levin could have definitely done a lot better there!

Despite these flaws, I still rate this one highly. If not taken all too seriously, this one's one satisfying ride!