Catching Up

So I'm falling behind... Here are quick reviews of several books I read to finish off the year.

The Elephant Man - Christine Sparks, 1986

A novel based on a screenplay based on the true story of "Elephant Man" Joseph Merrick, there are some genuinely moving episodes here, but mostly it got me interested to read the actual true story. It does have a good message of love and compassion for handicap, and the writing is effective and straightforward, if there are a few contrived scenes designed to go for the heart-strings.

Arbitrary rating: 3.5 out of 5 thrumming heart-strings

The Swarm - Arthur Herzog, 1974

The Andromeda Strain with bees, and a way more boring command center for the scientists that are going to save the world. There are about as many bee sex scenes as there are human sex scenes. The best parts were the exhaustive presentations of real-life bee research.

Arbitrary rating: 2 out of 5 scaremongering attempts

The Island - Peter Benchley, 1979

This third novel from the author of Jaws strikes an uneasy balance between popular and serious fiction. Essentially a hybrid of Treasure Island and Lord of the Flies, he portrays a modern society of pirates who capture a journalist and his 12-year-old son. I can't say he's off-base on human nature, and his action writing is taut and realistic, but that doesn't make it any more pleasant to read.

Arbitrary rating: 2 out of 5 uneasy balances

The Deep - Peter Benchley, 1976

A honeymooning couple diving in Bermuda find a WWII wreck containing millions of dollars of morphine, on top of a 400-year-old Spanish wreck filled with fabulous treasure. When their find is discovered, they are caught between an unresponsive government and a dangerous drug syndicate. This is a very well-written adventure/thriller, but once again, realism trumps fun, and the characters aren't sympathetic enough for me to truly care (for example, the main character is a man who has left his first wife and his children for a woman half his age).

Arbitrary rating: 2 out of 5 dangerous drug syndicates