Customer Reviews (4)

The Web of Time unravells
The Web of Time is unravelling and the Time Lords blame it on Charley.With the forces of anti-time closing in, the Doctor must choose between the survival of his companion and the survival of history.

Big Finish's second series of Eighth Doctor audio adventures has gone from strength to strength.This, the season finale, is a particularly worthy culmination of the Web of Time story arc.

Obviously, the success of the Eighth Doctor stories is due primarily to the consistently high quality of both scripts and finished product.But one doesn't want to underestimate the value of the undeniable chemistry between Paul McGann and India Fisher.

From the beginning, the relationship between the Doctor and Charley has been the solid foundation of the series.In Neverland, that relationship is front and centre.The true affection between the pair is beautifully expressed in a way that is honest but not maudlin.

But this isn't just an exploration of emotion.There is a great story here as well, filled with Gallifreyan legends and politics.Lalla Ward returns as Romana and she plays well opposite McGann.Recurrent character Co-ordinator Vansell (Anthony Keetch) also makes a welcome appearance.

The lengthy script delivers lots of twists and turns, a couple of big surprises and what is perhaps the most chilling cliff-hanger in Doctor Who history.

An resolution and a prologue
Big Finish's audio #33 Neverland is the "big finish" to the Charley Pollard saga beginning in Doctor Who:Storm Warning (Big Finish Audio Drama) with the damage to the web of time occasioned by the Doctor's actions finally coming to a head.

McGann's Doctor finds himself confronting both the Time Lords, the CIA and a dark menace in the past of his world all the time while trying to protect the companion which he has grown so fond of.McGann shines in this role as the epic hero, Lalla Ward's Romana doesn't miss a beat and the story builds and Charley remains the same indomitable adventurous she has been for the entire run.

This is one of those stories that continues to build and build to a crescendo.Ironically although it is in itself a resolution it serves as a prologe to the epic Zagreus (Doctor Who) but in many ways it exceeds it.

You can't do without this adventure if you want the story of Charlie Pollard, but with the quality that is given, you wouldn't want to anyway.

Buy it.

Deep, Dense Epic
This is a truly mammoth story, linking the dark side of Time Lord history, the Doctor's aversion to consequences, the power of myth, and whether Charley Pollard, arguably the most popular companion since Sarah Jane Smith, will live or die.It serves as the payoff to a story arc of epic complexity, but it's also a damn good story in its own right.

The epic of the Doctor and Charley hearkens clear back to "The Sirens of Time," with references back to as early as 1979.Bringing back Romana and Rassilon deepens the story, implying that the set-up for this story has been implicit all along.And may I say that Don Warrington's rich baritone is a sterling choice as Rassilon.

Author Alan Barnes assumes you are already familiar with the previous Big Finish Eighth Doctor stories.But it's not so reliant on the prior stories that you couldn't pick up the salient points off the internet.Though this story is intended to complete an existing arc, it is sufficiently self-reliant for more casual listeners.

Paul McGann continues to prove himself an admirable Doctor.It's a shame he was saddled with a lame TV story and never got a second bite of the apple.This story, which presages the density and psychological depth of the revived TV series, is an engaging, entertaining opportunity for McGann to stretch his time legs.

"I know what you saw"
"Neverland" was perhaps the most eagerly anticipated of the "Doctor Who" audios released so far by Big Finish because it marked the climax of a storyline that had extended over all nine previous audios with Paul McGann's Eighth Doctor. Would Charley Pollard, perhaps the Doctor's most lovable companion ever, die to preserve the course of history?

Perhaps no story could have lived up to the expectations for "Neverland," but the story does resolve the Charley storyline -- perhaps not completely satisfyingly, but certainly in a more cogent manner than "The Armageddon Factor" and "The Ultimate Foe" (or whatever its title is) resolved the Key to Time and Trial story arcs. My slight disappointment with "Neverland" comes not from this element, but from the talkiness of the story and, more than anything else, its huge number of references to past "Doctor Who" stories.

When "Storm Warning," Big Finish's first McGann audio, which, like "Neverland," was written by Alan Barnes, was released, much of the exhilaration with which fans greeted it came from the fact that it would have made a great storyline for "Doctor Who"'s return to BBC1. There were indeed references which only "Who" fans would get, but these were sprinkled lightly throughout the story without interfering with it. "Storm Warning" could have been followed by anyone with the vague knowledge of "Doctor Who"'s format shared by most British citizens over a certain age and many sci-fi fans worldwide; and its surprise ending, forboding the "Charley" story arc, might well have hooked non-fans into listening to subsequent stories. Indeed, except for occasional hiccups like the "surprise old enemy" in "Seasons of Fear," the whole series of McGann audios could have been an effective introduction to "Who" for non-fans -- until "Neverland".

Much of the plot and dialogue of "Neverland" is woven out of continuity references. When Vansell refers to the entrance into the Matrix on the Time Station as "an Eighth Door, if you will," "Who" fans will know instantly what he means but no one else will. In recent years there has been something of a back-backlash in "Who" fandom against the criticism of continuity references in new "Who" in various formats, since those who make such criticisms may simply be ashamed of their obsession with the show and thus dislike elements of new "Who" that cater to this obsession. Nonetheless, I fear that "Neverland" may mark the point when the creators and fans of new "Who" acknowledge, consciously or otherwise, that "Doctor Who" may well never return to television or movie theaters and that it is, therefore, entirely legitimate to write new "Who" in other formats to appeal as much as possible to its only remaining audience: adults obsessed with "Doctor Who".

"Neverland" is actually an enjoyable story; like "Storm Warning," it's one of those Big Finish audios a "Doctor Who" fan won't tire of hearing over and over again. The acting by regulars and guest stars alike is phenomenal, especially that by India Fisher as Charley, Anthony Keetch as Vansell and very special guest stars Lalla Ward as President Romana and Don Warrington as a mystery character. The script is filled with great moments, including, ironically, the most powerful obscure continuity reference in "Who" history (the line "Please, have pity"). The line I have quoted as the title of my review seems in context to be an interesting and timely homage to "The Fellowship of the Ring". The cliffhanger with which the story closes (surprisingly, the only really strong cliffhanger with which a "season" of "Who" has ever ended) is rather unoriginal, even within the "Who" universe, but is certainly suspenseful; it's going to be a long wait for its resolution in Big Finish's Fortieth Anniversary "Doctor Who" story, "Zagreus," due out in November 2003. But I can't help but be disappointed by the fact that in this story the most fresh and exciting form of new "Who," Big Finish's series of McGann audios, loses its accessibility to the general public, and by the long-overdue realization that "Doctor Who" may never be of major interest to the general public again.

Update:Well, I was too pessimistic.We now know that "Doctor Who" will be returning to BBC1 in 2005, and thus stories like "Neverland" suddenly seem much more appropriate as a way for fans to entertain themselves while waiting for the new series, which will probably content itself with a light dusting of continuity. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The Enchanted Maze
2004 was a pretty bad year for Big Finish Productions.The looming presence of new Who on TV cast a shadow over whatever they seemed to come up with and one could quite easily have thought that their Doctor Who range (once such a beacon in dark times) had run out of steam.Happlily, the last four stories were a real return to form; of those four, the quirkiest is Lloyd Rose's 'Caerdroia'.For anyone familiar with her excellent trio of BBC Doctor Who novels, the quality of writing should come as no surprise at all but even those who steadfastly only watch the TV stories should be charmed and fascinated.

The basic premise of the story is highly ingenious (and the spur for a lot of superb dialogue) though what really stands out is the performance of Paul McGann in the lead, set a real acting challenge to which he rises magnificently.As a whole, it's not quite perfect: disc two includes a few minutes rather obvious padding and the first half of disc one is merely an extended build up to the first cliffhanger.But what a cliffhanger!(Trust me: if you haven't already been told what happens, you will be agog to see how things develop.)

In spite of minor flaws, 'Caerdroia' is essential listening for any Doctor Who fan for the simple reason that it takes exploration of The Doctor's character into completely new and unexpected territory.It's also great fun.What more reasons do you need? ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

C'rizz on board
The Creed of the Kromon introduces two new eras to the 8th doctor's adventures.

First it Begins his adventures with Charley in the alternate universe after Scherzo (Doctor Who) provided an introduction.

Secondly it introduces the character of C'rizz played by Conrad Westmaas.

The primary plot involves a race of bureaucratic insect creatures who have an interest in space travel and a slave race to support them.The doctor is forced to deal with their desires, a genetic change to Charley that threatens to convert her and a sad man made more desperate by the mercy killing of the woman he loves.

The secondary and ongoing plot involves a creature called Kro'ka who seems to be using the Doctor's as part of some kind of cunning plan/experiment.This plot continues through the next 6 8th doctor episodes.

As usual the cast is strong the plot solid and the resolution enjoyable.Westmaas' character of C'Rizz add a different and in my opinion necessary flavor to the series.

I wasn't a huge fan of the "Divergent Universe series but this is certainly one of the stronger episodes.

It's worth your time. ... Read more

Product Description
The seventeenth Sharpe novel sees Sharpe returning from India to London to join the newly formed Green Jackets in Britain.His voyage home should be a period of rest, but his ship is riven with treachery and threatened by the Revenant, a French sea-raider that is terrorising British shipping in the Indian Ocean. Betrayed and defeated, Sharpe is imprisoned on the Ile de France, doomed to rot there until the war ends.But an unlikey ally secures his escape into a British warship that is hunting the Revenant.That hunt turns into a pursuit as the French ship races home, and when she encounters the combined French and Spanish fleets of Cadiz, it seems Sharpe's enemies are safe.But over the horizon is another fleet, led by Nelson, and Sharpe's revenge will come when the two armadas meet on a calm October day off Cape Trafalgar.Amazon.com Review
For military-history buffs, Bernard Cornwell's Sharpe novels are theliterary equivalent of potato chips: you can't read just one. And in thiscase, why would you want to? Blending meticulous research and old-fashionedentertainment, the series follows the roguish adventurer Richard Sharpe ashe swashbuckles his way through the Napoleonic Wars. In Sharpe's Trafalgar, the author ventures into Patrick O'Brian'smaritime territory. Anchors aweigh, lads, and bring on the detaileddescriptions of the ship's guns and their firing mechanisms!

In the beginning of the book, our hero sets sail for England after fivemonths of service in India. The plot revolves around a disguised diplomat,a marauding French warship, and an improbable love affair with a comelyEnglish aristocrat. But make no mistake, the real draw here is combat. Thebattle scenes crackle with energy, and we can practically feel the chop ofthe waves and smell the reek of gunpowder. (We can also smell 600unwashed men in close quarters with rats, sewage, and bilge rot, but that'sanother matter entirely.) The last hundred pages fly by at a furious clip,cannons pounding and cutlasses hacking, as Cornwell re-creates the navalbattle of Trafalgar.

These days, of course, we know that war is bloody and brutal, not honorableor fair. We like even our most appealing warriors to have some passingacquaintance with their dark side, and Sharpe does take a decidedlyantiheroic stance on the experience of hand-to-hand combat:

He was ashamed when he remembered the joy of it, but there was a joy there.It was the happiness of being released to the slaughter, of having everybond of civilization removed. It was also what Richard Sharpe was good at.It was why he wore an officer's sash instead of a private's belt, becausein almost every battle the moment came when the disciplined ranks dissolvedand a man simply had to claw and scratch and kill like a beast.

Customer Reviews (49)

Good action but an awfully contrived plotline
It's the summer of 1805 and Ensign Richard Sharpe (who, not so long ago, was Private and then Sergeant Sharpe) has been on duty in India for six years. Having grown up in a workhouse and then on the streets of London, he regards India as much "home" as anywhere -- but now he's heading back to England to join a newly-forming rifle regiment. (Although, having been a "redcoat" since he was sixteen, he's not happy about switching to a green jacket.) But first he has to get there, and that means four months at sea. And his timing is such that he's destined to be off the coast of Spain in October. Fans of Napoleonic naval fiction will recognize what that means. Sharpe's voyage is eventful, first on an East Indiaman that's captured by a French ship through the treachery of the English captain. Then, after a week as prisoners below decks, the passengers on the Indiaman are rescued by the intervention of a British ship-of-the-line -- which just happens to be commanded by a captain of Sharpe's previous acquaintance. The captain indulges in an ocean-spanning chase of the fugitive Frenchman -- which includes some of the best descriptions in the book for those who know Hornblower and Aubrey -- and they all arrive off the southern coast of Spain at just the right moment. Meanwhile, first on the Indiaman, then on the warship, Sharpe has been carrying on an affair with the beautiful young wife of a coldly arrogant peer, to the secret amusement of practically everyone on board except the lady's husband, who may or may not be ignorant of the adultery. Actually, the two plots don't overlap much. The love story seems unlikely, given the difference in station between Sharpe and the lady, and the naval plotline seems positively forced, being just a way to allow our hero to be present at one of the greatest marine confrontations in European history. The adventure is all very well, but it does stretch credulity. And believability is ordinarily one of Cornwell's greatest assets. (I wonder if Sharpe is going to be present at Gettysburg, too.)

Sharpe Learns to Look Out for Himself at Sea
In chronological order, Sharpe's Trafalgar is the fourth book in the series. You could also think of it as an out-of-sequence book because it has little to do with the stories about Richard Sharpe as a soldier. In fact, unless you want to read a little about what it was like to be at the Battle of Trafalgar, you could skip this book and not miss anything important in the way of character development. Unlike the India books where Sharpe was continually fighting off deadly threats to his life, Sharpe is more concerned here with sneaking around with a married woman, a remote cousin of Sir Arthur Wellesley, Lady Grace Hale.

The Napoleonic Wars were fought in Europe. Naturally, Sharpe has to leave India if he is to appear to save the day in all of those amazing battles on the continent. Naturally, he's going to pass by Trafalgar. Why not write a book about the battle and have Sharpe stumble into it? That's clear the thought process behind this book.

As a result, you end up with a lot of plot "development" that is sort of filler before the main battle. Having never studied the sea battle, I found that the explanations were interesting and the story helped make the technology and strategy easier to understand. Had this been a novella that focused on the last third of this book, I probably would have graded the book as a five-star effort.

The ins and outs of avoiding being swindled by ship chandlers, East India ship captains, and common seamen didn't seem all that interesting to me. The romantic side of the book wasn't too credible to me and didn't add much to my enjoyment of the story. If you think Bernard Cornwell's novels about Sharpe lack enough of a love interest, then you'll probably like this book a lot better than I did.

The writing is quite good in comparing naval battles with the kind of fortress breaching that Sharpe engaged in during the three books in India. I don't recall reading another novel from this era that made those comparisons quite so explicit and interesting.

By contrast, some of the dialogue is particularly bad. In fact, Cornwell makes fun of his own dialogue by putting words into the mouths of characters who don't agree that every ship's captain is a "fine fellow."

The unforgettable part of the book is the characterization of Lord Nelson who led his sailors to such a remarkable victory that day.

Fire!

How Did Anyone Survive Those Battles?
This book is BEYOND excellent!!! I can relate in a way to Sharpe; I am an old Marine Infantryman, and I'm very glad that my shipboard experiences were not like that of those souls on 19th century ships of war! As is typical, Cornwell is very graphic and totally accurate!
--Carl Johnoff/Kurt Niemann, author of "The Powder Blue Negligee: Memoirs Of A Probation Officer."

Commentary on Cornwell's Books Featuring Sharpe
Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/RLRXQO2Z8UEBQ A Sharpe book is a history lesson in a sugar coated pill!In this short video I discuss who will like Cornwell's books featuring Richard Sharpe and why.Join me! Frank Derfler author of A Glint in Time [...]

Excellent Historical Fiction
Cornwell is a master writer in style, depth of characters, and especially in his meticulous research of the period he is writing about.If learning history was always this much fun, I would have majored in it!Realistic descriptions of the carnage of war may spoil the books for those who cannot bear to look upon its presence through the centuries. ... Read more

Product Description
The bitter rivalry of Richard Sharpe and the ruthless French swordsman, Colonel Leroux are brought to life against the vivid canvas of the Peninsula War. Richard Sharpe is once again at war. But, this time, his enemy is a single man - the ruthless, sadistic Colonel Leroux. Sharpe's mission is to safeguard El Mirador, the spy whose network of agents is vital to the British victory. So, Sharpe must enter a new world of political and military intrigue. And, in the unfamiliar surroundings of aristocratic Spanish society, his only guide is the beautiful Marquesa - a woman with her own secrets to conceal! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (23)

Sharpe Novels by Bernard Cornwell
The Sharpe series are really amazing. If you like reading about history or battle or thrillers or reading period you will like Bernard Cornwell. The Sharpes are about British exploits in India and europe against the French. You will learn history and enjoy great characters and sub plots. I read a lot from many authors but Bernard is my favorite.

From That's All She Read
Our Hero, Captain Richard Sharpe, has been a married man for a few months when this story opens and he meets the fabulous Marquesa Helena. She's beautiful, aristocratic , blonde and not quite what she seems, so you guessed it, Sharpe is a goner. And I suspect she has read several of the Bernard Cornwell books because she knows how to get him to do whatever she wants: while you are in bed with him, tell him someone is threatening to do awful things to you. Hey presto - he's yours.

The situation in Sharpe's Sword is this: Our Hero and his cohorts are responsible for a prisoner, a French dragoon officer, whom we already know is a master spy and nasty guy named Leroux in disguise. He is under the direct command of Napoleon himself, entrusted with finding a list of all the agents helping the British in Europe and beyond, and thereafter killing each and every one his favorite way: flaying. Sharpe is hot, more or less, on his trail after he kills first Ensign Expendable and then their current and well-liked Colonel Windham. The prisoner has taken refuge somewhere in Salamanca, which is mostly in British hands now. There he meets Jack Spears, one of Major Hogan's "exploring officers", a jocular, inveterate gambler . Spears befriends him, introduces him to la Marquesa, who invites him up to her chambers and her bed. No one much sees our dear Richard for a few days after that.

When our Married Man emerges from la Marquesa's bower, he has one more reason to kill Leroux. Besides the list of names, the fact that he killed the ensign and colonel and that he has the waycoolest sword ever and Sharpe wants it, Helena has told him the evil man plans to kill her. Bingo. Unfortunately when Sharpe tracks him down, the man manages to break Sharpe's own sword and stab him in the gut. He almost dies. In fact, Harper digs up the graves of all the dead soldiers from the battle, French, British, all of them, and does not find his body. That leads him and Hogan to look in the Death Room, where a quite historical alcoholic Irish sergeant is tending him. Though Sharpe is almost dead, they manage to revive him. All left to Our Hero is to rest and recover at the Marquesa's, where he learns the truth about her but finds it rather ameliorated by the fact that she has fallen in love with him. Oh, and there were some battles.

If you saw the BBC television movie, it bears little or no resemblance to the novel. The novel is, as with all of them, better than the movie. You get Sharpe at his most susceptible to blondes who welcome him to their beds, hey wait.. I used to be a blonde! Hmmm. You get the reverses, the revelation of an ally or two, the faithful Harper, the precise battle scenes, and more insight into the Peninsular Wars.

My husband Jim read the novel to me. We are already on to the next one, Sharpe's Enemy, complete with the odious Obadiah Hakeswell.

From That's All She Read, by Nan Hawthorne, [...]

What a wonderful series
My husband and I have now read the entire series.Cornwell is one of the best storytellers I have ever read - he takes you there.From the very first book of the series to the very last you are turning the pages as fast as you can read.As with Cornwell's other books you can't wait till the next book gets into publication.Mr. Cornwell, please keep Mr. Sharpe's adventures going.

Typical Sharpe
Not bad but at times one gets tired of the hero being put in seemingly hopeless situations which magically get solved.

Honor and Betrayal
As always, I encourage you to read the books in this series in the order of the chronology they describe rather than by publication date. Mr. Cornwell has come back again and again to "fill in" between books with other books. You'll enjoy the series more in a logical order.

At the current time, this is the 14th book in the chronological series.

After the desperate battles to throw the French out of Portugal and to enter Spain by breaching two fortresses, the British and their Portuguese and Spanish allies are near Salamanca looking to set up a battle that they can win decisively against the larger French forces.

As the book opens, the dangerous French Colonel Laroux has extracted some important information about a British spy ring through torture. But he's made a mistake and taken too long. He's at risk to be captured. Being a capable dissembler, Laroux soon has most of the British fooled . . . but not Sharpe. Laroux soon shows his true colors and the British realize it's essential that they contain Laroux's information before their spies are killed.

In the process, Sharpe becomes fascinated by Laroux's sword and begins to wish it were his. You'll begin to wonder how that might occur.

Next, Wellington has the relatively simple task of seizing three forts against far from extreme opposition after the main French army retreats. But it proves to be more difficult than expected. Someone has tipped off the French about when and where the attack will come.

Sharpe meanwhile is drawn into the party life of the Spanish aristocracy, finding himself drawn to the alluring La Marquesa despite being a newly married man. Is she also interested?

Sharpe is now asked to solely focus on Laroux, and a fascinating sequence of unexpected events ensues.

In the second half of the book, you'll find many more surprises than most Sharpe novels contain. As the historical note at the end indicates, many of these surprises follow the facts of the real history pretty closely. Within that framework, Mr. Cornwell has added his magic touch to weave some imaginary plots involving fictional characters that work seamlessly together. It's very nice!

Although the battle writing cannot be nearly as engaging as usual because the nature of the battles here provide a less interesting factual basis for the descriptions, there are still some pretty neat touches in giving us a sense of how Wellington won the day against the crafty and determined marshal Marmont.

... Read more

Product Description
After World War I, Billy Prior believes nothing can surprise him, but he finds himself continually astonished. This novel that sets out to challenge assumptions about the relationships between the classes, between doctors and patients, men and women, and men and men. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (32)

Good Ending to a Great Series
With her cool, incisive prose, Pat Barker closes out her World War I trilogy.Though this is the one that won her the Booker Prize, my suspicion the award was more for the achievement of the triolgy than this single novel.Rewarding enough as a stand-alone, it is the least compelling of the three books; there is a long sidetrack to life and death among natives in the Pacific Isles to drive home her points about men, death and war that does the job, but the main story does it all so clearly it hardly seems necessary.And it's that main story, following the inner lives of a psychiatrist and the patient he "fixed up" and sent back to the front, that wrenches you from head to toe.War is, indeed, hell, and Barker makes that point elegantly and beautifully through the eyes of Billy Prior.He makes the haunting walk down THE GHOST ROAD worthwhile all on his own.

Haunting
The Ghost Road is set in the closing months of WW1 and alternates between a traumatised soldier called Billy Prior and his physician WHR RIvers. Rivers' treatment of Prior leaves him more or less sane but determined to return to the Front while Rivers continues his work, helping physically and mentally damaged men overcome their problems.

The book's focus on trauma and it's effects has never been done so well as in this book. Barker's presentation of soldiers who have seen hell on earth never once diminishes what they've gone through or who they are afterwards, they each retain honour in their fragile states. One line towards the end sums up the mindset of a traumatised solider: "Loos, she said. I remember standing by the bar and thinking that words didn't mean anything anymore. Patriotism honour courage vomit vomit vomit. Only the names meant anything. Mons, Loos, the Somme, Arras, Verdun, Ypres." (p.257).

Barker's characterisation of Prior and Rivers is brilliant. Each man is flawed and heroic in their own ways. Prior's bedroom antics, especially the last encounter he has at the end, might make him seem almost sociopathic but this is juxtaposed with the way he looks after the men he's in charge of, as well as his decision to return to the Front despite being able to avoid it. Rivers is the kind and understanding doctor who, through flashbacks to an earlier life in the Solomon Islands, is also shown as flawed in his own ways and the journey he's taken to become the great man he was.

Lewis Carroll, Wilfred Owen, and Siegfried Sassoon all play minor parts and are brought to life fantastically well. I've studied Carroll's life and felt Barker's depiction of him, while perhaps not as flattering as some fans of his would like, was compelling and showed him as a human being like the rest of us.

This is one of the few Booker Prize winning books I think really earned it. Barker's written an incredible story of bravery and heroism at home and abroad during WW1 and completed the story with fascinating and memorable characters. The writing is top notch throughout with so many evocative lines that never becomes overly sentimental or cloying. This is one of the most powerful: "Then they were moving forward, hundreds of men eerily quiet, starlit shadows barely darkening the grass. And no dogs barked." (p.261).

A must read.

Closing the Trilogy
Barker, Patrick. "The Ghost Road", Penguin, 2010.

Closing the Trilogy

Amos Lassen

Beginning with "Regeneration" and then "The Eye in the Door", "The Ghost Road" closes Patrick Barker's trilogy. We met the characters in the first two volumes--Billy Prior, Rivers, Sassoon and Owen. They are all complex men and here is their story. The book is a weaving together of physical and psychological and we learn about the nature of war. In "The Ghost Road", ghosts manifest themselves and we question whether they or real OR NOT.
Barker brings in the homoerotic nature of war--how it brings men closer together not just physically but psychologically as well and we are aware of the attractions between men and if and how they are acted upon.
The plot is puzzle like but everything comes together at the end. This is not an easy read but it is a rewarding one. The gay theme is not the typical romance and the book really hits hard. I must warn you that you must prepare yourself before you read but once you do you are in for a wonderful experience.

The Ghost Road is the Booker Winner which revisits the hell, horror and heartbreaks of the Great War
The Ghost Road is the final volume in the trilogy on World War I by eminent Yorkshire novelist Pat Barker. The other two volumes in the superb series are "Regeneration" and "The Eye in the Door."
Ghosts inhabit the 275 pages of this searingly heartbreaking book. Ghosts of soldiers killed in rat and water infested French trenches. Ghosts abounding in Melanesia tribal grounds visited long ago by Dr. William Rivers. Rivers is a doctor working with the shattered souls and bodies of those wounded in Western Front fighting. Barker is not shy of giving details of horrific wounds;her language is raw and sexual scenes are explicit.
Barker draws an analogy between the savage practices of South Pacific islanders with the so-called civilized nations engaging in battlefield butchery. As she takes us to the South Seas in the memories of Dr. Rivers we are plunged into the black abyss of man's inhumanity to man. The same savagery is seen in the horrors of French trench warfare. It as if Joseph Conrad had risen from the grave to witness the horror of modern warfare as presaged by his Kurtz in his classic novella.
The novel mixes historical characters like Rivers, Poet soldier Wilfred Owen and other military men. Fictional characters such as the brave bisexual Billy Prior who leads his men with courage are also examined with a keen psychological penetration. The details and the deaths chronicled in these taut pages will haunt the reader for a long time.
The long trail winds through the jungle of the world as we continue to kill and maim one another in 21st warfare and terror. Pat Barker's fictional trilogy should be required reading in any college level course dealing with World War I or modern European history. The books deserve to be widely read and discussed.

Oddly satisfying for a book about death
The Ghost Road is an interesting book that intersperses the sacred (Melanesian death rites) with the profane (graphic depictions of risky sexual behavior) in an attempt to reconcile man's actions with the inevitability of death.The story itself is a split narrative: the psychoanalyst William Rivers treats men returning from the front during World War I and officer Billy Prior details his military and sexual actions leading up to his final battle in France.Rivers' narrative is further split between his real-time attendance to the War's casualties and his Melanesian experiences ten years' prior (related as an involuntary dream, similar to the symptoms he treats in others).
Each narrative uses differing perceptions of death as its central theme.Although initially treated as foreign and backwards, the primitive Islanders' perceptions finally appear the more civilized of the two and their culture of acceptance stands in stark relief to the voluntarycheapening of Prior's life while he waits for what he feels is a useless but inevitable death on the Western Front.As such, the final passages in the book are far more uplifting than other WWI narratives such as All Quiet on the Western Front or Paths of Glory. ... Read more

Product Description
It is 1807 and Sharpe, back from India and Trafalgar, has joined the newly formed Greenjackets - but his career is in ruins, and his future in the army apparently hopeless.He is rescued from disgrace by General Sir David Baird, an old comrade from India, who needs a 'disposable' man for a mission in Copenhagen. An army is travelling to the Danish capital to enforce British policy, but unless Sharpe can complete the mission against enemies as subtle and clever as any he has ever faced, that army will meet disaster. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (37)

Only about the narrator
Bernard Cornwell is probably the best historical novelist alive today and his Sharpe series is superb.The reason for one star is the fact Patrick Tull is probably the worst reader I have ever had the misfortune to have to listen to.His style appears to be to mumble through sentences and then literally shout every name or 10-15th word.I suspect many folk listen to audiobooks while in the car and it's pure hell to try to understand what this guy is reading.If you turn the volume up enough to hear the mumbles then your eardrums are assaulted by the shouts.If you leave it low enough to hear the shouts then you miss everything else.Avoid this reader if at all possible but do enjoy all of Cornwell's works.

Bump in the road
I've recently become a huge Bernard Cornwell fan.My first Cornwell book was Sharpe's Enemy.I didn't know anything about the author or the series.I was bored, I picked it up and read it.I loved the story, but it would be another 5 years when I read the next one.I went back to the beginning and have just finished Shapre's Prey.

This is the first book in the series that I read and afterward breathed a sigh of relief.I was glad to have finished it.It was a good book, but overall the action disappointed.It seemed to me as if Mr. Cornwell didn't know where he wanted the story to go and made it up as he went along.He went AWOL, robbed and murdered a man and got selected for what would equate to a Top Secret mission.He got on a boat and sailed to a foreign shore where he was almost murdered.Then he managed to march himself from unknown location 1 to possible known location 2 while being pursued by native cavalrymen who knew the land.Then he got in the city; then he got out of the city; then he got back in; then he got back out.

Wow! I give Mr. Cornwell two thumbs up for an extraordinary imagination.But in a historical fiction I look for a steady line of logic and I didn't see it in this book.The here's and there's didn't ruin the book, but they made it frustrating.It almost felt as if I weren't reading a Sharpe Series book.

The good news is I'm half way through the next book, Sharpe's Rifles, and I'm very happy to say that in my opinion the series is back on track.

Brits will be Brits
It's 1807 and Lieutenant Richard Sharpe has been back from India for awhile, and he's rather at loose ends. He's also broke. Lady Grace Hale, with whom he reached an accommodation in the previous book, has died in childbirth (so has the baby), and her family's lawyers have taken what remained of his stolen jewels. He's thinking of selling his commission -- he's been a lousy officer since Grace's death -- then discovers that's not allowed, since he didn't purchase it in the first place, having been the recipient of a battlefield commission. Then an old acquaintance of senior rank looks him up and Sharpe finds himself involved in some semi-espionage in Copenhagen. Britain is demanding the Dane's turn over their extensive naval fleet to keep it out of the hands of Napoleon, who needs to replace his losses at Trafalgar. And if Denmark doesn't agree, the Royal Navy will bomb the crap out of Copenhagen. (The Danes really believe Britain is too civilized to do such a thing, but they would be wrong -- for the second time.) Not one of Britain's better moments. This has the potential for some derring-do, but Cornwell mostly blows his chance, for Sharpe can't seem to get anything right. There are some exciting bits, like the escape up the chimney, but mostly he just wanders around inside the town and out -- except for falling in love again, which it is apparently mandatory for every single book. Not one of the author's better efforts.

addictive
Sharpe's Tiger (Richard Sharpe's Adventure Series #1)
Hardest thing is to stop reading and the worst of it is that you must buy the other books to know how it goes on!

A Charming Despicable Villain Gives a Desperate Sharpe the Fits
The ground has shifted out from under Richard Sharpe's feet in the events that have occurred between Sharpe's Trafalgar and Sharpe's Prey. At the end of Sharpe's Trafalgar, Sharpe was in love with Lady Grace Hale, wealthy, and about to become a father in England. As Sharpe's Prey opens, Sharpe is penniless, downcast, and about to leave the army after his new regiment made him into a quartermaster. As the story develops, the reader is gradually told what happened to Sharpe's dreams.

Sharpe returns to his origins and we see more clearly how Sharpe became the man he is. Just when it all looks darkest, Sharpe is asked to take on a silly assignment . . . keeping a secret emissary alive who has been sent to Denmark to bribe the Crown Prince to give Britain the Danish fleet (the second largest in the world). In those days, Denmark included all of Norway and a good part of Germany and its commercial interests depended on extensive ocean trade.

Early in the story, we realize that the emissary, John Lavisser is really a crook . . . out to steal the bribe for himself. Sharpe finds himself taken in by Lavisser's easy charm but vows revenge. Sharpe has an ace in the whole, there's a British agent in Copenhagen; and Sharpe looks to the agent for aid and shelter. Instead, he discovers a beautiful new widow, Astrid Skorgaard, who begins to take Sharpe's mind off Lady Grace.

The main armed conflict in the story involves the British invasion of Denmark in 1807 to take the Danish fleet which Russia had agreed France could take. Desperately wanting to avoid the possibility of an invasion of Britain, the fleet becomes a top priority. Sir Arthur Wellesley makes a small appearance in the story as the head of a modest land engagement against modestly untrained Danish troops.

When the Danish refuse to surrender, the British begin to bombard Copenhagen's civilian population with thousands of mortars and rockets each night. Sharpe finds himself on the receiving end of the bombardment trying to steal the fleet and stop John Lavisser.

The story is more of a spy tale than a combat novel. As a result, you don't have the kind of stirring battle scenes that make the first four books (chronologically) in the series so interesting. Instead, much of the horror involves crime, spying, and civilian casualties. It's not quite the same.

But Lavisser is a marvelous invention as a villain for the piece. He makes the book rise above the average. If you don't take pleasure in original villains, you'll probably think this is an average or below-average story.

Some people may not like that Sharpe comes across as less of a hero here than in some of the earlier novels in the chronology. The theme seems to be showing the side of Sharpe that is a street thug. I suspect that his street fighter side isn't what attracted you to the series. The redeeming aspect of the story is that Sharpe seems to rise above his roots to become someone with redemptive qualities by the end of the book.

... Read more

Product Description
Sharpe, having just received his commission, faces his toughest battle yet in this return to India, the terrain of the bestselling Sharpe's Tiger.Amazon.com Review
Fighting in the millet fields of India circa 1803, Richard Sharpe knows trouble when he sees it: dissension in the ranks, a feverish and arrogant enemy, nobody to confide in. Unbeknownst to his comrades, Sharpe has buried a fortune in booty along the way. He knows his freedom is coming, and it's only a matter of time before he can feast on the spoils. Sharpe's Fortress is the 17th in Bernard Cornwell's series starring this colonial British soldier who has risen in the ranks despite blunders and misadventures, not to mention his own suspicions of the men around him.

Treason, near-death experiences, cannonballs hidden in the tall grass "sticky with blood and thick with flies, lying twenty paces from the man it had eviscerated," these are the elements of Cornwell's war stories, which rely heavily on long, involved--and involving--battle scenes, marvelous description, and bawdy dialogue in the trenches (a highlight: arguments over whether there's such a thing as breasts that look like grapes). For readers who hunger for humorous, complex characterizations, Sharpe proves vivid and three-dimensional. He holds tightly to his dreams of treasure, eavesdropping on betrayers, ultimately hatching a desperate plan to make his way to the fortress in the sky, Gawilghur. Cornwell's hero is an honest soldier, and also a pragmatic one. He doesn't care as much about the medals and the glory as he cares about dodging cannon fire and finding a place to sleep. --Ellen Williams ... Read more

Customer Reviews (42)

Great read.
All the Sharpe books are wonderful and this is no exception. It reads like a newspaper--fresh, interesting, exciting--a real page turner. It is hard to put the book down, and before you know it, you are educated about 19th century life and warfare, along with a rousing good story. I loved it.

Insanity strikes
I bought the first two Sharpe books on kindle and now it says I cannot buy the third book in the series because it is not available in Canada!

It is available in the us only!

How absolutely pathetic - I feel cheated.

The price is a joke
The Kindle edition is exactly 8 cents less expensive than the paper version. That's not only a joke, it's a tremendous slap in the face to those of us who have invested in Amazon's eBook technology.

I like all the Sharpe's series.
These books are historical fiction and a great read.There is a series from PBS that is outstanding too and true to the books.Read the book and watch the series.

Simply amazing books!
How did I not know how amazing these books were until now?! Typically I lean to scifi & fantasy & some historical or contemporary fiction. But over the years I would hear about the "Sharpe" series - and that there were something like 18 of these books. Didn't sound like my cup of tea really. But then I caught part of one of the ITV tv episodes and it was well, just ok. Not great - but I understood more of what the series was about. An "everyman" enlisted soldier who had risen thru the ranks thru bravery and action. Plus Sean Bean was a terrific Richard Sharpe. I mean talk about perfectly cast.

So I started with Sharpe's Tigers - the first chronological of the series - and I devoured it. I was speechless at Cornwell's craft. The book seemed so... real. So vivid, this wasn't history - this was real. These characters leapt off the page and into action. Sharpe is amazing character. We see ourselves in him, from humble birth, but given a chance he takes control of his life. Loyal to his friends, charming to the ladies and never afraid of a fight. Who wouldn't follow this man into hell!

This is the third of his India series and frankly its hard to not want to sit and read this with a few strong cups of coffee and do nothing else.His revenge is at hand, the dastardly Hakeswell and Dodd are within his grasp! There is a scene towards the end when Sharpe comes up with a plan to storm the impregnable fortress and he rallies his former light company to action and its simply fantastic to watch him work. How he inspires the men, gives them confidence, he was one of them and they know it.

The detail in these books is simply fantastic. When the soldiers fire their guns or cannons, we learn quickly and succinctly thru Cornwell's deft hand what type of guns they are using and the difference say between a musket and a rifle in the art of war.We lean about 16 pounders and grapeshot and cannister! Every page has a word I've never heard of before and I am just soaking it up. Its like being there! Well ok not really but every now and then I shake my head in sadness at what the British soldiers endured. Amazing. ... Read more

Product Description
Bold, professional and determined, Richard Sharpe embarks on a desperate mission. He must recover the treasure, vital to the success of the war, now hidden behind enemy lines. The gold is in the possession of a powerful guerrilla leader, feared by ally and enemy alike. And, he has no love for Sharpe, the man who has stolen his woman. But Sharpe's fiercest battles lie with the British officers, ignorant of his deadly secret and mistrustful of his ruthless methods. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (22)

Sharpe Strikes Gold...Again
This is easily one of my favorite books in the series. I highly recommend it.

Best Sharpe so far
Sharpe's Gold is my favorite of the series so far because Sharpe has to make a costly decision at the end, which illustrates the kind of antihero he is. The Sharpe series needs more moments like this one. Based on his usual heroic and romantic exploits, one might think that Sharpe is a classic hero; however, Sharpe's Gold reminds us that he is, in fact, a rogue, who does what needs to be done despite the consequences.

In Sharpe's Gold, Captain Sharpe has to acquire some money to aid Wellington under the watchful eyes of Spanish guerillas, French dragoons, and even British officers. As customary, he makes an archenemy, who for once is even deadlier than Sharpe, and meets a spirited young lady. What distinguishes this installment from the others is that Sharpe's mission is not neither honorable nor heroic. Wellington chooses him because he is a scoundrel and a killer, not because he is a capable leader or soldier.

After reading nine Sharpe novels (in chronological order), I believe that the books published first are superior to the more recent books. Sharpe's Escape and Sharpe's Gold are leaner, more compelling stories than Sharpe's Prey and Sharpe's Havoc. In the earlier books, Cornwell endangers Sharpe more effectively. I think that they also reveal more about Sharpe's character; however, that may be simple logistics, since the later books do not have to reveal as much character if the earlier books have already accomplished the task.

If you like adventure, action, and antiheroes, Richard Sharpe is your man.

Love the Sharpe Series
Sharpe's Gold is an installment of the Sharpe series by Bernard Cornwell which takes place during the Peninsular War and one year after the Battle of Talavera .Captain Richard Sharpe is with General Wellington's army in Portugal where the British are in dyer need of money, food and supplies.Sharpe's mission is to steal gold to continue to fund the campaign.Sharpe finds himself stuck in the fortress at Almeida, Portugal and he must use all of his cunning to escape and help save the British army.

Sharpe in the "little war"
It's 1810 and a year has passed since the British victory at Talavera, and Capt. Sharpe's capture of a French eagle. And it hasn't been a good year for the Brits. The Spanish army has collapsed, the government has surrendered, and Wellington's army is heavily outnumbered and in retreat down the length of Portugal. And unless the commanding general gets an infusion of cash from somewhere, he knows Britain will be forced to give up its efforts on the Peninsula and Napoleon will control all of Europe. Fortunately, there's a large stash of gold coins tucked away in a mountain village, abandoned when the Spanish army whose payroll it was intended to be surrendered. Now Wellington needs that gold -- absolutely must have it to survive -- and he send Sharpe and the light infantry company he commands to fetch it. Well, to steal it, actually, from the Spanish partisans who presently have control of it. Sharpe's guide and contact is Major Kearsey, a religious zealot who has gone native and takes the side of the Spanish wherever they come into conflict with the needs of the British. Sharpe's trek through French-controlled territory is exciting, but nothing like as hair-raising as their later flight with the gold. To acquire it, Sharpe has had to disobey Kearsey, make an enemy of the leader of the guerillas, kidnap a dangerous young woman, and attack enemy forces that outnumber him sixteen-to-one. Of course, the girl becomes Sharpe's latest conquest (there's a new one in every book) and the closing chapters describing the destruction of the garrison of the besieged town of Almeida is astonishing. And it's based on historical fact, as all events of this caliber are in the Sharpe series. This volume has an especially tight focus, since it doesn't lead up to a set-piece battle, and Sharpe isn't necessarily a sterling hero. One of the better entries in the series so far.

A Hard Look at Ruthless Decisions
Following on the heels of Sharpe's Eagle, Sharpe's Gold (the 9th novel in chronological order of events) plays on the darker side of "doing one's duty" of winning at any cost. During the early part of the Peninsula Wars, the Spanish army ceased to exist and a payroll for the nonexistent army is left in limbo. After a scout learns that the partisans have the gold, Sir Arthur Wellesley decides that the money must be liberated to help save the British army from defeat in Portugal.

After an awkward interchange where Captain Richard Sharpe (promoted from Lieutenant in Sharpe's Eagle) interferes with a provost who wants to hang one of his men as a looter, Wellesley tells Sharpe that he "must" get the gold. An earlier foray with cavalry failed, but there is a British officer watching the gold along with the partisans (guerillas). All Sharpe has to do is lead his few infantrymen behind enemy lines, persuade the partisans (led by the dangerous and suspicious El Catalico) to give him the Spanish gold, and then carry it back through enemy lines again.

Naturally, the challenge is even more difficult than expected. The scout who accompanies him is immediately captured by the French and Sharpe decides to rescue him. After that, the Spanish partisans claim the French have the gold and that the British officer has been captured. In the ensuing battle, Sharpe saves and becomes entranced by a most remarkable young woman, one who fights better than most men and is also very beautiful.

In the story, Bernard Cornwell brilliantly uses a real historical incident to present Sharpe with one of those "someone will die no matter what I do" choices that often occur in war. If you read this book with a friend, you can have some fun debating what Sharpe might have done differently.

The story is way too dark to be totally satisfying to Sharpe fans. Otherwise, it's brilliantly done. But it pales compared to the remarkable Sharpe's Eagle that preceded it.

Enjoy! ... Read more

Product Description
This box set contains "Regeneration", "The Eye in the Door" and "The Ghost Road". "The Eye in the Door" won the 1993 Guardian Fiction Prize and "The Ghost Road" won the 1995 Booker Prize. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Moral Complexity
I think Regeneration is one of the great novels of the 20th century.Its fictional recreation of historic events and people, brilliantly imagined, and its portrayal of the moral complexity facing the characters, are both extraordinary.Rivers gradually realizes that his job is to make officers well enough to go back to a morally bankrupt struggle.Sassoon decides that even though he decries the war and its senseless slaughter, he must go back to his men at the front.The themes are grand but made human by the wonderful characters.And the little touches are so powerful, as when a pretty girl walks into a ward of dreadfully wounded soldiers and is astonished by her impact.The whole trilogy is terrific, but the first volume, above all, is a true classic.

Heartbreaking, galvanizing
Several years ago a friend recommended Regeneration; after reading it I immediately read the second two books in the trilogy.The story so moved me that I began reading all the published work of Sassoon, Owen and Brooke.After the beginning of the Iraq war, I was asked to participate in an arts project begun in my state (Wisconsin) called "Epidemic Peace Imagery."A friend who is a textile artist and I created a collage of images and words.Sassoon's declaration is central, and we incorporated old photographs taken by soldiers in France in WWI.The EPI exhibit has traveled for nearly three years now.Pat Barker's books were the stimulus for our contribution.

regenerating british fiction
Just finished the final volume of this excellent trilogy . I can't help but think the books should not be sold seperately because they do build one upon the other and if you read one on it's own you might just shrug your shoulders and move on.Also I can't agree with many of the reviewersthat 'Ghost road' is the weakest of the bunch .I found it a very moving finale with the edition of Dr Rivers pre war African experiences giving a necessary twist to what could be a rather over familiar ending. The other thing I felt about theRegeneration trilogy is that some of the writing cries out to be translated into if not film, then at least a tv miniseries ........but billy priors graphically portrayed bisexuality probably makes that unlikely . Shame.

Characterisation - Smaracterisation
I do not believe that E.Gyurisin, whoever it may be, understands either characterisation, the reality of WW1, historical fiction,reality, or the basis of humanity.
This trilogy is at turns illuminating, harrowing, appalling, but suffers none of the defects levelled at it in this risible "review".
The novel has moved on and if one still required plonking exposition which expected that the reader would barely be able to join the dots in their work book then one should take note of this illiterate review. If not, buy this book, risk being stretched and discover the realities of the effects of war and discover the nature of heroism in extremis.

PAT BARKER'S REGENERATION TRILOGY REVIEWED BY JOHN CHUCKMAN
The Regeneration Trilogy is both wonderful and disappointing, an odd combination of characteristics for a set of novels, but then the First World War itself was characterized by heroic exhileration and utter dispair, by encrusted tradition and unanticipated revolution, by invention and backwardness.

Ms Barker takes us to an institution, a quiet and somewhat remote place, seemingly safe from the savagery of the Western Front, where damaged men are sent in hopes of recovery. She quickly has us involved in several fascinating characters, the full extent of whose experiences she only gradually reveals. Most interestingly, the characters of the men themselves are only gradually revealed, as often to our horror as satisfaction.

After reading the first volume, I could hardly wait for the second. It was the third volume I found disappointing. The disappointment comes through what she does with characters we have become intensely interested in, but I'll not reveal any details and leave it to new readers to see whether they agree.

The characterizations of the first two volumes are wonderful (although I am not a great fan of mixing real people in with fictional characters, the practice does not feature too heavily), and Ms. Barker gives us a remarkable sense of what that terrible war meant, particularly in ordinary lives on the home front.

Ms. Barker's trilogy is highly recommended for those interested in history, students of human psychology, and those who enjoy good writing and a gripping story.
... Read more

Product Description
FORGOTTEN VOICES OF THE GREAT WAR was the surprise best-seller at Christmas 2002, selling over 60,000 copies in hardback alone. LAST POST is very consciously the last word from the handful of survivors left alive in 2004. When they die, our final human connection with the First World War will be broken: after this book, we will have only recordings or diaries. We will never be able to ask a question of someone who was there. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Interesting Re-model of a Classic Episode
A tweak here and there, and poof! A fun, witty romp gets an update. The Doctor is still up to his old tricks. The supporting cast is excellent, especially the villain! This isn't Hitch-hiker silliness, but it is classic Douglas Adams, out on a limb and inviting us along!

Dramatised in Full at Last!
What do the 8th doctor, President Romana, K-9, a Time Lord called "the Professor" living for decades on Earth, a criminal trapped on the Time Lord Prison planet, an artifact from ancient Gallifrey, and a 1979 story by Douglas Adams all have in common?

This very enjoyable 2003 audio play.

The long-lost story now completed on audio.
This story was originally written by Douglas Adams and was planned to end season 17 with Tom Baker as the Doctor. But due to a BBC strike, this story was sadly never completed. Now Lalla Ward returns as Romana and John Leason returns as the voice of K9 to complete this story at long last with Paul McGann as the Doctor (who originally played the Doctor in the 1996 TV movie). It's still a shame that "Shada" wasn't completed for season 17, but this is the next best thing. This is a great story about a mad man named Skagra who wants to make the universe his own by stealing people's minds and implanting his own mind in their bodies. But to do this he needs the power of great Time Lord criminal Saliavin who is suppose to be imprisoned on the Time Lord prison planet Shada, and to get to Shada he needs an ancient book dating back to Rassilon himself. Now it's up to the Doctor, his old companions Romana and K9, and his old friend Professor Cronotis to stop him. The story is packed with action and filled with excitement that keeps you on the edge of your seet. It's nice that Douglas Adams' great story can finally be enjoyed - even if it's just on audio. Highly recommeded!

Legendary "lost" episode turns out to be awesome
One of Douglas Adams' (yes, THAT Douglas Adams) few Doctor Who stories, "Shada" was supposed to be filmed in the late 70s, but labor disputes stopped filming before it was completed.

Now a six-part story for the Eighth Doctor and Romana II, "Shada" has been given loving treatment by Big Finish, and it's terrific.The supporting cast--which includes Sean Biggerstaff (Oliver Wood in the "Harry Potter" movies)--is uniformly excellent, with dramatic chops as well as sparkling comic timing.

Fans of Douglas Adams' other works may enjoy spotting the plot elements that Adams recycled into "Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency". ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

High flying adventure with the Eighth Doctor
The TARDIS materialises on the R101 as the air ship embarks on his maiden voyage.On board the Doctor discovers a mysterious passenger in Cabin 43 and Charlotte "Charley" Pollard, a stowaway Edwardian adventuress.

The Eighth Doctor made his debut in the 1995 Fox TV movie.Although that project was ill-conceived, Paul McGann was rather likable in the role.Storm Warming is a great reintroduction of the character and, in my book, an instant classic.

Alan Barnes' script is epic in scope and the cast rises to the challenge, delivering excellent performances.McGann's Doctor is positively animated, a mix of curiosity, energy and unbridled enthusiasm.India Fisher is outstanding as Charley, one of the best developed companions of all time.She and McGann have real chemistry and make an appealing duo.Gareth Thomas (Blake's 7) is also memorable as Lord Tamworth.

This is one of my all-time favourite Big Finish audios.

He's Back And It's About Time
One of the tag lines used for the 1996 Doctor Who TV movie proclaimed "He's back and it's about time!" Sadly the TV movie didn't lead to a new TV series and for some time it appeared that Paul McGann's time as the Doctor would be limited to his single appearance in the TV movie. Then in 2001 Big Finish, who had by that point been doing Doctor Who audios with three of McGann's preceding Doctors, released Storm Warning. With its release, McGann not only triumphantly returned to the role of the eighth Doctor but got a fantastic new starting off point as well.

If Storm Warning proves nothing else it proves that McGann had the potential to be a fantastic Doctor. Beginning with the story's opening couple of minutes, in which McGann is by himself plus sound effects, McGann takes back on the role and really makes it his own. It's hard to imagine another one of the audio Doctors being able to successfully do the opening scene for example which gives McGann an opportunity to show off his acting skills in the audio medium quite well. If one ever needed a single moment for proof that McGann is a fine Doctor look no farther then the speech he gives to Charley and Frayling early in Part Three. In that one speech alone lies one of the finest performance moments you'reever going to find in Doctor Who, regardless of the medium. McGann also shares some wonderful chemistry with his fellow cast members as well especially India Fisher as Charley. McGann's potential as the Doctor is put to full use here and it makes for a fantastic new beginning for the eighth Doctor.

Storm Warning is also blessed with a fine supporting cast as well. First off there's India Fisher as Charley Pollard, a young "Edwardian adventuress" who will soon become companion to the eighth Doctor. Fisher plays Charley as a young woman full of a sense of adventure who finds herself caught up in anadventure bigger then she could ever imagine and it that, coupled with Fisher's incredible chemistry with McGann, that makes Charley a fantastic companion. Also joining the supporting cast is actor Gareth Thomas (better known to science fiction fans as the title character in the BBC's Blake's 7) as Lord Tamworth, Britain's Minister of the Air and he comes across as a believable, if too much of his time, man who is trying to do the right thing for his King and country. The cast is rounded off by nice performances from some of Big Finish's repertory company including Nicholas Pegg, Barnaby Edwards, Hylton Collins and Helen Goldwyn as the alien Triskelies. All round it's a nice supporting cast giving fine performances especially from Fisher and Thomas.

Storm Warning also has some nice post-production work going in its favor as well. The sound design by Alistair Lock is a fantastic piece of work and helps to give the story an epic feeling. Of special mention is is Lock's score which has a really strong orchestral feel like the score to a major Hollywood movie. There is also the version of the Doctor Who theme arranged by noted film composer David Arnold which, while perhaps not the best arrangement of the theme ever done, is still an interesting take on a classic theme. While the story has fine performances, it is the sound design that really sells the story and this stands as a fine achievement for Alistair Lock.

Then there's the script by Alan Barnes. Barnes, who after all had supervised the first eighth Doctor comic stories for Doctor Who Magazine, proved to be a fine choice for scripting the first audio adventure of the eighth Doctor. Barnes script takes of Doctor Who's traditions for using historical events as a jumping off point for a story and uses it to great effect. By basing the story almost entirely on the famed airship the R101 and infuses that tragic tale with a nice science fiction twist. By framing the story around the R101 the story has a ticking clock as well as the hour to the airship's eventual fate gets closer and closer the listener is left to wonder just how things will end. The story also acts as the set-up to a major arc that would throughout many of the eighth Doctor audio stories starting with from the story's finale onwards. Barnes script gives the audio adventures a fantastic start both as a one off adventure story and setting up a major story arc as well.

Storm Warning proves to be a fine new beginning for the adventures of the eighth Doctor. With things like Paul McGann's triumphant return to the role of the Doctor, the introduction of India Fisher's Charley, fine performances from the supporting cast, fine post-production work from Alistair Lock and a fine script by Alan Barnes it is hard not to enjoy this story not only a fine Doctor Who adventure but as the return of a Doctor who was thought to be just a one time performance. To quote the TV movie tag line "he's back and it's about time". And this time he was here to stay.

The begining of the series
Big finish had quite a few Doctor Who Adventures before this one, however Storm Warning crosses two important lines:

1.It is the first adventure since the Doctor Who movie of the 90's that featured Paul McGain who stared as the doctor.

2.Unlike other big finish episodes the 8th doctor episodes do not have to be shoehorned into the existing Doctor Who TV episodes.

If the episode was poor or the story lacking it wouldn't have made much of a difference but Paul McGain and India Fisher are first rate as is the supporting cast, the story is classy and fits very well in the Doctor Who mythos.

Paul McGain really dives into the role and shows that it was a great loss to Dr. Who fans when the decision to not pick up the series was given.His doctor has the charm, the wit and the energy that makes the series the success it is.It doesn't surprise me that the BBC is broadcasting two "seasons" of the 8th doctor on radio even better as it is voice acting we can expect years more of high quality adventures from Mr. McGain.

India Fisher has made the Character of "Charlie" her own.This episode has confirmed my desire to get the rest of her past stories and purchase the new ones.This is my 4th episode with Charlie that I've heard, but the first in the chronology.Her performance and the well written character that she plays is just simply wonderful.

Bottom line , Buy it!

1st Eighth Doctor Audio Drama
This is the 16th installment of Big Finish's monthly Doctor Who audio dramas, however it is the first to feature Paul McGann as the Eighth Doctor.The audio dramas seem to exist in a parallel universe to the Eighth Doctor Adventure books published by BBC books, however I'm sure some very smart people have figured out how both can exist, somehow.This audio drama is set in 1930 and introduces a new Companion, Charley Pollard, voiced by India Fisher.Charley only exists in the audio dramas.

The voice actors are excellent, however since I read several years worth of Eighth Doctor Adventures before I heard this audio drama, it took me awhile to wrap my head around the idea that all I had read previously didn't exist. ... Read more

Product Description
"Regeneration" begins "The Regeneration Trilogy" and is followed by "The Eye in the Door" and "The Ghost Road". The novel has at its centre a real life encounter between W.H.R. Rivers, an army psychologist, and Siegfried Sassoon.Amazon.com Review
Regeneration, one in Pat Barker's series of novels confrontingthe psychological effects of World War I, focuses on treatment methods duringthe war and the story of a decorated English officer sent to a militaryhospital after publicly declaring he will no longer fight. Yet the novel ismuch more. Written in sparse prose that is shockingly clear -- the descriptionsof electronic treatments are particularly harrowing -- it combines real-lifecharacters and events with fictional ones in a work that examines theinsanity of war like no other. Barker also weaves in issues of class andpolitics in this compactly powerful book. Other books in the series includeThe Eye in the Door and theBooker Award winner The GhostRoad. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (90)

Regeneration Review
Pat Barker's novel, Regeneration, part of the Regeneration Trilogy, is mostly based in a military psychiatric hospital during World War I. Although the book is slow to start, it picks up soon after the first fifteen pages or so. The entire novel is based on four main themes: insanity, emasculation, parenting, and sexual orientation. Throughout the novel, however, Barker focuses on revealing the atrocities of war, as well.

There are multiple non-fictional characters in this novel -- in fact, there are more historical figures than there are fictional characters. Barker seems to make these characters her own throughout the course of the four main parts of Regeneration. Sassoon, a disgruntled "conchie" (or conscientious objector) and a historical figure, has a mind well beyond the grasp of psychiatry at the time. Dr. W. H. R. Rivers, a non-fictional character and the head psychiatrist at the hospital where the book takes place, is seen as a father-figure by the majority of his patients. These characters she crafts from these real-life people seem to take a life of their own.

Since this book is one of a trilogy, the ending does not seem to sum up each of Barker's adapted characters completely. We are left at the end with a sense of something missing, though we cannot identify what we are lacking. This novel is a quick read, however, despite the fact that there is no real identifiable climax.

Regeneration is the first of a trilogy of books by Pat Barker on World War I
Regeneration is the first in the Pat Barker (born in Yorkshire in 1943 and the winner of the Booker Prize) novels on World War I from the English point of view.
This initial volume takes place at a military hospital in Scotland. It is a hospital specializing in shell shock and soldiers experiencing psychological traumas following conflict in the hellhole of the French trenches. Several of the patients and their cases are presented.
The main character is Dr. William Rivers a psychologist who is a compassionate man. Rivers family knew the author Lewis Carroll and he comes from a economically comfortable social milieu. Rivers stutters and has disturbing dreams about the war. He admires the moral stand taken by Sassoon but knows he has been ordered to regenerate him for active duty back in the Dantean hell of the French front.
The novel begins with a letter of protest written by Lt. Siegrfried Sassoon who expresses his outrage for the senseless slaughter on the Western Front. He is a brave officer who has been decorated for his heroism but is sent home to recuperate in Scotland. After several months he will be returned to active duty. Sassoon has several famous pacifists for friends including philosopher Bertrand Russell; novelist H.G. Wells and his fellow British officer Robert Graves who would later write "I Claudius" and his own war memoir.
Rivers tells us of the friendship which developed between Sassoon and the young poet Wilfred Owen who admired Sassoon's published poetry. These two men and Rivers are historical figures. Sassoon survived the war dying in 1967 while Owen was killed in France during the last days of the war in 1918.
A fictional character Billy Prior is initially mute when he comes to the hospital but regains his voice. Billy falls in love with a munition factory worker who comes from a lower class than he. Barker discusses their sex scenes in explicit terms. Barker also uses slang and profanity as she invents words for the characters to speak.
This is a wonderful anti-war novel showing the stupidity, brutality and the high cost of war on the lives of all who are involved in its madness.
Barker's prose is spare reminding this reviewer of a Hemingwayesque style.
The novel is one of the best by a British author in the 1990s. It is widely known and has won plaudits from the critics as well it should.

The callous complacence

Regeneration is the first novel of a trilogy bearing the same name. In this book novelist Pat Barker tells the story of shell-shocked British officers receiving treatment in Edinburgh's Craiglockhart War Hospital under the care of Dr. W.H.R. Rivers. Barker chose to build the novel around real events and real characters: Dr. Rivers was a neurologist and anthropologist, and two of the principal characters are poets Siegfried Sassoon and Wilfred Owen.

Sassoon, a successful and decorated commissioned officer, became disillusioned with the inhumanity of the war and what he called its deliberate prolongation. Though not a pacifist himself, he was influenced by pacifist friends and wrote a statement denouncing the suffering imposed on the troops. The military establishment determined that he was suffering from shell-shock and sent him to Rivers for rehabilitation.

Rivers and his moral outlook are the centerpiece of Regeneration. The book takes its name from his groundbreaking work on nerve regeneration, and we follow his difficult work with the many physical and mental manifestations of war service among his patients at Craiglockhart. ''It was prolonged strain, immobility and helplessness that did the damage, and not the sudden shocks or bizarre horrors,'' Rivers wrote. Patriotic and supportive of the war himself, he faced the constant dilemma of treating men sent over the edge by life in the trenches and readying them to be sent back for more.

Regeneration emphasizes themes of social class, gender roles and homosexuality. The war experienced by those fighting itcould never be known by those watching from home, and the bonds formed in service are shown to be complex. Emotional regeneration, through writing and talking about experienced horrors, reflects Barker's choice of Rivers as a central figure. In using real people and events, she shepherds us along ground already slightly familiar to the reader who knows anything about Sassoon's and Owen's poetry. She is a crisp and effective writer; with a trilogy in mind, she could have laid out the territory in pure fiction. I understand that the rest of the trilogy emphasizes the fictional characters. I look forward to reading The Eye in the Door and the Booker-winning The Ghost Road, because as good as Regeneration is, it is clearly an unfinished story.

Linda Bulger, 2009

A first-rate thought-provoking look at men and war
I first ran across Pat Barker when I read her newer book, Life Class, also a study of war, and an equally excellent book. Regeneration did not disappoint me. It is simply first-rate writing, about what war does to men, how it can wear them down, kill them on the inside, even when their bodies may remain whole. Barker's use of real people in fictional form makes Regeneration even more meaningful to the serious student of human nature and the awful effects of the violent and terrifying environment that is war, whether it's happening in 1917, 1950, 1970 or 2009. The poets Siegfried Sassoon and Wilfred Owen, tragic figures I studied in college more than forty years ago, become real flesh and tortured idealistic people in Barker's hands. The central figure, Dr William Rivers, comes equally alive several decades after his death, as he contemplates the horrors of prolonged exposure to combat and trench warfare as well as the father-son relationship. Barker looks unflinchingly at the way war changes people and lives, with her finely wrought scenes of damanged men and women seeking solace and attempting furtive sexual congress in dark doorways and against moss-covered tombstones in country churchyards. It is not often that a woman writer gets inside men's heads and portrays them so accurately. I cannot recommend this book highly enough and will definitely seek out and read the other two books from the Regeneration trilogy. - Tim Bazzett, author of SOLDIER BOY and LOVE, WAR & POLIO

the cost of war
After the disappointment of Barker's _Life Class_, I was reluctant to read _Regeneration_.At the urging of a colleague, I gave the book a try.Based on the real-life institutionalization of poet Sigfried Sassoon (he was considered insane for speaking out against the senseless slaughter of his generation on the Western Front) and his psychiatrist, W.H.R. Rivers, Barker does a solid of job of mixing fact with fiction.She did this with _Life Class_ as well, bu here the characters were much more sympathetic.

Sassoon is really the foil used to show the cost of war on Rivers.After all, it is Rivers' job to take the psychologically broken men, "fix" their minds, and send them back to the front.Unlike his colleagues who cut and amputate, soldiers for whom the war is over, Rivers must face the fact that for many of his patients, the war will continue - both in a psychological and in a real sense.

I was most struck by the fact that gradually Rivers himself began to manifest symptoms of battle fatigue - not from a sense of helplessness in the face or mortal danger, but from a crisis of the soul.Ostensibly his job is to heal; instead, he was merely repairing broken soldiers before returning them to the environment that had broken them in the first place.

Another, more subtle message was also apparent, one I felt was appropriate for our own time, as we refuse to show caskets of returning soldiers and the American public politely looks away from the broken youth of our own war on foreign shores.The bitterness, sense of betrayal and accusatory tone Barker writes of these institutionalized soldiers is a reckoning I believe we will soon have to face.As Barker put it, "If the country demanded that price then it should bloody well look at the result."I cannot agree more. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (34)

short and easy to read
This is a good short story about world war I("The War to End all Wars") Good for young readers since it is more accessible (if less powerful) than All Quiet on the Western Front orGoodbye to All That. The author has written several other stories for young readers including one called Farm Boy (if i am remembering right)that deals with a grandson of one of the characters in Private Peaceful.

"From 1914-1918, the great European powers were locked in the most self-destructive war the world has ever known."
Set in England during WWI, Private Peaceful is a story about a family, relationships, and the horrors of war. Thomas "Tommo" Peaceful feels guilt and regret over the demise of his forester father, who dies at the hands of a falling tree while trying to save his youngest son. In spite of his dad's absence, Tommo seems able to fully enjoy life with his brothers, Big Joe, brain damaged due to a case of meningitis when only an infant, and Charlie, three years Tommo's senior, and their loving mother. Not long after Mr. Peaceful's death the Colonel reminds the widow that their use of a cottage on his estate would end unless she agreed to work as his wife's lady's maid. While Mrs. Peaceful works at the house, a strict, by the book, maternal great aunt, known as "Grandma" to the Peaceful boys (though they secretly refer to her as Grandma Wolf) cares for them. The boys struggle to please the demanding woman, silently enduring her constant criticism of the family and belittling behavior towards Big Joe, and suffer the cruelties of the Colonel. Fortunately, they find a friend in Molly, a classmate who all three boys adore for her kindness. When asked to volunteer to serve war men arrive asking for volunteers to serve in the British Army, the boys sneakily sign up as twins to hide the fact that Tommo is only fifteen. The two serve and survive the rigors of war and the conflicts of brotherhood.

Although not a fan of historical fiction, I appreciated learning the "historical" part of this work of fiction, which involves a significant event that happens late in the story. Also good: The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips by Michael Morpurgo, The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane, and The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara.

A Good Look at World War One
Private Peaceful has a very interesting premise:Set against the backdrop of World War One, we follow brothers Charlie and Tommo as they grow up and subsequently enlist in Britain's army to fight the Hun. Each chapter begins sometime during a very long night as Tommo remembers all the adventures and trials he and his family endured together.Morpurgo does an excellent job of building suspense as we learn slowly that Tommo is dreading the coming of morning, though the reason is unclear until late in the book.By then, we are so emotionally vested in this story that the realization of what's coming is devastating.

Private Peaceful (Peaceful is the family name) is a short book that packs a wallop of emotion.However, at times Morpurgo doesn't move the story along as quickly as I'd like, though of course war itself is like that.Tommo doesn't waver in his commitments, whether to his brothers, his soldiering, or his love for his brother's wife; it's this love for Molly that I found immature on his part.The brothers are realistic in their devotion to each other, and Morpurgo is skilled in bringing us to the climax that tests those bonds.

Overall I enjoyed this book, though I felt it might have done a little better with Tommo being less focused on his own feelings.The book would make a great addition to a history teacher's repetoire; it illustrates the devastation of trench warfare and the unrealistic notions of young men enlisting to fight an unknown enemy.Ultimately packing a powerful punch, this is indeed a book I find easy to recommend.

This book was great
In the book Private Peaceful many interesting things happen.First of all in the book there are many sad parts that happen to Tommo, the main character. For example, like when the dad dies right in front of Tommo and Tommo has to run all the way home alone to tell his whole family that his dad was cutting down the old tree back in woods behind there house and the tree fell on him. Also another part part in the book is that when his dad dies his mother has to go to work to have food and money for the family. Tommo and his older brother have to stay with there grandma and they do everything to try to kill her so that they don't have to stay there with her and so that the mom will be forced to stay home so they can spend time with her. Tommo lives a tuff life through out the story and he learns to deal with it. He learns that in the end he knows it wasn't his fault that his dad died that day even though he blamed everything on him and really it wasn't anyone's fault. Private Peaceful is a very good book and these are only a few of many exciting things that happen during the book!

Review by Harry Smith, Wantage, UK
'Private Peaceful' is a tale of courage, sadness and love.The book is written by Michael Morpurgo, a famous author who has written many brilliant books.'Private Peaceful' is about Thomas Peaceful's life growing up in the shadow of the First World War.It is jam-packed full of surprises, romance and adventure.If you love a book full of drama then you will fall in love with this smashing read.It's great for all ages.You'll never put it down! ... Read more

Product Description
Sharpe's Tiger tells the splendid tale of the Siege of Seringapatam, when Sharpe was an ordinary trooper. Sharpe's Triumph is a magnicicnet novel of the British in India, and of the battle which Wellesley, the Duke of Wellington reckoned to be his greatest achievement. In Sharpe's Trafalgar, Sharpe returns from India to London to join the newly formed Green Jackets in Britain, but on his voyage home terror strikes on Sharpe becomes imprisoned on the Ile de France, doomed to rot there until the war ends. ... Read more