Gecko by Jack Priest Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Gecko
Book Review: Lots of Action & a Scary Monster too!
Summary: 5 Stars
I started this book on the first day of the year, early in the morn, and have now just finished it at Five PM. I did stop reading for a bowl game as my honey came over with some sumptuous Chinese and chopsticks, so I couldn't turn him away. But after the game, I picked the book back up, despite his protests, and read through to the end and I must say Mr. Priest has quiet an imagination. Giant green geckos preceded by their smaller cousins. An evil German doctor. Some pretty strange bad guys. A couple damsels in distress, one who makes it and one who doesn't. A black widow, gecko war dance and a whole lot more. Monsters in the dark and a bit of romance too. See I said there was more and I wasn't kidding, this is a super-fantastic story. I was really surprised and I hope to be just as surprised with Mr. Priest's other books. Give this one a read, you won't be disappointed.Book Review: Ludlum meets King meets Rollins
Summary: 4 Stars
Priest has some real strengths as a writer. First, he writes sentences that keep moving forward; that may seem like a small thing, but it sure beats ploughing through the tortured hamstrung prose of someone like Dan Brown (though Priest is fond of comma-spliced run-ons).
Second, he has a fine sense of pace. This story gets moving instantly and keeps moving at a rapid clip. There isn't an ounce of padding in this book.
That's probably just as well, because some portions of the plot don't really connect the dots all that well. Timing is a bit mysterious, and some plot elements are instantly discarded once they've served their purpose (our hero's best friend is killed early on, but two minutes later, he's out of the story).
Some of this is entertainingly silly; our hero is a Vietnam vet, successful politician, well-trained sailor-- clearly he's 55 years old because he has to be that old to fit in all his backstory. Some of it borders on insulting; a twenty-year-old woman who was raped at sixteen decides that having sex with this fifty-five year old man whom she just met will make her whole again.
It's the breath-taking chase fiction of Ludlum with some creepy King supernatural, crossed with the everything-but-the-kitchen-sink of Rollins. This is not a book likely to create readerly deja vu (ex-POW with psychic link to Maori woman? yeah, I've so seen that before). Not deep, not serious, but well written and fast-paced enough to skate over its own thin ice.
Book Review: OKAY SO I MIGHT BUY SOME MORE HORROR
Summary: 5 Stars
This book was given to me by a friend who is bang into Stephen King, Dean Koontz, James Herbert etc. etc. I AM NOT!
Jim Monday is an ex Vietnam vet whos wife has done the dirty on him. A murder, a spell in jail, and hopeless hopeless odds, as Monday attempts to triumph over an evil doctor, whilst on the run from the cops.
Well what can I say, I read it in three days. I measure a good book by the time it takes to read. Three weeks and it's lousy, a week means it's prety good.
Preist is a master of the horror genre, yet at the same time he brings a little fun and humour into the pages of this fine book.
Book Review: One of the worst books I've ever read....
Summary: 1 Stars
This is the first and last priest book I'll ever pick up, good thing I managed to get a refund. Priest's writing skills are laughable, it's amazing this thing ever was put into print.Book Review: Original, but....
Summary: 3 Stars
This guy is not a very good writer.
I liked many of the ideas and original story line, but the somewhat amateurish prose was disappointing.