Jeff
I was both happy that I knew everything in this book and unhappy that I knew everything in this book. I'm always looking for new, undiscovered nuggets about Superman and his history, having been a huge fan of the character for the past 53 years. But it was still fun to have the chance to look back at some things that time may have dimmed in my memory.
This is a good book, despite some typos and incorrect dates, both of which I'm sure will be corrected in subsequent publishings. The most heinous mistake(s) can be found when each reference to author Elliot S! Maggin fails to include the exclamation point after the middle initial; a tradition that Mr. Maggin has attached to his name for decades.
If you want to get a broad, overview of the Man of Steel then this book will fill the bill nicely.
Excellent behind the scenes look at one of the most popular movie trilogies ever! Not only does it contain some great history of the trilogy, captured in recollections from cast and crew and photos of how certain special effects were accomplished, but it is also full of removable memorabilia and souveniers. I, of course, did not remove ANY of them, choosing to have them remain in place within the book. I like to have the collection be complete.
If you liked the Back to the Future trilogy, you'll want this book for your personal library.
I finished this book on the bus ride to class this morning.
This is an excellent look at the life of the late Leonard Nimoy, with one caveat that I'll get into later.
Most people know Leonard Nimoy as the actor who portrayed Mr. Spock on Star Trek; The Original Series, early Star Trek movies and episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation. This book covers that portion of his life, especially the three years of the original TV series, in good detail as related by someone who was right there next to him.
But Nimoy was so much more than that fictional character that captured the hearts and minds of millions. He was an actor who portrayed a multitude of different characters on TV and the stage; a director who helmed successful movies; a photographer who created incredible photos and a philanthropist. He was also an alcoholic, and then a recovering alcoholic, and was obviously a man who was driven to accomplish as much as he could in his lifetime.
Now for that one caveat. I like William Shatner, the author of this book, I really do. But I resent his constant need to compare himself and Nimoy. All the way from their childhoods, through their careers and their final years together. I bought this book to read about Nimoy, not to have Shatner horn in on every part of Nimoy's life, tooting his own horn either directly, or through self-deprecating humor that still puts the spotlight on Shatner. Rumors through the years of his massive ego and self-centered behavior seem to be true, if this book is any indication.
But if you can get past that, this is a nice stroll through the life, loves, career, and passing of Leonard Nimoy.
What an excellent story! This was a difficult book to put down as I was reading it, but I had no choice due to work commitments and illness. On the other hand, I enjoyed drawing out the enjoyment of this story. I found myself, at the end, feeling what we all feel when we have finished a good book; happy to have reached the end and sad that the ride was over.
Read this book!
A very well-written story and an interesting story, though the ending was “meh.”
My main complaint is one I have had with recent books; the author's tendency to move the story back and forth in time, sometimes (as it was in this story) to the point of confusion. I understand the use of that for a story mechanism such as in “The Time Traveler's Wife” but could find no such need in this book. There were too many times in this story that something would happen that was almost incomprehensible until you read the flashback 3 or 4 chapters later, almost as if the author had mixed up the order of his chapters.
Still, that is a matter of style and I do not hesitate to give the book a solid rating based on the story, characters and plot.
These two books, Hyperion and The Fall of Hyperion, comprise one of THE best stories I have read in a long, long time. I was almost weeping with heartfelt feelings during the final scene between the father and daughter toward the end, then smiling with complete satisfaction as the story came to a conclusion that felt right and was right.
I am so glad I finally read these books and only wish I had done so earlier.
What an incredibly well-told piece of history by Laura Hillenbrand about world-class runner and World War II POW survivor Louis Zamperini! This was a difficult book to read and just as difficult to put down. Zamperini's plane crash in the ocean, weeks lost at sea, and years as a Japanese POW all show the remarkable will to not only survive, but to live through the pain and suffering and degradation of the human spirit he had to endure.
Hillenbrand is an excellent writer and I am determined now to read her other best-selling novel, “Seabiscuit” as soon as I can.
