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Red - the Encoded Heart
Durham Red -
The Encoded Heart
Peter J
Evans
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this book from Amazon.co.uk
What to Expect:
Red and her boys facing foes both new and old, while they crack wise and Red
wears revealing and impractical clothing.
Review by Richmond
Clements
14th
February 06
This is Evans's
third run out with 2000AD's resident mutant vampire messiah, and boy, what a ride
it is!
I've just read
through my reviews of the first two books, and was rather annoyed to find that
I'd already used part of what I had planned for this review in the previous one.
That is, to comment of the assuredness and total confidence that Evans displays.
He really does make this writing lark seem effortless, as he weaves together plot
strands from previous novels to their conclusion, as well as leaving enough old
threads, as well as creating some tantalising new ones, to make the reader hungry
for the next one.
I was also struck
by how easy his style is to read. You know what it's like, having to plod through
a book stuffed with turgid prose that's obviously been written to be clever, rather
than to be read. But Evans grabs the plot by the scruff of the neck, and hauls
it at high speed to the end. This has been one of the few books I've read recently
where I thought 'Oh, is it over already?'
This book has a
slightly different slant to the previous ones, as soon after the book begins,
our trio of heroes quickly become separated. Red finds herself on a mysterious
world, in which a twisted Machiavellian society, obsessed with good manners, harbours
a secret.
Godolkin and Harrow,
meanwhile, do their 'Odd Couple' act as they embark on their own mini adventure.
There's a lot of humour in this book, particularly with these two characters.
Their bickering dialogues are always fun to read. This, plus the more than welcome
return of Commander Antonia, the Iconoclast soldier makes for a great read.
Evans does, though,
commit a sizable cardinal sin in the book, with one of his plot twists being one
of those sci-fi clichés that has been all but banned from most upstanding
publications. On the plus side though, it is a testament to just how entertaining
the novel is, that this heinous crime can be all but overlooked, coming as it
does during an exciting and action filled climax.
If you haven't
read the previous books, then I recommend that you do, they are rather good. But
if not, don't let it put you off reading this one. Evans does a nice job of reminding
the reader what has happened in the previous books, which was useful for me too,
as it's been six months or more since I read the last one.
What I'm saying
is, you've really got no excuse. Buy this book.
Buy
this book from Amazon.co.uk
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