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3.33 AVERAGE
3.33 AVERAGE
spiritualkungfu's review against another edition
4.0
A good detective novel broken up into short stories with little connections.
seano312's review against another edition
4.0
Chesterton is more famous for his Father Brown detective stories, but this collection of tales about Horne Fisher is Chesterton's attempt to make a cynical Sherlock.
Fisher knows too much, and can literally "blow it all apart" with the things he knows about politics, society, and human nature.
He weaves a crooked line through the several tales, trying to obtain justice from an unjust society. Keeping things hidden for the greater good.
Is he successful? Yes. It's an interesting concept and Chesterton does a good job creating story after story that shows Fisher's talent and skill.
A couple of tales are marred by Chesterton's rather zealous bigotry against Germans, "Moslems", and some perfidious antisemitism.
There's also a bunch of hand-waving where political things are discussed in a very "us vs them" mentality with little detail.
If you can stomach those flaws, this is a good collection.
Fisher knows too much, and can literally "blow it all apart" with the things he knows about politics, society, and human nature.
He weaves a crooked line through the several tales, trying to obtain justice from an unjust society. Keeping things hidden for the greater good.
Is he successful? Yes. It's an interesting concept and Chesterton does a good job creating story after story that shows Fisher's talent and skill.
A couple of tales are marred by Chesterton's rather zealous bigotry against Germans, "Moslems", and some perfidious antisemitism.
There's also a bunch of hand-waving where political things are discussed in a very "us vs them" mentality with little detail.
If you can stomach those flaws, this is a good collection.
lena_in_oslo's review against another edition
1.0
My gawd, this is even more sleep inducing than Lady Chatterley's Lover....
darrellmccauley's review against another edition
4.0
Horne Fisher knows too much because of his connection to politicians coupled with his keen observation skills (on par with any of the great fictional detectives). This series of independent short stories was thoroughly engaging. The stories beg you to pay attention and guess the ending.
chrisannee's review against another edition
3.0
I was confused for a large portion of each story. Which is not typical of me + Chesterton. So I gave up. Maybe I'll revisit it.
zachlittrell's review against another edition
3.0
Boy was I fooled by the charming snarky first mystery, because the adventures of Horne Fisher only get weirder and just a little bit more and more depressing as you go along. Horne Fisher is cynical, snarky, a genius, and adamantly patriotic. It's no spoiler to say that every mystery ends with Fisher deducing the improbable series of events...and then just lets the darn murderer go for some greater good. And that schtick is both fascinating and really, really frustrating after a while.
I liked "The Vanishing Prince" a lot, which had a clever solution to the mystery of how the heck one guy absolutely wrecked a group of policemen when he was surrounded on all sides. When Chesterton hits his stride, his writing is delightfully witty and unravels in surprising ways. At worst, the setups get so convoluted with red herrings you shrug and say, "What? What was that all about?" The last story, "The Vengeance of the Statue," is --for better or for worse-- a logical end to Horne Fisher's adventures...cranked up to eleven at the last moments.
Now, I listened to Harold Wiederman's audiobook narration. I'm a big fan of audiobooks, but I think this doesn't work for audiobook at all. So much of Chesterton's witty prose and Horne Fisher's clever reveals are "blink and you miss it;" it doesn't help that Wiederman's voices (as comfortingly British as his voice is) sound kinda the same and monotone. Save yourself a lot of confusion and just read it yourself at your own pace.
I liked "The Vanishing Prince" a lot, which had a clever solution to the mystery of how the heck one guy absolutely wrecked a group of policemen when he was surrounded on all sides. When Chesterton hits his stride, his writing is delightfully witty and unravels in surprising ways. At worst, the setups get so convoluted with red herrings you shrug and say, "What? What was that all about?" The last story, "The Vengeance of the Statue," is --for better or for worse-- a logical end to Horne Fisher's adventures...cranked up to eleven at the last moments.
Now, I listened to Harold Wiederman's audiobook narration. I'm a big fan of audiobooks, but I think this doesn't work for audiobook at all. So much of Chesterton's witty prose and Horne Fisher's clever reveals are "blink and you miss it;" it doesn't help that Wiederman's voices (as comfortingly British as his voice is) sound kinda the same and monotone. Save yourself a lot of confusion and just read it yourself at your own pace.
pontiki's review against another edition
4.0
I read this book over a period of time as a collection of short stories. Very Sherlock Holmesian in the way Horne Fisher solves mysteries.
But, there is an underlying pessimism, and although murders are explained, they are rarely punished throughout the book.
I enjoyed the style of writing, and each vignette as a separate story. Some things were a bit too unfamiliar, such as various politicians and events that I don't know well in history. However, the stories still read well, and the way war is waged and Fisher is both heroic and foolhardy makes for a surprising end.
Really enjoyable.
But, there is an underlying pessimism, and although murders are explained, they are rarely punished throughout the book.
I enjoyed the style of writing, and each vignette as a separate story. Some things were a bit too unfamiliar, such as various politicians and events that I don't know well in history. However, the stories still read well, and the way war is waged and Fisher is both heroic and foolhardy makes for a surprising end.
Really enjoyable.
grotta's review against another edition
3.0
Solid fun - short mysteries with Horne Fisher starring as the politically connected Sherlock.
michellejun's review against another edition
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.5
stillmsp's review against another edition
4.0
The finest mysteries complicate the distinction between right and wrong. G K Chesterton does this admirably. Where he differs from someone like Agatha Christie who was also expert at moral gray areas (remember Murder on the Orient Express) is in the central place given to his brutally pragmatic view of politics. These episodes in the life of Horne Fisher and Harold March are clever puzzles but also scathing and worldly observations on the many and varied ways in which elites grab power and try to hang onto it. Completely without melodrama, coolly unfolding plot and quirky characters, this is a great read, and free to download too.