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scipiodadawg's review against another edition
4.0
Good pacing and a fun read throughout. Reads very similar to how you imagine most heist movies are portrayed with a little twist of knowing the ending, at least in part. Characters act surprisingly unique for such a short read with a relatively large cast, and their decisions make sense with their own reasonings.
gregplatt77's review against another edition
4.0
Exceptionally well done dramatization of a true story. Quite enjoyable to read as a plot, and highly informative about several related topics. Crichton is the master of context made fascinating.
lstout456's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder, Colonisation, and Classism
Minor: Rape
2ndchance_chad's review against another edition
3.0
3.5/5.0
This certainly like any of the other Crichton books I've read previously. I wasn't much feeling it at all for awhile. But eventually it settled in and either it or I began focusing on the aspects such as historical science and philosophy.
The story seemed to evolve into more description of how things worked scientifically in this age which was kind of cool. It also started focusing more on the study of people, their reactions, expectations and the way they can adapt to situations. I found the crew interesting enough seeing how they planned the heist, worked together and again adapt when situations changed. Once again expressing you can plan until you're blue in the face but something is always going to come up throwing a wrench into those plans!
I still own quite a few Crichton books that I need to get read. This was one I was least looking forward to anyways but it was enjoyable enough to read through to the end at least.
This certainly like any of the other Crichton books I've read previously. I wasn't much feeling it at all for awhile. But eventually it settled in and either it or I began focusing on the aspects such as historical science and philosophy.
The story seemed to evolve into more description of how things worked scientifically in this age which was kind of cool. It also started focusing more on the study of people, their reactions, expectations and the way they can adapt to situations. I found the crew interesting enough seeing how they planned the heist, worked together and again adapt when situations changed. Once again expressing you can plan until you're blue in the face but something is always going to come up throwing a wrench into those plans!
I still own quite a few Crichton books that I need to get read. This was one I was least looking forward to anyways but it was enjoyable enough to read through to the end at least.
marthisuy's review against another edition
4.0
Es genial como libro de robos y aventuras. No le pongo 5 estrellas porque siento que Crichton se extiende mucho describiendo cosas que no vienen a cuento (como el Río Mississippi o la revolución en la India).
Señor quiero una historia sobre un robo a un tren en Inglaterra, no me vengas con datos históricos random para demostrar lo mucho que investigaste la época...
Señor quiero una historia sobre un robo a un tren en Inglaterra, no me vengas con datos históricos random para demostrar lo mucho que investigaste la época...
alannabarras's review against another edition
2.0
I enjoyed chunks of this book. The overall topic was fascinating, and the author did a good job feeding out the information piece by piece to keep it engaging without being too confusing or too obvious. That being said, there were a couple scenes that felt both gross and unnecessary, one involving a 12 year old prostitute being portrayed as a capable/consenting adult (gross. no.) And one involving a bored man just... imagining his lady's *****. The first scene may be defensible through the lense of 'historical accuracy', but there are simple workarounds the author could have used to either obscure the age or not try to normalize the encounter as something that should be ok/enjoyable for the audience to read. The second scene advanced nothing, wouldn't show up in the historical record, and was just weird. Both were jarring enough while reading that I put the book down for a couple days each time to decide if it was worth finishing.
TL;DR - I may try another Michael Crichton book in future, but I will not reread this one. I wish I'd found a straight nonfiction book talking about the Great Train Robbery instead.
TL;DR - I may try another Michael Crichton book in future, but I will not reread this one. I wish I'd found a straight nonfiction book talking about the Great Train Robbery instead.
fulllarry's review against another edition
4.0
Really wish I read this on my kindle instead of paperback. There were a lot of cool old timey words I had to infer. The kindle makes for easy lookup.
Very fun book. A well thought out heist. Fairly straight forward and included a lot of historical context.
Very fun book. A well thought out heist. Fairly straight forward and included a lot of historical context.
soniek's review against another edition
5.0
I don't know how much of this book is fact and fiction, but it is one gripping narration of one of the most infamous and successful heists in human history. The narration keeps alive the suspense at the right moments, but the attention to details help fill in crucial gaps in the sequence of events. Probably this is one reason why the book manages to convey why the robbery was so amazing and makes the reader appreciate it despite being a crime.
The author has structured the book in such a way that things begin to fall in places like an elaborate jigsaw puzzle. There's a reason for every action and there's no unnecessary divergence. Every detail, be it about the characters and their personalities, the props (both people, buildings, items, even animals) have been described carefully so that the reader understands their role and importance in the heist. I couldn't help appreciate the sheer planning and cunning employed by Edward Pierce, the antagonist of this book.
But what makes it all the more interesting is when the author steps back to explain the situation in Victorian England, right from the political relationship between England and France, the industrial revolution and its impact on London (the slums) and people's lives, the lifestyle and the scope of law and morality in those times. Even sub plots like a "stolen" crate of rare wine and the infamous sepoy mutiny in India have been covered in detail, and how they influenced the great train robbery, are commendable.
Overall, this is one of the finest pieces of true crime stories which has been narrated in that same way old family tales are told (with a lot of relish, intriguing details and snippets) which entertain and enlighten people about a historical event.
I wouldn't mind reading this book again, and would definitely recommend it as a must read in its own genre.
The author has structured the book in such a way that things begin to fall in places like an elaborate jigsaw puzzle. There's a reason for every action and there's no unnecessary divergence. Every detail, be it about the characters and their personalities, the props (both people, buildings, items, even animals) have been described carefully so that the reader understands their role and importance in the heist. I couldn't help appreciate the sheer planning and cunning employed by Edward Pierce, the antagonist of this book.
But what makes it all the more interesting is when the author steps back to explain the situation in Victorian England, right from the political relationship between England and France, the industrial revolution and its impact on London (the slums) and people's lives, the lifestyle and the scope of law and morality in those times. Even sub plots like a "stolen" crate of rare wine and the infamous sepoy mutiny in India have been covered in detail, and how they influenced the great train robbery, are commendable.
Overall, this is one of the finest pieces of true crime stories which has been narrated in that same way old family tales are told (with a lot of relish, intriguing details and snippets) which entertain and enlighten people about a historical event.
I wouldn't mind reading this book again, and would definitely recommend it as a must read in its own genre.
eeclayton's review against another edition
4.0
This was the second Crichton book I read this year, and he didn't disappoint. The plot is brilliant, and it seems that most details of the heist were actually thought up by Crichton, even though the novel is based on real events. Very clever. Also, he explains lots of aspects of what life was like in Victorian England, which are intriguing and for me they didn't really slow down the story. The characters are a little flat, but overall it was a very enjoyable read for me.
levisamjuno's review against another edition
4.0
I had read all of Crichton's books that had been published as of my senior year of high school. Now, some 13 years hence, I was drawn back into reading them again. I know that I read The Great Train Robbery, and some scenes were familiar, but on the whole I didn't remember the story at all.
This is a very interesting novel with a mixed theme of historical fiction and mystery. I had to do some quick research after reading to see what details were true and what came from the mind of the author. The central character of Pierce was intriguing as the mastermind behind a complicated plot to steal gold from a train in Victorian England.
I am not much of a history fan, but Crichton framed many of the scenes throughout the book with the historical backdrop that made sense and put into perspective what occurred in that scene. As one my categories for great reading is that it makes me seek to learn something new, The Great Train Robbery triggered that cognitive twitch in my brain to read more about Victorian England, the Crimean War, the Indian Mutiny, and the factual train robbery itself.
Even though I've never seen the movie, I guess my mind must have remembered seeing the movie poster, because I could not shake the image or speaking voice of Sean Connery as the main character in my head, which actually did not detract too much from the character at all.
This is a very interesting novel with a mixed theme of historical fiction and mystery. I had to do some quick research after reading to see what details were true and what came from the mind of the author. The central character of Pierce was intriguing as the mastermind behind a complicated plot to steal gold from a train in Victorian England.
I am not much of a history fan, but Crichton framed many of the scenes throughout the book with the historical backdrop that made sense and put into perspective what occurred in that scene. As one my categories for great reading is that it makes me seek to learn something new, The Great Train Robbery triggered that cognitive twitch in my brain to read more about Victorian England, the Crimean War, the Indian Mutiny, and the factual train robbery itself.
Even though I've never seen the movie, I guess my mind must have remembered seeing the movie poster, because I could not shake the image or speaking voice of Sean Connery as the main character in my head, which actually did not detract too much from the character at all.