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Terry Deary – Dark Knights and Dingy Castles | Review

Title: Dark Knights and Dingy Castles

Author: Terry Deary

Type: Non-Fiction

Page Count: 176

Rating: 4/5

I was a big fan of the Horrible Histories books back when I was a kid, and so when I won a job lot bundle of them on eBay for a bargain price because of a misspelling in the title, I was delighted to find a few books in there that I hadn’t come across.

It’s made even better by the fact that they were all about half again as long as a regular Horrible Histories book, which meant there was more for me to geek out on, and that this one in particular focusses on medieval history, which is probably my favourite period, all things considered.

This one is worth reading whether you’re a kid or an adult, and especially so if you’re into medieval stuff and castles. The sense of humour is occasionally juvenile, but the information itself is solid gold. It’s arguably now one of my favourites of his!

Learn more about Dark Knights and Dingy Castles.

George Eliot – Silas Marner | Review

Title: Silas Marner

Author: George Eliot

Type: Fiction

Page Count: 290

Rating: 3/5

I basically picked this book up because my friend Dave has written a musical based on it and so I wanted to see what the fuss is about. I’ve also never read any Eliot before, and so it seemed like a good excuse to finally get started.

Unfortunately I didn’t particularly enjoy it, and in fact having seen the musical, I think I enjoyed that more than the book. With that said, I also understand the hype, and I do think that Eliot is a very talented writer. She got a little bit screwed over by the times that she lived in, really. And in fact, for a book of its period, I think it’s aged rather well. Let’s put it this way – I enjoyed it way more than I enjoy reading Jane Austen.

So would I recommend it? I don’t think that’s a fair question here because I went into it reading for a different reason than most people would have. For what it’s worth, I enjoyed it and I’m glad that I picked it up, but I don’t think that’s a good call for a general reader. Even if you’re a fan of the classics, you should proceed with caution.

But yeah, I liked the story itself, even if it did take a while to play out, and I particularly enjoyed the descriptions of Raveloe and the development that Marner himself goes through between the start and the end. I still kind of feel as though the story could be condensed and that it would probably work better as a movie (or a musical), but hey ho. I read it.

Learn more about Silas Marner.