The Gun Seller

Rating:
Summary: Masterly talent
Review: Traditional spy novel and film noir cliches are turned on thier heads by Mr. Laurie's incredible talent with turning a comic phrase. Familiar with his work on the screen, I was expecting to laugh, but the book did not represent just a hollow comedy-- it was filled with a page turning plot.

Rating:
Summary: An inaccurate look at the arms trade.
Review: A bizarre book. I was recommended this so called politcal text, written by a young academic (whose university is not I hasten to add stated) by a co-professor. I can only assume the author has wealth to fund his own works, as this book has no signifcance in the current or historical world of arms trade. He shows no evidence for his work and frankly I cannot show my dismay enough.

Rating:
Summary: Good but not great
Review: If you're a fan of Stephen Fry's work (as I am) you'll probably enjoy The Gun Seller, but you may come away from it slightly disappointed. Hugh Laurie does a good job of crafting an engaging story, but there's too much cliche British humor that we've all seen a thousand times before. The author would have done a better job if he had respected his own voice to a greater degree and included less generic BBC humor.

I was left with the feeling that Mr. Laurie will probably (hopefully) bring us many more novels and that as his experience as a novelist grows his books will develop into something more subtle and unique. All in all a diamond that's still slightly in the rough. If I had to buy it/read it again I would.

Rating:
Summary: A terrific read!
Review: This was a very entertaining book with a very likable main character. I laughed out loud while reading this book and pulled people up to me to have them read the same funny passages. Can't wait for Mr. Laurie to write a sequel.

Rating:
Summary: Great Fun!
Review: A very easy, enjoyable read. Anyone who likes the tough-guy genre will love this book.

Rating:
Summary: Permission granted! (in response to [e-mail])
Review: The comic truth of Laurie's various roles shines through in his first novel. A stunning start that puts most action books to shame. Yes, variety is the spice of life and "The Gun Seller" is defineatly top variety. Good jokes and a keen mnarration. WAY TO GO HUGH!!!!!!! But dash it all, in the midst of all this reading, we seem to have missed the big push!

Rating:
Summary: Your average spy thriller
Review: Hugh Laurie is not >particularly< good with words, but does get the point across. He does have some good jokes, none as funny as his a lot of the time comedy partner Stephen Fry, but they're jokes nonetheless. The book is several pages too long for its material, although the end was good. Recommended reading material, not buying.

Rating:
Summary: Original and Superb!
Review: I picked this book up from a friend while residing in Hungary last year, and it changed my outlook on the world around me! Superbly written, with a humour that is as straightforward as the plot is not, this book is one that you cannot put down. Of course, just in case one must attend to other things in life, Mr. Laurie has made the chapters short. Each reads as an individual short story; so that when one returns to where one left off, s/he is not so sure how the next chapter deals with the previous one. A wonderful book!

Rating:
Summary: Very funny and entertaining
Review: The Gun Seller was clever, original and well-written. Highly recommended

Rating:
Summary: Self-consciously daft and frequently labored
Review: This book starts funny but gets less funny as it goes on, not because the jokes aren't as good, but because they're pretty much the same. It's a little like watching a TV sit com (not a bad one) stretched to two and a half hours. Isn't variety the spice of life?