Out of the Sun: A Novel

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Summary: My first discovery of Robert Goddard
Review: A friend of mine gave me as a present this magnificent book - "Out of the sun". I use to read a lot, so I didn't expect something that outstanding. It caught me right from the first page, and while reading it I went, along with the characters, through joy and despare, thrill, mystery and most of all - unexpectedness. I think the most beautiful side of this story is its "realisticity", i.e. its closeness to real life matters. As the story goes, we see that Harry is not as omnipotent as story-characters often are. He just "runs into" events (or events "run into" him) and deals with them wisely and decisively, leaving us, however with a feeling, that he is only human, like all of us, and sometimes makes mistakes. Another point, completing the latter, is that the characters couldn't be divided, as usually, into "bad" and "good". They all could be taken from our immediate environment. That makes you wonder more about human behavior, what some people are capable of doing at certain circumstances.

Eventually, I'd like to recommend this book to all those who are considered with "true" stories, ones that take you one (or more) level inside that "grey matter" of yours.

Enjoy this story by "the most compelling storytellers of them all"!

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Summary: Better than "Into the Blue"
Review: A well written, entertaining and truly original story. I read Goddard's "Into the blue" before, but liked this book much better. Worth reading!!

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Summary: Mathematical puzzle.
Review: Harry Barnett, a bit of a down and outer,is shocked on two counts.The first is to discover that he has a son from a brief fling, many years ago and secondly to be told that his son, David, is lying in a diabetic coma. David is a brilliant mathematician, employed by a rather secretive forecasting institute who previously employed several other scientists who died in mysterious circumstances.It's a good, imaginative plot and, given that I'm mathematically challenged, one that I had to force myself to understand. Poor Harry is a bit of a sad sack so things don't magically solve themselves for him as for other literary heros, but it's a story which will hold your attention until the end.

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Summary: Excellent book. Would highly recommend it.
Review: I discovered Robert Goddard's books on my last visit to Melbourne, Australia. I have read all that I could find. This book has been the best of the lot. Having read Into The Blue, it was interesting to follow Harry's life further. Robert Goddard develops the story in a way that you can hardly put the book down as you follow the story line down very twisted paths. I would recommend this book very highly.

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Summary: The most interesting mystery I've ever read!
Review: I had about five books on hold at the public library that still hadn't come in yet, so I decided to browse the Fiction section to see if I could find anything interesting. After reading a few covers, and finding the typical "dead body found under suspcious circumstances" one after the other, I stumbled upon this novel. The idea intrigued me. A man comes in to work one morning to discover that his son is in the hospital in a diabetic coma--the only problem is, he doesn't have a son.

Harry, the main character, then sets about to solve the mystery of his son's suspicious near-fatal accident, along with the "accidental" deaths of several of his former colleages. But the more he discovers, the more danger he finds himself in.

This story has so many surprising twists and turns it keeps you "on the edge of your seat." Some parts are so suprising it almost makes you jump! I highly recommend reading this novel, especially if you are looking for something fresh and vivid.

The only problem I had with it was the fact that Americans from NYC and California don't say "reckon" lol!!

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Summary: "Out of the Ordinary" it's not
Review: I was somewhat disappointed in this book, especially after all of the superlative reviews that other Amazon.com readers gave it. Ultimately, I think the problem is that it just isn't as interesting as it promises to be. The premise, having to do with the mathematical existence of many more dimensions than the four of which we are aware, is fascinating, and the author lucidly and intriguingly discusses the concept and some of its implications. The plot, however, drags quite a bit, and the book is packed with filler -- too many ruminations on the part of the protagonist, too much dwelling on the many failures in his life, and, between key scenes, too many long interludes in which nothing much really happens. Although several readers claim that the book is filled with twists, there is really only one -- and that is merely the standard ending in which you find out that the person responsible for all the murders is not the one whom all the other characters in the book believe is the killer. To be sure, the book has several virtues, including a likeable and exceedingly flawed protagonist (although he has an unfortunate tendency towards self-pity -- and he constantly refuses to accept offers or to pursue courses of action that could make him a happier man, out of what seems to be his perverse desire to continue to be a miserable loser faced with a lifetime of missed opportunities); many well-drawn, lively, interesting characters; and the author's ability to convey the mood and unique character of a number of different locations -- Copenhagen, Chicago, Dallas, Washington, D.C., the village of Lindos in Rhodes, an English seaside town -- with a few deft strokes. Goddard appears to be a talented writer, but he seems not to have developed his material here beyond his original concept. The result is a book that ultimately feels very thin.

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Summary: The one book of intruiging suspense you MUST read.
Review: This single book by Robert Goddard was by far the best book i've read all year. I read it on a trip I took to South Carolina (for those of you looking for a good travel book) and finished the whole thing in two days. I just could NOT put it down...the twists in plot so unexpected, I found myself laughing out loud, or not being able to read for the tears in my eyes. I'm not often a passionate reader, but every chapter he gave brought me closer to the story and characters than any author had ever done before. Don't be afraid to dive into this one-- you'll end up satisfied in the end...but wanting more just to sleep at night. I'd previously never heard of Robert-- but Kudos to the designer of the cover--it's how I pick my travel books. (and just for us picky ones, the type font is easily read, and attractive, the paper is well-grained, and the whole book is sturdy, as a travel book should be).

Go for this one-- it's wonderful, all around.

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Summary: a touch of science fiction combined with mystery
Review: Well, the entire book reads really well, but it got to a point where I was beginning to grow tired of all the unanswered questions and felt the character was seemingly going nowhere. Suddenly, in one master stroke, Goddard pulls he rug out from under your feet and takes you for a ride into an awesome ending, typing up all loose ends satisfactorily, of course. The bad guy is incredible! (don't worry , I'm not giving anything away).

One particular encounter very near the end of the book seemed a bit contrived t the time, but at the end turned out not to be at all!

Forget lesser authors like Grisham who seem to dominate the bestseller lists - Goddard is intelligent fiction, for a change.

Jack.