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Critics and reviewers across centuries have found common ground in acclaiming "classics", and occasionally, clashed over what did and didn't deserve such a title. What has rarely, if ever, been achieved, is a truly detailed analysis of *WHAT IT IS* that makes a novel great. And certainly, there are many different things at which a novel can excel; few, if any, excel in all categories simultaneously. Those which attain the status of "classic" may simply excel in one or two eras, and be "above average" or "average' in the others. Novels which are severely lacking in some areas may fail to reach the same heights of timelessness, yet still be contemporary successes for their insights in other categories. The Book Gurus exists to answer the questions that many haven't known how to express...and hopefully, to provide clarity that will empower the next generation of writers to see between the lines.
Novels that do this well:
Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
The Shining by Stephen King
Existence by David Brin
Watership Down by Richard Adams
1984 by George Orwell
Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky
Novels that do this well:
The Shining by Stephen King
Lightning by Dean Koontz
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Novels that do this well:
The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
The Postman by David Brin
Urchin of the Riding Stars by M.I. McAllister
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Novels that do this well:
The Stand by Stephen King
The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
The Postman by David Brin
Novels that do this well:
The Stand by Stephen King
The Shining by Stephen King
The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
Novels that do this well:
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
The Master of Ballantrae by Robert Louis Stevenson
Fairy Tale by Stephen King
Novels that do this well:
The Giver by Lois Lowry
Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry
The Gunslinger by Stephen King
Novels that do this well:
The Pilgrim's Regress by C.S. Lewis
That Hideous Strength by C.S. Lewis
Notes from the Underground by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
1984 by George Orwell
Novels that do this well:
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
The Giver by Lois Lowry
Novels that do this well:
Life Expectancy by Dean Koontz
The Wrong Box by Robert Louis Stevenson
(Failure to stand out in many or most of the categories above) If we wanted to say that excelling in the categories about willgive you a great book, it goes without saying that the more of those categoriesa book fails to excel at, the less chance it has of being great. But we can goa step further, and establish some additional categories that must be in placein order for a novel to be even GOOD. The best way to explore this is in the negative sense—what is itthat can keep a book from being good, and what are some case studies?
Novels that are harmed by this:
Watership Down by Richard Adams
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
Novels that are harmed by this:
Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
David Balfour (aka Catriona) by Robert Louis Stevenson
Novels that are harmed by this:
The Institute by Stephen King
The Talisman by Stephen King
The Drawing of the Three by Stephen King
Wizard and Glass by Stephen King
The Wind Through The Keyhole by Stephen King
Watership Down by Richard Adams
The plot as a whole can look great on paper, but if
and a lot of those "golden moments" come from personal connection
Novels that are harmed by this:
The Master of Ballantrae by Robert Louis Stevenson
Novels that are harmed by this:
The House At The End Of The World by Dean Koontz
The Wind Through the Keyhole by Stephen King
Novels that are harmed by this:
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
The Drawing of the Three by Stephen King
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
There can be great power in evocative landscape descriptions, but sense of place goes beyond that. It’s about putting the reader in the locale; often,that’s more about the PEOPLE than the landscape. The Grapes of Wrath takes you back to the dreary, slang-filled conversations of the depression era working class, wondering if there’s anywhere out there NOT like this. It gives you a poignant, shockingly clear taste of that time and place; and the “what does life matter, we’re all just gonna die anywhere” attitude that seems to be found everywhere you turn.
Perelandra by C.S. Lewis
Like many books that are excellent in some areas, Perelandra is quite flawed in others. It drags on far too long, and sometimes spends so much time describing landscape and philosophical ideas that it becomes dull.However, it still pulls off It takes you under that Golden Roof
The Shining by Stephen King
It seems that most fans of “The Shining”—and, based on many of his follow up books, perhaps even King himself—don’t truly realize WHY they loved it so much. There are dozens of other King books that try to be scary, that spend large amounts of time on “build-up”, as the Shining does…and most of them—I won’t say all—totally fail to evoke anything approaching the same feelings. But the Shining is a home run. Why? There’s a lot of reasons for it, but here we’ll focus on the biggest one, which is the characters. The character of Danny is the gateway to the magic. Partly, it’s his gift—“the shining”—that enables this. Because he can hear the thoughts of adults, and yet doesn’t understand them, we are constantly reminded of hisutter innocence—he’s too young to even comprehend the darkness, which makes him likable. It also enhances his vulnerability, because it’s clear how helpless he is. To a lesser extent, the character of Jack early in the book also enhances the later events. Or perhaps, even more so, his early struggles stand on their own as moving episodes. His own struggle with alcoholism, and with being a failing husbandand father, the incredible scene where he and his friend run over the bike on their way home but never find its rider—one of the great second chance momentsin all of literature—and his subsequent effort to rebuild his life…all together, lend much more weight to his own later battle, and fall. He’s wrestling desperately just to be a decent human…and that’s something everyone can relate to. More on the book in general can be found in the full book analysis, but those character elements are a key ingredient.
Lightning by Dean Koontz
In spite of a disappointing second half to the book, Lighting is a good yarn, and the first half provides one of the best case studies of“characters you pull for”. Laura Shane’s plight is easy to pity. The series of traumatic near-tragedies with miraculous rescues make the sudden loss of her father surprising, and dramatic. Koontz then piggybacks off those feelings to build more and more sympathy as her situation grows gradually worse. He takes his time, painting the orphanage and “the eel” masterfully. Then, the “everything’s great now” plot twist suddenly crashing down, and the seeming contradiction of “her guardian” not showing up to save the day magnifies the effect when she has to return to where she was. Her situation becomes more and more vulnerable, more and more heartbreaking, and she’s just a simple, nice girl with no ambition but to have a little stability in her life.
A. Vulnerability is the easiest way to get the reader rooting fora character. She’s innocent, yet vulnerable. When the character is likable—and perhaps equally important, somewhat NORMAL, easy to relate to—putting them in unfair and difficult circumstance will automatically create a connection.
B. He builds the relationships with the other orphan girls very effectively. People relate to having close relationships, especially when everyone involved is just “a normal person”, “victims of circumstance together”.
C. All these methods in play here would be effective in any circumstance, but they are all amplified by the mystery and intrigue of the plot, particularly the “mysterious guardian”.
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
The Hunger Games is an interesting case study in character connection because the reader’s connection to Katniss is enabled, primarily, by three things: Her love of and sacrifice for her little sister. The utter injustice of her situation / the evil of “The Capital”. An absolute masterclass in forgivable character flaws.
A. This effect probably would have been far less dramatic if the book were told in the 3rd person. Because it’s told in the 1st person—and specifically, 1st person present-tense—we can poignantly feel her inner struggles, her crises of conscience, her strong desire to do the right thing but perpetually difficult situations.
B. It’s also very clear that she’s an independent, proud girl; and that on some level, she knows she doesn’t always treat people with the soft edges they deserve. We forgive her, we feel her pain, because her circumstances have made her that way, AND because she’s aware of it and feels guilty for it while she’s doing it.
C. Also, it isn’t even JUST that she sacrificed herself. You also feel a bit of added tension because of the fact that she’s still needed at home. Could Gale really feed six or eight or however many he would have to feed if Katniss can’t get back to her mom and sister?
D. The effect of Gale—emotion, desire, guilt, social pressure,loyalty—also adds tension to the Peta situation. The action sequences in the Hunger Games are brilliant, and the plot is fantastic; but it’s elevated from being simply a good book to a true classic because of the rich connection the reader shares with Katniss.
The Postman by David Brin
The Lord of The Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
Methuselah's Ghost?
Urchin of the Riding Stars
The Stand
The Lord of The Rings
The Postman
The Shining
The Stand
The Count of Monte Cristo
Jekyll and Hyde
The Master of Ballantrae
Fairy Tale
The Giver
Gathering Blue
The Gunslinger
The Pilgirm's Regress
That Hideous Strength
Notes from the Underground
The Grapes of Wrath
1984
Jekyll and Hyde
The Giver
The Wrong Box
Life Expectancy
Watership Down
Lord of the Flies
Crime and Punishment
David Balfour
The Institute
Watership Down
David Balfour
The Master of Ballantrae
The House at the End of the World
The Wind Through the Keyhole
A Gentleman in Moscow
The Drawing Of The Three
The Master of Ballantrae is at once wildly intriguing and clearly flawed. It’s a pleasure to read, and even re-read, because of Stevenson’s absolutely masterful storytelling prowess. The prose is immersive, and he hooks you, pulls you in with those opening pages, with the warning that this tale “is concerned with death”. The adventures at sea with “Teach” the pirate are fascinating, and the overall plot is wildly compelling. The drama of the fight between the brothers, the mystery of the loser’s disappearance, and the overall ominous expectation of what’s coming are simplify wonderful. However, very strangely—and very contrary to some of his more well known works—there are big gaps in the overall picture. The pacing is awkward, and your mind is full of blank spots as you try to picture what exactly daily life looks like in the house. This is an area where Stevenson usually excels, and, for example, Stephen King would excel even more. You would know what was for breakfast, what the smells in the dining room were, what the land surrounding the family’s home is like, and much more. You CERTAINLY WOULDN’T find yourself saying “oh, wait,what? The master’s father is still alive? It seemed like a long time had passed and we hadn’t heard about him—even though he’s supposedly living in the same house—I thought he must be dead”. Then again, King also would have taken 250,000 words to say what Stevenson said in 80,000, and you may have hated it by the time it was over, if it dragged on too long…but the point remains—there was a lot of that“sense of place” lacking. The word selection of the narrator calling one brother“my lord” and the other “the master” is also quite disorienting at times. The very scant interactions we actually witness with the lady of the house also makes it feel as if she is scarcely in the picture,which is additionally confusing, as it’s clearly stated multiple times that she is, in fact, around, although living with a good deal of tension. Later in the tale, Henry and his wife have a son, but the son is scarcely in the story; certainly not enough for us to feel the level of emotional attachment that we *should* feel. The ending feels “okay”, but perhaps a bit dissatisfying.However, this may not be because the ending wasn’t just the right one…but because the clarity surrounding the overall world and characters wasn’t sufficiently established for it to be as effective as it could have been. Still, this book is recommended. It’s a fun, immersive tale that should be much more well-known than it is.
If you can use an editing service to clean out the shocking amount of profanity that covers ALL Stephen King books...the first third of Fairy Tale ranks right up there near his greatest works. While, in characteristic King fashion, you’re starting to get a little anxious for the action to really pick up by that point, the storytelling is simply impeccable. The personal connection with Charlie Reade is masterfully done, and the constant build of anticipation regarding the old man and his strange situation makes the drama level of otherwise ordinary events much higher. Always, always, the question “what’s in the shed?” keeps your interest unwavering. The personal interactions with Charlie’s dad, the world-building surrounding Charlie’s everyday life, the emotion regarding his dad’s struggles with alcohol, then deliverance…everything is simply great. Incredibly, where this story turns downhill is when the“ordinary” part is over and the “remarkable” part is supposed to begin. The opening stages of his time in the other world are respectable, but mostly because the anticipation of “something great will happen soon” keeps you going. It isn’t long at all before this hope wears thin, and the pages become simple drudgery. More than anything, the last two-thirds of the novel LACK PURPOSE. Early on, you always kept reading because you had to know WHAT WAS IN THE SHED. Once you’re in the other world, there’s nothing to keep you going. Yeah, you kinda hope these people who are all missing body parts and pieces of their face can be made whole…but all the motivations and directions are pretty unclear. Then—“oh no!”—Charlie is imprisoned and can’t get back home! So clichéd. And then he spends almost the entire rest of the book—which is quite a long book, by the way—in prison with a bunch of lifeless,indistinguishable characters, hoping he can find a way to escape but never actively pursuing one because there aren’t any good options. Then they escape.Yay. And then soon after, he goes back home. Yay. There was no “reason for being” in the last two thirds of the book. He didn’t become a new man from the experiences. Nothing changed at all. There was no point. Oh yeah, at least his dog can live for a while longer.That was the only thing that really changed, in the end. All in all, this book was simultaneously a MASTER CLASS in how to make largely ordinary events compelling, and how to make supposedly “interesting” events dull.
5 stars. Funny, insightful, and scarcely a word wasted. Something as short and sweet as Evolution should have ever reader licking their chops for what Kylian Gates will write next.
5 stars for "Hypocrites and Hallucinations"--One of the greatest and most varied collections of short stories ever published by a single author.
Like satire and allegory? You came to the right book. Even some straight up comedy.
Like scary stories, on airplanes, in abandoned warehouses, and prison isolation wards? Has plenty of that.
Like sci-fi? Aliens? It's got that too, in "The Seventh Sense".
In "The Royal Wildcard", there's a magic box, an enchanter, and a soul-splitting choice.
The collection is capped off with the extremely well-titled "Fate By Any Other Name"--or rather, the prologue to the upcoming novel of that name--which may have been the best of all, and leaves us very excited to read more from Kylian Gates.
You can request that The Book Gurus review and analyze a book, although there is no guarantee either that the book will be reviewed, or that any review which is published will be a positive one.