Once you start to read Gould's books, you just can't stop!!!
|
|
Once long ago I picked up a ragged looking copy of Jumper from a library sale and decided that I should give that book a chance. I loved it!!! No other auther seems to tell a story like Gould does. Just recently I read HELM and it was great! Just like Gould's other books I did not know what to expect. The fighting scenes were wonderful and seem to paint themselves across my mind. I cannot wait for his next book!
|
|
Great Story - Eye Candy for plane trips
|
|
This is a good read and was hard to put down. I read a lot of Scifi and fantasy and am not so easy to keep hooked to a story any more. gould is a fine writer; I enjoyed his Jumper story and I enjoyed this one even more. Only reason I didnt give it a five is that I can think of a couple other stories that are even better - such as Martin's Game of Thrones.
|
|
|
Excellent.
|
|
While the novel was not as good as Jumper. Helm is an excellent novel. Gould shows an amazing ability to write interesting, original science fiction. I would definitely recommend Helm, along with two of his other works: Jumper and Wildside, as fun, entertaining and well-crafted tales.
|
|
This book was problematic.
|
|
Gould spends entirely too much time and effort describing Aikido moves. They become the focus of the work and draw attention away from the plot and characters. The Aikido terms are not well explained, nor are the moves(although excessively described)--this leaves these parts of the novel available only to people who have a working knowledge of the discipline. Many of the plot developments were facile at best, and the conclusion was not believable. Not a keeper!
|
|
|
As an Aikido student, this was very happy reading.
|
|
Speaking as Aikidoka -- a student of Aikido -- this book brought tears to my eyes. Happy tears, tears of remembrance of my own times on the mat. From the first utterance of "Onaigashimasu..." to the folding of the hakama, this was a complete, exact, and poignantly real depiction of what it is like to study Aikido. As Aikidoka say, this book has Ai-ki, harmonious energy. The philosophy of the martial art is woven delicately yet unswervingly through the plot, and everything balances at the end. A "TV show ending?" I think not. It simply did not bash the bad guys over the head like most stories. Instead, the characters followed the true principles of Aikido, the good guys using the energy of the bad guys to defeat them. Well done, Mr. Gould, if you read this...and I would be honored to practice with you, should you ever come into the dojo where I practice.
|
|
|
United States | 
United Kingdom | 
Canada