Review of Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven
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[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven" by James Robert Plenderleith.]
Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven is an adventure story by James Robert Plenderleith. Much of the book is set in Galway, Ireland, and the present-day story connects to the seventeenth century and the dark arts of that time.
As the story starts, Cian Dillon feels unfulfilled in his job as a university Medieval Irish History lecturer. His personal life has taken a turn for the worse as his girlfriend has left him. His spirits lift when Professor Peter Fleming tells him that his skills are required by Cornell University, and he will need to travel to America. An academic team has obtained a seventeenth-century prayer book and wants Cian to translate the Gaelic writing into English.
Cian’s adventure begins when he goes to America and attempts to translate the prayer book. The team at the university want the underlying writing translated, but this is a difficult job as the writing is difficult to decipher. Cian and the Cornell University academics are excited about what they will discover in such an old and rare document. There are surprises and the unexpected in store.
The story is imaginative and unusual. Cian is the protagonist, and he is a relatable and believable character. Although others in the book are intriguing, they are not as well developed as they could be. Some of them are interesting to start with, but their characters and situations don’t develop much. An example is Maria Capdevila, Cian’s main contact at Cornell University, and her fiancé Steve. There are tensions concerning Steve and his relationship with Maria, but these aren’t fully explored. Additionally, Peter Fleming has a chequered past, which is cleverly described but doesn’t feature much as the book continues.
I felt the book ended too abruptly. It can work for books to end without everything resolved, but in this case, it felt like the ending was premature.
There were numerous editing errors. In particular, quotation marks were often missing or misplaced. Another round of professional editing would be beneficial.
Readers who enjoy adventure stories with an unusual subject matter would like this book. I have deducted two stars for the editing errors, the storylines that weren’t fully explored and the lack of development in the supporting characters. The rating for this book is 3 out of 5 stars.
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Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven
View: on Bookshelves |
Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven is an adventure story by James Robert Plenderleith. Much of the book is set in Galway, Ireland, and the present-day story connects to the seventeenth century and the dark arts of that time.
As the story starts, Cian Dillon feels unfulfilled in his job as a university Medieval Irish History lecturer. His personal life has taken a turn for the worse as his girlfriend has left him. His spirits lift when Professor Peter Fleming tells him that his skills are required by Cornell University, and he will need to travel to America. An academic team has obtained a seventeenth-century prayer book and wants Cian to translate the Gaelic writing into English.
Cian’s adventure begins when he goes to America and attempts to translate the prayer book. The team at the university want the underlying writing translated, but this is a difficult job as the writing is difficult to decipher. Cian and the Cornell University academics are excited about what they will discover in such an old and rare document. There are surprises and the unexpected in store.
The story is imaginative and unusual. Cian is the protagonist, and he is a relatable and believable character. Although others in the book are intriguing, they are not as well developed as they could be. Some of them are interesting to start with, but their characters and situations don’t develop much. An example is Maria Capdevila, Cian’s main contact at Cornell University, and her fiancé Steve. There are tensions concerning Steve and his relationship with Maria, but these aren’t fully explored. Additionally, Peter Fleming has a chequered past, which is cleverly described but doesn’t feature much as the book continues.
I felt the book ended too abruptly. It can work for books to end without everything resolved, but in this case, it felt like the ending was premature.
There were numerous editing errors. In particular, quotation marks were often missing or misplaced. Another round of professional editing would be beneficial.
Readers who enjoy adventure stories with an unusual subject matter would like this book. I have deducted two stars for the editing errors, the storylines that weren’t fully explored and the lack of development in the supporting characters. The rating for this book is 3 out of 5 stars.
******
Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven
View: on Bookshelves |
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