- Hardcover: 384 pages
- Publisher: Douglas & Mcintyre; Canadian First edition (Oct 10 2009)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1553654358
- ISBN-13: 978-1553654353
- Product Dimensions: 23.1 x 15 x 3.3 cm
- Shipping Weight: 726 g
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #218,732 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
Review
"The battle between the great Hammer of Heaven and the evil stalking him climaxes in a fight that will leave readers breathless. This robust historical novel by an award-winning Canadian screenwriter will captivate fans of Sarah Waters and Charles Dickens." (Library Journal 20091026)
"Charles Dickens meets Tom Jones...A knockout debut. (National Post 20090901)
"A terrific, fast-moving narrative." (Guardian 20090901)
"Ambitious in scope and structure, the book speaks in pitch-perfect Victorian diction through a wide range of characters to relate the ultimate-stakes quarrel between the pugilist preacher Daniel O'Thunder and his ultimate adversary: The Devil Himself." (Vancouver Magazine 20091001)
"Laced with blood thunder, sex, murder, rape, mayhem and miracles, Ian Wier's first novel is about good versus evil...from the outset, even if we haven't read the authors biography we know we are in skilled hands." (BC Bookworld 20091126)
"If one unreliable narrator is enough to skew a book toward the fantastical, imagine the twists generated by four! In his first novel, veteran screenwriter Ian Weir calls on a quartet of witnesses to deliver the story of godly pug Daniel O'Thunder, proud son of Cork turned evangelical sermonizer, and it's a sign of his sure command that all are engaging, even when spinning bald-faced lies or subtle prevarications...This is wonderful stuff." (Georgia Straight 20091201)
"Weir's plot steps smartly, and the language crackles with the immediacy of shifting first-person voices...There are murders, rapes, hangings, prizefights, a city-wide riot, and lots of thrilling escapes...By the time the novel reaches its dramatic conclusion...the story has landed in a place somewhere between dementia and the supernatural. All of which makes for an historical novel that is a lot more fun and thrilling than what we have come to expect." (Quill & Quire 20100305)
"'Dickensian' is an adjective too often misused in describing books set in Victorian England. It is, however, the perfect word for this superb novel, nominated for the Commonwealth Prize. Weir, an award-winning screenwriter and playwright, takes us right to the centre of London in 1815 with as brilliantly constructed a band of reprobates as Dickens ever saw. Marvellous from the first paragraph." (Globe & Mail 20110401)
"I haven't a enjoyed a novel so much since Benioff's City of Thieves." (John Valliant, author of "The Tiger" and "The Golden Spruce" 20110402)
"A frightening, funny, moving, page-turning romp." (Steven Galloway, author of "The Cellist of Sarajevo" 20110302)
"In this delicious jumble of a novel, Weir has created an epic hero...Drenched in filthy Thames waters and coiffed in muttonchops, Weir's outlandish tale is a top-shelf page-turner." (Publishers Weekly )
"Charles Dickens meets Tom Jones...A knockout debut. (National Post 20090901)
"A terrific, fast-moving narrative." (Guardian 20090901)
"Ambitious in scope and structure, the book speaks in pitch-perfect Victorian diction through a wide range of characters to relate the ultimate-stakes quarrel between the pugilist preacher Daniel O'Thunder and his ultimate adversary: The Devil Himself." (Vancouver Magazine 20091001)
"Laced with blood thunder, sex, murder, rape, mayhem and miracles, Ian Wier's first novel is about good versus evil...from the outset, even if we haven't read the authors biography we know we are in skilled hands." (BC Bookworld 20091126)
"If one unreliable narrator is enough to skew a book toward the fantastical, imagine the twists generated by four! In his first novel, veteran screenwriter Ian Weir calls on a quartet of witnesses to deliver the story of godly pug Daniel O'Thunder, proud son of Cork turned evangelical sermonizer, and it's a sign of his sure command that all are engaging, even when spinning bald-faced lies or subtle prevarications...This is wonderful stuff." (Georgia Straight 20091201)
"Weir's plot steps smartly, and the language crackles with the immediacy of shifting first-person voices...There are murders, rapes, hangings, prizefights, a city-wide riot, and lots of thrilling escapes...By the time the novel reaches its dramatic conclusion...the story has landed in a place somewhere between dementia and the supernatural. All of which makes for an historical novel that is a lot more fun and thrilling than what we have come to expect." (Quill & Quire 20100305)
"'Dickensian' is an adjective too often misused in describing books set in Victorian England. It is, however, the perfect word for this superb novel, nominated for the Commonwealth Prize. Weir, an award-winning screenwriter and playwright, takes us right to the centre of London in 1815 with as brilliantly constructed a band of reprobates as Dickens ever saw. Marvellous from the first paragraph." (Globe & Mail 20110401)
"I haven't a enjoyed a novel so much since Benioff's City of Thieves." (John Valliant, author of "The Tiger" and "The Golden Spruce" 20110402)
"A frightening, funny, moving, page-turning romp." (Steven Galloway, author of "The Cellist of Sarajevo" 20110302)
"In this delicious jumble of a novel, Weir has created an epic hero...Drenched in filthy Thames waters and coiffed in muttonchops, Weir's outlandish tale is a top-shelf page-turner." (Publishers Weekly )
Product Description
Set in the 1850s in London, England, Daniel O'Thunder interweaves the voices of several narrators to tell the story of a troubled but charismatic prize-fighting evangelist who challenges none other than the Devil to a battle in the ring.
A former pugilist with a right fist known as "The Hammer of Heaven," O'Thunder disappeared for years before resurfacing as a crusading street preacher. He pursues a life in Christ, serving those in need, whether they be poor, homeless or in need of guidance. But on London's dark streets, an evil presence is wreaking havoc and throwing into peril the lives of O'Thunder's most vulnerable souls.
The novel inhabits the world of the theatre, the criminal underworld and the world of bare-knuckle prizefighting, then shifts to the wild west of North America, where O'Thunder meets his ultimate opponent in the desert of the B.C. Interior.
(20110304)
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Most helpful customer reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Literary Page-Turner,
By
This review is from: Daniel O'Thunder (Hardcover)
I picked up this book with some reluctance as I wasn't sure I'd enjoy a book about a 19th century boxer. Well, I am so glad I did. I loved this book from beginning to end. It was hilarious, gripping, suspenseful, wonderfully wrought characters, totally original - and beautifully written. It was like reading Dickens, only (dare I say it) better - because there was no flab.I felt the author achieved a rare feat in CanLit - writing a highly literary piece of work - but also making it a total page-turner! Highly recommended.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A legitimate literary page-turner,
By
This review is from: Daniel O'Thunder (Hardcover)
I have to echo Nielsen on this - this is a literary book but its also very much a page turner. This is also a case where referring to a novel as "Dickensian" has some meaning, although Weir's technique of using multiple first person narratives maybe brings Dickens' colleague Wilkie Collins to mind.In some ways I was reminded of the kind of atmosphere Dan Simmons was trying to evoke in "Drood" - although in this case the effort was entirely successful. Weir doesn't pare down the prose to bare efficiency - the narrative voices he uses don't necessarily allow this - but he doesn't frustrate you through repetition or needless detail to show off his research. The multiple narratives allows Weir to explore his characters fully while taking advantage of unreliable narrators and other such unpleasant surprises. There's a very nice twist about 2/3rds through the story, not entirely unpredictable perhaps, but here is where the literary nature of the work pays off. Rather than running on suspense alone, there's an emotional and spiritual truth that sustains this book's energy clear to the finish line, whether we saw the twist coming or not. I hope this book gets the attention it deserves.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
O'Thunder brightens London's dark streets,
By
This review is from: Daniel O'Thunder (Paperback)
Reading Daniel O'Thunder is like looking at early photographs of 19th Century London - gritty, grainy, filled with dark shadows and occasional bright splotches of light. In the midst of this seething city, the devil walks like a lord, committing vile acts upon the city's poorest and weakest - until the day Daniel O'Thunder (failed solider, failed pugalist, ex-alcoholic and recently converted man of God) challenges him to a boxing match. Daniel is an all-too human gold nugget of a character. You can't help but love him and fear for him. Whether you believe in God or not, you root for Daniel to win his hopeless, bravehearted battle for the soul of London. Make no mistake - this is in not a religious book. Told through the eyes of several characters affected by Daniel, Weir's novel is rather a complex exploration of faith and deception, courage and weakness - plus a scary glance into the shadows at the all-too-human face of evil.I found it impossible to put the book down, but wanted to turn the pages as slowly as possible so the book would never end.
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