- Hardcover: 448 pages
- Publisher: Michael Joseph; 1st Edition edition (7 Aug 2008)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0718154037
- ISBN-13: 978-0718154035
- Product Dimensions: 23.6 x 16 x 4.4 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 484,447 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
The Minutes of the Lazarus Club
and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle .
Learn more
| ||||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Plus, get an extra £5 Gift Certificate when you trade in books worth £10 or more before June 30, 2012. Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. |
Product details |
More About the Author
Product Description
Review
'A riveting yarn' --The Times
Review
'An old fashioned, rip-roaring adventure'
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
24 of 25 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Above anything else, 'The Minutes of the Lazarus Club' is a truly entertaining read. I have laboured through a number of books, persevering through each chapter and counting the pages until the end. But from the outset I found myself embroiled in a gruesome murder on the banks of the River Thames told in stomach turning detail, and this was only the Prologue! To describe it as a page turner may sound cliche, but what else can you say when you find yourself three hours later unmoved from the kitchen sofa and reluctantly taking toilet breaks?
Pollard captures perfectly the atmosphere of 1850s London in a style flowing as smoothly as one of Brunel's machines. Like the set of a Ridely Scott film the scenes set in the dock yards and London back streets are bustling and noisy with life. The smell of oil and iron mixed with the stench of untreated sewerage hangs in the air (miasma is my new word of the week) and rarely do the colours generated in your mind move beyond a smokey grey and dark blue.
The plot is beautifully structured around the great minds of the day, their spectacular technological achievements and the complex political fabric of the Victorian age. All this is seen through the eyes of Dr George Phillips, a talented surgeon and soon to be man on the run. Each character is given life beyond any history book (some more than others), particularily Brunel, around whom the plot revolves or more accurately spirals, twists and turns. Every member of the Lazarus club comes with a false sense of security. With a murder in nearly every chapter, who do you trust? Probably best to go with no-one, for now anyway. The fiesty Florence Nightingale is also a delight and brings a new dynamic to her title 'The Lady of the Lamp'.
The development of Phillips' character is a welcome suprise, and his interaction with Brunel and Ockham is compelling, if not at times shocking. Watch out for the chapter in the windmill. I had to hide the book in the freezer!
There are moments when the plot drifts slightly from the pace set in the first half of the book and the reappearance of some characters might find you flicking through the first few chapters to refresh your memory.
However these minor points slip into the background as Pollard's eye for historical and technical detail is superb whether it's on the surgical table or on the deck of the Great Eastern. If you think some of the plot lines are implausible, try reading Brunel's biography!
Dark, gripping and full of suspense. Dickension it is not, horrifying yes.
Pollard captures perfectly the atmosphere of 1850s London in a style flowing as smoothly as one of Brunel's machines. Like the set of a Ridely Scott film the scenes set in the dock yards and London back streets are bustling and noisy with life. The smell of oil and iron mixed with the stench of untreated sewerage hangs in the air (miasma is my new word of the week) and rarely do the colours generated in your mind move beyond a smokey grey and dark blue.
The plot is beautifully structured around the great minds of the day, their spectacular technological achievements and the complex political fabric of the Victorian age. All this is seen through the eyes of Dr George Phillips, a talented surgeon and soon to be man on the run. Each character is given life beyond any history book (some more than others), particularily Brunel, around whom the plot revolves or more accurately spirals, twists and turns. Every member of the Lazarus club comes with a false sense of security. With a murder in nearly every chapter, who do you trust? Probably best to go with no-one, for now anyway. The fiesty Florence Nightingale is also a delight and brings a new dynamic to her title 'The Lady of the Lamp'.
The development of Phillips' character is a welcome suprise, and his interaction with Brunel and Ockham is compelling, if not at times shocking. Watch out for the chapter in the windmill. I had to hide the book in the freezer!
There are moments when the plot drifts slightly from the pace set in the first half of the book and the reappearance of some characters might find you flicking through the first few chapters to refresh your memory.
However these minor points slip into the background as Pollard's eye for historical and technical detail is superb whether it's on the surgical table or on the deck of the Great Eastern. If you think some of the plot lines are implausible, try reading Brunel's biography!
Dark, gripping and full of suspense. Dickension it is not, horrifying yes.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This is an exciting gothic thriller that grips you from the first page to the end, a real page turner. Pollards style of writing evokes vivid images of the Victorian era at a time when advances in technology were moving at an extremely fast pace and possibilities appeared endless. His academic rigour is evident as he pays attention to the detail of real events and characters which at times makes it is difficult to distinguish fact from fiction. His references to Mary Shelley and Frankenstein fit perfectly adding to the suspense and intrigue. A fantastic read full of twists and turns which will both educate and entertain.
14 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
For anyone who has an interest in the 19th century (or not) this book is a highly recommended read, from the Battle of Waterloo through the Great Stink to the American Civil War with many a red herring along the way.
The story is littered with figures from history, though its mainstay is the physician George Philips who seems most happy at the dissection table, until he meets Isambard Kingdom Brunel. Soon after, Philips is drawn into the mysterious gatherings of the Lazarus Club and we start to see signs that he may be a troubled man. As his involvement with the club and its members intensifies, so too does the hunt for a serial killer who is dumping his mutilated victims in the river Thames. It is not long before Philips himself is a suspect. The deepening characterisation of Philips is gripping: why is he increasingly drawn to the slightly sinister Lord Ockham?
Few females make an appearance in the book. Of the three that do it is Florence Nightingale who is most pleasing, and she is given many an opportunity to poke fun at some of the most `forward-thinkers' of the period.
The attention to detail is very impressive, not least the engravings which appear at each chapter heading. Unlike some recent forays into fiction by academics the detail in no way comes at the expense of the characters and the unfolding tale. Here we are promised a Victorian drama and that's what we are given. The impression one gets is of a dark and violent London which is extremely compelling. Above all the book is a thrilling mystery, but is it murder?
The story is littered with figures from history, though its mainstay is the physician George Philips who seems most happy at the dissection table, until he meets Isambard Kingdom Brunel. Soon after, Philips is drawn into the mysterious gatherings of the Lazarus Club and we start to see signs that he may be a troubled man. As his involvement with the club and its members intensifies, so too does the hunt for a serial killer who is dumping his mutilated victims in the river Thames. It is not long before Philips himself is a suspect. The deepening characterisation of Philips is gripping: why is he increasingly drawn to the slightly sinister Lord Ockham?
Few females make an appearance in the book. Of the three that do it is Florence Nightingale who is most pleasing, and she is given many an opportunity to poke fun at some of the most `forward-thinkers' of the period.
The attention to detail is very impressive, not least the engravings which appear at each chapter heading. Unlike some recent forays into fiction by academics the detail in no way comes at the expense of the characters and the unfolding tale. Here we are promised a Victorian drama and that's what we are given. The impression one gets is of a dark and violent London which is extremely compelling. Above all the book is a thrilling mystery, but is it murder?
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
utterly brilliant!
Brilliant - Utterly Brilliant. I love history, real-life events, science and technology, health issues and mystery so this book ticks all the boxes. Read more
Published 13 months ago by HP
A rollicking plot but badly in need of an editor
The plot of this novel does keep you reading, but at times verges on the nonsensical and overblown. Did it really need to draw in grave robbery, Frankenstein, the US Civil War,... Read more
Published 24 months ago by A. P. Walton
Couldn't put it down
I don't read many novels and was given this as a present but once I started reading it, i couldn't put it down. Read more
Published on 16 Aug 2009 by Andrew Cummings
The Minutes of the Lazarus Club
A fantastic read, a real page turner! Gripping with a great atmospheric sense of the period. 10 out of 10
Published on 7 Aug 2009 by Chris Connor
A rollicking Victorian adventure!!
AKA 'Secrets of the Lazarus Club', I thoroughly enjoyed this well researched and written Victorian adventure. Read more
Published on 29 July 2009 by Mr. G. Morris
What a superb read
This book was truly entertaining. From the moment I picked it up and began to read I could not put it down! It is a real Victorian mystery but not for the faint-hearted. Read more
Published on 4 April 2009 by Gella
Disappointing second half
The novel starts out promisingly, with a cast of prominent Victorian scientists, engineers, etc., promising much but ultimately disappointing. Read more
Published on 8 Jan 2009 by SamMcD
(3.5 stars) Solid debut novel
In London in the 1850s, a secret society called the Lazarus club emerges, comprised of the most brilliant scientific minds of the age. Read more
Published on 14 Nov 2008 by K. Huff
The Minutes of The Lazarus Club
After reading only a few short pages,you find that Tony Pollard has drawn you into a murky underside of London that provides a vividly detailed stage on which real events and... Read more
Published on 8 Sep 2008 by C. Main
Minutes of Lazarus Club
Well written and eloquent. Every word breathes life into its characters, historical and fictitious. Isambard Kingdom Brunel is celebrated in this Victorian adventure full of... Read more
Published on 15 Aug 2008 by ND Harvey-Adams
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
