- Hardcover: 432 pages
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Ltd (16 Sep 2010)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1847372929
- ISBN-13: 978-1847372925
- Product Dimensions: 16.2 x 24.3 x 3.7 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 713,642 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
The Lost Kings
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Product Description
Product Description
London, 1893. Mild-mannered watchmaker Cyril King harbours a secret wish to be an explorer. When he acquires a mysterious timepiece from a notorious criminal, Cyril gets his heart's desire, the clues he finds propelling him halfway around the world on the trail of a fabulous treasure. On the borders of India and Afghanistan, Cyril meets a real-life adventurer who seems to be everything he aspires to. But high in the Karakoram mountains there are lessons to be learned, as nothing is quite what Cyril expects: neither the treasure, nor his companion, nor the life of discovery and excitement which he imagined -- and certainly not the deadly peril into which he stumbles with all the insouciance of the innocent abroad. Meanwhile, intercut with Cyril's account of his 1893 adventures are the letters of famous explorer Sir Paul Linley-Small, written to Cyril from various points of the compass fifteen years later, as Small pursues a rare, perhaps mythical, creature. And as Small's tale grows ever more fantastic, the way in which the two narratives link with one another reflects on the nature of truth and the lives which we envisage for ourselves.
About the Author
Bruno Hare studied film at the Unversity of East Anglia. He went on to work in various parts of that industry, from casting to postproduction, before moving to Norway. His first book, The Three Monkeys, was written over a number of years in primary school, and did not make it to print. The Lost Kings is his first published novel. He now lives in London with his identical twin sons and their mother.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This is an incredibly exciting, fast moving and madly inventive book. There are elements of Rider Haggard and Kipling's adventure stories, as the blurb suggests, but Roald Dahl is to be found in there, too. From the outset, you're convincingly placed in a late 19th century England and India (that'll be the Kipling), and you can almost smell the cities and landscapes. But sections are also set in Norway 20 odd years later, and there you're served up some of the most original and macabre episodes since Roald Dahl was at his Tales of the Unexpected best. And the way the author ties everything together into one story is really ingenious.
Sometimes overly inventive books can lose themselves, but this one doesn't. Amidst the adventure and tall stories, it is grounded by a pair of brilliantly drawn central characters. For me, Paul Small instantly enters the cannon of all time great adventure characters, and he, along with Cyril King and the relationship they form, are the beating heart of this book. You can tell the author had a great time writing them, and his enthusiasm is infectious. When I finished reading my only regret was that there wasn't more.
The book is also suitable for all ages, as far as I can see. I am 30, female, and couldn't put it down, and I'm giving a copy to my nephew of 13 as well as my father who's 70 - both of whom I know will love it!
Definitely worth a read or two. Roll on the sequel!
Sometimes overly inventive books can lose themselves, but this one doesn't. Amidst the adventure and tall stories, it is grounded by a pair of brilliantly drawn central characters. For me, Paul Small instantly enters the cannon of all time great adventure characters, and he, along with Cyril King and the relationship they form, are the beating heart of this book. You can tell the author had a great time writing them, and his enthusiasm is infectious. When I finished reading my only regret was that there wasn't more.
The book is also suitable for all ages, as far as I can see. I am 30, female, and couldn't put it down, and I'm giving a copy to my nephew of 13 as well as my father who's 70 - both of whom I know will love it!
Definitely worth a read or two. Roll on the sequel!
Format:Paperback
A rollicking adventure in the lost tradition of Haggard and Kipling. There are two quests interspersed throughout this epistolary novel - first, the quest of Cyril King for treasure hidden in northern India, and second, the quest of his friend Paul Lindley-Small for a cryptozoological treasure - a cat-snake - which takes him to northern Norway. The parallels between the two stories become clearer as they progress, as does the fact that the real quest is for purpose and adventure: as Cyril observes towards the end, "to explore is to be lost".
The structure, intriguing side-stories and unanswered questions (the identity, for example, of the 'other' lost King - assuming Cyril is the first), together with elements of the subject-matter (clocks, maps, mythical beasts, labyrinths and legends), provoke favourable comparison to Borges or Calvino. I look forward to seeing this voice become more developed in Hare's forthcoming novels.
The structure, intriguing side-stories and unanswered questions (the identity, for example, of the 'other' lost King - assuming Cyril is the first), together with elements of the subject-matter (clocks, maps, mythical beasts, labyrinths and legends), provoke favourable comparison to Borges or Calvino. I look forward to seeing this voice become more developed in Hare's forthcoming novels.
Format:Hardcover
Fiction is a tricky beast to negotiate with, so at times you're pretty much left out in the open hoping that they prey that you seek will appear for the final trap. Bruno's debut is perhaps an unusual enough beast as it not only crosses between young adult titles as well as adult but brings a number of influences to the fore within. For example if you want a touch of Kipling writing (I personally see quite a bit of The Man who would be King" here,) a good dollop of Haggard (King Solomon's Mines) then you're pretty much in luck.
Add to this solid prose and an almost Victorian authors voice to the overall arc and it's an historical fiction title that will more than please a number of readers. Definitely an author to watch and if you're looking for something special for that HF fan in your life then this could be a pretty good bet and a title to obtain this holiday period.
Add to this solid prose and an almost Victorian authors voice to the overall arc and it's an historical fiction title that will more than please a number of readers. Definitely an author to watch and if you're looking for something special for that HF fan in your life then this could be a pretty good bet and a title to obtain this holiday period.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
The Lost Opportunity
This attempt to recreate the adventure yarns of Haggard and Kipling is competently written with its two alternating stories and maps so you can chart the peregrinations of the... Read more
Published 17 months ago by barbicandy
ONE TO WATCH
I like to add to the praise for Bruno Hare Lost Kings,it really is a good old fashion adventure, that had me wanting more. Read more
Published 17 months ago by james eves
The great escape
What a great read. Fast-paced, it took me away on a big adventure.
This is perfect if you are looking to escape into a book.
This is perfect if you are looking to escape into a book.
Published 20 months ago by Una
A cracking read
I really enjoyed this book. It is a fast-paced adventure with imaginative tales set into the main story. Great fun.
Published 20 months ago by HMH
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