Published January 22, 2008
This book is indescribably good. It concerns a group of seven anarchists, each named after a day of the week. They are led by the one known as Sunday, and seek to destroy the world. Unbeknownst to Detective Gabriel Syme, he is about to be dragged into their secret club of dynamiters as the new Thursday.
My description doesn't do it any justice, nor does it really tap into the intricacies of the plot. But I felt it would be better than leaving you with: This book is indescribably good.
Better yet though, you can check it out for free at: http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/1695
If you can handle reading it as an Ebook that is. [And if copyright laws in your country don't prohibit you.] It was first published in 1908, so expect some degree of difficulty with comprehending the language. [I find it interesting and a great oppurtunity to expand the vocabulary -- others may not.]
The Man Who Was Thursday
by G. K. Chesterton
A WILD, MAD, HILARIOUS AND PROFOUNDLY MOVING TALE
It is very difficult to classify THE MAN WHO WAS THURSDAY. It is
possible to say that it is a gripping adventure story of murderous
criminals and brilliant policemen; but it was to be expected that
the author of the Father Brown stories should tell a detective
story like no-one else. On this level, therefore, THE MAN WHO WAS
THURSDAY succeeds superbly; if nothing else, it is a magnificent
tour-de-force of suspense-writing.
However, the reader will soon discover that it is much more than
that. Carried along on the boisterous rush of the narrative by
Chesterton's wonderful high-spirited style, he will soon see that
he is being carried into much deeper waters than he had planned on;
and the totally unforeseeable denouement will prove for the modern
reader, as it has for thousands of others since 1908 when the book
was first published, an inevitable and moving experience, as the
investigators finally discover who Sunday is.
Points:
Time spent:
IP address:
Canary word: Present
Possible AI signals:
Original Text:
Are you sure you want to delete this comment? This cannot be undone.
Mark this comment as a review? Points will be awarded to the poster.
Your comment was posted, but it wasn’t long enough to count as a review. Reviews need about four complete sentences (at least 250 characters). Try writing another review that explains your thoughts in more detail — the author will appreciate it, and you’ll earn points for it.
141,690 Literary Works • 675,575 Reviews
I had to read it for school, and was very surprised to find that I enjoyed it.
I'm surprised that someone else has heard of it. I found it through Deus Ex, you could find little snippets throughout the game. The writing and imagery was just insane, so I went looking for it.
I love this book, it is charming, witty, and manages to teach a lesson on the nature of mankind all at the same time. *warning spoilers ahead* I love the ending where everyone discovers that everyone else is an undercover cop trying to infiltrate the anarchists, and that Sunday knew such all along. Brilliant little twist on the story.