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caszriel's review against another edition
4.0
My brother said that Francis Urquhart is more conniving than Francis Underwood and considering he hasn't *properly* watched S1 of House of Cards I don't think his opinion is valid but at the same time, the literary genius of this book...
josie95's review against another edition
4.0
4-4.5 stars, without a doubt.
Oh my goodness, what an seriously exciting, cunning and twisted storyline - I loved every bit of it! If you're into books about politics and their dark side, ambition, power-struggles, and doing whatever it takes to get what you want in life, this is for you. Francis Urquhart is the devil himself. I'm so glad I have the next book upstair and can start it right away!
Oh my goodness, what an seriously exciting, cunning and twisted storyline - I loved every bit of it! If you're into books about politics and their dark side, ambition, power-struggles, and doing whatever it takes to get what you want in life, this is for you. Francis Urquhart is the devil himself. I'm so glad I have the next book upstair and can start it right away!
rebecanunez's review against another edition
4.0
Cómo ya vi la serie de Netflix y sabiendo, que la adaptación no es literal, estaba muy emocionada por ver quien es quien y las cosas que cambian del libro a la serie. Tengo que decir que esta muy bien adaptado y bien casteado. Es muy entretenido y si te van los personajes inescrupulosos, lo vas a amar. Ya quiero comenzar con la secuela! Una vez que lo empece a leer en serio no pude parar.
jimbowen0306's review against another edition
3.0
This book is a rather silly book about a British politician's scheming to become Prime Minster of the UK. In a way it reminds me of Chris Mullins' A Very British Coup, but while that book, felt, at least in part, believable, this book is just pulp fiction. It's good pulp fiction that rattle along at a fair old pace, it's pulp fiction all the same.
The book itself traces the scheming of Francis Urquhart, the Conservative Chief Whip as he bully, cajoles, and blackmails his way to the top. I call it silly because his schemes are all rather too perfect, and the people he deals with (who are presumably just as ruthless are either naively gullable when it comes to his plans, or considerably less ruthless in carrying out their plans (which is something I find hard to believe).
My other grumble with the book is that it's dated now (it was published 25yrs ago). I don't think Urquhart would be able to pull off many of the things he attempts nowadays.
All this said, it was still a good fun read.
The book itself traces the scheming of Francis Urquhart, the Conservative Chief Whip as he bully, cajoles, and blackmails his way to the top. I call it silly because his schemes are all rather too perfect, and the people he deals with (who are presumably just as ruthless are either naively gullable when it comes to his plans, or considerably less ruthless in carrying out their plans (which is something I find hard to believe).
My other grumble with the book is that it's dated now (it was published 25yrs ago). I don't think Urquhart would be able to pull off many of the things he attempts nowadays.
All this said, it was still a good fun read.
swagggerlove's review against another edition
3.0
Książkę Michaela Dobbsa zaczęłam czytać przed tegorocznymi wyborami, więc idealnie wczułam się w klimat - jednak nie było trudno. Autor umiejętnie wprowadza nas w świat politycznych zagrywek i nawet laik w tej kategorii łatwo się odnajdzie. Sięgnęłam po ten tytuł skuszona serialem "House of Cards", bo w moim przypadku zawsze najpierw książka, potem jej ekranizacja. Nie zawiodłam się lekturą, jestem ciekawa wątku zapoczątkowanego w ostatnim rozdziale, dlatego będę polować na pozostałe części w bibliotece,a po ich przeczytaniu rzucam się w wir serialu. Gorąco polecam "Bezwzględną grę o władzę" - czyta się jednym tchem, a można się też dowiedzieć interesujących elementów życia polityków.
sunny76's review against another edition
4.0
It took me a little while to get into this book, but I the characters (good, bad, and sad) held me. This book was published 25 years ago about Great Britain and it's Parliment, so there were terms I wasn't totally familiar with, thank goodness for the English vs US dictionary on my Kindle! I have not seen the British TV series or the American TV series (the reason for the republication), but decided to read this because of the interest in the American TV series. This is worth the read. I can't say much else or I would be posting spoilers...
mrpatperkins's review against another edition
2.0
I decided to read House of Cards because I admire the Netflix series with Kevin Spacey, but this is one of the few times the show/movie is better than the book. Francis Urquhart lacks motivation for his quest for power, except for a weak connection to his departed father. Mattie Storin has even less development as a character, and that's it. All the other players just come and go, static and flat, offering a chess board full of pawns that can only move forward one step at a time until knocked out by the king. What Netflix has done well is give the protagonist's wife a much better developed role, establish Kevin Spacey as a powerful politician with a lust for higher power, and offer characters who seem real and feel as if they could move fluidly throughout the universe.
This book does none of that.
This book does none of that.
fitzer147's review against another edition
dark
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0