Review By Jack Eason (Book Blog)
This review is from: February The Fifth (Kindle)
Douglas Adams has reincarnated and is living in Switzerland with wife and dog. Of course he has a new name these days. Its Derek Haines.
Derek's hero February Gregorian, or Feb to his friends has reluctantly been thrust into a position of power as the Supreme Potentate of the Twelve Suns Systems of Gloth which, to say the least, bewilders him. He soon finds that everyone around him within his court of advisors, The Grand Council, want to get rid of him to end his family (the Gregorians) long held grip as the rulers of the known universe from their seat of power on the home planet Gloth.
In his hilarious novel ‘February The Fifth’ Derek Haines takes up where Douglas Adams left off by creating a totally dysfunctional society inhabited by people like Snurd Humped, Purt Stringly, Lefroy Overload and many more equally preposterous characters. Derek has created a very funny and extremely easy read.
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Review By Mary Crocco
This review is from: February The Fifth (Kindle)
February The Fifth, is the first book I have read by Derek Haines. It was an easy read with slight touches of science fiction and comedy throughout. There was no shortage of characters, some of whom the reader would most definitely relate to thereby making the book more enjoyable.
I think young adults would be the target audience for Derek’s book. The learning curve for the characters unexpected responsibility and out of this world (literally) adventures would be enjoyed most by middle-school age children. I can picture the variety of favorite characters and the children’s reasoning for their choices as a productive writing project. The book is rich with description for both characters and places that would undoubtedly spark children to improve their writing skills. What a great compliment to an author!
As an adult and inspiring writer, I was greatly impressed with the ending. Derek’s words in his last paragraph, his last two sentences, could not have been written more perfectly to end this entertaining story.
The most loyal of loyal readers.
The Very End
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Review by Natalie
Goodreads Reviewer
This review is from: Milo Moon (Paperback)
Yes, I loved it... Not only because of Micheline ;-)
Very well written and fun to think about. My husband and I are trying to figure who else we might recognize... We will keep You posted. As I said before on an other review, I love books that start in one direction and end in an other than expected. Derek Haines has now definitively become one of the favorite persons to inhabit my Adamsy-pythonesque little universe.
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Great plot but...
Reviewed by John Cox
Amazon Verified Purchase
This review is from: Milo Moon (Paperback)
After reading the complete Milo Moon book and then reflecting upon it I have four conclusions:
1/ It was a great plot idea and had the potential to be a great book
2/ Way too little attention was paid to editing and proof reading
3/ The main characters are weak and wooden and telegraph just what they are going to do
4/ There are too many superfluous characters and plot points that are just filler
I'm not going to ruin the plot for those of you who want to read the book, and I would say this book is a great read if you are an aspiring author and want to read something that is never going to be a 'bestseller' and comes from a homegrown desire to write. Read and learn! What I mean by that is read this book and pay attention; you will identify all those places where little things would make all the difference.
The bottom line is that I wanted to like this book; I wanted to come away with a happy feeling in my stomach, but I just couldn't get there. Ultimately I was disappointed and frustrated. I would love to see the author revisit the book, working with an editor to make it the more concise and powerful book it deserves to be.
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Review By Steve Youngs
This review is from: February The Fifth (Paperback)
Goodreads Reader
A thoroughly entertaining book. I enjoyed every single page. I'm actually quite a slow reader (was too lazy to learn to speed read) so a book this size would normally take me a good week to get through. Not this one. This one I got through in 2 sittings. It really was that good.
A science fiction mystery with good doses of humour thrown in. It is set in the distant future, a couple of million years into the future. The story even links back to a 16th century Pope, Pope Gregory XIII, no less (he's the guy that changed our calendar to what it is today, the Gregorian calendar).
I read a review somewhere that said that this story was aimed at young adults. Now whether or not that was Derek's intention, I don't know, all I can say is that I'm turning 45 this year and I loved it!
Derek Haines has definitely raised the bar with this story. I highly recommend this book. Go buy it! Read it! You'll love it.
Would rate it 42 if I could...
Review By Natalie (Amazon Reader)
This review is from: February The Fifth (Kindle)
I really think this is the best Derek Haines book I have read so far. Would rate it 42 if I could...
I am not going to comment to much on the story, others are way better at it than me... Just giving you my personal overall opinion...
Derek Haines juggles with words, like others with balls. The mix of pythonesque and dry accuracy while describing the different characters is hilariously funny. And never boring, because short and precise, yet full of life.
Gloth and its history sounds so very familiar to any swiss person, that I came to think we might have inspired someone a wee bit, with all those laws and regulations, and dose boring pencil pushers etc....
The humoristic and imaginative narrative level is perfect for someone who likes well written, stories about humans in all their incarnations and states... because did we not all suffer from Acne once or twice...
And to those who think its just another Sci-Fi Novel I say: And the fab four where just another band...
February the fifth is like a song from Paul McCartney or a gag from Monty Python, it starts in one direction and leaves you in a totally different place, then you excepted. Love it!
So to You sir: I thank you deeply for bringing yourself and your work to my attention! This is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
When in Rom...
Review by Bitsy Bling "Bitsy Bling Books"
This review is from: February The Fifth (Paperback)
What happens when a privileged son too low in the royal family line to be important but nonetheless still a royal, finds himself thrust towards responsibility? He goes on an galactic journey to discover where he comes from, who he is, and what he must do to become the man to lead. You ask how does an acne-faced, body odor plagued, lazy-eyed kid manage this enormous task?
With the help of lizard pilots, three wise sisters, and a few other misfits tossed in for good measure. Feb, as he is called by his friends, travels the galaxy to find his way back to the beginning, literally, his family's beginning. Along the way there is lots of eating and time for three-handed Canasta with a small side of romance, but only for his sisters. Feb's got bigger things to worry about like governmental over-throws and civil unrest. This comedic sci-fi tale touches on themes of power, origins, privilege, morality and even cleverly makes use of historical details (a bonus in my department). It plays with language which establishes a unique tone and style. Moments remind me of what it might be like if Dr. Seuss wrote The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
I mean this as a compliment (in case you were wondering). It's simplicity makes it complex. For example, the bluest of the blue and the blackest of the black. There are times when writers try too hard to describe something: a color, the weather or a feeling. Sometimes, it is just blue, deep blue, royal blue or the bluest of the blues. I laughed, had fun, remembered all the characters because of their crazy names and even thought about how the author invented them -- most importantly, I think I learned something!
And by the way, if you ever find yourself visiting Erde, I recommend the salmon and when in Rom, well, eat the pasta!
