The Great Train Robbery | Michael Crichton

The Great Train Robbery | Michael Crichton | Entertaining Heist

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The Great Train Ro...

	The Great Train Robbery Michael Crichton Avon, 2002 - 352 pages average customer review:based on 125 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Lavish wealth and appalling poverty live side by side in Victorian London -- and Edward Pierce easily navigates both worlds. Rich, handsome, and ingenious, he charms the city's most prominent citizens even as he plots the crime of his century -- the daring theft of a fortune in gold.

But even Pierce could not predict the consequences of an extraordinary robbery that targets the pride of England's industrial era: the mighty steam locomotive. Based on remarkable fact, and alive with the gripping suspense, surprise, and authenticity that are his trademark, Michael Crichton's classic adventure is a breathtaking thrill-ride that races along tracks of steel at breakneck speed.

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Robbers Win

Action, adventure, intrigue, romance, and social history are a fantastic combination. The little essays into the fabric of Victorian life ring like either Dickens or Victor Hugo. THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY is a fictionalized account of a famous heist where the perpetrators were never caught. Michael Crichton has you cheering for them as they plan and execute the audacious caper.
Takes time to read but it is worth every minute spent pouring over the pages.
Nash Black, author of SINS OF THE FATHERS and QUALIFYING LAPS.

Entertaining Heist

In 1855, England was near the height of its power. Industrialization had transformed the country, its empire stretched across most of the world, and high-speed rail was an established fact of life. In the midst of this Victorian order, Edward Pierce conceived and executed perhaps the most daring robbery up to that point in time. Specifically, he and his confederates set out to steal 12,000 pounds in gold bullion from a moving train protected by every form of security available in that age.

This book is part history and part novel. Those who love a good heist will revel in the intricate planning and multiple layers of this crime. Pierce is a charismatic figure and it's impossible not to respect his intelligence as you read of his exploits. His crew is less remarkable but each is selected to play a smaller part and they play it well. At a little over 300 pages, this is not a long book and that helps maintain a brisk pace that serves the story well. There are no major lulls or boring parts that you would want to skim through.

My only complaint with The Great Train Robbery is that Crichton went a little overboard with the criminal jargon of the age. Presumably to lend authenticity, he has larded the dialogue with phrases like "... he speaks a wave lag from Liverpool, and he can voker romeny." A little of this is probably a good thing, but a little also goes a long way.

I'm not a big fan of Michael Crichton since I've enjoyed a few of his books but didn't care for at least as many others. He hit the mark with this one, though, and it should appeal to many people. Those interested in heists, trains, Victorian England, crime fiction, or just light entertainment should all find satisfaction here. It's not perfect, but it's well worth the short time it takes to read.

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Probably Crichton's best

In telling the true story of a major mid-nineteenth century crime, Crichton brings his novelist's sensibility to selecting the details that make the tale seem simultaneously real, and larger-than-life. His prose is straightforward and competent, and also evocative without being flowery.

At the same time, he manages fairly well as a historian, offering some biting social critiques of the time in question, but also putting events in their proper historical context and filling modern audiences in on the necessary background (although he does fall short in this regard a couple of times when he attempts economic analysis).

Despite the fact that the key figure, Pierce, is a contemptible blackguard, one has to admire his sheer daring and his incredibly intelligent cunning. It is almost as though he even planned his arrest and trial so that he would have an opportunity to tell his story on the record, and to make known his utter contempt for everything conventional (including the peers of the kingdom). If one could take this as a purely fictional novel, you could almost abstract these admirable elements of Pierce's character from the criminal specifics of his actions and consider him a sort of heroic character.

Crichton concludes the narrative rather abruptly, ending with a sentence or two about the fate of each of the key figures when it's known. Perhaps this is Crichton's way of prompting us to draw our own conclusions, or of suggesting that we simply take this story for what it is--a remarkable criminal caper.

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Classic Crichton

This book is great for history buffs and the more run of the mill fiction fans. Michael Crichton has veered away from his normal science fiction formula, but he has stayed with his classic fast paced action combined with intelligent dialog that his fans love. If you like Michael Crichton books then you should check it out. If you are a fan of historical fictions then you might enjoy this book even if his usual science fiction isn't for you. The only complaint is that there are a lot of era specific words being used that slow down the dialog at times. But, he usually does a good job of explaining them as he goes without too much distraction. Overall good book, I couldn't put it down.

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Great Train Robbery

It moves kind-of slow and uses language that is somewhat hard to understand. But overall, its a good story and a good look back onto history.

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