The Stars' Tennis Balls

Stephen Fry, as has been said before, has "a brain the size of Kent." There's practically nothing he doesn't do well. The Count of Monte Cristo is, of course, a very old story that always grips the imagination. Fry's take on it is both faithful and modern. In the very front of the story is the question of why we revenge and what revenge is for. To explain too much further would be to give away the end, but suffice it to say that all of Ned Maddstone's acts of vengence are dispropportionate to the harm that was done to him. Clearly Fry thinks so. But who among us has not had such dispropportionate fantasies -- e.g., murdering someone who only maimed us?

One of my favorite authors, Fry is wonderful! This book definitely lingered with me- made me rethink those thoughts on revenge and trust...

I knew nothing about this book when I picked it up, other than it was written by the actor/comedian who played Oscar Wilde. Based on the first few pages, I thought it would be a fun, witty story about some young people in prep school, their romantic entanglements, with a bit of British politics thrown in. And for a while it is this--a nice light satire.Then this novel takes an amazing radical turn and becomes harrowingly serious in a vivid description of a kidnapping and confinement. Then it turns once again to be a suspenseful escape story, and finally a step by step "Count of Monte Cristo" revenge story (the latter of which is a bit unsatisfying as the main character becomes an efficient revenge machine and we lose the sense of him as a person that the middle of the book had so wonderfully built). Still, Fry is an excellent writer to be able to pull off all of these tones in a single book. It is a great read, and it makes me want to seek out other works by Stephen Fry. Recommended!!

With 'Revenge', Steven Fry continues to cement his reputation as one of Britain's leading modern novelists. Previous novels like 'The Liar' and 'The Hippopotamus' were brilliant, profane, and very, very funny.Essentially a modern-day retelling of 'The Count of Monte Cristo', Fry has replaced the dashing sailor Edmond Dantes with naive English schoolboy and MP's son Ned Maddstone. Framed by a jealous associate in a fictitious drug transaction, an improbable series of coincidences involving IRA terrorists leads to Ned's imprisonment in a secret government insane asylum. There he is adopted by a polymath who teaches him languages, logic, history, and a variety of other useful knowledge. Further coincidence and years of imprisonment leads to Ned's realization of how he was framed, and by whom. Aided by his mentor, who has secreted a fortune in Swiss bank accounts, Ned escapes his prison and uses this wealth to recreate himself as a British Bill Gates. He then sets in motion a dark plan of revenge against all those who have wronged him. Although the plot is improbable to the point of impossibility (as it was with Dumas' 'Count of Monte Cristo'), the black humor prevents the novel from descending to the silly or trite. This is not a feel-good novel. Bad things happen to good people, and the novel's resolution involves bad things happening to bad people--lots of very bad things as it turns out. Some might find the extreme eye-for-an-eye mentality to be too much revenge, but one must remember that this novel is essentially farce; albeit the dark side of farce.

The Stars' Tennis Balls is an amazing read. Ceaselessly entertaining, this somewhat twisted modern retelling of The Count of Monte Cristo, as seen through the deliciously clever mind of Stephen Fry, is a delightful adventure. Filled with fresh views of many things in our world, great philosophy and wonderful characterizations, this book will not fail to please anyone who is looking for the perfect summer novel. Thank you so much Mr. Fry!