Reviews for The best of Robert Service

The average rating for The best of Robert Service based on 2 reviews is 5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2011-03-09 00:00:00 David Ronyak When I was in high school my "best subject" was public speaking (I know, the most feared thing in the world, public speaking. Maybe I'm put together wrong. Was it Seinfeld who pointed out that most people fear public speaking more than death...and that means that most people would rather be the corpse at a funeral than the speaker?) Anyway...we had to do a reading and while everyone else was doing Shakespeare or Poe, I read The Shooting of Dan McGrew. I suppose the best know poem of Mr. Service is The Cremation of Sam McGee. Between the two mentioned, you can get a fair flavor of his work. I find that I don't often have the "quietness of mind" it takes to read and enjoy poetry. I always "feel" that I could and should be able to enjoy it more, but it doesn't happen often. When I do settle enough though, I love Service. With the flavor of the Yukon and the gold rush, you can smell the wood smoke, feel the bite of the wind, hear the howl of the wolves. Mortality in every line, the fangs of Alaskan ice, the steel of a Bowie knife or the lead of a bullet is always here in the "land of the midnight sun". Nothing soft here, you're not getting into someone "finding his softer side" or "exploring his gentle feelings" you're entering a world that's hard, unforgiving, and often final...but sometimes with that trademark (often dark) humor. Recommended.

Review # 2 was written on 2015-05-11 00:00:00 Stephen Bagby He was known as the "Canadian Kipling". His work has been denigrated by the critics and called mere doggerel, but people still read him aloud and love his work. Although known for his Yukon poems, his range is astonishing. His style is as old as Beowulf and just as dramatic. His poetry is meant to be heard and not read. I loved the book.