Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Publication
Random House (2002), Edition: 1, 336 pages
Description
Ned Maddstone has the world at his feet. He is handsome, talented and about to go to Cambridge, after which he is expected to follow his father into politics. But an unfortunate confrontation with a boy in his school results in a prank that goes badly wrong and suddenly he's incarcerated - without chance of release. So begins a year long process of torment and hopelessness, which will destroy his very identity, until almost nothing remains of him but this unquenchable desire for revenge. Inspired by the Count of Monte Cristo, Fry's psychological thriller is written with the pace, wit and shrewd insight that we have come to expect from one of our finest novelists.
Media reviews
"Engrossing from the start: one of the year’s most intelligent and entertaining stories."
User reviews
LibraryThing member eleanor_eader
I was about ten pages into Revenge when it dawned on me that I had read it before. Another ten pages, and I realised I was reading the re-titled The Star’s Tennis Balls, which I had read when first published in 2000 or so. It was an odd moment of Déjà vu, because I recall having the same
Stephen Fry has, however, enough literary clout to make me willingly read a book I absent-mindedly purchased by mistake, despite having read it before and having read the full, unabridged classic to which it pays ‘ommige a mere six months prior. I suspect that if he republishes again under the title ‘False Imprisonment, Escape and Retribution’, I’ll pick up another copy and be just as tickled.
Fry’s chief strength is his love of language… no one should pick up his work who isn’t prepared to wallow in dialogue of the frothiest, smoothest, double-edgedest (sorry Mr. F) kind. It’s surprising, in fact, that he can stop playing for long enough to get the story out (if I had his talent, I’d just wrap the reader in words until they suffocated in glee, and damn the point), but fortunately he has his gift under some sort of control, and can move characters, theme and plot along at the exactly the right pace.
If Revenge, (or TSTB, if you prefer) has flaws, they’re minor ones; the updating and recasting feels, in places, suspiciously like a vehicle for Mr. Fry to wax ecstatic about technology and gadgets (now a few years outdated, although he’s carefully not overdone the opportunities for this). It also rather detracts from the villainy of Ned Maddstone’s* oppressors; at least in the first instance of their envy-led schoolboy pranking. However, Fry plays cleverly with the reader’s sympathies; leading it first hither, then stripping it and lending it to another character for a brief time.
‘Revenge’ was as aptly titled to begin with as it was subsequently renamed. The hit and miss nature of exacting satisfaction, the treatment of the ‘serve’ on landing – it’s a ‘best laid plans’ scenario with nastiness at its heart. Fortunately, the nice Mr. Fry is capable of being completely horrible, at least in print, and the only ‘escape’ is the practical one. I was particularly impressed by the downfall of Maddstone’s chief oppressor.
In conclusion: would read again. On purpose, even.
*The anagrams… it’s impossible not to wonder what it must be like inside Stephen Fry’s head. Do any words, at all, get out that haven’t been wrenched and fondled like a Rubik’s cube for all possible permutations and patterns?
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feeling a quarter of the way through The Star’s Tennis Balls, which is how long it took for me to realise it was a reworking of The Count of Monte Cristo. Slow, eh?Stephen Fry has, however, enough literary clout to make me willingly read a book I absent-mindedly purchased by mistake, despite having read it before and having read the full, unabridged classic to which it pays ‘ommige a mere six months prior. I suspect that if he republishes again under the title ‘False Imprisonment, Escape and Retribution’, I’ll pick up another copy and be just as tickled.
Fry’s chief strength is his love of language… no one should pick up his work who isn’t prepared to wallow in dialogue of the frothiest, smoothest, double-edgedest (sorry Mr. F) kind. It’s surprising, in fact, that he can stop playing for long enough to get the story out (if I had his talent, I’d just wrap the reader in words until they suffocated in glee, and damn the point), but fortunately he has his gift under some sort of control, and can move characters, theme and plot along at the exactly the right pace.
If Revenge, (or TSTB, if you prefer) has flaws, they’re minor ones; the updating and recasting feels, in places, suspiciously like a vehicle for Mr. Fry to wax ecstatic about technology and gadgets (now a few years outdated, although he’s carefully not overdone the opportunities for this). It also rather detracts from the villainy of Ned Maddstone’s* oppressors; at least in the first instance of their envy-led schoolboy pranking. However, Fry plays cleverly with the reader’s sympathies; leading it first hither, then stripping it and lending it to another character for a brief time.
‘Revenge’ was as aptly titled to begin with as it was subsequently renamed. The hit and miss nature of exacting satisfaction, the treatment of the ‘serve’ on landing – it’s a ‘best laid plans’ scenario with nastiness at its heart. Fortunately, the nice Mr. Fry is capable of being completely horrible, at least in print, and the only ‘escape’ is the practical one. I was particularly impressed by the downfall of Maddstone’s chief oppressor.
In conclusion: would read again. On purpose, even.
*The anagrams… it’s impossible not to wonder what it must be like inside Stephen Fry’s head. Do any words, at all, get out that haven’t been wrenched and fondled like a Rubik’s cube for all possible permutations and patterns?
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LibraryThing member clq
I'm finding it hard to pin down this book. It seems like it is trying to be quite a few things, and while it doesn't directly fail at being any of them, it struggles in getting there with all of them.
Firstly, the story is satirical. The characters in the book are clever, well-constructed
Secondly, it is a thriller. Parts of the book are genuinely exciting and thrilling, and as the story twisted and threw itself up in the air, I found myself wondering how it would be brought back down to earth. It never quite was. I rarely knew where the story would go next, but eventually everything became a little too implausible for me to really care.
Lastly, a few moral points are made. Helpfully or annoyingly, take your pick, you can rely on the characters to pretty much state the points the writer wants to get across, in case you hadn't picked them up yourself. Unfortunately, since I found myself unable to relate to anything at all happening after page 40, none of these points really made much of an impact beyond just being written down.
However, for some reason everything kind of works. I put this entirely down to Stephen Fry and his Stephen Fry'ness. This book has plenty and plenty of Stephen Fry'ness. It manages to be warm, clever and rather likable while also being dark, violent and twisted. Ultimately, I picked this book up because it was by Stephen Fry, and I figured it couldn't be that bad. And that's exactly what it was. Not great, but not that bad.
Firstly, the story is satirical. The characters in the book are clever, well-constructed
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caricatures. Some situations in the book are meant as obvious social commentary, and these are funny and well done. However, there aren't enough of them for this to be 400 pages of satire.Secondly, it is a thriller. Parts of the book are genuinely exciting and thrilling, and as the story twisted and threw itself up in the air, I found myself wondering how it would be brought back down to earth. It never quite was. I rarely knew where the story would go next, but eventually everything became a little too implausible for me to really care.
Lastly, a few moral points are made. Helpfully or annoyingly, take your pick, you can rely on the characters to pretty much state the points the writer wants to get across, in case you hadn't picked them up yourself. Unfortunately, since I found myself unable to relate to anything at all happening after page 40, none of these points really made much of an impact beyond just being written down.
However, for some reason everything kind of works. I put this entirely down to Stephen Fry and his Stephen Fry'ness. This book has plenty and plenty of Stephen Fry'ness. It manages to be warm, clever and rather likable while also being dark, violent and twisted. Ultimately, I picked this book up because it was by Stephen Fry, and I figured it couldn't be that bad. And that's exactly what it was. Not great, but not that bad.
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LibraryThing member lecari
As most of my friends know, I am a big fan of Stephen Fry, so I guess it's no surprise that I liked this book. But I have read another of his stories so far, 'Making History,' and I didn't think it was all that good. This one, however, really gripped me - I couldn't put it down.
It is the story of
those who put him into the asylum when he has the power to do so.
It's quite a tragic story, but entertaining in places too. The only part I was unsatisfied was with the ending (as usual!); it wraps up in just a few pages, and I didn't really understand the reasons behind his final decision. Definitely an interesting story, though, and I'd certainly recommend it to others. A very interesting concept, and delightfully written.
It is the story of
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Ned, a schoolboy who has a lovely girlfriend, good looks, intelligence, and is destined for Oxford - the type of person that everyone loves but hates at the same time. A prank played on him by his 'friends' turns horribly wrong, and an arrest over possession of cannabis ends up with him becoming an IRA suspect, and he is sent to an insane asylum to rot. He manages to escape, ten years later, in the 1990s; now a full-grown adult, who has never heard of mobile phones or the Internet. He manages to become a dotcom millionaire, and slowly takes revenge onthose who put him into the asylum when he has the power to do so.
It's quite a tragic story, but entertaining in places too. The only part I was unsatisfied was with the ending (as usual!); it wraps up in just a few pages, and I didn't really understand the reasons behind his final decision. Definitely an interesting story, though, and I'd certainly recommend it to others. A very interesting concept, and delightfully written.
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LibraryThing member TheCriticalTimes
Stephen Fry made the right decisions. There's no denying it, with this novel, Fry made the right decisions about how his characters would behave and why. In any other fictional narrative authors would have chosen the widely worn path and turned this story into shite. Not Fry, and let me explain
Granted this novel is a direct re-telling of the famous The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas. Unlike that famous romanticized adventure novel Fry's version is a bit darker and nastier. Granted the characters are still very much over the top and the events are appropriately Baroque. But even with the inwardly shallow characters, the predictable romance and the obvious supporting cast there is something grand to be gleaned here. Dumas and every other author or film writer who has ever re-worked the story always chose to end the novel with some sort of reconciliation. The main character changes slowly after his escape from prison, he realizes there is still hope for a happy life and he makes peace with his past. That's the same idiocy as for example the psychopath Dexter turning into a lovable likable character the longer the tv show continues to run.
Of course that's not how these stories should end and Fry knows it. Characters learn and adapt but they don't change from saints to madman and back again. Ned acts and lives out his life as he would have and should have. It is both the best part of the novel as well as its weakness. To say it in a different way: the retribution and satisfaction achieved by the main character in Dumas' original is what sold it and what made it famous, it is also what prevents Fry's version from becoming a classic of the same stature.
Stephen Fry is well known to love language. He lives in it, bathes in it and dresses in it. The fact that he writes in it is an unfortunate side effect however. There is so much emphasis on Wilderesque language and anagrammatic stunts and foibles that some plot elements can become quite ridiculous. Coincidence is what drives the twists in this story. Unlike Dumas' version where events appear unusual but not unlikely, Fry's version leaps over the edge of the fantastic. It is the use of language that tips us off to perhaps Fry's personal reasons for creating this story. Knowing the fascination Fry has with Oscar Wilde, one has to wonder if perhaps this retelling is a way for the author to take his own personal revenge on those who incarcerated Wilde. Certain facts and characters that were changed from Cristo to Revenge can be seen as Wildish modifications. The character of Ashley for example stands out as such. In the end the balance of strange plot twists, shallow characters but persistent and believable human behavior is in Fry's favor. He has delivered an intriguing and pleasant read that is highly entertaining.
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why. We meet a lot of typical Brits right at the very beginning. A pretty school girl working at the Hard Rock cafe, a closeted fake upper class tosser by the name of Ashley who's diary in public school causes a tremendous amount of trouble, and Ned the stereo typical all-round good guy who you instantly hate because there's nothing to loathe. Through a curious and extremely coincidental set of circumstances Ned is framed for a crime has no knowledge of committing. He lands in an island based insane asylum and is slowly being convinced he made up his entire former life. Until he meets Babe. The old Socrates/Darwin/Richard Harris type personage helps Ned to reconstruct his life, his ego and his belief in himself. Ned is also taught several languages, problem solving skills, literature, etc, etc. When Babe passes away Ned uses the opportunity to flee from the prison asylum and setup a new life with the massive fortune Babe had 'appropriated' from various government schemes in his former life as a spy. From this point there is only one thing on Ned's mind: Revenge.Granted this novel is a direct re-telling of the famous The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas. Unlike that famous romanticized adventure novel Fry's version is a bit darker and nastier. Granted the characters are still very much over the top and the events are appropriately Baroque. But even with the inwardly shallow characters, the predictable romance and the obvious supporting cast there is something grand to be gleaned here. Dumas and every other author or film writer who has ever re-worked the story always chose to end the novel with some sort of reconciliation. The main character changes slowly after his escape from prison, he realizes there is still hope for a happy life and he makes peace with his past. That's the same idiocy as for example the psychopath Dexter turning into a lovable likable character the longer the tv show continues to run.
Of course that's not how these stories should end and Fry knows it. Characters learn and adapt but they don't change from saints to madman and back again. Ned acts and lives out his life as he would have and should have. It is both the best part of the novel as well as its weakness. To say it in a different way: the retribution and satisfaction achieved by the main character in Dumas' original is what sold it and what made it famous, it is also what prevents Fry's version from becoming a classic of the same stature.
Stephen Fry is well known to love language. He lives in it, bathes in it and dresses in it. The fact that he writes in it is an unfortunate side effect however. There is so much emphasis on Wilderesque language and anagrammatic stunts and foibles that some plot elements can become quite ridiculous. Coincidence is what drives the twists in this story. Unlike Dumas' version where events appear unusual but not unlikely, Fry's version leaps over the edge of the fantastic. It is the use of language that tips us off to perhaps Fry's personal reasons for creating this story. Knowing the fascination Fry has with Oscar Wilde, one has to wonder if perhaps this retelling is a way for the author to take his own personal revenge on those who incarcerated Wilde. Certain facts and characters that were changed from Cristo to Revenge can be seen as Wildish modifications. The character of Ashley for example stands out as such. In the end the balance of strange plot twists, shallow characters but persistent and believable human behavior is in Fry's favor. He has delivered an intriguing and pleasant read that is highly entertaining.
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LibraryThing member JenneB
This is basically an updated version of The Count of Monte Cristo, a book which I love.
It's funny, I am perfectly happy to cheer on Dantes's revenge in that book, but when it's translated to modern times it just seems horrifically extreme and you can't sympathize with it at all.
Maybe that was the
It's funny, I am perfectly happy to cheer on Dantes's revenge in that book, but when it's translated to modern times it just seems horrifically extreme and you can't sympathize with it at all.
Maybe that was the
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point? Show Less
LibraryThing member mearso
Pretty enjoyable. No killer twist, and took a little while to get going. Hated the cover.
LibraryThing member miketroll
As always with Stephen Fry, a delightful, entertaining confection of elegant wit and humour. Oscar would have been proud of him.
LibraryThing member miketroll
As always with Stephen Fry, a delightful, entertaining confection of elegant wit and humour. Oscar would have been proud of him.
This book was published in the UK under the title 'The Stars' Tennis Balls'. A pox on the publishers for changing it! There should be a law against it!
This book was published in the UK under the title 'The Stars' Tennis Balls'. A pox on the publishers for changing it! There should be a law against it!
LibraryThing member socialchild
You can get a summary of the plot elsewhere. I don't do summaries.
This is a recasting of The Count of Monte Cristo, and as such, the plot is pretty predictable. The storytelling, however is excellent. I couldn't put it down. The plot is fast paced, and the characters are fascinating. The novel is
There are a few significant negatives though:
Fry's characters for the first half of the novel are fascinating, especially Ashley and Portia, but the depths of feelings toward Ned--hatred from those who hate him, and love from those who love him--seem all out of proportion to the reader's expectations. So do the reactions each of Simon's victims when they discover who is really behind what is happening to them.
At about the half-way point, the narrative seems to become less detailed--almost as if Fry were summarizing events. Fry violates the Show, Don't Tell rule by not spending enough time showing how Ned could turn into someone who is capable of doing the vicious things that Simon does. He simply tells us. The viciousness of the revenge and the cold-blooded way that it was accomplished seem out of character--even for someone who had been through what Ned had been through.
There is a fine line between The Hero Receives Supernatural Aid and Deus ex Machina, and it is always disappointing when an author crosses that line. Fry does just his with the character Babe. Without giving too much away, this was probably the biggest disappointment in the novel for me--how easy (almost) everything came after Ned met Babe.
In the end, the story goes the way of all Revenge Stories. It makes you wonder: if Ned is so smart, why doesn't he see it coming?
Overall and in spite of its flaws, it was a pretty good, if light, read.
This is a recasting of The Count of Monte Cristo, and as such, the plot is pretty predictable. The storytelling, however is excellent. I couldn't put it down. The plot is fast paced, and the characters are fascinating. The novel is
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full of puns and anagrams based on The Count of Monte Cristo, and has enough clever comedy (albeit dark comedy) to satisfy any fan of Stephen Fry.There are a few significant negatives though:
Fry's characters for the first half of the novel are fascinating, especially Ashley and Portia, but the depths of feelings toward Ned--hatred from those who hate him, and love from those who love him--seem all out of proportion to the reader's expectations. So do the reactions each of Simon's victims when they discover who is really behind what is happening to them.
At about the half-way point, the narrative seems to become less detailed--almost as if Fry were summarizing events. Fry violates the Show, Don't Tell rule by not spending enough time showing how Ned could turn into someone who is capable of doing the vicious things that Simon does. He simply tells us. The viciousness of the revenge and the cold-blooded way that it was accomplished seem out of character--even for someone who had been through what Ned had been through.
There is a fine line between The Hero Receives Supernatural Aid and Deus ex Machina, and it is always disappointing when an author crosses that line. Fry does just his with the character Babe. Without giving too much away, this was probably the biggest disappointment in the novel for me--how easy (almost) everything came after Ned met Babe.
In the end, the story goes the way of all Revenge Stories. It makes you wonder: if Ned is so smart, why doesn't he see it coming?
Overall and in spite of its flaws, it was a pretty good, if light, read.
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LibraryThing member beckybose
Absorbing and gripping, but ultimately failed to satisfy
LibraryThing member Figgles
A modern retelling of "The Count of Monte Cristo" - interesting and enjoyable but perhaps a little rushed in the revenge section. I enjoyed working out who was who from the original (plenty of anagrams).
LibraryThing member psiloiordinary
This chap can write - I whizzed through the book partly because of the fast moving and well balanced plot and partly because of the writing style which is clear and quick but full of detail and insight.
Having read the first part of his autobiography [[moab is my washpot]] I can see how he uses his
Violence and revenge, love and hatred its all here.
I can't help thinking that we are not yet seeing the author's full potential and so I have got him on my "buy everything he does" list.
Having read the first part of his autobiography [[moab is my washpot]] I can see how he uses his
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own experiences in his work and this adds something to the enjoyment for me.Violence and revenge, love and hatred its all here.
I can't help thinking that we are not yet seeing the author's full potential and so I have got him on my "buy everything he does" list.
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LibraryThing member Neilsantos
I liked this a lot for two reasons: One, it's a retelling of my favourite novel, modernized. Two, it's a much darker content and tone than Fry's previous comedic work. I'm impressed when an author shows themselves to write in a different direction.
LibraryThing member lizzybeans11
I found my self completely enthralled by this book. It is a very interesting, modern retelling of The Count of Monte Cristo. The characters are "thoroughly thought through" and grow and develop in believable ways to the end. This tragedy is a complete departure from Fry's usually humorous stories,
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and it is very well done. Show Less
LibraryThing member BrokenTune
It took me quite a while to get into the story, but having gotten past the first part which reads like an excerpt from Moab, I could not put it down. I had - on purpose - not read any reviews for this book, and am now glad about that as most reviews only make the comparison to The Count of Monte
What about the resonances of other works, though? I couldn't help but also be reminded of Zweig's Chess Story, Duerrenmatt's Physicists, The Bourne Identity, and Pulp Fiction. All in all I was reminded of a venerable hodge podge of dilemmas. The kind of pastiche episodes that make fab reading in any graphic novel, except of course that The Stars' Tennis Balls isn't a graphic novel.
Isn't it?
It will probably take a few days before I can make up my mind about this one.
In any case, 5 stars for gripping my imagination, for making me reconsider literary genres, for keeping me up half the night pondering about the characters, for - no doubt - sticking in my head for a long time to come.
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Christo.What about the resonances of other works, though? I couldn't help but also be reminded of Zweig's Chess Story, Duerrenmatt's Physicists, The Bourne Identity, and Pulp Fiction. All in all I was reminded of a venerable hodge podge of dilemmas. The kind of pastiche episodes that make fab reading in any graphic novel, except of course that The Stars' Tennis Balls isn't a graphic novel.
Isn't it?
It will probably take a few days before I can make up my mind about this one.
In any case, 5 stars for gripping my imagination, for making me reconsider literary genres, for keeping me up half the night pondering about the characters, for - no doubt - sticking in my head for a long time to come.
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LibraryThing member Reysbro
Wickedly entertaining a horrible mind boggling roller-coaster of human nature at it's worst. Terrifically gratifying.
LibraryThing member jennyo
Stephen Fry is brilliant. Just brilliant. Revenge is his retelling of The Count of Monte Cristo. At least he says it is. I've never actually read the original. I guess I'll have to now. But I doubt I'll enjoy it as much as I enjoyed this version.
Revenge is full of Fry's scathing wit and spot-on
By the way, in the UK, this book was published as The Stars Tennis Balls. I'm assuming they changed the title in the U.S. because we're a bunch of ignorant Yanks who wouldn't catch the literary reference. (Well, I didn't anyway. Fortunately, it's provided in the epigraph.)
Revenge is full of Fry's scathing wit and spot-on
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dialogue. If you've ever read his fiction, you'll know just what I mean. If you're already a fan of his, go get this book. Immediately. If you've never tried one of his books before, this is a great place to start.By the way, in the UK, this book was published as The Stars Tennis Balls. I'm assuming they changed the title in the U.S. because we're a bunch of ignorant Yanks who wouldn't catch the literary reference. (Well, I didn't anyway. Fortunately, it's provided in the epigraph.)
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LibraryThing member m_k_m
Spoilers for those who don't know their classic literature
Stephen Fry updates The Count of Monte Cristo for the Millennium. That's not just embarrassing press release speak, the dotcom bubble plays a huge part in the latter part of the novel – and having been born in the 1980s, the adolescent
On the other hand, I find stories of betrayal and false imprisonment very difficult. I suppose you could dig into my childhood for reasons behind that too, but let's be honest, the enduring success of the story of Edmond Dantès suggests plenty of people don't like being screwed over or accused of things they haven't done.
And boy are people screwed over in The Stars' Tennis Balls. It's not a book for the squeamish – bits are up there with Misery for the levels of cruelty they depict. But cruel it must be or Ned/Dantes's revenge would not be so satisfying.
It never escaping the boundaries of the original text, but it's not clear it wants to, and it doesn't need to in order to be a taut and compelling thriller.
(Some might complain that the plot relies on most people in power knowing each other by some extension, but after almost a decade of living in London, I'm willing to buy that.)
Stephen Fry updates The Count of Monte Cristo for the Millennium. That's not just embarrassing press release speak, the dotcom bubble plays a huge part in the latter part of the novel – and having been born in the 1980s, the adolescent
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nostalgia rush the book gave me earns it a star all on its own.On the other hand, I find stories of betrayal and false imprisonment very difficult. I suppose you could dig into my childhood for reasons behind that too, but let's be honest, the enduring success of the story of Edmond Dantès suggests plenty of people don't like being screwed over or accused of things they haven't done.
And boy are people screwed over in The Stars' Tennis Balls. It's not a book for the squeamish – bits are up there with Misery for the levels of cruelty they depict. But cruel it must be or Ned/Dantes's revenge would not be so satisfying.
It never escaping the boundaries of the original text, but it's not clear it wants to, and it doesn't need to in order to be a taut and compelling thriller.
(Some might complain that the plot relies on most people in power knowing each other by some extension, but after almost a decade of living in London, I'm willing to buy that.)
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Subjects
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2000
2001 (Germany)
ISBN
0375506233 / 9780375506239