Year: 2007

dwimmer?

Posted on by Greig

The Pinhoe Egg

Diana Wynne Jones

The Pinhoe Egg by Diana Wynne JonesThe latest book in the revived Chrestomanci series is a sequel of sorts to the Guardian Award winning classic Charmed Life.
In this story Cat Chant (protagonist of Charmed Life) has settled into life at Chrestomanci Castle and finds himself drawn into events caused by a dark secret held by the magical families living in the surrounding villages.
Typically of DWJ this is a thoroughly enjoyable book, with engaging characters and a twisty and fun plot.
The simple fact is that there’s not a better writer of children’s fantasy out there and for my money she may well be the very best ever.
Thoroughly recommended.

Rating: A

bufpuf?

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Only Forward

Michael Marshall Smith

Only Forward by Michael Marshall SmithSmith’s debut novel is one of my favourite science fiction books of all time.
It starts of as a far future noir detective story with the lead character, Stark, full of wisecracks and “I’m smarter than you” confidence. That it ends up being an incredibly moving piece is testament of Smith’s ability to shift the story around underneath the reader without them ever feeling cheated.
Part of that is the fact that it is made plain within the first couple of pages that Stark is a rather unreliable narrator, more than willing to lie, omit facts or completely fabricate things if he thinks it’s amusing or suits his needs.
By the end when the layers have been stripped away and there are no more falsehoods you are in no doubt of how brilliantly the tale has been told.
After more than a decade, after numerous re-reads, this is still a remarkable piece of work.
I have no hesitation whatsoever in recommending it to anyone to read.

Rating: A

shadow wire?

Posted on by Greig

Ringworld

Larry Niven

Ringworld by Larry NivenRingworld is considered a classic in the science fiction canon. It’s rich with concepts, quickly paced and absorbing.
The story is of Louis Wu, a 200 year old human, who is getting bored with the lack of novelty in his life. Hijacked on his birthday by a member of the secretive alien race known as the Pierson Puppeteers he is offered a place on an expedition with no more explanation than a look at a picture of of a star with a ring around it and the offer of plans to a new incredibly fast spacecraft. Taking the opportunity the Puppeteer, Nessus, builds up a team consisting of a member of the feline, warlike, alien race known as the Kzinti and another human the bred for luckiness Teela Brown.
Via an excursion to the rather odd Puppeteer homeworld this motley crew head on to what the now know to be the Ringworld, a gigantic artefact with the land area of hundreds of planets, the product of an unknown and incredibly powerful alien race.
While it’s quite mindblowing in concepts, the book falls down in terms of characterization and the plot falls apart in the last third destroying the momentum built up.
Definitely worth reading at least once if you have any interest in science fiction, it really doesn’t suit a re-read (as this was for me).

Rating: B+

jeremy?

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Mrs Frisby & The Rats Of NIMH

Robert C. O’Brien

Mrs Frisby and the Rats Of NIMHThis classic children’s book was one of my favourites when I was young.
I continue to be very glad to this day that I read the book before I ever saw the film adaptation (a typically clumsy Don Bluth animated thing). It’s quite a brief read, but still quite enjoyable.
The story is of an anxious field mouse with a sick child who will not be strong enough to leave the family winter home before the farmer ploughs up the field and destroys it.
After a desperate search for help she’s directed to a group of odd rats living beneath a giant rosebush on the farm. These are the rats of the title and their story is the single best thing about the book.
I have a lot of nostalgia for this little book and it remains a really good piece of kid’s writing and I have no hesitation in recommending it for what it is.

Rating: A-

pious?

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Our Band Could Be Your Life

Michael Azerrad

Our Band Could Be Your Life by Michael AzerradThe story of the American indie underground in the eighties as told through short biographies of some of the leading lights of the scene.
I really enjoyed at least half of these short bios, as some of the bands had fascinating interpersonal struggles, financial problems and made great music.
However, the author made some odd decisions. Your band is only indie if your records are recorded for an indie label who used only indie distribution? A pointless distinction if you ask me. If, as I suspect, he only did this to avoid covering REM for the millionth time, then why not just say that?
Why, also, decide to not cover the major label careers of the bands that he does write about beyond a brief sneery paragraph or two about how none of their records were as good once they took money from the big boys?
Why spend countless pages wittering on about the idealism of certain bands? Sure they had admirable politics, that’s great, I want to read about the music too at some point though.
Maybe I’m too comfortably cynical about the music business as a whole but the whole concept of indie purity just seems silly to me nowadays. So I’m docking points for his pious devotion to his precious hardcore band’s purity.
Otherwise highly recommended for those with an interest in 80’s underground indie music.

Rating: A-

other half?

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Earth, Air, Fire and Custard

tom holt

earth, air, fire and custard The last book of the Paul Carpenter trilogy further illustrates the law of diminishing returns, so much so that the last third of the book struck me as utterly incoherent.
I can only say that it was a reasonably enjoyable ride for all it’s incoherence, but that I’m very glad that he’s stopped writing about Carpenter now and I don’t have to buy any more books in the series. (Being a completist is a bitch).
If you like Tom Holt, have read the first two, and don’t mind the random pointless, incoherent plot twists too much then you’ll probably feel like you haven’t wasted your time reading this.

Rating: B-

21?

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Top 20 Albums of 2006

King Creosote – KC Rules OK
Midlake – The Trials of Van Occupanther
Thom Yorke – The Eraser
Saint Jude’s Infirmary – Happy Healthy Lucky Month
Youth Group – Skeleton Jar
Cat Power – The Greatest
Joanna Newsom – Ys
The Decemberists – The Crane Wife
M Ward – Post-War
My Latest Novel – Wolves
Scott Walker – The Drift
Stuart A Staples – Leaving Songs
Secret Machines – Ten Silver Drops
Espers – II
Califone – Roots & Crowns
TV On The Radio – Return To Cookie Mountain
Joan As Policewoman – Real Life
Citay – Citay
Yo La Tengo – I Am Not Afraid Of You And I Will Beat Your Ass
Neko Case – Fox Confessor Brings The Flood
Grant-Lee Phillips – NineteenEighties

32?

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Books Read in 2006

  1. Steel Beach by John Varley rated B-
  2. The Truth by Terry Pratchett rated B+
  3. Black and Blue by Ian Rankin rated A+
  4. The Star Fraction by Ken MacLeod A-
  5. The Chronoliths by Robert Charles Wilson rated A
  6. Spin by Robert Charles Wilson rated A+
  7. Singularity Sky by Charles Stross rated B
  8. Double Vision by Tricia Sullivan rated A-
  9. Revelation Space by Alastair Reynolds rated A
  10. Maul by Tricia Sullivan rated A-
  11. Iron Sunrise by Charles Stross rated A
  12. Diamond Dogs, Turquoise Days by Alastair Reynolds rated C
  13. Futebol by Alex Bellos rated A
  14. Under Old Earth and Other Explorations by Cordwainer Smith rated C+
  15. Microserfs by Douglas Coupland rated A
  16. The Big Over Easy by Jasper Fforde rated C
  17. JPod by Douglas Coupland rated C+
  18. All Fun And Games Until Somebody Loses An Eye by Christopher Brookmyre rated A
  19. Margrave Of The Marshes by John Peel & Sheila Ravenscroft rated B
  20. Watchmen by Alan Moore & Dave Gibbons rated A
  21. The Wrestling by Simon Garfield rated B+
  22. Miss Wyoming by Douglas Coupland rated B+
  23. The Salmon Of Doubt by Douglas Adams rated C
  24. Wintersmith by Terry Pratchett rated A-
  25. Time Enough For Love by Robert A Heinlein rated B+
  26. Newton’s Wake by Ken MacLeod rated A-
  27. M*A*S*H by Richard Hooker rated B+
  28. The Final Reflection by John M. Ford rated B
  29. Fargo Rock City by Chuck Klosterman –
  30. Espedair Street by Iain Banks B-
  31. The Dragon Waiting by John M. Ford rated A
  32. Hogfather by Terry Pratchett rated B