Category: A

turnaround?

Posted on by Greig

Gateway

Frederik Pohl

Pohl is one of the last remaining giants from the golden age of science fiction.
Gateway is, in my opinion, one of his three best books. (The other two being the disturbing Mars exploration tale Man Plus and magnificent satire on advertising and consumer society The Space Merchants, which he co-wrote with Cyril Kornbluth).
In this future Earth is heavily overpopulated and resource starved and one Robinette Broadhead uses a lottery win to escape the brutal life of a shale miner to try his luck prospecting in an alien spacecraft from the alien adapted asteroid known as Gateway.
We see the present day in the form of sessions Broadhead has with a machine psychologist and in alternating chapters we’re told the story of what happened at Gateway.
It’s an interesting premise, well delivered. You really want to spend more time in the world Pohl created when you finish it.
I’d definitely recommend this for fans of science fiction. I would also say that you should probably avoid the sequels if you don’t want to be disappointed.

Rating: A

toby?

Posted on by Greig

Rivers of London

Ben Aaronovitch

This mix of supernatural horror, fantasy and police procedural is very entertaining. It’s so good, in fact, that I’ve already started reading the follow up.
Peter Grant is a probationary constable in the Metropolitan Police, staring down a career behind a desk. An interview with a witness at the scene of a homicide sends his life on a new course when the eyewitness turns out to be a ghost.
This tale is a perfectly judged fluid mix of horror and comedy that serves a well wrought detective story.
I can’t wait to see where the author goes with this series.
I would recommend this book without hesitation (especially since it’s on sale for £1.99 on the UK kindle store at the time of writing).

Rating: A

orangee?

Posted on by Greig

The Fault In Our Stars

John Green

the fault in our starsJohn Green’s latest book is about two teenagers, Hazel and Augustus, who meet in a cancer support group. Spoilers in this case would be inappropriate, so I’ll not go into any more detail.
The book is moving, amusing and frequently insightful. The characters are complex, memorable, and you like them enough to become invested in their struggles. Green has a way with a nicely turned phrase, but he still has the occasional attempt at profundity fall flat. Understandably it’s not as laugh out loud funny as the last book of his I read (An Abundance of Katherines) but there’s enough humour to leaven the subject matter and indeed a few nice in-jokes for those who follow the Green brothers on youtube.
Ultimately it feels like he gets at the truth of what it’s like to have cancer and happen to be a teenager, which is no mean feat.
I would definitely recommend this book. I suspect it’s going to stay with me for a long time.

For those that care, the signature in my copy is in blue sharpie.

Rating: A

neitherlands?

Posted on by Greig

The Magician King

Lev Grossman

The Magician KingThe sequel to The Magicians.
If The Magicians was Grossman’s deconstruction of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, then this is his Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Of course that doesn’t really do either book justice, and is a real disservice to the quality of what Grossman does here.
He writes an excellent fantasy novel that is somehow simultaneously a love letter to the genre and a critical response to it.
The highlight of this book is Julia’s back story, told in alternate chapters with the main plot.
I’d recommend this without hesitation to anyone who read The Magicians. Everyone else should go read that first book and then move on to this one.
I personally can’t wait til the third book.

Rating: A

nowhere?

Posted on by Greig

Fire and Hemlock

Diana Wynne Jones

Sadly Diana Wynne Jones died on the 26th March after a long battle against cancer. Always a favourite author of mine, I read as many of the obituaries and memorials as I could find online, it was reassuring to realize that many mourn her passing as much as I do.
I grew up with her Chrestomanci books, especially Witch Week and The Magicians of Caprona, and while I’ve tried to read as many of her books as I can get my hands on – one title that I’d never read kept cropping up in these articles – That’s the book I’m reviewing today.
Fire and Hemlock tells the tale of Polly Whittacker. As the book starts she’s a university student back living at her grandmother’s house during break. As she reads a book of short stories one day she realises that another set of memories has risen in her head. Most of what follows is Polly taking us through her memories, telling tales of becoming an apprentice hero and her friendship with Thomas Lynn. Typically for a Jones character, her family background is complicated, this time it’s a divorce and as she grows older you see the impact of that event and her gradual realization of both her parent’s flaws. It’s masterfully done.
The main plot is a retelling of the old Borderland myth of Tam Lin, there are no elves but there is magic.
The book, as you’d expect, is magnificent. Thrilling, funny and moving. I can see why so many of her fans totally love the book. Fire and Hemlock hasn’t suddenly become my favourite, though it might now be in my top five Jones books.
It’s going to be a sad day when I’ve finally read all of her books – because there’s nothing like reading a Diana Wynne Jones book for the first time. I hesitate to admit this but she’s the only author that’s inspired me to steal a book! It was very difficult to find some of her books before the Harry Potter phenomenon helped bring all her books back in print. Anyway, a copy of one of her Chrestomanci books found it’s way home one day with me after I spied it (I tried very hard to cover my tracks and make it look like it wasn’t simple theft and I doubt anyone noticed).
Please read as much of Diana Wynne Jones as you can – Fire and Hemlock would be a fine starting place.
Below is a list of links to every review I’ve done for a Diana Wynne Jones book while I’ve been keeping this blog:
Hexwood
Witch Week
Archer’s Goon
Charmed Life
The Pinhoe Egg
Conrad’s Fate
Howl’s Moving Castle
The Homeward Bounders
Witch Week
The Magicians of Caprona

Rating: A

ambros?

Posted on by Greig

The Emigrants

W.G. Sebald

the emigrantsThe Emigrants tells the stories of four exiled German Jews. These four stories are loosely linked together by an unnamed narrator.
These four tales add up to tell the story of the narrator, another exiled German, obviously based on Sebald himself.
These tales are simply slices of ordinary lives told from the perspective of the narrator, or the narrator interpreting the memories or memoirs of others.
All four stories are haunting and linger in the memory. The writing is beautiful, economic and graceful.
I came to this book by recommendation from the James Yorkston book I read last. It was a recommendation well deserved and I think I will delve further into Sebald’s work.
It seems that there is only a small back catalogue as sadly Sebald was killed in a car accident at age 57.

Rating: A

hare?

Posted on by Greig

I Shall Wear Midnight

Terry Pratchett

i shall wear midnightAnother excellent outing for Tiffany Aching.
I hate to spoil a single second of it – so many great moments.
OK the book really does need you to read all the Aching stories before it carries it’s full weight but it will work as a standalone.
As always – if you don’t read Pratchett do try him out.

If you do – buy this.

Rating: A