Category: A-

kazak?

Posted on by Greig

The Sirens of Titan

Kurt Vonnegut Jr.

sirens of titanThis is a Science Fiction classic first released way back in 1959. It’s a totally different animal than the Heinlein book of a similar vintage I read recently. Certainly it’s sexual politics are a bit less dodgy however there is one discordant aside about homosexuality that did stand out.
It’s a darker, angrier piece with much more in common with the satirical masterpiece The Space Merchants and later works like Silverberg’s Dying Inside.
Although a satire, and occasionally funny, the book seethes with a palpable sense of disgust for the author’s contemporary culture and really offers no hope for the future.
I’ve read it before but it was well before I started keeping this blog.
It really is a great bit of work but it left me feeling really very down after reading it. I recommend it to any lover of literary Science Fiction but be warned it is not an uplifting tale.

Rating: A-

community?

Posted on by Greig

Blossom: What Scotland Needs To Flourish

Lesley Riddoch

BlossomI’ve been over preoccupied with the independence referendum of late. I’ve always taken a keen interest but it’s taken an obsessive edge in the last couple of weeks.
I decided that I was getting trapped in the same old self-referencing group of commentators online (because the mainstream press is beyond hopeless and not a source that any rational adult would use in this debate) and that I needed to expose myself to a different point of view.
Riddoch uses history, personal anecdote and old-fashioned journalism to expose what she sees as the underlying problems facing Scotland.
It’s a surprisingly enjoyable read given it’s nature and I certainly found it enlightening – especially when she talks about the consequences of our feudal past.
I personally think she underplays the potential problems with some of the solutions she favours and oversells the benefits of social activity in the countryside but it is hard to resist a vision of a much less centralised Scotland with empowered local communities and with land ownership moved out of the hands of the very few.
If you think that there’s nothing much wrong with our country as it stands then I suspect that this book will only infuriate you. If, like myself, you despair at the feeling of powerlessness at the heart of contemporary politics then there’s lots of food for thought to be found here.

Rating: A-

fabber?

Posted on by Greig

Rule 34

Charles Stross

Rule 34The follow up to Halting State is another Edinburgh set near future crime thriller written in the second person.
Told from the perspective of several characters including a police detective, an organized crime ‘executive’ and a local hacker the story gradually uncovers an intricate plot involving puppet states, international financial manipulation, murder investigations, and artificial intelligence researchers.
It takes a while to get into as the second person thing is so jarring but once you’re into the story it’s a great read with interesting characters who aren’t just your regular square-jawed straight white folks.
Definitely recommended, particularly if you liked Halting State.

Rating: A-

reparo?

Posted on by Greig

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Deathly HallowsThis is the first time I’ve read this book since I read it in a crazed four hour sprint on the day of it’s release.
Obviously since then I’ve seen the films they made of it a couple of times so I had a decent memory of the plot.
What surprised me with a more leisurely reading is how powerful certain passages of the book were. In particular the entire sequence of Harry facing Voldemort in the forest and of course the chapter inside Snape’s memories.
The book also wraps things up in a much more satisfying way than the film. I loved that the only thing Harry uses the Elder Wand for is to repair his own original wand.
Despite the pacing issues (a wee bit too long is spent with the lead trio hiding in the countryside) this is actually one of the strongest books in the whole series. It’s certainly a satisfying denouement.
So this wraps up the project of re-reading all the books having seen the films.
Overall my verdict is that the books are better than the films. A couple of the films are downright bad. Even the weakest of the books (Chamber of Secrets, Goblet of Fire) are entertaining where the worst film (Half-Blood Prince) is a total waste of time and talent.

Rating: A-

captain?

Posted on by Greig

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

J.K. Rowling

harry potter and the half-blood princeAfter the sheer bulk of the Goblet of Fire and Order of the Phoenix this entry in the Harry Potter series is a bit of a physical relief. However this is the volume where things to start getting really dark and deaths start to occur ever more frequently.
I’ve read this book twice before – once when it came out and again just before the release of the final book.
Reading it again knowing the events of the final book improved it in ways I didn’t expect. Especially with regard to the cliffhanger near the end. Also it’s only with this read that I really started to get Harry and Ginny as a couple that makes sense.
One important thing to note is that this is infinitely better than the film version; which is an incoherent mess and by far the worst of the celluloid series.

Rating: A-

enochian?

Posted on by Greig

The Apocalypse Codex

Charles Stross

the-apocalypse-codexThe latest Laundry book finds Bob Howard on the middle management fast track and in a whole heap of trouble in the United States.
The mashup of Lovecraftian horror and spy thriller still works to excellent effect.
The introduction of a Modesty Blaise style super spy/magician and her ex-soldier colleague gives the series a bit of fresh impetus.
I recommend the whole series wholeheartedly – Stross has a tendency to over egg the darkness that he keeps in check with the Laundry books.

Rating: A-

mutt?

Posted on by Greig

Mockingjay

Suzanne Collins

MockingjayAfter re-reading Catching Fire it was inevitable that I’d go back and read the final volume of the trilogy again.
When I first read the book I read it so quickly that some of the emotional impact was lost on me.
This time round I really felt moved by all the horrors that the characters go through and in particular I keenly felt Katniss’ pain in the scene with Buttercup right at the end of the book.
I know some people are never going to like this kind of dystopian fiction but this is a genuinely powerful book and I think it’s well worth giving a shot even if you don’t think it’s for you.

Rating: A-

kellis?

Posted on by Greig

Feed

Mira Grant

feedMira Grant is the pseudonym Seanan McGuire uses for her horror books.
Feed is the first of a trilogy set in a post zombie uprising world.
Georgia and Shaun Mason are news bloggers who get the nod to cover a presidential campaign and find themselves caught up in conspiracy and murder.
Feed has great characters, excellent worldbuilding and I got genuinely invested what happens as the story unfolds.
Another compelling book by this author and I highly recommended it if you have any stomach for zombies and horror.

Rating: A-

spackle?

Posted on by Greig

The Knife of Never Letting Go

Patrick Ness

the knife of never letting goIt was a surprise to hear that Mr Ness had become an award winner for YA fiction.
Back in 2005 I read a collection of his short stories and a future writing science fiction for teenagers didn’t look very likely at that point.
That said – this is a really good book.
Todd has grown up in a world filled with Noise – the thoughts that pour from the mind of every man since the war with the native aliens.
He’s the last boy in Prentisstown, just days away from his birthday and the ritual passage into adulthood when his world is changed by the discovery of a hole in the Noise. Forced to go on the run he learns the extent of the lies that have ruled his life.
Ness writes in a way that pulls you into the story, while also having really interesting things to say about the nature of identity and the drawbacks of psychic ability.
I’m looking forward to reading the sequels and I would definitely recommend this book.

Rating: A-