Category: Rated

disease?

Posted on by Greig

Unknown Pleasures

Chris Ott

Unknown Pleasures 33 and a thirdPart of Continuum’s 33 and 1/3 series of short books that examine recordings by beloved artists over the years.
This one looks at the rise of Joy Division at the making of their classic debut album, Unknown Pleasures.
Given the brevity of the book it cannot compete with works like “Touching From a Distance” or celebrate the myth to the extent that Twenty-Four Hour Party People did.
It’s a basic, functional little volume.
It’s worth picking up cheap if you particularly love Joy Division.

Rating: C+

drink me?

Posted on by Greig

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Half Blood PrinceSixth and penultimate book in the outrageously successful JF fantasy series. I’ve reviewed this book before, back when it first came out.
Reading it a second time makes plain that some character’s motivations aren’t what they seemed to be the first time I read it, which makes the upcoming final book all the more interesting.
What else? Well I’d still rate the book the same, it’s entertaining enough, but it’s filled with flashbacks and the present day action is pretty sparse until the last third of the book. As for the big twist, well it’s still pretty shocking but I’ve changed my mind a great deal about it’s implications.
As before, no recommendation, but I did enjoy reading it.

Rating: B+

inquisitor?

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Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Order of the PhoenixThe fifth Harry Potter book and basis for the latest film in the series which is due out later this year. I did a quick re-read in preparation for the film. I’ve reviewed it before when the book first came out, and this the first time I’ve read it since it came out.

Rating: B+

curious yellow?

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Glasshouse

Charles Stross

GlasshouseStross is not a writer who lacks confidence or ideas and in this novel it leads him to deal with post-singularity identity while simultaneously taking aim at prescribed gender roles within society.
It opens in the far future with a man who has elected to have his memory wiped. He begins a relationship with a woman when, suddenly, he finds himself in danger from a past he does not remember. To escape the danger he enters an utterly secure experiment studying 20th century gender roles. In the study he awakes to find himself in the body of a woman and expected to conform to a role he cannot begin to understand.
This book has a cracking couple of opening chapters then it hits a lull that it took me a force of will to overcome.
However once it gets past the lull, it cracks along at a stunning pace until it hits a satisfying denouement.
This is one for fans of top-notch modern science fiction. It’s less than subtle at times, so it may annoy someone expecting better writing. It’s jammed full of ideas though and will entertain sci-fans properly

Rating: A-

solly?

Posted on by Greig

Breakfast At Tiffanys

Truman Capote

Breakfast At TiffanysCapote’s novella is famously the basis of a much sanitised hollywood film version. In this, the original work, it’s pretty blatant that Holly is a hooker of sorts and she’s portrayed as even more of a creature of impulse and criminal tendencies that she is in the film.
I got the impression that Holly was something almost feral yet so glamorous that the narrator loved her from a distance in his way but never really understood her.
Not my usual kind of thing but it’s a pretty good read and is definitely worth seeking out if you’ve only ever seen the film version of these particular characters.

 

Rating: B

dwimmer?

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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?

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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+