Tuesday, August 16, 2016

Alice


Alice
by Christina Henry
Published: Titan Books (2016)

Gripping and original, Alice, marks Christina Henry’s first foray into her astonishing reimagining of the Alice in Wonderland mythos. Tortured by a past she can’t entirely remember, the titular Alice finds herself incarcerated in a mad house; trapped and alone save for the presence of the mysterious Hatcher in the room next door. With no one else to turn to, Hatcher becomes the rock to which she tethers her sanity, even as the medications blur her grip on reality, but when the hospital mysteriously burns down she’ll discover that she is as important to his survival as he is to hers.

Brilliantly disturbing, Christina Henry’s Alice takes a fresh look at the oft told tale of the young girl that fell down the rabbit hole. Emerging in a world better encapsulated by the noun “horror” than “wonder” Alice must survive in an environment that would see women relegated to less than second class citizens. Many of the classic tale’s memorable cast make and appearance, but in vastly unrecognisable roles; each though, once more pushing ‘their’ Alice to uncover her true powers.

As disturbing as the tale gets Christina Henry manages to narrate the story astonishingly well and while some readers might finds passages not to their tastes, it cannot be argued that they are gratuitous. Each action of the key antagonists fits perfectly into the twisted nature of the world she has created, remaining shocking yet believable throughout. Alongside this, that pacing of the novel is excellent, revealing just enough information to keep the reader grasping for more.

If I were to find one mild disappointment about the novel, it would be in the ending. After spinning a haunting tale for over three hundred pages, the novel’s climaxing altercation concludes in a matter paragraphs. It feels at odds with the rest of the book. Throughout, Alice and Hatcher are forced into some pretty grim situations yet the manner in which the climax resolves itself is almost dreamlike. When all hope is lost, so too is the grittiness of the work. In spite of this I’d still recommend giving Alice a read. This is one look at the classic tale that you’re not likely to forget.

Wednesday, April 13, 2016

Daughter of Smoke and Bone

Daughter of Smoke and Bone
by Laini Taylor
Published: Hodder (2011)
Beautifully written and original, Daughter of Smoke and Bone is the first book in Laini Taylor's trilogy of the same name. In Taylor's richly detailed world Karou is a seemingly normal human girl, even if strange things seem to happen when she's around, or not as her friend Zuzana frequently complains. You see, Karou leads a secret life, one in which she is raised by the great Chimera Brimstone, and his eclectic entourage of bestial individuals. However, Karou's lives, both on Earth and in 'Elsewhere' are about to collide, and if she doesn't unravel the truth about her own existence, she may lose one or both of her pasts. But time is running out, and soon the doors between worlds could be lost forever.

It would be difficult for me to discuss Daughter of Smoke and Bone without addressing the wonderful cast of characters that inhabit the book's two worlds. Karou is every bit the likeable heroine: tough, independent and yet ultimately conflicted, both by the secrets of her past and the emergence of her future. Complete with an eclectic background cast (stoic Brimstone, merry Issa and dramatic Zuzana) the world comes alive through their delightful interactions.

It is with the brooding angel Akiva, however, that Karou's character really comes to light. While her former self is entirely self sufficient, it is through the intervention of Akiva that Karou begins to unravel the secrets hidden in her past, and ultimately allowing her to play out her role as Juliet to his Romeo. Far from a tale of woe though, Karou's story is full of hope, of love and ultimately of redemption.

Karou and Akiva's story, however, is just the appetiser for what, in my opinion is the strongest part of Daughter of Smoke and Bone - the story of Madrigal. Where the former is a rather Gothic feeling adventure in Prague, the latter is an extravagant tale of love in the mysterious 'Elsewhere.' Here Madrigal is a beautiful but tough soldier in the Chimera army, destined to break her society's most fundamental rule; to not only save, but fall in love with the enemy. A magical fairytale unfolds, and it is hard not to get pulled into the wonderfully realised world.   

All of this is told in Taylor's unique style that draws the reader in. I must admit though that, at times, Daughter of Smoke and Bone was missing something and that it was the writing and the wonderful characters that kept me reading. The book's last chapter is a prime example of this. I remember closing in on those final pages wondering how things could be wrapped up in time, and eventually reconciling myself with the fact that events would be dragged out in a second book. But that wasn't to be; the novel ends rather harshly and where the rest of Daughter of Smoke and Bone was detailed and engrossing, it was hard not to feel cheated by the ending. After being wooed by the tale of Madrigal and excited by the world of Karou and Akiva I felt that one of the most interesting prospects in the book was taken from the reader, and one of the book's most prominent questions answered quite abruptly.

It is for this reason that I feel Daughter of Smoke and Bone falls just short of being a great book. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it, and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good fantasy love story. This one gets a thumbs up from me but it could have been so much more.

Sunday, April 3, 2016

The Kasari Nexus


The Kasari Nexus
by Richard Phillips
Published: 47North (2016)
                   
The opening instalment of Richard Phillips’ upcoming Kasari Rho Agenda Assimilation series, The Kasari Nexus is a fast-paced political thriller on an intergalactic scale. Stranded on an alien spaceship, countless light-years from Earth, Jennifer Smythe and Raul Rodriguez have only their wits to keep them alive. With no hope of returning home, and a ship in desperate need of repair, their only solace is a small, inhabited planet their ship has targeted as its next destination. But as Scion draws ever nearer all hope of shelter is crushed when scans indicate that the malevolent Kasari Collective already has a foothold on the planet.

Meanwhile, back on Earth, their opposition to proposed intergalactic dealings with the Kasari have made Mark and Heather Smythe enemies of the UFNS. Alongside their security team of Mark Gregory, Janet Price and their son Robby they flee North America intending to reach New Zealand via Lima, Peru. But a crack force of Special Forces, led by Daniil Alkaev is on their tail, and if they’re caught the future of the Earth itself hangs in the balance.

Fast-paced and exciting, The Kasari Nexus is a gripping read. The author’s military background comes to the fore, packing the story with gripping battles that draw the reader in. Of course the nature of science-fiction ensures that not all these battles take place with ‘recognisable’ weapons, but Phillips expertly overcomes this ensuring that the battles on Scion seem just as plausible as those that occur on Earth.

With so much detail going into these encounters, the novel could be forgiven for neglecting character development, but The Kasari Nexus doesn’t fall ito this trap. Each of the characters is well rounded, with their own unique personality that doesn’t falter. Each character reacts to their situation as their personality dictates and this helps engage the reader in the story. I’ve found in the past that some science-fiction neglects this aspect and distances the reader when someone acts out of character.

If I was to have one issue with The Kasari Nexus, and it is a minor problem, it comes in the form of the book’s place in the overall Kasari story. Coming, as it does, after a previous trilogy there has already been a detailed history built up for the characters. So as not to alienate new readers, Phillips occasionally has to refer back to events that have already happened to explain characters’ actions. This unfortunately breaks up the flow of the story from time to time, providing a minor irritant; that aside, I would recommend giving The Kasari Nexus a read. An entertaining read, and a definite thumbs up from me.

Friday, March 25, 2016

The Reader's Dilema

As it turns out I didn't get nearly as much reading as I expected done in Florence. It's such a beautiful, and relaxed city that I couldn't help but get drawn into its cosy little world. Of the two books I did pack, I managed to finish off Cress, the third instalment of The Lunar Chronicles - as enjoyable as its predecessors - and get started on Time and Time Again by Ben Elton. This was a book that I've been wanting to read for a few months and it was well worth the wait. I've finished it off since I got home, and it's one book that I'd highly recommend.


Time and Time Again by Ben Elton

Upon getting home from Florence, I was met with a wonderful surprise. Just before I left for Italy, I purchased my first book from The Folio Society but their 28-day European delivery note meant that I wasn't expecting it to arrive so soon. I've mentioned before in this blog that I am a bit of a collector and this is a collection I'm very interested in investing in - there are already thirteen other Folio Society books on my wishlist, and I'm finding more titles that interest me on a near daily basis. By way of recording it for posterity, the first Folio Society book I purchased was The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick.


Folio Society edition of The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick

Lastly, with my holiday reads finally polished off, I found myself with that wonderful dilema: what to read next. Of course Winter is the obvious choice to finish off The Lunar Chronicles series, but I also need to read Daughter of Smoke and Bones by Laini Taylor for my Science-Fiction & Fantasy book club. I mistakenly thought next Thursday was April 1st, and thus the night of our next meeting, so I got stuck into the book today. Turns out that I've two weeks to read it, and now I've committed to another series before finishing off The Lunar Chronicles. 

Tuesday, March 1, 2016

Choosing Holiday Reads

In just under a fortnight I’ll be spending a week in the historic city of Florence (Italy), which means I’m already thinking about which books I’ll be bringing with me. Of course I won’t be spending the whole time I’m there reading, but I have planned a few activities that allow ample reading time.

Of course netgalley.com has provided me with a tempting title, but The Divine Madness of Philip K. Dick doesn’t seem like the ideal holiday read. I am very interested in the book, after all I am a big science-fiction fan, and the topic of addiction is right down my alley, but it could put a dampener on the trip.

Fantasy is throwing up a few good options as well: I still have to finish off Marissa Meyer’s Lunar Chronicles series. I’ve only read Cinder and Scarlet so far, and my order of Fairest arrived into my local book store earlier this week. Vicious by V.E. Schwab is also high on my reading list. I’ve recently finished A Gathering of Shadows (expect a review later this week) and I’m really in the mood to read more of her books. Finally, thanks to my girlfriend, I’m tempted to delve back into the works of Trudi Canavan and Kate Elliot. So many choices!


Should I steer away from comfort reads, I’ve also been tempted to read Felicia Day’s autobiography You’re Never Weird on the Internet (almost) and Hacker, Hoaxer, Whistle-blower, Spy, a book about Anonymous. So much choice for a guy hoping to pack light.

Tuesday, February 16, 2016

An Unexpected Glimpse into Irish Book Buying Habbits

The fact that I'm operating this blog renders the following statement redundant but, I am an avid reader of books. As such, I regularly pre-order titles that pique my interest ahead of time. This in itself doesn't warrant a post, but in recent weeks something has been happening that caught me by surprise. February has seen a number of books released that are of interest to me, and of course I pre-ordered them all in anticipation.

The first of these books to release was Stars Above, a collection of stories set in Marissa Meyer’s wonderful Lunar Chronicles universe. Upon popping into my local book store to get my pre-order, I received a trade paperback copy of the book, rather than the hardback that I had anticipated. Having already gotten the previous volumes in the series in paperback, this didn't cause me any due concern. However, two further pre-orders that I picked up today were in the same format.

I enquired with the manager of the store, and she informed me that this was something that was becoming more and more common in Ireland (specifically in the Republic.) From what I gathered, Ireland has never been strong on the uptake of hardback editions and as a result the store’s systems, upon receiving a pre-order by title or author, process the request as a paperback rather than as a hardback.


For many this won’t be an issue, trade paperbacks generally price somewhere between mass market paperbacks and hardbacks, offering a more resilient edition than the former, while being lighter, and cheaper than the latter. And as I've stated before, these books were thankfully additions to series’ in which I already owned paperback copies of previous entries. I doubt I would have been quite so happy had this not been the case. 

Friday, February 12, 2016

My SF Masterworks Project

Over the decade encompassing 1999-2009 Victor Gollancz Ltd. published a wonderful, numbered collection of 73 classic Science-Fiction novels as part of their SF Masterworks series. For me this series provided a gateway into the amazing worlds and futures created by the brilliant minds of the genre. It was with no little sadness then, that I learned of the impending discontinuation of the series sometime before Gollancz ceased publication of the series (It would be rebranded in 2010 with different titles and colouring.)

By the time the books began to disappear from bookshops I had collected 53 of the 73 titles available, and had always planned to complete the collection at a future date. Now, with 2016 in its infancy, I’ve decided to follow my dream and collect the remaining books from the SF Masterworks series. Just this week the latest book for my collection arrived after I found a listing for it on eBay. The First Men in the Moon (SF Masterworks #38) by H.G. Wells has become the 54th title to be added to my collection; hopefully it will be followed by others soon enough.




A list of the remaining titles I need;

#09 Gateway by Frederik Pohl
#10 The Rediscovery of Man by Cordwainer Smith
#17 The Drowned World by J.G. Ballard
#24 The Time Machine & The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells
#30 A Case of Conscience by James Blish
#31 The Centauri Device by M. John Harrison
#37 Nova by Samuel R. Delany
#41 Jem by Frederik Pohl
#45 The Complete Roderick by John Sladek
#47 The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells
#49 A Fall of Moondust by Arthur. C. Clarke
#53 The Dancers at the End of Time by Michael Moorcock
#59 Dying Inside by Robert Silverberg
#61 The Child Garden by Geoff Ryman
#64 Tau Zero by Poul Anderson
#66 Life During Wartime by Lucius Shepard
#67 Where the Sweet Birds Sing by Kate Wilhelm
#69 Dark Benediction by Walter M. Miller Jr.
#73 The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick