If you like ‘??’ (insert your favourite reading material) you’ll love this!
9 March 2015
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: If you love x you'll love ...., The Broke and the Bookish, Top Ten Tuesday
This week over at the Broke and Bookish the topic for Top Ten Tuesday is:
‘Top Ten books for readers who like????‘
Okay, yes of course I’m going to stick with fantasy – but I’m going to cover lots of different genres just to demonstrate how very flexible and all encompassing fantasy really is (some of these may be a bit tongue in cheek):
- Classical – Lord of the Rings by JRRTolkien – I had to go there.
- Horror – Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer – creepy as hell. You will need a cushion to cover your eyes. In fact, don’t read at night – particularly if you’re sat downstairs with a large picture window at your back and the curtains open – you’ll be scared to turn around! I actually tried it just so you wouldn’t have to.
- Murder/Mystery – The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher. private detective (and occasional magician) working out of Chicago with a trusty sidekick (good cop/bad cop) called Bob.
- Political intrigue – The Mechanical by Ian Tregillis – spies and espionage, nay, double agents, coupled with steampunk aplenty.
- Chick Lit – bit of a stretch here so stay with me – The Parasol Protectorate by Gail Carriger. Look, it’s a period drama with lots of attention on bonnets and parasols so that’s all I have. I like this series, it feels like a steampunk updated version of Austen (ahem) – it could be….okay, there’s also a rather dishy werewolf.
- Historical – The Iron Age by Angus Watson, the clue’s in the title!!
- Children – The Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman – great crossover series that can be read by children and adults alike.
- Adventure – The Copper Promise by Jen williams – swamped with derring do! There are also dragons – I don’t really know how much more adventure you want – but, okay, war, an army of green, sharp teethed warrior women and, well, lots of other bloody cool stuff.
- Food and Drink – again, work with me here – Scott Lynch’s Gentleman Bastard Series – we’re talking about some serious world building here complete with some rather delicious sounding food and some rather tasty beverages – I’m not kidding – I actually tried to make some of these – I recommend the Ginger Scald!
- Comics and Graphic novels – the Sandman Series by Neil Gaiman – Morpheus, that is all.
Inspector of the Dead by David Morrell
9 March 2015
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: David Morrell, Inspector of the Dead, Murder/Mystery, Thomas DeQuincey series
Just finished reading Inspector of the Dead. I did get off to a bit of shaky start with this before I managed to get fully immersed but then it did hold my attention most successfully.
Set during the reign of Queen Victoria Inspector of the Dead is a crime/mystery story with a protagonist consumed with the desire for vengeance. The story is set during the Crimean War with many of the events, dates and places being based on real events.
The story gets off to a pretty immediate start with the death of a lady from the upper echelons of polite society – murdered in cold blood and apparently in full view of everyone attending Church! From there onwards the murder of society’s most prominent figures seems to spiral upwards and each death seems to deliver a grim message.
I’m not clear as to why this was a slow starter for me – it certainly wasn’t due to the lack of action or pacing. Maybe there was just too much going on and the police and others seemed to be running around like headless chickens – on reflection I think that was a very cunning ploy by the author to instil in the reader the same feelings of chaos and mayhem that the murderer was instilling in the people of London. At the time though I confess I was getting slightly irritated for some inexplicable reason.
Anyway, clearly I got over the feeling, as one minute I was considering not reading and the next I found myself nicely on the hook and turning the pages pdq.
As I mentioned above the main thrust of the story revolves around the desire for revenge. The victims start to deliver a picture of intent and it isn’t long before it becomes clear to those in authority that the Queen will be the final target.
Apparently this is the second book in the Thomas DeQuincey series – I haven’t read the first but I don’t think this was detrimental at all as the author has a pleasing style and the characters and place are easily conjured and each book is self contained.
The main character of course is DeQuincey. DeQuincey was notorious during the Victorian era – not only for writing a number of successful and revealing books but also for his prolific consumption of opium – for which he became known as ‘the opium eater’. Whether this habit gives him an increased clarity of mind or whether it simply increases his imagination is debatable by society but nobody can deny that he has a knack for looking at things in a logical fashion and cutting to the heart of the matter. The other characters are DeQ’s daughter Emily and two of Scotland Yard’s finest in Ryan and Becker. There are other characters on the outskirts but these are the main focus – along with the killer of course.
I can see that this would be an enjoyable series to read, just to read a standalone in a series is never as satisfying as reading from the beginning and picking up important details about the character and watch them develop and expand as you read is part of the enjoyment of a series. In that respect I would definitely continue with DeQuincey to see what comes next. I liked Emily – she knows her own mind and she’s not afraid to follow her own instincts even if that singles her out from the norm.
This book has a good pace, there are plenty of random little facts thrown in for good measure and a good build up of tension.
In terms of criticisms – well, I think it misses a trick in terms of using the Victorian era to better effect. It’s one of those periods in time that can have such a dark and creepy feel, Slums, dark alleys, pea soup fog, footsteps echoing behind a person – I didn’t quite get the spook factor that I would have liked in that respect although there was one particular scene where the murderer has literally closeted himself inside somebody’s house which was a bit chilling to say the least and definitely shone the spotlight on the murderer in all his incandescent rage! I was practically shouting at the book ‘run, get out’, ‘fly you fools’!!
All in all, after not the best start, I enjoyed this. It had that wonderful, over the top detective type feel that you would probably enjoy if reading a Sherlock Holmes story – where the baddies are just delightfully ‘bad’ and seem to be able to accomplish anything. Plus, I hand it to DM – i didn’t figure out the identify of the murderer – well, until about two seconds before the author decided to reveal it!
If you fancy a good murder/detective story with a crazy madman bent on destruction then I would recommend this.
I received a copy of this through the publishers courtesy of Netgalley for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.
Three Parts Dead by Max Gladstone, readalong part 1
8 March 2015
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Max Gladstone, Readalong week one, Three Parts Dead
And we’re off. It’s the first week of our readalong for Max Gladstone’s Three Part Dead. Firstly, if you haven’t already read the book the Q&A below will be rife with spoilers so you might want to step away now! The schedule and other participants are here and if you want to join in feel free to do so. We’ve only read the first 100 or so pages so far so easy to catch up. If you haven’t read the book – we get off to a great start as Tara graduates and is simultaneously thrown out of school. She almost immediately becomes caught up with Kelethres, Albrecht, and Ao, a mysterious firm (so far) whose employees seem to use the Craft. The craft is a magic system and the users so far seem to particularly focus on necromancy. We’re also introduced to Abelard who’s basically been having a bad time – being a devotee and priest of the God Kos who has basically just died! Yeah, that’s right – but, did he die or was there foul play?? Anyway, to the questions:
1. Max Gladstone isn’t holding any hands here, we’re dropped straight into the world (which is a bit ironic given the start – but I’ll get to that) and expected to pick up and run with it. Are you enjoying the style and, more to the point, what ‘reveals’ have been the most surprising for you so far??
I’m really enjoying Gladstone’s approach to be honest, I actually enjoy reading a book where the world building and history are revealed as we go along so this is working really well for me. It also helps to give the story a very good pace as it isn’t bogged down with annoying info dumps. I can’t say I really have a good feel for the world itself yet but we’re only a third in so plenty of time. It’s a strange mixed up place though. Vampires – didn’t see that coming at all and you have to hand it to MG for getting the jaw dropping wow factor – wtf with the whole face removal thing!! I mean, firstly, we have a stone man/gargoyle and then we have a crazy assed bit of magic that results in a face being removed from a body and, well, never mind, but take my word for it – it’s a bit mind boggling. Okay, I’ve not described that very well but that’s basically because I’m still in the shock zone. I think that was one of the weirdest things, ever!
2. At the start of the book Tara graduates and is cast out of school (literally from a great height) simultaneously – any ideas about why that might be?
I’m really curious about why she was thrown out. I’m assuming this isn’t a ‘last test’ type of scenario to see whether or not you’ll survive although i suppose it could be – seems a bit harsh though. Tara does seem like a confident sort and also quite resourceful, she’s also not averse to a bit of creative crafting from what we’ve seen so far so I’m wondering if she veered from the straight and narrow somehow? We’ve already found out that Elayne Kevarian has taken a bit of a risk in taking her on and that this is only a temporary arrangement pending how successful she is.
3. I’m always interested in the magical systems and how they work and the one here seems to almost be a ‘payback’ type of affair. What are your thoughts about the magical system so far, we do have a dead deity after all, not to mention it appears that regular everyday people can access magic as well as deities. Discuss please (if only to enlighten my tiny brain!)
I’m still a bit all over the place with the magical system. We have the Gods who presumably derive their power through the belief system. They’re much more apparent than your normal deity types. For example, Kos, being the Fire God, his power seems to underpin the whole working of the City Alt Coulomb and that’s what makes his death such a disaster as quite literally the City will pretty soon descend into chaos. On the opposite side of the coin we have people who can use the craft – this seems to be soul magic?? That’s about the best description I can come up with so far and I’m definitely interested in reading everyone else’s thoughts on the magic system.
4. We’re only a third in but how are you feeling towards the characters so far. are you developing any favourites already, any sneaky suspicions of any of the characters or are you loving them all?
I like Tara so far, she’s a cool character for sure and not afraid to take risks – or at least she might be afraid but she just gets over it and gets on with what needs doing. I don’t feel like I’ve really seen enough of Elayne to really make a judgement about how she’ll really turn out although I did like her for coming clean with Tara about her job being reliant on how she undertakes this first job. I’m really enjoying the character of Abelard though. He just makes me smile for some reason – he comes across as a bit beleaguered and being dragged into this whole thing reluctantly. It was interesting to see when he changed into his different togs to go out on the town and find some more help – clearly he doesn’t spend all his time practising being saintly!
Other posts this week:
The Mechanical by Ian Tregillis
Just finished reading The Mechanical by Ian Tregillis and what a great story this is. I really enjoyed it, a strange combination of alternate history, steampunk and conflict – in more ways than one – that packs an emotional punch for most of the journey.
I’m not going to say this was a quick read because it isn’t. The style of writing and depth of detail coupled with the ideas and name places do mean you have to give this your whole attention. Or at least I found so. But that’s not a criticism. I loved the world displayed on the pages here and I was entranced almost immediately by the plight of the Clakkers.
At the heart of the story is the war between the all powerful Netherlands who, using the Clakkers that they invented approximately 200 years ago, have risen to supremacy and the French and their King in exile who, having barely survived the last conflict, spend their time trying to find a way to thwart any future attacks.
Thanks to an inventor called Huygens the Netherlands possess the know-how to make Clakkers. Mechanical, thinking and talking machines, much stronger and faster than humans, brought to life through a combination of chemicals and alchemy and controlled by ‘geas’ that make it impossible for them to act on impulse and in actual fact cause them increasing pain if they disobey a direct order. The Guild who create the Clakkers closely guard their inner workings but unfortunately, every now and again, one of the Clakkers seems to break free of the restraints imposed and turn ‘rogue’. And this is how the story starts – with a public execution of not only traitors to the Brasswork Throne but a Clakker who has broken free from his obligations. It’s a great opening. It keeps you hooked with suspense and immediately demonstrates that whilst these automatons are mechanically made objects – they do have the ability to think independently and are far from the simple machines without feelings that the Guild would have everyone believe.
At the start of the story, a precarious ceasefire has been agreed but it balances on a knife edge and rests on the French obeying the terms and conditions to the letter. Of course, both sides are infiltrated by spies and double agents. The Netherlands trying to protect their secrets and the French trying desperately to find out what makes the Clakkers tick before any more attacks come their way.
The story alternates around three main protagonists – Jax, a Clakker whose inner thoughts we become privvy to, Berenice, the spymaster general to King Louis and Father Visser who is in fact an undercover Catholic priest. Their lives will become inextricably linked especially when Visser sets Jax on a mission which has a dramatic impact on both their lives and could potentially create the spark to start a whole new war.
What I found really impressive with this book is the way the author makes you care about all three of these characters. I mean Jax is a mechanical and yet I just loved his character and really cared about him. Similarly Berenice – talk about your creative cursing – she gets put through the wringer for sure but still comes out kicking and fighting. Visser – well, the least said here the better. I could barely read what he went through.
This is certainly an incredibly clever, complex and layered book and I’m sure that everyone who reads it will take away their own interpretation which is something that I really admire. I will mention that the author doesn’t shy away from the more violent aspects of the story. He simply tells it the way it is warts and all – and there are a few stomach turning scenes where blood and guts take a messy centre stage. But, it’s not gratuitous simply realistic and a fairly honest look at the damage that a strong automaton could wreak on what are, comparatively speaking, fragile humans. Is that an argument for imposing geas on the Clakkers – some seem to think so and yet the majority of the violence caused during the story is as a result of human interference.
Very thought provoking. A gripping and enjoyable read with an ending that left me wanting to know when the next book comes out!
I received a copy of this from the publishers courtesy of Netgalley for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.
And in other news…..
6 March 2015
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Events, Killer Crime Festival 2015, Killer Reads, Maria Snyder, Mark Lawrence
This is a quick round up of a number of things that are ‘out there’ that you might or might not be interested in.
Firstly, Mark Lawrence has arranged this.… and I’m taking part. Yay and Eek all in one – so, Yeek! Lots of other excellent posts out there about this event including:
Fantasy Faction, bookworm blues, Beauty in Ruins – okay that’s enough!! I won’t list them all
Bit late this but: HarperCollins Publishers and Waterstones launch the Killer Crime Festival 2015; the only combined virtual and traditional literary festival in the UK.
If you want to sign up for a virtual free ticket look here: and if you’re tweeting about general crime in general during the event use: #KillerFest15.
On top of this : Killer Reads is inviting submissions from across the crime genre, ranging from police procedurals to psychological thrillers, to high-concept thrillers and beyond. From 13th March Writers can submit their full manuscript, a synopsis of their novel and an author biography, by emailing: killerreadssubs@harpercollins.co.uk from 13th March and the inbox will remain active to 19th April – so if you’ve got a manuscript fitting this criteria, plus (all entered novels must be complete, written in English and at least 70,000 words long. For full terms and conditions please visit www.killerreads.com) Don’t hesitate – get your manuscript in!!!
Just in case you wanted to know – spreading the word etc etc
Also, for the UK folks, I understand that the lovely Maria V Snyder will shortly be taking a tour of the UK – I’ll certainly be looking out for her dates and venues and will keep you posted and if you would like to reciprocate – then thank you kindly!
That is all for me. I have a good book and a glass of wine and I’m not afraid to partake of either.
Have a lovely weekend.
Books and travelling with Lynn 