The String Diaries by Stephen Lloyd Jones
The string diaries is a debut novel by Stephen Jones spanning back through time to tell the story of one particular family and the monster that has plagued, chased and killed them over the years.
The story begins in the current time where we are introduced to Hannah whilst she drives frantically to a safehouse out at the foot of Snowdonia. She’s frantic because she doesn’t know if her safety, or the bolthole she’s heading for, has been compromised and because asleep in the back of the car is her daughter Leah and travelling in the front, seriously injured, her husband Nate. For over a hundred years Leah’s family have been at the mercy of a man called Jakab. A man blessed with long life. One of the Hosszu Eletek, a small and insular group of people, whispered about and eventually becoming a story of folklore. Jakab is Hungarian but runs away from his family after a courting ritual ends in humiliation. Disowned by his own family and hunted by his own kind Jakab’s story is related to us as we jump backwards and forwards in time. Basically the story is a story of survival for Hannah’s family and a story of obsession for Jakab. A game of cat and mouse takes place between the two. I guess you could call this a thriller, the final chapters definitely jump into a little bit of horror and obviously there are the historical and folklore elements to the tale. I did enjoy this, it kept me absorbed but I definitely had niggles and I can’t say that I loved it although I would pick up a follow up novel.
The story jumps between different timelines going back to approx 1870 to look at Jakabs origins, then jumping to the 1970s where we look at Hannah’s parents and then to the here and now as we watch Hannah trying to keep ahead of the monster. These aren’t the only stories but are the main ones. I enjoyed this aspect of the story telling. I like jumping between different timelines. There was no confusion involved and the different threads were easy to follow, I think the main issue that readers usually have with this style of writing is being pulled out of the storyline they’re currently reading, just as it reaches a critical point, to start another part of the story. But, I wouldn’t say this was a problem. All of the stories are, to be honest, quite interesting and the style gradually pieces together the history of both Jakab and Hannah’s family.
The settings are quite well described. I particularly enjoyed jumping back in time to the 1870s although I could have frankly used a little more time in that era. If you’re looking for lots of historical detail then you probably won’t find it here, for example the style of language doesn’t change at all but I think that makes it easier to read.
The main characters and Jakab and Hannah. The others are only very briefly sketched and add little to the story, particularly Nate (Hannah’s husband). Jakab is basically an out and out maniac! On top of this, and why others are so disadvantaged, is Jakab can shapeshift and insinuate himself into other people’s lives by effectively looking exactly like their nearest and dearest. I did like this idea – it’s pretty chilling to think of somebody actually spending time with you who might not be who you think!! Creepy at all!
Now, to my little niggles. I struggled a little bit coming to terms with Jakab’s character. I think we perhaps needed to spend more time with him when he was younger as I really didn’t get a feel for why he became such a horrible character. I also didn’t really buy into the one love of his life and the ultimate reason why he basically spends the next century stalking and terrorising this particular family. I understand that he’s a bit ‘not right’ but it did feel like a leap of faith – or maybe a bit rushed – when his ‘bad’ person came charging to the fore. I also, was puzzled about the Hosszu Eletek themselves and wanted a bit more background into their origins.
I thought Hannah sometimes behaved in odd ways. One particular example of this is when she takes time out to go on a horseride with her daughter and a man who is virtually a stranger, whilst leaving her husband behind almost on his deathbed. Sorry, but that part didn’t sit well for me, it just didn’t feel real. There are also other moments with Hannah that also grated on me a little bit but I’ll leave it there. Also, as the story progresses we have another group of people brought into the story. A third element. A group of people who have spent their time hunting and destroying the Hosszu Eletek. To be honest I didn’t think this particular element brought much to the story. I think the cat and mouse chase was enough or at least it was for me. I guess my main problem though was with Hannah and Jakab and a certain lack of motivation coupled with a lack of passion. I thought the story got off to a good start and you could feel the tension but as it progressed the tension dissipated somewhat. I didn’t really feel scared or anxious. I didn’t feel like Hannah always behaved the way I think you would under such circumstances and I wanted to feel more convinced of Jakab’s actions.
So, criticisms aside, and these probably seem harsher than I really intended. I did enjoy this story and thought it was a very promising debut.
I received a copy of this from the publisher through Netgalley – for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.
Book covers – If it’s not broke, don’t fix it!
This week over at The Broke and the Bookish the topic is:
Ten Book Cover Trends (or likes or dislikes)
I tend to focus on Fantasy for this regular Tuesday spot and this week I’ve picked covers with, let’s just say, a similar style and one that is a fairly recurring theme on fantasy covers. However, I will say, this is not a criticism, I like all of the covers below, the content of all of these books was excellent and I highly recommend (except for three which I haven’t read yet but are waiting on my tbr) and, on top of that, in spite of the fact that they may be similar in terms of using the ‘hooded figure’ I would undoubtedly be drawn to them again and again on the shelf. I guess there’s an argument for coming up with something different and I do love spectacular covers but that being said I would always be drawn to this type of cover and the list of books below is a perfect example of that fact. Plus, I think I could probably pick any number of different book genres and come up with 10 such books with a recurring cover theme. Don’t know whether that makes it right or not and frankly my dear I don’t give a damn. Simply put, I’m not going to get into an argument about the pros and cons of using a certain cover style but it seems that readers of certain genres are drawn to certain covers! Or, at least I am.
- The Printed Man by Peter Brett
- Seven Forges by James a Moore
- Assassin’s Apprentice by Robin Hobb
- Prince of Thorns by Mark Lawrence
- Thief’s Magic by Trudi Canavan
- The Lascar’s Dagger by Glenda Larke
- Three by Jay Posey
- The Black Prism by Brent Weeks
- A Dance of Cloaks by David Dalglish
- The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
The Shadow Master by Craig Cormick
Just finished reading The Shadow Master by Craig Cormick. I must confess that I’ve come away from this book feeling utterly puzzled. And not really in a positive way to be honest! However, let’s not get ahead of ourselves.
This book has got such a great premise. Set in an alternative Italy, historical in nature and revolving around two families at war and a pair of star crossed lovers – sound familiar at all? Yes, the main pair are clearly based on Romeo and Juliet. The plot has strange magical devices and throws into the mix Leonardo and Gallileo – two great inventors who work not only on their scientific creations but on keeping peace between the opposing families. On top of this we have a strange fanatical religious sect and a world rife with the plague.
The Medici and Lorraine family run the show. The spices they import help to keep the plague at bay for the inhabitants of this walled city. But both of the families seek ultimate control over the other and their rivalry turns to war after one of the Medici brothers is killed by assassins. Obviously the Lorraines are the chief suspects and so begins a game of maneuvering with a third party, the Shadow Master, contriving to play his own game whilst sitting at the centre of everything pulling everyone’s strings and directing the course of events like a spider sat in the middle of a web. Now on top of that we have the unfortunate lovers – not really destined to be together when their families are at war or maybe they’re exactly what’s needed to save everyone!
There is just so much to like about this book. Such a lot going on. It’s certainly a fast read and don’t even get me started about covers. So why didn’t I love this book? The thing is I very rarely write negative reviews because I don’t often finish a book if I’m not enjoying it so in that respect this book did hold me to the pages until the very end – which is a positive! I think the things that prevented me from enjoying this book were. The romance didn’t work for me. I wasn’t convinced by the love the two characters felt in fact it was like being told they’re passionate but not really being shown on the page. On top of that, the love making scenes were simply bizarre. I can’t really explain it any better without giving away spoilers but some of the terminology just made my eyes pop or made me cringe a little. The strange thing is I have a horrible feeling that I’m simply missing something and that the constant reference to metaphors and the use of such odd descriptions should mean something more to me but frankly they don’t and they didn’t. I just can’t help feeling that I’m missing something fundamental or maybe that certain elements were meant to inject humour but it didn’t quite work out for me in that way – that’s the thing with humour though the same thing won’t appeal to everyone. It also felt a little like there was just too much going on. Now, this certainly adds to the entertainment value and keeps you a bit on pins and wanting to read on to solve the mystery but it also detracts a little bit from the world building and the characterisation. I think on reflection there wasn’t a single character in this book that I actually engaged with or really cared for. Nor did I actively dislike any – even the crazy baddies! On top of that I’ve finished the book and I really can’t put my finger on what has actually happened or why. I’m sure there’s a next in series and maybe it will all become clear at that point but for now I don’t understand so much of what took place and the conclusion of the story didn’t help with this. I mean, what was the significance of what was going on beneath the city in the labyrinthe of tunnels? Other than to add a horror element to the story?
I give in – I just felt a lot of things didn’t work for me personally so whilst I was desperately reading on trying to find out what was happening I don’t feel I ever reached any sort of conclusions. Now, like I said, the next in the book could solve all of that but that won’t be a book for me I fear. I just didn’t really feel this gelled for me but it could work for you and I would certainly be interested in having some light shed upon the events here.
Thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book. The above is my own opinion.
Tough Travel through fantasy..
Each Thursday the Fantasy Review Barn takes us travelling through fantasy tropes. This week’s instalment looks at:
‘MENTOR. A tour official who will be at your service until halfway through the tour, when you will unexpectedly lose him‘
Well, I confess that I so wanted to throw Dumbledore and Gandalf into the mix here but as I seem to have either Harry Potter and LoTR virtually EVERY week I’m leaving them out!
Delauney – mentor to Phedre
Kushiel’s Dart is the first in Jacqueline Carey’s Kushiel’s Legacy Series. Based in Terre D’Ange, a nation founded by a rebel Angel called Elua, and his companions. An unusual concept where the inhabitants are the descendents of fallen angels. Kushiel’s Dart follows the story of Phedre whose beauty is marred by a red mote in one of her eyes. She is sold into the House of Night where a wealthy benefactor recognises her for what she truly is. An assignette – one of the only ones borne for many years – marking her as somebody who likes both pain and pleasure and turning her into one of the most sought after courtesans. Her mentor Delauney however has more ambitious plans for Phedre than simply pleasing the nobles whilst between the sheets!
Chains – and the Gentlemen Bastards
The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch. Chains is a great character. He teaches his little band the art of subtlety, how to blend in with a crowd, how to spot a mark, how to speak multiple languages, cook, read and fight with their weapon of choice. His charges are experts in the art of disguise and deception. They play the long game and entertain with their snarky humour and bad language!
Jasnah and Shallan 
Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson. Jasnah is sister to the Alethi King. She is a great scholar and also something of a renegede – refusing to believe in religion and preferring cold hard facts. Shallan becomes Jasnah’s apprentice after hatching a plot to actually steal from her but her plans don’t go according to plan. The two of them share a lot in common and Jasnah begins to train Shallan in more than the ways of a scholar.
Kelsier and Vin
Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson. Vin starts off the series as one of the lowliest members of a street gang who is recruited by the underground movement gathering force to overthrow the Lord Ruler. Kelsier is something of a legend. One of the Skaa who has escaped from prison and discovered his mistborn powers. He undertakes to train Vin in the use of her own magical abilities in order to persuade her to join the movement.
Abenthy and Kvothe
The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss. Kvothe is the young son of a couple who travel as part of a performing troupe. During the course of their travels they are joined by a scholar named Abenthy who befriends the young boy and once he discovers his mental abilities teaches Kvothe in the ways of science and ‘sympathy’. This is to be the inspiration for Kvothe wanting to join the University (well that and his desire to gain access to the archives and learn more about the monsters who killed his parents!)
Granny Weatherwax and Tiffany
The Tiffany Aching series of books from Terry Pratchett’s Discworld. Granny Weatherwax is the ‘first’ witch amongst all the other witches and whilst Tiffany is trained and lives with other witches during the series I would say that Granny Weatherwax is the most inspiratiional.
The Blasted Lands by James A Moore
18 June 2014
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: James A Moore, Seven Forges series No.2, The Blasted Lands
The Blasted Lands is the second book in the Seven Forges series written by James a Moore. My review of The Seven Forges is here. Now, if you haven’t read No.1 in the series you should be warned that this review will undoubtedly contain spoilers for that book! Be warned. The first book in the series got off to a really good start. I had a few niggles and I can’t say I was in love with the cliffhanger ending – given the waiting time to find out what was going to happen next – but, the wait was worth it. This book builds very effectively on the first in the series and does not suffer at all from ‘second book’ syndrome. On the contrary, the world building was much improved. The characters more developed. And, some of the intrigue given explanation.
In the last book we were made familiar with the Empire of Fellein and it’s people and Emperor. At the same time a band of characters travelled the Blasted Lands in pursuit of knowledge of the Seven Forges where they met a race of previously unknown people – the Sa’ba Taalor. I’m not going to recap all of the previous story – just suffice to say it ended with the Empire and the people of the Seven Forges looking set to go to war. A quick recap of characters – Desh (The Magician), Merros (a soldier – now made General), the sisters (magical assistants to Desh), Tega (magical apprentice to Desh), Andover, (from the Fellein empire – lost both of his hands in an attack and received a strange gift from one of the Gods of the Seven Forges), Tusk – a king of the Sa’ba Taalor.
The Blasted Lands continues with Andover’s journey, as an ambassador of Fellein to the Seven Forges where he will meet not only the people but the Gods they worship. He’s going to face trials and hardship along the way and in doing so will introduce us to this strange race of people who are so devoted to the serving of their Gods that they literally have no fear of death itself. This is a really interesting race of people. Their way of life is simple. They live by fairly strict codes. They answer to their Gods implicitly, some serving only one whilst others serve a number. I’m still not quite sure what to make of Andover. In one respect I’m hoping that he will be an intermediary between the two races but on the other he seems so overwhelmed by the way in which the Sa’ba Taalor have accepted him amongst their people that it seems quite possible that he could be used by them in some way and simply go along with things in order to feel part of something. I confess even after finishing the book I’m still unsure as to what his eventual purpose will be but the journey he has made so far has certainly been fascinating and held a number of revelations – not least of which uncovering the reason why the Sa’ba Taalor hide their faces behind a veil. I won’t say more!
Back in Fellein Merros, Desh and the new Empress (Nachia, cousin to the murdered Emperor) are making preparations for war – not easy with a nation that has gone soft of course and impeded by rumours of black ships attacking other parts of the empire and strange foretellings of doom by the ‘sooths’. Not to mention attacks by strange monsters that seem to be the result of necromancy.
The Sa’ba Taalor are not of course standing idle. They are making their own plans and what is intriguing is that they all go about separate missions, directed by whichever God or Gods they serve and yet their ultimate purpose seems to serve the same goal. This is a ruthless set of people, cold blooded, unafraid, frankly quite scary and tough as old boots – not to mention they’ve got a few tricks up their sleeves when it comes to tackling any wounds they receive during the course of any skirmishes they encounter and a few ways of blending into a group or crowd of people unnoticed. There is also a bigger picture here that is revealed at the end of the book and uncovers a little bit more background – only a little, almost a teaser, but still quite a light bulb moment.
I enjoyed the first book in the series but without doubt thought this was better. In fact I really had no quibbles at all. I suppose you could argue there maybe isn’t as much action in this instalment but in spite of that it’s still a fast paced novel and the world building and time spent with each character definitely adds extra value.
I received a copy of this from the publisher through Net Galley. The above is my own opinion.
I’m submitting this for my Once Upon a Time event under the heading of ‘fantasy’. Stop over to Stainless Steel Droppings to check out this event.
Books and travelling with Lynn 