Comment: Year in Review – Half Way

I’ve read and reviewed 27 books so far this year, which is one for every week more or less. I’m thinking that’s pretty good. I’ve made a list below with a few quotes and links if you’d like to see some of my thoughts on them.

The challenge comes from picking highlights as each is a singular creation and most of them I’ve enjoyed and felt are worth reading.

But if I’m going to have to choose some that I think you should read I’d say these:

Blood Ties –

It’s rare for me to like a traditional fantasy story and the end of this one made me tingle. A great start to a series.

The Gabble -

A short story collection that’s set in the same SF universe but taking different aspects of it. It’s rare for me to read the whole thing through but this was an amazing collection and one that got me hooked on Neal Asher.

This is Not a Game -

Stories don’t usually invade my dreams or leave me with a lingering sense of paranoia but does Williams manage it.

The Chalk Circle Man –

Validation that Indridason  isn’t a one-off and that there is more European-crime-in-translation out there that I enjoy.

The Affinity Bridge -

I can honestly say this was the most compulsive read of the year for me. The characters were intriguing, the plot fun and the setting was amazingly imagined.

I’d also say that you should read Mike Carey’s Felix Castor series from the beginning and The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher. A Madness of Angels will make you see London as a completely different place. Indridason  for his peeling back of a crime. Oh and Nights of Villjamur I could go on and on.

Finally I can’t leave without giving you some books I didn’t enjoy in the slightest just so you know I don’t like everything if nothing else:

You can find quotes and links from all the reviews so far this year below. What are your fave or not so fav reads?

Reviews: January

Starting with my favourite comedy fantasy writer, and is up there with my favourite writer ever Terry Pratchett’s A Hat Full of Sky by Terry Pratchett.

I’d recommend A Hat Full of Sky to anyone that loves intelligent fantasy, likes to see true character development and to anyone that want to see Granny Weatherwax at her best.

But I’d read Wee Free Men first.

Then came The Domino Men by Jonathan Barnes

I’m rather jealous really as I’d love to go to work one day to find out that my entire life has been a lie and that the foundation I’ve build my life on isn’t what it seems and that I’m about to become a hero even if Harry doesn’t realise it at the start.

Blood Rites by Jim Butcher

If I was being completely honest I’d say that Blood Rites doesn’t quite hit the mark feeling more like plot by numbers – with things needing to happen and being driven by those revelations rather than being about the strength of the stories in this episode.

The Angel Maker by Stefan Brijs

I’ll admit that at the end I didn’t like Victor Hoppe but I was compelled to find out what he’s doing and why. There is a need here to finish the exploration that I’d say is down to how Brijs expertly draws the reader in. I’m looking forward to seeing what he has translated next.

Blood Ties by Pamela Freeman (Orbit)

We also get snippets, almost small stories, of the lives of the minor characters, something that could be distracting but somehow it makes everything sharper and enhances the story.

There are wonderful little twists that I’d spoil by saying more but it shows that little seeds are being sown all the time. As with all first books in a trilogy the ending is only the beginning.

Reviews: February

February was a but of a full reading month it seems and it contained some un-reviews

The Act of Roger Ackroyd by Gilbert Adair

As I was saying this should be a poor parody but it’s not. Adair creates a cast of emotive and responsive characters whose lives are touching if a little dated by modern standards. He gives them all a sense of individuality even the servants like Addie and hers ‘squashed little features’.

The Secret War by M. F .Curran

It feels like a very long introduction and I’m struggling to keep going. And as I’m a fickle soul I’m off to seek excitement elsewhere.

The Gabble and Other Stories by Neal Asher (Tor)

The danger of a collection is that there is going to be one or two dubs but I really can’t think of any that fell short of the mark. Each has their own take on the world as well as enhancing and informing each other.

I’m really looking forward to reading more Neal Asher and the Polity Universe.

Twelve by Jasper Kent (Bantam Press)

There is nothing wrong with the descriptions or the writing itself, but for me it just lacks that x-factor that draws me into a story. But if you do like historical novels with a twist you might want to read a few chapters first to see if it pulls you in.

This Is Not A Game by Walter Jon Williams (Orbit)

Williams manages to keep the story moving, twist and turning as Dagmar finds out more about who killed her friend and why. The answer is seems is a little more closer to home than would first appear.

I don’t really have any criticism. I love the small touches like the chapter titles, the way that email and forum entries are seamlessly inserted into the narrative and how scarily Williams blurs the lines so easily.

Hunter’s Moon by David Devereux (Gollancz)

All that isn’t to say that I didn’t enjoy it. I did. It’s action packed and constantly on the go. But like Jack it’s very superficial. An entertaining read but nothing that’s going to get you thinking too much. And certainly something that’s going to give you the wrong impression of a Coven of Witches.

March Reviews:

The Island at the End of the World by Sam Taylor (Faber)

Not everything works however – part does come from my problems with Pa. It’s hard to read a story with a dominating unsympathetic main character. My other problem comes from the way in which Taylor chooses to erode the Island. It isn’t quite believable even with the fable-like quality to the storytelling. Taylor allows too much reality to creep making some of The Island at the End of the World implausible.

The Ninth Circle by Alex Bell (Gollancz)

Saying that I found The Ninth Circle, compelling, descriptive, thoughtful and fully packed. Alex Bell’s debut makes her an author that I’m eager to read more of.

A Madness of Angels by Kate Griffin (Orbit)

Overall though, Kate Griffin’s adult debut (having written for children as Catherine Webb) is a powerful, fresh, imaginative step into Urban Fantasy, and luckily, even though there is a satisfying ending to Matthew Swift’s story of revenge, he’s back in The Midnight Mayor.

The Manual of Detection by Jedediah Berry (William Heinemann)

Overall, I’m glad I’ve read a story that is not only self-contained but has a strong sense of itself and does what it sets out to do. Solve the mystery of Travis Sivart’s disappearance and explain why a lowly filing clerk is the only person who can find him.

April Reviews:

Shadow of the Scorpion by Neal Asher (Tor UK)

Shadow of the Scorpion explores the foundations of Agent Cormac and as such is a great starting point for those new to the Agent Cormac Series or Neal Asher in general. But not that I have a feeling for long-term fans that there are going to be more than one ah-ha moments.

Silence of the Grave by Arnaldur Indridason (Vintage)

Indridason delves into the life of the major and minor characters and gives them the sense of life outside the scenes they are in. This makes for a rounded and emotionally connecting read. Indridason plays with the reader as we move slowly to the discovery the owner of the bones and seeing how they were killed.

I must admit the story of the family is harrowing and distressing and a good reminder how we’re more supported in the present than we have been in the past and that male dominance needs tapering.

Eagle Rising by David Devereux (Gollancz)

Overall Devereux is doing a great job in carving out his niche in an already crowded market. I have to say that it might not be to everyone’s taste. But if you have a strong stomach and you like action over in-depth character development this is for you.

Dead Beat by Jim Butcher (Orbit)

You can hopefully tell that I enjoyed Dead Beat a great deal. I said in my last review that in a series you end up wanting the same but different. Well Dresden gets taken up a notch. The subplot from earlier books about the ongoing war makes a significant leap.

The Chalk Circle Man by Fred Vargas (Harvill Secker)

I have a feeling Adamsberg’s character and his detection-style is going to continue to intrigue and delight. Plus Vargas has a way of storytelling that masks the mystery until the final unveiling and then you think, why didn’t I see that before!

The Thirteen Treasures by Michelle Harrison (SIMON AND SCHUSTER)

There really are too many holes that can be poked here. The story felt like it was progressing by numbers and so long as everything fitted it would work. But it doesn’t, not when you look back over it. There are too many strange choices, interactions, lack of interventions and explanations that would have stopped the story in its tracks.

May Reviews:

Half the Blood of Brooklyn by Charlie Huston (Orbit)

For a novel of 221 pages of mostly dialogue and sparse description it’s denser and more packed than novels of 3 or 4 times its size. Huston has a mastery of dialogue, storytelling and atmosphere that a lot of other writers could learn a lot form when creating lean and crisp prose.

The Semantics of Murder by Aifric Campbell (Serpent’s Tail)

There are plenty of shocking revelations. Both in terms of Aifric’s frankness about Robert’s sexual encounters and Jay’s responses to them to the character of Jay himself. As she exposes more and more it seems that she has reached the last layer only to pull one it away to reveal something darker.

June Reviews:

Nights of Villjamur by Mark Charan Newton (UK Tor)

He’s only two novels into his career (this is his debut with a mainstream publisher) and you can tell that Newton is going to stand out. He’s mindful that he needs to create texture and colour to his characters and give them a reason for moving on the page. He’s also put thought into the environment they inhabit. And he knows the journey he needs to take his characters. All qualities that can only grow with experience and further novels.

Seeking Whom He May Devour by Fred Vargas (Vintage)

When the revelation of whether it’s a man or werewolf or wolf is revealed I for one again fell off the cliff. Now this sounds like Vargas is out to trick the reader and manipulate them. I don’t think she is. There are no dirty tricks here. She does keep you guessing and lulls you into the lives of the main case that you don’t see what else could be happening

Review: Thicker Than Water by Mike Carey (Orbit)

Carey has let the story off the leash in Thicker Than Water – know that he’s established everyone and can pull those strings/connections, he lets it twist and turn, and peels away layers and layers until Felix is exposed. Felix seems to win only to leave this reader close to tears on the final page.

The Affinity Bridge by George Mann (Snowbooks)

Newbury is a gentlemen spy so his nemesis is a gentlemen of sorts. And the cat and mouse game that they play is teasing and fun. You can’t take this tale too seriously though the main characters have strong emotional connections and they have a believable fondness for each other. Mann has given The Affinity Bridge a strong central core and one that can grow and be explored in the next and subsequent books.