Mark Reece's Blog, page 5

Review- 'A wild sheep chase'.

A Wild Sheep Chase by Haruki Murakami

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


A highly enjoyable book, 'A wild sheep chase' has several dramatic tonal changes that make it hard to categorize. The central plot point concerns the protagonist searching for a sheep after being threatened by a well connected industrialist, although the narrative focus shifts dramatically at points, as befitting the surreal nature of the story.

At some points, the various plot elements didn't quite cohere, meaning that characters filled in the story with exposition. However, putting that aside, there were some moments of outstanding prose, such as this:

"By the time the limousine reached its destination, a pale lavender dusk had spread over the city. A brisk wind blew between the buildings bearing tidings of summer's end, rustling the skirts of women on their way home from work".

The beauty of the prose cut through any confused plot points, making this author someone I want to read more of.



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Review- Out of the abyss

Out of the Abyss by Steve Kenson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This D&D adventure book is set in the Underdark, with the first section setting up a scenario in which the players are slaves of the drow (dark elves), struggling to survive. The second section details the characters' adventures after they have escaped, when they are facing ever more dangerous foes and are becoming heroic figures.

The story is well written, featuring numerous characters who break out of the generic nature of their species, and a variety of interestingly described societies, riven by conflicts with real world parallels, albeit with fantasy twists.

The book also contains numerous random encounters and other ephemera that help to turn the adventure into a well rounded story. I look forward to playing this campaign.



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Review- Station Eleven

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This elegant and melancholy book combines two central plot points: firstly, a possibly washed up actor, Arthur Leander, dying on stage, and secondly, a 'Georgian virus' spreading throughout the world, killing most of the population and ending organized civilization. The two plots are connected both by common characters, and also by tone and theme.

Despite his fame, Leander's life seems bereft in many ways- his third marriage has just ended, and his latest wife has taken their son to live in Israel. He doesn't seem to be getting much satisfaction from his work, and people around him often wonder if he is acting when he talks to them. He is also still affectionate to his first wife, Miranda, who worked on a comic called station eleven for years when they were together, although when they divorced, she decided to go into business to maintain her independence.

Both parts of the story are skillfully written, with the interplay between them creating interesting questions. Given the nature of Arthur's fears about his occupation, there is sometimes a sense that the plague has created a world in which 'phoniness' is no longer possible after all the horror the characters have witnessed. Station Eleven (the comic) has become curiously popular in the new world, perhaps reflecting that it was a genuine artwork, written by Miranda as a passion project, in contrast to Arthur's more questionable motives.

The post apocalyptic world contains the 'travelling symphony'- a group of actors and musicians performing Shakespeare as they move from settlement to settlement. Like Miranda, their art is born out of commitment, something that the pandemic makes all the more striking.

Another character, Jeevan, also gains purpose in his life despite the horror around him. Before the pandemic, he was a paparazzi then a celebrity journalist before retraining as a paramedic, learning skills that serve him well after he rebuilds his life in the new world.

The novel has an elegiac tone, with many of the characters' actions being described alongside how and when they died during the pandemic. This means that despite the world altering nature of the narrative, there is a quiet reflectiveness to the prose that makes it both memorable and often touching.



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Review- The Conan Chronicles volume 1

The Conan Chronicles: Volume 1: The People of the Black Circle by Robert E. Howard

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


The Conan Chronicles is a book that is often enjoyable to read despite being poorly written. Admittedly, the stories were not intended to form part of a collection; nevertheless, it is striking how repetitive the descriptive language is. Conan has smoldering blue eyes, and moves like a panther or wolf; this is repeated every few pages. Much of the characterization is also very weak. Every woman in this world, regardless of their circumstances, is waiting for Conan to arrive, where they clutch his strong arms and he 'carries them as easily as a child'. There was often a Mills and Boon feel to the romances.

There is also a strain of race science thinking that permeates the stories in a way that is striking now that that way of thinking is no longer prevalent. The author often refers to the fantasy peoples in the story as 'ape like', and gives florid descriptions of racial degeneration in a way that often becomes intrusive.

All of that being said, the stories are fast paced and have a folksy charm. The world is mysterious enough for Conan's adventures to hold an interest, despite his limitations as a character. In fact, I thought the best stories were those where he had a marginal presence. For example, in 'The God in the bowl', Conan is a murder suspect and does little other than grunt while the investigation is taking place. That story worked well because Conan has little inner life and little in the way of interesting motivation. However, as a plot device, he is often entertaining, particularly where powerful people try to use him to their advantage, only to become unstuck when he fights his way out of the traps set for him.

Although there was no obvious chronology within the stories, they were themed around his earlier life as an adventurer. I'm interested to see whether there is any development of the character in the latter stories, where, it is heavily hinted, he becomes a king.



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Review- The Sleeping Beauty ballet

I recently saw The Sleeping Beauty, performed by The Birmingham Royal Ballet (BRB) at The Hippodrome in Birmingham, and the performance was amongst the best I've watched.

Although the BRB always has good choreography, the sets and costumes in this show were outstanding. The dresses worn by the aristocrats in the Christening and wedding sequences formed the backdrop of some wonderful set pieces by the fairies, and there were some great dramatic moments, such as the entrance of Carabosse on her carriage. The gold glitter at the end of the wedding, which sparkled as it sprinkled across the stage, was also memorable.

The only slight disappointment is that this is the only classical ballet to be performed by the BRB before The Nutcracker at Christmas. Although the contemporary performances are good, I hope their frequency does not come at the cost of the traditional shows.

Review- Dungeon Master's Guide

Dungeon Master's Guide by Mike Mearls

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


The Dungeon Master's Guide serves as both a game book, setting out various mechanics, spells, and items for D&D, and also a manual for running the game, and is successful in both areas. As a game book, I found it better written than other D&D guides, with clearer, more concise prose. As a guide for running the game, the Dungeon Master's guide offered similar advice to that one would find in many general writing guides, and also some sections on how to practically play the game, including (for example), the extent to which dice roles should be used, and how to manage the role playing aspects of the game.

This was a welcome addition to the series of books aimed to introduce players to the game.



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Review- 'The gates of the feral gods'.

The Gate of the Feral Gods by Matt Dinniman

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


In this fourth book of the dungeon crawler Carl series, the eponymous hero is now one of the most powerful 'crawlers' in the RPG world created by aliens who invaded earth and killed most of its inhabitants. His relationship with his cat Princess Donut is central to the story, and also provides much of the comic relief.

The book has the curious character of being enjoyable despite being not particularly well written. Several of the descriptive passages were hard to follow, meaning that I wasn't entirely sure what was happening during some of the action sequences. Furthermore, the characterization too often relies on catch phrases; even given the nature of the survival situation in which the protagonists find themselves, their thoughts often seem shallow.

Nevertheless, the series remains compelling through a combination of the strong pacing, the humour, and its commitment to the absurdist premise. Furthermore, this entry of the series developed the meta plot in a more comprehensive way than the earlier books, with the financial and other interests of the aliens manipulating the game being effectively interwoven with other plot strands. This makes the book, and the series, much more interesting, adding as it does an additional layer of significance to the action.

I'm definitely committed to continuing with the series.



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Review- the lion the witch and the wardrobe at the REP, Birmingham

I recently watched the lion the witch and the wardrobe at the Birmingham REP, and it was a lot of fun. It got off to a strange start, with a single actor on stage for around twenty minutes, playing world war two melodies on the piano. I'm unsure whether that was a deliberate decision, or was intended to cover up some production mishap, but in any case, the audience was becoming increasingly restless towards the end.

However, after that point, the play was well paced, and had compelling dialogue and excellent costumes. Stand out moments included a scene in which the white witch was raised to the top of the stage, her dress pillowing out to cover her minions, and the witty scenes involving the animal resistance.

The REP is a good theatre, I look forward to visiting again.

Review- Tasha's cauldron of everything

Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything by Wizards of the Coast

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This is a decent D&D expansion, containing more class options, a new class (the artificer), and a number of sections on other subjects, such as traps. All of these were good, and there is some evocative art throughout the book. The downside is the prose, which was hard to follow in places. Several times, I repeatedly re-read a passage without understanding how a rule was intended to operate. Nevertheless, the book is certainly useful for any campaign.



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Review- All the names

All the Names by José Saramago

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


A wonderful book by an outstanding author, All the Names tells the story of Senhor Jose, who works as a clerk in the Central Registry of Births, Marriages and Deaths. Jose's job is mundane, largely involving the transfer of files by hand, and he works long, unremitting hours before retiring to a hovel connected to the registry. Other than his job, his main occupation is collecting newspaper cutting of celebrities, before one day, he comes across a record card of an 'unknown woman'. He quickly becomes obsessed with her and tries to reconstruct her life through official records, which brings him into conflict with the registry's strict rules.

The book has a highly reflective tone, with little action, which might be a problem with a lesser author, although Saramago has the ability to imbibe the most mundane sequences with great significance. A number of themes are evident throughout the book.

Firstly, All the Names is an exploration of bureaucracy. There are some hilarious satirical moments- queries go through a strict hierarchy in which clerks relay information to senior clerks, who speak to deputy registrars, who speaks to the registrar, before the answer is returned in reverse order. However, the book also gives a strong sense of how meaning is created through record keeping and institutional processes. At one point, the registrar gives a speech in which he talks about merging the files of the living and the dead, which, he claims, will change how the nation will subsequently view the people the records relate to. On an individual level, the unknown woman becomes real to Jose through how she is displayed in her files.

Secondly, many philosophical passages in the novel discuss determinism. Several characters discuss choices with Jose, including his pursuit of the unknown woman. Jose is often unable to give a convincing reason for his actions and at several points suggests that no such reason is possible. This often infuriates his interlocutors, although he persists in his reasoning, suggesting that '[we do not make decisions, decisions make us]'. This situates Jose within the institutional power of the registry.

Finally, questions of power and authority are typically present in Saramago's work and are also evident here. The registrar has little work, instead spending his time monitoring his employees. Although Jose is institutionally powerless, his musings over the unknown woman and the nature of the records indicates that his powers are being suppressed by the hierarchical nature of the registry. It is the interplay of all these themes, told with great artistry, that makes this a great novel.



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