Pete Sutton's Blog, page 20

Into the Mist Review

Into the Mist by Lee Murray

I picked this up as it was on the Stoker preliminary ballot and I’m not disappointed. Reading like a mix of Congo, Predator and Valley of the Gawnji set in New Zealand, Murray provides a white-knuckle ride from page one. Throw in a hefty mix of Maori mysticism and you have a unique monster tale.

A geological survey team with a military escort is sent into Te Urewera, an area of mostly forested, sparsely populated, rugged hill country in the North Island of New Zealand . The escort is there to investigate some disappearances, including a previous military expedition.

Murray excels at action and the novel has many thrilling page-turning moments. There is a large cast of characters and mostly I was able to keep them straight but occasionally the fast pace made me think ‘who was that again?’ The landscape is evocatively crafted, although, having been to NZ perhaps my memory provided some of the backgrounds. The mists visibly swirled throughout the pages and the unique New Zealand fauna breathed in the margins.

I would definitely read another of Murray’s books and this one gets a recommendation from me, If you like monster movies or military SF you should check it out.

 

 

Bram Stoker Award Preliminary ballot

Surprised and happy that A Tiding of Magpies is on the preliminary ballot for the Bram Stoker award

To celebrate my publisher has put it on Price drop for a few days and you can get it for 99p for a limited period at Amazon

 

Metronome by Oliver Langmead

 

First of all – what a beautiful cover! And it really does set the scene of the book. This is a gorgeously produced book and you just know that care and attention has been lavished on it. And the writing needs to be special to deserve that attention doesn’t it? Luckily Langmead’s second novel does.

The book opens in an old folks’ home where we are introduced to William Manderlay, an aging violinist who once wrote an album whilst in a fever-dream. When Manderlay starts having bizarre dreams he discovers that his album, Solomon’s Eye, has a deeper meaning in the world of dreams.

Most of the action takes place in a lovingly built dreamworld. Here Langmead excels, the worldbuilding plays a starring role. That’s not to say that characterisation or plot or any other factor is neglected, but the worldbuilding lifts it all up.

There are a couple of small niggles, but not enough to spoil my enjoyment. I did wonder what the point of setting up the old folks’ home was, apart to set up Manderlay’s character, which could have been done whilst the plot got rolling. Also the ending left me a little unsatisfied but maybe due to the fact that it left me wanting more. Although I think what I wanted more of was development of the idea revealed late on (no spoilers).

Langmead also excels at action and the plot skips along merrily. There’s some great imagery in there and it was a very quick and enjoyable read. I look forward to seeing what he does next.

Discoverability Challenge

Last year I attempted the Discoverability Challenge as prompted by fellow Bristol writer Jo Hall

I failed. Miserably.

I read 15 books by women last year, but most of them weren’t new to me. And as a percent of total books read it was a miserable 16%

So this year I’ve decided to repeat the challenge, and at the same time at least double the % of books I read by women to boot.

To fully qualify the writer must be a woman, I must have never read their work before and they should be both alive and still writing to benefit from a review.

Some people may think this smacks of ‘positive discrimination’ which makes them uncomfortable, but it is merely a recognition that I need to make a special effort to read contemporary women writers because left to my own devices I tend not to do that.

The first book that qualifies, and is therefore my January Discoverability read is Spill, Simmer, Falter, Wither by Sara Baume.

The book is told as an ongoing ‘conversation’ between a man and his dog One eye.

You find me on a Tuesday, on my Tuesday trip to town. A note sellotaped to the inside of the jumble-shop window: COMPASSIONATE & TOLERANT OWNER. A PERSON WITHOUT OTHER PETS & WITHOUT CHILDREN UNDER FOUR.

The book explores the friendship of man and beast, with both being outcasts and misfits. It is often lyrical and beautifully developed. It is literary but not self-consciously though, I’ve read reviews that say it is plotless, which is a little unfair. There is a sense of forlorn loneliness that runs through the novel and it could have been maudlin if mishandled. But Baume has a deft touch and it is therefore touchingly melancholic. But it is still a pleasurable read as Baume’s imagery and poetic prose is a delight.

Initially, I wasn’t sure if I’d get on with the style but I soon settled into Baume’s rhythm and couldn’t wait to get back to the book on the few occasions I had to put it down.

I’d highly recommend this book

 

The Demon-Haunted World

I have a foreboding of an America in my children’s or grandchildren’s time – when the United States is a service and information economy; when nearly all the key manufacturing industries have slipped away to other countries; when awesome technological powers are in the hands of a very few, and no-one representing the public interest can even grasp the issues; when the people have lost the ability to set their own agendas or knowledgeably question those in authority; when, clutching our crystals and nervously consulting our horoscopes, our critical faculties in decline, unable to distinguish between what feels good and what’s true, we slide, almost without noticing, back into superstition and darkness.

 Carl Sagan – The Demon-Haunted World 1995

This book has been on my radar for quite some time, and on my Amazon wishlist for several years and I finally got it as a birthday present. Sagan is a great communicator, and in this he is, I think, a forerunner to the likes of Dawkins et al (although his disgust with superstition didn’t really manifest as railing against religion). The book is an easy and entertaining read although feels more like a loose collection of essays rather than a structured whole (some chapters did indeed start as essays) but Sagan’s prose is breezy and pulls you along.

There are many things to take away from this book, and I’d heartily recommend it to one and all (although for me it was preaching to the choir) such as the Baloney Detector and a plain English explanation of the fundamentals of critical thinking.

I think it’s a fair bet that Sagan would have been horrified with the rise of anti-truth in politics and modern life.

This is really a book extolling the virtues of science, and as with all proselytising there is a hint of one size fits all – science is the best model for understanding the nuts and bolts of the universe for sure, but it is not a universal panacea. However, I’m all for evidence-based ‘beliefs’ and critical thinking skills and if this book was widely read there may be a few less gullible people in the world.

For more critical thinking tools I’d recommend the Great Courses – Your Deceptive Mind

Obviously reading this could be depressing – the great harms done through e.g. the Inquisition or the Witch Hunts, the lack of fact-checking in the media exposed by Randi’s Carlos hoax, the McCarthy era etc. However I ended up feeling hopeful –  seeing that in the last few years there has been a retrograde step, that many of the battles of the 20th Century need to be refought, that credulity and cynicism seem to be on the increase – but we’ve been here before, and won most of these battles before and can do so again.

The candle in the dark is still lit even though the darkness feels like it is pressing closer recently.

 

The year in writing

This year so far I have three short story deadlines and two novel deadlines –

Seven Deadly Swords is in revision so the early months of this year will mainly be spent on that.

Novel # 3 – tentatively entitled “The Certainty of Dust” (more details in a few months time when I’ve finished the planning) will mostly take up the rest of the year.

I’ll also, all things being equal (it IS publishing after all) be in an essay collection which is something I’d like to do more of (take note passing publishers)

My goal for this year is also to get in a magazine (apart from in a review like Sick City Syndrome in Geeky Monkey January) so a short story published in one of the notable specfic mags. Which means writing more short stories.

If you’re a BFS member you’ll have seen my first published story this year – You have reached your destination in the BFS January bulletin. If you’re not a BFS member you can join here:

 

Start the Year

So the first book I’m reading this year is one I received as a birthday present –

The Demon-Haunted World by Carl Sagan

This is a book I’ve been wanting to read for a long time but have never managed to track down. It basically should be on the required reading list at school – now more than ever – as it teaches you about critical thinking. Sagan does so mainly with the alien phenomena but also with many other pseudoscience subjects. I’m about half way through and it really does need to be pressed into the hands of woolly thinkers everywhere!

 

 

Defragging

As part of an overall review and update on how I’ll be using social media from 2017 I’ve retired the BRSBKBLOG

All future bloggage will be here

This is the end

As I now have a website, and am able to blog there, I feel that having a separate blog is no longer needed and so I'm closing this one.

I'll still be reviewing, interviewing, having guest posts and blogging over on my website:  https://petewsutton.com/ but I will no lonnger be updating this one.

If you'd still like me to do a review have a read of this 

So one door closes, but another opens, come and join me on my Website

It's the end of the year post

As ever the end of the year prompts a "best of" round up.

I've read 90 books this year (way down on previous years - but due to writing a novel and publishing a short story collection!)

I have only rated 9 as Brilliant - this is a lower percentage than previous years

15 books by women - which is woeful so I will definitely be doing the Discoverability Challenge (1 book by a women new to me with review per month) next year

17 ARCs - which is more than the 1 per month that I said I'd do...

51 bought this year - I need to read a higher percentage off my TBR list

21 as ebooks - this seems to be creeping up year on year

So those Brilliant books?


this census-taker by China Mieville 

A masterly novella built more around what isn't revealed than what is revealed



One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey

A deserved classic that I can't believe I've only just got round to reading this year



A Burglar's Guide to the City by Geoff Manaugh

Since the name of this blog is inspired by BLDG:BLOG you know I'm a fan of Manaugh and this book doesn't disappoint. A history of burglary and architecture, highly recommended.




The Good Immigrant edited by Nikesh Shukla

A collection of essays on what it means to be an immigrant in today's UK. This should be required reading!



City of Blades by Robert Jackson Bennett

Intelligent fantasy and a brilliant sequel



Lovecraft Country by Matt Ruff

This is a fabulous book blending Lovecraftian horror with the experience of racism of the black characters. Reads like a series of novellas.



Unflattening by Nick Sousanis

Like Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics this book seeks to explain and describe the unique nature of comic art. If McCloud's is a Comics 101 this is a masterclass. Highly recommend both.



The Loney by Andrew Michael Hurley

A dark modern gothic tale, does a fabulous job of evoking atmosphere and a thoroughly entertaining read.



All the Birds, Singing by Evie Wyld

A cleverly constructed book that's a compelling character study in two narratives - one moving forwards in time and one moving backwards.

And that's it

I'm currently reading Don Quixote so expect that'll keep me busy til the end of the year...