After the disappointment of the author's 'An Anthropologist on Mars' I was pleasantly surprised to find this volume far more interesting, entertainingAfter the disappointment of the author's 'An Anthropologist on Mars' I was pleasantly surprised to find this volume far more interesting, entertaining and devoid of outdated notions towards disability etc.
The book considers the different reasons why people experience hallucinations, which are often visual, but may also be auditory, tactile or even the smelling of something not really there. Some can be caused by problems with vision and hearing, especially as part of the ageing process, where the brain seems to 'make up' for the deficiency in question. Others are associated with conditions that affect many people, such as migraines or epilepsy. And some are commonly experienced when falling asleep.
The more frightening of these sleep-related ones include the phenomena of sleep paralysis. The author makes a case for this being responsible for a lot of the ancient tales of incubus/succubus and other evil presences besetting people as they lay in bed, lying on them and nearly suffocating them. It reminded me of a haunted house short story read as a child but which I've not been able to track down.
There are also types of hallucination which may have led to the worldwide phenomena of ghosts or religious epiphanies and out-of-the body experiences. The sections are all illustrated with brief case studies of particular anonymised patients or people who responded to surveys requesting information about particular conditions. One of the most valuable things Sacks did for his patients was to assure them that they were not going mad, a common fear shared by many.
Altogether I found this a fascinating read and would award it five stars....more
This collection of essays presents case studies of seven individuals, though unlike other books by the author, none of these people were patients of SThis collection of essays presents case studies of seven individuals, though unlike other books by the author, none of these people were patients of Sacks'. They were either born with a condition such as autism, or sustained a brain injury due to stroke or disease, such as a brain tumour or an infection. In the case of the two autistic individuals, both have gifts - the ability to draw buildings in detail when only glanced at, or the ability to design systems for the humane slaughter of cattle and pigs and run a successful business based around that. The latter is an apparently well-known high-functioning autistic woman called Temple Grandin who wrote a book on her experiences as an autistic person and lectured on the subject as well. I'd never heard of her, but that didn't detract from the section about her, which concludes the book.
With the people who suffered brain injury, some were able to turn their condition to a positive outcome, for example, the artist who lost his ability to perceive colour but was able to move to monochrome instead. However, the man who could not remember anything after around 1967 does come across as a tragic case, as does the blind man who, sight restored, found the greatest difficulty adapting - illustrating that seeing is not just a matter of the eyes but a complex process taking place in multiple areas of the brain to result in something that makes sense at the conscious level. And that it is also mastered when we are babies - that we have to learn to interpret the visual input entering via the eyes and into the brain's various processing areas. That idea was interesting.
I had a few problems with the book. One is the author's tendency to introduce medical terms regarding areas of the brain or conditions without explaining them. A glossary and a diagram of the brain would have greatly assisted. To some extent the book comes across as not being a coherent whole, and when I checked the copyright page, I discovered that earlier versions of all the chapters had been previously published in The New York Review of Books, which would explain its lack of focus.
Apart from the vignette about the blind man, which does have some valuable conclusions as mentioned above, there is no real resolution to the case histories. Possibly this general deficiency is due to the book's 1995 publication date: the reasons why certain things happened, or how the brain worked in particular ways, wasn't known then. Perhaps those are still unknowns, but I found it frustrating.
Disquietingly, there is a tendency to ponder whether the people under consideration are really 'human' especially Stephen, the autistic boy-artist, as in whether they have the same kinds of emotions and feelings of identity as people lacking those conditions. The word 'retarded' is used quite a bit, though in 1995 that was probably still an acceptable medical term. The author went on holiday with Stephen, but basically did so to study him, rather than because he liked him. And that made me a bit uncomfortable in a way I hadn't been with previous books by this author. So altogether I would rate this as a 3 star read....more
This writer published various crime novels in the 1930s when he was in vogue to the 1960s when his work was regarded as increasingly old fashioned. UnThis writer published various crime novels in the 1930s when he was in vogue to the 1960s when his work was regarded as increasingly old fashioned. Unlike Agatha Christie's work - he was apparently a friend of hers - there's no real characterisation or psychology which I think explains her longevity whereas he has become a forgotten writer, revived in this series of reprints. However, that wasn't the real problem I had with this.
It starts off as a classic locked room mystery with a man found shot dead in a railway carriage. The door leading to the tracks was unlocked though and the train slowed in a tunnel due to lights indicating a workman signalling red then green. So in theory someone could have stepped aboard - except that signalmen in boxes at both ends had a good view and swear that no one could have got past them. It looks like suicide but there are a few unanswered questions, and Inspector Arnold is called upon. He involves his amateur sleuth friend, Desmond Merrion, and they embark on a series of cross-country investigations following up various leads and considering the theories which Merrion comes up with. The policeman is a plodder and becomes fixated on one individual being the culprit although Merrion tries to steer him away from that multiple times.
It's never a good thing for me when I spot things before the protagonist(s) and that was certainly the case with the mystery of the tunnel, which I instantly picked up on when another character mentioned a way someone could have got in or out - but the two detectives failed to pick up on it for quite a while until the penny dropped with Merrion. However, the real issue is that the crime was pre-planned with various elements put in place or things checked regarding the timing of the shooting, and yet the eventual denouement showed that the murder wasn't even necessary. I won't go into spoilers but given that a particular person could have got their hands on the loot and then absconded, with or without first sharing it with one of the others, I couldn't see why anyone needed to commit murder in the first place. I can't therefore give the book any more than a 2 star rating. ...more
One of the worse things I've ever read, this apparently is the concluding volume in a five book series. There is little character development of any oOne of the worse things I've ever read, this apparently is the concluding volume in a five book series. There is little character development of any of the principles, and new point of view characters were being introduced three quarters of the way through. The hero, Frankenstein's 'monster' going by the name of Deucalion, has such spectacular powers that he is not only strong enough to overturn a heavy vehicle with passengers inside, he can teleport both himself and any vehicle he is inside to anywhere he wants, by folding space. So not a lot of tension, as he easily rescues all the children in town when Victor, a clone of the original Frankenstein, lets loose the apocalypse.
Similarly, the villains defeat themselves. Although the nano-monsters, the Builders, can reshape any living thing into their own substance to create more of themselves, and often the furniture and any other inanimate object, in doing so they malfunction and often self destruct. The Replicants created to take the place of the townsfolk and aid the take-over soon start obsessing over cleaning or some other action, such as destroying ornaments because they offend their sensibilities and again defeat themselves. They do manage to kill quite a few citizens but the revolt is derailing even when the hero acts against its leader. Meanwhile, even the dogs and horses are spared although I did wonder whether anyone went back and rescued the horses, trapped in a reinforced stable, from starving.
It was quite difficult to remember who was meant to be who when switching between the pairs of sidekicks who were roaming around town having various encounters with the nano-types. The FBI agents were particularly cardboard and forgettable so it didn't matter which were killed. Similarly, the people at the radio station were barely sketched. One character who did come off the page forcefully, though should have stayed there, was Jocko who apparently was a sentient tumour.....! Whatever it was supposed to be, this personality came across as someone on a particular cocktail of drugs and was very irritating.
The author's prejudices against college professors and the like is periodically referenced and an admiration of gun-toting survivalists is prominently on show. There is also a ludicrous development where the person putting up the money for Victor's plot to destroy all life on the planet is supposedly the US president. Apart from the question of why anyone less crazy than him would want to exterminate themselves and their family as well as everything else, it was a misfire as I thought he was referring to a now ex-president with the initials DT. I read afterwards that it was meant to be Barak Obama and have no idea what the author has against him. But as he was as cardboard as everyone else bar Jocko, it could have been anyone.
The only positive point is that all the women are both kick-ass and beautiful. So at least there are no downtrodden or wilting violets while the apocalypse plays itself out.
Altogether, a right load of nonsense which can only be awarded one star....more
This was a real curate's egg of a book for me. On the one hand, the long memoir of Jamie's childhood growing up in a small town in Maine in a loving fThis was a real curate's egg of a book for me. On the one hand, the long memoir of Jamie's childhood growing up in a small town in Maine in a loving family, and having an encounter at the age of six with the Reverend Charles Jacobs, a man who will skew his whole life, was beautifully written and involving. I wasn't sure what to make of Jacobs and his gift for inventing strange electrical devices. A bond forms between the two which seems genuine, before he leaves town after a personal tragedy that causes him to lose his faith.
For me the book started to go downhill from the point where it switches to grown-up Jamie who is a heroin addict, barely surviving as a base player in a succession of worse and worse rock bands, who then meets Jacobs for a second time. I didn't really find the heroin addiction convincing: yes, he was in the music business and a lot of drugs were swilling around, but his character didn't seem quite the person to fall into hardcore addiction. The ex-reverend is now a carnival huckster, using one of his inventions to finance his continued development of something he first tried out on an older brother of Jamie's. For he believes he can cure people through this 'strange electricity' although he doesn't claim to understand how it works. He has already begun to turn into a complete phony on a personal level. And eventually he goes on to do something much more radical, in the interim being a 'revivalist' tent preacher. The jump cuts between the various points along the time line made the story seem rather disjointed, and there was too much tragedy besetting Jamie's family.
The HP Lovecraft quote at the beginning was a clue to how things would go, but I can't say I was happy with the ending. On one level it's as grim as 'Pet Sematary' but for me too much of a literal homage to Lovecraft. So I can only rate this at 3 stars, and chiefly for the earlier part of the story....more
An interesting tome published in the 1990s and a very heavy hardback given that it is printed on high quality photographic paper. The chief interest iAn interesting tome published in the 1990s and a very heavy hardback given that it is printed on high quality photographic paper. The chief interest is in the illustrations which include a lot from medieval manuscripts and the like.
The first part of the book traces the development of the Grail legend from the original Celtic stories which came from Ireland and then Wales, to the stories documented by monks principally the Cistercians, and the final flowering in the troubadour culture. Once the stories became European artefacts they were blended with elements from Moorish Spain and the Holy Land via the Knights Templar among others. The summary of the stories are a bit repetitive and dry but there is also some interesting commentary on the subversive content derived from Gnostic ideas, probably via the Cathars and Albigensians who were eventually brutally suppressed by the Catholic church.
Part Two deals with the relevance of the legends in modern times especially their 'restoration of paradise' aspect, and also discusses the anti-women aspect of the Christian Church. It is very clear that the author has an axe to grind on this subject, as in his view Christianity is more women-hating/anti female than various other religions - personally, I don't think it has a monopoly on that. Anyway, there is an assumption that Europe was once a paradise of women-led agriculturalists and pastoralists who knew no weapons and were subsequently crushed by an invasion of male chauvinist warriors who imposed a culture that the world has been stuck with ever since for the last five millennia. This is put across as a matter of proven fact.
So given the lack of balance in places, but the more useful information in part one and the plentiful illustrations I would rate this at 3 stars overall....more
I bought this some years ago - it was published in 2007 and reprinted in 2010 - and used to enjoy the late writer's column in 'Writing Magazine'. HoweI bought this some years ago - it was published in 2007 and reprinted in 2010 - and used to enjoy the late writer's column in 'Writing Magazine'. However, apart from the fate of all such books in the digital age - they go out of date in a few years especially the coverage of digital publishing (which is very rudimentary in this one) - the whole tone is one of trying too hard. I soon lost count of the many references to alcohol, drunkenness and general 'wine o'clock' hilarity which I'm afraid I didn't find very amusing.
There were a few interesting points, but even those have to be treated with caution - for example, although the Richard and Judy Bookclub is still in existence it is now a website as far as I know and I don't know when it ceased to be a TV programme. However, it does still seem to be the case that Waterstones buy books centrally (there is an interview with one of their book-buyers of the time).
There was a bit of laziness in a couple of places where the author states that she knows nothing about a particular type of writing, but recommends a book about it which she admits she hasn't bothered to read - but the author on the one about TV writing is apparently a nice bloke. It ends with several pages of quotes about writing from different people in the book trade, which I must admit I skimmed. So for me this rates an OK 2 stars....more
For this author, this is a quick read. The basic premise is that Trisha, a girl of nine, nearly ten years of age, becomes lost in the woods when her mFor this author, this is a quick read. The basic premise is that Trisha, a girl of nine, nearly ten years of age, becomes lost in the woods when her mother and older brother are too busy arguing to note that she has opted for a comfort break in the trees. She then gets turned around and lost and keeps walking, getting more lost.
I liked the story on the whole. The character was both convincing and unconvincing in that she seemed far too together and clued up, for her age, on what to do to survive. On the other hand, she cried a fair bit, got scared and did the wrong things at times which was convincing. The perils and discomforts she faces, including blood-sucking insects, wasp stings, scrapes, bumps and bruises are well conveyed. Though I wasn't sure that drinking what appeared to be pure and fast flowing water would induce the symptoms described; I thought that was more likely to be caused by a diet of berries and nuts.
The book's title is explained by the fact that she is a big baseball fan and especially of a pitcher called Tom Gordon (based on a real person in the Red Sox team at the time). As she has a Walkman with her which can tune into radio stations, she keeps herself sane by listening to the game commentary once a day to conserve her batteries. She has 'conversations' with Tom and after a while imagines him so vividly that he seems to be with her at times. Unfortunately, as I live in the UK, the baseball aspect went over my head; there are some technical passages which I just gave up on.
The story has a supernatural element in that Trisha soon realises something is following her, a thing that slaughters deer along the way, leaves big scratches in trees and occasionally approaches her while sleeping (the story does include omniscient author commentary, including vignettes on what her family are doing, why searchers are looking in the wrong place for her and where she is actually located). That element is the only 'horror' aspect to the book, which otherwise is a coming of age story for a girl who goes through the mill and finds depths of character within herself that won't let her give up. She also meditates on her family situation: her parents have split up and both children are living with the mother, plus she realises, from her father's manner when she visits, that he is drinking too much beer. She is close to her father, sharing a love of baseball. There is a philosophical thread where she recalls what he told her about God and whether he exists etc; this is developed through the hallucinations she has more and more frequently as her time in the woods is extended and she starts to become ill.
A short novella which can be read in a couple of hours, this is apparently book 1 in a trilogy and a collaboration with a writer I hadn't heard of befA short novella which can be read in a couple of hours, this is apparently book 1 in a trilogy and a collaboration with a writer I hadn't heard of before.
Twelve year old Gwendy is exercising one day, trying to get her weight down having had a spiteful comment directed at her and aware that when she starts at the new school shortly she will be bullied if she is chubby. She runs up the stairs to a vantage point in the local park, known as suicide stairs, and at the top a man dressed in black is sitting who introduces himself in a quirky manner. She is naturally cautious at first but he says he has a present for her and shows her an attractive box covered with coloured buttons. Each represents a continent except for the black one which must never be pressed and stands for everything, and a red one which can be anything she wills. A lever on one side produces delicious miniature chocolate animals, one per day, which will allow her to eat her proper balanced meals but not be tempted by deserts. And on the other side, another level occasionally produces valuable silver dollars which eventually help her with college expenses.
The mysterious man in black, who has the initials RF (Randall Flagg anyone?) tells her that to guard the box will be her responsibility. She does so but as she gets older and college looms, what to do with it becomes more of a burden. One or two things happen which make her very wary of it. Meanwhile, it seems to have done a lot of good to her and her family without her having to actively utilise it.
On the plus side, I liked Gwendy as a character: sensible, kind, hard working and so on, she is an ideal guardian for a dangerous weapon. I wasn't such a fan at one point that to overcome a villain she flashes her boobs at him; surely some other method could have been chosen for her to distract a killer? And RF, if it were indeed he, seems far too benevolent. Rather than give it to someone responsible, wouldn't he just press the buttons and blow the world up? The book has some nice illustrations and it was a pleasant read, but on the whole I would rate it at 3 stars....more
I've embarked on a Stephen King reading fest and moved straight from a re-read of 'Pet Sematary' to one never read before. From clues in the afterwordI've embarked on a Stephen King reading fest and moved straight from a re-read of 'Pet Sematary' to one never read before. From clues in the afterword it seems this was written in the aftermath of King's own serious accident when he was run down by a careless driver, an experience that makes its way into the book in the shape of the character Jones aka Jonesy. Perhaps also, given that he was on strong painkillers, it influenced the writing in certain aspects. It was clear from the newspaper headlines at the start that it was going to be about extra-terrestrial landings/invasion and alien abduction. This did make me a little trepidatious as 'The Tommyknockers' was the first of King's books that I found a real disappointment.
**I should mention for people who don't like books in which animals are mistreated, there is quite a lot of serious harm to animals and one dog in particular.***
Four men are introduced at various dates, who were childhood friends and are troubled adults: Pete is an alcoholic, Beaver, always known for his happy-go-lucky outlook on life, seems dissatisfied and even depressed, Jonesy is about to be run down by a driver with dementia and Henry is suicidal. The story then moves forward to a period several months after Jones' accident, when the four are on their annual November hunting expedition.
Dropped into the narrative along the way are mentions of another friend, Duddits, and it gradually becomes clear that he is a man with Downs Syndrome whom they befriended when they were young teenagers and saved from being seriously bullied by thuggish older boys. Duddits has telepathic ability and the boys developed weaker versions of it themselves, some in one speciality, e.g. Pete can 'follow the line', able to track someone or backtrack where they have been. Others have a direct telepathy and they are all able to pick up on cues from each other without speaking. But over the years they have drifted apart from Duddits, unaware that he is now very ill, and are also hiding their various issues from each other.
Into this situation comes a crashed alien spaceship, with a strange vegetation that colonises surfaces, animals and people, endowing humans with telepathy. Another accompaniment is a creature reminiscent of Alien, and in fact the military later nickname the alien contamination as Ripley. (Interestingly, of course, the character of Jones is named after the Nostromo's cat in the first film.) Soon, the four friends are devastatingly impacted by the threat posed by the aliens.
I won't say more about the actual plotline to avoid spoilers but had some issues with the book. It started off well and I was enjoying it, despite the excessive amount of flatulence and associated descriptions of abdominal symptoms. But this changed some way into the book where a mad military man is introduced, similar to a character in 'Apocalypse Now' even to the point of having the same name. (Which was probably taken originally from Conrad's 'Heart of Darkness'). After that, it morphs into a car chase which goes on far too long.
I did wonder how something which, it is stated at various points, is really an instinctual fungus/form of vegetation could possibly develop technology to build space ships etc, but that is sort of explained if you don't look too closely at it. In reality, I'm not convinced that it could learn to perform interstellar navigation and pilot the vessels.
As per King's more recent books, this name checks quite a few others with direct references to 'IT' and various others, with the central motif of childhood friends who did something good together and then come together as adults being a direct homage to 'IT'. Though King was doing this as long ago as 'Pet Sematary' which has Rachel driving past a turnoff marked 'Jerusalem's Lot', here it seems drummed in a little unnecessarily, for example, I wasn't sure the sequence with the vanished water tower was really needed unless it was meant to be a sort-of-echo of 'The Dark Tower' series. The vegetation on the other hand seems to be a descendant of the red weed in H G Well's 'War of the Worlds'.
The extended flashbacks which occur during the car chase - when the person being shown the earlier lives of the Dreamcatcher Five is driving a vehicle in snow at speed - are not only too long but overstretch disbelief. I kept thinking he would crash the car - and there are a lot of car crashes in this book. And the statement that the character who is hijacked by an alien force is the only man in the world who really understood what it felt to be raped is problematic: quite apart from real life experiences, in the book's own world many other men have their bodies and even minds taken over by the alien organisms.
The ending also begged a lot of questions in the explanation for his plight. I can't actually believe he did it to himself with or without the connection with Duddits. For a start, there is at least one viewpoint scene in this 'fictitous' character's persona. Also, if he really had committed such awful crimes - including a horrific scene of what he does to one of his friends - then it's beyond belief that he's untroubled by guilt in the Epilogue. So after its initial promise this dropped down to an OK 2 stars....more
This was a re-read after many years of a book that, unlike a lot of books which I can't recall a thing about, has stayed with me. I've always thought This was a re-read after many years of a book that, unlike a lot of books which I can't recall a thing about, has stayed with me. I've always thought of this as the grimmest story I've ever read and I haven't changed that opinion. It is so unrelenting in the process, not only of the inevitability of what happens with the escalating horrors, but the portrayal of grief and devastation at the loss of a child.
I know it's a little rash of Louis, as the father of a child already crawling, to buy a property with a road right by it along which enormous lorries speed at all hours. Perhaps he should have arranged for a fence to be put up. But given that the cat, Church, pops up mysteriously and could no doubt open the latch of a gate that might not have made a difference. On one level, I can't believe Louis' one track mentality - he knows that animals, even other people, have come back 'wrong' - but allowances must be made for the evil force emanating from behind the pet cemetery which has the power to override a person's best endeavours and even, it seems, to reach out at a distance and disconnect car batteries or perform other tricks.
One thing I'd forgotten was the premise concerning the Wendigo. Having read Algernon Blackwood's story 'The Wendigo' as a child, I would have already been familiar with that legendary creature on first reading.
The women in the book are rather a disappointment. Child Ellie is a real character but the two wives come across as insipid or irritating respectively. Only towards the end does Rachel, Louis' wife, start to become an individual and it is to serve the needs of the plot.
I find it unlikely that someone carried a bull of all things for three miles, including over the deadfall (though that seems to be arranged magically each time) and up forty five steps to a mesa - and then managed to dig a big enough hole in stony soil. So that could have been dropped without losing anything - it's just backstory and a dog would have been much more likely. There also seems to be a continuity error at one point concerning a parakeet - one was buried in the children's 'pet sematary' but there had been no previous suggestion of its originally being buried in that other burial ground. I also found some of the story a bit too stretched out, maybe because I knew what was eventually coming. So not quite the full rating for me, but definitely 4 stars....more
This is an old school historical novel from the 1960s by a writer who was found in libraries, along with Dorothy Dunnett, as one of the few historicalThis is an old school historical novel from the 1960s by a writer who was found in libraries, along with Dorothy Dunnett, as one of the few historical novelists still in print in the 1970s when the received wisdom among publishers was that there was no market in historicals. (A self fulfilling prophecy given the lack of material in print.) Luckily the advent of the Cadfael series from 1977, pitched as a crime series that just happened to be set in the C12th and massively popularised by the TV series, together with the literary 'Name of the Rose' and its well-received film, relaunched the genre. Initially, there was a flood of crime novels set in past eras but things settled down and straight historical novels began to be published, creating the immersive and widely-read genre of today. (I don't think it's a coincidence that Ken Follett only made the switch from contemporary thrillers at the end of the 1980s).
Anyway, for many years, Plaidy was one of the few carrying the flag for fiction set in historical periods prior to our own. Unfortunately, her style does not resonate with modern readers as it comes across as pretty 'dry'. There is 'head hopping' in scenes where the viewpoint suddenly switches between participants and a fair amount of info dumping which made things a little hard going at times. There was some interest in the various characters focused upon, tracing the career of Thomas Wolsey as a pompous and fabulously wealthy cleric at the right hand of the King to his descent into a pathetic figure in a reduced household and eventually summoned to stand trial. Similarly, there was a shorter thread from the viewpoint of Thomas Cromwell, rather different than more recent portrayals of the character: although loyal to Wolsey to a point, he also has his eye on the main chance.
Katherine is another main character along with Henry VIII and it was good, for once, to see his nasty side emerging years before the incident at the jousting match which some writers blame for a personality change - as this novel authentically shows and various actual history books I've read, there was plenty of evidence of the King's vile temper and vindictiveness long before his accident. Anne Boleyn though is only a background character who shows unremitting spite against Queen Katherine and Mary and their supporters, and also Wolsey despite his being the Queen's 'enemy'.
Technically, the matter of obtaining a divorce or more strictly accurate an annulment of his marriage was 'the King's Great Matter' but I suppose the publishers thought 'secret' sounded better as a title and whenever it's referred to in the book.
I found the scenes near the end of the dying Katherine comforted by her friend Maria who managed to win through to her side despite obstacles, and their shared childhood reminiscences of Spain, quite touching. But on the whole, I don't think I would bother with another of the writer's works. Overall, a workmanlike 3 star rating from me....more
Had heard good things about this and as a writer, the setting at a writers' retreat sounded interesting. However, the idea was let down in the executiHad heard good things about this and as a writer, the setting at a writers' retreat sounded interesting. However, the idea was let down in the execution. To begin with, the characters seemed extremely shallow and immature - it was a surprise to eventually find out that the viewpoint character was thirty years old and the other writing retreat participants were supposed to be in their twenties. The protagonist, Alex, has had writer's block for a year following a major rift with her former best friend Wren. So when she discovers that another friend, Ursula, has entered a short story of hers for a major competition to participate in a writers' retreat for a whole month at the home of her idol, Roza, and that she is one of those selected, she is at first ecstatic and then panic-stricken, especially when she discovers that Wren will also attend.
There were a few flags when the writers began to gather -it was obvious that one in particular was not who she appeared to be, given a particular slip - and I anticipated an Agatha Christie style 'And Then There Were None' homage. However, nothing much happened until about halfway when one character disappeared following an incident where the, at first eccentric, then sociopathic Roza spiked their drinks. After that, the story becomes more and more over the top and unbelievable.
It's not helped by the gratuitous explicit sex scenes - it didn't bother me that they were lesbian, but the dubious consent and sex-with-a-demon theme was out of left field and not needed. This supposed 'shock' element was perhaps meant to make up for the otherwise lacklustre plot development and irritating characters. The only one at all likeable was Kiera, the black woman, the only one to show common sense and maturity, though the book itself points out that she is there as a token.
The book becomes increasingly bonkers towards the end - the reader is meant to accept that someone shot in the back and suffering from frostbite is able to run around the house tackling villains. It's also pretty risible that Alex at one point shows some maturity and character growth in going back to help Wren, but then is so incompetent that the two of them are soon recaptured. The motive behind the various shenanigans is also thin to say the least though I don't want to introduce spoilers. But the final scene is just wrong on so many levels. Given the implications about same-sex relationships in this book, with sadomasochism et al, I would think LGBT+ readers might find it all rather insulting. Anyway, given the issues, the most I can rate this is as an OK 2 stars, chiefly for the character of Kiera....more
I hadn't read any books by this author for many years and this was a departure from the horror tales which made his name. Published in 1992, it concerI hadn't read any books by this author for many years and this was a departure from the horror tales which made his name. Published in 1992, it concerns climate change and environmental degradation so comes across as prescient in 2023.
It opens intriguingly with a strange light seen just prior to natural disasters (the portent of the title). This thread continues to be interwoven between a narrative that follows the protagonist, James Rivers, a climatologist who is, practically speaking, the sole survivor of a plane crash. (The other two survivors are incapacitated.) The plane was being flown into the eye of a hurricane to take measurements as part of an ongoing investigation into climate change, but the storm behaved uncharacteristically just after Rivers saw the strange light near the plane.
Months after the accident, Rivers is struggling with a painful leg injury and pressure from his bosses at the Meteorological Office in London to come up with a cast iron explanation for the random natural disasters besetting the planet and a way to predict them. Given that these include earthquakes, tsunamis, forest fires and volcanic eruptions it's a pretty tall order. Then he is approached by Hugo Poggs, a scientist discredited due to his environmental theories, concerning Poggs' idea about Earth as a living being. Rivers resists the other man's persuasion yet begins to be drawn into Poggs' family. This includes a budding romance with Diane, Poggs' widowed daughter-in-law, and a bond with her adopted twins, Eva and Joshua, who demonstrate psychic powers. This is played out against a background of escalating worldwide disasters.
I didn't find Rivers or any of the other main characters involving. Some of the minor characters seen in vignettes set in other countries, where disasters are about to occur, are more vividly realised, such as the young boy in India, forced to labour at breaking up batteries for their raw materials, but unfortunately such characters are soon killed off.
Important aspects were muddled - the light or lights (there were multiple ones sometimes), appeared to cause the disasters and be evil. In two cases, one early in the book, they set trees alight and cause major forest fires. If this was meant to be the planet trying to save itself from human abuse it didn't make sense that it was harming itself more. Quite a way into the book, a villain is introduced who worships Mother Earth and wants to hasten the end of humanity but the character doesn't seem to be responsible for the actual disasters. She only exerts mind control over special children like the twins. Eventually she takes steps to harm them physically but as there are apparently thousands of such children worldwide in a spiritual network, it's hard to see why she goes after Eva and Joshua rather than attacking those in her own country first. It doesn't seem credible that there aren't any in the USA where she lives. And it's not clear what she wants to achieve: she is jealous of their power but they aren't actively doing anything apart from playing with the other gifted children in dreams or visions. It would make more sense if they were trying to prevent some of the disasters and heal the Earth.
The book doesn't appear to have been reprinted since 2011 and given the portrayal of characters of various ethnicities, especially the villain, that isn't surprising. There is also the oddity of Eva and Joshua being ' gypsies ', a term not acceptable nowadays, because the stereotype of Roma and other travelling people having uncanny abilities isn't required given that children all over the world are supposed to have the same powers.
The only horror aspect is provided by graphic accounts of people expiring in various nasty ways during the various catastrophes, and a gratuitous scene of the villain murdering a sexual partner. Personally, I would have found it far more effective if the villain had been physically attractive and the book had completely avoided the "voodoo mama" racist vibe and had instead made more of this person's hatred of the human race and therefore ultimately of herself.
The book throws in the kitchen sink by having not only this rather shoehorned in villain but the whole psychic aspect, which takes over in the final third/three quarters. In my opinion, it derails what would otherwise be an interesting story set in a quite well realised near future (relative to when it was published). For example, permits have been introduced by law, so that people can only commute into London by car on alternate weeks, and traffic lights in London indicate how long before they will change so motorists have to switch off their engines. There are some misfires such as wall-mounted phones which allow people to speak hands free - odd since mobile phones were being adopted more widely in the early nineties especially for business. But if it had been a straight science fiction dystopia, it would have been much better in my opinion.
To cap it all, the final explanation near the end, of what really lies behind the crisis doesn't make sense, even after going back to re-read it after finishing the book. For me, the conclusion descends into melodrama. So altogether a disappointing 'OK' 2 stars....more
A woman, Jilly, and two brothers, Dylan and younger brother Shepard known as Shep, have to go on the run together when they are injected by a mad scieA woman, Jilly, and two brothers, Dylan and younger brother Shepard known as Shep, have to go on the run together when they are injected by a mad scientist character who seems to be using them as vehicles for his life's work, as he expects the imminent arrival of assassins. When said assassins arrive and blow up the woman's car, seemingly with the scientist aboard, they are forced to depart in the car belonging to the brothers. The story is then their cross-country road trip trying to stay ahead of the killing squad and to work out what has been done to them. They eventually find out it involves nanotechnology and that nanobots are reshaping their brains with very odd results.
I did quite like the book, which is more than I can say for any other 21st century offering from the author although I liked his original novels. This at least does not have devils intruding into human lives or deadly creatures that can only been seen by someone who helps the dead. Instead, the uncanny powers, however unlikely, are science fictional in nature even though the science behind them is pretty shaky. I must admit, the plot of someone being injected in order to save a scientist's life work from being destroyed by his employer gave me deja vu from the start as it reminded me strongly of Greg Bear's 'Blood Music' (which predates this novel by about 20 years) although the scientist in that story injects himself to smuggle his research out of the lab. So it was even more familiar when it turned out the substance they had been injected with contained nanobots. Anyway, apart from those basic ideas the two books are not similar otherwise.
Some of the character traits that the individuals have are annoying, for instance, Jilly's constant anger and argumentativeness. Similarly, it seems odd that if the nanobots in question are meant to enhance the brain's structure they don't resolve Shep's autism. And I found his name rather a challenge, given that there was a famous Blue Peter dog of that name in the UK (Blue Peter is a long-running children's programme) which even had a hit record, 'Get Down Shep!'
The book is rather overwritten in places so that tension is rather dissipated by long drawn out description, such as when Dylan creeps through a house, followed by Jilly, towards a dangerous individual. And the winding up rather spoils things by its unlikely deus-ex-machina of a wealthy benefactor and where the story almost turns into a superhero origin tale. I did find it a bit odd also that the phrase (used as the book's title) coined as a reference to the scientist's wickedness, is eventually adopted by the nano-engineered individuals as a sort of club name for themselves. There are a few references to the author's dissatisfaction with modern life, but nowhere near as intrusive as in more recent novels of his which I've read, but that ending is pure wish fulfilment on the author's part. Overall, I rate this at a 3 star read....more
This book sounded interesting from the title and was obtained cheaply so I decided to give it a try. It is organised into decades of production of SteThis book sounded interesting from the title and was obtained cheaply so I decided to give it a try. It is organised into decades of production of Stephen King's works and within that, a chapter per book. At the beginning of his career it covers the iconic ones such as his first published novel, Carrie, plus Salem's Lot, The Shining, The Stand etc. As it goes forward in time, naturally it is far more selective and mentions some works in passing or not at all.
Each chapter considers the 'science' behind the book's theme, sometimes not actual science at all as when it covers urban legends and the like. Various interviews are featured although sometimes they aren't really connected to King's work at all such as one with a person connected with a TV series I'd never heard of. The interviews conclude by asking the person which is their favourite King work.
There are a few snippets here and there regarding where King got the inspiration for particular works. I knew the story of how his wife Tabitha fished out the partly written draft of 'Carrie' from the rubbish bin and persuaded him to carry on with it, but other things were new to me. It was especially interesting to read that King had written 'The Tommyknockers' while in the throes of cocaine addiction and thought it was a bad book. Interesting, because it was the first of his books that I didn't like.
The book is a fairly superficial skating through the scientific background of the books - for example, it only talks about monorails when considering the Dark Tower sequence - and for me lacked sufficient material about the author or how he wrote the stories. I suppose it isn't meant to do that from the title, but ultimately it is a quick read and for me just an 'OK' 2 stars....more
A little confused about this short book which is one of the Moomin stories that I didn't read as a child - but I think it was subsequently revised andA little confused about this short book which is one of the Moomin stories that I didn't read as a child - but I think it was subsequently revised and published as Moominpapa's Memoirs? Anyway, I liked it in parts. Moominpapa, having reached the age of 40, and suffering from a cold, writes his memoirs for the edification of his family and friends. During the book, there are asides where we get the reactions of his son Moomintroll and his son's friends to whom he is reading each bit of the story. By the end of the book, a few mysteries are solved.
There are some places where I found it to drag a bit - I didn't find the ghost particularly funny, for example. The ending also makes no sense because why haven't certain characters' parents raised them if they are alive and well? And what happened to Hodgkins who was my favourite of the new characters introduced - I don't recall him being in any of the ones I've read? On the plus side, I loved the illustrations as always. So on balance, I rate this at 3 stars....more
Published in 1951, this is an old school historical novel which educates the reader in various aspects of early C17th century life. It is also a lightPublished in 1951, this is an old school historical novel which educates the reader in various aspects of early C17th century life. It is also a light romance. I should emphasise that it covers the period up to the arrests of the 'witches' (so does not cover the trials) and follows a realistic portrayal, not a supernatural one.
Margery is a young woman brought up in a Puritan family who is a disappointment to her stern older siblings. They find her too intelligent, fun loving and subtly insolent. Wishing to obtain a dowry for her and marry her off, they have the idea of sending her north to cousin Roger, a Justice of the Peace and wealthy enough to provide one.
Luckily for Margery, Roger has the same wry sense of humour and doesn't expect a woman to be seen and not heard. A bond grows between them, with him almost a surrogate for her deceased father, and she flourishes in her new abode. Not only does he provide the means for her to have some very nice gowns made, he encourages her to ride around the area and to act as his clerk when hearing legal cases. He appreciates her intelligence and is altogether the antithesis of her unpleasant family.
Margery hasn't been in the Pendle district long when a man dies, supposedly through the ill-will of Old Demdike and her granddaughter Alizon, reputed witches. So, too, is Elizabeth Device, Alizon's mother and Demdike's daughter. Margery learns that they and another family, the Redferns, are suspected of causing the deaths of a number of local residents. Despite pressure from various characters, Roger resists committing them for trial to Lancaster Assizes for lack of proof. And more seriously, it seems that the respectable but ruthless social climber, Alice Nutter, may have more than a little to do with their activities.
I have read history books which cover the Pendle/Lancashire witch trials, and some of the characters in the novel are based on real people. The development of Alice Nutter is an interesting take on what is otherwise a mystery: namely, why a respectable woman from another part of the district should be present at the notorious Good Friday gathering at Malkin Tower, home of the Devices. I take with the proverbial pinch of salt the assumption of guilt and calculated malice of the 'witches', ascribing more to the modern notion that, living in dire poverty at the bottom of the social ladder, if the women did fancy themselves witches - it seems Alizon really did believe she caused the peddler to have a stroke - it was a compensatory fantasy.
Given the time this was written, in the world of the novel they are truly malicious. Little sister Jennet is an astute and cute child, not a sociopath for testifying against her whole family and helping to send them to the gallows. And the practical effects of witchcraft are achieved through herbal medicine (poisons). But I was willing to set aside what I've read in history books, so that didn't detract from my enjoyment.
The author obviously took some pains to get historical details right, including the fact that, in England, witches were hung and not burned. There's a lot about C17th life, including the persecution of Catholics, the clothing, the social classes, rural poverty, what people ate, and a deal more, plus scene setting in the fairly wild area, and the weather which almost forms a character in its own right.
I liked Margery and Roger though the forehead crinkling got a bit overdone, but found most of the other characters very slightly drawn especially love interest Frank. The ending was so weak it almost made me think that a chapter was missing from the grubby, tatty second-hand copy I was reading. On balance, I rate this as a 3 star read....more
This is the opening novel in a series where a Detective Chief Inspector (Evan Warlow) is summoned out of early retirement when a cliff path landslip uThis is the opening novel in a series where a Detective Chief Inspector (Evan Warlow) is summoned out of early retirement when a cliff path landslip uncovers the bodies of two missing walkers. Warlow was in charge of the case which occurred six or seven years previously and despite exhaustive searches no trace was ever found thanks to the site chosen to conceal the bodies.
This was an interesting police procedural mystery with a good cast headed up by Warlow himself - divorced father of grown sons, who has just finished restoring a rural property inherited from his uncle and is now a bit of a loner apart from his faithful Labrador. It was nice, for once, to read about a police detective who is not alcoholic or otherwise dysfunctional, although there is medical intrigue in the background - the reason for his early retirement. The female DCI who replaced him and is now in charge of investigating the two murders is also pretty balanced; although divorced, she is coping with being a single parent to a teenage daughter. The immediate team is rounded out by a female Detective Sergeant, previously mentored by Warlow, and a young and keen male Detective Constable.
There are a few twists and I didn't anticipate most of them, though I realised about two thirds of the way through, from things said by the murdered couple's daughter, the gist of why they had been murdered and wasn't surprised at what happened to two other characters as a result. However, there were still some surprises in the cast of villains, and the story touched on some very topical issues. On the whole I enjoyed it though am not sure about continuing with the series, having encountered some other series where the main character has a medical problem. I hope that this isn't going to end the same way so for now will just award this one 4 stars....more
As with all books about the Holocaust this is a harrowing read. Brasse was a Pole with an Austrian father and grandfather who refused to serve in the As with all books about the Holocaust this is a harrowing read. Brasse was a Pole with an Austrian father and grandfather who refused to serve in the German army - he was expected to assimilate because of his 'Aryan' blood - and was sent to Auschwitz as a political prisoner. At first, his chances of survival didn't look good, but he managed a transfer to the kitchens and then was co-opted into a unit to produce photographs - identity ones of the prisoners and photos for the Germans to send home to their families. After a while, he was ordered to take photos for the 'doctors' such as Mengele, to document their horrible experiments.
He gradually made contact with the resistance within the camp and helped in various ways, sometimes just to ensure that people who needed it got food but at other times to produce false papers for people. Always he had misgivings and qualms about his enforced collaboration, though he resisted the pressure from his captors to be classified as a German and go to fight for Germany.
I do note that certain people mentioned in the book as being part of the resistance were not part of Primo Levi's first person account of his survival in another of the subcamps of Auschwitz. The present book doesn't really explain that the camp was huge, like a city, and there were lots of enclaves and areas where the prisoners were working for particular German firms, for example. So a particular individual who somehow manages to be married in the camp but later comes to grief was not universally known there for his heroism: things seem to have been more 'local' than comes across in this book.
I do have an issue regarding the information provided which shows the book was not based on interviews with Brasse himself, but on talking to his children and also taking information from a BBC documentary. So the assumptions about his feelings are actually second-hand. The other problem is that it mentions that some events have been switched around to fit the narrative. That means it's not possible to rely on this as a totally factual account, because as a reader I don't know what liberties have been taken with the timeline and why. For these reasons, I can only give this three stars....more
The book starts off with a strong and horrifying scene of the murder of Camille in 2005, then moves to the present day when the two younger siblings, The book starts off with a strong and horrifying scene of the murder of Camille in 2005, then moves to the present day when the two younger siblings, twins Lana and Ollie, return to Mead House to prepare it for sale following their grandmother's death. This is traumatic for both siblings who have been drifting apart, and the situation isn't helped by the presence of Ollie's newly-acquired fiancée, Ellie, a woman with no redeeming qualities whatsoever. Lana has her own issues, as the supposed murderer of their sister has been behind bars for seventeen years, still insisting on his innocence, and her role in convicting him drove a wedge between her and his younger brother Xav (Xavier).
The story is told from several points of view, some of them unknown characters. I didn't really connect to any of them unfortunately although the rekindled romance between Lana and Xav was quite well handled. The main issue was I couldn't believe in the central premise, that Camille as a young woman of eighteen or nineteen years of age is turned on by being slapped and verbally abused. There is no suggestion of abuse in her childhood, although both parents are dead and they are raised by their grandmother, so why she should switch from a normal relationship to a controlling abusive one doesn't make sense to me. The book also featured constant ungrammatical misuse of 'sat' as in 'He was sat at the table' instead of sitting, which I found irritating and jarred. Plus I didn't believe someone hit by a car could possibly have got away so lightly. Accordingly I can only give this an OK 2 stars.
This is a very readable guide to how to produce an author's newsletter with lots of practical advice. I will certainly return to it when I finally getThis is a very readable guide to how to produce an author's newsletter with lots of practical advice. I will certainly return to it when I finally get organised, once I can find time to write the 'reader magnet' or 'cookie', as the author refers to them, that I have in mind. So it's a five star rating from me....more
The third and last in this series that I acquired recently, this is a little better. It is book 11, and ten years have passed since the opening volumeThe third and last in this series that I acquired recently, this is a little better. It is book 11, and ten years have passed since the opening volume. The deceased Freya is name checked yet again as Simon's sister, Dr Cat, wonders if Simon would have settled down with her had she lived, but concludes that he probably would soon have fallen out of love with her. He apparently has busted up with yet another woman, Rachel, though she was the first to share his flat for a brief period. However, he bumps into her and invites her out for coffee and is soon texting her to invite her to spend a long weekend with him, which Cat takes as yet another instance of his inability to relate to other people's feelings.
In common with previous volumes, a lot of ths is soap opera - among other inconsequential ramblings, the relationship of Cat's son Sam with his girlfriend. Some of the backstory dropped into this seems barely credible: the father of Simon and Cat, widowed in book 3, has apparently married again in the meantime but turned violent against his second wife and sexually assaulted another woman so is now on his own. Cat and her family spent a whole year in Australia, not the six months they originally planned at the end of book 3 and at some point in the intevening years, Cat's husband died of cancer. She is now remarried - her second husband being the Chief Constable and her brother's direct boss!
Another backstory element demonstrates the writer's departure from the reality of police work, something that happens too often in these books. Simon has a prosthetic arm though little is made of this, but it seems he was seriously injured while infiltrating a paedophile ring - as he was apparently a Detective Chief Superintendant by that time, I find that completely incredible. Even at his level in books 1 and 3 which I read previously, a Detective Chief Inspector, he would have been too senior in rank to work undercover, and his appearance on various previous TV press conferences etc would have meant far too much risk of his being recognised. And from a review I read after finishing the book, it seems this was in prison, so surely he would have stood even more chance of being recognised by one of the inmates.
The actual crime element in the present volume is the impact on the local community of county lines: drug dealing networks that exploit children to courier money and drugs. A boy of eleven is drawn in by a man who gives him a lift when he misses the school bus and then waits for him outside school with a present - a rucksack which turns out to contain a 'burner' phone. Through these 'gifts' the boy is pressured into making his first drop-off. Meanwhile, an older girl tries to refuse to carry on doing the same thing for the same dealer, cowed by threats of violence that lead to tragedy.
By the end of the book, Simon accepts that his cosy, convenient flat isn't a permanent home: it is revealed that it is only rented. Given his good salary, he should buy a house, and he considers one out in the countryside but in his usual way, dithers over whether to proceed. However, there are inklings that he is finally ready to commit to a relationship, and by story's end it seems he will get back with Rachel. Even marriage seems to be in the air, so this was a good point on which to bow out of this series. I don't intend to read any more, but at least the last two have gradually got a bit better, earning an extra star over the disastrous book 1, and I can award this one a respectable 3 stars....more
Having bought three of this series, not realising I had disliked book 1 under a different cover when read in 2019, I thought I'd better try the next -Having bought three of this series, not realising I had disliked book 1 under a different cover when read in 2019, I thought I'd better try the next - I don't have volume 2 but from a perusal of Goodreads reviews, it seems not a lot happens in it anyway. The missing child story pursued in the present volume begins in that book but is not resolved until this one.
Serrailler is drafted in by North Yorkshire CID to advise, as they also have had a boy go missing in their area. Then a girl is kidnapped, but this time there is a witness and more to go on. Meanwhile, various events occur to other characters who have links with Simon's sister Cat who is a local doctor, or are neighbours of the murderer.
Although this story wasn't so annoying as the first, it had several weaknesses. Without giving too much away, I found the identity of the murderer totally unconvincing. The author was forced to admit, in discussions between police characters, that this kind of crime is almost never committed by such a person and in the handful of real-life cases (which are name-checked), it was always as a co-criminal with the far more likely perpetrator. Secondly, there is nothing to explain why the character not only travelled to Yorkshire to continue the killing spree, but took all the bodies there to hide them. That is a glaring plot hole.
Other threads of the story remain unresolved. It's never made clear what happens to the murderer ultimately, or to the person's mother after she develops an unreasoning mania that her child couldn't possibly be guilty, and her luckless second husband who has great grounds for divorce in my opinion. Nor is the thread involving the neighbour and neighbour's child given any kind of closure. I'm not sure if the writer was trying to hint that the child would turn out like the murderer who she admired.
I didn't like the plethora of violence against women. Three different women are assaulted in the first few chapters, and in two cases the culprit is either never identified or else not until late in the book when it is accompanied by yet more extreme violence. The third woman misguidedly refuses to press charges despite the seriousness of the case, which leaves a seriously disturbed individual at large, free to murder a young mother. Oddly, despite her soul searching in a scene with Serrailler, the third woman shows no remorse at the fact that if she had only gone through with charging the culprit, he wouldn't have been at large to attack yet another woman. I believe UK police can proceed with charges without the victim's consent, although it makes prosecution more problematic especially if the victim is a hostile witness. But the fact that the individual concerned was a danger to the public and mentally unbalanced should surely have been grounds to either charge him or section him under mental health legislation.
Serrailler mopes around in this book, brooding on the death of the protagonist of book one, whom he took little notice of at the time apart from inappropriately inviting her to dinner (given that she was his subordinate two ranks below him). It seems that in book 2, Diana, a businesswoman with whom he had an 'arrangement' for years, suddenly fell for him obsessively to the point of stalking him. Yet when he meets her again in London, he is sure she will be happy to resume their former relationship of convenience, and ends up in bed with her, demonstrating yet again his total immaturity, cluelessness about how other people feel, and lack of ethics. He then spends the rest of the book avoiding her.
He later latches onto another female character for no good reason and, after getting a good talking to by Cat about his awful behaviour towards women, is rebuffed by the object of his desire. This should make him realise his behaviour is unacceptable, but having started the third of the books I acquired, I can see that the lesson is only superficial and temporary. Apart from his drawing side-line and unredeemedly bad treatment of women, he is introverted and a bland character. His subordinate Nathan, now a sergeant, is the only light relief in the book, as in volume one. By the end of the book, all sorts of relationships are breaking up, including family ones, leaving things more open perhaps for growth. Altogether I would rate this as an OK 2 stars....more
I recently bought this book and another three novels by the author from a charity shop, having forgotten that I read one of the others some years ago I recently bought this book and another three novels by the author from a charity shop, having forgotten that I read one of the others some years ago and found it so annoying I decided not to bother with this! However, I had already read it before remembering any of that. Having seen the film some years ago, I did so outside on a sunny day, being concerned that it might be too spooky for a bedtime read, and finished it in two hours as it is a short work.
The story is set within a frame. Retired lawyer, Arthur Kipps, is upset on Christmas Eve when his wife and grown-up stepchildren insist he join in and tell a ghost story, as is traditional for the season. He walks out because a real-life one wrecked his life as a young man, and when he returns later, he is determined to set it down on paper, to be read only on his death. The rest of the novel is his account as an extended flashback.
On the verge of marriage to his first wife, he is sent to a remote house in marshland to find important papers left after the death of an old recluse. Commencing at the old woman's funeral, he begins to be haunted by a woman in black, who appears to suffer from a wasting disease and to be the embodiment of a burning anger and hatred. Meanwhile, the locals are reticent to tell him anything about her or the background of what occurred at the house.
The WIB is a nasty brooding presence, who reminded me of the governess in Henry James' 'Turn of the Screw', but some of the other elements are standard for the traditional Victorian ghost story and less frightening therefore than e.g. some of the works of modern writer, Ramsey Campbell, or even some of M R James' short stories which are genuinely haunting (or 'The Railwayman' by Charles Dickens for that matter).
The only element I remember being changed in the film with Daniel Radcliffe is the ending (though I'm sure there were others). I do understand why. In the book, the action occurs nearly two years later which doesn't fit with what the protagonist is finally told about the anticipated outcome when the WIB appears. I found it a stretch too, to accept that the WIB could appear so far away from the locus where she and the other elements of the haunting are based. It also seems illogical of the local people to be so close mouthed: if something they fear has been triggered again by the old woman's death and Arthur's presence at the house is stirring it up further, why not answer his questions and try to encourage him to leave?
The book leaves at least one unanswered question: the man who, on occasion, conveys Arthur to and from the house by pony and trap is, it is hinted at, a victim of the WIB. Yet the man isn't afraid to go there even at 2am or to have delivered supplies to the old lady for years. His physical appearance hints at something that happened to him and, by implication, to other family members and I would have liked confirmation of what I deduced . As someone who doesn't seem cowed, it's odd that he doesn't at least hint to Arthur that he should go before something awful happens.
The marsh and weather are real 'characters' and well done, but I was continually taken out of the story by anachronisms. Superficially, it seems to be set in the Nineteenth century, but telephones and motor cars feature, and there are comments about what it was like in Victorian times and 'sixty years previously'. It makes the timescale very hard to pin down, especially since the events recounted are thirty years or maybe more before the framing narrative. This kind of ghost story properly belongs in a Victorian setting, and in my opinion the author would have been better served by firmly placing it there, rather than in an odd one that doesn't seem to tally with the Edwardian era either, since Arthur finds an old gravestone with a year of death not quite decipherable but definitely starting with 190. I appreciate convincing settings as well as characters, so found this awkward and puzzling. Given the various issues therefore, I would rate this at 3 stars overall....more
This, being a sort of domestic psychological thriller, isn't my usual type of read, but I enjoyed it. I don't want to say too much about it to avoid gThis, being a sort of domestic psychological thriller, isn't my usual type of read, but I enjoyed it. I don't want to say too much about it to avoid giving away spoilers but it concerns two timelines and viewpoints: Anna in London and Livvy in Bristol. Anna is suffering from amnesia following a car accident which her husband Stephen admits he caused, and Livvy has a young baby and a husband, Dominic, who resents time taken away to spend time with her parents and sister, since he claims to have had a difficult childhood and is estranged from his own parents. He also seems set on undermining her confidence and sabotaging her chances of returning to work on a promotion at her old workplace.
Gradually, it becomes clear that both women are being manipulated. I didn't foresee a major development which occurs quite late on in the story and it was a feat well pulled off by the writer. The only thing that prevents me giving this full marks is that it is stretching it a bit to have Livvy so willing to cover for Dominic's increasingly obvious emotional abuse and gaslighting. But I would rate it overall at 4 stars....more
I obtained a second-hand version of this, having enjoyed a recent re-read of the author's "Priam's Daughter". It is the story of the hero known variouI obtained a second-hand version of this, having enjoyed a recent re-read of the author's "Priam's Daughter". It is the story of the hero known variously as Bellerophon and Perseus, the man's original name being Hippolochus (who in some legends is the son of Bellerophon but a foreword explains the reasoning behind the scheme followed in the novel). As there are elements in common to both heroes, such as the appearance of the winged horse Pegasus, the author theorised that they were actually stories about the same person, since the names Bellerophon and Perseus are both able to be derived from titles or nicknames.
The frame of the tale is that he is wandering as a despised elderly man, blind and trying to obtain food and occasional lodging by telling his tale as a bard. Knowing his life is near its end, he sets out his life story as it actually happened and not as the exaggerated stories which began to be circulated when he was much younger.
The period is one where the worship of the Hellene gods is taking over and gradually ousting the worship of the old Goddess, although there are still plenty of adherents to the latter which originally had an emphasis on the power of women and the sacrifice of the King. As per the previously read book, the Bronze Age setting is well realised, with no literal appearances of gods: people believe wholeheartedly in them and interpret events in that light, but the only supernatural elements as before are the possession by certain individuals of psychic abilities, mainly a knowledge of the future albeit vague and erratic. Pegasus, for example, is a horse with which Hippolochus forms a bond and is able to jump fences on - as no rider has ever managed this before, the story is exaggerated and Pegasus is talked about as a flying horse, aided by his later depiction on the sail and figurehead of the ship called Pegasus and on the helmets etc of the hero's close companions. The other uncanny elements in the hero's exploits are similar exaggerations of non-supernatural events.
The story is episodic, with the various travels, including a three year sea voyage to Britain known then as Hyperborea, to slay the 'Gorgon' Medusa, in this a formidable rogue Amazon with a group of followers who have been outlawed by the Goddess' priestesses. The nicknames Bellerophon and Perseus are acquired at different points in the character's life and refer to particular events. He is brave but not the brightest person, relying on his good friend Nereus, and other friends acquired along the way including Orpheus, the legendary bard. Eventually, he is undone by hubris and his unlucky closest friends and wife along with him.
I found it a bit of a slog in places, and it does come across as rather a travelogue, so I broke off in the middle of it to read something else. It is interesting in places to see the author's alternative interpretation of the supernatural elements of the original stories, but the treatment of women is problematic. Apart from an Amazon - and even she starts showing signs of going a bit soppy about Perseus as he then is, before departing before she can contravene the Amazon code (sex with men is only to produce more Amazons) - the other women he is involved with are pretty and fairly insipid, and the descriptions of Andromeda descend into mawkishness. The characterisations even of the male characters remain sketchy throughout. The book was rather a disappointment after the author's retelling of Cassandra's story and so I can only give this an OK 2 stars....more
A fantasy novel which I realised only a little way in must be aimed at the YA market and I'm sure would be loved by that readership. I liked it overalA fantasy novel which I realised only a little way in must be aimed at the YA market and I'm sure would be loved by that readership. I liked it overall but had some reservations.
The beginning was set in a butterfly zoo where Ivy, a girl who has been brought up in care and foster homes since being abandoned as a baby, loves working, apart from her totally creepy boss. Ivy is having a crisis because she has been trying to track down her birth mother, and receives a call at work from her mother, telling her she is in danger and to run but to stay away from Bardsey island where her mother lives.
Soon afterwards, a customer acts peculiar, assaults her and she uses her karate skills to render him harmless, but the boss takes the customer's side and sacks her. His nephew, Tom, a laidback person, walks out with her in solidarity and agrees to drive her to the place on the Welsh coast where she can get a boat. But on the way, more weird things start to happen and tension really racks up when they manage to reach the island.
I liked the description of the witches who reminded me of those in Philip Pullman's Dark Materials series, Morgan in particular, and the vivid and grubby way they are described, logical given their shape-shifting and the form they take on. The demonic forces that pursue Ivy and Tom are creepy. There are some good descriptive passages and the island is evoked quite atmospherically. But there were a number of aspects I wasn't so keen on.
The initial setting in the butterfly zoo is made much of and is then dropped. Given that one of the strange things that happen before Ivy is assaulted is the circling over her head of Deaths Head Moths, it seemed that butterflies, moths and caterpillars would be central to the unfolding mystery but they do not feature at all, producing a disconnect between the earlier part of the book and later events. It might have made more sense to have her work in a bird house in view of what transpires.
Her boss at the zoo is abusive/a sexual predator, but the character is subsequently dropped. The theme is developed in more depth with another character later, but this makes the first man's behaviour seem even more unnecessary. Only if he'd come after Ivy and Tom would it have made sense to make him an abuser - he could just be a pompous, unpleasant man who sacks her. His dual role would only really be justified by linking him to the abusive character she encounters on the island who, after all, has sent hostile forces after her. As it is, Ivy had enough issues from her upbringing to make this seem overkill.
I didn't think the romance which develops was necessary. It would have been nice for a change to have two characters who remain good friends. That wouldn't preclude them taking risks for each other.
Another plot element is made much of but is soon dropped. Tom was supposedly desperate to get back to somewhere on the mainland to pursue funding for a computer game he was developing. He was worried about leaving his stuff in his car (the boat that they take is only small). He ends up stranded - and it's not clear how he's going to get back at the end given what occurred with the boatman. Yet this element just disappears and he seems to forget it completely.
I wasn't sure about the mix-up Ivy's mother makes with the witches. I won't say any more on that to avoid spoilers but I think there was enough of a real threat to avoid muddying the water.
I found it difficult to relate to Ivy because she is such an emotionally bottled up character though I realise from the plot development it is an essential element of the story. But it made her rather a pain at times.
The Arthurian aspect is spurious. It could be any wizard who goes over to the dark side and the witches don't have to be headed up by a main character from Arthurian legend either, because they don't particularly connect to those characters. Similarly, the island could be any made-up island. The chants used are either Latin or made up, rather than in Welsh, which was a lost opportunity because, as it stands, the story lacks an authentic sense of Wales and Welsh culture.
There are a few references to the man who wrote to Ivy telling her where her mum was, enabling her to write to her in the first place. But the identity of this man is never revealed, or Ivy's father for that matter. It just adds to the impression of loose ends that are never resolved. I'm also not a great fan of books that end on cliff-hangers but it became obvious in the last few pages that the story wasn't going to be wrapped up. And I found the present tense first person narrative rather odd.
I quite enjoyed the book despite all this but wouldn't rate it higher than a 3 star rating....more
An interesting tale set in an alternative 19th century where magic exists but is dying out as it is gradually diluted through marriage with non-magicaAn interesting tale set in an alternative 19th century where magic exists but is dying out as it is gradually diluted through marriage with non-magical people. Only aristocratic families and royalty who plan arranged marriages have managed to keep it in any strength.
The first character encountered, Silas, is a son of one such aristocratic family but has an abusive father. In a drunken rage, his father uses his powers to try to kill Silas who strikes back, discovering he has the ability to absorb them. But when he kills his father, the borrowed powers are lost. He sets out, in one thread throughout the book, to steal other people's magic, as well as magic residing in certain houses, by gruesome means.
In the main timeline, about twenty years later, it is 1846, and a writer in his thirties, Merritt Fernsby, inherits a house with inbuilt magic. He has trouble with it from the start, and an organisation called the Boston Institute for the Keeping of Enchanted Rooms (BIKER) sends one of their top operatives, Hulda Larkin, a buttoned-up woman also in her thirties, to bring it into line. But the seeming perils posed by the house are the least of their problems.....
I liked the magical system set out in the list at the start of the book. There are various abilities which people can have, to measured percentages, but the use of each ability involves temporary losses, such as forgetfulness, confusion, stiffness of joints or other drawbacks depending on the power used. Some people have more than one ability. Houses can use powers without these drawbacks - and that includes spirits of deceased wizards who possess houses. Only living beings experience the penalties.
A thread running throughout the story is the gradual blossoming of an attraction between the two main characters, Merritt and Hulda, but in a very understated and cautious way. Both have a chequered past as far as romance goes and both have built shells around their hearts to shield their vulnerability. Those shells are in danger of softening as each experiences a growing love for the other. But as with all true romances, misunderstandings and obstacles block the path.
The subsidiary characters of the two servants, Beth and Baptiste, are nicely sketched, as was the indication that someone thought to be wholly without magic might actually have some - though I didn't guess at the explanation. The villain, Silas, had a motivation for what he was doing - he wanted to be all powerful so that no one could have control over him - but his actions become more and more extreme, wholly unjustified to anyone but himself. I thought that more could have been made of the peril he posed - for example, he was having to keep away due to Beth's clairvoyance, so when she was leaving for a dance and would be away overnight, I expected Silas to make a move. Such opportunities to rack up tension were not exploited. For that reason, I would rate this at 4 stars overall, but it was an enjoyable read....more
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