Steve's Bookshelf 2013

[Karsa Orlong]

Plan update:

 

Marathon Man - William Goldman - finished 03/02/13
The Kingdom of Bones – Stephen Gallagher
The Mozart Conspiracy – Scott Mariani (next in Ben Hope series)
The First Men In the Moon – H G Wells - started 08/02/13
The Great Hunt – Robert Jordan (next in Wheel of Time series)
Heresy – S J Parris (first in Gordiano Bruno series)
Post Captain – Patrick O’Brian (next in Aubrey/Maturin series)
The Heresy of Dr Dee – Phil Rickman (next in Dr Dee series) - finished 07/02/13

Dead Beat – Jim Butcher (next in Dresden Files series)

The Coldest War - Ian Tregillis (Milkweed Tryptich Book 2)

 

Edited February 8, 2013 by Karsa Orlong

[Karsa Orlong]

Book #10:  The First Men in the Moon by H. G. Wells

 

 

 

From Amazon:

 

When penniless businessman Mr Bedford retreats to the Kent coast to write a play, he meets by chance the brilliant Dr Cavor, an absent-minded scientist on the brink of developing a material that blocks gravity. Cavor soon succeeds in his experiments, only to tell a stunned Bedford the invention makes possible one of the oldest dreams of humanity: a journey to the moon. With Bedford motivated by money, and Cavor by the desire for knowledge, the two embark on the expedition. But neither are prepared for what they find - a world of freezing nights, boiling days and sinister alien life, on which they may be trapped forever.

 

 

Thoughts:

 

This is the fourth of Wells's novels that I have read.  I've loved the previous three without reservation, but this one not so much.  For a start, it is the first of those that I have read where we have actually achieved the landmark to which it relates, i.e. landing a man on the moon.  As far as I'm aware, no-one has invented a time machine, and I'm pretty sure we haven't been invaded by Martians (unless you count Dale Winton and Joan Rivers, cos I'm pretty sure they're both aliens wearing rubber masks).  The First Men in the Moon suffers immediately from over a century's worth of further knowledge.  I can still appreciate the imagination that has gone into it, but I found it harder to suspend my disbelief when I was told of atmosphere and life in the craters up there.

 

That wasn't the main problem, though.  I could deal with that.  The opening of the book is good, quirky fun, as we're introduced to the eccentric Cavor and his experiments.  The narrator, Bedford, describes this man and their initial encounters with a lot of wit and pace.  It's once they get to the moon that my problems really began.  For the first time, I found Wells's plotting rather directionless and padded.  There is a lot of jumping around, a lot of description of strange plant life, but it all felt rather aimless to me.  Then it lurches rather alarmingly into Jules Verne territory, becoming something of a re-run of A Journey to the Centre of the Earth, or at least it felt like it to me.  Wells even name-checked Verne earlier in the story, referring to From the Earth to the Moon and Around the Moon.  I'm not saying that he deliberately copied Verne but the running through tunnels felt distinctly similar to me.

 

But the biggest problem for me was Bedford himself.  In the previous books, The Time Traveller, Edward Prendick, and the nameless narrator of The War of the Worlds have all been extremely likeable, sympathetic protagonists.  Bedford is anything but.  He is driven by selfishness and greed.  He is bankrupt, and invites himself along on Cavor's escapades purely with £ signs in his eyes.  Worst of all . . .

 

. . . when confronted by the Selenites he resorts to violence and murder without a second thought, then abandons Cavor on the moon in order to save his own skin.  Ironically, even as I thought this, at a later stage in the novel a broadcast is received from the moon in which Cavor says similar about Bedford, who then proceeds to tell the reader how insulted he is by this, and lists off all the faults he found with Cavor!

 

So, for me, this is nowhere near Wells at his best and, even though the final chapters redeem it somewhat, I found it all a bit laborious.  It's also the longest of his novels that I've read, and yet it has the least actual story.

 

Quaint.  That's the word that springs immediately to mind.  Of course, it's a story borne of its time, and it still manages to pack in social commentary but, boy, it's not half as much fun as what had gone before.

 

 

5/10

[Karsa Orlong]

Plan update:

 

Marathon Man - William Goldman - finished 03/02/13
The Kingdom of Bones – Stephen Gallagher
The Mozart Conspiracy – Scott Mariani (next in Ben Hope series)
The First Men In the Moon – H G Wells - finished 10/02/13
The Great Hunt – Robert Jordan (next in Wheel of Time series)
Heresy – S J Parris (first in Gordiano Bruno series)
Post Captain – Patrick O’Brian (next in Aubrey/Maturin series)
The Heresy of Dr Dee – Phil Rickman (next in Dr Dee series) - finished 07/02/13

Dead Beat – Jim Butcher (next in Dresden Files series)

The Coldest War - Ian Tregillis (Milkweed Tryptich Book 2) - started 11/02/13

 

 

[Janet]

I have resisted reading your review of The First Men in the Moon, but as I scuttled past it I noticed the 5/10 marking.   I was planning to read some more of Wells' works (at some stage!), but maybe I'll give this one a miss. 

[Karsa Orlong]

Of the ones I've read, I'd definitely recommend going for The Time Machine or The Island of Doctor Moreau over this one, Janet

[bree]

Book #10:  The First Men in the Moon by H. G. Wells

 

 

Hello Karsa

 

I love this book cover and the font on it

You do pick gorgeous looking books - sorry you didn't enjoy it better though!

[Karsa Orlong]

 

Hello Karsa

 

I love this book cover and the font on it

You do pick gorgeous looking books - sorry you didn't enjoy it better though!

 

Hi Bree, don't worry, there are five novels in the one volume, and the other three I've read so far have all been fantastic

 

I am a bit annoyed with myself, though, as I somehow managed to get a fingerprint on the cover this weekend.  I must have picked the book up after reading the newspaper and had ink on my finger and, with the book having a cloth cover, I'm not sure it will ever come off

[Athena]

Of the ones I've read, I'd definitely recommend going for The Time Machine or The Island of Doctor Moreau over this one, Janet

I liked The Time Machine, sounds like I'll have to buy and read Doctor Moreau sometime (apparently it was already on my wishlist XD I think you or someone else from BCF recommended it to me). Shame you didn't like The First Men in The Moon that much. Edited February 11, 2013 by Athena

[Janet]

Of the ones I've read, I'd definitely recommend going for The Time Machine or The Island of Doctor Moreau over this one, Janet

Thanks - I'll see if they're on Project Gutenberg 

[Karsa Orlong]

sounds like I'll have to buy and read Doctor Moreau sometime (apparently it was already on my wishlist XD I think you or someone else from BCF recommended it to me).

 

 

It is a great book - I reviewed it here if you're interested, and I know Janet's read it, but The War of the Worlds is fantastic, if you haven't read it already

[Athena]

Great review, I'll put it on the wishlist!

 

(I've seen the film ages ago, not sure how it compares?)

 

EDIT: Hmm apparently it was already on my wishlist, I don't recall putting it there but I must have! XD

Edited February 11, 2013 by Athena

[Karsa Orlong]

I should've gone and looked at your wishlist

[Athena]

It's not on GoodReads yet, I'm thinking of putting it on there soon though, thought it might be handy.

[Janet]

Thanks - I'll see if they're on Project Gutenberg 

Apparently I've already downloaded both of them! 

[Karsa Orlong]

Apparently I've already downloaded both of them! 

 

Ooh, jolly good

[Karsa Orlong]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oyu_iZE8A2Y

 

 

Hmm, Christian Bale as Fiddler . . . could work . . . 

[Karsa Orlong]

Book #11:  The Coldest War (Milkweed Tryptich Book 2) by Ian Tregillis

 

 

 

From Amazon:

 

For decades, Britain's warlocks have been all that stands between the British Empire and the Soviet Union - a vast domain stretching from the Pacific Ocean to the shores of the English Channel. Now each warlock's death is another blow to Britain's national security.

Meanwhile, a brother and sister - the subjects of a twisted Nazi experiment to imbue ordinary people with superhuman abilities - escape from a top-secret facility deep behind the Iron Curtain. They head for England, because that's where former spy Raybould Marsh lives. And Gretel, the mad seer, has plans for him.

As Marsh is once again drawn into the world of Milkweed, he discovers that Britain's darkest acts didn't end with the war. And while he strives to protect queen and country, he is forced to confront his own willingness to accept victory at any cost.

 

 

Thoughts:

 

I won't say anything further about the plot beyond the blurb above, what with this being a sequel and all.  Sometimes a sequel comes along that you're looking forward to so much that it can't possibly meet your expectations.  Just occasionally one comes along that defies your expectations.  The Coldest War has completely floored me.  With it, Tregillis has not only refined his writing skills, he has also excised the aspects of Bitter Seeds that maybe didn't work so well, taken the parts that did work, and kicked them up several levels. 

 

Take the first book as set-up.  Now he is polishing and honing his ideas until they are blinding.  Every question left unanswered at the end of the first book is answered here, revelations that - on a couple of occasions - had my jaw hanging open in awe at their sheer genius.  I could actually feel my heart thumping as I read the final chapters.  I had no clue what was going to happen and, when it did, I immediately read it again, then dived back into the first book to look for something, and then felt my jaw hanging open again.  It is so cleverly thought out, so briliantly plotted and paced, I just can't get over it at the moment

 

One thing I can say, without really spoiling anything, is that the action - with the exception of a handful of stunning set-pieces - is actually played down in this book.  The emphasis is very much on the characters, and the effects the events in the first book has had on their friendships, their marriages, their families.  The science fiction elements are still there, woven seamlessly into the telling of the story.  Tregillis has a set of rules and he sticks to them - the Lovecraftian horror and man-made super-humans serve the story, rather than vice versa - but oh how they serve it.

 

I don't really want to say a lot more about it at the moment.  I'm very conscious that I've given some very high scores already this year, and that maybe I'm painting myself into a corner by doing so.  On the cover of each of these books is a quote from George RR Martin saying that Tregillis is 'A major talent'.  Now George and Ian are friends, apparently, so I would normally take that with a pinch of salt, but I think I might have to agree with him.  This is only Tregillis's second book.  I can't wait to see what happens next, and what he does beyond that.

 

When I commented on Bitter Seeds I think Tim asked why I only gave it an 8, and poppyshake observed it was 'the old room for improvement' score.  Well, here's the improvement

 

 

10/10

[Karsa Orlong]

Here's a review of The Coldest War written by one of the guys over on the Malazan forums, just to prove I'm not the only one it had this effect upon

 

ETA: It was thanks to him that I bought Bitter Seeds in the first place

Edited February 14, 2013 by Karsa Orlong

[Karsa Orlong]

Plan update:

 

Marathon Man - William Goldman - finished 03/02/13
The Kingdom of Bones – Stephen Gallagher
The Mozart Conspiracy – Scott Mariani (next in Ben Hope series)
The First Men In the Moon – H G Wells - finished 10/02/13
The Great Hunt – Robert Jordan (next in Wheel of Time series) - started 15/02/13
Heresy – S J Parris (first in Gordiano Bruno series)
Post Captain – Patrick O’Brian (next in Aubrey/Maturin series)
The Heresy of Dr Dee – Phil Rickman (next in Dr Dee series) - finished 07/02/13

Dead Beat – Jim Butcher (next in Dresden Files series)

The Coldest War - Ian Tregillis (Milkweed Tryptich Book 2) - finished 14/02/13

[Karsa Orlong]

A couple of gifts I received that were a complete surprise:

 

 

My friend said to me that they thought they'd made a big mistake with my present, and the one they were worried about was The Daylight War, because they thought it sounded like my kind of thing but didn't realise it was the third book in the series, and didn't know if I'd read the previous two.  So there was relief all round when I was so happy with it

 

 

But . . .

 

 

Not as happy as with this, though, from another friend.  This just about eclipses every other present I've ever had

 

 

My favourite album of all time, Permanent Waves, signed by all three members my favourite band.  To say I was astonished when I opened it is probably a bit of an understatement    Need to get it framed.  I'm still in awe   

[frankie]

Oh my god I can just about believe how chuffed you must be! How on earth did your friend pull that one off?? Never mind, it's amazing!

[vodkafan]

Happy Birthday Steve! Can't believe you are 47 mate you look 10 years younger

[Karsa Orlong]

Aw, thanks!

[Kylie]

I bet he'd look even younger if he cleaned that damn green paint off his face!

 

Happy Birthday Steve!

[Timstar]

Happy birthday mate! Some brilliant presents there, you must be pleased! Great review as well, I now really really want to read this trilogy but it's not in my plan... for now.