Steve's Bookshelf 2014

[Karsa Orlong]

Your review of War Birds has certainly got me interested in reading this! Great review.

Thanks, Ian    I had to order a used copy from the US - only cost £2.81 so worth a look  

 

 

 

Unfortunately, I think when it comes to women "hiding" behind initials - I think some people are that shallow.

 

Oh dear.  Well, it's their loss, they're missing out on some great authors

 

 

 

I made a start on Luke Romyn's Beyond Hades last night.  It was one I picked up in this 'Action Pack' for £1 in the Kindle sales at Christmas.  Scientists, at the behest of the military (naturally), activate an ancient machine found in the lost city of Atlantis - and unleash hell on earth.  Within the first few pages the main character is attacked by first a gryphon and then a cyclops.  I gave up after 40 pages.  I thought it would be fun, but I really wasn't in the mood - it's so silly, so bad    At least I can take those two off the TBR list and delete them from the Kindle

 

So I've decided to start on one of the many doorstoppers on my TBR list instead.

[Athena]

Great reviews ! I think it's a shame some people feel they have to hide, but I guess some readers are really that shallow.

[Karsa Orlong]

The Gemmell graphic novels arrived:

 

 

 

plus another visit to Forbidden Planet last week resulted in these:

 

 

 

Now all I have to do is sort out a load of paperbacks to go to the hospice shop in order to make room for all these new ones

[Athena]

Yay, new books! I hope you enjoy them all .

[poppyshake]

Hope you've recovered from the flu Steve  New books are a tonic so they should do you the power of good. Not sure you should be going anywhere near Forbidden Planet but you seem to have come through it unscathed .. albeit obviously poorer   

[Karsa Orlong]

Not sure you should be going anywhere near Forbidden Planet

 

Nor me!   Not for a couple of weeks, anyway

[Karsa Orlong]

# 31

 

Ash: A Secret History by Mary Gentle

 

  

 

2001 - Gollancz ebook - 1,120 pages

 

 

From Amazon:

 

For the beautiful young woman Ash, life has always been arquebuses and artillery, swords and armour and the true horrors of hand-to-hand combat. War is her job. She has fought her way to the command of a mercenary company, and on her unlikely shoulders lies the destiny of a Europe threatened by the depredations of an Infidel army more terrible than any nightmare.

Winner of the BSFA Award for best novel, 2000

 

 

Thoughts:

 

This book has, I think, one of my favourite first lines ever:

 

"It was her scars that made her beautiful."

 

When I was browsing on Amazon I read that line via the 'look inside' option for the book and knew I had to read it.  It's a very daunting book, at 1,120 pages, but I do like epics.

 

For once - shock, horror - that blurb doesn't really give much away    Ash: A Secret History is presented as a modern day translation of a recently discovered historical document.  Each part of the story is framed by email correspondence between the historian, Pierce Ratcliff, and his publisher, and this story runs in parallel to his translation of the document, which tells of Ash, the young woman who becomes the leader of a mercenary army in 15th century Europe.  It's an alternate history story that tells of Burgundy and a Visigoth invasion, genre-hopping between fantasy, historical, and science fiction - largely, as the story progresses, the latter, for reasons I won't spoil - although, suffice to say, there is more going on than meets the eye.

 

So that first line, above, isn't actually the first line at all, as it turns out, because there are in fact a couple of pieces of correspondence before that from Ratcliff.  Once Gentle writes "It was her scars that made her beautiful", though, things promptly get ugly.  She immediately tells us how Ash got those scars when she was raped as a child, and how she promptly killed her attackers.  "Remember that she had already begun to train as a fighter" Ratcliff tells us.  It is the first of some very harrowing scenes - and somehow not the most harrowing, by quite a margin.  There are parts of this book that make for very uncomfortable reading.

 

Once the prologue is out of the way we meet Ash at 19 or 20 years old, already the leader of hundreds of men, and the story really begins.  And for the next 300 pages I found it completely absorbing.  It's not a difficult or complex book to read, barring the harrowing parts. Gentle made some odd decisions, though.  She has Ratcliff say early on that he is going to use modern colloquial language for his translation because he doesn't believe that the modern reader will want to wade through period dialogue.  The result is that characters use modern swear words.  A LOT.  And for no reason.  After a while it became tiresome and, frankly, juvenile.  It also means that anachronisms, things that people of the 15th century just wouldn't say, take over almost completely.  I think the point where I really started to switch off was when Ash said "I need to get my s**t together".  Really?  Purlease!   

 

I wanted to love it, I really did.  But, sadly, I didn't.  This is a book that has been released, here, in one volume, although elsewhere it was published as four books.  I've read that it is meant to be read as one volume.  Well, if that's the case, like most epic works (including a lot of my favourites) it could have done with a bloody good edit.  In fact, for the amount of actual story here, it probably could have been half the length.  There were times, after that initial 300 pages, where I nearly lost the will to live.  It becomes so repetitive, so bogged down in inconsequential conversations that go on for page after page, so bogged down in Gentle's insistence on describing every single action or piece of armour or weapon, that I eventually started not to care. 

 

And I haven't even mentioned the footnotes!  Yes, there are footnotes - lots of them.  But they are purely Ratcliff's explanations of certain terms or historical references.  There is none of the charm or humour of the footnotes in Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, instead trying to come across as a factual history book.  It makes for very dry reading. 

 

In the end, I was reading it on automatic pilot.  The words were there, I understood them, I knew what was going on, but I couldn't for the life of me figure out why I was still persevering with it.  I do wonder if all the repetition was down to it being released in other countries as four volumes, and I wonder, had I read it as four with a sufficient gap in between, if I might have enjoyed it more.

 

I doubt it, though.  I found it stodgy and annoying and boring.  This is the second of Mary Gentle's books I have read, and the second I have disliked.  I guess her style is just not for me

 

For me, sadly, it never got better than that opening line.  But what an opening line!

 

 

4/10

Edited May 2, 2014 by Karsa Orlong

[Karsa Orlong]

Mark Lawrence's 'Broken Empire' trilogy to become tv series?

 

http://mark---lawrence.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/getting-call-from-hollywood.html

[Timstar]

You know it's bad when you start reading on autopilot. Shame you didn't like it, great review though. I can't stand modern day sayings and colloquialisms in period books and TV, it just feels lazy.

[Athena]

It's a shame to hear you didn't like the book, great review though . I have other books by Mary Gentle on my TBR, but not this one.

 

Exciting possible news @ TV series of The Broken Empire Trilogy.

[Signor Finzione]

Such a shame you didn't enjoy Ash as much as you'd hoped - I know you were really looking forward to it.

 

Exciting news about Broken Empire, isn't it? He's now running a 'screen test' competition where fans can send in videos of themselves acting out scenes from the BE in order to win prizes.

[Timstar]

He's now running a 'screen test' competition where fans can send in videos of themselves acting out scenes from the BE in order to win prizes.

 

That could become... interesting.

[Signor Finzione]

That could become... interesting.

 

Yeah, he might end up with more than he bargained for, depending on which scenes people pick . . .

[Karsa Orlong]

Such a shame you didn't enjoy Ash as much as you'd hoped - I know you were really looking forward to it.

 

Yeah, I was, but the modern dialogue really killed it for me.  I think, because I like historical fiction, I don't mind period dialogue - or at least a bit of an effort to make it feel authentic and give it a bit of atmosphere.  There's no attempt whatsoever in Ash.  Other people seem to love it, though.

[Signor Finzione]

Yeah, I was, but the modern dialogue really killed it for me.  I think, because I like historical fiction, I don't mind period dialogue - or at least a bit of an effort to make it feel authentic and give it a bit of atmosphere.  There's no attempt whatsoever in Ash.  Other people seem to love it, though.

 

Do you think it would have been better as a fantasy rather than historical?

[Karsa Orlong]

Do you think it would have been better as a fantasy rather than historical?

 

As a straight ahead fantasy novel?  I don't think that would've worked as it would've altered the whole structure of the story.  She seemed to be trying to illustrate how easy it would be to change history, or at least to obscure it to meet various less than well-intentioned ends.  A lot of people seem to complain about the framing emails set in the present day but, for me, they were some of the most interesting parts purely because they showed how Ash's story didn't match up with accepted historical facts.

[Athena]

I don't think the dialogue would bother me, personally. I completely understand your reasoning for not liking it, but for me I find it easier to read things in modern dialogue because then I understand them better.

[Karsa Orlong]

# 32

 

The Fortune of War by Patrick O'Brian

 

   

 

1979 - Harper paperback - 312 pages

 

 

From Amazon:

 

Captain Jack Aubrey, RN, arrives in the Dutch East Indies to find himself appointed to the command of the fastest and best armed frigate in the Navy. He and his friend Stephen Maturin take passage for England in a despatch vessel. But the war of 1812 breaks out while they are en route. Bloody actions precipitate them both into new and unexpected scenes where Stephen's past activities as a secret agent return on him with a vengeance.

 

 

Thoughts:

 

This is the sixth book in O'Brian's increasingly marvellous 'Aubrey/Maturin' series and, for me, it only has one flaw - if it can be called a flaw at all - and that is it's dependence on the reader's knowledge of the previous book, the almost-equally brilliant Desolation Island.  That's because this tale begins pretty much immediately after the events of that novel and, even though O'Brian very neatly recaps the important points as Jack Aubrey presents a report to an admiral, I can't help feeling those happenings would lack the resonance they gain here unless read in full.

 

O'Brian took a chance here, in that much of the story takes place on land.  After a brief opening involving Jacks' report and a very funny game of cricket, Aubrey and his friend (and ship's surgeon) Stephen Maturin head back to England where Jack is to take a new and exciting command.  Unfortunately, due to various mishaps and the outbreak of the 1812 war with America, their journey goes slightly off course.  The result is that Maturin's secret life as a spy takes centre stage, and a tense and quite exciting game of espionage replaces the usual shipboard action.

 

That's not to say that there aren't any naval battles - there are, and they are real life ones and - from what I can gather - are accurately represented and exciting.  The frailties of both the ships and the people contained within make for tense and scary reading.  There's nothing here to match the extended, thrilling chase sequence of the previous book, but it didn't make it any less entertaining for me.

 

I'm finding that with each book in the series I am falling into Jack and Stephen's world more and more easily.  O'Brian was a real wordsmith, and the stories seem to flow effortlessly.  The book is wonderfully paced, full of observation and detail of life at the time both on land and at sea, with dialogue that reeks of atmosphere and the period whilst still being easy to understand (it is possible Mary Gentle!), full of humour that emerges naturally and is not forced, and - most importantly - populated by characters with whom I want to spend time, who continue to grow, and who have quickly become old friends.

 

It's a difficult one to score on some levels.  I found it very difficult to put down.  I've reached the point now where, once I jump into Aubrey's world, I don't really want to surface again at the other end.  This has to be one of my favourite historical novels that I've read so far, almost on a par with Mantel's Bring Up the Bodies.  It's very much part of an ongoing story, so asks for foreknowledge and a desire to read on afterwards.  Taken on its own it might not work so well.  Taken as part of the series, I thought it was flawless.  It's taken until May, but it's my first one of the year . . .

 

 

10/10

[Karsa Orlong]

# 33

 

Wild Cards edited by George R. R. Martin

 

    

 

2010 - Gollancz ebook - 576 pages

 

 

From Amazon:

 

There is a secret history of the world - a history in which an alien virus struck the Earth in the aftermath of World War II, endowing a handful of survivors with extraordinary powers. Some were called Aces - those with superhuman mental and physical abilities. Others became Jokers - cursed with bizarre mental or physical disabilities. Some turned their talents to the service of humanity. Others used their powers for evil. Wild Cards is their story.

 

Thoughts:

 

I've never read a book or series set in a shared world before, so this was all quite new and exciting for me.  By 'shared world', I mean the settings and storylines are worked on by several authors and combined into a whole.  This first volume isn't a true 'mosaic' novel, where each author is responsible for one or more characters and writes all their scenes, but is instead an anthology of short stories which quickly, effectively, and often thrillingly set up the Wild Card universe, which was originally created by Martin and his cohorts as background for a roleplaying game they enjoyed together.  Much like Malazan, they didn't lift the setting or the characters from the game, but created them for themselves and enjoyed the process so much they decided to develop it yet further, into this series which currently runs to twenty-one volumes (with two more already in the pipeline).

 

I should mention that this collection was first published in 1987, and that this is the revised and re-issued edition published in 2010, no doubt to cash in on Martin's sudden elevation to godhood

 

The first volume begins in 1946, as a Takisian spacecraft explodes in low Earth orbit.  These alien invaders had decided to use Earth as a test ground for a virus - which soon becomes known as the Wild Card Virus - which they intended to use on themselves should it prove successful.  However, one dissenting voice in their midst had chased them to Earth, and is now marooned here (the US government having captured his ship).  This is the alien who soon becomes known as Doctor Tachyon.  He is desperate to find the remains of the other spacecraft so that he can get to the virus and prevent its release.

 

That all happens in the intro, and then it's into the short stories proper.  The following stories are contained herein:

 

Thirty Minutes Over Broadway!  Jetboy's Last Adventure! by Howard Waldrop

The Sleeper by Roger Zelazny

Witness by Walter Jon Williams

Degradation Rites by Melinda M. Snodgrass

Captain Cathode and the Secret Ace by Michael Cassutt

Powers by David D. Levine

Shell Games by George R. R. Martin

The Long, Dark Night of Fortunato by Lewis Shiner

Transfigurations by Victor Milan

Down Deep by Edward Bryant and Leanne C. Harper

Strings by Stephen Leigh

Ghost Girl Takes Manhattan by Carrie Vaughn

Comes a Hunter by John J. Miller

 

There are also five 'Interludes' (all written by George R. R. Martin), an epilogue (by Lewis Shiner), and an appendix (by Victor Milan).

 

Just to pick a few highlights, I thought the first four stories were particularly outstanding.  Beginning with Thirty Minutes Over Broadway!  Jetboy's Last Adventure! by Howard Waldrop: a fast-paced, explosive blast of pulp fiction so evocative of the time and of comic book superheroes that quickly and concisely introduces this alternate history, as a villain holds New York to ransom and World War II pilot and hero Jetboy tries to stop his nefarious plan.  Then Roger Zelazny introduces us to the first Ace, Croyd Crenson, The Sleeper - a ninth-grader infected by the virus who has the rather unfortunate (or just plain fortunate, depending on how you look at it) habit of changing his ability and appearance every time he falls asleep - so he turns to drugs to keep himself awake, making him increasingly paranoid and somewhat prone to violence - with the immediate aftermath of the virus effects playing out in the background.

 

After that, Walter Jon Williams begins to lay out how various Aces are used by the powers-that-be to intercede in uprisings and political set-tos (Witness) and introduces some important characters in the process (Jack Braun and the Four Aces), before Melinda Snodgrass gives some depth and real feeling to the Doctor Tachyon character in one of this collection's best and most moving stories, Degradation Rites.

 

I think, with most anthologies, the overall quality of the stories can vary wildly, and this book is very dependent on consistency.  What fascinated me, beyond the plots and characters themselves, was how well it all fits together.  Martin's editing provides an overall tone that serves the ongoing stories very well, although I do wonder if that's detrimental to each author's own individual style.  And yes, there are a couple of stories that fall below the high standards set by those opening four tales.  Down Deep, in particular, is stupid, even in a collection of outlandish stories like this, and it seems like it was written in a rush, under-developed and lacking in the thought and character displayed by the others.  Meanwhile, Transfigurations and The Long, Dark Night of Fortunato delve into some of the more unsavoury aspects of the Jokers, and Strings veers a little too far into the political.  That said, many of the stories use issues of the various times (these stories cover from 1946 up to the 80s) as a backdrop and it is not a problem.  In fact, the twists put on some of them, from the Cold War to Vietnam, are often very clever.

 

Things pick up again, though, with Carrie Vaughn's brilliant Ghost Girl Takes Manhattan, a really fun if slightly scary night in the life of one undiscovered Ace.  And Martin's own Shell Games is pretty special, introducing Thomas Tudbury, who uses his Ace to become the 'Great and Powerful Turtle'.  Written several years before 'A Song of Ice & Fire' saw the light of day this seemed to me to be Martin writing with real verve and energy, something he lost - for me - in the turgid mess that is A Dance with Dragons.

 

In fact, I can't help feeling that, even though it is that other series that is filling his bank account, it's this series where Martin's heart really lies.  The pure exuberance of his writing here was a telling reminder for me of just how good he can be, and his afterword - where he reminisces about the creation of the Wild Cards world - sees him come across like a kid at Christmas discovering he's got everything he ever wanted.  It's hard not to be swept along with him.

 

So, twenty-one going on twenty-three volumes.  Hmm.  Well, it appears that a lot of the stories make up three-volume 'cycles'.  I'm not sure whether I'd ever get through all twenty plus (although later entries include work by Ian Tregillis and Daniel Abraham, among others, so it is enticing), but I'll definitely be reading the rest of this first trilogy.  There are some truly tremendous stories in this first volume, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

 

 

8/10

 

 

[Timstar]

I was looking into Wild Cards a couple of months ago, it does sound intriguing but I'm not sure I would want to start something else that long with so many authors. Maybe one day

 

But I like how you got your ADwD dig in there.

[Karsa Orlong]

I think you've taken that out of context a little.  It wasn't meant to be a dig, just my opinion of his obvious enjoyment of writing for this series as opposed to that series, which it seems to me he hasn't enjoyed for years (given his willingness to get side-tracked by anything and everything else)  

 

I like the fact that the 'Wild Card' series can be read in trilogies (and some standalones).  It seems to make the whole thing far less daunting/time consuming to me.

 

 

[Devi]

Just been catching up on your reviews, some good books there. My wish list grew a little.

[Timstar]

I think you've taken that out of context a little.  It wasn't meant to be a dig, just my opinion of his obvious enjoyment of writing for this series as opposed to that series, which it seems to me he hasn't enjoyed for years (given his willingness to get side-tracked by anything and everything else)   

 

Ah I see, that is very true. Hopefully he will find a new passion for it or he's going to lose a large portion of his readers (if he hasn't already).

 

 

I like the fact that the 'Wild Card' series can be read in trilogies (and some standalones).  It seems to make the whole thing far less daunting/time consuming to me.

 

oh ok, is there a website that states the order and whatnot?

[Karsa Orlong]

Yeah, this is the main one:  http://www.wildcardsonline.com/index.html

 

I found this quite interesting, too, and it helped make up my mind about giving it a go

[Karsa Orlong]

Just been catching up on your reviews, some good books there. My wish list grew a little.

 

Sorry about that