Scurra's bookshelf: all en-US Thu, 06 Mar 2025 16:44:15 -0800 60 Scurra's bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg <![CDATA[The Vicomte de Bragelonne (Trilogie des Mousquetaires #3.1)]]> 369042 The Vicomte de Bragelonne opens an epic adventure which continues with Louise de La Valliere and reaches its climax in The Man in the Iron Mask. This new edition of the classic translation presents a key episode in the Musketeers saga, fully annotated and with an introduction by a leading Dumas scholar.]]> 768 Alexandre Dumas 0192834630 Scurra 3 fiction 3.97 The Vicomte de Bragelonne (Trilogie des Mousquetaires #3.1)
author: Alexandre Dumas
name: Scurra
average rating: 3.97
book published:
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2025/03/06
shelves: fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The House at Pooh Corner (Winnie-the-Pooh, #2)]]> 776407 180 A.A. Milne 0525444440 Scurra 5 4.37 1928 The House at Pooh Corner (Winnie-the-Pooh, #2)
author: A.A. Milne
name: Scurra
average rating: 4.37
book published: 1928
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/10/28
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Around the World in Eighty Days]]> 1873838
This edition of Around the World in Eighty Days includes a Foreword, Biographical Note, and Afterword by Justin Leiber.]]> 210 Jules Verne 0812504305 Scurra 4 fiction Piers Anthony. You don't read him for the literary or stylistic qualities, you read him for the cool ideas. And 130 years later, this is still a seriously cool idea - a race against time based on a plausible real-world scenario.

It's very difficult not to get caught up in the story, which rattles along almost as quickly as Phileas Fogg pursues his journey with a single-mindedness that puts most other action heroes to shame. The supporting cast (Passpartout, Fix and Princess Aouda) are caricatures but none the worse for that, and some of the walk-on parts are fun. Even the twist at the end (which really does come as a surprise if you didn't know it in advance) makes for a splendidly tense ending. Even the more ridiculous howlers perpetrated in the name of narrative are pretty unimportant overall.

Of all his books, this and 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea are the two that deserve a permanent listing amongst the Victorian classics - being as wondrous an evocation of its own age as any Dickens or Austen. (If not more so, as his depictions of different cultures show us how differently the world looked a century or more ago. I find him remarkably even-handed as a writer; he ridicules every one equally, even the English and the French through his main characters.)]]> 3.76 1872 Around the World in Eighty Days
author: Jules Verne
name: Scurra
average rating: 3.76
book published: 1872
rating: 4
read at: 1980/01/01
date added: 2024/08/25
shelves: fiction
review:
Jules Verne has much in common with one of my favourite authors, Piers Anthony. You don't read him for the literary or stylistic qualities, you read him for the cool ideas. And 130 years later, this is still a seriously cool idea - a race against time based on a plausible real-world scenario.

It's very difficult not to get caught up in the story, which rattles along almost as quickly as Phileas Fogg pursues his journey with a single-mindedness that puts most other action heroes to shame. The supporting cast (Passpartout, Fix and Princess Aouda) are caricatures but none the worse for that, and some of the walk-on parts are fun. Even the twist at the end (which really does come as a surprise if you didn't know it in advance) makes for a splendidly tense ending. Even the more ridiculous howlers perpetrated in the name of narrative are pretty unimportant overall.

Of all his books, this and 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea are the two that deserve a permanent listing amongst the Victorian classics - being as wondrous an evocation of its own age as any Dickens or Austen. (If not more so, as his depictions of different cultures show us how differently the world looked a century or more ago. I find him remarkably even-handed as a writer; he ridicules every one equally, even the English and the French through his main characters.)
]]> <![CDATA[Twenty Years After (Trilogie des Mousquetaires #2)]]> 7184
Twenty Years After (1845), the sequel to The Three Musketeers, is a supreme creation of suspense and heroic adventure.

Two decades have passed since the musketeers triumphed over Cardinal Richelieu and Milady. Time has weakened their resolve, and dispersed their loyalties. But treasons and stratagems still cry out for justice: civil war endangers the throne of France, while in England Cromwell threatens to send Charles I to the scaffold. Dumas brings his immortal quartet out of retirement to cross swords with time, the malevolence of men, and the forces of history. But their greatest test is a titanic struggle with the son of Milady, who wears the face of Evil.]]> 845 Alexandre Dumas 0192838431 Scurra 4 fiction The Three Musketeers, this has even more fun with the pseudo-history than the original. It's also good to see the characters actually ageing - something rare in fiction of any type.]]> 4.06 1845 Twenty Years After (Trilogie des Mousquetaires #2)
author: Alexandre Dumas
name: Scurra
average rating: 4.06
book published: 1845
rating: 4
read at: 1984/01/01
date added: 2024/08/07
shelves: fiction
review:
As good as (if not better) than The Three Musketeers, this has even more fun with the pseudo-history than the original. It's also good to see the characters actually ageing - something rare in fiction of any type.
]]> <![CDATA[The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes]]> 1065804
� More than 60 original illustrations by Sidney Paget
� An Introduction
� Author biography and bibliography

Could it be that Sherlock Holmes has finally met his match in the villainous Professor Moriarty? Quite possibly. The only way to know for certain is to read the climactic story “The Final Problem� from this collection of Sherlock Holmes tales.

In this second compilation of stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (following The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes), we learn about Holmes� first-ever investigation in “The Gloria Scott�; meet his older, smarter (and fatter and lazier) brother, Mycroft; and are introduced to the most evil criminal mastermind in English literature, Professor Moriarty.

Including all twelve stories that originally appeared in the Strand Magazine, THE MEMOIRS OF SHERLOCK HOLMES contains some of the greatest mysteries the world’s greatest detective and Dr. Watson ever encountered.]]> 255 Arthur Conan Doyle Scurra 4 mystery
]]> 4.15 1893 The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes
author: Arthur Conan Doyle
name: Scurra
average rating: 4.15
book published: 1893
rating: 4
read at: 1980/01/01
date added: 2024/07/14
shelves: mystery
review:
Holmes and Watson are now fully established in the form that has become almost mythical, and the stories are never less than a delight. And the supporting cast becomes even more vibrant - Mrs Hudson and Lestrade reappear, and Mycroft and Moriarty make fleeting but memorable appearances.


]]> <![CDATA[The da Vinci Code (Robert Langdon, #2)]]> 305877 An ingenious code hidden in the works of Leonardo da Vinci.
A desperate race through the cathedrals and castles of Europe.
An astonishing truth concealed for centuries...unveiled at last.

While in Paris on business, Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon receives an urgent late-night phone call: the elderly curator of the Louvre has been murdered inside the museum. Near the body, police have found a baffling cipher. While working to solve the enigmatic riddle, Langdon is stunned to discover it leads to a trail of clues hidden in the works of Da Vinci -- clues visible for all to see -- yet ingeniously disguised by the painter.

Langdon joins forces with a gifted French cryptologist, Sophie Neveu, and learns the late curator was involved in the Priory of Sion -- an actual secret society whose members included Sir Isaac Newton, Botticelli, Victor Hugo, and Da Vinci, among others.

In a breathless race through Paris, London, and beyond, Langdon and Neveu match wits with a faceless powerbroker who seems to anticipate their every move. Unless Langdon and Neveu can decipher the labyrinthine puzzle in time, the Priory's ancient secret -- and an explosive historical truth -- will be lost forever.

The Da Vinci Code heralds the arrival of a new breed of lightning-paced, intelligent thriller utterly unpredictable right up to its stunning conclusion.]]> 464 Dan Brown 0593055055 Scurra 3 On the one hand, I really enjoy Dan Brown's perfectly-judged middle-brow techno-thriller world. I've been reading him since Digital Fortress first appeared, and I wonder if that's part of the problem - I know what he is doing, and I appreciate the skill with which he plays the game with his readers. But for newcomers, who don't perhaps appreciate that the "Note" at the beginning of many of his books is a part of the story, I can sort of see why they might have got caught up in the hype.
I don't think this is as clever or as well-written as Angels and Demons which is basically the same story; indeed it almost feels to me as though he started on this one first, got stuck and wrote A&D whilst trying to get this one to work.]]> 3.56 2003 The da Vinci Code (Robert Langdon, #2)
author: Dan Brown
name: Scurra
average rating: 3.56
book published: 2003
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2024/07/11
shelves:
review:
I still don't quite know what to make of the furoré surrounding this book, even now.
On the one hand, I really enjoy Dan Brown's perfectly-judged middle-brow techno-thriller world. I've been reading him since Digital Fortress first appeared, and I wonder if that's part of the problem - I know what he is doing, and I appreciate the skill with which he plays the game with his readers. But for newcomers, who don't perhaps appreciate that the "Note" at the beginning of many of his books is a part of the story, I can sort of see why they might have got caught up in the hype.
I don't think this is as clever or as well-written as Angels and Demons which is basically the same story; indeed it almost feels to me as though he started on this one first, got stuck and wrote A&D whilst trying to get this one to work.
]]> <![CDATA[If on a Winter's Night a Traveller]]> 52513609 If on a Winter's Night a Traveller Italo Calvino. You like it. But there's a printer's error in your copy. You take it back to the shop and get a replacement. But the replacement seems to be a totally different story. You try to track down the original book you were reading but end up with a different narrative again. This remarkable novel leads you through many different books including a detective adventure, a romance, a satire, an erotic story, a diary and a quest. But the hero of them all is you, the reader.]]> 260 Italo Calvino Scurra 5 What makes this book unusual, compared to others who have attempted the same thing, is the consistency with which he maintains the conceit, all the way through to the magnificent punchline, which I have to warn people not to be tempted to look at before they get to it.

However, it also falls into that awkward category of books that I don't read for pleasure - the sheer mental involvement required to appreciate it inevitably diminishes my enjoyment. I have to say that it isn't helped (in the version I own) by the inferior translation: one of the major structural elements is what is meant to be the deliberate parody of different genre styles; unfortunately the translator isn't up to the job and so what I imagine is a whole extra layer of cleverness is sadly diminished here.

And no, it isn't the best thing he's done (for me, that's Invisible Cities) but it will be the thing he will be remembered for. And frankly, that's nothing to be ashamed of.]]> 3.83 1979 If on a Winter's Night a Traveller
author: Italo Calvino
name: Scurra
average rating: 3.83
book published: 1979
rating: 5
read at: 2005/01/01
date added: 2024/06/11
shelves:
review:
It's almost impossible to discuss this book without inadvertently spoiling it for others - because it is, perhaps, the ultimate example of high concept.
What makes this book unusual, compared to others who have attempted the same thing, is the consistency with which he maintains the conceit, all the way through to the magnificent punchline, which I have to warn people not to be tempted to look at before they get to it.

However, it also falls into that awkward category of books that I don't read for pleasure - the sheer mental involvement required to appreciate it inevitably diminishes my enjoyment. I have to say that it isn't helped (in the version I own) by the inferior translation: one of the major structural elements is what is meant to be the deliberate parody of different genre styles; unfortunately the translator isn't up to the job and so what I imagine is a whole extra layer of cleverness is sadly diminished here.

And no, it isn't the best thing he's done (for me, that's Invisible Cities) but it will be the thing he will be remembered for. And frankly, that's nothing to be ashamed of.
]]> The Chrysalids 64463 54 David Harrower 0748742867 Scurra 2 3.63 1955 The Chrysalids
author: David Harrower
name: Scurra
average rating: 3.63
book published: 1955
rating: 2
read at:
date added: 2024/05/18
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Le Ton Beau De Marot: In Praise of The Music of Language]]> 1331221 832 Douglas R. Hofstadter 0465086438 Scurra 5 More "complete" than GEB, perhaps because it is more personal, Hofstadter nevertheless maintains his trademark diversions and sidetrips, without ever losing sight of his goal, which is to try and convey the insanity and joy of translation and to attempt understand why polylinguism is both a curse and a blessing.

And providing the spine of the book are the numerous translations of Ma Mignonne, all of which are terrific and all of which are so gloriously different.

Anyone even remotely interested in understanding why we speak the way we do and why communication is often so difficult, even between those of us who ostensibly speak the "same" language, owes it to themselves to read this.]]> 4.28 1995 Le Ton Beau De Marot: In Praise of The Music of Language
author: Douglas R. Hofstadter
name: Scurra
average rating: 4.28
book published: 1995
rating: 5
read at: 2000/01/01
date added: 2023/08/06
shelves:
review:
As someone else said, if I could give this book six stars, I would.
More "complete" than GEB, perhaps because it is more personal, Hofstadter nevertheless maintains his trademark diversions and sidetrips, without ever losing sight of his goal, which is to try and convey the insanity and joy of translation and to attempt understand why polylinguism is both a curse and a blessing.

And providing the spine of the book are the numerous translations of Ma Mignonne, all of which are terrific and all of which are so gloriously different.

Anyone even remotely interested in understanding why we speak the way we do and why communication is often so difficult, even between those of us who ostensibly speak the "same" language, owes it to themselves to read this.
]]> The Great Gatsby 396094 This is an alternative cover edition for ISBN 9780141182636

Young, handsome and fabulously rich, Jay Gatsby is the bright star of the Jazz Age, but as writer Nick Carraway is drawn into the decadent orbit of his Long Island mansion, where the party never seems to end, he finds himself faced by the mystery of Gatsby's origins and desires. Beneath the shimmering surface of his life, Gatsby is hiding a secret: a silent longing that can never be fulfilled. And soon, this destructive obsession will force his world to unravel.

In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald brilliantly captures both the disillusionment of post-war America and the moral failure of a society obsessed with wealth and status. But he does more than render the essence of a particular time and place, for in chronicling Gatsby's tragic pursuit of his dream, Fitzgerald re-creates the universal conflict between illusion and reality.]]> 177 F. Scott Fitzgerald Scurra 4 3.88 1925 The Great Gatsby
author: F. Scott Fitzgerald
name: Scurra
average rating: 3.88
book published: 1925
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2022/09/01
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Collected Stories of Philip K. Dick 5: The Eye of The Sibyl]]> 22585
Volume 5/5. Contents:
- The Little Black Box (1964)
- The War With the Fnools (1964)
- A Game of Unchance (1964)
- Precious Artifact (1964)
- Retreat Syndrome (1965)
- A Terran Odyssey (1987)
- Your Appointment Will Be Yesterday (1966)
- Holy Quarrel (1966)
- Not by Its Cover (1968)
- Return Match (1967)
- Faith of Our Fathers (1967)
- The Story to End All Stories (1968)
- The Electric Ant (1969)
- Cadbury, the Beaver Who Lacked (1987)
- A Little Something for Us Tempunauts (1974)
- The Pre-Persons (1974)
- The Eye of the Sibyl (1987)
- The Day Mr. Computer Fell Out of Its Tree (1987)
- The Exit Door Leads In (1979)
- Chains of Air, Web of Aether (1980)
- Strange Memories of Death (1984)
- I Hope I Shall Arrive Soon (1980, also titled Frozen Journey)
- Rautavaara's Case (1980)
- The Alien Mind (1981)

Other editions of this volume are titled:
- The Little Black Box
- We can remember it for you wholesale
- The Eye of the Sibyl

Editions published by Citadel don't include the story "We can remember it for you wholesale" into Vol. 5, it was placed in their Vol. 2 instead. Apart from that, contents are the same across editions.]]> 396 Philip K. Dick 0806513284 Scurra 5 science-fiction 4.27 1987 The Collected Stories of Philip K. Dick 5: The Eye of The Sibyl
author: Philip K. Dick
name: Scurra
average rating: 4.27
book published: 1987
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2022/04/02
shelves: science-fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[For Richer, For Poorer: Confessions of a Player]]> 8715633 346 Victoria Coren 1847672930 Scurra 4 4.01 2009 For Richer, For Poorer: Confessions of a Player
author: Victoria Coren
name: Scurra
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2009
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2020/08/22
shelves:
review:

]]> Catch-22 4610 An alternative cover edition for this ISBN can be found here.

With a new preface by the author

Explosive, subversive, wild and funny, 50 years on the novel's strength is undiminished. Reading Joseph Heller's classic satire is nothing less than a rite of passage.

Set in the closing months of World War II in an American bomber squadron off the coast of Italy, Catch-22 is the story of a bombardier named Yossarian who is frantic and furious because thousands of people he has never even met keep trying to kill him. Joseph Heller's bestselling novel is a hilarious and tragic satire on military madness, and the tale of one man's efforts to survive it.]]> 570 Joseph Heller 0099477319 Scurra 3 fiction 3.97 1961 Catch-22
author: Joseph Heller
name: Scurra
average rating: 3.97
book published: 1961
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2020/05/09
shelves: fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Magician's Gambit (The Belgariad, #3)]]> 953176 Alternate cover for this ISBN can be found here

Everyone knew that the tales from the Orb that protected the West from the evil God Torak were just silly legends. But here she was, forced to join a serious and dangerous quest to recover that stolen Orb.]]> 446 David Eddings 055212382X Scurra 3 4.13 1983 Magician's Gambit (The Belgariad, #3)
author: David Eddings
name: Scurra
average rating: 4.13
book published: 1983
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2020/03/30
shelves:
review:

]]> Neuromancer 14770 SPECIAL 20TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION —THE MOST IMPORTANT AND INFLUENTIAL SCIENCE FICTION NOVEL OF THE PAST TWO DECADES

Twenty years ago, it was as if someone turned on a light. The future blazed into existence with each deliberate word that William Gibson laid down. The winner of Hugo, Nebula, and Philip K. Dick Awards, Neuromancer didn't just explode onto the science fiction scene—it permeated into the collective consciousness, culture, science, and technology.

Today, there is only one science fiction masterpiece to thank for the term "cyberpunk," for easing the way into the information age and Internet society. Neuromancer's virtual reality has become real. And yet, William Gibson's gritty, sophisticated vision still manages to inspire the minds that lead mankind ever further into the future.]]> 384 William Gibson 0441012035 Scurra 5 science-fiction The same is true here. Read it today, and never has a book felt so dated or clichéd. What matters is that it largely defined those clichés for a generation of SF (the easiest reference points are Blade Runner and Tron on film.)

It's not an easy read either, because Gibson writes as though this world is already known to the reader, and so he doesn't feel the need to explain anything. This is horribly disorientating at first, but there comes a point when it all clicks and, if not exactly makes sense, then certainly feels cohesive and real. Of course, for some people, that moment never comes - but that's their loss.

The weirdest thing is how timeless the central story is (what does conciousness mean; do we let technology be our slave or our master etc.) and yet how dated it feels in terms of the specific details of the technology - this is a major problem with SF as compared to, say, historical novels, as there the setting is at least amenable to research.

It's an important book. Subsequent authors have followed the pioneer and produced arguably better work. But this is the one that really started it all.]]> 3.82 1984 Neuromancer
author: William Gibson
name: Scurra
average rating: 3.82
book published: 1984
rating: 5
read at: 1986/01/01
date added: 2020/03/12
shelves: science-fiction
review:
Another review on here compares Neuromancer with Citizen Kane in the sense that watching CK today with no understanding of context and, although it is still a fine film, it is baffling as to why it is so revered by critics.
The same is true here. Read it today, and never has a book felt so dated or clichéd. What matters is that it largely defined those clichés for a generation of SF (the easiest reference points are Blade Runner and Tron on film.)

It's not an easy read either, because Gibson writes as though this world is already known to the reader, and so he doesn't feel the need to explain anything. This is horribly disorientating at first, but there comes a point when it all clicks and, if not exactly makes sense, then certainly feels cohesive and real. Of course, for some people, that moment never comes - but that's their loss.

The weirdest thing is how timeless the central story is (what does conciousness mean; do we let technology be our slave or our master etc.) and yet how dated it feels in terms of the specific details of the technology - this is a major problem with SF as compared to, say, historical novels, as there the setting is at least amenable to research.

It's an important book. Subsequent authors have followed the pioneer and produced arguably better work. But this is the one that really started it all.
]]> <![CDATA[The Screwtape Letters & Screwtape Proposes a Toast]]> 2892303 This edition includes a substantial new preface from the author who tells the reader something of the writing of the book, and answers the question often raised as to whether he "really believes in devils." The answer involves discussion of devils and angels in literature, art and life. "My symbol for hell is something like the bureaucracy of a police state or a thoroughly nasty business office." The edition also includes a new Screwtape piece, "Screwtape Proposes a Toast," and should find a new generation of readers for the wittiest piece of writing the 20th century has yet produced to stimulate the ordinary man to godliness.]]> 172 C.S. Lewis Scurra 4 4.04 1942 The Screwtape Letters & Screwtape Proposes a Toast
author: C.S. Lewis
name: Scurra
average rating: 4.04
book published: 1942
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2019/03/28
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, #2)]]> 83346 228 Lewis Carroll 0688120490 Scurra 4 4.05 1871 Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, #2)
author: Lewis Carroll
name: Scurra
average rating: 4.05
book published: 1871
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2018/12/01
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Annotated Alice: The Definitive Edition]]> 176972 Annotated Alice, first published in 1959, has over half a million copies in print around the world and is beloved by both families and scholars—for it was Gardner who first decoded many of the mathematical riddles and wordplay that lay ingeniously embedded in Carroll's two classic stories, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass.

Forty years after this groundbreaking publication, Norton is proud to publish the Definitive Edition of The Annotated Alice, a work that combines the notes of Gardner's 1959 edition with his 1990 volume, More Annotated Alice, as well as additional discoveries drawn from Gardner's encyclopedic knowledge of the texts. Illustrated with John Tenniel's classic, beloved art—along with many recently discovered Tenniel pencil sketches�The Annotated Alice will be Gardner's most beautiful and enduring tribute to Carroll's masterpieces yet.]]> 312 Lewis Carroll 0393048470 Scurra 5 4.43 1871 The Annotated Alice: The Definitive Edition
author: Lewis Carroll
name: Scurra
average rating: 4.43
book published: 1871
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2018/04/04
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA["Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!": Adventures of a Curious Character]]> 927750 A New York Times bestseller—the outrageous exploits of one of this century's greatest scientific minds and a legendary American original.


Richard Feynman, winner of the Nobel Prize in physics, thrived on outrageous adventures. Here he recounts in his inimitable voice his experience trading ideas on atomic physics with Einstein and Bohr and ideas on gambling with Nick the Greek; cracking the uncrackable safes guarding the most deeply held nuclear secrets; accompanying a ballet on his bongo drums; painting a naked female toreador. In short, here is Feynman's life in all its eccentric—a combustible mixture of high intelligence, unlimited curiosity, and raging chutzpah.]]> 351 Richard P. Feynman 0045300232 Scurra 5
Not only is this a glorious collection of incredible anecdotes from a life that had more packed into it than any ten normal people, but he even manages to teach you a little bit of quantum theory along the way without you noticing.

There's a laugh on virtually every page, along with primers on safe cracking and bongo playing. A model of how to do it - always assuming that your life is as crazy as his, which seems a remote likelihood.]]> 4.40 1985 "Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!": Adventures of a Curious Character
author: Richard P. Feynman
name: Scurra
average rating: 4.40
book published: 1985
rating: 5
read at: 1988/01/01
date added: 2018/03/02
shelves:
review:
I sometimes wonder if Richard Feynman was some sort of collaborative fantasy created by a bunch of Harvard students pulling random words out of a hat to see how absurd things could get before people stopped believing that one person could have done all of that and won a Nobel Prize as well.

Not only is this a glorious collection of incredible anecdotes from a life that had more packed into it than any ten normal people, but he even manages to teach you a little bit of quantum theory along the way without you noticing.

There's a laugh on virtually every page, along with primers on safe cracking and bongo playing. A model of how to do it - always assuming that your life is as crazy as his, which seems a remote likelihood.
]]> Trojans 29636183
The Pendragon device has returned, wielded by former paramilitary officer and eco-activist Jory Taylor. Under his rule, the UK faces an unparalleled social, economic and artistic renaissance � and an unprecedented challenge, for the original King Arthur’s reign was a brief flowering ending in devastation and betrayal.

While a man claiming the device of Corineus the Trojan foments political unrest, and other nations� devicial agents probe the realm mercilessly for weaknesses, High King Jordan must somehow rewrite his story’s ending, and usher in a true new order.

One that stands some chance, at least, of outliving him.]]> 538 Philip Purser-Hallard 191139083X Scurra 5
No spoilers here; suffice it to say that characters old and new are all treated with equal respect, the occasional surprise is properly telegraphed, and even the slightly indulgent side-trip into Irish legend doesn't feel completely shoe-horned in. And, after The Green Flag, this time we get a revised version of Jerusalem that is an equal joy.

In the end, though, for a tale that's ostensibly about determinism and story-blindness, it's the crystal clear message that actually, everything is about choice, that rings through. And whilst that's hardly an original theme, it never gets old.

I am so glad I stumbled across the first book in this series almost by accident. And now that the story is over, I feel a little bereft. (Trojans itself ought to only get 4 stars, but the series is worth an extra star as a whole.) Recommended.]]> 4.44 2016 Trojans
author: Philip Purser-Hallard
name: Scurra
average rating: 4.44
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at: 2016/12/30
date added: 2017/01/12
shelves:
review:
Wow. Sure, it's a bit longer than it needed to be (there were a lot of threads to tie, sure, but there were also some unnecessary diversions), and the big finish felt surprisingly rushed, but Trojans does a magnificent job of ending a story that cannot end, and remaining true to the spirit of the mythos from which it sprung.

No spoilers here; suffice it to say that characters old and new are all treated with equal respect, the occasional surprise is properly telegraphed, and even the slightly indulgent side-trip into Irish legend doesn't feel completely shoe-horned in. And, after The Green Flag, this time we get a revised version of Jerusalem that is an equal joy.

In the end, though, for a tale that's ostensibly about determinism and story-blindness, it's the crystal clear message that actually, everything is about choice, that rings through. And whilst that's hardly an original theme, it never gets old.

I am so glad I stumbled across the first book in this series almost by accident. And now that the story is over, I feel a little bereft. (Trojans itself ought to only get 4 stars, but the series is worth an extra star as a whole.) Recommended.
]]> <![CDATA[Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (Harry Potter, #1)]]> 72193
]]> 223 J.K. Rowling Scurra 3 fantasy
And I read it, and remember thinking that it was perfectly fine, but I'd read the same story several times before in different guises. Sure, Rowling had a good turn of phrase, and I recommended it to several primary school teachers of my acquaintance as being a great book for reading to the kids. But I thought no more about it, and loaned my copy to several people. Somewhere along the line it disappeared - boy, do I regret that now!

Anyway, it's still not great but, to its credit, it never tries to be. Instead, it takes a couple of traditional kid's story formats (unexpected magic and boarding schools) and crosses them in an undemanding fashion. Sure, when you actually come to examine it, nothing really happens in the book until the last twenty pages or so, and then it all happens at once; but that's partly Rowling trying to lay the groundwork for her world, which she doesn't do very well incidentally - some brilliant writers have dissected her world to a scary degree and found it badly wanting, whilst providing their own, far more rigorous, explanations.

And yet. And yet. I can still read it, even with the knowledge of the misteps to come, and yearn to be a student at Hogwarts... because, deep down, I think we all do.]]> 4.45 1997 Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (Harry Potter, #1)
author: J.K. Rowling
name: Scurra
average rating: 4.45
book published: 1997
rating: 3
read at: 1997/04/01
date added: 2016/09/28
shelves: fantasy
review:
More than ten years ago, I picked up a copy of this when it first appeared. And I mean "first" appeared - before it became a phenomenon.

And I read it, and remember thinking that it was perfectly fine, but I'd read the same story several times before in different guises. Sure, Rowling had a good turn of phrase, and I recommended it to several primary school teachers of my acquaintance as being a great book for reading to the kids. But I thought no more about it, and loaned my copy to several people. Somewhere along the line it disappeared - boy, do I regret that now!

Anyway, it's still not great but, to its credit, it never tries to be. Instead, it takes a couple of traditional kid's story formats (unexpected magic and boarding schools) and crosses them in an undemanding fashion. Sure, when you actually come to examine it, nothing really happens in the book until the last twenty pages or so, and then it all happens at once; but that's partly Rowling trying to lay the groundwork for her world, which she doesn't do very well incidentally - some brilliant writers have dissected her world to a scary degree and found it badly wanting, whilst providing their own, far more rigorous, explanations.

And yet. And yet. I can still read it, even with the knowledge of the misteps to come, and yearn to be a student at Hogwarts... because, deep down, I think we all do.
]]> The Locksley Exploit 25114518
The Circle, the UK paramilitary agency whose Knights carry the devices of the members of King Arthur’s Round Table, is hunting the Green Chapel, eco-activists allied to Robin Hood’s Merry Men. For the Knights, this quest is personal as well as political: the Chapel’s leader, Jory Taylor, is himself an errant Knight � and he has stolen the Holy Grail from the British Museum.

But this war is fought with modern weapons, and nowhere � from the Circle’s Thameside fortress to a Bristol squat, from the oldest pub in England to a music festival in Cheshire � will remain untouched.

Before long, the enmity between its greatest heroes will tear Britain apart.]]> 436 Philip Purser-Hallard 1909679429 Scurra 5 alt-history, fantasy And whilst this cannot be as clever simply because it's a restatement of the original premise, albeit viewed through a different lens, Purser-Hallard does a fantastic job of escalating the stakes in a generally plausible fashion.
I think he loses it a little in the middle as he tries to push the action a little too hard to make the climax work, and a couple of the incidents, particularly Finn, don't quite make coherent sense, but he also pulls off some genuinely spectacular set-pieces - the moment that ends the first part when he pulls together two cornerstone moments of the two myths into one is probably worth the price of admission by itself (oh, and "The Green Flag"), and the gloriously plausible sundering myth is so well structured that it will surely turn up in "real" textbooks eventually...
I also have reservations about the character trajectory of Jory - although the ending is almost inevitable, I found that because we lose sight of him too often, his decisions (even when justified by a nice throw-away line of cod-psychology) didn't really work for me.

It still get five stars because this series is still ahead of the game; our generation's Mythago Wood perhaps. I can't wait to see what he has planned for the finalé.]]> 4.33 2015 The Locksley Exploit
author: Philip Purser-Hallard
name: Scurra
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2015
rating: 5
read at: 2016/08/19
date added: 2016/08/21
shelves: alt-history, fantasy
review:
As others have noted, the worst thing about this book is the title, because it comprehensively spoils the glorious "twist" in the first of the series.
And whilst this cannot be as clever simply because it's a restatement of the original premise, albeit viewed through a different lens, Purser-Hallard does a fantastic job of escalating the stakes in a generally plausible fashion.
I think he loses it a little in the middle as he tries to push the action a little too hard to make the climax work, and a couple of the incidents, particularly Finn, don't quite make coherent sense, but he also pulls off some genuinely spectacular set-pieces - the moment that ends the first part when he pulls together two cornerstone moments of the two myths into one is probably worth the price of admission by itself (oh, and "The Green Flag"), and the gloriously plausible sundering myth is so well structured that it will surely turn up in "real" textbooks eventually...
I also have reservations about the character trajectory of Jory - although the ending is almost inevitable, I found that because we lose sight of him too often, his decisions (even when justified by a nice throw-away line of cod-psychology) didn't really work for me.

It still get five stars because this series is still ahead of the game; our generation's Mythago Wood perhaps. I can't wait to see what he has planned for the finalé.
]]> <![CDATA[Games Wizards Play (Young Wizards, #10)]]> 23719231
Together they're plunged into a whirlwind of cutthroat competition and ruthless judging. Penn's egotistical attitude toward his mentors complicates matters as the pair tries to negotiate their burgeoning romance. Meanwhile, Dairine struggles to stabilize her hero-worshipping, insecure protégée against the interference of powerful relatives using her to further their own tangled agendas. When both candidates make it through to the finals stage on the dark side of the Moon, they and their mentors are flung into a final conflict that could change the solar system for the better . . .

or damage Earth beyond even wizardly repair.]]> 640 Diane Duane 054741806X Scurra 3 fantasy, fiction Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince if you like, where certain storylines need to be progressed and certain set-ups established, but other things also need to be got out of the way so that whatever this whole thing is leading towards doesn't feel absurdly rushed.
Certainly if it weren't for the love I have for these characters over more than twenty years following this series, I'd have felt more than a little frustrated by both the pacing and the lack of an actual story. Don't get me wrong, the premise is fun, the new wizards are a delight (and I did get close to figuring out what was up with the two main ones because Duane's writing was sharp enough to offer enough clues without being over obvious) but I do feel that we could have got away with about half the length, perhaps because we're far enough into the series now that new casual readers shouldn't even dream of starting here. The endgame is in sight now, and I can't wait.]]> 4.22 2016 Games Wizards Play (Young Wizards, #10)
author: Diane Duane
name: Scurra
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2016
rating: 3
read at: 2016/07/24
date added: 2016/07/25
shelves: fantasy, fiction
review:
Three stars is not really a fair assessment of this book, but... there was too much of a sense of a holding pattern about it: a Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince if you like, where certain storylines need to be progressed and certain set-ups established, but other things also need to be got out of the way so that whatever this whole thing is leading towards doesn't feel absurdly rushed.
Certainly if it weren't for the love I have for these characters over more than twenty years following this series, I'd have felt more than a little frustrated by both the pacing and the lack of an actual story. Don't get me wrong, the premise is fun, the new wizards are a delight (and I did get close to figuring out what was up with the two main ones because Duane's writing was sharp enough to offer enough clues without being over obvious) but I do feel that we could have got away with about half the length, perhaps because we're far enough into the series now that new casual readers shouldn't even dream of starting here. The endgame is in sight now, and I can't wait.
]]> <![CDATA[The Gormenghast Trilogy: Titus Groan/Gormenghast/Titus Alone]]> 3722262 tour de force that ranks as one of this century's most remarkable feats of imaginative writing.]]> 953 Mervyn Peake 0749314265 Scurra 5 4.06 1959 The Gormenghast Trilogy: Titus Groan/Gormenghast/Titus Alone
author: Mervyn Peake
name: Scurra
average rating: 4.06
book published: 1959
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2016/06/04
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time]]> 3437 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is a murder mystery novel like no other. The detective, and narrator, is Christopher Boone. Christopher is fifteen and has Asperger's Syndrome. He knows a very great deal about maths and very little about human beings. He loves lists, patterns and the truth. He hates the colours yellow and brown and being touched. He has never gone further than the end of the road on his own, but when he finds a neighbour's dog murdered he sets out on a terrifying journey which will turn his whole world upside down.]]> 272 Mark Haddon 0099450259 Scurra 4 Yes, some of the conceit gets wearing, and the need to insert an actual plot means that it loses its way towards the end, but for the most part this is such a unique experience that all these faults are easy to forgive.]]> 3.87 2003 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
author: Mark Haddon
name: Scurra
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2003
rating: 4
read at: 2003/01/01
date added: 2016/04/25
shelves:
review:
As noted elsewhere, I'm a sucker for books with unreliable narrators, but this is something else again - Haddon does a remarkable job of making you feel uncomfortable by showing you a world that is at once the same and yet utterly different from your own.
Yes, some of the conceit gets wearing, and the need to insert an actual plot means that it loses its way towards the end, but for the most part this is such a unique experience that all these faults are easy to forgive.
]]> Pride and Prejudice 1888 --back cover]]> 333 Jane Austen Scurra 5
What always sets Austen apart for me is her attention to even the most minor characters who never feel as though they were just pushed onstage for a scene or two and then leave - in lesser hands, Georgina and Charlotte would be lost amidst the Bennet chaos.

And there are vanishingly few novels that have developed quite such a status that other novelists can feel safe in spinning their own versions (not just standard sequels, but more exotic reworkings like Bridget Jones' Diary.)

As long as there are men and women dancing around each other in relationships, this book will survive. That'll be forever then.]]> 4.26 1813 Pride and Prejudice
author: Jane Austen
name: Scurra
average rating: 4.26
book published: 1813
rating: 5
read at: 1985/01/01
date added: 2016/03/05
shelves:
review:
Although I enjoy Emma more, if I was forced to choose one Austen as the standard bearer it would be this. From the immortal opening line, through the twists and turns of a plot that even now never feels clichéd, this is just a delight.

What always sets Austen apart for me is her attention to even the most minor characters who never feel as though they were just pushed onstage for a scene or two and then leave - in lesser hands, Georgina and Charlotte would be lost amidst the Bennet chaos.

And there are vanishingly few novels that have developed quite such a status that other novelists can feel safe in spinning their own versions (not just standard sequels, but more exotic reworkings like Bridget Jones' Diary.)

As long as there are men and women dancing around each other in relationships, this book will survive. That'll be forever then.
]]> The Lie Tree 23592175 The leaves were cold and slightly clammy. There was no mistaking them. She had seen their likeness painstakingly sketched in her father's journal. This was his greatest secret, his treasure and his undoing. The Tree of Lies. Now it was hers, and the journey he had never finished stretched out before her.

When Faith's father is found dead under mysterious circumstances, she is determined to untangle the truth from the lies. Searching through his belongings for clues, she discovers a strange tree. A tree that feeds off whispered lies and bears fruit that reveals hidden secrets.

But as Faith's untruths spiral out of control, she discovers that where lies seduce, truths shatter...]]> 410 Frances Hardinge 144726410X Scurra 5 3.83 2015 The Lie Tree
author: Frances Hardinge
name: Scurra
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2015
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2016/01/04
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Asterix and the Missing Scroll (Asterix, #36)]]> 26031288 Asterix, the Gaul is back for more funny, fast-paced adventure in this cheeky and energetic comic, the New York Times bestselling thirty-sixth Asterix album.

Julius Caesar has finished writing the history of his campaigns in Gaul. His publisher, Libellus Blockbustus, foresees a huge success ... but there's a snag. The chapter about Caesar's defeats by the indomitable Gauls of Armorica. Cut it, Blockbustus advises, and everyone will believe that Caesar conquered all Gaul!

Or will they? Newsmonger and activist Confoundtheirpolitix takes the chapter to Asterix's village. Can the Gauls make sure the truth is revealed?

Multi-million selling Asterix is much loved across the world, perfect for children age 7-11 and hilarious for kids and parents alike. Following in the footsteps of Goscinny and Uderzo, the thirty-sixth Asterix album by Ferri and Conrad is a number 3 New York Times bestselling title.]]> 48 Jean-Yves Ferri 1510100458 Scurra 5 humour Asterix and the Picts) was solid, this one confirms that Ferri and Conrad both understand the tradition they are working in and, more importantly, how to move it forwards. (And Anthea Bell manages to maintain her own high standards of translation too.)

My sole comment on the content is that p15/16 actually had me crying with laughter. Which is all you could ask for, really.]]> 3.83 2015 Asterix and the Missing Scroll (Asterix, #36)
author: Jean-Yves Ferri
name: Scurra
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2015
rating: 5
read at: 2015/12/26
date added: 2016/01/02
shelves: humour
review:
Where the previous book (Asterix and the Picts) was solid, this one confirms that Ferri and Conrad both understand the tradition they are working in and, more importantly, how to move it forwards. (And Anthea Bell manages to maintain her own high standards of translation too.)

My sole comment on the content is that p15/16 actually had me crying with laughter. Which is all you could ask for, really.
]]> <![CDATA[Asterix and the Picts (Asterix, #35)]]> 18211116 48 Jean-Yves Ferri 1444011677 Scurra 4 3.79 2013 Asterix and the Picts (Asterix, #35)
author: Jean-Yves Ferri
name: Scurra
average rating: 3.79
book published: 2013
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2015/12/14
shelves:
review:

]]> Doctor Who: Shada 13541612
The Doctor’s old friend and fellow Time Lord Professor Chronotis has retired to Cambridge University—where nobody will notice if he lives for centuries. But now he needs help from the Doctor, Romana and K-9. When he left Gallifrey he took with him a few little souvenirs—most of them are harmless. But one of them is extremely dangerous.

The Worshipful and Ancient Law of Gallifrey isn’t a book for Time Tots. It is one of the Artifacts, dating from the dark days of Rassilon. It must not be allowed to fall into the wrong hands. The sinister Skagra most definitely has the wrong hands. He wants the book. He wants to discover the truth behind Shada. And he wants the Doctor’s mind...

Based on the scripts for the original television series by the legendary Douglas Adams, Shada retells an adventure that never made it to the screen.]]> 416 Gareth Roberts 1849903271 Scurra 4 doctor-who That's not to say that this novel isn't worthwhile in its own right; the story positively bounces along with the cliffhangers turning up and being resolved moderately convincingly, and some set-piece moments that probably read better than they would ever have looked on tv.
I have reservations about some aspects (the fourth Doctor's charisma is wonderfully depicted but there are a couple of gender-specific moments that are a bit cringe-worthy, and the padding is noticeable near the start) but in general this does a good job of helping to complete the novelisation canon.]]> 4.22 2012 Doctor Who: Shada
author: Gareth Roberts
name: Scurra
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2012
rating: 4
read at: 2015/11/10
date added: 2015/11/12
shelves: doctor-who
review:
Roberts channels Adams surprisingly well (arguably better than Colfer did) and transforms a half-finished story - not just because of the production difficulties - into something close to a classic. It only really fails because Adams managed to recycle his own idea himself first, and probably better.
That's not to say that this novel isn't worthwhile in its own right; the story positively bounces along with the cliffhangers turning up and being resolved moderately convincingly, and some set-piece moments that probably read better than they would ever have looked on tv.
I have reservations about some aspects (the fourth Doctor's charisma is wonderfully depicted but there are a couple of gender-specific moments that are a bit cringe-worthy, and the padding is noticeable near the start) but in general this does a good job of helping to complete the novelisation canon.
]]> <![CDATA[Stray Souls (Magicals Anonymous, #1)]]> 13526154 'Don’t look back. It wants you to look back.�

London’s soul has gone missing. Lost? Kidnapped? Murdered? Nobody knows � but when Sharon Li unexpectedly discovers she’s a shaman, she is immediately called upon to use her newfound powers of oneness with the City to rescue it from a slow but inevitable demise.

The problem is, while everyone expects Sharon to have all the answers � from the Midnight Mayor to Sharon’s magically-challenged self-help group � she doesn’t have a clue where to start.

But with London’s soul missing and the Gate open, there are creatures loose that won’t wait for her to catch up before they go hunting.

Stray Souls is the first novel in the Magicals Anonymous series, set in the same fantastical London as the Matthew Swift novels.]]> 465 Kate Griffin 0316187267 Scurra 4 3.87 2012 Stray Souls (Magicals Anonymous, #1)
author: Kate Griffin
name: Scurra
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2012
rating: 4
read at: 2015/10/21
date added: 2015/10/25
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (Chronicles of Narnia, #1)]]> 481509 They open a door and enter a world.

NARNIA . . . the land beyond the wardrobe, the secret country known only to Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy . . . the place where adventure begins.

Lucy is the first to find the secret of the wardrobe in the professor's mysterious old house. At first, no one believes her when she tells of her adventures in the land of Narnia. But soon Edmund and then Peter and Susan discover the Magic and meet Aslan, the Great Lion, for themselves. In blink of an eye, their lives are changed forever.

Enter this enchanted world countless times in The Chronicles of Narnia.

This edition is complete with full-color cover and interior art by the original illustrator, Pauline Baynes.]]> 189 C.S. Lewis 0064409422 Scurra 4 4.32 1950 The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (Chronicles of Narnia, #1)
author: C.S. Lewis
name: Scurra
average rating: 4.32
book published: 1950
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2015/10/24
shelves:
review:

]]> The Pendragon Protocol 22327263
Jory Taylor, the Knight bearing the device of Sir Gawain, has grappled on the Circle’s behalf with mercenaries, serial killers and far-right terrorist cells. However, when he is captured by Gawain’s traditional enemy the Green Knight, he discovers a new side to the myths he lives by � one which, as he learns more about this clandestine world, becomes both threateningly personal and terrifyingly political. The legends of King Arthur are not the only stories with influence on the British psyche � and some of the others have their own, very different agendas.

A smart, contemporary political thriller and a new kind of urban fantasy, The Pendragon Protocol is the first volume in The Devices Trilogy.]]> 352 Philip Purser-Hallard 1909679178 Scurra 5 alt-history, fantasy I hesitate to give this five stars because it raises the bar unreasonably high for the sequels, but it deserves them for taking a genre that had been rendered dangerously fragile by people who think they can "do" Dan Brown and instead rebuilding it from the ground up into something radical that makes you think.]]> 3.94 2014 The Pendragon Protocol
author: Philip Purser-Hallard
name: Scurra
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2014
rating: 5
read at: 2015/09/10
date added: 2015/09/10
shelves: alt-history, fantasy
review:
Whoah. This was a genuine surprise, taking a terribly well-worn set of clichés - in this case, the mythic tales of King Arthur and others - and turning them into something special. Not to mention the highly unusual decision to write the book in the present tense, giving it an immediacy that means that the complex and well-worked through background doesn't get in the way of the vivid action sequences (I really, really want to see the movie of this!)
I hesitate to give this five stars because it raises the bar unreasonably high for the sequels, but it deserves them for taking a genre that had been rendered dangerously fragile by people who think they can "do" Dan Brown and instead rebuilding it from the ground up into something radical that makes you think.
]]> Cuckoo Song 18298890 The first things to shift were the doll's eyes, the beautiful grey-green glass eyes. Slowly they swivelled, until their gaze was resting on Triss's face. Then the tiny mouth moved, opened to speak. 'Who do you think you are? This is my family.'

When Triss wakes up after an accident, she knows that something is very wrong. She is insatiably hungry; she keeps waking up with leaves in her hair, and her sister seems terrified of her. When it all gets too much and she starts to cry, her tears are like cobwebs...

Soon Triss discovers that what happened to her is more strange and terrible than she could ever have imagined, and that she is quite literally not herself. In a quest find the truth she must travel into the terrifying Underbelly of the city to meet a twisted architect who has dark designs on her family - before it's too late...]]> 409 Frances Hardinge 0330519735 Scurra 5 fantasy Do you get the impression that I liked this? Oh yes, I really liked it.
]]> 3.97 2014 Cuckoo Song
author: Frances Hardinge
name: Scurra
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2014
rating: 5
read at: 2015/08/17
date added: 2015/08/21
shelves: fantasy
review:
The best compliment I can think to pay this book is that it felt like reading a classic Diana Wynne Jones (crossed with Neil Gaiman, perhaps.) It's all there - the clever twisting of tropes, the intricate plotting that pays off in a compressed (but not rushed) conclusion, the characters that retain your sympathy even as the truth about them is revealed (both "good" and "bad"), the perfect control of narrative such that the reader remains just enough ahead of the game that they never feel cheated over the outcome whilst still pulling surprises that make sense. And then it adds a layer of, if not quite horror, then certainly shivers of disturbing imagery which create a proper sense of dislocation that steadily builds from the opening. (And I think my single favourite aspect is the changing name given to the protagonist, which creates a fantastic moment at the climax.)
Do you get the impression that I liked this? Oh yes, I really liked it.

]]> The Word Exchange 20459384
Anana Johnson works with her father, Doug, at the North American Dictionary of the English Language(NADEL), where Doug is hard at work on the final edition that will ever be printed. Doug is an intellectual who fondly remembers the days when people used e-mail to communicate-or even actually spoke to one another. One evening, Doug disappears from the NADEL offices, leaving a single written clue: ALICE. It's a code word he and Anana devised to signal if one of them ever fell into danger....

Joined by Bart, her bookish NADEL colleague (who is secretly in love with her), Anana's search for her father will take her into dark basement incinerator rooms, underground passages of the Mercantile Library, meetings of a secret society designed to save the written word, the boardrooms of the evil online retailing giant Synchronic, and ultimately to the hallowed halls of the Oxford English Dictionary-the spiritual home of the written word. As Anana pieces together what is going on, and Bart falls victim to the strange 'word flu' that is spreading worldwide, the very future of language is at stake....]]> 374 Alena Graedon 0297869760 Scurra 4 Weirdly, the most jarring thing for me wasn't the absurd dystopian technology or the broken timeline (not within the narrative itself, but the surrounding period which doesn't seem to quite fit together), but the idea that Anana didn't know Lewis Carroll's real name...
There's some decent structural subtlety at play here too, in which small elements of nonlinearity in the narrative help to give an occasional unsettling feel (as Bart's journals revisit or anticipate events), and the chapter title conceit that I found worked surprisingly well.
Yes, it's hard work, especially at the start when there's too much ridiculous exposition fighting with visual set-pieces, but it's nice to read something that doesn't have one eye on the film rights...]]> 3.33 2014 The Word Exchange
author: Alena Graedon
name: Scurra
average rating: 3.33
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at: 2015/07/13
date added: 2015/07/14
shelves:
review:
Not perfect, but its flaws are what make it great. A literary thriller in all senses of the word, the sheer joy of language on display here is what carries you along, with few concessions to the reader who is expected to be able to distinguish with ease between real albeit sometimes obscure words and the slow intrusion of "nonsense" that gives the book its unique feel.
Weirdly, the most jarring thing for me wasn't the absurd dystopian technology or the broken timeline (not within the narrative itself, but the surrounding period which doesn't seem to quite fit together), but the idea that Anana didn't know Lewis Carroll's real name...
There's some decent structural subtlety at play here too, in which small elements of nonlinearity in the narrative help to give an occasional unsettling feel (as Bart's journals revisit or anticipate events), and the chapter title conceit that I found worked surprisingly well.
Yes, it's hard work, especially at the start when there's too much ridiculous exposition fighting with visual set-pieces, but it's nice to read something that doesn't have one eye on the film rights...
]]> <![CDATA[The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August]]> 20706317 405 Claire North 0316399620 Scurra 5 science-fiction In the initial loop version of this review, I said that I thought The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August was a little too overambitious, with a bit too much hand-waving to get around plot issues - albeit because otherwise there was no way to make the book work.
In the previous loop version of this review, I felt that the characterisation was a bit flat, with too much reliance on predictable character tropes, even when part of the point was to explore the notion of nature vs nurture.
In the third loop version of this review, I compared it extremely favourably with other timeloop stories such as Groundhog Day or All You Zombies, especially given that, in a sense, there was no timeloop at all (or maybe the loop applied to the world rather than to the characters?)
In the antepenultimate version of this review, I expressed slight disappointment over the minor digressions that interrupted the narrative, although as the tension ratcheted up towards the end they became less intrusive, so maybe I should have been more complimentary towards them?
In this loop of this review, I do, however, consider that whilst many of these issues remain, the sheer audacity of the conceit - especially once the main plot kicks in - combined with the surprisingly clear handling of a potentially mind-bending set-up, makes this one of the best books I've read this year.]]> 4.02 2014 The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August
author: Claire North
name: Scurra
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2014
rating: 5
read at: 2015/05/10
date added: 2015/05/24
shelves: science-fiction
review:
In the subsequent loop version of this review, I realised that I should warn of potential spoilers.
In the initial loop version of this review, I said that I thought The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August was a little too overambitious, with a bit too much hand-waving to get around plot issues - albeit because otherwise there was no way to make the book work.
In the previous loop version of this review, I felt that the characterisation was a bit flat, with too much reliance on predictable character tropes, even when part of the point was to explore the notion of nature vs nurture.
In the third loop version of this review, I compared it extremely favourably with other timeloop stories such as Groundhog Day or All You Zombies, especially given that, in a sense, there was no timeloop at all (or maybe the loop applied to the world rather than to the characters?)
In the antepenultimate version of this review, I expressed slight disappointment over the minor digressions that interrupted the narrative, although as the tension ratcheted up towards the end they became less intrusive, so maybe I should have been more complimentary towards them?
In this loop of this review, I do, however, consider that whilst many of these issues remain, the sheer audacity of the conceit - especially once the main plot kicks in - combined with the surprisingly clear handling of a potentially mind-bending set-up, makes this one of the best books I've read this year.
]]> Dune (Dune #1) 1000049
An awesome world where gods and adventurers clash.

Where mile-long sandworms rule the desert.

Where the ancient dream of immortality comes true.

This is the magnificent setting for the bestselling science fiction novel of all time, a mind-jolting story of power politics and strange adventure.]]> 605 Frank Herbert 0450011844 Scurra 5 science-fiction
Instead, Herbert devotes his energy to creating a truly alien society that live in a strange symbiotic relationship with their planet and its native lifeforms, and shows how the forced integration of an outsider changes that community for ever.

And he does politics especially well. The feud between the Atreides and the Harkonnens is just as vivid as that between, say, the Montagues and the Capulets, but despite being waged on a much broader battleground it is just as personal. And the Baron is one of the truly classic villains of literature; someone who appears to have actually read the Evil Overlord's Handbook which makes a nice change.

I find the original follow-up novels to be less satisfying (although in many ways they are better books) simply because the novelty of the universe wears off too quickly. But the original world of Dune lives long in the memory.]]> 4.22 1965 Dune (Dune #1)
author: Frank Herbert
name: Scurra
average rating: 4.22
book published: 1965
rating: 5
read at: 1984/01/01
date added: 2015/05/17
shelves: science-fiction
review:
As with Tolkien's Middle Earth, what strikes you about Dune is the way Frank Herbert doesn't bother to explain anything - he just assumes that you are as conversant with his universe as he is. This is a surprisingly unusual feature of science fiction novels, which generally want to explain all the inner detailed workings of the technology that underpins their imaginings; here although all that technology is indeed present (and very cleverly integrated into the plot), it is rarely explained.

Instead, Herbert devotes his energy to creating a truly alien society that live in a strange symbiotic relationship with their planet and its native lifeforms, and shows how the forced integration of an outsider changes that community for ever.

And he does politics especially well. The feud between the Atreides and the Harkonnens is just as vivid as that between, say, the Montagues and the Capulets, but despite being waged on a much broader battleground it is just as personal. And the Baron is one of the truly classic villains of literature; someone who appears to have actually read the Evil Overlord's Handbook which makes a nice change.

I find the original follow-up novels to be less satisfying (although in many ways they are better books) simply because the novelty of the universe wears off too quickly. But the original world of Dune lives long in the memory.
]]> <![CDATA[The Invisible Library (The Invisible Library, #1)]]> 21416690 Irene must be at the top of her game or she'll be off the case - permanently...

Irene is a professional spy for the mysterious Library, which harvests fiction from different realities. And along with her enigmatic assistant Kai, she's posted to an alternative London. Their mission - to retrieve a dangerous book. But when they arrive, it's already been stolen. London's underground factions seem prepared to fight to the very death to find her book.

Adding to the jeopardy, this world is chaos-infested - the laws of nature bent to allow supernatural creatures and unpredictable magic. Irene's new assistant is also hiding secrets of his own.

Soon, she's up to her eyebrows in a heady mix of danger, clues and secret societies. Yet failure is not an option - the nature of reality itself is at stake.]]> 329 Genevieve Cogman 1447256239 Scurra 4 fantasy There's the usual problem of "magic" being used as a get-out-of-jail-free card a little too often (even if the "magic" in this case is cleverly justified) and the plot gets needlessly convoluted towards the end (although it also ties itself up well, albeit with some very carefully placed loose ends.)
But in general this is very definitely a fun read, with a decent amount of tension, a couple of neat twists and the moderately subtle seeding of plot points for future titles. Which I will definitely be picking up.]]> 3.71 2014 The Invisible Library (The Invisible Library, #1)
author: Genevieve Cogman
name: Scurra
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at: 2015/03/13
date added: 2015/03/19
shelves: fantasy
review:
Libraries and Librarians suddenly seem to be in vogue (if not precisely cool) again. And whilst this debut novel doesn't bring anything radically new to the genre, it has an assured grasp of the essentials: character, plot and setting are all captured nicely, and the inevitable flood of exposition needed is paced well and doesn't overwhelm the necessary scenes.
There's the usual problem of "magic" being used as a get-out-of-jail-free card a little too often (even if the "magic" in this case is cleverly justified) and the plot gets needlessly convoluted towards the end (although it also ties itself up well, albeit with some very carefully placed loose ends.)
But in general this is very definitely a fun read, with a decent amount of tension, a couple of neat twists and the moderately subtle seeding of plot points for future titles. Which I will definitely be picking up.
]]> <![CDATA[Magician's End (The Chaoswar Saga, #3)]]> 13502958 The final volume in the epic Riftwar Cycle.

The dragons are calling...

Civil war is tearing apart the Kingdom of the Isles, for the throne lies empty and rivals are converging. Having spirited his beloved Princess Stephane safely out of Roldem, Hal -now Duke of Crydee- must turn his attention to the defence of the ancient realm so that a king can be anointed by the Congress of Lords, rather than by right of might.

But the greatest threat may well lie out of the hands of men. Somewhere in the Grey Towers Mountains something not of this world is emerging. It will require that alliances be made between mortal enemies if disaster is to be averted.

Elves and men must stand together, ancient heroes must rise again, dragons must fly and Pug, Magnus and the other magic-users of Midkemia must be prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice if the whole world is to be saved.]]> 638 Raymond E. Feist 0007264798 Scurra 4 fantasy, fiction
Sure it's rather self-indulgent at times (although nothing like as bad as it could have been), but the retcon work of transforming central plots from earlier series into aspects of the same single backstory works well without getting too tangled up in continuity hell, and the two main storylines reflected the themes that had run through the whole series - honour, loyalty, friendship, all uncovered in unexpected places.

Of all the noted series that started in that post-Tolkien/Dungeons & Dragons renaissance of the late 70s/early 80s - Terry Brooks, Stephen Donaldson, David Eddings, even Terry Goodkind, I genuinely think that Feist was the best of them, both in literary terms and in sheer consistency. And I honestly envy someone discovering the original Magician today: even if only because they won't have to wait for 30 years for the finalé...]]> 4.30 2013 Magician's End (The Chaoswar Saga, #3)
author: Raymond E. Feist
name: Scurra
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2013
rating: 4
read at: 2014/11/25
date added: 2014/11/26
shelves: fantasy, fiction
review:
As others have said, this book in itself doesn't really warrant four stars, but as the conclusion to a genuinely epic series which I have stuck with since the start (thirty years?!), it is pretty much as good as it was probably possible for it to be.

Sure it's rather self-indulgent at times (although nothing like as bad as it could have been), but the retcon work of transforming central plots from earlier series into aspects of the same single backstory works well without getting too tangled up in continuity hell, and the two main storylines reflected the themes that had run through the whole series - honour, loyalty, friendship, all uncovered in unexpected places.

Of all the noted series that started in that post-Tolkien/Dungeons & Dragons renaissance of the late 70s/early 80s - Terry Brooks, Stephen Donaldson, David Eddings, even Terry Goodkind, I genuinely think that Feist was the best of them, both in literary terms and in sheer consistency. And I honestly envy someone discovering the original Magician today: even if only because they won't have to wait for 30 years for the finalé...
]]> The Name of the Rose 335061 Il nome della rosa in 1980. Although the work stands on its own as a murder mystery, it is more accurately seen as a questioning of "truth" from theological, philosophical, scholarly, and historical perspectives. The story centers on William of Baskerville, a 50-year-old monk who is sent to investigate a death at a Benedictine monastery. During his search, several other monks are killed in a bizarre pattern that reflects the Book of Revelation.
—F°ů´Çłľ The Merriam-Webster Encyclopedia of Literature]]> 502 Umberto Eco 0330284142 Scurra 4 fiction, mystery 4.02 1980 The Name of the Rose
author: Umberto Eco
name: Scurra
average rating: 4.02
book published: 1980
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2014/10/29
shelves: fiction, mystery
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Guns, Germs and Steel: A Short History of Everybody for the Last 13,000 Years]]> 430146 The Rise of the West has become the central problem in the study of global history. In Guns, Germs, and Steel Jared Diamond presents the biologist's answer: geography, demography, and ecological happenstance. Diamond evenhandedly reviews human history on every continent since the Ice Age at a rate that emphasizes only the broadest movements of peoples and ideas. Yet his survey is binocular: one eye has the rather distant vision of the evolutionary biologist, while the other eye--and his heart--belongs to the people of New Guinea, where he has done field work for more than 30 years.]]> 580 Jared Diamond 0099302780 Scurra 4 non-fiction 4.10 1997 Guns, Germs and Steel: A Short History of Everybody for the Last 13,000 Years
author: Jared Diamond
name: Scurra
average rating: 4.10
book published: 1997
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2014/09/20
shelves: non-fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Bridge of Birds (The Chronicles of Master Li and Number Ten Ox, #1)]]> 15177
The quest led them to a host of truly memorable characters, multiple wonders, incredible adventures—and strange coincidences, which were really not coincidences at all. And it involved them in an ancient crime that still perturbed the serenity of Heaven. Simply and charmingly told, this is a wry tale, a sly tale, and a story of wisdom delightfully askew. Once read, its marvels and beauty will not easily fade from the mind.

The author claims that this is a novel of an ancient China that never was. But, oh…it should have been!]]> 278 Barry Hughart 0345321383 Scurra 5 fantasy, humour "Li Kao may have a slight flaw in his character but the book has none." And it's hard to disagree with such a perfect capsule review.
Hugart's magnificent faux-China is glorious in its incidental details, minor characters and set-pieces, and the central plot is as beautifully engineered as you could wish; whilst he doesn't entirely play fair with the reader, it's hard to object to the unfolding of the mystery at the heart of the story, which all makes perfect sense - eventually!
But all of that would be nothing were it not for the glue which holds the story together - Number Ten Ox and Master Li Kao, who together make up a pair of characters that are both universal tropes and unique individuals.
This is an easy fixture on my "desert island books" list - every time I read it, I find something new to appreciate.]]> 4.28 1984 Bridge of Birds (The Chronicles of Master Li and Number Ten Ox, #1)
author: Barry Hughart
name: Scurra
average rating: 4.28
book published: 1984
rating: 5
read at: 1987/01/01
date added: 2014/08/05
shelves: fantasy, humour
review:
There's a quote from Anne McCaffrey on the jacket of my copy of this which reads:
"Li Kao may have a slight flaw in his character but the book has none." And it's hard to disagree with such a perfect capsule review.
Hugart's magnificent faux-China is glorious in its incidental details, minor characters and set-pieces, and the central plot is as beautifully engineered as you could wish; whilst he doesn't entirely play fair with the reader, it's hard to object to the unfolding of the mystery at the heart of the story, which all makes perfect sense - eventually!
But all of that would be nothing were it not for the glue which holds the story together - Number Ten Ox and Master Li Kao, who together make up a pair of characters that are both universal tropes and unique individuals.
This is an easy fixture on my "desert island books" list - every time I read it, I find something new to appreciate.
]]> Phantom Tollbooth 853870
For Milo, everything’s a bore. When a tollbooth mysteriously appears in his room, he drives through only because he’s got nothing better to do. But on the other side, things seem different. Milo visits the Island of Conclusions (you get there by jumping), learns about time from a ticking watchdog named Tock, and even embarks on a quest to rescue Rhyme and Reason! Somewhere along the way, Milo realizes something astonishing. Life is far from dull. In fact, it’s exciting beyond his wildest dreams. . . .]]> 218 Norton Juster 0006707998 Scurra 5 And that's largely true of The Phantom Tollbooth. It's merely a series of entertaining encounters making fun of the absurdities of the English language along with some sideswipes at numbers as well. It has very little to recommend itself to an adult reader who had not read it as a child (although the Humbug seems to become less and less ridiculous as you get older..!)
But for those of us who read it at the right sort of age, and embraced the logical absurdity of Juster's world, it will never get old.]]> 4.31 1961 Phantom Tollbooth
author: Norton Juster
name: Scurra
average rating: 4.31
book published: 1961
rating: 5
read at: 1978/01/01
date added: 2014/06/02
shelves:
review:
Children's books are perhaps even more ephemeral than others. And those that survive are mostly because their reputations are mainly gained from nostalgia rather than, say, literary merit - bearing in mind that writing for children is a different sort of skill.
And that's largely true of The Phantom Tollbooth. It's merely a series of entertaining encounters making fun of the absurdities of the English language along with some sideswipes at numbers as well. It has very little to recommend itself to an adult reader who had not read it as a child (although the Humbug seems to become less and less ridiculous as you get older..!)
But for those of us who read it at the right sort of age, and embraced the logical absurdity of Juster's world, it will never get old.
]]> <![CDATA[Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Harry Potter, #6)]]> 840699
In her darkest and most breathtaking adventure yet, J.K. Rowling skilfully begins to unravel the complex web she has woven, as we discover more of the truth about Harry, Dumbledore, Snape and, of course, He Who Must Not Be Named ...]]> 608 J.K. Rowling 0747584680 Scurra 2 fantasy By this point, Rowling had hamstrung herself with a format that demanded seven books (when after Goblet of Fire it was clear there was only really enough plot for one) and a structure (spread the plot over a whole school year) that was becoming increasingly ridiculous.

So the Half-Blood Prince has to content itself with pointless teen angst and first loves, whilst failing to advance the main story in any significant fashion; if anything it introduces even more contradictions into Rowling's world than before.

I didn't even find it as funny as OotP; there is no farce here to alleviate the gloom (which doesn't even begin to lift until about halfway through the final book.)

The only redeeming part is that climactic sequence, when there is a moment - just a moment, mind you - when you wonder if everything you thought you knew was wrong. But the rest of it is just filler. And not very good filler, either.]]> 4.50 2005 Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Harry Potter, #6)
author: J.K. Rowling
name: Scurra
average rating: 4.50
book published: 2005
rating: 2
read at: 2005/07/01
date added: 2014/04/28
shelves: fantasy
review:
And this was where it all definitively went wrong.
By this point, Rowling had hamstrung herself with a format that demanded seven books (when after Goblet of Fire it was clear there was only really enough plot for one) and a structure (spread the plot over a whole school year) that was becoming increasingly ridiculous.

So the Half-Blood Prince has to content itself with pointless teen angst and first loves, whilst failing to advance the main story in any significant fashion; if anything it introduces even more contradictions into Rowling's world than before.

I didn't even find it as funny as OotP; there is no farce here to alleviate the gloom (which doesn't even begin to lift until about halfway through the final book.)

The only redeeming part is that climactic sequence, when there is a moment - just a moment, mind you - when you wonder if everything you thought you knew was wrong. But the rest of it is just filler. And not very good filler, either.
]]> There and Back Again 77409 296 Pat Murphy 0812541723 Scurra 5 science-fiction, humour The Hobbit are going to be recreated in this lunatic universe is almost unmatched (I think only Jasper Fforde's The Eyre Affair has a similar symbiotic relationship with it's source, and that is far more tangential. Although on reflection, Bridget Jones' Diary probably qualifies too.)

edit: just finished a reread (in the light of Mr Jackson's work) and I'm putting it up a star because it's just wonderful in so many ways.]]> 3.71 1999 There and Back Again
author: Pat Murphy
name: Scurra
average rating: 3.71
book published: 1999
rating: 5
read at: 2000/01/01
date added: 2014/04/26
shelves: science-fiction, humour
review:
This is a hoot. Not only is it a splendid book in its own right, but the fun of trying to see how the incidents from The Hobbit are going to be recreated in this lunatic universe is almost unmatched (I think only Jasper Fforde's The Eyre Affair has a similar symbiotic relationship with it's source, and that is far more tangential. Although on reflection, Bridget Jones' Diary probably qualifies too.)

edit: just finished a reread (in the light of Mr Jackson's work) and I'm putting it up a star because it's just wonderful in so many ways.
]]> <![CDATA[The Ocean at the End of the Lane]]> 18194405
A groundbreaking work from a master, The Ocean at the End of the Lane is told with a rare understanding of all that makes us human, and shows the power of stories to reveal and shelter us from the darkness inside and out. A stirring, terrifying, and elegiac fable as delicate as a butterfly's wing and as menacing as a knife in the dark.

Length: 5 h 43 min]]> 6 Neil Gaiman Scurra 0 to-read 3.99 2013 The Ocean at the End of the Lane
author: Neil Gaiman
name: Scurra
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2014/04/12
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Three Men in a Boat (Three Men, #1)]]> 4921
"We agree that we are overworked, and need a rest - A week on the rolling deep? - George suggests the river -"

And with the co-operation of several hampers of food and a covered boat, the three men (not forgetting the dog) set out on a hilarious voyage of mishaps up the Thames. When not falling in the river and getting lost in Hampton Court Maze, Jerome K. Jerome finds time to express his ideas on the world around - many of which have acquired a deeper fascination since the day at the end of the 19th century when this excursion was so lightly undertaken.]]> 185 Jerome K. Jerome Scurra 4 humour

2014 edit: Someone has made the brilliant observation that the television show Top Gear is a modern update of Three Men in a Boat. Which it is. Even the characters are largely the same, although clearly Richard Hammond is somewhat more Montmorency than Harris.]]> 3.86 1889 Three Men in a Boat (Three Men, #1)
author: Jerome K. Jerome
name: Scurra
average rating: 3.86
book published: 1889
rating: 4
read at: 1984/01/01
date added: 2014/03/18
shelves: humour
review:
Don't make the mistake of thinking this is a novel. It isn't. It's simply one of the funniest collections of anecdotes you will ever read. From Harris in the maze, to the story of the cheese and beyond; there is something to make you laugh out loud on almost every page.


2014 edit: Someone has made the brilliant observation that the television show Top Gear is a modern update of Three Men in a Boat. Which it is. Even the characters are largely the same, although clearly Richard Hammond is somewhat more Montmorency than Harris.
]]> S. 17860739 One book. Two readers. A world of mystery, menace, and desire.

A young woman picks up a book left behind by a stranger. Inside it are his margin notes, which reveal a reader entranced by the story and by its mysterious author. She responds with notes of her own, leaving the book for the stranger, and so begins an unlikely conversation that plunges them both into the unknown.

THE BOOK: Ship of Theseus, the final novel by a prolific but enigmatic writer named V. M. Straka, in which a man with no past is shanghaied onto a strange ship with a monstrous crew and launched onto a disorienting and perilous journey.

THE WRITER: Straka, the incendiary and secretive subject of one of the world’s greatest mysteries, a revolutionary about whom the world knows nothing apart from the words he wrote and the rumours that swirl around him.

THE READERS: Jennifer and Eric, a college senior and a disgraced grad student, both facing crucial decisions about who they are, who they might become, and how much they’re willing to trust another person with their passions, hurts, and fears.

S. , conceived by filmmaker J. J. Abrams and written by award-winning novelist Doug Dorst, is the chronicle of two readers finding each other in the margins of a book and enmeshing themselves in a deadly struggle between forces they don’t understand. It is also Abrams and Dorst’s love letter to the written word.
]]> 469 J.J. Abrams 0316201642 Scurra 4
There's no point in recounting the details of S. - it somewhat defeats the object** and perhaps detracts from the overall effect. The basic conceit is hardly original - a translated text proving to be more complex than the translator imagined***, although the extra layer(s) of narrative imposed on top here is cleverly handled. And the production quality is glorious - a two-fingered salute to those who proclaim the death of the physical book by producing something that would lose an awful lot in an electronic form.****

In the end, I think it felt a bit too much like hard work. The puzzlebox nature of the book certainly works well, and there are moments when the bits suddenly fit together and you smile at the effort taken. But ultimately, I didn't care sufficiently for the characters to properly appreciate it as a novel. Even so, it gets four stars from me for doing everything else right.


* LOST probably being the canonical example, although I think that both Alias and Fringe are much better shows.
** And anyway, there is clearly no right answer here; every reader will probably have their own opinion as to the value and ordering of the "layers".
*** Try The Athenian Murders for a really good example of this (especially since the English version has the meta-meta bonus of being a translation already!)
**** Having said that, I can see that an annotated ebook ought to work quite well. But the electronic medium has different ways of doing fiction; it should be exploring them rather than revisiting print.
although I believe he didn't have much to do with the show beyond the basic premise, there may (or may not!) be links to it in S.]]> 3.86 2013 S.
author: J.J. Abrams
name: Scurra
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2013
rating: 4
read at: 2014/03/17
date added: 2014/03/17
shelves:
review:
I was already predisposed to like this book for various reasons. Firstly, I like "meta narratives" - books where the purported story you are reading isn't really the story at all; instead it is being told underneath, alongside or even outside the narrative, so here we not only get footnotes but also margin notes and even ephemera to add to the feel. Secondly, I like "stuff" - books where the physical object is as much a work of art as the content; the conceit that this is a 1950s library book is taken to almost perfect level. And thirdly, I like JJ Abrams' ambition - his tv shows are never less than fascinating, no matter how flawed or ultimately frustrating they end up.*

There's no point in recounting the details of S. - it somewhat defeats the object** and perhaps detracts from the overall effect. The basic conceit is hardly original - a translated text proving to be more complex than the translator imagined***, although the extra layer(s) of narrative imposed on top here is cleverly handled. And the production quality is glorious - a two-fingered salute to those who proclaim the death of the physical book by producing something that would lose an awful lot in an electronic form.****

In the end, I think it felt a bit too much like hard work. The puzzlebox nature of the book certainly works well, and there are moments when the bits suddenly fit together and you smile at the effort taken. But ultimately, I didn't care sufficiently for the characters to properly appreciate it as a novel. Even so, it gets four stars from me for doing everything else right.


* LOST probably being the canonical example, although I think that both Alias and Fringe are much better shows.
** And anyway, there is clearly no right answer here; every reader will probably have their own opinion as to the value and ordering of the "layers".
*** Try The Athenian Murders for a really good example of this (especially since the English version has the meta-meta bonus of being a translation already!)
**** Having said that, I can see that an annotated ebook ought to work quite well. But the electronic medium has different ways of doing fiction; it should be exploring them rather than revisiting print.
although I believe he didn't have much to do with the show beyond the basic premise, there may (or may not!) be links to it in S.
]]> Among Others 16096212
'It doesn't matter. I have books, new books, and I can bear anything as long as there are books.'

Fifteen-year-old Morwenna lives in Wales with her twin sister and a mother who spins dark magic for ill. One day, Mori and her mother fight a powerful, magical battle that kills her sister and leaves Mori crippled. Devastated, Mori flees to her long-lost father in England. Adrift, outcast at boarding school, Mori retreats into the worlds she knows best: her magic and her books. She works a spell to meet kindred souls and continues to devour every fantasy and science fiction novel she can lay her hands on. But danger lurks... She knows her mother is looking for her and that when she finds her, there will be no escape.]]> 408 Jo Walton 1472106539 Scurra 4 fantasy, science-fiction
Every so often you read a book and realise that the author wrote it just for you. Not for anyone else, just for you. Among Others is one of those books. It's a paean to all those of us who grew up without the slightest understanding or interest in the pop-culture trivia or sport that obsessed our peers, and instead read. A lot. Jo Walton doesn't bother to explain her references, she just assumes that you have read them too.

A beautiful character study that, whilst not being intricately plotted (indeed, it seems a little slapdash at times), sucks you in and keeps you interested. Sure, the school sections are a little shallow, but the bookclub is a joy and the diary format feels convincing. The fantastical elements are cleverly understated - to the point that even at the end you aren't entirely sure how "true" they are meant to be, which is unusual. I guess my only real complaint is that, with the exception of Miss Carroll the librarian (and, I suppose, Auntie Teg), the women are largely all horrible and the men are largely all ideal. Which may be intentional, of course, but it read oddly (to this man.)

But the real gem is the way she vividly recaptures a time when stumbling across a new title by a favourite author was an unexpected delight - hard to remember in these days of instant blogs and promotional campaigns on the sides of buses... ]]> 3.83 2011 Among Others
author: Jo Walton
name: Scurra
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2011
rating: 4
read at: 2014/01/27
date added: 2014/01/28
shelves: fantasy, science-fiction
review:
(Add another star if you are an SF geek. You know who you are. Take one off if you think fantasy is for children. You know who you are.)

Every so often you read a book and realise that the author wrote it just for you. Not for anyone else, just for you. Among Others is one of those books. It's a paean to all those of us who grew up without the slightest understanding or interest in the pop-culture trivia or sport that obsessed our peers, and instead read. A lot. Jo Walton doesn't bother to explain her references, she just assumes that you have read them too.

A beautiful character study that, whilst not being intricately plotted (indeed, it seems a little slapdash at times), sucks you in and keeps you interested. Sure, the school sections are a little shallow, but the bookclub is a joy and the diary format feels convincing. The fantastical elements are cleverly understated - to the point that even at the end you aren't entirely sure how "true" they are meant to be, which is unusual. I guess my only real complaint is that, with the exception of Miss Carroll the librarian (and, I suppose, Auntie Teg), the women are largely all horrible and the men are largely all ideal. Which may be intentional, of course, but it read oddly (to this man.)

But the real gem is the way she vividly recaptures a time when stumbling across a new title by a favourite author was an unexpected delight - hard to remember in these days of instant blogs and promotional campaigns on the sides of buses...
]]> <![CDATA[The Forever War (The Forever War, #1)]]> 21611 278 Joe Haldeman Scurra 5 science-fiction Catch-22 is often cited as one of the great books about the futility and inherent paradoxes of war. I think this is easily its equal, but is often overlooked because it is dismissed as "just" science fiction.

By using the tropes of SF, Haldeman vividly illustrates not only the psychological effects on the combatants, but also the desperate disassociation wrought between the "soldiers" and the rest of society - his reference point was the Vietnam veterans, but it could apply anywhere and anywhen. There are some moments of genuine horror too, especially when you start to understand what the narrator is telling you.

A serious contender for my top ten books of all time.]]> 4.14 1974 The Forever War (The Forever War, #1)
author: Joe Haldeman
name: Scurra
average rating: 4.14
book published: 1974
rating: 5
read at: 2000/01/01
date added: 2014/01/12
shelves: science-fiction
review:
Catch-22 is often cited as one of the great books about the futility and inherent paradoxes of war. I think this is easily its equal, but is often overlooked because it is dismissed as "just" science fiction.

By using the tropes of SF, Haldeman vividly illustrates not only the psychological effects on the combatants, but also the desperate disassociation wrought between the "soldiers" and the rest of society - his reference point was the Vietnam veterans, but it could apply anywhere and anywhen. There are some moments of genuine horror too, especially when you start to understand what the narrator is telling you.

A serious contender for my top ten books of all time.
]]> Eight Days of Luke 1134632 176 Diana Wynne Jones 0749712252 Scurra 5 fantasy Neil Gaiman said that he had to rewrite American Gods because he got to the end and realised that he'd just rewritten this.

The real joy here is the slow-burning realisation of what is going on. The care with which Wynne Jones constructs the plot to ensure that the characters only appear on the appropriate "days" is only really apparent on a re-read, and the book is good enough to survive that without trouble. ]]> 4.17 1975 Eight Days of Luke
author: Diana Wynne Jones
name: Scurra
average rating: 4.17
book published: 1975
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2014/01/03
shelves: fantasy
review:
Perhaps my favourite anecdote about this book is that Neil Gaiman said that he had to rewrite American Gods because he got to the end and realised that he'd just rewritten this.

The real joy here is the slow-burning realisation of what is going on. The care with which Wynne Jones constructs the plot to ensure that the characters only appear on the appropriate "days" is only really apparent on a re-read, and the book is good enough to survive that without trouble.
]]> <![CDATA[Rendezvous with Rama (Rama, #1)]]> 112537 243 Arthur C. Clarke 1857231589 Scurra 5 science-fiction Instead, simply glory in one of the cleverest conceits you will ever read - an encounter with an alien civilisation in which the aliens are absent and there is no convenient "universal translator" to explain things. Slowly you can begin to piece things together, keeping maybe one step ahead of the astronauts, but you become aware that trying to understand Raman culture is like trying to appreciate the Sistene Chapel ceiling without ever having read the Bible - you could create an explanation, but it would be utterly and magnificently wrong.

All I ask is that you don't make the mistake of going on and reading the pointless sequels. Yes, I understand why they were written, but I can never forgive them for ruining the magic of the original. Just take this one and enjoy.]]> 4.12 1973 Rendezvous with Rama (Rama, #1)
author: Arthur C. Clarke
name: Scurra
average rating: 4.12
book published: 1973
rating: 5
read at: 1987/01/01
date added: 2013/12/11
shelves: science-fiction
review:
For heaven's sake, don't expect great writing from this book. For all his talent, Clarke wasn't a wordsmith (heck, even Asimov could write better!)
Instead, simply glory in one of the cleverest conceits you will ever read - an encounter with an alien civilisation in which the aliens are absent and there is no convenient "universal translator" to explain things. Slowly you can begin to piece things together, keeping maybe one step ahead of the astronauts, but you become aware that trying to understand Raman culture is like trying to appreciate the Sistene Chapel ceiling without ever having read the Bible - you could create an explanation, but it would be utterly and magnificently wrong.

All I ask is that you don't make the mistake of going on and reading the pointless sequels. Yes, I understand why they were written, but I can never forgive them for ruining the magic of the original. Just take this one and enjoy.
]]> <![CDATA[Shadow Dawn (Chronicles of the Shadow War, #2)]]> 383923
The momentous Ascension of Princess Elora Danan should have brought peace to the Thirteen Realms.  Instead, an intense Shadow War rages, spearheaded by the evil Mohdri.  He has dispatched his dread Black Rose commando assassins to capture Elora and her sworn protector, Thorn Drumheller.  But Mohdri himself is just a facade for a more dangerous the Deceiver.  But who--or what--is the Deceiver?  And how can Elora, Thorn, and their ragtag band defeat this unspeakable force?  The answer lies in a perilous journey to a land undisturbed since the dawn of time.  A journey that will end at the unbreachable citadel of the dragon, where a chilling betrayal will change the fate of Elora, Thorn, and the Thirteen Realms forever.  ]]> 528 Chris Claremont 0553095978 Scurra 5 fantasy Sure, the first one gets the fun of defining the world and the plot for the reader, and the third gets the big finish.

But this one is the story of Elora Danan growing up. The central plot is a fairly standard mythic arhetype, but it provides a perfect hook to permit Elora to move from spoiled brat to perhaps understanding how she can be the prophesied Saviour of the Realms, and it does it in a most unexpected way. Dougay is a fine creation, and although there are times when he gets annoying, this is actually in keeping with who he is (in the same way that Rool and Franjean work well.)

Again, the descriptive work is excellent, the expansion of the world continues (Sandeni is very well realised) and the narrative flow fits together cleverly so that the reader can stay just far enough ahead of the characters whilst still being properly surprised. And the big revelation at the end is a genuine shocker, whilst still making perfect sense out of everything we have learned.

In passing, let me note that this book comes with a little Venn diagram at the front, showing the Twelve Realms and how they interact and relate to one another. Now I have to say that I wonder if there was a change between the first volume and these last two, in order to make the big finish actually work. Given that one of the threads is that all the Realms should have been present at Elora's Ascension, it's abundantly clear that although one is significantly absent, there are two others that are only present by implication (death, in the form of the death of a significant presence, and despair in the sense that the Ascension was flawed.) It is strongly implied that there should have been physical manifestations of all the Realms, but that would be tricky for those two. And, of course, the whole issue of Chaos/Demons is skipped over entirely - are they a Realm, or are they outside the Realms? I'm still not entirely sure...

Anyway, that's beside the point. This is the highpoint of the series for me, because it gets to have fun - it doesn't have to resolve anything, the characters grow and evolve and the plot can take a bit of a backseat whilst still being important.]]> 3.76 1997 Shadow Dawn (Chronicles of the Shadow War, #2)
author: Chris Claremont
name: Scurra
average rating: 3.76
book published: 1997
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2013/12/10
shelves: fantasy
review:
For me, this is the best of the series.
Sure, the first one gets the fun of defining the world and the plot for the reader, and the third gets the big finish.

But this one is the story of Elora Danan growing up. The central plot is a fairly standard mythic arhetype, but it provides a perfect hook to permit Elora to move from spoiled brat to perhaps understanding how she can be the prophesied Saviour of the Realms, and it does it in a most unexpected way. Dougay is a fine creation, and although there are times when he gets annoying, this is actually in keeping with who he is (in the same way that Rool and Franjean work well.)

Again, the descriptive work is excellent, the expansion of the world continues (Sandeni is very well realised) and the narrative flow fits together cleverly so that the reader can stay just far enough ahead of the characters whilst still being properly surprised. And the big revelation at the end is a genuine shocker, whilst still making perfect sense out of everything we have learned.

In passing, let me note that this book comes with a little Venn diagram at the front, showing the Twelve Realms and how they interact and relate to one another. Now I have to say that I wonder if there was a change between the first volume and these last two, in order to make the big finish actually work. Given that one of the threads is that all the Realms should have been present at Elora's Ascension, it's abundantly clear that although one is significantly absent, there are two others that are only present by implication (death, in the form of the death of a significant presence, and despair in the sense that the Ascension was flawed.) It is strongly implied that there should have been physical manifestations of all the Realms, but that would be tricky for those two. And, of course, the whole issue of Chaos/Demons is skipped over entirely - are they a Realm, or are they outside the Realms? I'm still not entirely sure...

Anyway, that's beside the point. This is the highpoint of the series for me, because it gets to have fun - it doesn't have to resolve anything, the characters grow and evolve and the plot can take a bit of a backseat whilst still being important.
]]> <![CDATA[Shadow Moon (Chronicles of the Shadow War, #1)]]> 160859 Shadow Moon, first in the Chronicles of the Shadow War.

The genius of Star Wars creator George Lucas and the vision of Chris Claremont, the author of the phenomenally bestselling The Uncanny X-Men adventures, merge in what must be the fantasy event of the year.

In Shadow Moon, war and chaos have gripped the land of Tir Asleen. An ancient prophecy reveals one hope: a savior princess who will ascend to the throne when the time is right.  But first, a Nelwyn wanderer must face forces of unimaginable malevolence and dangerous, forbidden rites of necromancy to bring back a powerful warrior from soulless sleep.
]]> 452 George Lucas 0553572857 Scurra 4 fantasy par excellence.

This is one of my favourite fantasy series, because it does genuinely new things with a tired old structure, and it all works. The world-building given to us in this first volume is a masterclass of show not tell - the relationships of the Twelve Realms that underpins the whole structure is subtly developed, with much of it left to the reader to deduce which is a nice change (although I think there is some evidence that a part of the Realms design changed between this book being finished and the next one...)

And the wonderful character development, especially of "Thorn Drumheller" is equally good. Sure, there was a problem in that they needed to kill off their two main "human" protagonists from the movie, only to replace them with almost equivalent figures, but you soon come to appreciate the new alongside the old.

But it's the story I like. It's a plot that promises much, and rarely lets up once it has got going, although it does take a little while to properly kick-off. There are some oddities in the pacing, and there is definitely an issue with one of the key characters (who exhibits strong sorcerous powers although the conclusion implies that prior to that point he really shouldn't have them) but in general the Quest structure is nicely subverted, there are a couple of proper shocks and a moral dilemma or two. And I particularly like the slow shift of focus in the last part of the book from Thorn to Elora, which is very nicely handled.

It's all set-up, of course, and yet it rarely feels like that; the hints that are dropped about the bigger story aren't signalled with neon lights and the twists are often surprising. And I think it gets better from here on.]]> 3.29 1995 Shadow Moon (Chronicles of the Shadow War, #1)
author: George Lucas
name: Scurra
average rating: 3.29
book published: 1995
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2013/12/10
shelves: fantasy
review:
For those of us who understand that George Lucas really can do "story" better than most, but does need someone else to bring it to life effectively (see The Empire Strikes Back for proof), this is the example par excellence.

This is one of my favourite fantasy series, because it does genuinely new things with a tired old structure, and it all works. The world-building given to us in this first volume is a masterclass of show not tell - the relationships of the Twelve Realms that underpins the whole structure is subtly developed, with much of it left to the reader to deduce which is a nice change (although I think there is some evidence that a part of the Realms design changed between this book being finished and the next one...)

And the wonderful character development, especially of "Thorn Drumheller" is equally good. Sure, there was a problem in that they needed to kill off their two main "human" protagonists from the movie, only to replace them with almost equivalent figures, but you soon come to appreciate the new alongside the old.

But it's the story I like. It's a plot that promises much, and rarely lets up once it has got going, although it does take a little while to properly kick-off. There are some oddities in the pacing, and there is definitely an issue with one of the key characters (who exhibits strong sorcerous powers although the conclusion implies that prior to that point he really shouldn't have them) but in general the Quest structure is nicely subverted, there are a couple of proper shocks and a moral dilemma or two. And I particularly like the slow shift of focus in the last part of the book from Thorn to Elora, which is very nicely handled.

It's all set-up, of course, and yet it rarely feels like that; the hints that are dropped about the bigger story aren't signalled with neon lights and the twists are often surprising. And I think it gets better from here on.
]]> <![CDATA[London Falling (Shadow Police, #1)]]> 18300332
As the group starts to see London's sinister magic for themselves, they have two choices: panic or use their new abilities. Then they must hunt a terrifying supernatural force the only way they know how: using police methods, equipment and tactics. But they must all learn the rules of this new game - and quickly. More than their lives will depend on it.]]> 402 Paul Cornell 0330528092 Scurra 4 fiction Cornell does a good job making his central characters sufficiently unlikeable that they have space to grow without becoming too "nice" at any point (I particularly liked the way that the black characters weren't identified as such until it became relevant), and he uses the London setting to great advantage.
I was impressed by his approach to religion and faith (something that has been a cornerstone of his work without ever being overstated) - the scene with the police chaplains is cleverly positive and negative at the same time; he makes it clear that the world he is painting contains supernatural forces but he doesn't provide easy solutions to them and yet he manages it without making the "official" representatives of faith look stupid.

I wasn't surprised to discover from his endnotes that it originally started out as a tv pitch; all I can say is that the commissioning editors were idiots to turn it down.
(edit: and now I understand that it has finally been "optioned" for tv. Huzzah.)]]> 3.85 2012 London Falling (Shadow Police, #1)
author: Paul Cornell
name: Scurra
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2012
rating: 4
read at: 2013/09/18
date added: 2013/12/10
shelves: fiction
review:
The current genre trend of urban fantasy crossed with police procedural gains another quality entry here. This is definitely quite a bit darker than I was expecting, but I suppose that's only natural when the set-up gets deeply entangled with drugs, guns and, ultimately, occult forces.
Cornell does a good job making his central characters sufficiently unlikeable that they have space to grow without becoming too "nice" at any point (I particularly liked the way that the black characters weren't identified as such until it became relevant), and he uses the London setting to great advantage.
I was impressed by his approach to religion and faith (something that has been a cornerstone of his work without ever being overstated) - the scene with the police chaplains is cleverly positive and negative at the same time; he makes it clear that the world he is painting contains supernatural forces but he doesn't provide easy solutions to them and yet he manages it without making the "official" representatives of faith look stupid.

I wasn't surprised to discover from his endnotes that it originally started out as a tv pitch; all I can say is that the commissioning editors were idiots to turn it down.
(edit: and now I understand that it has finally been "optioned" for tv. Huzzah.)
]]> <![CDATA[Shadow Star (Chronicles of the Shadow War, #3)]]> 383921 Shadow Moon and Shadow Dawn, George Lucas, creator of Star Wars, and Chris Claremont, author of the bestselling X-Men adventures, created a new world of myth, magic, and legend unlike any before. Now they bring their epic trilogy to an unforgettable conclusion in a novel of blazing imaginative brilliance...

Elora Danan has done the unthinkable. She has slain the dragons that were the embodiment of the soul of Creation. It was a desperate act--the only way to save the dragons from the Deceiver, who would have used them to rule the Realms. Yet in Elora's possession are two last dragon eggs. To protect them, Elora spellbinds herself to her faithful companions Thorn Drumheller, the Nelwyn sorcerer and her sworn guardian, and Khory Bannefin, the long-dead woman warrior whose body is inhabited by a demon's offspring. It is a dire spell that ensures none of them will betray their cause...even at the cost of their lives. And if one of them dies, the magic of the eggs is lost forever.

Pursued through a land of shadow predators by the dreaded Black Rose, the Deceiver's commando assassins, Elora and her allies must reach the free city-state of Sandeni. There they will be reunited with old friends: the brownies Franjean and Rool, the eagles Anele and Bastian, and the young warrior-scribe Luc-Jon. But Sandeni is besieged by mighty armies fueled by the Deceiver's sorcery, warrior wizards, and engines of evil magic. With defeat all but certain, Elora must convince the Sandeni people to continue the fight. What she doesn't tell them is that the greatest enemy lies within her. For the Deceiver is her own dark twin from a potential future of unimaginable evil...an evil that lies dormant in Elora's soul. And the only way Elora can stop the future is to befriend an enemy whose insatiable appetite for destruction could destroy all of Creation. Or is that, too, part of the Deceiver's plan?

Seamlessly weaving together the many strands of this rich tapestry, Shadow Star is guaranteed to satisfy its many fans...and leave them breathless.]]> 480 Chris Claremont 0553095986 Scurra 4 fantasy
Structurally, I think this is the weakest of the three. But that's inevitable when you get to the third part of a trilogy (just ask Philip Pullman!) There are an awful lot of loose ends to tie up, and, not content with that, they decide to add an entire massive backstory that was strictly unnecessary (I think that pretty much the whole thing could have been resolved without needing the Khory subplot at all.) Not to mention the borderline racism of the Chengwei who don't exactly have a terribly original culture, not to mention very few redeeming qualities (unlike all the other "bad guys" in the story, who are often given proper motivational reasons for their actions.)

And, having been quite subtle previously, there are a couple of occasions here when they feel it necessary to club the reader over the head with one specific concept so that when the relevant moment actually arrives it doesn't feel like the clever resolution that it should. Not that it still isn't clever, but I felt a little less impressed than I might have done if they had let me work it out for myself.

The setpieces are fantastic (the defence of the Fort is gripping, and the showdown in the Crystal Palace is very vividly realised), and once again the characters are well-drawn and they all get their moment in the spotlight.

The climax feels rushed (although I think that is part of the point - in a sense we already know what is going to happen, so why dwell on it?) Although the way revelation about Elora's parentage and the Deceiver's true story are both ever-so-brilliantly stuck right in the middle of it is nothing short of genius. But the epilogue is nigh-on perfect.

An under-rated series, in my opinion. If you're looking for something a bit different, give this a go.]]> 3.78 1999 Shadow Star (Chronicles of the Shadow War, #3)
author: Chris Claremont
name: Scurra
average rating: 3.78
book published: 1999
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2013/12/10
shelves: fantasy
review:
...and this is a positive masterclass in how to take a really hackneyed idea and make it feel completely new.

Structurally, I think this is the weakest of the three. But that's inevitable when you get to the third part of a trilogy (just ask Philip Pullman!) There are an awful lot of loose ends to tie up, and, not content with that, they decide to add an entire massive backstory that was strictly unnecessary (I think that pretty much the whole thing could have been resolved without needing the Khory subplot at all.) Not to mention the borderline racism of the Chengwei who don't exactly have a terribly original culture, not to mention very few redeeming qualities (unlike all the other "bad guys" in the story, who are often given proper motivational reasons for their actions.)

And, having been quite subtle previously, there are a couple of occasions here when they feel it necessary to club the reader over the head with one specific concept so that when the relevant moment actually arrives it doesn't feel like the clever resolution that it should. Not that it still isn't clever, but I felt a little less impressed than I might have done if they had let me work it out for myself.

The setpieces are fantastic (the defence of the Fort is gripping, and the showdown in the Crystal Palace is very vividly realised), and once again the characters are well-drawn and they all get their moment in the spotlight.

The climax feels rushed (although I think that is part of the point - in a sense we already know what is going to happen, so why dwell on it?) Although the way revelation about Elora's parentage and the Deceiver's true story are both ever-so-brilliantly stuck right in the middle of it is nothing short of genius. But the epilogue is nigh-on perfect.

An under-rated series, in my opinion. If you're looking for something a bit different, give this a go.
]]> <![CDATA[Raising Steam (Discworld, #40; Moist von Lipwig, #3)]]> 11275323
Moist von Lipwig is not a man who enjoys hard work - as master of the Post Office, the Mint and the Royal Bank his input is, of course, vital... but largely dependent on words, which are fortunately not very heavy and don't always need greasing. However, he does enjoy being alive, which makes a new job offer from Vetinari hard to refuse...

Steam is rising over Discworld, driven by Mister Simnel, the man wi' t'flat cap and sliding rule who has an interesting arrangement with the sine and cosine. Moist will have to grapple with gallons of grease, goblins, a fat controller with a history of throwing employees down the stairs and some very angry dwarfs if he's going to stop it all going off the rails...]]> 377 Terry Pratchett 0857522272 Scurra 4 humour, discworld
The most striking thing about Raising Steam is the travelogue nature of the story. Most Discworld novels content themselves with one or two settings - even ones that are located in Ankh-Morpork are usually confined to specific places (like the University, the Opera House or the Bank.) Here, we revisit a lot of places that have appeared once or twice before (even if only in passing), and, combined with an alarming number of cameos from older characters (including HIMSELF), this gives a distinct sense that this is Pratchett perhaps saying his first proper goodbye to a world that no-one knows better than him.

The story itself is slight, but none the worse for that. And it gets an extra half-star from me because I am a lapsed train geek, so the engineering jokes and the railway movie references were all good fun (even if some of them were alarmingly unsubtle.) And I had more laugh-out-loud moments in this than I have for the last few of the series.

So no, objectively this is not one of the greatest in the series (although I think that it may well end up in my own personal top five simply because of the theme), but - as has been observed often before - even average Pratchett is better than the best of a lot of other people. ]]> 3.97 2013 Raising Steam (Discworld, #40; Moist von Lipwig, #3)
author: Terry Pratchett
name: Scurra
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2013
rating: 4
read at: 2013/12/08
date added: 2013/12/09
shelves: humour, discworld
review:
Whilst it is increasingly difficult to class Pratchett's work as "humour" in the same sort of sense that "101 Uses for a Dead Cat" is humour, his determination and commitment to satire is undiminished. And whilst none of the targets of Raising Steam are new within Discworld (we've had dwarvish politics/fundamentalist obsession/industrial revolution etc. often before), they fit together with the usual engineering quality that is a hallmark of the series and particularly appropriate to a story about controlling the world through measurement rather than faith.

The most striking thing about Raising Steam is the travelogue nature of the story. Most Discworld novels content themselves with one or two settings - even ones that are located in Ankh-Morpork are usually confined to specific places (like the University, the Opera House or the Bank.) Here, we revisit a lot of places that have appeared once or twice before (even if only in passing), and, combined with an alarming number of cameos from older characters (including HIMSELF), this gives a distinct sense that this is Pratchett perhaps saying his first proper goodbye to a world that no-one knows better than him.

The story itself is slight, but none the worse for that. And it gets an extra half-star from me because I am a lapsed train geek, so the engineering jokes and the railway movie references were all good fun (even if some of them were alarmingly unsubtle.) And I had more laugh-out-loud moments in this than I have for the last few of the series.

So no, objectively this is not one of the greatest in the series (although I think that it may well end up in my own personal top five simply because of the theme), but - as has been observed often before - even average Pratchett is better than the best of a lot of other people.
]]> Fortunately, the Milk... 17758805
Featuring: Professor Steg (a time-travelling dinosaur), some green globby things, the Queen of the Pirates, the famed jewel that is the Eye of Splod, some wumpires, and a perfectly normal but very important carton of milk.]]> 160 Neil Gaiman 1408841762 Scurra 5 fantasy, humour With Fortunately, the Milk, Neil Gaiman pulls off the same trick. It has a gloriously easy and assured style to it, with ideas bouncing around everywhere apparently at random, but underneath there is a beautifully structured and clever story that is (almost!) wasted on the children for whom it is ostensibly written. This is quite definitely a book for parents. Not even necessarily for parents to read to their children.

And what elevates this (UK edition) book into five-star status for me is the perfect union of Gaiman's text with Chris Riddell's cartoon illustrations (especially the section at the end where the characters who largely remain unnamed in the story acquire perfect matching identities.)

No, this isn't destined to be a classic Gaiman but it's oh so much fun.]]> 4.16 2013 Fortunately, the Milk...
author: Neil Gaiman
name: Scurra
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2013
rating: 5
read at: 2013/11/22
date added: 2013/11/23
shelves: fantasy, humour
review:
What makes PG Wodehouse a genius is the ability he had of making what he wrote sound exactly as though he had just sat down at the desk and dashed it off - when, of course, he had slaved over every word and sentence to make it perfect.
With Fortunately, the Milk, Neil Gaiman pulls off the same trick. It has a gloriously easy and assured style to it, with ideas bouncing around everywhere apparently at random, but underneath there is a beautifully structured and clever story that is (almost!) wasted on the children for whom it is ostensibly written. This is quite definitely a book for parents. Not even necessarily for parents to read to their children.

And what elevates this (UK edition) book into five-star status for me is the perfect union of Gaiman's text with Chris Riddell's cartoon illustrations (especially the section at the end where the characters who largely remain unnamed in the story acquire perfect matching identities.)

No, this isn't destined to be a classic Gaiman but it's oh so much fun.
]]> <![CDATA[The Curious Case of the Clockwork Man (Burton & Swinburne, #2)]]> 11805995
Time has been altered, and Sir Richard Francis Burton, the king’s agent, is one of the few people who know that the world is now careening along a very different course from that which Destiny intended.

When a clockwork-powered man of brass is found abandoned in Trafalgar Square, Burton and his assistant, the wayward poet Algernon Swinburne, find themselves on the trail of the stolen Garnier Collection-black diamonds rumored to be fragments of the Lemurian Eye of Naga, a meteorite that fell to Earth in prehistoric times.

His investigation leads to involvement with the media sensation of the age: the Tichborne Claimant, a man who insists that he’s the long lost heir to the cursed Tichborne estate. Monstrous, bloated, and monosyllabic, he’s not the aristocratic Sir Roger Tichborne known to everyone, yet the working classes come out in force to support him. They are soon rioting through the streets of London, as mysterious steam wraiths incite all-out class warfare.

From a haunted mansion to the Bedlam madhouse, from South America to Australia, from séances to a secret labyrinth, Burton struggles with shadowy opponents and his own inner demons, meeting along the way the philosopher Herbert Spencer, Isambard Kingdom Brunel, Florence Nightingale, and Charles Doyle (father of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle).

Can the king’s agent expose a plot that threatens to rip the British Empire apart, leading to an international conflict the like of which the world has never seen? And what part does the clockwork man have to play?

Burton and Swinburne’s second adventure-The Clockwork Man of Trafalgar Square-is filled with eccentric steam-driven technology, grotesque characters, and a deepening mystery that pushes forward the three-volume story arc begun in The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack.]]> 359 Mark Hodder Scurra 4 alt-history, fiction 3.75 2011 The Curious Case of the Clockwork Man (Burton & Swinburne, #2)
author: Mark Hodder
name: Scurra
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2011
rating: 4
read at: 2013/08/04
date added: 2013/09/26
shelves: alt-history, fiction
review:

]]> Angelmaker 17118717 568 Nick Harkaway 0099538091 Scurra 5 The Eyre Affair have I felt so enthused about a book; Harkaway captures that peculiarly English fantasy humour sensibility of Fforde, Holt, Adams, Pratchett and Gaiman - a perfect blend of an intricate plot, engaging characters, terrific one-liners and clockwork bees. What's not to like?

Essentially, what Harkaway has done here is to write a steampunk novel that isn't - for once - set in Victorian England (despite the overt Dickensian nature of the prose), and combined it with a lovely pastiche of James Bond. That sounds like a mix that couldn't possibly work but somehow it does; perhaps because the inherent fantastical absurdity of Bond fits with the world Harkaway has created, but mostly because of the effort he takes to make the central characters feel both real and unreal at the same time.

Yes, it takes a bit of time to get used to the style (although the gags more than make up for that) and there are moments when you realise that he's running quite fast in the hope that you don't notice the thin ice, but it hangs together wonderfully. The best compliment I can pay this book is to say that Harkaway has joined that short list of writers I shall be buying sight unseen in future.]]> 3.85 2012 Angelmaker
author: Nick Harkaway
name: Scurra
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2012
rating: 5
read at: 2013/08/30
date added: 2013/09/04
shelves: alt-history, humour, fiction, fantasy
review:
I want to give this one six stars. Not since I read The Eyre Affair have I felt so enthused about a book; Harkaway captures that peculiarly English fantasy humour sensibility of Fforde, Holt, Adams, Pratchett and Gaiman - a perfect blend of an intricate plot, engaging characters, terrific one-liners and clockwork bees. What's not to like?

Essentially, what Harkaway has done here is to write a steampunk novel that isn't - for once - set in Victorian England (despite the overt Dickensian nature of the prose), and combined it with a lovely pastiche of James Bond. That sounds like a mix that couldn't possibly work but somehow it does; perhaps because the inherent fantastical absurdity of Bond fits with the world Harkaway has created, but mostly because of the effort he takes to make the central characters feel both real and unreal at the same time.

Yes, it takes a bit of time to get used to the style (although the gags more than make up for that) and there are moments when you realise that he's running quite fast in the hope that you don't notice the thin ice, but it hangs together wonderfully. The best compliment I can pay this book is to say that Harkaway has joined that short list of writers I shall be buying sight unseen in future.
]]> <![CDATA[Rage of a Demon King (The Serpentwar Saga, #3)]]> 49421
Midkemia once again lies under the terrible shadow of the Emerald Queen. Her dark forces are ready to launch a devastating invasion against the Kingdom of the Isles. Come the battle's dawn the magician Pug and his life-long warrior friend Tomas discover that something far worse than the Queen's mere sorcery is afoot. For elemental, malevolent forces are being unleashed... forces that threaten to tear Midkemia apart unless Pug and his band of supporters can track down the long-missing sorcerer Macros the Black and confront his formidable powers.]]> 463 Raymond E. Feist 0006482988 Scurra 2 3.98 1997 Rage of a Demon King (The Serpentwar Saga, #3)
author: Raymond E. Feist
name: Scurra
average rating: 3.98
book published: 1997
rating: 2
read at:
date added: 2013/08/23
shelves:
review:

]]> Redshirts 16181585 Intrepid, flagship of the Universal Union since the year 2456. It’s a prestige posting, and Andrew is even more delighted when he's assigned to the ship’s Xenobiology laboratory. Life couldn’t be better� although there are a few strange things going on...

Every Away Mission involves some kind of lethal confrontation with alien forces...

The ship’s captain, chief science officer, and the handsome Lieutenant Kerensky always survive these encounters...

At least one low-ranked crew member is, sadly, always killed.

Suddenly, it's less surprising how much energy is expended below decks on avoiding, at all costs, being assigned an Away Mission. Andrew's fate may have been sealed... until he stumbles on information that changes everything and offers him and his fellow redshirts a crazy, high-risk chance to save their own lives...]]> 309 John Scalzi 0575134291 Scurra 3
Let's start with the basics: this is a meta novel that uses an SF conceit to have fun with ideas around identity and free will. And I love meta novels because at heart I'm a gamer and that's what they are: puzzles and games that are disguised as prose. And I appreciate the effort that goes into constructing something like this - it's not even a case of starting at the resolution and working backwards, it requires a different sort of construction (and one in which, ironically, the characters cannot be allowed to break the structure because it is incredibly fragile, even as they comment about the structure...)

The fundamental problem for me is that Scalzi is writing at least three books here, but doesn't seem sure which one he would like the reader to take away from the experience. Is it the bad TV SciFi parody (mainly the first half), the meta-narrative philosophy (mainly the second half) or the ever-so-slightly-heavy-handed self-help mantra (the codas)?

Because none of them are quite strong enough to sustain the narrative on their own (oh, the even bigger irony of that) and when he tries to sneak in an ultra-ridiculous meta-meta-conceit, it almost made me abandon the whole thing (luckily that's only in a one page aside and it's very unclear to me why he didn't just cut the whole character involved anyway.)

In essence then, I definitely enjoyed the three separate books, but together they added up to less than the sum of their parts. And that's a shame.]]> 3.83 2012 Redshirts
author: John Scalzi
name: Scurra
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2012
rating: 3
read at: 2013/06/05
date added: 2013/06/05
shelves: fiction, science-fiction, humour
review:
Man, I hate trying to review books like this. Partly because the "star" rating I have given is completely unrepresentative: for me, the high concept is worth 5 stars, but the execution was average enough that I felt disappointed to the extent that it almost didn't work at all for me.

Let's start with the basics: this is a meta novel that uses an SF conceit to have fun with ideas around identity and free will. And I love meta novels because at heart I'm a gamer and that's what they are: puzzles and games that are disguised as prose. And I appreciate the effort that goes into constructing something like this - it's not even a case of starting at the resolution and working backwards, it requires a different sort of construction (and one in which, ironically, the characters cannot be allowed to break the structure because it is incredibly fragile, even as they comment about the structure...)

The fundamental problem for me is that Scalzi is writing at least three books here, but doesn't seem sure which one he would like the reader to take away from the experience. Is it the bad TV SciFi parody (mainly the first half), the meta-narrative philosophy (mainly the second half) or the ever-so-slightly-heavy-handed self-help mantra (the codas)?

Because none of them are quite strong enough to sustain the narrative on their own (oh, the even bigger irony of that) and when he tries to sneak in an ultra-ridiculous meta-meta-conceit, it almost made me abandon the whole thing (luckily that's only in a one page aside and it's very unclear to me why he didn't just cut the whole character involved anyway.)

In essence then, I definitely enjoyed the three separate books, but together they added up to less than the sum of their parts. And that's a shame.
]]> <![CDATA[A Canticle for Leibowitz (St. Leibowitz, #1)]]> 164154 334 Walter M. Miller Jr. 0060892994 Scurra 4 3.99 1959 A Canticle for Leibowitz (St. Leibowitz, #1)
author: Walter M. Miller Jr.
name: Scurra
average rating: 3.99
book published: 1959
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2013/03/31
shelves:
review:

]]> Jurassic Park / Congo 147646 Two breathtaking adventure novels in one bumper volume.


Jurassic Park

On a remote jungle island genetic engineers have created a dinosaur game park. Then a rival firm tries to steal embryos, and the nightmare begins.


Congo

Three intrepid adventurers plunge into the heart of Africa in a desperate bid for the fabulous diamonds of the Lost City of Zinj.]]> 656 Michael Crichton Scurra 3 science-fiction
That's a little unfair really - for the genre Crichton is writing in, he is near the top of the tree. But there is a sense at times that his eye has always been on the movie deal, not on the book for the sake of the writing.

And this is nowhere better exemplified than here. Every part that isn't meticulous research regurgitated is an action sequence for the screen. There is a bit of characterisation, but no-one (except perhaps Hammond) really engages you.

And yet the pages turn and you get caught up in the excitement of the chase to escape and the story has a proper beginning, middle and end.]]> 4.04 1993 Jurassic Park / Congo
author: Michael Crichton
name: Scurra
average rating: 4.04
book published: 1993
rating: 3
read at: 1991/01/01
date added: 2013/03/06
shelves: science-fiction
review:
Michael Crichton made an excellent career out of taking someone else's novel and turning it into a screen-play which he then got published masquerading as real books.

That's a little unfair really - for the genre Crichton is writing in, he is near the top of the tree. But there is a sense at times that his eye has always been on the movie deal, not on the book for the sake of the writing.

And this is nowhere better exemplified than here. Every part that isn't meticulous research regurgitated is an action sequence for the screen. There is a bit of characterisation, but no-one (except perhaps Hammond) really engages you.

And yet the pages turn and you get caught up in the excitement of the chase to escape and the story has a proper beginning, middle and end.
]]> <![CDATA[The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack (Burton & Swinburne, #1)]]> 7293120 511 Mark Hodder 1906727201 Scurra 4 alt-history
In this entertaining alternate history novel (I guess you could call it Steampunk given the heavy Victoriana clockwork technology involved), Hodder decides to make the time-traveller a largely background character, making his appearances enjoyably unexpected and wonderfully bizarre - and yet all making a sort of sense by the end. He avoids dealing with the grandfather paradox almost entirely, despite specifically going out of his way to create one, much as most time-travel stories do. He doesn't quite make it work (a couple of the time-jump encounters do end up feeling clunky) but in general it is pretty smooth.

But his exploration of the butterfly effect: that a casual conversation in 1837 might be enough to transform the entire industrial revolution into something much more sinister, leads to a world that is genuinely fascinating, albeit extremely unpleasant in the details (although some of those details, like the avian messenger service, are pretty funny as well.) And Hodder has a great deal of fun using real historical characters in some very unexpected ways; whilst other authors have used Sir Richard Burton before - he's just too unreal to be true, but he is - the unexpected use of Algernon Swinburne, a poet who is largely overlooked today despite being well-regarded, makes for a genuinely well-matched partnership. I look forward to their future adventures.]]> 3.71 2010 The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack (Burton & Swinburne, #1)
author: Mark Hodder
name: Scurra
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2010
rating: 4
read at: 2013/02/01
date added: 2013/02/03
shelves: alt-history
review:
Time-travel - at least in the paradox-inducing non-linear form - is challenging to do well. You have to decide how you are going to handle the consequences of introducing a time-traveller at all, especially into recorded history, and you need to ensure that the incidents that occur "out of sequence" don't feel arbitrarily forced into the narrative, and you need to

In this entertaining alternate history novel (I guess you could call it Steampunk given the heavy Victoriana clockwork technology involved), Hodder decides to make the time-traveller a largely background character, making his appearances enjoyably unexpected and wonderfully bizarre - and yet all making a sort of sense by the end. He avoids dealing with the grandfather paradox almost entirely, despite specifically going out of his way to create one, much as most time-travel stories do. He doesn't quite make it work (a couple of the time-jump encounters do end up feeling clunky) but in general it is pretty smooth.

But his exploration of the butterfly effect: that a casual conversation in 1837 might be enough to transform the entire industrial revolution into something much more sinister, leads to a world that is genuinely fascinating, albeit extremely unpleasant in the details (although some of those details, like the avian messenger service, are pretty funny as well.) And Hodder has a great deal of fun using real historical characters in some very unexpected ways; whilst other authors have used Sir Richard Burton before - he's just too unreal to be true, but he is - the unexpected use of Algernon Swinburne, a poet who is largely overlooked today despite being well-regarded, makes for a genuinely well-matched partnership. I look forward to their future adventures.
]]> <![CDATA[Summer Lightning (Blandings Castle, #4)]]> 46761 272 P.G. Wodehouse 0141181958 Scurra 4 4.23 1929 Summer Lightning (Blandings Castle, #4)
author: P.G. Wodehouse
name: Scurra
average rating: 4.23
book published: 1929
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2013/01/29
shelves:
review:

]]> Laughing Gas 18042 286 P.G. Wodehouse 1585672327 Scurra 5 humour To new readers it will doubtless feel dated, but - as with many other things - the problem is mostly that inferior later copies have made a genuine original feel too much like pastiche.
This may be my favourite "stand alone" Wodehouse.]]> 3.89 1936 Laughing Gas
author: P.G. Wodehouse
name: Scurra
average rating: 3.89
book published: 1936
rating: 5
read at: 1980/01/01
date added: 2012/12/03
shelves: humour
review:
I find this one as funny today as when I first read it decades ago, and that was decades after it was originally written. Wodehouse is a master of the farce plot, and this one combines his love of England and America in one beautiful package, in which it is clear that he understands the foibles of both societies perfectly.
To new readers it will doubtless feel dated, but - as with many other things - the problem is mostly that inferior later copies have made a genuine original feel too much like pastiche.
This may be my favourite "stand alone" Wodehouse.
]]> <![CDATA[The Unseen University Cut-Out Book]]> 34526 Discworld cut-out book for adults.

The phenomenal Discworld series has a new addition to its growing hoard of artifacts � a cut-out book for adults. An extraordinary feat of paper engineering, the cut-out book contains the makings of a detailed 3-D model of the Unseen University, Discworld’s most ancient and complex building.

Colourful and intricate, this paper sculpture will provide hours of fun for the true Discworld aficionado.]]> 166 Terry Pratchett 0385609442 Scurra 5 4.28 The Unseen University Cut-Out Book
author: Terry Pratchett
name: Scurra
average rating: 4.28
book published:
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2012/11/29
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Prince of the Blood (Krondor's Sons, #1)]]> 13878
If there were two more impetuous and carefree men in the Kingdom of the Isles, they had yet to be found. Twins Borric and Erland wore that mantle proudly, much to the chagrin of their father, Prince Arutha of Krondor. But their blissful youth has come to an end. Their uncle, the King, has produced no male children. Bypassing himself, Arutha names Borric, the eldest twin by seconds, the Royal Heir. As his brother, Erland will have his own great responsibilities to shoulder. To drive home their future roles, Arutha sends them as ambassadors to Kesh, the most feared nation in the world. Borric and Erland will be presented to the Queen of Kesh—the single most powerful ruler in the known world—at her Seventy-fifth Jubilee Anniversary.

But they have not even left Krondor when an assassination attempt on Borric is thwarted. Aware that he is being provoked into war, Arutha does not rise to the bait. His sons� journey will not be deterred, for nothing less than peace is riding on it. Yet there is to be no peace for the young princes. When their traveling party is ambushed, Borric disappears and is presumed dead—sending Erland into spirals of rage and grief as he is forced to navigate alone the court intrigues at Kesh. But unbeknownst to anyone, Borric lives and has escaped his captors. In a strange land, with a price on his head, Borric must use all his wits and stamina to find his way back to his brother.

On separate paths, the two men—one a fugitive and one a future king—make their journey toward maturity, honor, and duty. For every step they take could sway the fragile peace of the land, as those who crave war rally against them—and become ever more daring.]]> 429 Raymond E. Feist 0553588117 Scurra 4 fantasy The King's Buccaneer) and yet, despite the sprawling story, never gets out-of-hand.

And, of course, it introduces Nakor, one of the great characters of the series, who merits a star by himself - he always feels to me as though he accidentally fell into the Feist universe from somewhere else, but somehow he fits perfectly here.

The story itself, about duty, honour and friendship, is hardly ground-breaking, and there are almost no surprises of any kind. And, as with the Kingdom, the Empire of Kesh is very well realised without being simply a clichéd rehash of stereotypes (although it does slip close to that at times, the pace of the book means it never gets in the way.)]]> 4.03 1989 Prince of the Blood (Krondor's Sons, #1)
author: Raymond E. Feist
name: Scurra
average rating: 4.03
book published: 1989
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2012/11/06
shelves: fantasy
review:
Probably my favourite "Midkemia" book, perhaps because it is more self-contained than any of the others (apart, perhaps, from The King's Buccaneer) and yet, despite the sprawling story, never gets out-of-hand.

And, of course, it introduces Nakor, one of the great characters of the series, who merits a star by himself - he always feels to me as though he accidentally fell into the Feist universe from somewhere else, but somehow he fits perfectly here.

The story itself, about duty, honour and friendship, is hardly ground-breaking, and there are almost no surprises of any kind. And, as with the Kingdom, the Empire of Kesh is very well realised without being simply a clichéd rehash of stereotypes (although it does slip close to that at times, the pace of the book means it never gets in the way.)
]]> <![CDATA[The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games, #1)]]> 7285601 WINNING MEANS FAME AND FORTUNE.
LOSING MEANS CERTAIN DEATH.
THE HUNGER GAMES HAVE BEGUN. . . .

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.

Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister's place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before—and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that weight survival against humanity and life against love.]]> 374 Suzanne Collins 0439023521 Scurra 3 fiction
Meanwhile the equally artificial moral dilemmas are skated over too easily - it's fairly clear where the author wants to take the overall story, and dealing with some of those issues in the first book of a series would probably have undermined her intent. (Having said that, there are a couple of moments that - in hindsight - are good bits of foreshadowing.) However, Lord of the Flies is a far better example of how this sort of thing should be done.

I did feel engaged enough to want to read the rest of the series (which disappointed me) but I am not rushing to read it again.]]> 4.41 2008 The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games, #1)
author: Suzanne Collins
name: Scurra
average rating: 4.41
book published: 2008
rating: 3
read at: 2010/01/01
date added: 2012/10/08
shelves: fiction
review:
This is one of those books where a 3-star rating is a horrible compromise between the 1-star and 5-star ratings. There are really no "mediocre" bits in it - it's well written with a consistency of style that works (I like first-person narratives and this one is better than many), and all the characters have distinct voices (something that YA fiction seems to do better than more "grown-up" genre literature) but the premise is so utterly stupid that it beggars belief. I could just about buy into the idea that the event had happened three or four times before (maybe even at four-year intervals), but seventy-three?! One every single year?! Yeah, sure. And that's just scratching the surface of the absurdities which have been exhaustively explored elsewhere; the artificiality of the setting undermines some of the power.

Meanwhile the equally artificial moral dilemmas are skated over too easily - it's fairly clear where the author wants to take the overall story, and dealing with some of those issues in the first book of a series would probably have undermined her intent. (Having said that, there are a couple of moments that - in hindsight - are good bits of foreshadowing.) However, Lord of the Flies is a far better example of how this sort of thing should be done.

I did feel engaged enough to want to read the rest of the series (which disappointed me) but I am not rushing to read it again.
]]> Inversions (Culture, #6) 172326 345 Iain M. Banks 1857236262 Scurra 4 science-fiction 3.86 1998 Inversions (Culture, #6)
author: Iain M. Banks
name: Scurra
average rating: 3.86
book published: 1998
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2012/10/06
shelves: science-fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Kushiel's Dart (Phèdre's Trilogy, #1)]]> 153008
Phèdre nó Delaunay is a young woman who was born with a scarlet mote in her left eye. Sold into indentured servitude as a child, her bond is purchased by Anafiel Delaunay, a nobleman with very a special mission... and the first one to recognize who and what she is: one pricked by Kushiel's Dart, chosen to forever experience pain and pleasure as one.

Phèdre is trained equally in the courtly arts and the talents of the bedchamber, but, above all, the ability to observe, remember, and analyze. Almost as talented a spy as she is courtesan, Phèdre stumbles upon a plot that threatens the very foundations of her homeland. Treachery sets her on her path; love and honor goad her further. And in the doing, it will take her to the edge of despair... and beyond. Hateful friend, loving enemy, beloved assassin; they can all wear the same glittering mask in this world, and Phèdre will get but one chance to save all that she holds dear.

Set in a world of cunning poets, deadly courtiers, heroic traitors, and a truly Machiavellian villainess, this is a novel of grandeur, luxuriance, sacrifice, betrayal, and deeply laid conspiracies. Not since Dune has there been an epic on the scale of Kushiel's Dart-a massive tale about the violent death of an old age, and the birth of a new.]]> 1040 Jacqueline Carey 0330493744 Scurra 5 fantasy, alt-history 4.01 2001 Kushiel's Dart (Phèdre's Trilogy, #1)
author: Jacqueline Carey
name: Scurra
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2001
rating: 5
read at: 2012/07/16
date added: 2012/09/02
shelves: fantasy, alt-history
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Well of Lost Plots (Thursday Next, #3)]]> 1117722 360 jasper-fforde 0340830611 Scurra 3 3.94 2003 The Well of Lost Plots (Thursday Next, #3)
author: jasper-fforde
name: Scurra
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2003
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2012/08/24
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Sign of Four (Sherlock Holmes, #2)]]> 2156867 â€Be at the third pillar from the left outside the Lyceum Theatre tonight â€� you are a wronged woman, and shall have justice â€� Your unknown friend.â€�

Following the strange disappearance of her father, Miss Morstan has received each year a mysterious present of a rare and lustrous pearl. Now, on the day of the summons to meet her anonymous benefactor, she arrives at 221B Baker Street to consult the great detective Sherlock Holmes.

With startling rapidity the mystery deepens, as Holmes and Watson piece together singular clues—the poison dart, the trapdoor, the man with the wooden leg—and embark on a thrilling chase down London’s streets and waterways, in pursuit of a priceless hoard of Indian treasure—and of the murderer whose ominous trademark is â€the sign of the four’â€�

- - - - -

Sherlock Holmes was not the only writing Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930) did but Holmes and Dr. Watson are his most remembered characters.

Holmes titled himself a “Consulting Detective�. His powers of observation, his understanding of crime, and his insights into the criminal mind were brilliant. His knowledge of things not related to crime was extremely limited, except in opera and the violin.

Like many other authors famous for a single character, Arthur Conan Doyle attempted to “kill� Holmes. But the readers would not let this happen. Holmes eventually appeared in 56 short stories and 4 novels.

]]> 138 Arthur Conan Doyle Scurra 4 mystery 3.72 1890 The Sign of Four (Sherlock Holmes, #2)
author: Arthur Conan Doyle
name: Scurra
average rating: 3.72
book published: 1890
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2012/08/10
shelves: mystery
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Voyage of the "Dawn Treader" (The Chronicles of Narnia, #3)]]> 1793069
The Dawn Treader is the first ship Narnia has seen in centuries. King Caspian has built it for his voyage to find the seven lords, good men whom his evil uncle Miraz banished when he usurped the throne. The journey takes Edmund, Lucy, and their cousin Eustace to the Eastern Islands, beyond the Silver Sea, toward Aslan's country at the End of the World.]]> 210 C.S. Lewis 0140302298 Scurra 4 4.17 1952 The Voyage of the "Dawn Treader" (The Chronicles of Narnia, #3)
author: C.S. Lewis
name: Scurra
average rating: 4.17
book published: 1952
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2012/04/30
shelves:
review:

]]> The Scar (New Crobuzon, #2) 937987 From the author of Perdido Street Station, an epic and breathtaking fantasy of extraordinary imagination

A colossal fantasy of incredible diversity and spellbinding imagination. A human cargo bound for servitude in exile...

A pirate city hauled across the oceans...

A hidden miracle about be revealed...

These are the ingredients of an astonishing story. It is the story of a prisoner's journey. Of the search for the island of a forgotten people, for the most astonishing beast in the seas, and ultimately for a fabled place - a massive wound in reality, a source of unthinkable power and danger.]]> 608 China Miéville 0333781740 Scurra 3 4.28 2002 The Scar (New Crobuzon, #2)
author: China Miéville
name: Scurra
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2002
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2012/04/10
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Complete Robot (Robot, #0.3)]]> 1927634 In these stories, Isaac Asimov creates the Three Laws of Robotics and ushers in the Robot Age: when Earth is ruled by master-machines and when robots are more human than mankind.]]> 688 Isaac Asimov Scurra 4 science-fiction 4.21 1982 The Complete Robot (Robot, #0.3)
author: Isaac Asimov
name: Scurra
average rating: 4.21
book published: 1982
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2012/03/21
shelves: science-fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Study in Sherlock (Stories Inspired by the Holmes Canon, #1)]]> 10866398
In 19th century England, a new kind of hero--a consulting detective--blossomed in the mind of an underemployed doctor and ignited the world's imagination. In the thirteen decades since A Study in Scarlet first appeared, countless variations on that theme have been played, from Mary Russell to Greg House, from 'Basil of Baker Street' to the new BBC Holmes-in-the-internet-age.

We suspect that you have in the back of your mind a story that plays a variation on the Holmes theme...

And what if these great writers read that proposal and decided that yes, they did have that kind of tale in the back of their minds?

The result is A Study in Sherlock, Stories Inspired by the Sherlock Holmes Canon, with stories by Alan Bradley, Tony Broadbent, Jan Burke, Lionel Chetwynd, Lee Child, Colin Cotterill, Neil Gaiman, Laura Lippman, Gayle Lynds and John Sheldon, Phillip and Jerry Margolin, Margaret Maron, Thomas Perry, S.J. Rozan, Dana Stabenow, Charles Todd, and Jacqueline Winspear.]]> 385 Laurie R. King 0812982460 Scurra 3 I found more hits than misses in this collection, but not enough to make me want to recommend the book as a whole.
There are basically three groups of stories here: the sideways looks at the canon (these worked best for me, especially things like the "Twisted Lips" and the "Concert Pianist"), the off-beat angles (as usual, Neil Gaiman supplies a gem, and the "Bone Headed League" made me laugh), and the stories that were just other detectives (the "Eyak Interpreter" was the most interesting of these because the format was well done.)
On the whole, I could have done without the third category of stories, none of which really felt as though they belonged in the same collection with the first two types.
]]> 3.76 2011 A Study in Sherlock (Stories Inspired by the Holmes Canon, #1)
author: Laurie R. King
name: Scurra
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2011
rating: 3
read at: 2012/02/24
date added: 2012/02/27
shelves:
review:
As is often noted, short story anthologies are always hard to judge, because there will inevitably be some you like, some you don't and some you hate - and each of us will differ as to which is which.
I found more hits than misses in this collection, but not enough to make me want to recommend the book as a whole.
There are basically three groups of stories here: the sideways looks at the canon (these worked best for me, especially things like the "Twisted Lips" and the "Concert Pianist"), the off-beat angles (as usual, Neil Gaiman supplies a gem, and the "Bone Headed League" made me laugh), and the stories that were just other detectives (the "Eyak Interpreter" was the most interesting of these because the format was well done.)
On the whole, I could have done without the third category of stories, none of which really felt as though they belonged in the same collection with the first two types.

]]> <![CDATA[It's Not a Runner Bean...: Confessions of a Slightly Successful Comedian]]> 1449982 Mark Steel 1899344128 Scurra 3 4.10 1996 It's Not a Runner Bean...: Confessions of a Slightly Successful Comedian
author: Mark Steel
name: Scurra
average rating: 4.10
book published: 1996
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2012/02/25
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Pawn of Prophecy (The Belgariad, #1)]]> 953145 BOOK 1 OF THE BELGARIAD, the worldwide bestselling fantasy series by master storyteller David Eddings. Discover the epic story that inspired thousands - from Raymond Feist's The Riftwar Cycle series to George R. R. Martin's A Game of Thrones.

A battle is coming...

...And in that battle shall be decided

the fate of the world

Myths tell of the ancient wars of Gods and men, and a powerful object - the Orb - that ended the bloodshed. As long as it was held by the line of Riva, it would assure the peace.

But a dark force has stolen the Orb, and the prophecies tell of war.

Young farm boy Garion knows nothing of myth or fate. But then the mysterious Old Storyteller visits his aunt, and they embark on a sudden journey. Pursued by evil forces, with only a small band of companions they can trust, Garion begins to doubt all he thought he knew...]]> 274 David Eddings 0552148075 Scurra 3 Raymond Feist, Eddings was probably responsible for the revival of the fantasy genre in the 1980s, bringing a new sense of fun to a world that was dangerously prosaic.

In the Belgariad, there is no pretence of creating a coherent world that lives and breathes - it's almost the perfect exemplar of one that only exists within a few miles of the central travelling party who find themselves required to visit all corners of the lovingly detailed map in the frontispiece collecting plot tokens as they go (cf. The Tough Guide to Fantasyland) and not one of the characters is anything more than a stereotype, although Eddings brilliantly uses the Prophecy plot device to justify this.

And yet this may be the book series I have reread the most over the past twenty-five years or so. It's undemanding, unflashy and simply great fun.]]> 4.10 1982 Pawn of Prophecy (The Belgariad, #1)
author: David Eddings
name: Scurra
average rating: 4.10
book published: 1982
rating: 3
read at: 1983/01/01
date added: 2012/01/30
shelves:
review:
Along with Raymond Feist, Eddings was probably responsible for the revival of the fantasy genre in the 1980s, bringing a new sense of fun to a world that was dangerously prosaic.

In the Belgariad, there is no pretence of creating a coherent world that lives and breathes - it's almost the perfect exemplar of one that only exists within a few miles of the central travelling party who find themselves required to visit all corners of the lovingly detailed map in the frontispiece collecting plot tokens as they go (cf. The Tough Guide to Fantasyland) and not one of the characters is anything more than a stereotype, although Eddings brilliantly uses the Prophecy plot device to justify this.

And yet this may be the book series I have reread the most over the past twenty-five years or so. It's undemanding, unflashy and simply great fun.
]]> <![CDATA[Snuff (Discworld, #39; City Watch, #8)]]> 8785374
Commander Sam Vimes of the Ankh-Morpork City Watch is on holiday in the pleasant and innocent countryside, but not for him a mere body in the wardrobe. There are many, many bodies - and an ancient crime more terrible than murder.

He is out of his jurisdiction, out of his depth, out of bacon sandwiches, occasionally snookered and out of his mind. But never out of guile. Where there is a crime, there must be a finding, there must be a chase, and there must be a punishment.

They say that in the end all sins are forgiven.

But not quite all...]]> 378 Terry Pratchett Scurra 4 discworld, fantasy In the end, I felt I learned nothing new about Sam Vimes this time out that I didn't know before I started. And whilst this is hardly a criticism - perhaps I am expecting too much - there was a distinct sense of retreading old ground; even the "goblin" story felt a bit too much like the "orcs" from Unseen Academicals.
But the set-pieces are as good as ever - the Austen tea-party and the village face-off are fabulous, and the river sequence is more epic than anything we've really had before (harking right back to the apocalypse scenarios from early-mid period Discworld), and the running gags manage to stay the right side of funny.

As usual, even deja vu Pratchett is way better than pretty much everyone else.]]> 4.16 2011 Snuff (Discworld, #39; City Watch, #8)
author: Terry Pratchett
name: Scurra
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2011
rating: 4
read at: 2011/12/26
date added: 2012/01/26
shelves: discworld, fantasy
review:
This one is a tough call. Whilst I enjoyed it a lot, and it's certainly clear that Pratchett has settled into his new writing style well (some books back I was seriously worried that his well-advertised condition was proving too much for him), there is also the growing sense that he is running out of places to go with his well-established characters. We lost Death a long time ago, and the Witches had to be diminished to a supporting cast for Tiffany, who has now come to the end of her story.
In the end, I felt I learned nothing new about Sam Vimes this time out that I didn't know before I started. And whilst this is hardly a criticism - perhaps I am expecting too much - there was a distinct sense of retreading old ground; even the "goblin" story felt a bit too much like the "orcs" from Unseen Academicals.
But the set-pieces are as good as ever - the Austen tea-party and the village face-off are fabulous, and the river sequence is more epic than anything we've really had before (harking right back to the apocalypse scenarios from early-mid period Discworld), and the running gags manage to stay the right side of funny.

As usual, even deja vu Pratchett is way better than pretty much everyone else.
]]> A Wizard of Mars 6430754
Though the Martians seem friendly, they have a plan that could change the shape of more than one world. As the shadow of interplanetary war stretches over both worlds, Kit and Nita must fight to master the strange and ancient synergy binding them to Mars and its last inhabitants. If they don’t succeed, the history that left Mars lifeless will repeat itself on Earth.]]> 576 Diane Duane 0152054499 Scurra 4 fantasy, science-fiction
Duane's Wizard series is very strange in one particular way - the first book was written nearly 30 years ago* but the timeline of the story is very compressed: only a couple of years have actually elapsed in "real" time. But she has been forced to make the technology upgrades that have transformed our life in the last few decades, which makes for a weird experience if you read the first one now.
*I think that it was only the mid90s reprint that reawakened interest in the series and led to the new books though.

Still all that hardly matters. This is another solid entry in a generally pretty solid series, with some proper character development and tantalising hints of what is to come. The core story is a fine romp, albeit a tad predictable, and the resolution is satisfying even if Kit and Nita come across as being far too nice given what has gone before.

And the major loose end still dangling is nicely set-up for the next volume. Can't wait.]]> 4.20 2010 A Wizard of Mars
author: Diane Duane
name: Scurra
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2010
rating: 4
read at: 2011/12/15
date added: 2011/12/15
shelves: fantasy, science-fiction
review:
Any series of books that has reached #9 is one (or both) of two things: successful enough to have a readership base to sustain itself / intricate enough to mean that new readers should absolutely not start here. Whilst I have no idea about the first condition (although I imagine it can't just be vanity publishing!), the second is most definitely true. Although the basic plot is sufficiently independent to be comprehensible to newcomers, the universe building is not explained at all, and several crucial parts of the dénouement do require background knowledge to understand.

Duane's Wizard series is very strange in one particular way - the first book was written nearly 30 years ago* but the timeline of the story is very compressed: only a couple of years have actually elapsed in "real" time. But she has been forced to make the technology upgrades that have transformed our life in the last few decades, which makes for a weird experience if you read the first one now.
*I think that it was only the mid90s reprint that reawakened interest in the series and led to the new books though.

Still all that hardly matters. This is another solid entry in a generally pretty solid series, with some proper character development and tantalising hints of what is to come. The core story is a fine romp, albeit a tad predictable, and the resolution is satisfying even if Kit and Nita come across as being far too nice given what has gone before.

And the major loose end still dangling is nicely set-up for the next volume. Can't wait.
]]> <![CDATA[The King, the Mice and the Cheese]]> 11184436 64 Nancy Gurney Scurra 5 This is on my list for my new nephew when he is old enough...]]> 4.33 1965 The King, the Mice and the Cheese
author: Nancy Gurney
name: Scurra
average rating: 4.33
book published: 1965
rating: 5
read at: 1970/01/01
date added: 2011/12/08
shelves:
review:
...but of course, only if you are about five or six.
This is on my list for my new nephew when he is old enough...
]]> God Game 2037506 0 Andrew M. Greeley 009948580X Scurra 4 fantasy But in the end that doesn't matter. What matters is whether the story is good, whether the characters are engaging, whether the writing works. And in all of those respects, it is still as good today as it was when I first read it. Sure, it is self-indulgent (which keeps it from a 5-star rating) and some of the plotting is a bit of a stretch, but the conceit is wonderful and the occasional twist catches you by surprise.
It's also a fine meditation on theology - what it might truly mean to be God, what "all-powerful" and "all-knowing" might actually mean, and why those who try to limit God to the size of a human imagination are missing the whole point. ]]> 3.43 1986 God Game
author: Andrew M. Greeley
name: Scurra
average rating: 3.43
book published: 1986
rating: 4
read at: 1990/01/01
date added: 2011/12/08
shelves: fantasy
review:
It's always hard to read a book based around technology which is so clearly dated; you find yourself pausing to consider how silly it sounds today. When I first read it twenty years ago it was a little ahead of the game and still sounded slightly old-fashioned; now it clearly isn't even that!
But in the end that doesn't matter. What matters is whether the story is good, whether the characters are engaging, whether the writing works. And in all of those respects, it is still as good today as it was when I first read it. Sure, it is self-indulgent (which keeps it from a 5-star rating) and some of the plotting is a bit of a stretch, but the conceit is wonderful and the occasional twist catches you by surprise.
It's also a fine meditation on theology - what it might truly mean to be God, what "all-powerful" and "all-knowing" might actually mean, and why those who try to limit God to the size of a human imagination are missing the whole point.
]]> <![CDATA[The Lost World & Other Stories]]> 10150
In â€When the World Screamedâ€�, the planet responds violently to an experimental incursion. The strangest item is 'The Land of Mist', which seeks to reconcile science with spiritualism. This memorable collection provides imaginative entertainment, entrancing escapism and bold provocation.]]> 480 Arthur Conan Doyle Scurra 4 mystery, science-fiction
Instead, he is remembered for a drug-addict detective and (to a lesser extent) a proto-Indiana Jones, and no-one remembers anything else. How he must be snarling - or laughing :)

The Professor Challenger stories are essentially Doyle's answer to Jules Verne's tales of fantastical adventures. In a Victorian world that was shrinking by the day (after all, it could be traversed in 80 days!), these were the last huzzah for the unexplored regions, where it was still possible to find the lost tribes, ancient cities or even dinosaurs.

Yes, the stories are horribly dated, and yes, the conceits feel old-fashioned nowadays, but as adventure stories they are of a high order and hard to beat.]]> 4.03 1912 The Lost World & Other Stories
author: Arthur Conan Doyle
name: Scurra
average rating: 4.03
book published: 1912
rating: 4
read at: 1981/01/01
date added: 2011/12/07
shelves: mystery, science-fiction
review:
Conan Doyle believed that it would be his historical novels that he would be remembered for; he considered them to be the pinnacle of his writing achievement.

Instead, he is remembered for a drug-addict detective and (to a lesser extent) a proto-Indiana Jones, and no-one remembers anything else. How he must be snarling - or laughing :)

The Professor Challenger stories are essentially Doyle's answer to Jules Verne's tales of fantastical adventures. In a Victorian world that was shrinking by the day (after all, it could be traversed in 80 days!), these were the last huzzah for the unexplored regions, where it was still possible to find the lost tribes, ancient cities or even dinosaurs.

Yes, the stories are horribly dated, and yes, the conceits feel old-fashioned nowadays, but as adventure stories they are of a high order and hard to beat.
]]> <![CDATA[Girl in a Green Gown: The History and Mystery of the Arnolfini Portrait]]> 12587804
The enigmatic couple seem to be conveying a message to us across the centuries, but what? Is the painting the celebration of marriage or pregnancy, a memorial to a wife who died in childbirth, a fashion statement or a status symbol? Using her acclaimed forensic skills as an art historian, Carola Hicks set out to decode the mystery, uncovering a few surprises along the way.

She also tells the fascinating story of the painting's survival through fires, battles, hazardous sea journeys, and its role as a mirror reflecting the culture and history of the time - from jewel of the Hapsburg empire to Napoleonic war trophy. Uniquely, for a masterpiece this old, it can be tracked through every single owner, from the mysterious Mr Arnolfini via various monarchs to a hard-up Waterloo war hero, until it finally came to rest in 1842 as an early star of the National Gallery. These owners, too, have cameo parts in this enthralling story of how an artwork of genius can speak afresh to each new generation.]]> 258 Carola Hicks 0701183373 Scurra 4 non-fiction This is essentially two separate books - one on the symbols and meanings within the picture itself, and the other on the complex history of an important historical artefact. The approach of interleaving these two lines of thought in alternate chapters is hardly original but it works very well, with some good linking between the themes in each part.
The discussion of aspects of the painting itself is fascinating - why the woman probably isn't pregnant, why the room is laid out the way it is, and so on. And, just like any other masterpiece, the painting is resistant to any sort of definitive explanation.
Meanwhile the parallel story of the history of the picture is a reminder of just how fragile our culture is; how easily things get lost or destroyed and what a mistake it is to presume that they will survive even when in an apparently safe place.

The book is not perfect, but this is mostly because the author sadly died before she could finalise the manuscript. Her husband has done an excellent job of tidying up some of the loose ends, but there is still a feeling that a final polish was needed (there is perhaps a little too much repetition of information at times); this does not detract from what is a wonderfully accessible book about a fantastic piece of art.

Oh yes, and - of course, - the observation about how Mr Arnolfini looks just like Vladimir Putin is hard to forget once it has been made...]]> 3.94 2011 Girl in a Green Gown: The History and Mystery of the Arnolfini Portrait
author: Carola Hicks
name: Scurra
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2011
rating: 4
read at: 2011/12/05
date added: 2011/12/05
shelves: non-fiction
review:
One of the great paintings of Western European art, the van Eyck portrait of the Anolfinis turns out, in the hands of Caola Hicks, to tell you everything you ever wanted to know about how Western Europe became the powerhouse of global civilisation.
This is essentially two separate books - one on the symbols and meanings within the picture itself, and the other on the complex history of an important historical artefact. The approach of interleaving these two lines of thought in alternate chapters is hardly original but it works very well, with some good linking between the themes in each part.
The discussion of aspects of the painting itself is fascinating - why the woman probably isn't pregnant, why the room is laid out the way it is, and so on. And, just like any other masterpiece, the painting is resistant to any sort of definitive explanation.
Meanwhile the parallel story of the history of the picture is a reminder of just how fragile our culture is; how easily things get lost or destroyed and what a mistake it is to presume that they will survive even when in an apparently safe place.

The book is not perfect, but this is mostly because the author sadly died before she could finalise the manuscript. Her husband has done an excellent job of tidying up some of the loose ends, but there is still a feeling that a final polish was needed (there is perhaps a little too much repetition of information at times); this does not detract from what is a wonderfully accessible book about a fantastic piece of art.

Oh yes, and - of course, - the observation about how Mr Arnolfini looks just like Vladimir Putin is hard to forget once it has been made...
]]> Wyrm 522220 608 Mark Fabi 0553578081 Scurra 4 science-fiction
Not that this is a bad thing. If anything, the book needs the ludicrously OTT approach to make the underlying premise work. As it is, he posits a genuinely scary idea and executes it with real flair.

Sure, the technology now feels dated (well, apart from the full-sensory input chair, but I'm sure that exists now), but the central conceit still works. Indeed, part of me wonders if a Wyrm might be evolving somewhere like World of Warcraft even as I write...


(edit: I've just finished (22/11/11) reading Ready Player One which has an awful lot of structural and stylistic similarities with this. Not that that's a bad thing.)]]> 4.09 1997 Wyrm
author: Mark Fabi
name: Scurra
average rating: 4.09
book published: 1997
rating: 4
read at: 1998/01/01
date added: 2011/11/24
shelves: science-fiction
review:
This book has a bad case of first-novel syndrome. Not the usual one of the story being a badly-disguised autobiography with extra colour, but the "throw everything in and the kitchen sink" one.

Not that this is a bad thing. If anything, the book needs the ludicrously OTT approach to make the underlying premise work. As it is, he posits a genuinely scary idea and executes it with real flair.

Sure, the technology now feels dated (well, apart from the full-sensory input chair, but I'm sure that exists now), but the central conceit still works. Indeed, part of me wonders if a Wyrm might be evolving somewhere like World of Warcraft even as I write...


(edit: I've just finished (22/11/11) reading Ready Player One which has an awful lot of structural and stylistic similarities with this. Not that that's a bad thing.)
]]> <![CDATA[Ready Player One (Ready Player One, #1)]]> 11389422 374 Ernest Cline 1846059372 Scurra 4 science-fiction Wyrm (by Mark Fabi.) Not in the sense of plagiarism, but in the basic structure and narrative style of the story, even down to the scattergun approach of dropping as many references as possible. Mind you, I didn't think this was a bad thing, given that Wyrm is one of my favourite books, so I was already predisposed to like this.

Apart from the opening sequence in which Cline tries to build a plausible alternate future world (that doesn't quite hang together although it is nicely dystopian), the story is pretty relentlessly focussed on the actions of our hero (and his trusty band of allies/sidekicks) in the online world which has become the escape valve for much of humanity in the future. There are a couple of excursions into the real world (including an admittedly excellent and tense sequence in the heart of the enemy camp) but these feel a little perfunctory. There are countless plot devices that are introduced almost from thin air - especially the one that enables the ending to work - and a little too much self-indulgent "research" on show (although at least a good proportion of the references shoe-horned in are left for the reader to appreciate.)

Indeed there is practically nothing here that isn't subordinate to plot. There is a minor element of character development for the hero, but it is mostly irrelevant as he doesn't really have much of a character to begin with. There are a couple of nice curve-ball moments relating to the other characters but they aren't quite as surprising as perhaps they should be. But in the end you aren't reading this for the characters or for emotional revelation. Like a good Hollywood Blockbuster (as opposed to, say, an arthouse/indie flick), you're here for the roller-coaster ride, and it's a good one.]]> 4.18 2011 Ready Player One (Ready Player One, #1)
author: Ernest Cline
name: Scurra
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2011
rating: 4
read at: 2011/11/24
date added: 2011/11/24
shelves: science-fiction
review:
A fun homage to 80s geek culture, combined with some nice riffs on the Hero's Journey. The only thing is that all the way through I was getting this distinct sense of deja vu - that I had read this book over a decade ago, when it was called Wyrm (by Mark Fabi.) Not in the sense of plagiarism, but in the basic structure and narrative style of the story, even down to the scattergun approach of dropping as many references as possible. Mind you, I didn't think this was a bad thing, given that Wyrm is one of my favourite books, so I was already predisposed to like this.

Apart from the opening sequence in which Cline tries to build a plausible alternate future world (that doesn't quite hang together although it is nicely dystopian), the story is pretty relentlessly focussed on the actions of our hero (and his trusty band of allies/sidekicks) in the online world which has become the escape valve for much of humanity in the future. There are a couple of excursions into the real world (including an admittedly excellent and tense sequence in the heart of the enemy camp) but these feel a little perfunctory. There are countless plot devices that are introduced almost from thin air - especially the one that enables the ending to work - and a little too much self-indulgent "research" on show (although at least a good proportion of the references shoe-horned in are left for the reader to appreciate.)

Indeed there is practically nothing here that isn't subordinate to plot. There is a minor element of character development for the hero, but it is mostly irrelevant as he doesn't really have much of a character to begin with. There are a couple of nice curve-ball moments relating to the other characters but they aren't quite as surprising as perhaps they should be. But in the end you aren't reading this for the characters or for emotional revelation. Like a good Hollywood Blockbuster (as opposed to, say, an arthouse/indie flick), you're here for the roller-coaster ride, and it's a good one.
]]> <![CDATA[The Magicians of Caprona (Chrestomanci #4)]]> 1017702 Diana Wynne Jones 0001857304 Scurra 3 3.83 1980 The Magicians of Caprona (Chrestomanci #4)
author: Diana Wynne Jones
name: Scurra
average rating: 3.83
book published: 1980
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2011/11/22
shelves:
review:

]]> Deep Secret 34282
It's a Magid's job to oversee what goes on in the vast Multiverse. Actually, Rupert is really only a junior Magid. But he's got a king-sized problem. Rupert's territory includes Earth and the Empire of Korfyros. When his mentor dies Rupert must find a replacement. But there are hundreds of candidates. How is he supposed to choose? And interviewing each one could take forever.

Unless...

What if he could round them all up in one place?

Simple!]]> 384 Diana Wynne Jones 0765342472 Scurra 4 4.09 1997 Deep Secret
author: Diana Wynne Jones
name: Scurra
average rating: 4.09
book published: 1997
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2011/10/17
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Conrad's Fate (Chrestomanci, #5)]]> 1018247 393 Diana Wynne Jones 0007190859 Scurra 4 fantasy
The story itself fits seamlessly into what might be called the Chrestomanci template - effectively orphaned kid is pushed into artificial world with its own rules, whilst the actual plot is happening almost incidentally. Indeed here even Conrad doesn't really do anything to resolve it other than act as the unknowing agent who helps Millie to escape.
But that's not the point. What you get is a classic piece of world-building with the idea of "probability shifting" that works both as the plot-device and as a farcical tool that enables some fun set-pieces. You also get to see Christopher Chant through someone else's eyes; he is every bit as annoying as he is in The Lives of Christopher Chant but he is also clearly accepting his responsibilities, albeit in a nice teen-rebellion sort of way.

Oh, and the setting - the Upstairs, Downstairs/Downton Abbey world - is well-drawn, with the invisibility of servants being used in various different ways to help illuminate different aspects of the story. And I especially liked the actor crowd who arrive to propel the narrative onto a new level in a very plausible way.

I have revised my rating up a point as a result of this reread. Still not the best of the DWJ canon, but much better than I remembered.]]> 3.94 2005 Conrad's Fate (Chrestomanci, #5)
author: Diana Wynne Jones
name: Scurra
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2005
rating: 4
read at: 2011/10/14
date added: 2011/10/16
shelves: fantasy
review:
I am a fan of first-person narrative stories, but they are very tricky to get right, especially in the sort of intricate plot structures which DWJ enjoys. The problem is always that we cannot see anything that does not happen to or with the protagonist, unless the author cheats and info-dumps on us. Here (as with much of her work) we are presumed to be smart enough to keep up and although the resolution is as rushed and messy as always, there is a sense that this is because Conrad himself is struggling to make sense of it, which makes for a much more satisfying outcome.

The story itself fits seamlessly into what might be called the Chrestomanci template - effectively orphaned kid is pushed into artificial world with its own rules, whilst the actual plot is happening almost incidentally. Indeed here even Conrad doesn't really do anything to resolve it other than act as the unknowing agent who helps Millie to escape.
But that's not the point. What you get is a classic piece of world-building with the idea of "probability shifting" that works both as the plot-device and as a farcical tool that enables some fun set-pieces. You also get to see Christopher Chant through someone else's eyes; he is every bit as annoying as he is in The Lives of Christopher Chant but he is also clearly accepting his responsibilities, albeit in a nice teen-rebellion sort of way.

Oh, and the setting - the Upstairs, Downstairs/Downton Abbey world - is well-drawn, with the invisibility of servants being used in various different ways to help illuminate different aspects of the story. And I especially liked the actor crowd who arrive to propel the narrative onto a new level in a very plausible way.

I have revised my rating up a point as a result of this reread. Still not the best of the DWJ canon, but much better than I remembered.
]]> <![CDATA[The Lives of Christopher Chant (Chrestomanci, #2)]]> 1017753 318 Diana Wynne Jones 0001857320 Scurra 4 fantasy The Magician's Nephew and Star Wars: The Phantom Menace.)

So this story is set a generation before Charmed Life and it follows much the same model: it's about how the greatest magician of the world discovers his destiny, resents it but eventually comes to terms with it.

One of the things I like about DWJ is her careful attention to detail in the plotting, something that is strikingly absent from far too many YA titles, despite the fact that children are often far more capable of picking up and following complex stories than a lot of adults. Here the opening chapters are littered with careful setups that get paid off later in the story, some blatant and others far more subtle. But when they do get revealed, you feel that sense of pleasure that there was no real cheating going on, no Deus ex Machina to explain things at the last minute (although perhaps the Tacroy plot doesn't quite work.)

Sure there are still structure issues - there's a lot of effort taken to introduce the school characters and then they merely disappear completely, but I can also see that Christopher couldn't have his second set of off-world adventures in the family home and a boarding school works fine (and it sets up the Goddess quite nicely too.) And it seems to take Christopher a long time to realise what the Wraith is, although to be fair that's a standard literary trope. The sudden detour into Series Eleven right in the middle of a tense stand-off slightly undermines it, and then it is resolved a little too quickly for an idea that deserved a lot more attention. But for me these didn't feel like obstacles; if anything they felt as though there was a longer book struggling to get out here; but 25 years ago a children's book couldn't be 500 pages..!

Of course another reason DWJ scores is that her characters are so much fun. Christopher himself is perhaps a little bland, although the scene when he realises how pompous and stuck up he had been behaving is exceptionally good. But the rest of the supporting cast are beautifully drawn, with even the passing-through getting distinct personalities (who else would come up with Doctor Pawson and his mother?) and she does a fine job of depicting the worlds through them.

For me this is a strong entry in the Chrestomanci series, but I suspect that's partly because the ones actually about Chrestomanci are inherently more interesting than stories just set in the same universe (even though the universe is good fun.) Perhaps not as good as Charmed Life, but still an easy four stars.]]> 4.35 1988 The Lives of Christopher Chant (Chrestomanci, #2)
author: Diana Wynne Jones
name: Scurra
average rating: 4.35
book published: 1988
rating: 4
read at: 2011/10/05
date added: 2011/10/07
shelves: fantasy
review:
One of those strange examples of a story set before another but which loses something if you read/see it first (others being things like The Magician's Nephew and Star Wars: The Phantom Menace.)

So this story is set a generation before Charmed Life and it follows much the same model: it's about how the greatest magician of the world discovers his destiny, resents it but eventually comes to terms with it.

One of the things I like about DWJ is her careful attention to detail in the plotting, something that is strikingly absent from far too many YA titles, despite the fact that children are often far more capable of picking up and following complex stories than a lot of adults. Here the opening chapters are littered with careful setups that get paid off later in the story, some blatant and others far more subtle. But when they do get revealed, you feel that sense of pleasure that there was no real cheating going on, no Deus ex Machina to explain things at the last minute (although perhaps the Tacroy plot doesn't quite work.)

Sure there are still structure issues - there's a lot of effort taken to introduce the school characters and then they merely disappear completely, but I can also see that Christopher couldn't have his second set of off-world adventures in the family home and a boarding school works fine (and it sets up the Goddess quite nicely too.) And it seems to take Christopher a long time to realise what the Wraith is, although to be fair that's a standard literary trope. The sudden detour into Series Eleven right in the middle of a tense stand-off slightly undermines it, and then it is resolved a little too quickly for an idea that deserved a lot more attention. But for me these didn't feel like obstacles; if anything they felt as though there was a longer book struggling to get out here; but 25 years ago a children's book couldn't be 500 pages..!

Of course another reason DWJ scores is that her characters are so much fun. Christopher himself is perhaps a little bland, although the scene when he realises how pompous and stuck up he had been behaving is exceptionally good. But the rest of the supporting cast are beautifully drawn, with even the passing-through getting distinct personalities (who else would come up with Doctor Pawson and his mother?) and she does a fine job of depicting the worlds through them.

For me this is a strong entry in the Chrestomanci series, but I suspect that's partly because the ones actually about Chrestomanci are inherently more interesting than stories just set in the same universe (even though the universe is good fun.) Perhaps not as good as Charmed Life, but still an easy four stars.
]]> <![CDATA[Mixed Magics: Four Tales of Chrestomanci]]> 47514 2 Stealer of Souls - Evil Neville Spiderman kidnaps jealous Cat Chant and homesick Tonino from dying Gabriel de Witt.
3 Carol Oneir's Hundredth Dream - Dream subjects drunkenly object to typecast roles.
4 The Sage of Theare - Great Zond and gods try to outwit prophecy of Dissolution and dump troublesome babe in Chrestomanci's world.]]> 208 Diana Wynne Jones 0064410188 Scurra 4 3.85 2000 Mixed Magics: Four Tales of Chrestomanci
author: Diana Wynne Jones
name: Scurra
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2000
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2011/10/06
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Harry Potter, #7)]]> 818056 607 J.K. Rowling 1551929767 Scurra 3 fantasy
And that's the crying shame. But then again, Deathly Hallows could never have lived up to the expectations that had been built around it. Taken on its own, this is actually a perfectly decent children's book. But somewhere along the line the potential offered earlier in the series was squandered and major opportunities missed. In my view, Rowling was so concerned with surprising us that she missed the fact that she picked the wrong sort of surprises - what seemed as though it might be a genuine "shades of grey" story turned into a rather traditional black-and-white tale, in which the big reveals are disappointingly small.

And yet I've read the last third or so several times, because, damnit, Rowling knows how to spin a tale. Pretty much from Harry's return to Hogwarts to the end this is a glorious non-stop roller-coaster that heads towards the inevitable conclusion with all the unstoppable force of an express train. If only she could have solved the first half problem (the format of spreading the story across a whole year was never going to work, and it doesn't) and the ginormous plot device that has to be shoe-horned in to enable the finalé to work at all, this could have been so much better. But alas. Ear wax again.]]> 4.56 2007 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Harry Potter, #7)
author: J.K. Rowling
name: Scurra
average rating: 4.56
book published: 2007
rating: 3
read at: 2007/07/18
date added: 2011/09/23
shelves: fantasy
review:
Someone observed that it was a major pity that Rowling didn't trust anyone enough to sit down with them and talk through what she planned to do with this final book. Because then the egregious inconsistencies (not only with the rest of the series, but within the book itself) might have been avoided.

And that's the crying shame. But then again, Deathly Hallows could never have lived up to the expectations that had been built around it. Taken on its own, this is actually a perfectly decent children's book. But somewhere along the line the potential offered earlier in the series was squandered and major opportunities missed. In my view, Rowling was so concerned with surprising us that she missed the fact that she picked the wrong sort of surprises - what seemed as though it might be a genuine "shades of grey" story turned into a rather traditional black-and-white tale, in which the big reveals are disappointingly small.

And yet I've read the last third or so several times, because, damnit, Rowling knows how to spin a tale. Pretty much from Harry's return to Hogwarts to the end this is a glorious non-stop roller-coaster that heads towards the inevitable conclusion with all the unstoppable force of an express train. If only she could have solved the first half problem (the format of spreading the story across a whole year was never going to work, and it doesn't) and the ginormous plot device that has to be shoe-horned in to enable the finalé to work at all, this could have been so much better. But alas. Ear wax again.
]]> <![CDATA[The Disorderly Knights (The Lymond Chronicles #3)]]> 351211 503 Dorothy Dunnett 0679777458 Scurra 3 4.59 1966 The Disorderly Knights (The Lymond Chronicles #3)
author: Dorothy Dunnett
name: Scurra
average rating: 4.59
book published: 1966
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2011/09/05
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Ringed Castle (The Lymond Chronicles, #5)]]> 351198
Fifth in the legendary Lymond Chronicles , The Ringed Castle leaps from Mary Tudor's England to the barbaric Russia of Ivan the Terrible. Francis Crawford of Lymond moves to Muscovy, where he becomes advisor and general to the half-mad tsar. Yet even as Lymond tries to civilize a court that is still frozen in the attitudes of the Middle Ages, forces in England conspire to enlist this infinitely useful man in their own schemes.]]> 521 Dorothy Dunnett 0679777474 Scurra 3 4.57 1971 The Ringed Castle (The Lymond Chronicles, #5)
author: Dorothy Dunnett
name: Scurra
average rating: 4.57
book published: 1971
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2011/09/04
shelves:
review:

]]> Doctor Who: Strange England 897750 'The more the Doctor dreams,' the Quack said, 'the more real I become. He has not yet dreamed me fully, but he will.'

When the TARDIS lands in the idyllic gardens of a Victorian country house, Ace knows that something terrible is bound to happen. The Doctor disagrees. Sometimes things really are as perfect as they seem.

Then they discover a young girl whose body has been possessed by a beautiful but lethal insect. And they meet the people of the House: innocents who have never known age, pain, or death -- until now.

Now their rural paradise is turning into a world of nightmare. A world in which the familiar is being twisted into something evil and strange. A world ruled by the Quack, whose patent medicines are deadly poisons and whose aim is the total destruction of the Doctor.]]> 282 Simon Messingham 0426204190 Scurra 2 3.11 1994 Doctor Who: Strange England
author: Simon Messingham
name: Scurra
average rating: 3.11
book published: 1994
rating: 2
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date added: 2011/08/22
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]]> Doctor Who: Theatre of War 678156 Hamlet, thou hast thy father much offended.Ace stared at the Doctor. He nodded. 'Yes, Ace. We’re in Elsinore. And I don’t like it either.'Five years ago, an archaeological expedition came to Menaxus to explore the ruins of an ancient theater. All but one of the visitors died horribly, and the planet was abandoned, bathed in lethal radiation. Now the only survivor has returned, determined to uncover the theater's secrets whatever the cost. Among her archaeological team is a certain Professor Bernice Summerfield. Soon the deaths begin again, while the front line of an interstellar war moves ever closer. Desperate for help, Bernice tries to summon her companions. But when the TARDIS lands on the planet, the Doctor finds himself participating in a frighteningly real performance of Shakespeare's greatest tragedy. And he begins to realize that the truth about Menaxus may be far stranger than anyone imagines.]]> 326 Justin Richards 042620414X Scurra 3 3.62 1994 Doctor Who: Theatre of War
author: Justin Richards
name: Scurra
average rating: 3.62
book published: 1994
rating: 3
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date added: 2011/08/22
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]]> Doctor Who: Legacy 20261 'So, that's an Ice Warrior. Brings a whole new meaning to the concept of shell suits.'

The Doctor is pursuing a master criminal. The trail leads to Peladon: a desolate world once home to a barbaric, feudal society. Now the Galactic Federation is attempting to bring prosperity and civilization to the planet. But not all Peladonians support the changes, and when ancient relics are stolen from their Citadel, the representatives of the Federation are blamed. The Doctor suspects the Ice Warrior delegation, but before long the Time Lord himself is arrested for the crime -- and sentenced to death.

Elsewhere, interplanetary mercenaries are bringing one of the galaxy's most evil artifacts to Peladon, apparently on the Doctor's instruction. Ace is pursuing a dangerous mission on another world and Bernice is getting friendly -- perhaps too friendly -- with the Ice Warriors she has studied for so long.

The players are making the final moves in a devious and lethal plan -- but for once it isn't the Doctor's.]]> 320 Gary Russell 0426204123 Scurra 4 3.32 1994 Doctor Who: Legacy
author: Gary Russell
name: Scurra
average rating: 3.32
book published: 1994
rating: 4
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date added: 2011/08/22
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]]> Doctor Who: Deceit 678282 'Take Arcadia apart if you have to.'
          The middle of the twenty-fifth century. The Dalek war is drawing to an untidy close. Earth’s Office of External Operation is trying to extend its influence over the corporations that have controlled human-occupied space since man first ventured to the stars.
          Agent Isabelle Defries is leading one expedition. Among her barely-controllable squad is an explosives expert who calls herself Ace. Their destination: Arcadia.
          A non-technological paradise? A living laboratory for a centuries-long experiment? Fuel for a super-being? Even when Ace and Benny discover the truth, the Doctor refuses to listen to them.

Nothing is what it seems to be. ]]> 325 Peter Darvill-Evans 0426203879 Scurra 3 3.05 1993 Doctor Who: Deceit
author: Peter Darvill-Evans
name: Scurra
average rating: 3.05
book published: 1993
rating: 3
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date added: 2011/08/22
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