Friday 30 August 2013

The Strain (The Strain Book 1) - Guillermo del Toro & Chuck Hogan



Title: The Strain (The Strain Book 1)
Author: Guillermo del Toro & Chuck Hogan
Genre: Horror
Published: 2009
Formats: Hardback/Paperback/Ebook

Available at:
Amazon
The Book Depository
Amazon UK

Review:
“The Strain” by Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan is the first novel in a trilogy that will explore their own vision of the vampire genre. This book itself starts with the landing of a Boeing 777 in New York which suddenly stops on the taxi way with all its power off. Upon investigating the aircraft, it is discovered that nearly all the passengers are dead from some unknown cause. When strange things start to occur such as the disappearance of all the bodies from the morgue, the CDC scientist in charge, Dr Eph Goodweather finds himself unable to comprehend what is happening. However, before long a holocaust survivor who has been hunting vampires for decades reveals the truth to Eph and draws him into the fight to try and save mankind.

The novel flowed very well as it started slow and deliberate to set the mood before picking up the pace as the story progressed. I quite simply found the book to be a very quick and easy read that entertained me from start to finish. In addition it was good to see a vampire novel again that actually focused on horror with some rather creepy sections and vampires that are actually being vicious, heartless creatures with no remorse.

I do have a few issues with the vampire premise in the book related to the fact that the authors have tried to create a realistic element to vampirism with the use of a parasite that doesn’t survive under UV light. This is all very well and good, but then I fail to understand why these vampires are then also allergic to silver or why they need to be invited to cross a body of water. These two things don’t really tie up with vampirism being caused by a parasite and in my opinion it slightly spoils the authors’ attempt at giving vampirism a realistic edge.

The biggest let down with the book however is in regards to the characters which is a shame as this meant that what could have been a great book is just a good book. Basically, they all seem very cliché and undeveloped with the main protagonist Eph being very two-dimensional. It almost feels like the book has been written based on an initial TV series outline and there has been no attempt to enhance or build on the character’s basic descriptions.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read that shown the vampire genre could still be mature, intense and dark. I had almost grown to believe that all future vampire novels would be paranormal romance in style. The characters are rather weak, but overall the novel is an entertaining read despite this issue. My final word of warning however is that people should not fall for some of the commentary around this novel which implies it offers a fresh look at vampire stories. Yes it is different to the usual standard we tend to see these days but I don’t think there was anything here that hasn’t been covered in other novels. So feel free to pick up the book and enjoy a vampire novel that tries to embrace its horror roots but don’t go in expecting to see something completely original.

Thursday 29 August 2013

A Star Trek Literary Adventure

Since October 2011 I have been on a mission to try and read every Star Trek novel in chronological order which is now probably the most common reason for visits to my blog.

I therefore decided that this challenge deserved its own blog which I have now just started and is entitled A Star Trek Literary Adventure. So now, people who follows this blog and are only really interested in the Star Trek sections can just read that without the distractions of my other literary delights.

Don't worry though if you enjoy the mix here as I will continue posting the reviews here as well. There is just going to be a specific home for Star Trek related elements and it is going to be several months before I get new reviews on there as I am going to be adding the old reviews first.

So if you want to go give it a gander then feel free, I even set up its own twitter, facebook and google+ site because I really was that bored at lunch time today!

Tuesday 27 August 2013

Pirate Latitudes - Michael Crichton



Title: Pirate Latitudes
Author: Michael Crichton
Genre: Historical Adventure
Published: 2009
Formats: Hardback/Paperback/Ebook

Available at:
Amazon
The Book Depository
Amazon UK

Review:
"Pirate Latitudes" is Michael Crichton's final novel and it was released posthumously. I have enjoyed a lot of Crichton's novels so always planned on reading this but as it was a departure from the Science Fiction novels of his that I normally read I never got around to it. However, as I had to read an Adventure novel as part of the 2013 Eclectic Reader Challenge I felt that this was the perfect opportunity to finally get around to reading it.

The story itself is set in the Caribbean during 17th Century and follows the antics of Captain Hunter, a privateer operation out of Port Royal, Jamaica. When Jamaica's governor hears about a Spanish treasure galleon being anchored at a Spanish fortress he enlists Hunter in an quest to attack the supposedly impenetrable fortress and escape with the Spanish treasure. So begins an adventure across the sea in which Hunter and his crew aboard the sloop Cassandra must battle warships, jungle terrain, great storms, cannibals and even the odd sea monster.

I found the book to be a very light and easy read that was very much of the same style as Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean movies. The pace was fast and there was action aplenty as the characters struggled from one issue to another. It really did feel like a Hollywood blockbuster in novel form which is fine if you are just looking for something fun to read but don't got looking for any of Crichton's interesting insights into Humanity and Science in this book as you won't find it. Personally I was thoroughly entertained although I do think the plot suffers from a slight lack of originality due to its comparison with the aforementioned Pirates of the Caribbean movies and the fact that Crichton's death meant it was never fully refined.

One thing that Crichton has done well as usual is in regards to his research into the period and the vivid way in which he has brought it to life in the novel. The world itself feels realistic and I found it incredibly easy to visualize the places and people involved. Crichton also doesn't try and sugar coat anything, the lives of the various characters in the novel are not easy or pleasant as they had to deal with high levels of death, disease and violence.

There is a wide range of characters in the novel and I found them on the whole to be believable and entertaining to follow. What really impressed me though was that I managed to actually keep on top of who everyone was due to Crichton's decision to give everyone, even the minor character's some sort of identifiable trait.

In summary this was a fun and enjoyable read that kept me hooked from start to finish. There are elements of the novel which probably did need refining further but unfortunately this was not possible due to Crichton's death. However I don't think any of that affected my ability to accept the novel for what it was trying to be, a lightweight and entertaining diversion.

Friday 23 August 2013

Star Trek: The Original Series: From History's Shadow - Dayton Ward



Title: From History's Shadow
Author: Dayton Ward
Genre: Sci-Fi
Published: 2013
Formats: Paperback/Ebook

Available at:
Amazon
The Book Depository
Amazon UK

Review:
Whilst "From History's Shadow" by Dayton Ward is advertised as a Star Trek: The Original Series novel, the novel doesn’t really spend that much time following the crew of the USS Enterprise in the 23rd Century. Instead it focuses on a U.S. Air Force Captain James Wainwright (originally introduced in the DS9 episode: "Little Green Men") and his involvement with the attempts by the US government to investigate UFOs and alien encounters during the latter half of the 20th Century. Don’t get me wrong, we do get to spend time with Kirk, Spock and the rest of the crew but Ward’s real focus has been on trying to explore the Star Trek Universe’s 20th Century.

One thing I really liked about this novel was that it tried to take a serious look at how things would appear from the viewpoint of the contemporary people who are encountering aliens from the future etc. I have always found that the various TV episodes that cover this type of encounter tend more to focus on providing light relief as the viewer gets to laugh at the silly contemporary people worrying about things. However, in this novel due to its focus on Wainwright we actually get to see and understand why people would feel the way they do. None of it seems that silly when you look at it from their viewpoint and this is something that I think Ward has captured well.

Another element of the novel I quite enjoyed was the way in which Ward has managed to link various elements of Trek lore together into a complex and interesting plot. I couldn’t help but smile as I recognised elements taken from various TV episodes that spanned multiple different Star Trek series. Ward doesn’t stop there however; he also tries to merge in real historical events to further enhance the narrative and detail behind it. The overall style was very reminiscent of Greg Cox’s “The Eugenics Wars” series and Ward does state in the acknowledgements that this was intentional. To be honest when I read Cox’s novels I wasn’t particularly fond of his attempt to shoe horn the Eugenics war into our own history. However as "From History's Shadow" is mainly based around government secrets etc. I feel that the link between real events and Trek lore works a lot better in this case.

Unfortunately I do think that this attempt to cram lots of links and detail into the novel did lead to its one flaw. Basically, I felt that it got a little bit too complicated towards the end and if you were not fully knowledgeable on Trek lore then some elements of the story could feel a bit undeveloped due to Ward’s reliance on the reader knowing what had happened on the relevant TV episode. Towards the end of the novel I actually found myself getting rather confused as the jumping around increased and the time travel elements of the story became a major element on the plot. I still enjoyed it myself as I was more than happy to try and work it out in my head but I can easily appreciate how some people may not enjoy trying to wade through the complexity.

In summary I felt that “From History’s Shadow” was a fun and well written book which takes the reader on a journey through our own history as depicted in Star Trek lore. Ward has done a superb job at splicing together multiple Trek episodes into a coherent and interesting story. The only flaw I can really think is that maybe there was too much here, it may have worked better if Wainwright’s story had been spread over more than one novel which would have enabled Ward to actually expand some elements further.

Wednesday 21 August 2013

Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury



Title: Fahrenheit 451
Author: Ray Bradbury
Genre: Sci-Fi
Published: 1953
Formats: Hardback/Paperback/Ebook

Available at:
Amazon
The Book Depository
Amazon UK

Review:
As part of the 2013 Eclectic Reader Challenge I was required to read a Dystopian novel which is a sub-genre I normally read. I therefore decided to use the challenge to explore a classic of the genre in the shape of “Fahrenheit 451” written by Ray Bradbury. All I really knew about the novel was that it involved book burning which did intrigue me as the premise for a dystopian world due to my own love for books.

Anyway, the story follows Guy Montag who works as a fireman, however firemen now no longer put out fires, they actually start them in an attempt to burn illegal pieces of literature. However, through a series of unconnected events, Guy begins to question the world in which he lives and particularly begins to try and understand what danger could exist in the written word. Guy’s journey to self-awareness is used to take the reader on an exploration of the dystopian world he inhabits.

As a bibliophile I really enjoyed witnessing the way in which the book does remind the reader about how simple and previous a book can be. It really questions the importance of books and delves into the fact the literature is more than just a form of entertainment; it can shape the entire being of people and society through the challenging of beliefs, dreams and opinions.

However, one thing I did pick up is that its heart this isn’t really a novel about censorship or even the wonders of literature. I felt that it was more a satirical look at the power of television and the damage Bradbury believed it could cause. The loss of literature is driven not really by any deep hatred of books or information; it was driven by the popularity and instant gratification of shallow modern entertainment. This does result in a minor issue in that we know that Television, Iphones and Video Games have done nothing to dampen the love of literature. In fact by embracing technology the world of literature is now full of indie authors and small publishing houses that can bring stories to readers that in the past may never have been printed. Basically I feel that Bradbury was wrong in his demonising of television and what he really should have targeted was bland, uninspiring and intellectually stunted entertainment no matter the medium being utilised.

My one real disappointment with the novel however was in regards to the actual plotline. The book does a great job at highlighting the positive aspects that books can have on society but it doesn’t work as well when it comes to being an entertaining yarn. The background to the events that have resulted in this world is rather limited and the characters were weakly developed and seemed to be there just to give Guy a push in some specific direction. I managed to overlook that by appreciating the book on an intellectual level but I do wish that Bradbury had tried to actually build an really entertaining story around the viewpoints being made.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and I suspect most other bibliophiles will as it does highlight the good things that literature can provide. However, the storyline itself is rather weak and therefore those people looking for a light and enjoyable fun read should avoid this like the plague. However, if you are after an intellectually stimulating look at the power of books and the issues of mass produced bland entertainment then you should go and pick up this classic novel.

Wednesday 14 August 2013

Star Trek: Enterprise The First Adventure - Vonda N. McIntyre



Title: Enterprise The First Adventure
Author: Vonda N. McIntyre
Genre: Sci-Fi
Published: 1986
Formats: Hardback/Paperback

Available at:
Amazon
Amazon UK

Review:
“Enterprise: The First Adventure” by Vonda N. McIntyre is a Star Trek novel that charts the first voyage of the USS Enterprise under the command of Captain Kirk. The interesting aspect of this novel to me was that it was written in 1986 and appears to have been one of the first official attempts at trying to capture an event in the Star Trek Universe that was outside the period of the series or movies that had been released up to that point. Considering the wealth of novels we now have that add and refine the Trek Universe I was looking forward to seeing one of the initial attempts at providing additional detail to both the universe and the characters via a novel.

The story itself follows Kirk as he begins to form relationships with the various crew members such as Scotty, Spock and Sulu. When Kirk finds out that his first mission as Captain of the Enterprise is to transport a group of travelling entertainers to various starbases he isn’t best pleased as he had been hoping for a chance to go and explore. Of course, this seemingly easy mission doesn’t go as planned and before long Kirk is faced with a first contact situation on the edge of Klingon territory all the while trying to keep the travelling entertainers and their flying horse under control.

Yes, I did mention a flying horse above and it is as ridiculous as it sounds. The entire travelling circus element was just not very interesting and I soon got bored reading about different ways in which Kirk and the crew did things to help out the horse. Considering at least half the novel was based around this it really did spoil my overall enjoyment of the novel. It did get better towards the final part of the novel when the first contact situation occurred and there was some action and an interesting encounter with the Klingons but to be honest the continued involvement of the flying horse was a constant irritant for me.

What McIntyre does do well though in my opinion is try and delve into the relationships between the various crew members. I particularly enjoyed seeing the way in which Spock and Kirk interacted with each other. There is a real feeling of testing the waters between the two of them that I could easily visualise as developing into the friendship I know will occur. It was also good to see that the other crew member didn’t instantly fall in love with Kirk and vice-versa. Every character had their own hang-up or issue and McIntyre tried to ensure that these were dealt with in a manner which could explain the way in which the various relationships mature in the future.

Overall, the plot itself was probably rather weak and I still can’t imagine what possessed McIntyre to include a flying horse in it. However, it is an interesting attempt at trying to capture Kirk’s initial time aboard the Enterprise and his interactions between the crew. It was also interesting to review the first real attempt at some meaningful expansion of the Trek Universe via novels. Basically, if you aren’t interested in the historical significance of the novel or its attempt at exploring an earlier period of Trek lore than I probably wouldn’t bother picking it up as the story itself isn’t really worth it.

Sunday 11 August 2013

A Parade of Clowns - Evan Bollinger



Title: A Parade of Clowns
Author: Evan Bollinger
Genre: General Fiction
Published: 2012
Formats: Ebook

Available at:
Amazon
Amazon UK

Review:
“A Parade of Clowns” by Evan Bollinger is a short story which follows four friends as they set out to cause some noise in their small town. Determined to get over the boredom and feeling of going nowhere that has invaded their lives they embark on a drink and drug fuelled adventure to rob the local alcohol store.

This book is incredibly short and I finished it in no time at all, helped by the fact that I was also enjoying what I read. The writing is sharp, fast paced and at times quite crude which really helps to bring out an almost dystopian feel. The story itself is rather dark with an ending that in my opinion really reinforces the futility of life that appears to have infested the town as a whole.

As this is a short story, the characters are not that well developed but Bollinger appears to have worked specifically on capturing the idiosyncrasies of the four friends which results in a strong satirical vibe. I can’t say I know much about them but I can see how they have their own issues and element of boredom in their lives that could have led them along the path they take in the story.

Overall, I found this story to be quick and quite crude at times but this is used to create a interestingly dark feel which entertained me. If you are interested in reading some quick dark fiction that fuses drink, crime and the quandaries of small time life then this is a book that should appeal.

Thursday 8 August 2013

Tastes Like Human: The Shark Guys' Book of Bitingly Funny Lists - Noel Boivin & Christopher Lombardo



Title: Tastes Like Human - The Shark Guys' Book of Bitingly Funny Lists
Author: Noel Boivin & Christopher Lombardo
Genre: Humour
Published: 2012
Formats: Ebook

Available at:
Amazon
Smashwords
Amazon UK

Review:
“Tastes Like Human: The Shark Guys’ Book of Bitingly Funny Lists” by Noel Boivin and Chris Lombardo is as the title implies a book that contains several amusing lists. The lists cover various things such as ATM Etiquette Guidelines, Jesus Spottings, People Who Should Not Win the Lottery, People who Married Animals & Karaoke-Inspired Acts of Violence. As you may be able to tell this is quite a random collection of topics that are based on things that the authors find interesting are range from the interesting to the downright crazy.

Reading list books like this can be an easy way to pass the time but to be really entertaining I have always felt that they need to be more than a list of things. This is why I was happy to see that with this book the authors tried to discuss each item in their lists. This commentary really added to the book and at times I found it more interesting and enjoyable to follow than the lists themselves.

In regards to the lists themselves, as you would expect with a book like this, people will prefer some lists more than others and I am no different. Whilst many lists had me grinning throughout such as “Top 15 Reasons Why Sharks Are Better Than Cats” there were others like “Top 5 Out of Control College Parties“ that just didn’t capture my interest. However, personally I felt that there was more positive than negative which ensured that overall I did enjoy the book.

A specific element of the listings that I did appreciate was the fact the various sources had been cited. Some of the stories are so unbelievable that without these sources I may have begun to believe that the entire book was plain fiction. It also helped when I decided to look up various things that had captured my interest.

One issue I did have with the book is that at times it felt like the authors were trying a little bit too hard with their commentary. They tried to cram so much into a sentence or paragraph that it began to unravel and the humour was lost. It actually reminded me of the way that people can ruin a joke by trying to give you too much information when they tell it. Personally, I think that some more editing may have helped clean this up a bit more and helped to enhance the overall humour of the book.

Overall, I did enjoy this book and found sections of it to be quite funny and entertaining but I came away from reading it with a feeling of it basically just being Okay and that’s about it. I am sure some people will love it more than me whilst others may hate it entirely depending on their sense of humour. I will therefore recommend it for people looking for a bit of amusing diversion but be warned that the level of amusement will vary depending on your own personal preferences. flag

Sunday 4 August 2013

Star Trek: Constitution (My Brother's Keeper Book 2) - Michael Jan Friedman



Title: Constitution (My Brother's Keeper Book 2)
Author: Michael Jan Friedman
Genre: Sci-Fi
Published: 1998
Formats: Paperback/Ebook

Available at:
Amazon
Amazon UK

Review:
“Constitution” by Michael Jan Friedman is the second novel in the “My Brother’s Keeper” trilogy. The novel continues the exploration of Kirk & Gary Mitchell’s history as started in the first novel “Republic” which I previously reviewed here. As with the previous novel, it utilises a framing story set after the events of the TV episode entitled "Where No Man Has Gone Before" in which Gary Mitchell dies.

The framing story itself mainly covers Kirk’s continued struggle to come to terms with what has happened to his friend, which is not helped by a rather gruelling debriefing. Upon his return to the Enterprise however, he ends up thinking about his past and a previous adventure with Mitchell. This flashback element of the novel enables the reader to initially witness Kirk as he joins the crew of the USS Constitution as its 2nd Officer whilst trying to come to terms with a disaster on the USS Farragut which left over 200 crewmembers dead. The full facts about the Farragut tragedy had been hidden however so Mitchell, an officer on the Constitution can’t understand why his friend seems to be a shadow of his former self. However, when the Captain and 1st Officer are trapped on a planet being attacked by mysterious space borne objects, Kirk must come to terms with his guilt and lead the crew of the Constitution against this new menace.

To be honest, my first observation as I read the novel was that the framing story was much weaker than the one in “Republic”. This was mainly because a large part of it was taken up repeating story of Mitchell’s demise again and then when it came to the flashback portion, there was no real reason given for Kirk’s reminiscence. Luckily the main core of the story itself which followed Kirk and Mitchell’s past was much better. It was exciting, gripping and tried to delve into the emotions of a man struggling with guilt and fear. It probably didn’t highlight as much about Kirk and Mitchell’s relationship as the previous novel did and the plot wasn’t that original but it was still enjoyable to follow.

The writing itself was competent enough and it flowed well on the whole but I have to admit there was a few grammatical issues and one confusing section of the novel when the USS Farragut was incorrectly referred to as the USS Republic which of course, didn’t make sense. It probably wasn’t a huge issue once I realised it was just an error but it did cause the story to stutter as I had to adjust. To be honest, I really would have expected something like this to have been picked up in the editing process.

One improvement I noted over the previous novel is that Friedman has toned down Mitchell’s psychic like abilities to being almost non-existent. In “Republic” he had been using his “intuition” to solve every problem that he faced, but in “Constitution” issues were dealt with via more realistic abilities and intellect. Yes Mitchell was still the same individual seen in the previous novel but he felt more like a real life person this time rather that some sort of fantastical psychic.

Overall, this was another interesting look into Kirk and Mitchell’s history although this wasn’t as deep as what was seen in ”Republic”. If you have already ready the first book in this trilogy then I would advise you to pick it up as it does try and continue Kirk and Mitchell’s relationship but also includes a more exciting and enjoyable core story.

Thursday 1 August 2013

Matilda - Roald Dahl



Title: Matilda
Author: Roald Dahl
Genre: Childrens
Published: 1988
Formats: Hardback/Paperback/Ebook

Available at:
Amazon
The Book Depository
Amazon UK

Review:
As part of the 2013 Eclectic Reader Challenge I had to read a book that has been made into a movie. To be honest, this gave me a huge selection of novels to pick from and I initially had no idea which book to pick However, by luck my wife started discussing the movie “Matilda” which is of course based on the Roald Dahl book of the same name. When she heard that I had neither seen the film nor read the book she was horrified and basically told me I had to read it or our marriage was at risk! Therefore, it seemed like a perfect option to fulfil both the requirement of the reading challenge and avoid any chance of divorce.

The story basically follows an incredibly intelligent girl called Matilda who at the age of 5 can already read adult novels and is quite simply a maths genius. However, her family seem unable to see the wonder of their child and the way they treat her ranges from neglect to outright cruelty. However, once she start school, her new teacher Miss Honey sees the potential within Matilda and tries desperately to help in any way she can. Unfortunately, she is hampered by the head teacher known as Miss Trunchbull who decides that Matilda is going to be nothing but trouble.

The plotline was actually quite varied but was still simple enough for children to follow without too much trouble and this should ensure they are kept interested from start to finish. The main selling point though is the fact that it is at its heart this is a fun and humorous story which had me smiling throughout and should appeal to children the world over. Although I will add that there are some rather dark elements due to the way in which Matilda’s parents treat her and this could be a little bit much for younger children.

Personally, as a parent with two young children it was quite horrifying to see the way in which Matilda was treated and found it hard to understand how parents could treat their child in such a manner. However, I am aware neglect and cruelty does happen in the world and I therefore appreciated how the story did also showcase that there will be people out there like Miss Honey who do care and you should be more than willing to accept their help.

Overall, this is a rather brief review, mainly because I find with children’s books it can be quite hard to review it without completely spoiling it. However, in summary this is an enjoyable story that introduces a level of plot complexity that doesn’t treat children as idiots but it is still easy to understand. On a personal note I believe that in a few more years my children will love hearing the story of Matilda and I will love reading it to them, provided my wife doesn’t get there first of course!