Book #18 - 'The Godless' by Ben Peek

Started - 11/04/16

Finished - 14/04/16

I've been looking forward to this one for a long time but it's not quite what I expected.

The writing is a rich lush intoxicant, there is plenty of flow and tastes of the exotic that I love in fantasy when so many books rely on more staid or uniform environments and cultures. The langue at times however is muddied, there are lines I had to re-read a few times before I understood them and this is not helped by the overt philosophical feel of the book. This could have been a strength if the balance between plot and philosophical thought had been right, but as it is sometimes it over powers.

That's not to say I didn't enjoy it. I did. As I've said there is the exotic in this book that puts me in mind of Amanda Dowum's 'The Drowning City', there are great ideas, exploration, myths, rich history, wonderful characters, magic, whole worlds waiting to be expanded upon AND so many intertwining stories so by and large I really liked it. With so many excellent set pieces I would have love this book to be illustrated like old expeditions; there is a lot of colour and live in there that feels very refreshing.

I am really looking forward to its sequel and seeing where he's going to go with it.

 

Book #17 - 'Railsea' by China Mieville

Started - 29/03/16

Finished - 11/04/16

New job again so I've been terminally busy.....

I'm a big fan of China Mieville, though Embassy Town almost killed me, and this was no exception. Railsea has hints of Moby Dick and Treasure Island but a huge percentage of the weird, inventive and intoxicating imagination Mieville is known for. I really can't fault this one. He's become the master of the anticlimactic which was unforgivable in The Scar but here works wonderfully because by the time you reach the end you're loving the adventure, the characters, the failed nature of obsession. He's managed to capture that sense of the labour behind a expedition so you feel as wrung out as the characters.

The writing can take a little time to get used to, but he loves playing with language and you do get used to it. In fact once you are used to it it gives the book a great feel of age, like you're reading a real account of adventures from the days of grand voyages.

The only time I was less enchanted with this book was the aside chapters, someone's a few paragraphs sometimes a few pages. At first they were interesting but towards the end they felt too indulgent and unnecessary. It's a tiny criticism.

Again there are places hinted at that I wished he'd touched on BUT for once he addresses that himself in the final chapters and it actually works to lessen my annoyance, and when I think about it including every little scrape of the Rail Sea in this story would have been detrimental. Though I do hope he returns to them at some point. I want to know more!

Wonderful book. Couldn't recommend it more.

Book #16 - 'Harrison Squared,' by Daryl Gregory

Started - 27/03/16

Finished - 29/03/16

I have a thing for books featuring sea monsters. It's almost a sure fire way to get me to buy. So when I saw the tentacle on the cover of this book, then read the blurb, I was hooked (no pun intended)

It's an assured, strongly written novel. The prose just slips alone, though I would say after you're pulled in by the first few pages that lessens slightly. The problem with that is any awkward sentences or repetition then pulls you from the story. It only happen once of twice.

Overall it's a good little book. I thought it might be too short but the pacing and delivery is spot on, the characters likable (goodies and baddies), the plot interesting and imaginative. The oddball nature of some of the town's residence could have been heightened, I would have liked to have seen a bit more casual whimsy. Harrison's acceptance of strange things is believable because of what he's after so Gregory could have really ramped that up. But maybe that would have made things too much because as it is he strikes a good balance.

I'm really hoping there will be more. The book is set up as - if not the start of a series - than the start of a few continuations.

Book #15 - 'Trollhunters' by Guillermo del Toro & Daniel Kraus

Started - 18/03/16
Finished - 27/03/16

I'm a big fan of almost everything Guillermo Del Toro does (and I felt a little bad about not warming

to The Strain), then I heard Trollhunters was illustrated and that was all I needed. This is my first time reading Daniel Kraus, but I will look up more of his work now.

It's YA fiction even if the sheer about of gore and some of the themes are darker than I get from most young adult fiction with this kind of marketing.

To be clear everything from the cover work to the type screams it's the young side of young adult, but some of the descriptions and some of the events are decidedly on the adult side of young adult. It's a great balance. One of the reasons I've not read YA fiction in a while (beyond the need people seem to have of shoe horning love triangles into them) is the softening of aspects that could give the stories a much better edge and impact. There is too much rounding of corners, treating kids like they shouldn't read this stuff. This was a really refreshing change.
As Del Toro was involved you know you're in for buckets of imagination that's beyond the pale. There are characters that are stereotypes, some plot points that are too happenstance to be believed but really these things are tiny by comparison.

It's a good rollicking romp of a story that doesn't gloss over the mental impacts of these situations. If I don't see a film version in the next few years I'll be very surprised.

Arty Interval: something old

No too old. These are the acrylics I started about a year ago to teach myself how to paint. They worked out a lot better than I expected.

 

 

Arty Interval: someting new

Here's a few pieces I did with copic markers, promarkers, a few hints of 4b pencil and watercolour backgrounds. I do love the first more than the others. I'm working on a more intricate one right now between job interviews, reading and finishing submissions for anthologies. Excellent. Forward!

Book #14 - 'After Alice' by Gregory Maguire

Started - 18/03/16

Finished - 18/03/16

I have always liked the idea of Alice in Wonderful. The madness, the invention, the inherent threat of a place that doesn't hugely consider consequences or compromise; there are characters in there like the Mad Hatter and the Queen of Hearts that I love. However I have always hated Alice. She is a brat. Together it's always seemed a waste for all that imagination and potential to be yoked to such an unlikable character. It means I've been waiting for someone to take up the story and give these character the attention they deserve. American McGee did a twisted dark job of it in their computer games (which I love!) if someone could have done that in a illustrated book I'd happily sleep with it under my pillow next to a vorpal blade to deter thieves.

Now for Gregory Maguire. In high school I was severely dyslexic. I could barely read, my spelling was so bad my writing was a hieroglyph. I worked extremely hard to enjoy books because I knew there were good things between those covers. I came to Wicked somewhere between growing confidence and fluid with my reading and still struggling a little. It's a hard read, but I stuck with it and felt accomplishment when I finished it (not enough magic for my tastes, no idea how they turned it into a musical!) and went on to read Son Of A Witch.

So I knew what I was getting myself into when I picked up After Alice. Gregory Maguire writes densely. He clearly has a love of language and is far from afraid to use it. After Alice is perhaps more lyrical then his other books. Like a dream, akin to the book this is based on, but with a slightly dark note, a hint of adult themes and threat and philosophy. A Midsummers Night Dream is referenced and it's that that feels the biggest influence. There is a chance the narrative could become lost within the verbal gymnastics but he comes across playful and it lets you role along with it rather than acting as an obstacle. This is played up by the narrator, a voice that takes this story as a time capsule out of it's setting giving it a timeless parable air..... yet still very light and playful.

I will say I lost my way a few times, there were lines of story that didn't hold my attention, but overall I enjoyed this book for a two reasons. It's lyrical nature made me feel good and I liked Alice's counterpart Ade were as I've never liked Alice.   

Book #13 - 'The Masked City' by Genevieve Cogman

Started -16/03/16

Finished - 18/03/16

As this it the second in the series from Genevieve Cogman please see my last mini review HERE as much of it still stands in terms of writing and imagination.

I will say my earlier fears that the book would be contained to the same singular world were unfounded and greatly so. I love the different realms. It's something I've only seen done well once before by Ian McDonald in his Everness YA series (the third book of which I'll be getter around to soon).

Once again Cogman has surprised me with her invention, and not limited herself too much to just repeating 'past enemies in new situations' which I applaud. From the first book it was hard to imagine what the greater Fae would be like, given their nature as impossibilities, I did worry they'd be palmed off as formless abstracts but she has woven them into stories themselves giving them a wonderful dark fairy tale quality and introduced them in a relatively small part while over villains take the fore were there other writers may have jumped right in and rushed things. There are still also hints of deeper mysteries to keep you guessing. The greatest joy in both this book and it predecessor is the love of story and her openly playful writing.

The only really problem I have is Vale. As a character I can't stand him. I understand the arrogant Sherlock like detective, the archetype she is going for, but I can't find anything likable about him to off set the attitude. So I was overall pleased he didn't feature as much as I feared. Other than that there are moments where description becomes muddied and a little confused breaking narrative flow. Tiny things really and I can't wait to read the next.

Book #12 'The Dragons of Heaven' by Alyc Helms

Started  - 14/03/14

Finished - 16/03/14

I have on occasional been called a sinophile. I actually prefer Japan but I do have a love for China. That's what really pulled me to this book. The trilby cover is OK but a little off putting, the title a touch canned, but please DO NOT let that deter you.

I know what I expected from this book with talk of superheros and magic and China in the blurb, but it is so reductive to what I got. All that is in there and so much more that in essence this blurb is similar to calling the universe a 'bit large'. There is a breath and richness to this story that continues to keep you guessing. It's not straight forward -  those perhaps the over all plot arc is  - there are layers that could have worked against each other, they could have turned into several different stories crammed into the same book, but they don't. In part it's due to Helms continued wit and grounded protagonist, but mostly it's the assured use of her knowledge, imagination and the finesse with which she writes.

My biggest fear whenever approaching a book that deals with the intricacies of Chinese culture is that it will be over done. In a rush to make everything right and authentic they try too hard. The Dragons of Heaven could stand as a bench mark in how to do it right. There is only enough information that you're not confused, enough description to paint your imagination. It's really wonderfully done while still being cotemporary and fun.

Cons:  At first I was worried it felt too slick across the first few chapters but it's a stiltedness that fades as the book grows in confidence. In fact I'd say with the sheer amount going on it's amazing that slickness extended to the end. Other than that perhaps the protagonist's reasoning for adopting the cover story isn't explained with any satisfaction, and there are so many names at some points in the story I had to flick back to make sure I was following who was who.

They are tiny problems with what is a great debut novel that's made me hunger for more not just of the characters but the world(s) Helms has created.

Book #11 'The Invisible Library' by Genevieve Cogman

Started - 13/03/16

Finished - 14/13/16

A good pulp story. I thought I was going to be indifferent to this one. The first few pages are good for creativity, but there was something a little off about them, the setting feeling a little forced but after a chapter or two I was hooked.

It has its problems. The writing style and the plot delivery is very chaotic, even at times feeling rushed, it could stand to be more slick, perhaps even a bit longer to allow space to breathe. However it is a pulp story with a lot thrown in and maybe a story with more room to move wouldn't have worked at all.

The best parts are the imagination involved and its main character who is wonderfully likable. With a book that features so much, and hints at so much, it's Irene's point blank acceptance that allows us to go along with the ride. I read a lot of books similar to this one; the almost steam-punk technology, the introduction of fae, mythological creatures, yet this one has a good solid and rich back history that's clearly had a lot of thought put into it for it to be delivered with such ease.

I really enjoyed it as the speed I read it probably suggests (actually less than 12 hours). My last, final problem, would be the suggestion the next book in the series is probably going to be set in the same world. I have a great hope for the series in general and can't wait to read its sequel.

Book #10 - 'Down Station' by Simon Morden

Started - 26/02/16

Finished - 13/03/16

Life hasn't been good. I left a job I enjoyed but which had horrible traveling implication for what I thought was a better job closer to home that fell through before the store even opened. In short I've been preoccupied. So while I'm again unemployed and job hunting it took me a lot longer than I expected to finish this book.

I had high hopes for Down Station. It's one of those I've been tracking on the internet for months after seeing a picture of the cover. The blurb just convinced me further. Unfortunately the blurb is misleading so I'd ignore that if I was you and just take the book as it is.

There is plenty to like. Inventive imagination, a lot of scope for more, interesting characters. I will say Morden's writing in this case is quick and clean. Its biggest failing however is how flat it feels. There are hints for something so much greater and the whole book just feels very encapsulated and lacking depth of story. It is going to be the first in a series and I hope it's just the curse of setting up a world without wanting to overwhelm because the ideas are sound and wonderful. I will read the next and hope for something richer. Benefit of the doubt.

A few fantasy speed watercolours

I'm happier with these. I'm trying my best to stick with the 12 colour travel set of watercolours I started with, even though I gave in and bought a larger set that's seducing me with its array of shades. With these I have drifted back to my old fantasy standbys to see how they'd work in watercolour. Some of the shading is lost in translation to the computer but I'm still pleased how they've each worked. The last is my first time working with lamp black - which never came in my set, but I bought separately. I just started throwing it down with a lot of water and if I'm honest a lot of the things I like about it are accidental. The name came from looking at it for a long time and seeing something in it that I never intended. Again they're all speed watercolours under 15 minutes each. I'm not quite confidence enough to put a long time and effort into them; yet.

Side note; I hate the way blogger lets us post photos, so the titles for the first three - left to right - are 'Against The Sky', 'Galactic Beauty Queen' and 'Farsight.'

The Woman Who Saw The Giant Fall

Book #9 - 'Guns of the Dawn' by Adrian Tchaikovsky

Started - 22/02/16
Finished - 26/02/16

I'm a big fan of Tchaikovsky's novels. Though I sometimes find them a little dry and dense they are
always precise and imaginative with fully fleshed characters you love, or love to hate. However when Guns of the Dawn was published I hesitated; as my pervious posts might suggest I read mostly fantasy. There are plenty of general fiction scattered within my tastes, but I thought this book was too set in warfare for me. In a way I was right. My sole complaint is that I wished for a little more of the 'other' throughout. There are nuggets of it don't get me wrong but I would have liked a touch more.

When I say that's my sole complaint however I mean it wholeheartedly.  This book is so rich in character and flows so smoothly I've not been able to put it down. It's a wonderful, enrapturing tale that really made me feel, at one point almost to the point of tears, and laugh and possible give myself styes in both eyes staying up late to finish it. It's on the surface a tale of war and its impact, but more than that it's a family saga, the story of change, courage and compromise and the why people live. I loved every second of it and could not recommend it more.

Book #8 - 'The House of Shattered Wings' by Aliette De Bodard

Started - 19/02/16

Finished - 22/02/16

A wonderful dark fantasy full of imagination. I was worried about this one. I’ve read quite a few angel based fantasies in the past few years, it’s not a topic I tend to gravitate towards if only because I find it very limiting, however De Bodard creates a world that’s so much richer than the biblical mythos. The inclusion of Asian creatures, the hints and possibilities of other cultures I hope she delivers on in sequels, all makes this a much deeper satisfying read.

I won’t say it’s perfect. There are times especially early on when a lot is left unexplained. This is normally fine, I’ve talked about pacing and information dumping before, but these things are mentioned so often – without a single line of background explanation – that it starts to irritate. There is also a question of the language. De Bodard is poetic, not to an excessive level, nothing that detracts from the narrative and she knows how to be succinct when the situation calls for it, but occasionally you feel besieged. Finally the descriptions of Paris at turns ruined and at others close to hale with shops and omnibuses are a little confusing; there is no clear picture of what we’re looking at.

They are tiny complaints for a book that has darkness without being depressing, a highly realised imagination and wonderful surprises. I really enjoyed it and I’m looking forward to the next.

Book #7 - 'The Rising' by Ian Tregillis

Started 23/01/16
Finished 19/02/16

It took me an embarrassingly long time to finish this so let me start by saying that's not a reflection of
the book, more a consequence of travel chaos and organising a new job.

Now that's sorted I've managed to finish this wonderful book. Tregillis hasn't let me down, which was a worry when you love a first book so much, he keeps the story energised and intriguing with characters you really care for.  Everything I've said in my micro review of 'The Mechanical' still stands, the point I wish to focus on for this book is his superb wielding of pacing. It's a masterclass never growing boring or needing to information dump to the point you don't really mind that the story hasn't progressed as much as I'd have liked from the end point of the first book to the finish of this one. Still a lot of mysteries and wonders to come I hope.

More Speed Watercolours

As I continue reading Ian Tregillis's 'The Rising' here are a few more of my speed watercolour paintings (under 15 minutes). I'm not satisfied with any of them but I think there are good parts to each. I'll try the same subjects again at a later date and see if I can improve them, or just to
see how my skills progress.

                    Doll Face                                    There Is Water In The Desert

~ 

The Girl In The Hijab                                        Tree                                           

Adventures in waterclour #1

I've always used pastels, markers or pencils when I sketch, draw and colour. I once tried oil paints years ago when my dad was still alive - he'd learnt to paint in prison and returned to it after a stroke during a triple heart bypass as a form of physical and I suppose mental therapy - but I wasn't patient enough for the drying time. It didn't help that he was really good at it and I wanted to be that good straight away. I was about 10, 11 years old. He died when I was 12 so I never had chance for him to teach me but that drying time and the sheer mess of paint put me off until only last year. (I'm now 29).

So in a recent sale I saw a little pocket set of watercolours and I've been practicing quick, fast paintings. The first is a self portrait that I'm really pleased with. The second is drawn from imagination and hasn't transferred well in photo but I'm pleased with the over all effect. With these my aim is not to over think things and work quickly, keeping each painting under 15 minutes if I can. I've also done some small A4 canvases in acrylics, but I'll share them another time.

Self 17/01/16                                               Weather 01/02/16

Book #6 - 'The Mechanial' by Ian Tregillis

Started - 23/01/16

Finished - 01/02/16

I could gush about this all day so let's start with a bit about anticipation. I wasn't anticipating this book. I've read Tregillis's Milkweed books and though I'd enjoyed them, and loved some of the characters, the story its self wore thin by the final novel and I was disappointed by the handling of the eidolons (but that's what a youth playing final fantasy does to you).

The Mechanical is an almost complete departure. All the characterisation and detail and atmosphere of the Milkweed novels but this time compounded by a rich expansive world. The only thing I can even think to complain about is the sat nav like narrative when people move around a city. I don't need so many god damn street names! It's a small thing to pick at. Its sequel 'The Rising' is going to be my next book on the list.

Book #5 - 'The Damned Busters' by Matthew Hughes

Started - 15/01/16

Finished - 23/01/16

I almost didn't finish this one. I know I keep going on about covers but so often they are our first point of contact. The cover art for The Damned Busters and its sequels is done by one of my favourite artists and cartoonists Tom Gauld.

It's a dark comedy dealing with the devil and demons and crime fighting, a light read I thought I was going to enjoy and ended up being a slog to finish. I gave up twice because it simply didn't hold my attention. There are some nice set pieces, but the protagonist annoyed me, a wonderful underlying concept, but nothing to care about and worst of all it didn't make me laugh. The whole story just felt too easy. I doubt I'll be getting the rest.

Book #4 - 'The Grace of Kings' by Ken Liu

Started - 13/01/16

Finished -

I'd seen this book in my local book shop for weeks and though I was draw to the dandelion on the cover I never picked it up. Then when doing one of my monthly hunts for upcoming books I came across Ken Liu's pending short story collection 'The Paper Menagerie and other stories' and the cover was simple and effect, the description enough to make me type his name into a search engine and up popped The Grace of Kings.

This is not a light read. Its detail is dense, but Liu has a lightness of touch that lets you move though it. At times I felt like I was reading a historical thesis however its reads so fluidly, with such care to detail and wonderful pacing of information that I loved every minute of it. You do feel compassion for the characters, joy at their successes and sorrow at their failures (and the occasional panic that you might know what's coming).

If I was going to poke any holes it would be a slight over anticipation of invention brought on by the jacket's blurb. There are no lies, it all features, but I was looking forward to a slightly more mechanical world. Never the less I would highly recommend this book.

Book 3# - 'The Bullet-Catcher's Daughter' by Rod Duncan

Started - 11/01/16

Finished - 13-01/16

Again a book that's been over due reading. I sometimes have the annoying habit of saving books if I think they're going to be great for days I'm at my lowest, but then I never get around to them on the off chance I have a lower day latter on. Time to bite the bullet (no groans please).

This wasn't the novel I expected it to be. There wasn't the level of steampunk-like technology I've anticipated from a few reviews and different blurbs.

I quickly realised this didn't matter. The characters are intriguing and full, even those that should by rights be flat stereotypes. There are surprises, a rich world, hints of something greater without you wanting to leave the story to follow them. I really enjoyed this book. There is a certain degree of hardship and courage to the main character that makes you feel her struggle. I don't know if it's because my childhood was spent below the poverty line but a single scene were she worries about the amount of tea a guest is using really stuck me.

Before I'd finished I'd ordered the next in the series (with a third due for publication soon), and hope for great things to come.

Book #2 - 'Vicious' by V.E.Schweb

Started - 07/01/16

Finished - 11/01/16

This one has been sat in my 'to read' pile for a long time. I first saw the US edition with its almost steampunk like cover, but this is the UK edition.

It's a great premise with interesting characters and lots of potential, but it never quite reaches. The whole novel feels flat and though I never exactly felt bored while reading - I was interested enough to want to know what happened in the end - I never once felt anything for the characters. I can't decide if the decision to kept it so contained helped or harmed the book. It did keep it concise, and I appreciate that the narrative stuck to its message, this is not a story about superheroes it's about revenge, but I couldn't help feeling cheated by the hints of others and their powers.

Not a bad read, but not one I'd recommend. However I have another by the same author waiting in my 'to read' pile which I'm hoping is broader.

Book #1 - 'The Magician's Land' by Lev Grossman

Started - 01/01/16

Finished - 07/01/16 

After reading the first two in The Magicians trilogy over Christmas I had high hopes. I may be late to reading them, and prompted to actually get them again now because of the new TV series based on the books, but the first book delivered everything the hype had promised. The second not so much. In essence it had everything a fantasy sequel needed; a wider scope, a larger building of the world and its potential, but it never seemed to give up the climax it hinted at and I grew frustrated with the continued return to the staid magics of the magicians when I wanted to see more of Julia's heretical brand or a more involved view of the strange and wonderful creatures of Fillory that kept being used like throw-a-way lines.

However this is about the third novel and a slight return to form. Again there is the disappointing taste of things that could have been exploited better, and the inevitable return to Fillory which I'd already grown tired off (not to say it didn't still have its enjoyable surprises). Though perhaps where The Magician Kind failed because it reached too far without the richness of detail to support it, The Magician's Land kept itself mostly to Fillory and that helped. The character development is the book's biggest pleasure. I have to said I hated Quentin. From the first page of the first book I loathed him. For some reason this didn't bother me. So to see his transformation from a bratty, naïve and disillusioned youth was a wonderful contrast.

In the end it did still read a little flat but - and you might not believe me given the above - I did enjoy it.   

100 Book Challenge

Over the last two years I worked a lot. I was, and still am, in retail and I let my job take over so I didn't read as much as I wanted to considering the amount of books I buy. At times it did make me happy; advancement, the feeling of doing well in my job etc. but it didn't last. Things needed to change.

This also resulted in a 'to read' pile that's grown unruly bordering on sentience. To prevent the whimsical, but chilling, situation when I one day return from work to find my books reading each other I've set myself a 100 book challenge. Starting from the 1st of January I will attempt to read at least 100 books before 31st December 2016. It might not sound a lot, in the past when I had more time on my hands it would have been easy, but I feel I need to regain my book feet.

I was going to limit this to a facebook album of photos but why not a blog? This means I'm already on book #7 so the first few posts on this blog will be playing catch up.

I've also re-started twitter after a few years absence and I'm using the hash tag #100bc to chart my progress.

This blog, though primarily featuring the books I'm reading, will be a return to creativity for me. I'm a writer myself, an amateur artist and clay enthusiast. Interspaced between my book posts you'll see the results of me trying to teach myself how to paint properly, draw hands and expose some of my own flash fiction.

After suffering a long time with manic depression, a few rough knocks recently and the general feeling of being run down this will hopefully encourage me to enjoy my own mind again.

thank you,

Chris Parvin