For my next literary outing I returned to to world of Sherlock Holmes. After not being overly thrilled with the first novel, I didn't really have high hopes for the next. But it seemed convenient to read (being on my Kindle) and avoided too much decision making.
The Sign of the Four revolves around a mystery that starts with Mary Morstan reporting to Sherlock Holmes about the strange events surrounding her father's disappearance. Over time, however, the mystery quickly thickens and as one loose end is tied up another unravels.
What I really liked about this book was that it felt slightly more realistic than the first. Holmes himself is portrayed brilliantly. The idea that a man who thrives on intellectual challenge would turn to drugs when the puzzles run out is very easy to believe. And then there are those quiet periods where leads dry up and trails go dead, so all they can do is wait. Which, again, contributes to making the whole thing seem just a little more likely. Or as likely as you can get in a story about treasure.
It has everything a good mystery book should have. Intrigue, a cast of crazy characters, grey areas between good guys and bad guys, and a high-speed chase. I always love a good chase scene. The story completely pulled me in and I couldn't wait to keep reading to find out what would happen next. Even during the reveal I kept hanging on every word, because it was played out so well.
The only thing I did struggle with is a lack of knowledge about the politics of India in the 1850s. And, quite frankly, it's not something I would expect most people to be familiar with. But this is one of the things you get when reading a book that was written over 120 years ago. However, the context is explained well enough and so it's easy to pick up everything you need.
I would definitely recommend this book and will most certainly carry on with the world of Sherlock Holmes when time allows. The art of pure logical deduction is such a great concept that such a character absolutely fascinates me.
Thursday, 22 November 2012
Friday, 16 November 2012
The Truth - Terry Pratchett
How do I write one of these posts again? It's kind of been a while. Every time I think I've got over the worst reading blip another one turns up. And in a style that's becoming far too familiar, it took me weeks to read the first 100 pages and then about a day for the other 300.
Returning to Discworld for the first time in a while, I finally reached the 25th book in the series. The Truth is based in Ankh-Morpork and follows William de Worde as he goes from part-time newsletter writer to full-time newspaper editor. It's amazing what a printing press and some business-savvy dwarves can do with an idea. As is the way with these things, once you start looking for more news you find more than you'd bargained for.
The range of characters involved in The Times are typical Pratchett brilliance. William himself is the perfect shadow of his father, more so than he'd ever even realise, and the relationship between him and Sacharissa is beautifully real. The transformation of the pair into hard-core journalists is brilliantly written.
But my favourite character has to be Otto. As a reformed vampire he has taken the pledge to stop biting people, and so has driven his passion into the world of photography. Cue a desire to ever-improve the technology, and lots of issues with flashlights. A particular personal highlight was the dwarves singing the positive-reinforcement songs.
I also enjoyed the role that the Watch played in the story, as Vimes is such a great character. The developing chemistry between the Duke and William was wonderful.
This is definitely a book I would recommend. Even if you haven't read a Discworld book before you would still enjoy the satirical references to the world of newspapers. But it would mean missing out on the passing references, which are sometimes the best bits in Pratchett books.
The Truth Shall Set Ye Free, as they say (whoever they are), and the truth is that sometimes all you need is appropriately-timed roaring thunder to make your day.
Returning to Discworld for the first time in a while, I finally reached the 25th book in the series. The Truth is based in Ankh-Morpork and follows William de Worde as he goes from part-time newsletter writer to full-time newspaper editor. It's amazing what a printing press and some business-savvy dwarves can do with an idea. As is the way with these things, once you start looking for more news you find more than you'd bargained for.
The range of characters involved in The Times are typical Pratchett brilliance. William himself is the perfect shadow of his father, more so than he'd ever even realise, and the relationship between him and Sacharissa is beautifully real. The transformation of the pair into hard-core journalists is brilliantly written.
But my favourite character has to be Otto. As a reformed vampire he has taken the pledge to stop biting people, and so has driven his passion into the world of photography. Cue a desire to ever-improve the technology, and lots of issues with flashlights. A particular personal highlight was the dwarves singing the positive-reinforcement songs.
I also enjoyed the role that the Watch played in the story, as Vimes is such a great character. The developing chemistry between the Duke and William was wonderful.
This is definitely a book I would recommend. Even if you haven't read a Discworld book before you would still enjoy the satirical references to the world of newspapers. But it would mean missing out on the passing references, which are sometimes the best bits in Pratchett books.
The Truth Shall Set Ye Free, as they say (whoever they are), and the truth is that sometimes all you need is appropriately-timed roaring thunder to make your day.
Friday, 5 October 2012
Assassin's Apprentice - Robin Hobb
Of the large number of books on our bookshelves that I have yet to read, 12 carry the name of Robin Hobb. Loved by my husband, auntie, cousin and many others, I have been meaning to try out one of her books for some time. And now, that count has just gone down to 11.
Assassin's Apprentice is the first book in The Farseer Trilogy and is based in the Six Duchies, a kingdom ruled by the Farseer family. It follows the life of Fitz, a royal bastard who struggles to fit in with either royal or normal folk and has to find his own path.
The story is told in first person, but in a reflective way such that the older Fitz can analyse the decisions he made in younger days.Each chapter begins with a section of the history of the Duchies, which our storyteller has been tasked with writing. This provides more insights into the political situation surrounding the land, and some of its key characters.
I confess, it took me a little while to get into this. Another book to fall victim to me reading while tired. I also struggled a bit with some of the plotlines at first. The brutality in parts surprised me, but became one of the things I really appreciated. Every aspect in the story is raw. What you see is what you get. And the telling in first person allows this to be delivered beautifully and honestly.
When my husband suggested this book, I had no idea what to expect. The fantasy genre covers such a wide range that it can be hard to tell how 'overt' the fantasy aspects will be. In this case, the magic is built in slowly. You are introduced to the world and its characters long before magic becomes apparent, and through the acceptance of a young boy it's almost easy to miss it when it first comes in.
The important distinction, in my opinion, is that the world does not purely exist for the forms of magic it holds. Because the Skill is taught to so few the every day life of most people goes on without really noticing it. This means that when magic does come to the forefront its place has been earned. The purpose for using it can clearly be seen. Which seems to me to be the mark of a very well written book. One that uses fantasy elements to enhance good writing, rather than to mask poor writing.
It took me a while, but I did fall in love with the characters. Not in my usual way of connecting with one or two more than others, but in a way that made me appreciate all their individual characteristics and how well the personalities played off each other. It was also interesting how Fitz's perception of different people changed as he got older and wiser, and as familiar faces appeared and disappeared in his life.
For the first book in a trilogy, the ending is very satisfying. Enough ends gets tied up that it justifies being a story in its own right, rather than just 'part 1'. Which means I don't need to instantly plough on to the next one, and so can reflect more on what I've read. At the same time, though, there are enough open threads and tantalising glimpses that mean I can't see it being long before I return to the world of the Six Duchies.
Assassin's Apprentice is the first book in The Farseer Trilogy and is based in the Six Duchies, a kingdom ruled by the Farseer family. It follows the life of Fitz, a royal bastard who struggles to fit in with either royal or normal folk and has to find his own path.
The story is told in first person, but in a reflective way such that the older Fitz can analyse the decisions he made in younger days.Each chapter begins with a section of the history of the Duchies, which our storyteller has been tasked with writing. This provides more insights into the political situation surrounding the land, and some of its key characters.
I confess, it took me a little while to get into this. Another book to fall victim to me reading while tired. I also struggled a bit with some of the plotlines at first. The brutality in parts surprised me, but became one of the things I really appreciated. Every aspect in the story is raw. What you see is what you get. And the telling in first person allows this to be delivered beautifully and honestly.
When my husband suggested this book, I had no idea what to expect. The fantasy genre covers such a wide range that it can be hard to tell how 'overt' the fantasy aspects will be. In this case, the magic is built in slowly. You are introduced to the world and its characters long before magic becomes apparent, and through the acceptance of a young boy it's almost easy to miss it when it first comes in.
The important distinction, in my opinion, is that the world does not purely exist for the forms of magic it holds. Because the Skill is taught to so few the every day life of most people goes on without really noticing it. This means that when magic does come to the forefront its place has been earned. The purpose for using it can clearly be seen. Which seems to me to be the mark of a very well written book. One that uses fantasy elements to enhance good writing, rather than to mask poor writing.
It took me a while, but I did fall in love with the characters. Not in my usual way of connecting with one or two more than others, but in a way that made me appreciate all their individual characteristics and how well the personalities played off each other. It was also interesting how Fitz's perception of different people changed as he got older and wiser, and as familiar faces appeared and disappeared in his life.
For the first book in a trilogy, the ending is very satisfying. Enough ends gets tied up that it justifies being a story in its own right, rather than just 'part 1'. Which means I don't need to instantly plough on to the next one, and so can reflect more on what I've read. At the same time, though, there are enough open threads and tantalising glimpses that mean I can't see it being long before I return to the world of the Six Duchies.
Monday, 10 September 2012
A Study in Scarlet - Arthur Conan Doyle
Recently I was given the lovely present of a Kindle, which I needed an excuse to try out. So I started to think of the older books that I keep meaning to read, and Sherlock Holmes sprung to mind. With the wonders of modern technology, I downloaded the entire Sherlock Holmes collection in under a minute, and started to read A Study in Scarlet.
The first novel to feature the famous detective and his medical sidekick focuses on the death of an American - a mystery which the police detectives find to be beyond their reach. Holmes finds the whole thing very simple and spends much of the time parading in front of the others just how simple he finds it.
Ok, so that doesn't sound a ringing endorsement for the story. And in some ways, it sums up how I felt. Halfway through the crime is solved and the plot switches to back-story. This confused me at first, but at times I felt like I enjoyed the back-story more than the main detective plot itself. That may not be any bad sign on the story, more a sign of my habits.
As is quite clear from this blog, I really like Agatha Christie's Poirot series. These focus a great deal on the idea that a good detective looks at things from a different angle to see things that others miss. I've also watched a fair bit of CSI, so the concept of analysing evidence is somewhat second nature. But what needs to be remembered is that Sherlock Holmes was before all that and living in a different age.
Overall I'm a bit undecided. The actual mystery itself felt a bit weak, and as a reader basically no details are provided til the final reveal, giving no chance of even making a guess at the murderer. However, I know that one of the later novels is the more acclaimed and so I'm going to give them a chance and carry on. Besides, I've got the whole lot sat on my Kindle already.
The first novel to feature the famous detective and his medical sidekick focuses on the death of an American - a mystery which the police detectives find to be beyond their reach. Holmes finds the whole thing very simple and spends much of the time parading in front of the others just how simple he finds it.
Ok, so that doesn't sound a ringing endorsement for the story. And in some ways, it sums up how I felt. Halfway through the crime is solved and the plot switches to back-story. This confused me at first, but at times I felt like I enjoyed the back-story more than the main detective plot itself. That may not be any bad sign on the story, more a sign of my habits.
As is quite clear from this blog, I really like Agatha Christie's Poirot series. These focus a great deal on the idea that a good detective looks at things from a different angle to see things that others miss. I've also watched a fair bit of CSI, so the concept of analysing evidence is somewhat second nature. But what needs to be remembered is that Sherlock Holmes was before all that and living in a different age.
Overall I'm a bit undecided. The actual mystery itself felt a bit weak, and as a reader basically no details are provided til the final reveal, giving no chance of even making a guess at the murderer. However, I know that one of the later novels is the more acclaimed and so I'm going to give them a chance and carry on. Besides, I've got the whole lot sat on my Kindle already.
Wednesday, 22 August 2012
Mockingjay - Suzanne Collins
As anticipated, I sat down on Monday night and read Mockingjay, the third part of the Hunger Games trilogy. If I'm being honest, I read it too quickly. Once things got going it was really hard to put down, and my impatience to find out what happened meant that I was practically speed-reading towards the end. Still, it was worth it.
Ok, so I then had to sit down last night and re-read the last few chapters, but that's somewhat of a habit that I've got into lately with the end of trilogies. It's nice to take a little while to reflect on what happened, and then return to pick up the nuances that were missed. And somehow it's much more satisfying to be able to just relaxing into the situation knowing what will happen. That is if you liked the ending of course. Probably if you hated the ending then it wouldn't be such a good thing.
Thankfully though, I got the ending I wanted. Selfish, maybe, but right from the first book I knew exactly how, in my mind, one of the plotlines should finish. And it did. Which is good, as it means I didn't have to get annoyed at the book. It would have been a shame to get annoyed with it, particularly given how beautifully crafted the whole country of Panem is.
This is where I have a difficulty. One thing I've really been trying while writing about the books I read is to not include spoilers. It would be great if my babble encouraged someone to pick up a book they might otherwise not try. And generally this is easy enough. But when you're writing about the third book in a trilogy which involves lots of killing it becomes difficult to write about the characters without spoiling earlier books.
Having thought about this, my advice is for you to go read the first two books now and then come back again. Or just carry on anyway.
A lot of conflicting feelings appear throughout this story, with Katniss struggling to decide on where her future should lie. Should she keep hoping that Peeta will be safe or instead try to build a future with Gale? Should she keep her head down or agree to be the face of the rebellion? So granted, they're quite life-changing decisions, but there a few occasions on which I just wanted to knock some sense into her. Well, many occasions actually.
My sister and I discussed the trilogy yesterday and she commented that as the time in the Arena is her favourite bit, she liked the third book the least. I can definitely see that point of view. The moments in the Arena seem the most thought through, with the attention to detail and raw emotion. The idea flows throughout the third book that Katniss performs best when she is just being herself, and I think that when she is fighting for her survival, or someone else's, she really shines through.
I had my reservations during the second book about how many events had been set off so quickly, however it definitely wasn't as extreme as it could have been. I liked the way a lot of the events were handled. The brutality of war situations wasn't covered up, and the idea of klling others wasn't glorified. It was just there, as something that was happening and couldn't be avoided. And the aftermath of emotions were there too.
My favourite character stayed the same from the moment they were introduced in the first book to the very last page of the last book. This could mean that I'm loyal, that they are the best-written character, or that they are the one I sympathise with the most. Maybe it's all three, I don't know. But as it always seems sad to read a book and not truly want at least one character to succeed, I would say this did its job.
Definitely read the Hunger Games trilogy. Even if it's not your normal sort of book, give it ago. I'm not sure if I'll have chance to read it again, but get the feeling it will be playing on my mind for a while. And after the beautifully described last few chapters I have no desire at all to watch the film(s), there are just too many favourite moments for the filmmakers to get wrong.
Ok, so I then had to sit down last night and re-read the last few chapters, but that's somewhat of a habit that I've got into lately with the end of trilogies. It's nice to take a little while to reflect on what happened, and then return to pick up the nuances that were missed. And somehow it's much more satisfying to be able to just relaxing into the situation knowing what will happen. That is if you liked the ending of course. Probably if you hated the ending then it wouldn't be such a good thing.
Thankfully though, I got the ending I wanted. Selfish, maybe, but right from the first book I knew exactly how, in my mind, one of the plotlines should finish. And it did. Which is good, as it means I didn't have to get annoyed at the book. It would have been a shame to get annoyed with it, particularly given how beautifully crafted the whole country of Panem is.
This is where I have a difficulty. One thing I've really been trying while writing about the books I read is to not include spoilers. It would be great if my babble encouraged someone to pick up a book they might otherwise not try. And generally this is easy enough. But when you're writing about the third book in a trilogy which involves lots of killing it becomes difficult to write about the characters without spoiling earlier books.
Having thought about this, my advice is for you to go read the first two books now and then come back again. Or just carry on anyway.
A lot of conflicting feelings appear throughout this story, with Katniss struggling to decide on where her future should lie. Should she keep hoping that Peeta will be safe or instead try to build a future with Gale? Should she keep her head down or agree to be the face of the rebellion? So granted, they're quite life-changing decisions, but there a few occasions on which I just wanted to knock some sense into her. Well, many occasions actually.
My sister and I discussed the trilogy yesterday and she commented that as the time in the Arena is her favourite bit, she liked the third book the least. I can definitely see that point of view. The moments in the Arena seem the most thought through, with the attention to detail and raw emotion. The idea flows throughout the third book that Katniss performs best when she is just being herself, and I think that when she is fighting for her survival, or someone else's, she really shines through.
I had my reservations during the second book about how many events had been set off so quickly, however it definitely wasn't as extreme as it could have been. I liked the way a lot of the events were handled. The brutality of war situations wasn't covered up, and the idea of klling others wasn't glorified. It was just there, as something that was happening and couldn't be avoided. And the aftermath of emotions were there too.
My favourite character stayed the same from the moment they were introduced in the first book to the very last page of the last book. This could mean that I'm loyal, that they are the best-written character, or that they are the one I sympathise with the most. Maybe it's all three, I don't know. But as it always seems sad to read a book and not truly want at least one character to succeed, I would say this did its job.
Definitely read the Hunger Games trilogy. Even if it's not your normal sort of book, give it ago. I'm not sure if I'll have chance to read it again, but get the feeling it will be playing on my mind for a while. And after the beautifully described last few chapters I have no desire at all to watch the film(s), there are just too many favourite moments for the filmmakers to get wrong.
Monday, 20 August 2012
Catching Fire - Suzanne Collins
My sister visited us last week and the only criteria I gave for letting her stay was the loan of the second and third books in the Hunger Games trilogy. And so yesterday afternoon, when I should have been unpacking boxes, I curled up on the sofa and started to read Catching Fire. With breaks for dinner and a bit of cleaning, I finished the book at around half past 10 last night.
In some ways that says everything that needs to be said, but given the speed with which I read the first book it's unsurprising that I found this one easy to get through. The story starts around six months after the end of the first book, shortly before the Victory Tour is about to commence. The major events of the missing six months are slowly filled in as the story progresses.
The break in time does allow for more 'important' storylines to be the focus, but as a character fan it also feels a slightly wasted opportunity. It almost feels as though they were marking time, and that the relationships have changed very little from where they were before. Any tense feelings that lasted for those months seem quickly forgiven and forgotten, although it is true that some things last on.
Far-fetched is a word that popped into my mind a lot when I was mentally replaying the story last night. Some aspects of the plot seemed overly dramatic and all very sudden. And our storyteller does seem to quickly change her mind about the most important of decisions. However, on reflection, it wasn't quite so far-fetched as it seemed. The gap of six months allows plenty of time for build ups, and the lack of communication between Districts would account for everything seeming sudden. And thinking about it, it's often the most important of decisions that are the hardest to make up your mind about and yet the clearest when the right answer has been reached.
I enjoyed reading Catching Fire, but I guess we'll have to wait until tomorrow for a true opinion as, like many second books in a trilogy, it's hard to judge the build-up without knowing the conclusion.
In some ways that says everything that needs to be said, but given the speed with which I read the first book it's unsurprising that I found this one easy to get through. The story starts around six months after the end of the first book, shortly before the Victory Tour is about to commence. The major events of the missing six months are slowly filled in as the story progresses.
The break in time does allow for more 'important' storylines to be the focus, but as a character fan it also feels a slightly wasted opportunity. It almost feels as though they were marking time, and that the relationships have changed very little from where they were before. Any tense feelings that lasted for those months seem quickly forgiven and forgotten, although it is true that some things last on.
Far-fetched is a word that popped into my mind a lot when I was mentally replaying the story last night. Some aspects of the plot seemed overly dramatic and all very sudden. And our storyteller does seem to quickly change her mind about the most important of decisions. However, on reflection, it wasn't quite so far-fetched as it seemed. The gap of six months allows plenty of time for build ups, and the lack of communication between Districts would account for everything seeming sudden. And thinking about it, it's often the most important of decisions that are the hardest to make up your mind about and yet the clearest when the right answer has been reached.
I enjoyed reading Catching Fire, but I guess we'll have to wait until tomorrow for a true opinion as, like many second books in a trilogy, it's hard to judge the build-up without knowing the conclusion.
Saturday, 18 August 2012
Enigma - Robert Harris
When I started writing this blog I made a rule for myself that I can't start reading a new book until the blog post for the previous one has been written. This ensures that I don't skip a blog post for any book, and so the record is maintained. Unfortunately this time it's somewhat backfired.
Due to being off work ill, I read most of Enigma in one day, finishing on Tuesday 7th August. Since then I have moved house, and so haven't managed to find the time to sit and write about it. However there have been lots of occasions on which I could have happily sat down and read a few chapters of book. And so the blog that was designed to keep me reading has stopped me reading. The real lesson is, though, that I should just make the time to write sooner!
Back in January I read Fatherland by Robert Harris and commented that I would try some more of his books in future, and the next one I picked was Enigma. As the name suggests, the story is based during World War II in Bletchley Park. For those who don't know, Bletchley Park was where the greatest British minds of the generation gathered to break the codes generated by the German Enigma machines.
The plot itself focuses on one particular cryptoanalyst called Tom Jericho. Part of it focuses on attempts to crack the hardest codes encountered so far, and the rest is a mystery surrounding Tom's former girlfriend. Each section starts with an extract from the real cryptography manuals from Bletchley Park, which is nice to set the scene and to give some explanations about the jargon used.
Many of the characters are proper geeks, which is kind of what you would expect from a group of mathematicians that all get together for a secret project. Personally, I didn't mind this. But then being one of the geeky cryptoanalysts would have a huge appeal to me, which may have swayed my opinion somewhat.
The concept of the story was interesting. At the start I wasn't really sure what to expect, which is probably a good way to go into a book really. It means that the story is judged for what it is, not for what you thought you already knew about it. In this case, the judging was pretty positive all round. Some of the characters did lack a little depth. I suppose you could argue that none of them knew each other overly well, and so the little details wouldn't have been mentioned, but it still felt difficult to really understand where they were coming from.
I would definitely recommend reading Enigma. Apart from anything, the historical context is fascinating, and anything that makes you want to find out more about the time in which it was set must be a good thing. I'm not sure what it would be like to read this with no prior knowledge of Turing, Bletchley Park or Enigma, but if that applies to you then read the book and let me know!
Due to being off work ill, I read most of Enigma in one day, finishing on Tuesday 7th August. Since then I have moved house, and so haven't managed to find the time to sit and write about it. However there have been lots of occasions on which I could have happily sat down and read a few chapters of book. And so the blog that was designed to keep me reading has stopped me reading. The real lesson is, though, that I should just make the time to write sooner!
Back in January I read Fatherland by Robert Harris and commented that I would try some more of his books in future, and the next one I picked was Enigma. As the name suggests, the story is based during World War II in Bletchley Park. For those who don't know, Bletchley Park was where the greatest British minds of the generation gathered to break the codes generated by the German Enigma machines.
The plot itself focuses on one particular cryptoanalyst called Tom Jericho. Part of it focuses on attempts to crack the hardest codes encountered so far, and the rest is a mystery surrounding Tom's former girlfriend. Each section starts with an extract from the real cryptography manuals from Bletchley Park, which is nice to set the scene and to give some explanations about the jargon used.
Many of the characters are proper geeks, which is kind of what you would expect from a group of mathematicians that all get together for a secret project. Personally, I didn't mind this. But then being one of the geeky cryptoanalysts would have a huge appeal to me, which may have swayed my opinion somewhat.
The concept of the story was interesting. At the start I wasn't really sure what to expect, which is probably a good way to go into a book really. It means that the story is judged for what it is, not for what you thought you already knew about it. In this case, the judging was pretty positive all round. Some of the characters did lack a little depth. I suppose you could argue that none of them knew each other overly well, and so the little details wouldn't have been mentioned, but it still felt difficult to really understand where they were coming from.
I would definitely recommend reading Enigma. Apart from anything, the historical context is fascinating, and anything that makes you want to find out more about the time in which it was set must be a good thing. I'm not sure what it would be like to read this with no prior knowledge of Turing, Bletchley Park or Enigma, but if that applies to you then read the book and let me know!
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