Category: Reviews

Review – A Monster Calls

Posted December 26, 2016 by Nicky in Reviews / 6 Comments

Cover of A Monster Calls by Patrick NessA Monster Calls, Patrick Ness, Jim Kay, Siobhan Dowd

This book came highly recommended: before I ever even considered picking it up, I must have seen half a dozen posts from friends giving it four and five stars. Even the tough guys in my acquaintance also mentioned how touching they found it. So I was more or less prepared.

To me, the actual story is reasonably predictable. I guessed the content of Conor’s nightmare, for example, and the ultimate motive of the yew tree monster. For all that, the book remains powerful: Conor’s isolation, his reactions to his mother’s cancer, all come across perfectly; he feels like a real kid, bearing up under something horrible. He’s not artificially sympathetic: he does the dishes and hangs out the laundry for his sick mother, but he also has a destructive anger inside him. He’s ungrateful towards a friend and vindictive towards those around him… But he’s also alone and coping badly with a situation he isn’t adult enough for. This isn’t saccharine-sweet: he’s a kid, and he acts like one. He’s mature in some ways and not in others.

The real payoff here is the ending; the yew tree is interesting, the stories it tells, and it’s true there are some truths in fairy tales and fables. But it’s what the yew tree does for Conor, and what he then does with that understanding, which really makes this book hit home. I know why the tough guys who read it might’ve cried. That resolution is beautifully done, whatever I think of how obvious the lead-up was.

Rating: 4/5

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Review – Death of a Unicorn

Posted December 25, 2016 by Nicky in Reviews / 0 Comments

Cover of Death of a Unicorn by Peter DickinsonDeath of a Unicorn, Peter Dickinson

I knew going in that this was a mystery novel, and not actually fantasy — however the title might make it sound. But it doesn’t actually seem like much of a mystery novel, either, for pretty much the whole first section. It’s kind of fun in a voyeuristic sort of way — young debutante becomes gossip writer for a magazine — but the whole thing didn’t quite work for me. The narration jumps around, I didn’t like the characters, I didn’t think the footnotes were well done (they work even less well than usual when you read something in ebook format).

Before long, I found myself skimming, and not long after that, I just didn’t care at all. I think Dickinson wrote some fantasy, and I’d be a bit more interested in trying that, considering that he was married to Robin McKinley and did some writing with her as well.

Rating: 2/5

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Review – Predictably Irrational

Posted December 24, 2016 by Nicky in Reviews / 0 Comments

Cover of Predictably Irrational by Dan ArielyPredictably Irrational, Dan Ariely

If the brain is predictably irrational, then the books which warn us we aren’t the rational creatures we hope are also predictable. I don’t think there was a single circumstance in Ariely’s book I wasn’t already aware of from one experiment or another, one summary or another. That said, Predictably Irrational is well written and easy to digest; there’s no technobabble, and everything is presented in a very readable and readily understandable format. It’s not Dan Ariely’s fault that I’ve read all this stuff before.

If you don’t know much about the topic of the way our brains work, and how counter-intuitive it sometimes is, then this is a good place to start. Unfortunately, that means I don’t have much to say about it — it didn’t hold any surprises for me.

Rating: 3/5

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Review – Natural Causes

Posted December 22, 2016 by Nicky in Reviews / 0 Comments

Cover of Natural Causes by James OswaldNatural Causes, James Oswald

I’m not entirely sure why I originally picked this up; I think it might have been one of those deals where you can get a book for £2.99 if you buy The Telegraph, or whichever other newspaper. At the time, I was regularly buying the newspaper for my grandmother, and if her choice of paper wasn’t available, I’d pick something else more or less at random. A newspaper that offers a cheap book alongside it is always going to win with me, of course.

Anyway, so I knew little about this book going in. It seems to have caused no little frustration for some people: though marketed as a crime fiction novel, in fact the cause of the murders turns out to be supernatural. The murder can’t be solved unless you assume the presence of a demon which jumps between different people’s bodies, despite the fact that the rest of the story builds up clear chains of evidence, links together cases, etc. I don’t mind that, but I do think there’s a bit of a sense this book was mismarketed — though equally, I don’t think it’d appeal to the more fantastical crowd either. It’s no Rivers of London or Storm Front. The two elements sit oddly side by side here, and to me, it’s not clear where it’s going to go as a series. Is McLean going to become a supernatural investigator? Or was this the one strange case of his career? Presumably not the latter, since this is the first book of a series, but it’s not obvious.

The pacing is relatively sedate: it feels like a police procedural. I think that’s the problem — it’s a police procedural with supernatural trappings, and that just doesn’t seem to wash. It’d have to be more integrated — something like, to harp on it, Rivers of London.

I’m not that interested in reading other books, though it wasn’t a bad experience. Shades of fridging, though: the main murder victim is an innocent young girl whose case consumes the inspector’s thoughts because of her youth and innocence, a young PC dies to protect the main character (presumably mostly for his sense of guilt), and the most important woman in McLean’s life is his comatose grandmother, who dies partway through. Hm.

Rating: 2/5

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Review – The Talisman Ring

Posted December 21, 2016 by Nicky in Reviews / 0 Comments

Cover of The Talisman Ring by Georgette HeyerThe Talisman Ring, Georgette Heyer

I was feeling a bit stressed, so it felt like the perfect time to revisit The Talisman Ring (and maybe also The Grand Sophy, if I get the chance). Heyer’s books are the perfect light reading to my mind: relatable characters, witty dialogue, entertaining set-ups… In this one, two cousins are supposed to get married, despite being completely unsuited; hijinks (and a few more cousins joining in) ensue.

The joy is really in the exuberance of the two ‘heroic’ characters, as I think of them, Eustacie and Ludovic, coming up against the two ‘sensible’ (ish) characters, Tristram and Sarah. They all end up in absurdly dramatic situations, of course, and it quickly becomes obvious that Eustacie is much more suited to Ludovic than to Tristram. And in the background, unnoticed by Eustacie, Tristram and Sarah begin to have a greater regard for each other — while sniping at each other, of course. (Though less so than in, say, Faro’s Daughter, where the relationship was so adversarial and the male lead so supercilious, it was hard to enjoy.)

I make no claims for this book’s depth; I just enjoy the characterisations, the dialogue, the wit. It’s vastly fun. Though, Heyer being the person she was, the historical details and such are probably very much in the right places.

Rating: 5/5

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Review – The Sealed Letter

Posted December 20, 2016 by Nicky in Reviews / 2 Comments

Cover of The Sealed Letter by Emma DonoghueThe Sealed Letter, Emma Donoghue

I have a couple of friends who worship at the altar of Emma Donoghue, and I think I bought this in a sale back when someone was being particularly vocal about Donoghue. As a piece of imaginative reconstruction, as historical fiction, it’s well enough done — I think there are a couple of anachronisms, potentially on purpose for convenience, but for the most part, it evokes the era it’s set in. The main character, Emily Faithfull, is based on a real person who is pretty fascinating: she was a women’s rights activist and publisher, who got entangled in a famous divorce case. This book tries to untangle that and see what part she had to play.

Which is where it falls down for me, because Fido (as she’s called) is clearly head over heels for Helen, and it’s just as clearly pathetic. It’s not going to happen. Take this scene, for example:

Fido winces at the image. She bends over Helen. “Lean on me, my own one. I’ll stand by you.”
“Through everything?”
“Everything!”
“I can stay?”
“For as long as you need.” Forever, Fido’s thinking, though she doesn’t dare say it, not yet.
“Oh Fido, how did I ever manage without you, all those lonely years!”
Her mind is leaping into the future. Why not? Women do live together, sometimes, if they have the means and are free from other obligations. It’s eccentric, but not improper. She’s known several examples in the Reform movement: Miss Power Cobbe and her “partner” Miss Lloyd, for instance. It can be done. It would be a change of life for Helen – but hasn’t her life been utterly changed, without her consent, already? Can’t the caterpillar shrug off its cramped case and emerge with tremulous wings?

Gaaah, no, Helen is lying and manipulating you — as always. It’s Tegan and Sara’s ‘Boyfriend‘; it’s the straight girl relying on her lesbian friend’s feelings for her to get away with anything. It’s not a story I’m interested in, because it is one which is played out with boring regularity.

Frankly, I was bored. Nothing about this sparkled enough to get over the fact that I just was not interested in that central relationship. Been there, done that.

Rating: 2/5

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Review – This Is Your Brain on Music

Posted December 19, 2016 by Nicky in Reviews / 2 Comments

Cover of This Is Your Brain on Music by Daniel LevitinThis Is Your Brain on Music, Daniel Levitin

Despite loving singing, and having been good enough to perform and not have people run away, I know very little about music. Not that Levitin would be a snob about that, from the sound of this book, but it still forms a bit of a barrier to understanding when someone starts talking about semitones. I can sing C on demand, and I know when something is out of tune — what more do you want? (Although unlike most people, I have a bad sense of timing, apparently: I routinely sing slower than the original version of anything I’m performing. Most people apparently preserve the timing of the version they know best. Trivia!)

So anyway, the music side of this passed me by, mostly, despite the primer in the opening chapters. But the neuroscience behind music is fascinating, and Levitin explains it well. There are a few sections which drag as he spends too long explaining things, but on the other hand he references a wide selection of music, applying what he’s talking about to songs people often know. (Which again led me to wishing I knew more music, but this time popular music — I think I got one out of every five references? And my acquaintance with Bowie is pretty darn recent.)

I feel like the best people to appreciate this have a bit more music theory and a bit less neuroscience in their background, but nonetheless, I found it an intriguing read.

Rating: 3/5

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Review – Terra

Posted December 18, 2016 by Nicky in Reviews / 0 Comments

Cover of Terra by Mitch BennTerra, Mitch Benn

This was the perfect read for me at the point when I got hold of it. It’s funny, sometimes silly, but it also has a lot of heart. It’s sceptical about humanity and the way we behave, but hopeful too. There’s all kinds of fun glimpses at the alien culture Terra becomes part of, with its different norms and expectations. And goodness knows, if my dad weren’t pretty awesome and probably a space alien anyway, I’d want Lbbp to be my father-figure.

It’s relatively simplistic and light, written more for a young adult audience, but it was exactly what I needed at the moment I read it. It’s well written, well paced, and has a refreshingly nice take on human (and alien) nature.

I don’t know what to say about it, except that I found it a delight, and my wife had better read it soon.

Rating: 4/5

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Review – Cleopatra: Last Queen of Egypt

Posted December 17, 2016 by Nicky in Reviews / 4 Comments

Cover of Cleopatra by Joyce TyldesleyCleopatra: Last Queen of Egypt, Joyce Tyldesley

This book is a solid biography of Cleopatra, appreciating her cleverness and ability as a politician, and examining how the world at the time reacted to her. It’s perhaps a little drier than people would hope — how could you make Cleopatra so academic, when she’s such a colourful figure? Well, I don’t mind that at all, and I enjoyed the way it contextualised her achievements and dissected the myths surrounding her. It delves into the background of her rule and her city, as well, giving a picture of Egypt under the Ptolemies.

I’ve enjoyed other books by Tyldesley before, and though it’s not one of my areas of expertise, I have found her books well-written, referenced and clear. That’s more than I can say for some other Egyptologists who write for the pop-history crowd. Other than that, I don’t have much basis to make a judgement, but I found this one enjoyable.

Rating: 4/5

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Review – Cold Night Lullaby

Posted December 16, 2016 by Nicky in Reviews / 0 Comments

Cover of Cold Night Lullaby by Colin MacKayCold Night Lullaby, Colin MacKay

Flashback Friday from 25th December, 2009

I asked for Colin Mackay’s Cold Night Lullaby for Christmas 2009 because of Karine Polwart’s song, ‘Waterlily’. It’s a beautiful song, and one that has been known to make me cry — based on Colin Mackay’s writing about his experiences in Bosnia, about the woman he loved, Svetlana. I couldn’t tell you about the really technical merits of the poetry right now, but the images are so vivid, searing. I doubt I can ever, ever listen to ‘Waterlily’ again without crying. Especially when I know what Colin Mackay went on to do — how he killed himself, so very, very methodically.

Reading around a little, I can see that there are some questions about geography/chronology in these poems. I wouldn’t be surprised by some fictionality, or inaccuracy due to how confusing and bewildering living through something like that can be, how destroying, but I think that Colin Mackay probably believed every word he wrote — and that’s what matters.

Rating: 5/5

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