Book Blog

I started a new blog today. It will be totally dedicated to my book which will hopefully be published in early 2015.
The book is called A Lifelong Day, and the new website is alifelongday.wordpress.com
Check it out for news and info related to the book.

My Favourite Books of 2014

City of Stairs (Robert Jackson Bennett)
A wonderful book which defies genre classification, using elements of fantasy in its intricate world building, skirting the fringes of steampunk, and employing Lovecraftian monsters to bring the fear factor. All this balanced with political intrigue and religious questions. Masterful stuff.

Prince of Fools (Mark Lawrence)
A great follow up to Lawrence's debut trilogy, with a very different feel to it, showcasing his range. A much lighter book than any of the Broken Empire three, but one which also packs a real emotional punch when needed. Compelling characters are becoming Lawrence's hallmark, and this will not disappoint.

The Boy With The Porcelain Blade (Den Patrick)
The best debut I read all year. At times a tale of growing up and the trials and tribulations associated with that, at others a dark exploration of power and the the lengths some will go to to achieve and maintain it. A delicate balance managed beautifully.

Half A King (Joe Abercrombie)
From an author who has brought us so much wonderfully dark fantasy comes a young adult tale which retains all of which makes his previous books so successful, and introduces a whole new level to his craft which should win him multitudes of new fans.

The Truth About The Harry Quebert Affair (Joel Dicker)
A wonderfully complex crime novel, filled with suspense and interesting characters.  Translated into English from the original French, the story is set in New England USA, and reads very much like an American novel. A huge hit on both sides of the Atlantic, and easy to see why.

Prince of Fools (Red Queen's War, book 1) by Mark Lawrence

Having read (and loved) Lawrence's debut trilogy, you could be forgiven for thinking you knew what to expect with his latest effort. I see them as very different beasts, as the protagonists are almost polar opposites, so too are the tone of the stories.
Jorg was all action, bloodthirsty to a degree, but cold and calculating with a deliberate endgame. Jalan, the titluar fool, is none of these things. At all. An accidental hero from a war we only hear about second hand, a self confessed coward, with more than an ounce of pride accompanying that, he is thrust into an epic quest by being magically tied to the viking Snorri.
Told in first person by Jalan, he doesn't hide, from us, his eagerness to escape this entirely inconvenient predicament. Jalan would much prefer to be hopping in and out of pretty ladies beds, than in and out of near death scrapes with the Undead and assassins.
Jorg and Jalan are both anti-heroes, but there their similarities end. Lawrence has a rare gift of making his readers root for unlikely characters, but he has done this successfully again here. Despite Jalans protestations to the contrary he develops a genuine affection for his big norse companion and puts himself in harms way to aid him. While not completely redeemed of his cowardly ways by the end, Jalan certainly goes through a change and is all the stronger for being aware of this.
Lawrence writes absorbing tales, with a roundedness to his characters that enhance the telling of these tales.

Willful Child by Steven Erikson

The author of the high fantasy series The Malazan Book of the Fallen, has crossed genres with this comedic spoof of Star Trek. Similarities will inevitably be drawn with John Scalzi's Redshirts, but these are very different books. While Scalzi's novel took meta to a new level, this is pure, unadulterated fun. Captain Hadrian Sawback is all the worst qualities of Kirk rolled up into one gigantic sleazeball, and he is all the more wonderful for that! Tammy, the sentient computer is brilliantly disdainful and acerbic, and the supporting cast fills all the stereotypes you would expect to find in the original series.
A very good spin which cleverly riffs on the storylines and characterisations of Star Trek, which Erikson clearly has a lot of affection for.  Added to this, several laugh out load moments and a genuinely engaging plot make this an extremely readable book.

Thanks to the publisher for the review copy. (Via NetGalley)

City of Stairs by Robert Jackson Bennett

Sometimes a book comes along which exceeds already lofty expectations. Robert Jackson Bennett's City of Stairs is such a book, and more. Many reviews have been so positive I was prepared for the glorious prose, the incredible world-building, (even to a degree, Sigrud!). What I didn't anticipate was that the book would make me think so much.
The book begins as a simple murder mystery, albeit one set in a post-deity ruled landscape. As the story develops though, so does the theme of religion and how it affects society. The world Bennett created is no longer merely a setting in which the story takes place, but a living, breathing character all its own.
The biggest compliment I can pay this book is that I have tried to start three books since I finished this, to no avail. My mind returns to Bulikov, a wondrous city filled with echoes of dead gods. The questions raised by Bennett are fundamentally existential. Do the gods create the people in their own image, or do the people shape the gods to be who they need them to be? Bennet doesn't presume to answer this, but poses the question in a totally unique way.

Stop whatever you are doing and read this book.
You're already welcome.

Qualifying Qualification

**NON-Book Related Post**

The recent international fixtures have made me think.  Surely there’s a better way of organising these games that doesn’t interfere with club matches.  The current arrangements are, in my opinion, no longer suitable for the modern game.  As the wage payers, surely the clubs are entitled to not face long periods of time without players due to injuries received on international duty.  The recent injury of Daniel Sturridge of Liverpool, for example, occurred while training for England, against the wishes of the club who pays his wages.  Liverpool pay him £140,000 a week, and he’s been unavailable for 5 weeks, that’s £700,000.  Add to the fact that Liverpool could argue his absence has undoubtedly caused the team to drop points in their own league campaign. Highly inconvenient to say the least for Liverpool.

Also, many of these games are little more than extended training sessions, with England facing, in this current period, games against Estonia and San Marino.  The Republic of Ireland even put 7 past Gibraltar.  Not exactly competitive.

How about we re-arrange these qualification games to take place all at the same time, at the end of the season?  For example, the Premier League season runs to 38 games, so at one a week, from the start of September until the end of May.  Obviously with midweek games, and the busier schedule at Christmas, there could be a saving of seven or eight weeks, bringing the league campaign to a conclusion at the beginning or middle of April.  So, therefore, May, June, July and August would be totally free.  Obviously every other year we have Euros and the World Cup, so in the year immediately preceding those tournaments we could easily have the entire qualification process. 

The format would remain essentially the same, x amount of teams split into x amount of groups.  Under this programme, we would have all the games taking place in a ‘qualification tournament’, all in one of the countries, who would obviously lobby for the right to host in much the same way as countries apply to host the real tournaments.  The groups would be drawn immediately following the previous tournament, and would take place the year before the next.  So, following Euro 2016 the draw would be made for Euro 2020 and the qualification to take place in the summer of 2019.  The summer of 2017 would see the qualification for World Cup 2018, and so on and so on.  Under this plan, even smaller countries, in footballing terms, such as Kazakhstan, Georgia, the Balkan and the Baltic States, could host a mini tournament made up of seven to eight teams, whereas they could never hope to host the main event.  This would improve their stature within the game, and encourage the improvement of stadia and infrastructure, which would only benefit football fans in the long term in those countries.

Clubs would be on board, as it gives them access to their own players for the entirety of a season, with no inconvenient breaks, especially for foreign players travelling to South America, or Africa and back, often missing an extra game to allow for jet lag.  This would bring a togetherness to the playing squad, without damaging momentum, as they wouldn't all be flying off to various corners of the globe every six to eight weeks.   Also, for the national side, having a squad together for an extended period of time can only be an advantage, rather than for a week here, and a week there.  Add to this, the fact that the players would be fully focused without the worry or distractions of club duties looming large over them.  Even an injury which may only keep a player out for three to four weeks, is extremely damaging to a club playing an intensive domestic campaign, both with league and cup games, but essentially the player may only miss one international, so the coach is less bothered at that level (Roy Hodgson’s attitude to Daniel Sturridge, and Liverpool being a case-in-point).  On the flip side of that, the same injury picked up in the club’s off season is much less a cause for concern, and if the player then faces the possibility of missing the entire qualification tournament, the perhaps the international coach might be less inclined to disregard medical advice from the player’s club. 

Another idea would be to limit the number of team eligible to actually play in these tournaments.  With the greatest of respect to Gibraltar, San Marino, Andorra et al, games against these teams, for the majority of Europe are little more than an opportunity to improve their goal difference, and present no challenge whatsoever.  How about giving them their own tournament whereby they earn the right to play the big boys?  A preliminary group comprising of those three along with Liechtenstein, Luxembourg and the Faroe Islands.  Possibly others.  The winner then gets to enter qualifying for real, and gives them a real sense of ambition that the current set-up deprives them off.  Being cannon fodder for even the weaker nations cannot be much fun, but with a level playing field, a genuine prize, and a chance to earn their spot at the top table, and even an opportunity to improve against similarly ranked teams.

Just something to think about for UEFA and FIFA....

Personal, a Jack Reacher novel, by Lee Child

I love Jack Reacher.  A real guilty pleasure. Except I hate that term. Why is it a 'guilty' pleasure? Why should such a thing exist? I have touched on this on an earlier blog post. We should never feel guilty for liking something. Enjoyment of anything is a good thing, and although they're not exactly high literature, I really enjoy Reacher novels.
 Big, bad, brutal, brilliant. Reacher books are just like the character himself. Completely and unashamedly aware of themselves, knowing what they are, and where they fit in this world.  This is book 19, and they are only getting better.
 Lee Child is an author so comfortable inside his character every nuance feels so realised, it is almost impossible not to inhabit that world with him.     'Unputdownable' is a word overused in literature reviews, and I have, thus far, refused to dish it out regardless of how much I liked a book. But each and every Reacher novel, and short story Child releases cries out for this descriptor to be thrust in its direction.    A fast-paced thriller, with plenty of action, this does exactly what it promises. It fits a mould, and is the best of that mould.  A formula which works, which Child has, over the 19 books, honed to almost perfection.  A huge fan-base does not happen accidently, and does not happen for bad books.  A great addition to a great series.  Bring on book 20.

Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch

 The follow up to the hugely impressive Lies of Locke Lamora, (also reviewed on this blog), comes across as a very different book. The scams, while equally elaborate take a back seat in this installment to the adventure and survival of our heroes.
 A smaller cast, initially, due to the heart-breaking events at the end of the first book, we meet Locke and Jean recovering from that epic showdown. Their relationship has changed as well, giving Jean much more of an important role.  The characterisation is much more developed here, we see stresses between characters which didn't exist, or were ignored, earlier.  This makes for a rounder reading experience as we can relate to the players, rather than simply be impressed by them, as was often the case in the first book.
 With the book starting with just Locke and Jean, the scale felt small and intimate. Gradually though, Lynch introduces more characters, both friends and foes.  Each of these feels real too, which is a real testament to the author's skill. As with book one, a lot of plates are spinning at once, and here, much more so, the characters actually add to and influence the plots rather than simply exist as pawns within the game.
 A much more mature book, and a brilliant sequel to a really good debut.

Update on goings on

Very quick post here, to explain a lack of reviews on here lately.

I am currently trying to write my own book, and have been for a while now.

But now i can say, it is going to be published!

Titled A Lifelong Day, it will be available in paperback and on kindle, both through amazon.com and .co.uk

I expect (hope) to have it finished and released before Christmas, so I can take advantage of the season of goodwill, hint hint. A great stocking filler it will make, no?

So, that's that then.

Cheers.

A Country Fit For Zeroes by Sean Kavanagh

Very like Sean Kavanagh's previous effort, Fiction on Foreign Planets, (also reviewed on this blog) this is a collection of very witty, very sharp, very short short stories.
Kavanagh's style of writing is excellent and perfectly suited to this genre. The brevity of the pieces is also perfectly aligned with the subject matter, as there is no wasted set-ups, or superfluous dialogue.
Each story is unique, and straight to the point. This is certainly an advantage here as the book can, and probably will, be devoured in one sitting.
As with Kavanagh's previous effort, highly recommended. .

Half A King by Joe Abercrombie

A bit of a departure for an author well known for his 'grimdark' style. But easily his most readable book yet. A genuinely engaging protagonist, with an absorbing story of betrayal, camaraderie and amidst all of this, the not so easy task of growing up.
Very deliberately a Young Adult novel, this still pulls no punches, with explosive action scenes and themes ranging from slavery to mass murder.  Abercrombie manages here to deliver a book which should retain enough of his unique style to keep long term fans happy, while (hopefully) introducing a new generation to a different type of fantasy.
 The second son, crippled from birth, Yarvi suddenly finds himself King after his father and brother's death. Betrayed for the throne he didn't want and left for dead, Yarvi, via slavery, shipwrecks and near starvation (to name but a few trials!), makes a last stand to reclaim his birthright.
 Forging unexpected friendships, dealing with and overcoming difficulties and differences, staying your course in the face of adversity. These issues and more make this fantasy novel so relevant and important to younger readers.
 Well done Joe Abercrombie. And this is only part one of a planned trilogy to be released over the next year and a half. If the next two installments are half as good as Half a King, then they'll be too good by half.
Quite simply, this is the best book I've had the pleasure of reading for a long, long time.

(Also, please note the signed copy I was lucky enough to get, so thanks Joe and HarperVoyager for that!)

Golazo by Andreas Campomar

If you like football, and the history of the game in arguably the most football loving part of the world, this book is a must read.
A little bit laborious to begin with, as the author goes into, for me, a little too much detail on the beginnings of the game in that part of the world. The pace improves as the book goes on, and is in parts educational and insightful.

Fiction on Foreign Planets

Fiction on Foreign Planets
By Sean Kavanagh

A short story collection where the word 'short' really does not do it justice. Very short, snappy slices of sci-fi, and very funny in places.    The stories all follow a similar pattern, a standard sci fi set up, alien setting, or alien characters, or both, with a quirky twist at the end of each, all of which are very satisfying in their own way.
 My personal favourite is one which tries (hilariously) to blame global warming on tge Roswell landings.            Another about a sentient android spreading disease throughout the galaxy is intelligently written.
 Overall a very quick, enjoyable read. Recommended.

The Lies of Locke Lamora

 Ive heard this book described as a 'heist story', and while there certainly is an element of that within its pages, this is so much more than that simple description. We're introduced to the protagonist Locke as a child thief, a ward of the 'Thiefmaker', and very soon discover that Locke is a bit of a handful, to say the least. What follows is his transfer to the stewardship of Father Chains, under whom Locke and his new friends develop skills to enhance their particular brand of thievery. Very soon they begin what is a very intricate heist, one which would leave Danny Ocean and Thomas Crown scratching their heads.
 We're also introduced to a complex criminal hierarchical system, and a threat to its leadership. Locke's skill set brings him to the attention of one of the parties, and his unwilling involvement in this power struggle soon sees the heist almost abandoned as lives are risked and allegiances tested.
 Flashbacks in the form of 'Interludes' give us glimpses into the bonds formed between Locke and his gang of Gentlemen Bastards.
 The world created by Lynch is brilliantly realised, and with only the briefest of backgrounds given to explain its construction, I look forward to revelations in the subsequent books of the series.
 The dialogue is also fantastic in that the vulgarity of the streets juxtaposed with the eloquence of the nobility meshes almost seamlessly and adds to the sense that there is so much more than meets the eye to this story.
 What I really liked was that although this is the first book in a series, it was a self-contained story with a clear beginning and ending, leaving us with just our heroes, and a sense of what might be an over-arcing scheme on a much grander scale to continue the adventures.

The Dresden Files: Storm Front

I have been aware of these books for quite a while, partly through the short lived tv series (of which I remember very little, to be honest), but had been put off reading them simply because I had heard that the first few were not very good. And to me, there is no point in reading a series of, to date, 15 books, if you're not going to start at the beginning. So I put Dresden off, and off, and off.
Really wish I hadn't.
This book was great. A great 'hero' and a really great magic system which is so important in carrying a series through so many novels.
There are flaws, but these are small enough to not impact too negatively on the reading, which is quick as the plot really flies along, as well as introducing us to various characters and settings.
I really liked this book, and if it is considered one of the weakest of the lot, then I really can't wait to pick up the rest.

The Truth About The Harry Quebert Affair by Joël Dicker

A difficult book to review. A book within a book. A crime novel about people, about relationships, about books. A love story, a bromance. All these things and more make up The Truth About The Harry Quebert Affair.
A book with a compelling core which had me hooked from the opening pages, its relentless twists and turns kept me guessing right to the end. A truly disturbing revelation about one of the main characters (don't worry, you'll find no spoilers here!) genuinely left my jaw on the floor and that doesn't happen often.
While the central characters were deftly written and nuanced, some of the background players were little more than caricatures, Marcus' publisher and mother for example. These niggles stop the book being a classic and that is a shame as it was an entirely enjoyable and satisfying read.

*A free e-ARC was provided by the publisher via netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.

Published by Quercus Books with a release date of 01/05/14

The Boy With The Porcelain Blade by Den Patrick

Sometimes reading a book by a new author is a difficult experience. It's like meeting someone for the first time, a little awkward, not quite at ease with each other. Other times, though, it's an entirely different situation where you immediately feel like you've known them forever. This was how I felt when I met, sorry, read Den Patrick's debut novel. The titular boy, Lucien, an Orfano, in the world of nobles is less than, and at the same time more than that. Amongst political intrigue and deception, Lucien struggles to find his place in the world while also trying to simply stay alive.
A beautifully written novel, with a greatly sympathetic protagonist set in a world you really feel we've only scratched the surface of.
I look forward to spending more time with new friends
 in Demense throughout the rest of this trilogy.
Very highly recommended.

The Girl Who Would Be King by Kelly Thompson

A superhero story with a difference. Two girls blessed with super powers,  one good one bad. Not the most original of set-ups, but done very well nonetheless. The good girl was perhaps a little bland and predictable,  but this book really came to life when focusing on the evil character.  The descent into madness was drawn out exceptionally well and made for a fuller character than the good version.  While the ending was a little obvious, its hard to criticise as things are rarely wrapped up neatly, and this proves that fact.

Redshirts by John Scalzi

As a (massive) Star Trek fan, I'd put off reading this book for a while as I was worried it would be a little condescending towards it. It was actually quite the opposite. A really good story oozing with affection for the obvious inspirational source material. Really inventive in parts with enough nods to trends and tropes inherent in scifi space operas to give it a really familiar feel. The only real criticism I have is that the characters themselves were pretty one-dimensional. This may have been because they were extras within their own show, and as such didn't have too much personality, but I found myself, towards the end of the book caring more about how clever the resolution would be rather than if the main players would all make it to the finish line. That said, a good story that was an easy read and ultimately very enjoyable.