Quatermass' Novel Reading Blog

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Book number ten, and the first sequel to be read in sequence.

REVIEW: Wild Cards II: Aces High edited by George RR Martin



If the original Wild Cards book was rather like a more lighter version of Watchmen, then Aces High, the second book in the series, mixes in Lovecraftian horror and alien invasion movies, in a mixture that, though faintly ridiculous, is still an entertaining read.

In Aces High, a mysterious cult calling themselves the Masons (Egyptian Masons, to be precise) seem set on summoning the horrendous TIAMAT to Earth, something alluded to in a sotry from the first Wild Cards book. And TIAMAT is not just any old monster, but one of the biggest threats in the universe, known to Takisian scientist Dr Tachyon as the Swarm. The Aces (superheroes) must fight two of the greatest threats to mankind, while Dr Tachyon must face a threat from his own past...his family. And an alien spy posing as a Joker walks a very fine line...

Wild Cards didn't have as much of a coherent storyline as Aces High did, but, ironically enough, this was one of the biggest things in its favour. Aces High, on the other hand, has to have a far more coherent storyline, written by several authors. Although the plot leaves a little to be desired, it is more than made up for by the wide variety of weird and wonderful characters, many of whom were seen in the original Wild Cards. One of my favourite Aces, just for sheer novelty and humour value, is Captain Trips, a brilliant biochemist/hippy who turns into a different superhero every time he uses drugs.

We also see the beginning of a main villain for the series, the Astronomer, a malevolent mystic who gains his powers through the deaths of others, and, as such, the polar opposite of Fortunato, an Ace who gets his power from tantric sex rituals.

Jube the Walrus, and, as it is revealed fairly early on, alien spy, is an entertaining character who brings the disparate plot threads together, and who has both a funny side to him, as well as a sense of pathos.

The plot, however, sounds like a cliched plot taken from the works of HP Lovecraft or Mike Mignola (though to be fair, Hellboy started well after Aces High, to my knowledge), and seem fantastical, compared to the human drama involved in the previous Wild Cards book.

That being said, it is still a good book for those who enjoyed the original Wild Cards, and I still recommend that you read it, especially if you have enjoyed Watchmen.

7.25/10

First words: (From Pennies from Hell) There were maybe a dozen of them. Fortunato couldn't be sure exactly because they kept moving, trying to circle behind him. Two or three had knives, the rest had sawed-off pool cues, car antennas, anything that would hurt. They were hard to tell apart. Jeans, black leather jackets, long, slicked back hair. At least three of them matched the vague description Chrysalis had given him.

Last words: (From Jube: Seven) "Croyd," Jube said, "sorry to bother you. It's about this body..."

This makes the eleventh book...

REVIEW: A Lion Among Men by Gregory Maguire



After the disappointment of Son of a Witch, it took me a little time to consider reading the third, most recent addition to the Wicked Years version of the Oz mythos. However, I decided to take a bash at it. After all, instead of continuing the story of Elphaba either directly or through her offspring, A Lion Among Men goes back to where Wicked began, and looks at one of the well-established characters of the Oz mythos, and how their lives were affected by the politics of Oz.

The story begins when Yackle, a character from both Wicked and Son of a Witch, feels her time growing near. An oracle who had been involved in the lives of both Elphaba and her son Liir, she prepares for her end, only for it not to come. Shortly afterwards, the Cowardly Lion, otherwise known as Brrr, arrives, seemingly sent on a mission from Emerald City to track down information about Elphaba and Liir. A mental sparring contest follows, where Brrr and Yackle go over their respective pasts, while war looms ever nearer on the horizon.

To me, A Lion Among Men is a far better book than Son of a Witch, and certainly has parts better than Wicked. Elphaba was an excellent protagonist because one, we assumed her to be evil from the original Oz stories, and two, she struggled to do good within a corrupt Oz. Liir was really little more than a shadow of his mother, though to Maguire's credit, Liir was written to this effect. But Brrr has his own singular identity, and his own troubles and struggles. More light is shed on the effects of the Animal discrimination laws (animals who talk are given capital letters), and how they affect Brrr's own life, as well as how they affect his reputation, how he became known as the Cowardly Lion.

The development of Yackle was surprising, but also rather well done, wrapping up her story in the end in an unexpected, but satisfying conclusion. Revelations about other aspects of the overarching Wicked Years storyline seem, to me, to be heading towards some sort of conclusion, if there is one in the making.

Although each book of the Wicked Years seems to be about the search for identity, and the nature of morality, A Lion Among Men, at least, tries to do things differently. Although the first two books probably need to be read in order to understand A Lion Among Men, it would make a good stand-alone novel itself.


8/10

First words: The time came for her to die, and she would not die; so perhaps she might waste away, they thought, and she did waste, but not away; and the time came for her to receive final absolution, so they set candles upon her clavicle, but this she would not allow. She blasphemed with gusto and she knocked the scented oils across the shroud they'd readied on a trestle nearby.

Last words: A plodder, he watched his feet on the ground. Had he turned to look up, to review the map of Oz in the clouds, he'd have seen the first stain of battle smoke rising against the white. Lightning was waiting in the heavens, of course. Sooner or later, the lightning comes to us all. In the meantime, for a moment, the clouds had rearranged themselves, and he might have said that they looked like a flying creature, a shadow angel, all light and impertinence. But the clouds only suggested this to themselves, while he kept his head down, bent to his task.

11 books in nearly 3 weeks.

Yow...I think I've read 2 books in the last 11 days, so you've got me beat.

Well, there you go. The next book will most likely be Artemis Fowl: The Arctic Incident, followed shortly by Captain Blood.

The twelfth book is...

REVIEW: Artemis Fowl: The Arctic Incident by Eoin Colfer




Sequels are rarely better than the original book, and although the second Artemis Fowl book is a very good book, it fails to surpass its predecessor, though never for want of trying.

A year after the events of the previous novel, Artemis receives a mysterious video file that appears to show his father, apparently a hostage of the Russian Mafiya. Before he can set out to rescue him, with the help of the ever faithful Butler, Captain Holly Short apprehends them on suspicion of supplying a Goblin criminal gang with human batteries to power obsolete laser weapons. But when Commander Root and Captain Short confirm Fowl's innocence, they make a deal. If Artemis can find out who is supplying the Goblins with the batteries and obsolete weapons, they will help him find Artemis' father. But this mission turns out to lead to a conspiracy to overthrow the rulers of the Lower Elements...

The plot is actually more complex than the original Artemis Fowl, involving two major plot threads instead of one. The issue over Artemis Fowl's father is mostly relegated to the backburner, though, with most of the plot revolving around an attempted coup. Although this has a fairly childish language (you could safely read this to a kid, most of the time), it is still a fairly dark and mature book, involving murder, political intrigue, kidnapping (this time, it is Artemis who is the victim, with his father the hostage), double-dealing, terrorism, gang-warfare, and at least one Oscar heist.

My main complaint is that Artemis is portrayed less amorally than in the original book, though to be fair, events and circumstances may not have allowed this. And the two main villains are not exactly realistic. One is obsessed with revenge after his humiliation in the original Artemis Fowl (I'm not including the name for spoiler's sake) turned him from Handsome Fairy SOB to Scarface Elf. The other is basically a female Blofeld with serious ego issues, and is about as multidimensional as a sheet of paper. Maybe later books will remedy this. And the Russian mobsters are fairly stereotypical. I would have thought that, after the original book, Eoin Colfer would have put more effort in.

That being said, despite being a relatively inferior sequel, Artemis Fowl: The Arctic Incident is still a cracking good read. It could have been much better, but it is still quite good. I still wholeheartedly recommend it.


8/10

First words:By the age of thirteen, our subject, Artemis Fowl, was showing signs of an intellect greater than that of any human since Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Artemis had beaten European chess champion Evan Kashoggi in an online tournament, patented over twenty-seven inventions and won the architectural competition to design Dublin's new opera house. He had also written a computer program that diverted millions of dollars from Swiss bank accounts to his own, forged over a dozen Impressionist paintings and cheated the Fairy People out of a substantial amount of gold.

Last words: Artemis smiled back. "Yes," he said, "I believe I have."

I did once read the collected works of Sherlock Holmes in one sitting; from Milan to Chicago...

Sounds like some good stuff here. I tend to frequent used book stores, so the selection is a bit more limited, still, you never know. I'll have to keep some of these on the old radar for my next visit.

Unlucky, or lucky, thirteen is...

REVIEW: Captain Bloodby Rafael Sabatini




Although straight historical novels are usually not my thing, I enjoyed immensely The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas, pere. But I must confess that, for some reason, books written before 1950 hold little interest for me, especially given the old-fashioned language involved.

However, I was startled, when I was reading Wikipedia, in reading the synopsis of Captain Blood, because the plot was, coincidentally, similar to a novel I was writing. So reading Captain Blood was partly a precautionary measure, although Captain Blood is more like the original iterations of my novel, and not like the current one.

Irish-born doctor Peter Blood has already had an interesting life before settling down to practise medicine in Somerset, but when he dares to heal a rebel in the Duke of Monmouth's army, he is sentenced to death by Judge Jeffreys, only to have a cruel reprieve in being sold to plantation owners in the Bahamas. Working for the Governor of the Bahamas, though, Dr Blood makes his name as a doctor, only to incur the wrath of the Governor, Colonel Bishop, for daring to heal a group of captured Spaniards. Blood also has a possible relationship with Bishop's niece, Arabella, who, due to misunderstandings and Blood's own sardonic temperament, fails to go anywhere. But when a group of Spanish pirates attack the Bahamas just as Blood is about to be punished by Colonel Bishop for helping a wounded man, Blood, along with a number of slaves, escape, capture a ship, and becomes one of the most noted pirates of the Caribbean.

The plot itself can be described as a historical romance, with a rather tempestuous relationship between Arabella Bishop and Captain Blood, but much of the novel is also devoted to Blood's exploits, shamelessly pinched from the exploits of infamous pirate Henry Morgan (whom Sabatini claims pinched Blood's exploits). Indeed, there was a Thomas Blood who was a pirate, but the initial story of Blood resembles the story of a Henry Pitman more closely The daring exploits are entertaining, although the way it is written makes things fall a little flat.

Besides the characters of Captain Blood, Arabella, and Colonel Bishop, few of the characters engaged my interest. However, the exploration of pirate morality, or rather, Blood's morality add an interesting depth to this novel. So does the vivid descriptions of slavery in the Bahamas, and Blood's witty attitude is to be admired.

Overall, Captain Blood could have done with being a bit more shorter, and having a little more depth. There was potential for greatness with this novel, but overall, it is not quite there.

7.25/10

First words:Peter Blood, bachelor of medicine and several other things besides, smoked a pipe and tended the geraniums boxed on the sill of his window above Water Lane in the town of Bridgewater.

Last words: "Id is fery boedigal!" he said, his blue eyes twinkling. "Cabdain Blood is fond of boedry - you remember de abble-blossoms. So? Ha, ha!"

And soon to follow, A Christmas Carol...

And, in case you thought it was safe to come out...

REVIEW: A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens



I used to have a copy of A Christmas Carol when I was young, but for the life of me, although I know I tried to read it, I don't think I have ever read it from cover to cover, so now it becomes the 14th book I read and review.

In The Science of Discworld III: Darwin's Watch, A Christmas Carol is summed up rather succinctly as 'The story of the redemption of a misanthrope via ghostly intervention', a summary I consider quite apposite. That being said, my major familiarity with A Christmas Carol has been with the Disney adaptation with Scrooge McDuck as Ebenezer Scrooge.

You know the story. Ebenezer Scrooge, miser, is extremely disdainful of Christmas, and what associations it has. But when his old, late business partner Jacob Marley comes a-knocking, things start to change. Marley warns Scrooge that three Ghosts will come to show him Christmases Past, Present, and Future, and if Scrooge fails to change his ways, he will end up like Marley, forced to wander the world for all eternity, and powerless to intervene with all misery.

Now, I know this will run contrary to most opinion, but I actually liked Scrooge's sardonic comments when he was a miser.

It might hurt people, but I laughed at that. Of course, his treatment towards his clerk, Bob Cratchit, borders on the abusive (and this seemed to be fairly common in Victorian times, minus some exaggerations), and thus Scrooge sets himself up for a mighty scare. He starts seeing Jacob Marley everywhere in the house (showing that Dickens has a talent for psychological horror, and could have been England's Edgar Allen Poe), and certainly the sequence involving Marley is one of the most chilling in fiction.

The Ghosts are all varied and interesting, and the Ghost of Christmas Present's sequence is perhaps the most heartwarming, but with a bite in the tail, as he ages and withers away. The Ghost of Christmas Future's sequence is the most chilling, racing with the Marley sequence for sheer psychological horror.

That being said, Scrooge's sudden transformation seems unrealistic, and this is one of the few cases where I would think that a longer story is needed, to expand on Scrooge's descent into being a miser, as well as dwelling on his potential fate.

This is still a fairly good book, though a little hard to read by today's standards, but effectively timeless. After all, we have a sight too many Scrooges in the world.


7.5/10

First words:Marley was dead: to begin with. There is no doubt whatever about that. The register of his burial was signed by the clergyman, the clerk, the undertaker and the chief mourner. Scrooge signed it. And Scrooge's name was good upon 'Change, for anything he chose to put his hand to. Old Marley was as dead as a door-nail.

Last words: He had no further intercourse with Spirits, but lived upon the Total Abstinence Principle, ever afterwards; and it was always said of him, that he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge. May that be truly said of us, and all of us! And so, as Tiny Tim observed, God bless us, everyone!

Phew!

Last edited by Quatermass on 20 Aug 2009, 1:47 am, edited 1 time in total.

Number fifteen is...

REVIEW: Doctor Who: The Forgottenby Tony Lee et al



It is ironic that the first Doctor Who book to be reviewed here is one of the graphic novels, and, indeed, one of the most recent. But despite it's fanw*** heavy premise, The Forgotten turns out to be fairly good for a Doctor Who story.

The Doctor has woken up within a museum seemingly devoted to him and his adventures, and with most of his memories erased. With the help of Martha Jones, who seems to know a lot more about what is going on than she lets on, the Doctor, using artefacts each of his incarnations had, must regain his memories, in the process, relating unseen adventures. From the travails of the First Doctor in Egypt, the battles of the Third Doctor against canine aliens, all the way to the Sixth Doctor defending Peri at a trial, and the Ninth Doctor instigating the Christmas Truce of 1915, and one of the most famous football matches of all time. But someone familiar waits in the shadows, intending to steal the Doctor's remaining regenerations. But is this person who he seems?

As you might have guessed, this is really a sort of excuse for a series of stories to be told about each of the Doctors. Although there are some that aren't that good (the Second Doctor's is probably the worst of the lot), there are some that plug a few holes in the continuity. The Eighth Doctor's, for example, seems to be set during the Time War, and besides smoothing over one of the continuity problems of the TV Movie, also seems to hint at how the Eighth Doctor won the Time War.

The revelation of who Martha really is is one of the best reveals in the story, although the revelation of who the main villain is, once the Doctor sees through the lies the villain puts about, is actually something of a letdown.

That being said, though this story is effectively a huge load of fanw***, it pulls it off very well, with a battle at the end that could be said to be very fanw***y if it weren't for the fact that it was so emotionally charged. The ending is also a good one, if a little anticlimactic.

Overall, I liked The Forgotten. The twists were good, and some of the short comic stories were good, and illustrated the nature of the Doctor quite well.

8/10

First words:I'm the Doctor.

Last words: ...Barcelona!

Next will probably be Beowulf.

Looks like I'm going graphic novel mad here...

REVIEW: Batman: The Killing Joke by Alan Moore and Brian Bolland



After the brouhaha of The Dark Knight, I decided to go back and look at one of the comic books that inspired it. Batman is nigh-inseparable from the psychotic Joker, and The Killing Joke is considered to be one of the best, if not THE best, stories ever told about these two adversaries.

The plot is fairly simple. The Joker breaks out of Arkham Asylum. That being accomplished, he ambushes Commissioner Gordon and his niece Barbara at home, shooting Barbara and paralysing her, while abducting the Commissioner. While Batman works to track the two down, the Joker, while trying to break Gordon's spirit, trying to prove that 'one bad day' is enough to turn people into fiends like him, shows a possible (and quite tragic) past for himself.

Despite the simplicity of the plot, the themes of insanity, and how they figure into the relationship between the Joker and Batman, add extra layers to the plot, as does Joker's past, which is later revealed to be a tenuous one (Joker claims that, as far as pasts go, he would prefer multiple choice). Although a dark story, involving the worst kinds of degradation short of mutilation, rape and murder, it is one that does these well, and certainly much less dark than the later Joker graphic novel by Brian Azzarello and Lee Bermejo.

This is perhaps the first time that we might feel sympathy for the Joker, when we see what the circumstances that might have turned him into what he is was. We see how desperate he was, what he had to do, and finally, the coup de grace that pushed him over the edge.

My only major complaints with The Killing Joke are that it's done a little less darkly than I would have thought, and that it is rather short. But for Batman fans in particular, or those who watched The Dark Knight, I wholeheartedly recommend it.

8/10

First words:There were these two guys in a lunatic asylum...

Last words: Heh heh heh heh heh

One of my favorites. I also recommend From Hell and Watchmen.

Already read Watchmen and V for Vendetta, but haven't read From Hell. I have to say that Promethea hasn't grabbed me.

A disappointing one...

REVIEW: Beowulf translated by Michael Alexander




Anglo-Saxon scholars and fans of epic poetry are doubtless going to flame me to a crisp for my coming assessment of Beowulf, but I will add the caveat that my reviews are mostly based on an entertainment perspective, rather than anything more profound.

Beowulf is an epic poem telling the story of mighty Geat warrior Beowulf, who engages in battle the monster Grendel, who, out of spite, has been attacking Danish king Hrothgar's grand banquet hall Heorot.

Now, Beowulf is probably the oldest thing I have ever read, translations notwithstanding. And, to be quite frank, it shows its age. If this was a film, and I was a film executive, then I'd reject it right out of hand saying, 'too simple, too boring'. The characters are simplistic, and would be called 'stock characters' nowadays, or even cardboard cutouts.

A good chunk of the poem is boasting and bragging, usually by Beowulf, about his exploits, of events both before and during the poem. Another good chunk is taken up by exploring familial relationships. Now, if this was something like I, Claudius or Bleak House, this sort of thing would be necessary. And it would be necessary to an audience who had turned up to listen to a recital of this poem, for it was originally oral tradition, something I struggle to keep in mind.

Beowulf is 20% action, 5% drama, and 75% padding. That's my opinion on the matter. It is clear that Beowulf inspired a lot of stories to come, but far better stories, and far better adaptations. I enjoyed the CG movie more than the original poem. Speaking of which, I wonder if I'll enjoy John Gardner's Grendel much better than I enjoyed the poem...?


4/10

First words:Attend!/We have heard of the thriving of the throne of Denmark,/ how the folk kings flourished in former days,/ how the royal athelings earned that glory.

Last words: (from the main poem) This was the manner of the mourning of the men of the Geats,/ sharers in the feast, at the fall of their lord:/ they said that he was of all the world's kings/ the gentlest of men, and the most gracious,/ the kindest to his people, the keenest for fame.

I prefer Seamus Haney's translation. However, Beowulf was intended to brag/celebrate accomplishments/exaggerate; it was culturally expected.

Yeah, you're right. But braggarts rank fairly lowly in my book. However, I have a far higher opinion of Bleak House, which I am currently reading.

17 books in 4 weeks. That's an average of 4 books a week.

Talking of Bleak House, do you want to know the character I most despise while I am reading this? I have seen parts of the latest TV adaptation before, so you might think Mr Tulkinghorn or Grandfather Smallweed, but the character I most want to wring the neck of is Harold ****ing Skimpole.

Tulkinghorn and Smallweed, despite their glaring faults, at least have tried to achieve something in their lives, but Skimpole, ugh. I've been fantasising about, if I ever managed to enter the world of Bleak House, what slow, painful death I would inflict on Harold 'I am but a child in these matters' Skimpole. Skimpole, Mrs Jellyby, Mrs Pardiggle, and that tosser Turveydrop (the father, not the son).