Quatermass' Book Reading Blog...Round Two

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Book 33 is, uh, very different...

REVIEW: Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk

One of the benefits of this book-reading blog is that I am continually forced to look outside the square for books that I haven't read. Books that I have heard of, but otherwise wouldn't make the time to read. Desperate for a quick read, I finally came upon Fight Club, which I started and finished today. And I am glad I did. Because you don't linger with Fight Club.

An unnamed insomniac protagonist and narrator, who works with car companies on determining whether products need recalling, is told by his doctor that insomnia isn't true suffering, and orders the narrator to attend illness support groups to witness true suffering. Faking illnesses, he meets the disturbed Marla Singer in these support groups. When his apartment is blown up by a bomb, the narrator moves in with a new acquaintance, charming and anarchistic sociopath Tyler Durden. Events move from one thing to another, and Tyler invites the narrator to fight him as a psychological catharsis. Thus, Fight Club is born. Problem is, Tyler has bigger, more sinister plans.

Many people have at least heard about the movie with Edward Norton and Brad Pitt. Many people have heard 'Rule 1: You don't talk about Fight Club. Rule 2: You don't talk about Fight Club'. But the book is sordid and nasty. Tyler Durden takes frames from pornographic movies and splices them into movies. He is an anarchist who doesn't care who gets hurt. The whole tone is nihilistic and anti-consumerist (not that I have anything against anti-consumerism personally, it's just the way the book goes about it). It is grotesquely masochistic in nature, when the narrator is deliberately burnt with lye by Tyler.

And yet, the novel is weirdly compelling. I guess realising that this is satire, particularly of modern society, as well as anarchism, that makes it so. And the novel's twist is actually well advertised and foreshadowed throughout the book. You just have to pay attention. And there's something darkly seductive about Tyler Durden's philosophy that calls to people in this consumerist society.

Don't get me wrong. Fight Club is far from good for everyone. This is a dark story, parts of it will squick you out, but if you can stomach anything for a good satirical novel, read it. Just make sure you are prepared for dark things.


8/10

First words: Tyler gets me a job as a waiter, after that Tyler's pushing a gun in my mouth and saying, the first step to eternal life is that you have to die.

Last words: "We look forward to getting you back."

I dunno what'll be next.

Book 34 was entertaining...

REVIEW: Flashman by George Macdonald Fraser

A habit that I have developed lately to try and keep myself fit is to ride an exercise bike for 25 minutes each day. If you're wondering how this, I'll enlighten you shortly. So that I have something to occupy my mind while exercising my body, I watch a DVD, usually the special features on a Doctor Who or James Bond DVD. I had heard, vaguely, of the Flashman stories before. Originally, I thought them to be a superhero novel series, until I saw the covers, and thought, sod this for a laugh. But after seeing on a documentary that one of the writers responsible for the James Bond film Octopussy was the one responsible for the Flashman novels, and after some tentative research, I decided to chance it, and read the first Flashman novel.

Flashman tells the story of Henry Paget Flashman, a wanton bully, coward, cad, and womaniser, and the same Flashman who was the bully from Tom Brown's Schooldays. After being expelled in a drunken state from Rugby School, he joins the army, only to embarass himself in a series of misadventures that lead to him being sent first to India, and then to Afghanistan. With the situation in Afghanistan worsening (this was set around 1836-1841), this proves to be a dangerous situation that the cowardly Flashman wants to do anything to get out of.

I am reminded, in reading Flashman, of the Blackadder series, particularly the fourth series, set during World War I. Although it is technically a serious historical novel, there is farcical comedy in the way the British commanders at the time dealt with the situation in Afghanistan, only stopping being comedy when people start dying off in droves.

The main character himself is, as mentioned before, a bully, a coward, a cad, and a womaniser. In addition, he is also a rapist (although he claims it was the only time he did it, and the situation involved was very delicate), a consummate liar, a cheat (winning a duel by bribing a man to unload one of the pistols, and then reneging on the deal), and all in all, a complete and utter SOB. But Flashman is writing in a sort of confessional, and, despite his self-centred POV, does try to be as honest about his cowardice and lies as possible. And, when push comes to shove, he is a good fighter. His voice is compelling, allowing us to forgive his lies and cowardice.

George Macdonald Fraser's language is rich and colourful. Frequent usage of a certain racial epithet beginning with 'N' will put some people off, but to be fair, this word would have been in extremely common use at the time, and considering that he puts the word into the mouth of a bounder. And even though I am not a scholar of the various minutiae of history at the time, Fraser writes in an authentic manner that brings India and Afghanistan to life.

If you can stomach reading the confessional of a liar and a cad, Flashman is extremely entertaining, even funny at times. If it were a little more complex, I would give it a higher score. But you could do very worse than reading Flashman.

8.5/10

First words: Hughes got it wrong, in one important detail.

Last words: (At this point, the first packet of The Flashman Papers ends abruptly).

Book 35 was an interesting milestone. I got it, read it, and reviewed it on my birthday...

REVIEW: Black Jack: Volume 1 by Osamu Tezuka


As I noted before, a good number of the books I am reading and reviewing are medical-related. There are the manga Monster by Naoki Urasawa (whose second volume has come into the bookshop, and I might be reviewing soon) and Ode to Kirihito by Osamu Tezuka. There is Making the Cut, Every Patient Tells a Story, and Blood and Guts, non-fiction books about surgery and surgeons. Someday, I should read the science-fiction novel Hospital Station by James White, about an interstellar hospital. And now, finally, I have read the first volume of Osamu Tezuka's famous (at least in Japan) medical adventure series, Black Jack. After waiting for a copy that I ordered through Borders bookshop, I have finally seen what the fuss is about.

Black Jack is a medical mercenary, an itinerant, unlicenced surgeon who plays by nobody else's rules but his own. He charges outrageous fees for his services...unless he can find truly extenuating circumstances. A surgical pirate with a patchwork face, Black Jack is nonetheless capable of astounding feats, like giving a teratoid cystoma with a mind of its own a new cybernetic body (and eventually making her an adopted daughter after the woman he cut the teratoid cystoma out of rejects her); transplanting an irradiated artist's brain into a new body so that he could finish a work of art; and many more.

Already, in this book reading blog, I have reviewed two of Osamu Tezuka's works: Ode to Kirihito, mentioned above, and the first two volumes of Astro Boy. Both works actually preceded Black Jack (Astro Boy started in 1952, and Ode to Kirihito was serialised between 1966 and 1967, while Black Jack started in 1973), and you see the adventure serial style of Astro Boy combined with the fantasy based medical drama of Ode to Kirihito in Black Jack. One must also remember that Osamu Tezuka had a medical degree (and was technically a medical doctor, even though he never practised), although he doesn't let the facts get in the way of a good yarn.

This is, first and foremost, an adventure fantasy. Where else could you get a teratoid cystoma that has psychic ability, or a doctor computer that becomes ill? But in the same way that Doctor Who, as Terrance Dicks put it, is adventure with a scientific flavour, Black Jack is adventure first and formost with a medical flavour. The procedures have just the right amount of authenticity, even if a major clanger about the effects of removing a uterus is made.

In fact, there is much to link Black Jack to the Doctor. Both are itinerants who dress eccentrically, who travel the world doing good deeds while ostracised in many circles. They have a certain element of the anti-hero, and sometimes, their cure comes at a heavy price. That being said, the Doctor is rarely called upon for medical reasons, whereas Black Jack, who does not call himself Doctor, is. There are even elements of comedy, especially where Black Jack's adopted daughter, Pinoko (say it out loud, and you'll know where the name came from) is involved.

That being said, the chapter on the aforementioned uterus removal, while well written (it's part of a tragic personal story for Black Jack), may seem a little off for modern readers, and there are a few stereotypical portrayals (visuals-wise mostly than story-wise) of ethnic groups that might clash with modern sensibilities. And, because it is a medical manga, there are lots of portrayals of surgery and organs, not to mention some pretty nasty medical conditions. My main dissatisfaction is that it is a little too shallow in terms of storyline, but that's what you get with some serial manga.

While not as deep as I would have liked, Black Jack is certainly entertaining. For those willing to stomach medical procedures, this will thrill and entertain, as well as warm the heart. There is a reason why Black Jack is one of Osamu Tezuka's best known works.


8.5/10

First words: One day, somewhere in Europe...

Last words: Nothing like yours, doc!

Book 36, a second book finished and reviewed on my birthday...

REVIEW: Tintin and Alph-Art by Herge (Georges Remi)

I have read, in one form or another, every Tintin book until now. I have been a fan since my childhood, and it is interesting to watch the adventures of the eternally young Tintin, his faithful dog Snowy, alcoholic sailor Captain Haddock, and deaf, eccentric Professor Calculus evolve as the times change, especially when you understand the context under which these stories were made. However, there was one book, understandably, that I haven't read until now. The final, unfinished Tintin adventure, Tintin and Alph-Art.

Tintin and Captain Haddock fall into, quite by accident, the world of modern art while Haddock is trying to avoid Bianca Castafiore, who is here locally to meet with her new spiritual leader, a mystic called Endaddine Akass. Haddock is asked by an art gallery owner, who is showing the works of Alph-Art artist Ramo Nash, to help him contact Tintin, but the art gallery owner, along with an art expert, die in mysterious circumstances. And when Tintin investigates, he finds that someone is trying to kill him.

Because this story was only roughly completed (with the last completed panel having Tintin left in a sticky, or rather, soon to be sticky situation), I can only comment so much on the story and the artwork, which was left in the draft form Herge was drawing it as. However, I think that it is a relatively modern story, compared to many other installments, bringing elements of the first Tintin stories into the modern day setting, although the idea of mystics and strange art seems more suited to the early 1970s than the 1978-1983 period Herge wrote it in. Ironically, he died just over a month before I was born...but that's besides the point.

The story had promise, but don;t go into this reading it, expecting to find a fully finished Tintin tale, and this is what makes it get marked down. Unfortunately, this was a very incomplete tale, a rough draft, and the artwork, of course, is little more than sketches. It is frustrating to find things just cut off, storyline-wise.

I can really only recommend this to Tintin fans, and be warned that you might come off disappointed. That being said, there was one edition that showed various ways the story could of gone. Try and track down that edition.


6/10

First words: Mmm...Mmm?

Last words: It's time for you to be turned into a 'Cesar'...

Book 37 is a killer read...

REVIEW: The Little Book of Forensic Science: 50 of the World's Most Infamous Criminal Cases Solved by Science by David Owen

I remember becoming interested in forensic science in high school, at least a year or two before CSI graced our screens. One of the books that fuelled this obsession was The Casebook of Forensic Detection*, by Colin Evans (which I still recommend to anyone who can track it down in a second-hand bookshop), which detailed 100 crimes solved or investigated by forensic science, categorised by the discipline of forensic science, or an aspect of the crime. Although dated, it is still a good book, one which I measure all mainstream forensic science books by. Which is why I think that The Little Book of Forensic Science is basically The Casebook of Forensic Detection Lite, as it covers a good deal many of the cases (along with many others) in a shorter space.

The Little Book of Forensic Science recounts the various crimes over the past couple of centuries that were solved by forensic science and good investigation. But we also hear of some of the controversies, like the OJ Simpson trial and the Azaria Chamberlain case.

Now, is this a good book? Well, it's good if you want the details of the cases summarised in two or three small pages, which it does. It doesn't go quite into as much detail as The Casebook of Forensic Detection, but on the other hand, it also has cases from after 1996 (the year The Casebook of Forensic Detection was published), and also has details about the outcome of Lockerbie missing from The Casebook of Forensic Detection.

It's written fairly well, with the facts summarised enough to satisfy casual readers. That being said, for those who want more out of these sorts of books, this might seem pretty light.

The Little Book of Forensic Science is an excellent primer book for people who want to read about real life forensic science, but there are much better books out there for those who want something a little meatier.

*After looking through the bibliography, I found Colin Evans' book in the references.



7/10

First words: Forensic science remains a fascinating subject for many people outside the crime fighting services.

Last words: The sentence amounted to a total of 115 years.

What will be the next book to be reviewed? Hell if I know, though there are plenty of options. I have a copy of the second volume of Monster (by Naoki Urasawa, the next in the series that I reviewed the first volume of) waiting for me at the bookshop, and I am waiting until the first volume is delivered before I pick them up. There's also the sequel to House of Cards, To Play The King by Michael Dobbs, and I am also trying to read the first Honor Harrington book, On Basilisk Station by David Weber. I'm also hoping to read Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, various medical anecdote books, Artemis Fowl and the Lost Colony by Eoin Colfer, and others...

Book 38, a link to the near past...

REVIEW: Monster: Volume 2: Surprise Party by Naoki Urasawa

My sixth review in this book-reading blog was the impressive first volume of Monster, a manga by Naoki Urasawa, the review of which you may find here. I was extremely impressed by it, and looked forward to reading the next installment. Now, shortly after my birthday, I have received the order I placed for the first two volumes of Monster. I have just received that second volume, and it is still as gripping as the first.

Dr Tenma's career as a neurosurgeon went downhill after he saved the life of a young boy called Johan, against the express wishes of his politically minded superiors, but then, those hindering him in hospital politics were murdered, and Tenma became respected again. However, nine years later, he discovered that the young boy had become a serial killer. A monster he had saved the life of. Trying to investigate Johan's past, Tenma tracks down his twin sister, Anna Liebert, now Nina Fortner, only to find that she is being stalked, by Johan, and by an organisation behind Johan. But now, Dr Tenma has even more pressing issues. He is now a fugitive, thanks to the actions of his bitter and vengeful ex-fiancee Eva Heinemann, and the driven Inspector Lunge of the German federal police. Now Tenma has a mission. Not just to prove his innocence, but to stop the monster he saved for once and for all...

Monster is still as thrilling as before, and it is a tribute to Naoki Urasawa's writing that I want to find out more. In this volume, we are introduced to Nina Fortner, Johan's twin sister all grown up. An intelligent young woman, adopted by a loving family. And who has a secret admirer. It is revealed (this is not much of a spoiler) that she was the one who shot Johan, who in turn had murdered their parents nine years before. We also see where Eva Heinemann ended up after her father's death and Dr Tenma's (extremely justifiable, given the way she treated him during his time of need) rejection, as an embittered alcoholic who funds her lifestyle by marrying men and taking them to the cleaners in divorce proceedings. Any satisfaction about this state of affairs is soon wiped out when she threatens, and then goes through with giving incriminating evidence about Dr Tenma to Inspector Lunge.

Lunge is a character whom I feel ambiguous about. He seems determined to prove Tenma's guilt, and he always looks so smug doing it, and yet, there is a subtle quality that makes him compelling to watch, and gives you hope for redemption (which apparently he does attain). Other incidental characters, like the cynical newspaper editor Mr Maurer, mercenary and shooting instructor Hugo Bernhardt, and an unnamed U-Boat veteran are compelling in themselves. And in fact, what is great about these characters is that, with the exception of Dr Tenma (and even he looks like he is starting to go down the dark path by the end of the second volume), virtually all of them are presented in shades of grey. Very few are caricatures, although a number of the character designs look like caricatures. In fact, this manga feels so realistic, conspiracy plot notwithstanding, that you could do it as a live-action TV series. Whether or not Urasawa watched The Fugitive is up to speculation, but there are marked similarities.

In the scene where Dr Tenma finally goes on the run, there is an absolutely heartwarming scene which I don't want to spoil, except that it shows the people that Dr Tenma helped in a positive manner. I can only hope that scenes like that one occur in real life.

I only have a few gripes with Monster's second volume. It had more of a serial nature to it than the high quality drama that was in the first volume, and there was a stereotypical-looking Japanese aikido teacher that, if it weren't for the fact that Monster was written and drawn by a Japanese, I would mark it down far more. And I wish that there was just a tad more explanation about the mysterious pair of detectives who seem to be behind Johan, although that is probably for the next volume.

However, I was left hungry for more Monster. While Death Note was about the corrupting influence of power, Monster is about the darkness in people's souls, and there is much darkness. But we also see light in this dark world, especially in the aforementioned heartwarming scene, and others. This is a series that I intend to continue following if possible. Compelling? Hell, yeah! A must-read for thriller fans.


9/10

First words: Now, class...

Last words: You can go now.

Next book? Most likely On Basilisk Station, which I am currently halfway through.

Book 39....

REVIEW: On Basilisk Station by David Weber

I have to confess, I'm not a fan of military fiction, or military science fiction. Although I had once read Sassinak by Anne McCaffrey and Elizabeth Moon, it didn't quite appeal to me. However, after hearing so much about the Honor Harrington series, I decided to give it a go, as part of the current book-reading blog. And after a couple of abortive attempts, I've finished the first book, On Basilisk Station.

Honor Harrington is a new Commander in the service of the Royal Manticore Navy, a space navy of the Star Kingdom of Manticore. Unfortunately, she has been assigned to an ancient vessel designed to be a weapons testbed. After a humiliating set of wargames that prove that a new weapon is next to worthless except at close range, the vessel, along with Honor and her crew, are assigned to the Basilisk system, dumping ground of the Navy's dregs, guarding a wormhole terminus. This all in order for some Naval commanders to avoid embarassment for their less than spectacular success with the new weapon. What's worse, her senior officer is none other than Pavel Young, an aristocrat who once tried to rape her, and who had been doing all in his political clout to keep her down ever since. With Young looking to set her up to take a bad fall, her own crew blaming her for their situation, and the People's Republic of Haven plotting, Honor Harrington must rely on her wits and her ability to command to do her duty.

My first real foray into military science-fiction (if you don't count Sassinak or Star Wars) was moderately interesting. A bit of geek-out with the technology involved, but after reading the Left Behind series, which had a certain amount of geek-out with certain technologies, I'm sorta used to it, although it gets a little old reading about tactics and technology.

A little more interesting is the politics involved, and how a soldier's life intersects with politics both within the armed forces and without. I am familiar with such themes thanks to the Metal Gear games, although there is a different emphasis here. Whereas Metal Gear was about lone soldiers, in unofficial black ops, On Basilisk Station is about official army operations (or rather, naval operations, complete with naval ship analogues for aspects of spaceship travel and combat). Honor Harrington is as much a victim of politics as Solid Snake or Big Boss, and like them, she strives to do her duty in her own idiosyncratic way.

I have heard that Honor Harrington is meant to be a science fiction version of Horatio Hornblower, although I have to admit that I have never read that book series, only seen small bits of the TV series. But the analogies are there for those to see. For Manticore, read the British Empire. For the so-called People's Republic of Haven, read France. The analogy isn't perfect, of course, but there are comparisons to be drawn for readers of both series.

That being said, I have to say that I feel that a quarter of the book could have been edited out. Or maybe a fifth. It drags, for me, far more than a story about a space navy should. Although the plot threads all seemed relevant, I think a little less time could have been spent on some, particularly Honor bullying (out of necessity) her crew into line, and the responses by Haven and Manticore to her actions.

However, there are some very exciting sequences, and the desperate battle at the end was a pulse-pounder, making some battle scenes from Star Trek and Star Wars look tame by comparison, considering that it is a battle of desperation. And Honor Harrington, as hard on her crew as she is, is still likeable, especially considering her reaction at the end towards events in the story. And there's promise in other characters, such as McKeon, Hauptmann, and the nasty Pavel Young.

To be honest, I am not sure whether I will continue to read the Honor Harrington series, but there could have been worse entries into a series than this. If you can tolerate military stuff, things about honour and duty, and a little politics and geeking-out over weapons tech and other technology, then you can do worse than try On Basilisk Station.


8/10

First words: The ticking of the conference hall's antique clock was deafening as the Hereditary President of the People's Republic of Haven stared at his military cabinet.

Last words: "Well, Commodore Yerensky, I don't see how I could possibly turn your request down. It happens I do have very strong feelings about the new armament-" her smile grew even broader, "-and I'd be delighted to share them with Admiral Hemphill and her colleagues."

Book 40...

REVIEW: Doctor Who: The Massacre by John Lucarotti


There are very few Doctor Who novelisations that I have not read from beginning to end. And there are very few Doctor Who stories that I don't know all that much about the plot of. Doctor Who: The Massacre falls into both criteria, and although, because of its status as a missing story means that I cannot watch it (it is a story for which very little visual material remains at all), I at least have read a version of it.

Paris. August 19, 1572. The Massacre of St Bartholomew's Day is mere days away, when a pogrom against the Protestant Huguenots will sweep France. The Doctor and Steven Taylor land in France, with the Doctor intending to look up apothecary Charles Preslin. Unfortunately, the increasing religious tensions and the political intrigue within the court of Charles IX is making things difficult. What's worse, is that the Abbot of Amboise, one of those persecuting the Protestants, looks exactly like the Doctor! And the local Huguenots, once convinced that the Doctor is not the Abbot, intend to use that to their advantage...

The purely historical stories in Doctor Who aren't quite as interesting as what later became known as 'pseudohistoricals', historical stories with a science fiction element introduced (barring the Doctor, his companions, and the TARDIS). That being said, John Lucarotti wrote a number of them, including the early stories Marco Polo and The Aztecs. It's perhaps worth pointing out, however, that this novelisation apparently deviates quite significantly from the televised story, as it was based on earlier scripts. The Doctor was absent for a significant portion of the televised episodes (thanks to William Hartnell being on holiday) while here, he is seen actively participating.

That being said, The Massacre is a competent story, shedding light on an area of history some people may not have heard of. How many of you know about the Massacre of St Bartholomew's Day? Lucarotti makes the court politics come alive in the characters, like King Charles IX, and his mother, Catherine de Medici. We also see the Doctor trying to tread a fine line between altering history and preserving what has to happen. Steven Taylor, his companion at the time, also plays a significant role, especially having a relationship with Anne Chaplet.

One omission that I didn't like was the fact that Dodo Chaplet, the young girl who became the Doctor's companion at the end of the televised story, only gets a brief mention here, when a future Doctor discusses events with a group of Time Lords, who are annoyed at his interference (an event not in the televised story). And the story is over just a little too quickly.

The Massacre wasn't too bad. You cannot rank it amongst the best of Doctor Who stories, but having the Doctor being confused for another person is always a good bet, as Enemy of the World proved later. If you're a fan, you may have a hard time tracking this down, but it will be worth it, for a rare story in both print and in televisual material.


7.5/10

First words: The Doctor sat in the garden which always reminded him of the Garden of Peace when Steven, no, not Steven, his granddaughter, Susan, and that nice young couple, Barbara and Ian, had their adventure with the Aztec Indians aeons ago.

Last words: He was back in the tunnels reliving the exhiliration of those helter-skelter dashes through the darkness.

Book 41...

REVIEW: Hellboy Volume 8: Darkness Calls by Mike Mignola, Duncan Fegredo et al


Hellboy, despite the title, is a surprisingly enjoyable romp. Although its name sounds like a bad pulp novel (and it does have many pulp trappings), I found it to be more than that, as a whole. So, having followed Hellboy since I got the first graphic novel volume from the local library, I have now come to the latest volume I can obtain from the library: Darkness Calls.

Hellboy has left the BRPD after events estranged him from the management of that organisation. He is searching for answers about his own past, and whether he can escape his destiny as harbinger of the Apocalypse. But a series of events lead him to a coven of witches, who demand that he become their king, as their queen, Hecate (and an old adversary of Hellboy) has been imprisoned. Hellboy refuses, but the witches accept an offer by another of Hellboy's adversaries, Baba Yaga, the infamous witch of Russian legend. Baba Yaga is determined to have her revenge on Hellboy, and sends immortal warrior Koschei the Deathless after him...

Hellboy, being a horror comic, is not for everyone. But it is still quite a rich story that takes elements from so many elements of mythology ancient and modern. In lesser hands, such a combination of mythologies would be seen as uncreative, but Mike Mignola succeeds, and makes it engrossing.

Part of the success is the character of Hellboy himself. A demon who is supposed to be the harbinger of the Apocalypse, much is made about his destiny, and his response to anyone trying to persuade him to end the world is a hearty "SCREW YOU!" And yet, although he acts often like a macho male, it is often clear that Hellboy's most notable character traits are his introspection and self-doubt. He knows he may bring about the end of the world, but he is determined to fight his fate every step of the way.

The storyline itself is a little different, with Baba Yaga obsessed with revenge against Hellboy, rather than the usual plots to end the world, with or without Hellboy's unwilling assistance. To this end, she uses Koschei the Deathless, perhaps one of the more sympathetic villains, if you could call any villains in Hellboy sympathetic, in the series. We also see a number of beings and deities from Russian folklore, many with a grudge against Baba Yaga.

This was an entertaining yarn that raised more questions than it answered. Don't expect anything really substantial, but if you can stand horror in the course of a good yarn, try reading Hellboy.


7.5/10

First words: Italy.

Last words: Goodbye.

Book 42, and it is...

REVIEW: Serenity by Keith RA DeCandido, from the screenplay by Joss Whedon


Although it is, in principle, a good series with quite a bit to recommend it, I personally don't like Firefly all that much. I personally think it's an American ripoff of Blake's 7, only with heavier Old West themes and better production values. Quite a lot of what Firefly did, Blake's 7 did before, and better (at least, in many cases, in terms of story). That being said, I am still willing to experiment with the program, and so it was to that end that I read the novelisation of the film based on the series, Serenity.

Captain Mal Reynolds lost everything in the Unification War, a war that had the Alliance, based on Earth, brutally take over the Outer Systems. So now he runs a variety of odd jobs, many of them illegal, on his Firefly-class ship, Serenity. Amongst those he has on board is gifted doctor Simon Tam and his half-deranged sister, River, who was experimented on by the Alliance. Problem is, the threat River poses to the Alliance has become so great, they have sent a ruthless Operative to hunt them down, in order to prevent a secret from breaking out, one that could shatter the foundations of the Alliance...

I think one of my complaints about Firefly (and by extension, Serenity), is that it isn't edgy enough. The Alliance is portrayed as being a comfortable dictatorship (albeit, if background was anything to go by, through the best of intentions), whereas the Federation is not only far more willing to commit mass murder deliberately, but in the very first episode of Blake's 7, paints the hero, Roj Blake, as a pedophile. Joss Whedon, eat your heart out. Terry Nation practically curbstomps you.

Now don't get me wrong. I don't actually hate Firefly. And the concept of Serenity, especially the revelations towards the end, were actually quite interesting. I just think it's a bit 'meh'. I personally think that, out of the original nine, Wash, Kaylee and Inara were amongst the most superfluous. And it's basically a Western in space, whereas Blake's 7 dealt with terrorism, well before 9/11, in an unflinching and ambiguous manner.

I have read DeCandido's books before, in the form of the novelisations of the Resident Evil films, and found them somewhat enjoyable. His writing style, while not spectacular, conveys the dialogue and action in a pacy manner. I particularly like how he pulls us inside the mind of the deeply disturbed River Tam, and the far less disturbed but heinous Operative.

The story itself really reads like a two-part story of the original TV series. I get the feeling that this might have been the way that Joss Whedon may have intended to finish off the second season (had one been made) of Firefly, and if it was done like that, I have no doubt it would have been an appropriate season finale for the series. It's a little reminiscent of the season one and two finales of Blake's 7, the episodes Deliverance and ORAC for season one, and The Keeper and Star One for season two. Sorry for the comparisons, but I am a Blake's 7 fan, I can't help it.

Serenity is not a good book to introduce people to Firefly, as it seems to be the conclusion of the series, unless Joss Whedon can get his act together. But to those with passing familiarity with the series, and fans, I still recommend Serenity.


7.5/10

First words: Sergeant Malcom Reynolds' life had reduced itself to the critical imperative of running.

Last words: "What was that?" (Note: the real last words was a quote from the Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner, but I decided to use the line as it was in the movie)

Just a little update. I very nearly gave up on the blog, except that I am making great strides towards finishing Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, and I also have a copy of The Invisible Man to get through. I also have a new book: Doctor Who: The Writer's Tale- Regeneration. That might take time to get through. I am also thinking of re-attempting to read Twilight. I am not exactly looking forward to that...

Book 43, and the return to an old favourite...

REVIEW: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by JK Rowling


I used to enjoy the Harry Potter series. That was, until I read the travesty that was The Order of the Phoenix. Although well-written in many areas, I detested the way the storyline and the character of Harry Potter was taken down a rather brutal new direction. Harry was almost perpetually angry (okay, with good reason, but he was becoming a very one-note character for a time), and Dolores Umbridge is an infinitely more detestable creature than Voldemort. I hated The Order of the Phoenix so much that I was turned off the series almost permanently. However, as the book series has been concluded, I decided to revisit the Harry Potter series, picking up where I left off, with the sixth and penultimate book, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince...

Coming back to Hogwarts for his sixth year, Harry, even with his reputation restored, is facing tough times. He is being taught by Dumbeldore about the secret past of Tom Riddle, the boy who would become Lord Voldemort. A new Potions teacher, Horace Slughorn, has replaced Snape, who is now Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, and Snape is as determined to make Harry's life as miserable as ever. Relationships enter into conflict too, when Harry, Ron, and Hermione are caught up in the difficulties of teenage romance. But there are a number of questions Harry needs answering. Who is the Half-Blood Prince, the mysterious student whose textbook is giving Harry the edge in Potions? What are Horcruxes, and how do they tie in to Voldemort's plans? Where do Snape's true loyalties lie? And what is Draco Malfoy planning to do? Or, more precisely, being coerced into doing?

Let us start with the things I hate about The Half-Blood Prince. The main thing I hate is the over-emphasis on snogging. I mean, Rowling, the way you write it sounds like a high-school student writing about it, not a proper writer. I know that it is being written mostly from the point of view of a high-school student, but it is written very messily, a very poor show from you.

About the only other thing I hate from this story was that Snape shows very little real complexity, especially compared to previous books, and in light of what I know happens. His best scenes in this book are his first, and his last. Everything else seems to be him being extremely spiteful towards Harry, and despite knowing what happens, I personally reckon he was an absolute SOB, holding Harry's father's sins against Harry.

But these are relatively minor quibbles. The characters are being developed quite well, and we see Dumbledore in a very furtive mood, a little unlike what he usually is. How the magical world interacts with the real world helps root this story in some semblance of reality, with the first chapter involving the Muggle Prime Minister being visited by the former Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, and his successor, Rufus Scringemour. It seems like Rowling also took a page from the War on Terror when giving a feeling for events in the book.

And, adolescent descriptions of snogging aside, Rowling is developing the characters very well, as well as adding balance to the ensemble. We meet a Gryffindor student, Cormac McLaggen, who is the first (unless you count James Potter and his friends) Gryffindor student to be portrayed in an unsympathetic light. And Horace Slughorn, while unpleasant in many ways, is actually a notably prominent Slytherin character who could be classified as 'good', if somewhat self-serving.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince does much to redeem the series in my eyes, and some day, I will turn to reading, and finishing, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. This (mostly) mature and dark book makes the future, ironically, look bright...


9.5/10

First words: It was nearing midnight and the Prime Minister was sitting alone in his office, reading a long memo that was slipping through his brain without leaving the slightest trace of meaning behind.

Last words: (Censored for spoilers)

Book 44...

REVIEW: Intern: A Doctor's Initiation by Sandeep Jauhar

What is with me and medical books lately? I've noticed that a good chunk of the books that I have read are either medical or physician-centric fiction (Monster, Ode to Kirihito, Black Jack) or else books of medical stories and anecdotes. Intern falls into the latter category, and while not as good as Making The Cut, it still is a quite intriguing and even horrifying look at the medical profession.

I find it interesting that both Making the Cut and Intern are written from the point of view of immigrants to the country where they became doctors. Making the Cut was written by Mohamed Khadra, a Lebanese Muslim who grew up in Ghana before emigrating to Australia. Intern was written by Sandeep Jauhar, an Indian who emigrated to the US. These works have a number of similarities, including compassion for the patient and showing how the system seems to fail both patients and doctors (particularly interns and residents). Is this just coincidence, or might there be something to a certain amount of being a cultural outsider in at least one way that contributed to these men writing these books?

Jauhar, interestingly, was studying to become a physicist before finally deciding to become a physician, following his brother, and there seems to be more of Jauhar's personal and family life than there was of Mohamed Khadra's (and Khadra explained that some of the anecdotes in his book weren't even his). How the stress of his residency and internship impact on his personal life is shown in explicit detail, and I find it amazing that more medical students don't go insane from all the pressures they undergo.

Inevitably, I'm going to have to make comparisons between Making the Cut and Intern, and to be honest, I actually prefer Making the Cut. Mohamed Khadra is better at making medicine and its effects on doctors and patients alike come alive with verve and veracity, whereas Sandeep Jauhar is a little flatter, and needs to be just a tad more laconic. Maybe it is also preference for an Australian voice to an American one as well.

That being said, Intern is still a very good book that brings the madness, mess, travails and politics of learning medicine come to life. Try reading it if you're interested.


8/10

First words: The cardiac monitors are whistling like blowpipes and the ventilators are playing the kazoo.

Last words: The real learning was going to happen someplace else.

Book 45...

REVIEW: Direct Red: A Surgeon's Tale by Gabriel Weston

This is the fourth medical anecdote book that I have read in this review blog. Although in my previous entry, I mentioned Making the Cut, and compared Intern to Making the Cut, I also had read Every Patient Tells a Story, by Dr Lisa Sanders, who was a medical consultant for House. With two American and one Australian books read on medical anecdotes, I now embark on a British book, written by Gabriel Weston.

Direct Red, in many ways, has a lyrical style not unlike Making the Cut, and is laid out in much the same way, as being, to a certain degree, the memoirs of the doctor involved, but contained in various short anecdotes. The title comes from a histological stain (that is, a chemical used to help make cells and tissue more visible under the microscope), which, in the opening chapter, is used as part of a litany to help Weston focus.

Although interesting, and with some startlingly new anecdotes, I was expecting Direct Red to be as hard hitting about the medical system as Making the Cut and Intern was. This does not appear to be the case, unfortunately. There is some criticism about how some doctors can make themselves uncaring, but almost all of the pathos in the story is related to patients and Weston herself.

This is still a good book for those interested in medicine and surgery, and I still recommend it. But I personally have read better.


8/10

First words: I am about to faint.

Last words: And beyond these walls, my real home awaits me.

Although my reading has slowed down, I have a few new potential ones. The Invisible Man by HG Wells, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, and perhaps even...*shudder*, Twilight.

Book 46, an old sci-fi classic...

REVIEW: The Invisible Man by HG Wells

When I was young, I inevitably read HG Wells' two most famous works. The Time Machine was an obvious choice, given that, by that point, I was a fan of Doctor Who and Back to the Future, and thanks to Doctor Who's stories of alien conquests, I also read The War of the Worlds. Now, many years later, I come to read another of Wells' science-fiction books, The Invisible Man.

A mysterious man demands lodgings at a country town inn in late 1800s England. Swathed in bandages, and intent on some sort of scienctific experiment, the man is also irascible and even psychotic. And then, burglaries, where no burglar is found, start occurring around the village. When a series of incidents make the newcomer look suspicious, they find out, to their horror, that, when the man has no clothes, he is completely invisible. And, more than that, he has become a psychopath...

I tend not to enjoy books written before the 1950s, and especially from before the 1900s. The formality of the language does not always sit well. And yet, Wells is able to make it compelling even today, despite the fact that half the science would be hard to swallow nowadays. He writes with such pace and verve that you overlook the fact that there is very little plot and complexity behind it all. The characters are pretty damned thin, and so is the plot, which is basically the whole pursuit of a fugitive.

And yet, Wells, as much as he could for the time, explores the moral implications of how someone who was invisible. Griffin is portrayed to have been a megalomaniac long before his transformation (and, unfortunately, also takes after the 'evil albino' stereotype, as is revealed when he is discussing events with a colleague), but what would happen if you or I suddenly had the ability to become invisible? There is the suggestion that there may not be much difference.

HG Wells' language has dated, as had some of the settings, but this novel still can thrill and chill you. It's a quick read, but you might enjoy it.



8/10

First words: The stranger came early in February, one wintry day, through a biting wind and driving snow, the last snowfall of the year, over the down, walking from Bramblehurst railway station and carrying a little black portmanteau in his thickly gloved hand.

Last words: And none other will know of them until he dies.

Book 47, and the most excellent end of a series. Warning, spoilers for The Half-Blood Prince...

REVIEW: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling


As I mentioned in my review of The Half-Blood Prince, my enjoyment of the Harry Potter series was derailed severely by the atmosphere of The Order of the Phoenix, and only recently have I plucked up the courage to start reading the series again. However, The Half-Blood Prince renewed my enjoyment of the series, and I looked forward to The Deathly Hallows, the denoument of the series, despite the fact that I already knew what would happen. But even knowing what would happen did little to disappoint me...

Dumbledore is dead, murdered by Snape. Harry is in greater danger than ever, with the protection the Dursley's home provided soon to expire. A dangerous extraction to a safe place goes wrong, but this is merely the beginning of the end. The Ministry of Magic falls to Voldemort, and while the wizarding world either quakes with fear, or sides with Voldemort, Harry, Ron, and Hermione set out on a dangerous quest to destroy the Horcruxes containing fragments of Voldemort's soul. Hunted while they hunt the Horcruxes, this intrepid trio will find evidence that challenges everything they believe in. Including the past of Dumbledore himself...

I think Rowling's biggest innovation was to take the action almost completely away from Hogwarts, and it opens the story up far more to become something that reminds me strongly of the Star One arc of Blake's 7. This is by no means a bad thing. The main characters are shown to be flawed, even Harry, and yes, even Dumbledore is shown to be very human indeed. If Snape actually was present with Harry and the others, then the resemblance to Blake's 7 would be stronger, given that Snape reminds me of Avon (or, given that I read the first 5 Harry Potter books before watching Blake's 7, it really is the other way around).

This is a dark book. People die. Characters beloved and unloved die. Some heroically, others, less than so. Some making last requests, others, in mid-joke. Senseless and meaningful. People die in this book, left, right, and centre. And it is darker in many other areas. It resembles, as I said, the world of Blake's 7, where the main character's only crime was to stand up to injustice and evil, and now it is biting him in the arse, big time. And, like Roj Blake, there is a time where Harry must acknowledge what he is doing, and find a way to stop himself from succumbing to temptation.

We now see so many plot threads which have hung around for so long finally coalescing together. For example, we learn exactly who sent Harry the Invisibility Cloak during his first year at Hogwarts, why Dumbledore's hand was dying during the previous book, and where Snape's allegiances lie, and why.

To read this requires that you have read, at the very least, the previous book. That might make it difficult to anyone new to the series to appreciate it. But this is a perfect finale to the series. My only complaint about it was that Draco wasn't given as much character development as seemed to have been promised in The Half-Blood Prince, but that is a minor quibble. The last Harry Potter novel is the best, hands down.


10/10

First words: The two men appeared out of nowhere, a few yards apart in the narrow, moonlit lane.

Last words: (Censored for spoilers)