Quatermass' Book Reading Blog 3: Revenge of the Sequel

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Some of you might have seen my previous book-reading blog (here's a link), and one or two of you might remember my original, from last year (link here). Well, I think I am willing to try again, very shortly.

The rules, like last time, are as follows:

*The books can be fiction, non-fiction, or graphic novels. However, some non-fiction categories must be excluded, such as games guides and screenplays, unless the latter is within a book that also has other subject material (ie, a 'making of' book). Novelisations and other adaptations are allowed, regardless of whether I have watched the original program. In all cases, I must not have read it all the way through prior to this.

*In the case of graphic novels, it has to be a volume I haven't read in a series, or else a stand-alone graphic novel.

*In all cases, a book that I have started previous to this blog, if I finish it during this, will count. Also, just skimming a book and reading pages randomly doesn't count, actually reading it, even if speed-reading it, does.

*I must write a quick review.

*I must finish at least one book per week. It doesn't matter if I started it more than a week ago, as long as I finish it within a week of the last one finished.

The blog and time limit will start when I finish my first book.

So, what have I got lined up this time? Well, in terms of substantial books, I have I Shall Wear Midnight by Terry Pratchett, Let the Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist, Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens, The Looking-Glass Wars by Frank Beddor, and To Play the King by Michael Dobbs. I am also awaiting a copy of Ben 'Yahtzee' Croshaw's novel, Mogworld, which will hopefully arrive on time to be reviewed, albeit not in the Zero Punctuation manner.

The first review was of a disturbing, but interesting read...

REVIEW: Let the Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist, translated by Ebba Segerbeg

I'll be perfectly honest: I rarely read horror. Science fiction and, to a lesser degree, fantasy is more my bag. But I have been hearing rave reviews about John Ajvide Lindqvist's novel, Let the Right One In (sometimes also called Let Me In, which is the title used for the American film version coming out soon). I decided, after some consideration, to read it. It was hard going, but ultimately rewarding.

Oskar is a 12 year old boy with troubles. His parents are divorced. He is bullied frequently. He has problems with incontinence. He shoplifts. And he is morbidly obsessed with murderers and forensics. But when a very strange man and girl move into the apartment next door to his, he doesn't realise that this arrival will cause chaos throughout the town he lives in. Ironically enough, the girl, Eli, will give him more confidence in life to face up to his troubles, but she has secrets of her own...

I am not a fan of vampire literature. Until I decided to read Twilight earlier this year for my previous blog, the only vampire novels I had read all the way through were Doctor Who books like the novelisation of The Curse of Fenric, and Goth Opera. Twilight wasn't quite as bad as some of its detractors make out, but it was a very mediocre book made worse by considerations about Bella and Edward. Let the Right One In follows a generally similar plot, in that it could be called a vampire romance, but while a much darker work than Twilight, is also significantly better.

I am reminded of a phrase used to describe Silent Hill 2 in a documentary about the making of that game. The creators claimed that it was not so much a horror game as much as a terrible love story, terrible meaning tragic and dark. I feel that the term applies for Let the Right One In. There are other elements in Let the Right One In that are very like Silent Hill, in that this is a novel designed to disturb. Eli's partner in crime to get blood is a pedophile. Oskar is obsessed with murderers, and stabs trees with a knife, imagining them to be his bullies. And being a vampire stuck at the age of 12, as you'll find out later in the novel, is not all that is disturbing about Eli.

Keep in mind that this is a very disturbing book. I haven't felt this disturbed since reading Fight Club earlier this year. But this is far from just a run of the mill horror novel, designed to shock and disgust. This is close to a work of literature. Even translated from Swedish, it is clearly extremely well written. It is a bleak but beautiful book, like the snow and ice that predominates the imagery of the novel.

Let the Right One In is certainly not for everyone, especially if you are susceptible to nightmares. But those who can brave disgusting things and disturbing concepts will find something strangely rewarding, a curiously touching love story between a boy and a vampire.


9/10

First words: It makes you think of coconut-frosted cookies, maybe drugs.

Last words: But then, it's probably different when you're young.

Book 2, and the first Doctor Who novel of this review blog...

REVIEW: Doctor Who: Sometime Never... by Justin Richards


My first Doctor Who to be reviewed was one that I have occasionally looked through at the library, but never really committed to reading all the way through. This was partly because of, at the time, my lack of interest in Doctor Who at the time (after my original obsession waned, and before the new series came onto the screens), and partly because it came at the end of a very long story arc I had not been following. Which is a pity, because Sometime Never... was a particularly interesting novel.

The Doctor, Fitz Kreiner, and Trix have been caught up in the machinations of mysterious beings who have replaced the now long-destroyed Time Lords. These beings, the Council of Eight, intend to use their manipulations of history to live outside time, forever, but the Doctor, being a Rogue Element, is messing up their plans. The Doctor is planning to track down the Council of Eight, and put a stop to their plans, but the Council will make sure that that will happen sometime never...

Coming, as it does, at the end of a long story arc involving the clashes between the Doctor and the Council's agent, Sabbath, going into it will be difficult for the average reader and even Doctor Who fan. But even so, despite the fact that it is the culmination of a long game, ir works surprisingly well. Although there are references that only previous readers will pick up on (including the deaths of previous companions, and the reappearance of another character from a previous book), it still works well as a stand-alone novel.

Like many Doctor Who novels, it deals with intricacies of time, and some of them get complex, one even offering a possible alternative explanation for the Doctor's own origins, which I will not spoil here. Time is abused, stretched, looped, and generally screwed around with. This can be confusing for a reader who isn't able to wrap his mind around the intricacies of time travel in fiction, and there are some derivations of physics concepts that might be a little confusing to those without a background in physics.

While it is a strange and mind-bending story, that goes to some dark places, Sometime Never... is still worth your time to read, especially if you're a Doctor Who fan. This is a story where the Doctor has to fight destiny every step of the way, no matter what.


8.5/10

First words: Kujabi the hunter never saw Death come to the forest.

Last words: (not reproduced due to spoilers)

For those of you actually following this thread, my next book will be, in all likelihood, The Looking-Glass Wars by Frank Beddor, followed by Neon Genesis Evangelion: The Shinji Ikari Raising Project volume 1.

And now, book 3...

REVIEW: The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor

In the most previous book reading blog, I read Alice in Wonderland, and didn't enjoy it, and I had also read The Wizard of Oz in that one. And, in my first ever book reading blog, I read the latter two installments of the Wicked books, Son of a Witch, and A Lion Among Men, which reimagine the world of Oz in a dark and adult way. Now, I come to a similar revisionistic work, one which takes the world of Wonderland, and changes it into a much more interesting world.

Alice Liddell, upon seeing Charles 'Lewis Carroll' Dodgson's work, Alice in Wonderland, berates the reverend for taking her memories and turning them into an apparent mockery of her life. For, long ago, Alice was Alyss Heart, the princess of Wonderland, the world of imagination. Forced to flee when her aunt, Redd, murdered her parents and took over Wonderland, separated from her bodyguard Hatter Madigan, she is forced to adapt to life in our world, but will she be ready for her fate as queen of Wonderland? Or will Redd's Black Imagination triumph over White Imagination?

Compared to Wicked, The Looking Glass Wars is a very brave attempt at revisionism of the world of Alice in Wonderland, but while fairly dark, especially for a novel for young adults, it is not quite as dark as Wicked. Unlike Wicked, which maintains a certain amount of continuity with its inspiration, The Wizard of Oz, The Looking Glass Wars, taking as its supposition that Alice in Wonderland was Charles Dodgson's rewriting of Alyss' stories of her life, has no need. The Mad Hatter is reimagined as Hatter Madigan, a very sane and focused bodyguard whose hat is a deadly weapon that puts Oddjob's to shame. The White Rabbit is actually Bibwit Harte, Alyss' tutor. And the Cheshire Cat is a vicious, magically engineered assassin who can turn into a kitten to infiltrate anywhere.

While the world is not as complex as that of Gregory Maguire's re-envisioning of Oz, there are interesting revelations, like that Wonderland is where imagination and inventiveness comes from (in an early scene, during Alyss' seventh birthday, her mother is shown approving the invention of the parachute and the hula hoop). And it certainly leaves Tim Burton's reimagining of Wonderland for dead in terms of sheer complexity, both stated and implied. Politics are very much a factor in this story, as is imagination.

Unfortunately, this story, while excellent, does have something to be desired. Not enough is told of Hatter Madigan's trekking around our world (although I have found out that this is actually explained in a comic book series called Hatter M), and the final battle, while spectacular, is a little too short. I feel that Beddor could have added a significantly higher amount of depth and background to his novel, which is a pity, because although there was more depth to Wicked, it was less enjoyable than The Looking Glass Wars.

If you're looking for something interesting, different, and had your interest in Wonderland revived by Tim Burton's movie, then you can do worse than read The Looking Glass Wars. It is highly recommended, and will fill in a few days of your life. And it will make you wonder whether this is truly what Wonderland is like...


8.5/10

First words: Everyone thought she had made it up and she had tolerated more taunting and teasing from other children, more lectures and punishments from grown-ups, than any eleven-year-old should have to bear.

Last words: 'Isn't it wonderful?'

Book 4...

REVIEW: Neon Genesis Evangelion: The Shinji Ikari Raising Project volume 1 by Osamu Takahashi

Earlier in the year, as part of my previous book blog, I reviewed the first volume of Neon Genesis Evangelion: Angelic Days, a spin-off of Neon Genesis Evangelion based on an alternative universe seen in the last episode of the TV series and subsequent video game set in that world. Now there's another one available, The Shinji Ikari Raising Project, itself also based on a video game spin-off. Is The Shinji Ikari Raising Project as good as Angelic Days? Hell, no!

Shinji Ikari and Asuka Langley Sohryu have known each other for a long time, but that doesn't mean that they're friends. Their relationship is by turns abusive and demeaning, so when Shinji meets distant relative Rei Ayanami, he finds that Asuka, for some reason, is jealous of the newcomer, especially as she lives with Shinji and his parents and is now going to school with them.

I'll be frank: as shallow as Angelic Days was, it did have better character development than this latest work, which seems to be little more than a high-school comedy with the trappings of Evangelion. It takes the dark, psychological drama that made Evangelion so good, and chucked it out the window. The characters are all one-dimensional, with the exception of Gendo and Yui Ikari, as well as Rei Ayanami herself, although Rei is still less interesting than her version in either the original Evangelion, or Angelic Days.

While enjoyable on one level, it does leave one wanting, with there being very little plot to speak of barring Shinji's misadventures, although there is a hint of darker things in the thin story.

Unless you're a major Neon Genesis Evangelion fan, or else enjoy high school comedies with plenty of fanservice (including an admittedly amusing version of the infamous scene from episode 5 of Evangelion with Shinji and Rei) but low on plot, The Shinji Ikari Raising Project is certainly not for you. Avoid.



4/10

First words: Okay, then!

Last words: Mi-Misato-sensei!!

Book 5...

REVIEW: To Play The King by Michael Dobbs


One book that I enjoyed immensely during my previous book blog was House of Cards, a political thriller that was later turned into a famous BBC miniseries. Finally, I've got it together to read the sequel that Dobbs didn't intend to write, until the TV miniseries became a hit.

Francis Urquhart is now Prime Minister of the UK. But even being the political leader of the UK is not enough to end his troubles. If anything, they're only just beginning. The newly crowned King is concerned about Urquhart and his measures, and Urquhart is determined not to let the King get in his way. And Francis Urquhart is more than willing to take down the Monarchy if he has to. But can even Francis Urquhart take down the oldest British institution?

House of Cards, in the novel at least, ended in a way that didn't allow any chance of a sequel. However, Dobbs wrote the sequel because of the popularity of the TV adaptation, and so To Play The King, while it is different to its own adaptation, assumes that what happened at the end of the TV adaptation of House of Cards was what transpired.

Like many sequels, it is inferior to the original. This is by no means to say that To Play The King is a bad novel. Quite the contrary, it is a rollicking good yarn that exposes the seedy side of politics and the Monarchy. But To Play The King has a major setback in that House of Cards was quite fresh, having a villanous protagonist in a governmental position that few of the members of the public knew about, and thus, it was something of an education. To Play The King, by contrast, has very little in it that we can't glean from reading newspapers and a cursory knowledge of politics.

That being said, while not as educational or, to be honest, as intellectual as House of Cards, To Play The King is still thought-provoking and entertaining, while being as sordid as hell. On one hand, we have the right-wing Francis Urquhart, determined to impose his own vision over Britain. And on the other, we have the King, supposedly Charles (the allusion made stronger by a dream the King has of the first king to take the name, Charles I, having his head cut off after the English Civil War) having ascended to the throne, and finding it a disturbing place to be when you have a conscience. And with personalities as contrasting as that, you know that there'll be strife.

If you enjoyed House of Cards, or even if you are new to political thrillers, To Play The King is an excellent romp. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to challenge their perception of politics.


8.5/10

First words: It was the day they would put him to death.

Last words: 'The bear's tea will be getting cold.'

Book 6 is going to cause some controversy...

REVIEW: Twilight: The Graphic Novel, Volume 1 by Stephanie Meyer and Young Kim


Many of these books have links back to books I reviewed in previous book blogs. To Play The King is the sequel to House of Cards, while The Looking Glass Wars and Neon Genesis Evangelion: The Shinji Ikari Raising Project are alternative versions of books I have reviewed. And now, I come to the graphic novel adaptation of Twilight.

As I reviewed Twilight earlier, I'll just copy and paste the synopsis I wrote for my review. Isabella 'Bella' Swan finds it hard to fit in at times. Moving in to the Pacific Northwest town of Forks to be with her father, she finds it gloomy and dead. What's worse, starting at a new high school means that she has the unwanted attention of several teenage boys. But shy and clumsy Bella finds it curious that Edward Cullen seems to be repulsed by her very presence. However, after a series of events, Edward seems to warm to her. However, Bella begins to realise that there is more to Edward than first meets the eye. For Edward is a vampire, a dangerous creature indeed. But perhaps more dangerous is the fact that they are falling in love with each other...

I have already stated my opinion on Twilight previously. While not actually as putridly bad as some of its detractors make out, it was a mediocre work with disturbing implications about the nature of Bella and Edward's relationship. However, that being said, it is strangely fitting to have it drawn as a graphic novel in the style of romance manga, and this surpisingly lifts the tone of the work as a whole. Ironically, the story of Twilight works better as a manga-style work than it does as prose.

I'll make no bones about it. Young Kim's artwork is beautiful and atmospheric, although she has a tendency, like many a graphic novel artist in this style, to make the vast majority of the characters more attractive than they would be. Bella and Edward both look right, perhaps even more so than their cinematic counterparts, but the supporting characters look a little too beautiful, even if they aren't vampires. Most of the story is drawn in monochrome, with hints of colour coming through at key points.

The most criticism, as before, comes for the story and the implications of Bella and Edward's relationship. The story would be better if it weren't for the fact that Edward acts like a bloody stalker, and that the initial stages of the relationship are a masochism mambo.

Although this ends off partway through the novel's story, this graphic novel is probably the best way to experience Twilight, if you're going to bother at all. Twilight is not for everyone, and is certainly not my cup of tea, but this graphic novel has certainly lifted a mediocre story into the realms of something remotely good.


7/10

First words: I'd never given much thought to how I would die- though I'd had reason enough in the last few months- but even if I had, I would not have imagined it like this.

Last words: Before I realised, we were back at the truck...and by the time we got back to my house, the world had turned quiet and dark...

Book 7...

REVIEW: Scott Pilgrim volume 1: Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life by Bryan Lee O'Malley

Out of general curiosity, one of the franchises that has come to my attention lately was the Scott Pilgrim franchise of graphic novels, with a movie having recently been released. Hearing about the jokes it makes about gaming culture, I decided to give it a go.

Scott Pilgrim is a 23-year old slacker who is between jobs, part of a great band, and in the beginnings of a restrained relationship with a 17-year old Asian schoolgirl. Life is good, until a strange young woman starts rollerblading through his dreams. Her name is Ramona Flowers, she's a delivery girl who uses Scott's dreaming mind as the subspatial equivalent of a convenient shortcut, and Scott is becoming infatuated with her. But every beautiful girl comes with a caveat, and the first of her seven evil ex-boyfriends is about to attack...

I've read some pretty good webcomics relating to video games in my time. PvP and 8-Bit Theatre spring to mind as exemplars of the genre. So when I read this, well, it's pretty good, but really, it's not as good as some think.

Maybe it's because, as an Australian, I don't get as much of the Canadian culture that is supposed to be surrounding it. Or maybe it is the perception of the slacker lifestyle. But I'm finding the laughs a little hard to come to naturally. The humour is, at times, a little difficult to comprehend, or else I have seen variations on it before.

That being said, Scott Pilgrim was entertaining. The surreal nature of the humour (subspace highways going through people's heads? A fight against an ex-boyfriend that is like a video game boss battle?) does help, and the storyline is entertaining enough in its admittedly shallow conceits.

Is Scott Pilgrim for you? Well, I guess you have to be Gen Y and a gamer or a musician to get a good chunk of it, but it is still worth a look-see.


7.5/10

First words: Scott Pilgrim is dating a high schooler!

Last words: Yes.

Book 8...

REVIEW: The Folklore of Discworld by Terry Pratchett and Jacqueline Simpson

Discworld is a world rich in folklore from our own world, but it is amazing to find that occasionally, there is something that you may not have realised. Terry Pratchett and Jacqueline Simpson, the latter being a folklore academic, have compiled what is one of the most intriguing Discworld related books that is not part of the main series.

The Folklore of Discworld is a humourous look at the inspirations behind Terry Pratchett's fantasy world. There are many surprises, even in fantasy staples such as dwarves, trolls, and elves that we think we know about. While far from being an academic treatise, it is clear that quite a significant amount of research has gone into the book.

Some of this, Pratchett fans will be familiar with, but while this book was written for Discworld fans in mind, it is still a fascinating and interesting read that looks into the folklore of our world.

That being said, it's not without its faults. It focuses, perhaps too much, on the folklore surrounding the witches of Lancre and the Chalk, and not enough on the literary inspirations for some fantasy creatures featured in Discworld. And it is not quite as enjoyable as a normal Discworld book. I also get the feeling that this could have been much more substantial without seriously compromising its entertainment value.

But The Folklore of Discworld is an interesting enough compendium that will fascinate and delight fans of both folklore on our world, and the Discworld mythos. It isn't definitely for everyone, but is well worth a look for those who wish to see how our folklore has influenced one of the classics of modern literature.


8.5/10

First words: A number of things conspired to cause this book to be written.

Last words: [Reaper Man]

Book 9...

REVIEW: The Manchurian Candidate by Richard Condon


I first heard of The Manchurian Candidate, as I often hear about some things, through a connection with Doctor Who. In this case, many people feel that the Doctor Who story The Deadly Assassin was based strongly on the movie that the book was based on. Finally, I go back to the source, finding one of the original serious brainwashing thrillers.

During the Korean War, a platoon of American soldiers are abducted and brainwashed. One of them, Sergeant Raymond Shaw, the stepson of an influential, McCarthy-like senator and son of a domineering, power-hungry mother, is indoctrinated into becoming an assassin, who will follow any order after seeing the Queen of Diamonds card. Upon returning to America, on the recommendation of his commanding officer Bennett Marco and his comrades, all brainwashed into believing he saved their lives in combat, Shaw is awarded the Medal of Honour. But Marco and others of the unit are experiencing nightmares of what really happened, and they need to work to stop a conspiracy that will cause the United States of America to spiral out of control...

While a dated novel in terms of the setting, compared to other novels of the period, The Manchurian Candidate is actually quite easy to read, and even interesting. Even given the Cold War setting and the ludicrous nature of the plot, it still has an air of realism.

Out of the characters, the three most important (Raymond Shaw, his mother, and Bennett Marco) are the most fleshed out, with Senator Johnny Iselin being a grotesque caricature of Senator McCarthy, and other characters...well, they play their roles in the story, but few are as satisfying as the three main characters, with Marco falling to pieces as he tries to work things out, Shaw feeling out of control of his life even before he became an assassin, and his mother being this power hungry Gorgon who nonetheless has a grotesque complexity to her.

I think that the plot does take a bit too long to get to the action, although this may be an artifact of the style of the time. And the plot, while ludicrous, is still thrilling, and has chilling echoes today, especially when the real goal of the conspiracy is finally revealed, which sounds suspiciously like what some people think is happening today.

While dated, The Manchurian Candidate is certainly worth your time to have a look at. If you think you know about the archetypal brainwashing thriller, then think again.


8/10

First words: It was sunny in San Franciso; a fabulous condition.

Last words: (Not recorded due to spoilers)

Book 10...

REVIEW: I Shall Wear Midnight by Terry Pratchett


While I enjoy the Discworld novels, I do have particular favourites in terms of the various story arcs. I like the stories that involve Death and his granddaughter, Susan Sto Helit, the Wizards of Unseen University, Rincewind, and the con artist Moist Von Lipwig. But my least favourite were the Witches stories. The first set focus on the 'coven' in Lancre, with Granny Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg, and Magrat Garlick, later to be replaced (though not forgotten) by Agnes Nitt. The second, most recent set, is about young witch Tiffany Aching, which, while enjoyable, are still not as enjoyable as other Discworld novels. But then, the fourth, and possibly final Tiffany Aching story, I Shall Wear Midnight, came along. And not only is it the best Aching story of all, but one of the best of the series, and that is saying something.

Tiffany Aching is the local witch of the Chalk, a small country area on the Sto Plains, and having finished her schooling in witchcraft, she is now responsible for looking after the people of the Chalk. But for a fifteen-year old witch, who is supposed to use more common sense and know-how than magic, it is becoming tiring. And it is about to become a whole lot worse, for an evil entity is turning the people of the Discworld against witches, making them think that witches are not to be trusted, that they should be exterminated. With friends turning into enemies, and her allies, the rowdy Nac Mac Feegle, not helping matters, Tiffany has to find out how she is going to beat the might of the Cunning Man, before he wreaks havoc on the Discworld.

Although this is a Discworld book meant for teenagers, it should be noted that very early on, we are made to understand that this is a dark book. How dark? Well, the first few chapters involves a 13-year old girl miscarrying after being beaten by her father, who is later in danger of being lynched, and tries to hang himself. And then, Tiffany is subject to paranoia and suspicion for being a witch, all of which culminates in the horrific appearance of the Cunning Man, who is one of the Discworld's most frightening supernatural villains.

And yet, such is Pratchett's skill as a writer, even in what could very well be the end of his career given his Alzheimer's, that it is never questioned as to its value in the story. It is to show that Tiffany's life as a witch is not always a happy one, and life is not always as simple and clean as some would believe.

Fans of the Discworld series in general will be glad to note a few cameos from much-loved characters, but two in particular stand out. Wee Mad Arthur, supposed gnome member of the City Watch, is, of course, revealed to be a rather unconventional Nac Mac Feegle (think Pictish warriors a couple of inches tall and able to fight off a grown human), as some fans suspected, but an interesting cameo is that of Eskarina 'Esk' Smith, the female wizard unseen since the events of Equal Rites. And yes, she plays a vital role in the story.

Tiffany Aching also seems to have come into her own. While the events of this novel are, to a degree, her fault, unlike the last couple of books, it isn't due to any naivete or lack of knowledge. The only reason why the events are her fault is hinted to be an unforeseen result of the events of the previous Tiffany Aching novel, Wintersmith. Tiffany has always been a mature and thoughtful girl, occasional stuff-ups notwithstanding, but here, with few exceptions, she truly acts like an adult.

I'll be honest. I cannot find anything truly at fault with I Shall Wear Midnight, except, perhaps, the glossing over of the later fate of Mr Petty and his daughter, Amber, the aforementioned father and daughter, although this might have been due to my style of reading. While not as complex a story as your average Discworld novel, it is still an engaging one, and as I said, I cannot find any fault in it at all.

So, if you're a Discworld fan, or new to the series, get a copy. Read it. And bask in the light of damn good reading.


10/10

First words: Why was it, Tiffany Aching wondered, that people liked noise so much?

Last words: And Tiffany said, 'Listen'.

Book 11...

REVIEW: Miles, Mystery, and Mayhem by Lois McMaster Bujold


In my last book reading blog, I dipped a tentative toe into the realm of military science fiction. On the one hand, I tried the first book of the Honor Harrington series, On Basilisk Station. While done fairly well, it was a bit too tech-wank intensive and about regimented military for my liking, and I decided to go no further. But on the other hand, I tried the first two books (or, more precisely, omnibus books) of the Vorkosigan Saga by Lois McMaster Bujold, Cordelia's Honour, and Young Miles. I found them far more entertaining, mixing humour, drama, and plots that sometimes rush along on adrenaline like the main character, the unique Miles Vorkosigan. So, it was with some expectation that I read the third omnibus book, chronologically speaking, in the series, Miles, Mystery, and Mayhem.

Miles Vorkosigan is a Vor lord, and heir to becoming the Count Vorkosigan. And after a series of events, not only has he become an important member of the spy agency of his homeworld, Barrayar, but he has also become the head of a mercenary fleet, the Dendarii Mercenaries, who are now working as irregulars for Barrayar when they're not doing their own thing. Miles and his cousin Ivan are sent to the world of Cetaganda as ambassadors during a state funeral, but Miles gets more than he bargained for when he obtains something vital to the genetic engineering of upper class Cetagandan society. Elsewhere, Dr Ethan Urquhart, a reproductive doctor from the exclusively male and intensely misogynistic society of Athos, must confront a conspiracy that intends to create psychics, while teaming up, reluctantly, with Dendarii mercenary Elli Quinn. And finally, Miles, in order to placate a scientist whom he is supposed to be rescuing, must also find a genetically modified supersoldier in the lair of a sadistic Baron of the ultra-capitalist planet of Jackson's Whole. But the supersoldier turns out to be more human in her soul than her creators and owners intended...

This omnibus novel collects two novels (Cetaganda and Ethan of Athos) and one novella (Labyrinth), and I have to confess, out of those three, I like Cetaganda most. Don't get me wrong, I like all three of the stories, but Cetaganda shows Miles at his best, improvising while investigating the labyrinthean politics of the transhuman society of Cetaganda. Ethan of Athos was a good thriller, but, besides the interesting depth and development of a homosexual society (and, I thought surprisingly, an extremely misogynistic one), and a few interesting twists, it is not quite as good as its fellow stories. Labyrinth, while short and filled with lost potential, introduces Jackson's Whole, Baron Ryoval, and supersolider Taura very well.

These are certainly better than your average run of the mill science fiction stories, with the depth of cultural development of the various societies showing. Cetaganda, Athos, and Jackson's Whole show three very divergent (and human, not alien) societies. And Lois McMaster Bujold also manages to inject a wry humour into her writing, a humour that doesn't detract from the dramatic narrative.

My main problem with the stories is that they sometimes get a little bogged down in terms of pace. Sometimes, they seem just a tad too slow, and sometimes get into irrelevancies. Also, the extreme misogyny of the Athos society was somewhat wince-inducing, as I didn't consider homosexuality and misogyny to be that strongly correlated.

That being said, I did enjoy Miles, Mystery and Mayhem, and if you have read the first two Vorkosigan Saga books that I have elsewhere, read this and enjoy.


8.5/10

First words: "Now is it, 'Diplomacy is the art of war pursued by other men,'" asked Ivan, "or was it the other way around? 'War is diplo-'"

Last words: They retired to his cabin and practised assiduously till halfway to Escobar.

Book 12...

REVIEW: Monster volume 3, '511 Kinderheim' by Naoki Urasawa


One of the best manga series that I have read in recent times was Monster, by Naoki Urasawa. A combination of The Fugitive and Silence of the Lambs set in Germany, the first two volumes impressed me with their strong, but dark storyline, and it was with big expectations that I came to read the third volume.

Now officially a fugitive on the run for murders he didn't commit, Dr Kenzo Tenma stumbles across more evidence of the psychopathic Johan's manipulations. Worse still, he finds out more about Johan's origins, in the form of the East German orphanage 511 Kinderheim and a demonic project to create child soldiers. But even as Dr Tenma struggles to save the life of a boy called Dieter, his obsessed pursuer, Inspector Lunge, is about to change his own life, perhaps for the worse, in his obsession with Tenma...

Each volume of Monster thus far seems to have a particular story arc. In the first volume, it was about how Dr Tenma first met Johan, and how Johan caused Tenma's rise and fall. In the second volume, it was Tenma's efforts to track down Johan's sister, Anna, now living under the name Nina, as well as Tenma being eventually forced to go on the run from his vengeful ex-fiancee, Eva Heinemann, and the obsessed Inspector Heinrich Lunge. In this third volume, although there are a number of diverse stories, the one that stands out most is that of 511 Kinderheim, an orphanage in East Germany used to try and create child soldiers.

While the plot of creating child soldiers is something of a cliche in fiction, such is Monster's realism, especially when compared to other manga, that it allows this plot device in and makes it seem frighteningly real. We also get more insight into Johan's enigmatic origins, and how frightening he was at a young age.

We also have two new characters, who are apparently to become regulars. The latter in particular is Dieter, a young boy whose story arc within this volume alone is worth noting, without spoiling. The former, a thief, is more of an annoyance, but still an interestingly grotesque character.

We also get some more insight into the character of Inspector Lunge, and how his obsession is screwing up his family life. The events of this chapter focusing on him serve both to humanise and dehumanise him, providing him with a background that was strongly absent in previous chapters.

While going to extraordinarily dark places, this volume of Monster in particular has strong rays of hope. Dr Tenma, despite his self-appointed mission to kill Johan, is still determined to do good, and his altruism affects most of those around him, even those who are nominally his enemies.

Besides the annoying character of the thief and the darkness of the story, I can find very little to fault Monster volume 3. This is an excellent manga, and an excellent thriller, and I can't wait to get the next installment.


9/10

First words: Here's your Manhattan.

Last words: Show her in!

Book 13...


REVIEW: Survivors by Terry Nation


In his career, Terry Nation has written for Tony Hancock, and produced MacGuyver. Perhaps most famously, he created the Daleks for Doctor Who, and the TV series Blake's 7. However, in the early 1970s, he also created a TV show called Survivors, as well as a novel based on his scripts.

Most of the world's population is wiped out by a superplague. For the survivors in Britain, however, their struggle is just beginning. Not only do they have to relearn how to farm food and create things normal people take for granted, but they are now more vulnerable than ever to disease, injury, and, as it turns out, each other...

If the above sounds somewhat familiar to Stephen King fans, well, Survivors (as in the original TV series rather than the remake in 2008) came out at least 3 years before The Stand, and Survivors has no supernatural element. And while Terry Nation can be a great storyteller (it particularly shows in some Doctor Who and Blake's 7 episodes he had written), this book, while not bad, is fairly average.

None of the characters are truly striking, and the writing is, while adult, still somewhat old-fashioned, if that makes any sense. Which is a pity. Nation, to my knowledge, has only written one other book, the children's novel Rebecca's World, which I actually enjoyed immensely. Doubtless, the series of Survivors might be better in portraying the bleak feel of the story, but the writing's bleakness seems to be more Nation's style than an evocative feel of the story.

That being said, the concept is strong, and the descriptions of not only what the survivors have to do to keep surviving, but also what other survivors are doing, is good. The feeling of post-apocalyptic Britain reminds me of the descriptions of the zombie-filled world in Max Brooks' Zombie Survival Guide.

Survivors is a decent, if flawed post-apocalyptic novel. While not the best, it might be of interest to find it and read it.


7.5/10

First words: In the beginning, the Lord said, 'My name shall be known to all the peoples of the world.'

Last words: Then: 'But we'll survive. We'll survive.'

For those of you following this thread, the next book will probably be One Thing Led To Another by Chopper Read.