The Quatermass Book Reading Marathon Blog: Taking the Fifth

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It's book marathon time again! My motivation is back up, and it's time for the latest Quatermass Book Reading Marathon Blog.

Regulars to this part of the forum may remember my previous book-reading marathons. This has been around since 2009, with my first such review blog (link here) clocking up 22 books over 46 days. My second (here's a link) clocked up 76 books in 179 days, my third(a link here for the connosieur) clocked up 100 books in 177 days. And my latest one (click here if you dare...) clocked up 30 books in 88 days.

The rules are self-imposed, and 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 (for the first time) 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.

Keep in mind that this blog is self-imposed to help me expand my reading horizons. I choose the reading material, and I rarely, if at all, take suggestions.

So, what have we got lined up this time?

Well, I'm still going to try and read and review Charles Dickens' Little Dorrit, and Stephen King's It, but to that, I am adding Raptor Red by Robert T Bakker, A Game of Thrones by George RR Martin, and the latest Discworld novel, Snuff, by Terry Pratchett.

On the Doctor Who front, The Coming of the Terraphiles by Michael Moorcock will be joined by The Silent Stars Go By by Dan Abnett, as well as various New Adventures and Missing Adventures.

The first book will probably Terry Pratchett's latest Discworld novel Snuff.

You're inspiring Quartermass.

Oh dear, I hope not. I'm a bad inspiration.

No not at all. I should be reading more books. I love reading and I going to try to read more too. Not as much as you though because I'm not a speed reader.

Book 1...

REVIEW: Snuff by Terry Pratchett


A few years back, Discworld author Terry Pratchett was diagnosed with a form of Alzheimer's. Fans of the Discworld series were horrified. But even so, Pratchett continued to write the latest entries for the series, as well as a non-Discworld book, Nation. Having read the average (by Discworld standards) Unseen Academicals, the very good Nation, and the excellent (being one of half a dozen books to get a perfect 10 in these book-reading blogs) I Shall Wear Midnight, one considers his affliction no hindrance to his writing ability. With the latest Discworld book, Snuff, now out, I have to wonder whether it is, pun intended, up to snuff...

Samuel Vimes is being made to go on holiday by his wife, Lady Sybil Ramkin. Out to a relaxing stay at her country estate, with their young son, and their butler, the former street fighter Willikins. And for the city-born Vimes, life in the country takes some getting used to. After all, he isn't the Commander of the City Watch out in the country, and the quirks of the country confuse him. But he soon begins to sense something wrong. Strange words have been let slip, and Vimes not only discovers a crime scene, but finds himself being framed for it. After managing to enlist the help of Chief Constable Feeney, the man sent to arrest him on behalf of the local (and self-appointed) magistrates, Vimes discovers that not only has there been a murder, but there have been many. And slavery, too. The victims are perhaps the least liked race on the Discworld, the goblins, said to be the lowest form of sapient life. But to Vimes, murder is murder, slavery is slavery, and he will stop it and bring those responsible to justice, no matter what. He has help, including a goblin whom he deputises, Feeney, and Willikins, as well as the helpful taint of a former adversary, and the City Watch. But he is out of his jurisdiction, he has powerful enemies who believe that they can use their power and influence as they see fit, and they have a devious and deadly enforcer who won't stop until he destroys Vimes...

I am sure that there are many people in the world who would give their soul to write as well as Terry Pratchett does, and despite his 'embuggerance' as he calls it, he still can write extremely well, sweeping people along for the ride like the raging river portrayed on the cover. The use of language is still good, and while there is less humour in Snuff than in some Discworld novels, there's still some hilarious scenes, one of the best being Vimes giving the Discworld equivalent of the Bennets from Pride and Prejudice a lecture to make them find their own work. The story has a dark tone, and the themes explored had been explored in previous Discworld books (The Fifth Elephant, Thud! and Unseen Academicals spring most readily to mind), but overall, the story is quite good.

I have to say, I'm not so much a fan of the City Guard books (or I wasn't until relatively recently), but the characters are fine. Vimes, of course, takes centre stage, and while he is portrayed very well, I have to confess that he has, by this point, become something of a God Mode Stu, even within the Discworld mythos. I mean, after stopping a war from being repeated and defeating the demonic entity known as the Summoning Dark in Thud!, the question comes to mind, what CAN'T Vimes do? This is a relatively minor complaint, as he is shown to be wrestling with his inner darkness so many times, it isn't funny. His wife, Sybil, and Willikins are done well too, being even more expanded from previous roles. Young Sam is a nicely portrayed character, albeit with just a tad too much of a scatological fixation (though that might be natural for a child his age).

Of the other characters, the only ones of real note are Chief Constable Feeney, who is sort of a country constable version of Carrot, Miss Beedle, children's book author and goblin educator, and the goblins, particularly Tears of the Mushroom. Unfortunately, the main villain, Gravid Rust, is too much in the background, and Stratford, while a credible menace, is also rather a generic psycho. I also agree, albeit only slightly, that Vetinari, seen in a few scenes, is a little out of character, and that the scenes with other City Watch members, while still vital to the storyline or at least its context, seem to be added to placate hardcore City Watch fans.

Is there anything else I should mention about Snuff? There's a vague feeling of it being very faintly disjointed. This isn't a whodunnit as much as a whathappened, or even a whyshouldVimescare? In short, it's not quite a mystery novel as much as Vimes pursuing justice for a race very much unloved on the Discworld. The story, then, comes across as slightly heavyhanded on this issue, but not so much as to make it repulsive. One too gets a feeling of the Discworld series being wound down, as two noted characters get possible conclusions to their stories (I won't say who).

Even so, these are relatively minor quibbles for such an excellent book. It's not quite at the level of I Shall Wear Midnight, nor at the Discworld-average level of Unseen Academicals, but it sits right there, alongside Nation (not itself a Discworld book, of course) as one of Pratchett's better works, even if it doesn't rank amongst the best.



9/10

First words: The goblin experience of the world is the cult or perhaps religion of Unggue.

Last words: (Not recorded due to spoilers)

That's sounds like a good book. I love fantasy and I've heard of him but I have never read any of his books. I went to the used book store today to see if I could find the first few books of the Discworld series and the only one they had was one titled "Mort" but it was really worn and stained so I think I'll see what I can find online that's maybe not so messed up with coffee or whatever was spilled on the back cover and the last pages.

Hmm. Mort is a fine book. I much prefer Reaper Man, though.

Try your local library, if you can. And while you don't have to try Pratchett's books from the very beginning (it takes a while for the Discworld books to find their feet), it's better to try many of the character-based series from the beginning. For example, before you read Snuff, it might be better to read the first two City Watch books, Guards! Guards! and Men at Arms. They generally are great stand-alone books, but it's a little easier to understand the context of the characters if you have that prior knowledge.

Thanks Quatarmass, I appreciate you telling me all of that. I wanted to try to buy the books because it's easier than for me to go to the library and get them back again on time. I'll have them delivered to my home.

Book 2...

REVIEW: Doctor Who: The Silent Stars Go By by Dan Abnett


It seems that it may become an annual tradition to have a well-known SF author to write a noted Doctor Who novel for BBC Books. Last year, Michael Moorcock, of Elric and the Eternal Champion fame, wrote The Coming of the Terraphiles. And now, it is Dan Abnett's turn. Noted for having written for the Warhammer franchises and 2000 AD magazine, he has also written two Doctor Who audio adventures, and has even written the overarching story for short story anthology Doctor Who: The Story of Martha. But is his first full Who novel any good?

Far in the future, the human colony or Morphans of Hereafter have been striving for 27 generations to feed themselves and maintain the machines that are slowly terraforming the planet. They live a simple existence of subsistence, according to the instructions of Guide and for the time being, that is enough. Except the winters are starting to get cold and bitter. Something lurks in the dark, something that kills. A young woman goes missing, and the Doctor, Amy, and Rory get caught up in the middle of it. But they soon learn that they are not the only new arrivals amongst the Morphans. The Ice Warriors are present, hoping to take Morpha for their own. But they aren't the only danger, nor the only secret of Hereafter. What is killing the Morphans' livestock? Why do the Ice Warriors believe that they are about to engage in war? And what secret is Morphan Old Winnowner hiding?

The Silent Stars Go By is a rather straightforward story with not much complexity. This is not to say that it is not enjoyable. It is enjoyable. Not excellent, but at least up to the standard I would expect from a good Doctor Who novel. It has good entertainment value, and it's a decent enough story, but there seems to be precious little meat on the bones. It feels like it could have been much more. There's some very good concepts, a few nice plot twists, and the Ice Warriors are used fairly well too, but it feels a little too commercial to me.

The regular characters are all there, with the Doctor and Rory particularly being evocative of their television counterparts. Not so sure about Amy, but she's a rather bland companion on TV anyway, so there isn't much difference in the end. The characters of the Morphan citizens seem rather generic Space Amish types, and while Bel, Vesta, and Samewell are a bit more adventurous, they don't stand out that much. Neither does Winnowner, a more antagonistic Morphan. The Ice Warriors make a welcome return, and are used fairly well, somewhere between their more antagonistic stances in most televised stories, and their more sympathetic portrayals in stories like The Curse of Peladon and some spin-off media.

The Silent Stars Go By, then, is a good story. Not a great one, but a good one. A welcome return of the Ice Warriors, and a good way to kill some time if you're a Doctor Who fan.



8.5/10

First words: Vesta got up early that morning, before Guide's Bell rang to mark the start of labour, before the sun had come up and brought heat and full light.

Last words: (Not recorded due to spoilers)

The next book might be Raptor Red by Robert T Bakker.

Oh, and BTW, one book that I am considering reading during this blog will be something that I would not have considered in previous book reading marathons.

Wanna know what it is?














Pride and Prejudice.

Why wouldn't you consider it before?

Because it's a bloody romance novel. Plus, I wasn't considering Jane Austen. It seems more like something you'd mock. I'm also a bit wary of novels published before 1900.

But even so, I have decided to give it a shot. Part of the reasoning behind this book-reading marathon is to expand my horizons, vis-a-vis book reading. Plus, my mother is a Jane Austen fanatic. She's watched the 1995 adaptation several times.

Okay, I understand now.

Okay, so the next book will be Raptor Red, followed by, in all likelihood, Doctor Who: The Coming of the Terraphiles and Pride and Prejudice. Still being read include It, Little Dorrit, and A Game of Thrones.