Books
- All The Queen's Men by SJ Bennett
- A Grave Talent by Laurie R. King
- Blood On The Tracks by Barbara Nickless
- Deep Down Dead by Steph Broadribb
- Dial A For Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto
- The Dime by Kathleen Kent
- The Dry by Jane Harper
- How The Light Get's In by Louise Penny
- The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave
- The Silenced by Anders de la Motte
For those of you who love YA science fiction, my latest book review for, In The Dark Spaces, by Aussie-based author, Cally Black, is up on the website.
This is an emotional, fast-paced, action-packed YA story of found family and so much more.
#amreading #bookreviews #sciencefiction #yabooks #scifi
Book Review: All The Devils Are Here by Louise Penny
My latest book review, All the Devils are Here, by crime fiction author, Louise Penny, is now up on the In Review website.
#bookreview #crimefiction #amreading
Today’s book review is Still Life written by Louise Penny, the first in her long running Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series. Also known as the Three Pines series if you watch Amazon Prime.
Today’s book review is Velocity Weapon, the first book in the outstanding Protectorate series by Megan E. O’Keefe.
#bookreview #scifi #sciencefiction #amreading #inreview
Today’s book review over on In Review is The Reckoning a historical mystery by James McGee. If you love cutthroat politics at the height of the Napoleonic wars, then this one’s for you.
You can check out my latest book review, The Defence by Steve Cavanagh, a twisting, fast-paced courtroom drama that’s as thrilling as it was fun.
#bookreview #amreading #inreview
The BIG Rewrite
Agatha Christie Rewritten
In the politically correct world we live in it is now becoming the norm to have sensitivity readers trawl through our favour author's books of yesteryear and correct them for today's sensitive readers. Publishers it would seem, are happy to rewrite not just a word here, or a sentence there, but whole paragraphs are being transformed so as to not offend the reader.But would it not be a less heavy handed way to alert potential, and future readers of the works of Ian Fleming, Agatha Christie and Roald Dahal’s by including a Content Warning at the beginning of every said offensive book, to the fact it might contain language used in another era that is now considered derogatory?
It may be unpleasant to know these authors used such language, back in the day, but to assume that it’s now okay to rewrite an author’s work with impunity, just astounds me. Correct me but couldn’t people choose to simply not read these authors and their work?
But, of course, it’s not really about the language, and more about continued sales of these dead author’s works well beyond the grave, that bothers the bottom line of publishers, not the delicate sensitivity of potential readers. And, to be honest, shouldn’t we be asking ourselves, are these people likely to read any of these authors anyway?
Personally, I’ve never read a Roald Dahl book and, I’m not likely to. They were never aimed at me to begin with. But I do think that in rewriting his works, they are denying readers the truth of what the man wrote, whether we view it now as being acceptable, or not.
Book Review: Cold Storage by David Koepp
COLD STORAGE is an incredibly fast read, not just because it’s only 308 pages long, but because it’s that kind of a story. A book you simply cannot put down. I read this in a day. Yes, seven hours on a Sunday, from beginning to end. I really didn’t want to stop as there was too much at stake. Yes, I know, it’s not real, but the science in COLD STORAGE, along with the excellently researched background to the alphabet soup government departments and processes, were spot on.
The context for this story, a mutated, fast breeding ELE fungus capable of eradicating all life, as we know it, is so plausible as to scary the bejesus out of me! Based on reality, and stretched to the what-if point like any good author should, Koepp takes the reader on a wild, scary ride. But then, tempers the real-life horror with two flawed, familiar, and sympathetic characters—Teacake and Naomi—that you are immediately drawn too and root for.
All the fingernail biting tension is further tempered with plenty of dry humour including the line that I think COLD STORAGE is going to be most remembered for: “The fucking deer just took the fucking elevator.” Uttered by the astonished Teacake (great name btw) who was a character I took an instant liking too.
While it’s true Diaz and his partner, and senior officer, Trini Romano, get an opener to the book that will blow your socks off (and, might I suggest, not be read before bedtime! Trust me.) It’s Teacake and Naomi who, for the most part, carry the weight of the story. It’s the investment into their two lives that make us care, care about what happens, and adds the heart to what could be an otherwise chilling read.
Over all, this is a riotous read. Suspend your disbelief at the first page, jump in with macabre glee, after all this is fiction, and have a fun, frightening, all to plausible ride on the horror-tinged train.
#bookreview #amreading
Top 5 Thursday: Cosy Fall Reads
So here we are again, another Thursday, and it’s Fall, so what better topic to choose than, Cosy Fall Reads. Though, of course, the word “cosy” is wide open to interpretation here. Anything goes, right?
📚 Blood on the Tracks by Barbara Nickless ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Book Review: Planetside by Michael Mammay
The first in a trilogy, Planetside melds the best in the military science fiction tradition with a murder-mystery, and a droll and somewhat jaded perspective of the lead protagonist, in the guise of Col. Carl Butler. Who, with a healthy dose of scepticism, in an action-packed plot infused with plenty of action, gets to the bottom of the odd disappearance of a young lieutenant.
But what should be a simple premise—find out what happened to Lt. Mallot—turns out to be anything but simple, for Butler and his team. And when he doesn’t trust the team he’s been given, any more than the commander of Capa Base, Col. Butler’s job becomes a game of matching wits with those around him. Military personnel who, at best, are either not enthusiastic about helping, or are doing their best to hinder his investigation while hiding secrets of their own.
What Planetside is, at its heart, nestled within a framework of military science fiction, is a multi-layer and very cleverly written mystery. And while Butler delves further into what happened, layer after layer is peeled back to reveal an insidious underbelly of corruption and ambition. Well, we all know about people using the mantra, “I’m doing all this to save humanity,” is a cover for their behaviour usually means they are so focused in their belief, as to forget they are probably selling their soul for a lie.
Which is exactly what we find in Planetside. Small discrepancies, minor incidents, all begin to add up. And the more he digs, the more everyone stonewalls his investigation. To the point where Butler realises the only way he’s going to get to the truth is to go planetside to confront the problem head-on and, hopefully, in doing so, finally get some answers.
Well, Butler finally gets his answers and, so do we. In a taut twisting build-up, pieces of the jigsaw puzzle slowly fall into place, as we arrive at resolution, I for one, wasn’t expecting, in a truly twisted endgame that well, quite literally, blew Planetside wide apart!
With flowing, easy to read prose, a congenial, well-defined MC, and a twisted plot layered with ruses and complexity, Planetside is one of the best military SF reads I’ve had in a long while. Mammy certainly has all the right credentials to write what is, a thoroughly absorbing mystery built within a futuristic framework, with plenty of nail-biting action as the bullets and rockets explode. Plenty enough to satisfy even the most jaded SF palate.
Rating: 9 / 10
Book Review: Cold Storage by David Koepp
COLD STORAGE is an incredibly fast read, not just because it’s only 308 pages long, but because it’s that kind of a story. A book you simply cannot put down. I read this in a day. Yes, seven hours on a Sunday, from beginning to end. I really didn’t want to stop as there was too much at stake. Yes, I know, it’s not real, but the science in COLD STORAGE, along with the excellently researched background to the alphabet-soup government departments and processes, were spot on.
The context for this story, a mutated, fast breeding ELE fungus capable of eradicating all life, as we know it, is so plausible as to scary the bejesus out of me! Based on reality, and stretched to the what-if point like any good author should, Koepp takes the reader on a wild, scary ride. But then, tempers the real-life horror with two flawed, familiar, and sympathetic characters—Teacake and Naomi—that you are immediately drawn too and root for.
All the fingernail biting tension is further tempered with plenty of dry humour including the line that I think COLD STORAGE is going to be most remembered for: “The fucking deer just took the fucking elevator.” Uttered by the astonished Teacake (great name btw) who was a character I took an instant liking too.
While it’s true Diaz and his partner, and senior officer, Trini Romano, get an opener to the book that will blow your socks off (and, might I suggest, not be read before bedtime! Trust me.) It’s Teacake and Naomi who, for the most part, carry the weight of the story. It’s the investment into their two lives that make us care, care about what happens, and adds the heart to what could be an otherwise chilling read.
Over all, this is a riotous read. Suspend your disbelief at the first page, jump in with macabre glee, after all this is fiction, and have a fun, frightening, all to plausible ride on the horror-tinged train.
Rating: 8.5 / 10
Top Ten Tuesday
Bonjour tout la monde, this week’s topic for Top Ten Tuesday is to list the Books I’ve Recommended The Most. Which is really difficult because, to be honest, there have been many books over the years and, really? I haven’t got a clue which ones I’ve recommended the most. So, today, I’m simply going to list 10 books I recommend reading because I enjoyed reading them.
And you, what books would you recommend?
Ten Women in SFF
Today I want to share some of my all time fav SFF authors with you all. Specifically, my favourite female authors (old and new).
So, if you haven’t already done so, maybe you’d like to check out these ladies.
URSULA K. Le GUIN (SFF) — I think just about everybody who reads SFF knows who she is and just maybe, has read at least one book, or series, written by her. To me she will always be the standard by which others are measured. From how well she told a story, to characterisation, world building, and tackling subjects that only a science fiction writer would dare too. Try her LEFT HAND OF DARKNESS or THE DISPOSSESSED.
C. J. CHERRYH (SFF) — Cherryh has been turning out superb fantasy and SF reads for a few decades now, and I have never been disappointed with anything I have picked up from her. From here THE MORGAINE SAGA to the FADED SUN cycle, to her FOREIGNER series, it seems like she’s written something for everyone.
S.A. CHAKRABORTY (Fantasy) — Chakraborty’s DAEVABAD SERIES, I have to say, is one of the best damn fantasy series I’ve ever read, by any author, male or female. This author knows how to write compelling characters, kick-ass stories, set in a world of mythical Djinn that just suck you in to the world from the very first page. Well, that’s how it was, for me at least.
PATRICIA A. McKILLIP (Fantasy) — McKillip is one of the first authors I read who introduced me to fantasy and made me fall in love with it. Able to create intricate worlds filled with characters we longed to be friends with, if not, to become. And take us on wild magical journeys to realms that only exist in imagination. Truly a gifted story teller. Try THE RIDDLE MASTERS OF HED, THE FORGOTTEN BEASTS OF ELD or THE BOOK OF ATRIX WOLFE.
JOAN D. VINGE (SF) — Known probably more for her fantasy novels, THE SNOW QUEEN and sequel, THE SUMMER QUEEN, like Cherryh, Vinge wrote across the board, and it’s more of her SF work that I enjoyed. Her novella, TIN SOLDIER, started me down the rabbit hole of reading her work.
ANNE McCAFFREY (SFF) — Another name that many know, like Le Guin, but maybe, haven’t read. But her Pern Series of books were my reading material of choice way back when. I couldn’t get enough of her science fantasies that featured genetically engineered dragons on a colonised world always under threat. Try the DRAGONRIDERS series or the DRAGONSINGERS series.
ELIZABETH MOON — Moon is probably less known by many, but she still continues to write, prolifically. I think many don’t realise here is a women writing Military SF and doing it with a women’s flare and touch. Yes, there’s a little romance in there, but mostly, she gives her male counterparts a good run for their money. Try her FAMILIAS REGNANT series (SF) or PAKSENARRION series (fantasy) and VATTAS WAR (SF). All rip roaring fast paced adventures.
BARBARA HAMBLY (SFF/Horror) — I don’t think there is a genre Hambly hasn’t tackled but she does it with a difference, always choosing to tell her stories through the eyes of the under represented and unusual characters with lots of emotional depth and angst. And always with a keen, observational eye—stories rich with detailed descriptions. Try THE DARWATH series or her DRAGON series.
MARY GENTLE (Fantasy) — It was Gentle’s ORTHE duology featuring GOLDEN WITCHBREED and ANCIENT LIGHT (very Michael Moorcock in style) that stood out for me. But here again is a female author taking on every sub genre of speculative fiction, from high fantasy, cyberpunk, to science fantasy.
SUZY McKEE CHARNAS (Science Fantasy) — Although MOTHERLINES and HOLDFAST CHRONICLES were probably marketed as SF, back in the day, when I bought them. I would say they lean more towards being classified as science fantasy these days. Her work was the first to introduce me to female centric feminist science fiction, as apposed to the action adventures I’d read up until then.
I hope you find someone new to read from amongst these authors. So please, check out their work and open yourself to a whole set of new worlds and experiences.
Books: The Last Thing He Told Me
📚 Damn, but I love me a thoroughly twisted and suspenseful mystery and The Last Thing He Told Me is exactly that. Author, Laura Dave, throws Hannah, step-mum to Bailey, right in at the deep end of the ocean and, I might add, us along with them. We’re left peering over Hannah’s shoulder the whole way, as she desperately tries to figure out what’s going on and, just who the hell her new husband is, before all is lost.
This is as much a character study of Bailey and Hannah as it is a mystery, and Laura Dave does a great job of slowly unraveling said mystery one breadcrumb at a time, leaving the reader in the dark as much as Hannah and Bailey. I had my suspicions and, just when I thought I knew what was happening, the author adds a whole new set of wrinkles. And that’s when you realise you have no idea who Hannah’s husband Owen is anymore than Hannah does.
The tensions throughout are never over played, and there’s just enough going on by way of mystery to keep us guessing as to who Owen actually is, and why he’s vanished at the start of the novel. And boy, when you find out, how the past stitches into the present, and just where or, I should say, what the future holds, it’s totally not what you’re expecting. The twists are so damn clever. All of which I can’t talk about here, in this review least I spoilt the surprises. You will just have to find out for yourself. And let me tell you, they were well worth the subtle build up.
We have a small supporting cast who are all well delineated and play their parts well. But the story is, at its heart, not just a mystery but a story of a woman and teenager bonding and coming together in the face of a dawning revelation.
It’s about how Dave takes these characters, throws them off a cliff, and then, shows us how they not only survive, but help one another in the face of uncertainty and mounting adversity.
The Last Thing He Told Me is tightly written, taut and suspenseful, and a thoroughly absorbing mystery that doesn’t let up until the last page. So if, like me, you love slow-burning cleverly-written thrillers, then this one is a definite must.
Oh, and it’s now a limited series on Apple TV starring Jennifer Garner.
Books: All The Queen's Men
📚 All the Queen’s Men by SJ Bennett
What makes this series stand out for me is Bennett’s attention to what seem like throw away details. Those snippets of history and background, and the vignettes of guest appearance of real people of the day, like the then Prime Minister of the UK, Theresa May. It all adds to the richness of the read. Never mind we’re on the hunt for a missing painting, a would-be poison-pen author, we’re also tracking who did not one, but two murders.
There are red herrings a plenty, and lots of little twists and turns to keep the pace ticking over like a purring Jaguar. And there’s enough skullduggery to keep you guessing who the main culprits are, right up until the last chapter when, once again, HRH, pulling at those little loose threads, actually get’s everyone else to do all the work, and solve the whodunit in a very satisfactory way.