Books In The Post! 'Brand New Job!' Edition

So long BskyB and hello new job with perhaps not so much money (ok, no 'perhaps' about it) but with a much nicer commute and being able to get home at a decent time. Can't complain really, especially not when the memories of being long term unemployed are still pretty fresh.
As far as the blog goes, I probably won't be able to post as much as I have been but right now I'm enjoying myself with it (even if I can't stay with a book for more than a few pages at a time...) so there will be posts as and when possible.

Books in the post then. Not as many as normal and only one book that I want to read but it's Monday so have a look at what has come through the post over the last week...

My reading is all about Fantasy at the moment so it's really only 'Sword of the Bright Lady' that I want to read. The blurb doesn't look like it's promising anything new but that's ok, I don't want anything new at the moment... ;o)

Christopher Sinclair goes out for a walk on a mild Arizona evening and never comes back. He stumbles into a freezing winter under an impossible night sky, where magic is real -- but bought at a terrible price.

A misplaced act of decency lands him in a brawl with an arrogant nobleman and puts him under a death sentence. In desperation he agrees to be drafted into an eternal war, serving as a priest of the Bright Lady, Goddess of Healing. But when Marcius, god of war, offers the only hope of a way home to his wife, Christopher pledges to him instead, plunging the church into turmoil and setting him on a path of violence and notoriety.

To win enough power to open a path home, this mild-mannered mechanical engineer must survive duelists, assassins, and the never-ending threat of monsters, with only his makeshift technology to compete with swords and magic.

But the gods and demons have other plans. Christopher's fate will save the world... or destroy it.

 

Sounds as generic as it comes but that's fine by me. Not a priority read then but it will be read. 

'Omens' didn't really catch my eye when it was first published and there's no real movement towards interest this time round. I might just skip to the end, to see if my suspicions about the feather on the cover are correct, but that's about it.

'My Real Children' does look intriguing but I'm just not in the mood for intriguing right now (I'm more about spectacle and wild romance, possibly dragons as well). It's being filed under 'maybe another time'... Have a look at the blurb while you're here.

The day Mark called, Patricia Cowan's world split in two.
The phone call.
His question.
Her answer.
A single word.
'Yes.'
'No.'
It is 2015 and Patricia Cowan is very old. 'Confused today' read the notes clipped to the end of her bed. Her childhood, her years at Oxford during the Second World War - those things are solid in her memory. Then that phone call and.her memory splits in two.
She was Trish, a housewife and mother of four.
She was Pat, a successful travel writer and mother of three.
She remembers living her life as both women, so very clearly. Which memory is real - or are both just tricks of time and light?
 
What are you reading right now and should I be reading it? I can't promise anything but I'm in the mood for suggestions and recommendations :o)

'Occasion for Revenge' or 'The Goon' just got good again...

Remember what I was saying, the other day, about 'The Goon' looking like it will only be worth reading when Eric Powell gets back to the main storyline? Well, 'Occasion for Revenge' is Powell doing just that and, all of a sudden, I'm excited again. There is nothing better in comics than 'The Goon' playing to its strengths and I just want to get stuck in now.

Dark Horse sent out a little preview of the first issue (this is a three part mini-series, I think) and said it was okay to share so I thought I would. I've been playing around with the file but can't seem to resize it so it looks good here. It's a tiddly little image then but double click on it and you should be able to see an enlarged version. It's worth the effort to enlarge, trust me.
Enjoy :o)

'Occasion for Revenge' kicks off on July 23rd.

Warhammer Week – A Couple More Short Stories

 Because the train was packed this morning and it was all I could do to hold my phone at eye level, let alone a book… I’m looking forward to a slightly less congested commute to my new job (optimism beats realism every time!)

So yeah, more Warhammer short stories are the order of the day. I already said, yesterday, why I think Warhammer short stories are great; just scroll down a little bit if you missed it. The two stories on show today are a move away from tying into established series and are more like snapshots of the war torn Old World. I have to say that in terms of the end result here it was hit and miss.


The whole thing about Warhammer is that it's all about the fighting and warfare; that's the whole point and it doesn't leave the writer a lot of scope to write about other things. That's okay though, if you're clever then you can still tell a decent story, even if you can't vary the subject matter. It's a shame then that Jonathan Green chooses not to do this with 'Sticks and Stones' .
That's not to say that 'Sticks and Stones' isn't a good read; Green writes a mean set piece with scenes of battle that stir the blood (I want to be a pistolier now). The problem though is that's all 'Stick and Stones' is, you get plenty of fighting but you don't get a sense of who the fighters are, what they are fighting for or even why. The end result then is a story that does a job but feels strangely shallow for it.


'Bernheimer's Gun' though... Here's a tale that does exactly the opposite of 'Sticks and Stones' and is all the better for it. Reynolds really takes time to get to know his characters and gives plausible motivation for their actions ('the city is in danger' is a well known trope but at least we know why they are fighting. The chases (which I loved) and the fights that follow just make more sense and that ultimately kept me going with 'Bernheimer's Gun'. I'd love to read more about Marienburg and its denizens.


So, which one would I choose as personal favourite? It's not hard and I'm now really keen to read more by Reynolds now. I'll see what I can find.
In the meantime, that's five stories down and two more to go... Keep an eye out, I'll be back with those two fairly shortly...

Warhammer Week - The Stories So Far...

Black Library are currently running a ‘Warhammer Week’, on their site, where each day sees a new short story to download. I am all for this by the way (especially now I have a new phone with a bigger screen); not only is there is nothing better than a short story that you can download to your phone but the Warhammer setting always takes second billing to its far future counterpart. I’m a big fan of the Warhammer universe and it’s great to see it feature a little more prominently. More of that in the future please!

In the meantime, I’m already four days behind with these stories so this post is more a collection of mini-reviews just so I can get caught up a little bit.  C.L. Werner and Sarah Cawkwell are already well known for their work in the Warhammer universe and their stories here not only do a job in their own right but also serve as little thirty page stepping stones into a  much larger narrative (which is the plan of course).  It’s a good job then that ‘Harbinger’, ‘A Question of Faith’ and ‘The Last Man’ make for good reading that, if I hadn’t read the other books already, would have left me keen to explore the settings further.

There’s only so much you can do in thirty pages and that’s why short stories can be amazing when done right (and exactly the opposite when done wrong…) Both Werner and Cawkwell are clearly mindful of this and choose to forego the normal hack and slash of Warhammer in favour or more more thoughtful plotting. Cawkwell does this more with ‘Harbinger’, a story that gradually unfolds to act as a kind of metaphor for the implacable march of Chaos. You can see where the story is heading, even after it finishes, and you also get a clear feeling of where it has come from as well with a darker past hinted at.  The character of the Healer holds the plot together very well with a compelling voice that demands that you stay to hear the tale; when you see where the Healer’s choices lead her, you can’t help but feel a little sympathy…

‘A Question of Faith’ and ‘The Last Man’ are being lumped together here as they are both set during Werner’s ‘Black Plague’ storyline; readers who have already read these books will notice a few familiar places (and possibly names, I’m not sure) along the way. The other reason these two books are sharing space is that Werner likes to delve a little more deeply into the horror end of ‘Warhammer’, than other authors, and it’s something he does to good affect here.  Werner is all about painting dark landscapes and then filling them full of humanity despairing while shadows scuttle at the edge of the page. Both stories have that edge of grim foreboding and Werner leaves you in no doubt as to what the people of the Old World will do to protect themselves from the horror of the plague… before smacking you in the face with some nasty surprises (with ‘The Last Man’ in particular, I kind of saw it coming in ‘A Question of Faith’). If I had to pick a favourite, well I do now, it would be ‘The Last Man’ with its visceral depiction of the plague and one man trying to survive in the ruins.

So that’s three stories down and four more to go; I’ll let you know how they turn out over the next few days.

The Gollancz Festival.

Now this looks like it could be a viable way of me doing something 'genre-ish', this summer, without having to fork out loads of cash. And I love mooching around in Waterstones Piccadilly anyway so the deal is done! Have a look at the press release...

Gollancz, the science-fiction and fantasy imprint of the Orion Publishing Group, and Waterstones Piccadilly are delighted to announce plans to host an interactive multi-media genre fiction festival with participation from Patrick Rothfuss, Joanne M. Harris, Joe Hill and many more bestselling genre writers.

Midway between genre-fiction convention Nine Worlds GeekFest (Heathrow, 8-9th August) and The 72nd World Science-Fiction Convention (Loncon 3, ExCel London Docklands, 14-18th August), Gollancz will celebrate their galaxy of remarkable authors by presenting science-fiction and fantasy fans with an unique multi-media fiction festival. 

On Wednesday 13th August 2014, Gollancz will host a creative programme of daytime digital author events, and from 6 – 9pm on the same evening they will also offer genre fiction readers the chance to attend a selection of unique panels, readings, Q&As and signings all hosted by retail partner Waterstones Piccadilly.

Simultaneously using the two largest event spaces in the Waterstones Piccadilly store, the Gollancz Festival 2014 will include a solo talk by NAME OF THE WIND author Patrick Rothfuss, and a reading by GOSPEL OF LOKI author Joanne M. Harris. There will be the chance to meet Gollancz’s talented 2014 debut novelists (our ‘Class of 2014’) and to participate in a spectacular selection of panel discussions with a brilliant range of Gollancz authors touching on hot genre topics.

The Gollancz festival will include physical and digital participation from Ben Aaronovitch, Joe Abercrombie, James Barclay, Elizabeth Bear, Anna Caltabiano, Edward Cox, Joanne Harris, Joe Hill, Stephen Hunt, Simon Ings, John Hornor Jacobs, Tom Lloyd, Scott Lynch, Paul McAuley, Elizabeth May, Suzanne McLeod, Richard Morgan, Den Patrick, Sarah Pinborough, Adam Roberts, Alastair Reynolds, Patrick Rothfuss, Brandon Sanderson, Gavin Smith, Jon Wallace, Chris Wooding and more. 

The festival will be an excellent occasion for science-fiction and fantasy fans from around the country to meet their favourite writers travelling to the UK in August, and all for the inclusive price of £6 (£4 for Waterstones loyalty card holders)! Attendees will also receive a drink on arrival and a Gollancz Festival 2014 goody bag. A mass signing beginning at 7.30pm, immediately after the panel events, will be open to non-ticket holders and those unable to travel to London can pre-order signed stock directly from Waterstones Piccadilly.  

With their series of interactive author events across a diversity of social media channels, Gollancz hopes to attract genre fiction readers from both across the UK and around the world! Starting at 9am with author breakfast tips featured on a Pinterest board, the digital elements of the Gollancz Festival 2014 will include interactive genre panels; Vox Pops and in conversations on YouTube; live debates on Twitter and Tumblr, and much more.

I knew there was a reason for keeping hold of my Waterstones card...

‘The Rhesus Chart’ – Charles Stross (Orbit)

A new ‘Laundry’ novel is a thing of joy, especially for someone like me who has worked in the public sector and knows full well that while the magic is made up, the rampant bureaucracy certainly isn’t. It’s funny then, how these books seem to constantly fly under the radar and completely take me by surprise. A really nice surprise but a surprise nevertheless. It shouldn’t be like that, these books are brilliant and more people should be talking about them. There, I’ve done it. Now you know that I’m a fan and while I’ll do my utmost to be objective some of that fannishness will inevitably creep into my review. Sorry about that, just give me a little bit of a nudge if it gets too much for you.

Anyway, on to the book. Have some blurb,

LONDON CAN DRAIN THE LIFE OUT OF YOU . . .

Bob Howard is an intelligence agent working his way through the ranks of the top secret government agency known as 'the Laundry'. When occult powers threaten the realm, they'll be there to clean up the mess - and deal with the witnesses.

There's one kind of threat that the Laundry has never come across in its many decades, and that's vampires. Mention them to a seasoned agent and you'll be laughed out of the room.

But when a small team of investment bankers at one of Canary Wharf's most distinguished financial institutions discovers an arcane algorithm that leaves them fearing daylight and craving O positive, someone doesn't want the Laundry to know. And Bob gets caught right in the middle.

‘The Rhesus Chart’ is being billed as a great place for newcomers to jump on board with this series. To be fair to Stross, he has always gone out of his way to make the ‘Laundry’ books accessible and he uses the same tricks here; a dash of background history (not laid on too thick) to get you started and then into the story itself. What really sets ‘The Rhesus Chart’ apart from its predecessors though is that it marks the start of a new arc in the series so yep, definitely a good place to jump in. Read the other books anyway though, you’re missing out if you don’t.

Reading ‘The Rhesus Chart’ left me in awe of Stross’ ability not only to plot his way through a devious mess of intrigue, counter intrigue and Human Resources but also to know when to rein it in a bit so he doesn’t lose the reader. The number of times I thought I’d lost my bearings, only for Stross to slow things down and give me a chance to catch up. It was very considerate of him :o) Having said that though, I got the impression that Stross likes to show off a little about how much he has thought of the theories that back up his world. There are more than a few info-dumps that break up the flow of the plot and left me impatient for things to just get going again. Or maybe I’m just feeling a little inferior because GCSE maths was a nightmare for me… Probably a bit of both.

The plot is very intense with something always happening to push things forwards. A couple of the twists are absolutely amazing in terms of where the plot goes and also how a little bit of insider knowledge can really pay dividends (in more than one respect). This isn’t a book where you find yourself thinking ‘how did I miss that?’, I’m not sure how good Stross is at hiding things in plain sight (maybe a little too good for his own good, if you know what I mean…) What I did like though was the sense that Stross pokes fun at the Civil Service in an almost affectionate way. It lends the whole scenario a very ‘British’ feel that I think a lot of people will identify with.

It’s not just about plot though, ‘The Rhesus Chart’ is also a heady mix of action and horror (when it really counts) that gets your heart all pumped up as well the hairs standing up on the back of your neck. And there’s a cat as well, what more could you ask for?

It feels like ages since I last read a ‘Laundry’ novel. Here’s hoping that Stross doesn’t leave it so long for the next book, especially with the way that it ends…

The 'If my commute had been ten minutes longer...' Blatant Filler Post!

Seriously, if my commute had been ten minutes longer this post would have been all about what I thought of 'The Rhesus Chart'. With my commute taking the time it did though, all I can say on that score is that everything up to the final forty pages has been superb. I'll give you something a little more in-depth tomorrow.

There is the possibility of a couple of mini-reviews before the end of today but in the meantime, have a video of small dogs dressed up as characters from 'Game of Thrones'. Why? I love 'Game of Thrones' almost as much as I love cute dogs; that's all the reason I need :o)