'Breakfast in the Ruins' - Michael Moorcock (New English Library)

These days, if I see a Moorcock book (that I don't already have) it gets snapped up quicker than... Well, think of something really quick... It gets snapped up quicker than that :o) Until Gollancz get round to republishing Moorcock's back catalogue (it's going to happen) the only way to find these books is by chance in second hand bookshops. I actually found a copy of 'The Winds of Limbo', in the book market outside the BFI, today but that's another story.
I would have picked up 'Breakfast in the Ruins' anyway but I was particularly interested seeing as I still need to read a lot more outside of the 'Eternal Champion' series, especially the alternate history books that 'Breakfast in the Ruins' seems to fall into.

A chance meeting leads Karl Glogauer into the maelstrom of time and space; cast in various roles but always a witness to man's inhumanity. What will be left of him on his return? And how is the mysterious stranger that guides him...?

'Breakfast in the Ruins' is an unsettling read, only a hundred and seventy four pages long but packing content that could fill a book twice the size (and stays in your head for a long time afterwards, some of the imagery is disturbing to say the least). It's pitched on three levels and this approach failed to be as effective as I think it was meant to be. It's like there are three 'mini-books' vying for attention and the strongest one overshadows the other two.

The 'winner' in this respect is the part of the book that shows Glogauer's journeys into various alternate earths. Moorcock really lays bare man's ability to oppress his fellow, casting Glogauer in a number of roles to maximmise that impact. If Glogauer isn't the victim (or witness) then he is the perpetrator of acts that are all the more brutal for the fact that not all of these histories are alternate (I'm talking Auschwitz, Kenya and Vietnam here). We're not just capable of doing this stuff, it actually happens. The alternate stuff is no less forceful, especially Glogauer's potential end.

All this force and energy drowns out the rest of the book though. I got to the end and realised that something really important had happened, in the relationship between Glogauer and the mysterious stranger, but I'd missed it because of how strong the alternate history bits were. It's clear what the outcome is but I'm going to have to go back and re-read the book just to see how we got there. I missed that pivotal moment but it's still interesting to see the balance of power shift backwards and forwards over the course of the book.

The 'third bit' is almost deliberately understated. Here, Moorcock invites us to measure our potential inhumanity against a series of moral dilemmas. It's understated and that seems to really invite you to think about what's being asked here (and there is plenty to ponder although some questions are a bit too obvious); that understatement is also an unhappy side affect of the main strand though...

Finishing 'Breakfast in the Ruins', I couldn't help but wonder what might have been had the book been a little more balanced and equal attention paid to the three threads. Like I said though, it's a powerful and unsettling read that has taken up residence in my head for the next week or two... Worth a look if you can find a copy.

Eight and a Half out of Ten

‘The Coldest War’ – Ian Tregillis (Tor)

Last month I found myself in the rather unique position of being a year behind in reading a book and almost a year ahead of the game… all at the same time. The book in question was Ian Tregillis’ ‘Bitter Seeds’, another one of those books that I read and find myself really regretting that I hadn’t read it sooner. You can read the whole review Here or just read the ‘summing up bit’, in italics, below. They both pretty much say the same thing :o)

It’s a testament to what Tregillis has done here that I’m already of the opinion that he keeps writing then I’ll keep reading his work. Can you tell I’m excited? Read ‘Bitter Seeds’ and you’ll see why.

Glowing words then but totally deserved. There were times, over the last three months, when I was glad that I wasn’t working and one of those was when I was reading ‘Bitter Seeds’. I couldn’t put it down and was glad of any excuse to keep reading.
I’d taken my time getting round to ‘Bitter Seeds’ and promised myself that I wouldn’t hang around when I got a chance to read the sequel. ‘The Coldest War’ gets its US release in July and I’m assuming that the UK release will be the month after ‘Bitter Seeds’ (Orbit are good at doing that). There’s a little while to wait yet but the wait is worth it; ‘The Coldest War’ is a worthy follow up and promises great things for the concluding volume (I think it’s the concluding volume, how many books are there in a Triptych…?)

It’s been twenty two years since the end of the Second World War and a precarious peace exists between Britain and the USSR. The Soviet Union has taken full advantage of captured Nazi research and bred its own army of super powered soldiers; the only thing stopping them is a small group of British warlocks harnessing otherworldly powers in defence of the realm. And now those warlocks are being murdered one by one…
In the meantime, Gretel and Klaus have escaped from Soviet capture and are making their way back to Britain once more. Gretel has plans for one Raybould Marsh, a man about to be dragged out of the gutter and shown that the country he fought so hard to protect will stop at nothing to protect its interests. Britain’s darkest acts didn’t end with the war… Gretel knows only too well that there is far more at stake than mere Cold War politics and Marsh is the only man who stands any chance of rescuing order from inevitable chaos…

Tregillis does it again, ‘The Coldest War’ is a book that gripped me right from the off and wouldn’t let me put it down until I’d finished. If you enjoyed ‘Bitter Seeds’ then I think you’ll get a lot out of ‘The Coldest War’ as well. I’ve been lucky in that I’ve been able to read both books in fairly short order but now I’ve got to deal with a very long wait to see what happens next. Be forewarned that ‘The Coldest War’ ends on a real cliff-hanger and you’ll probably end up feeling just like me, eager to see what happens next.

It’s not a perfect read though and the funny thing is that this is because ‘The Coldest War’ follows the lines that made ‘Bitter Seeds’ just that. Where do you go next after being on top of your game and writing a book that, for my money, had nothing wrong with it at all? I think the temptation is always there to do exactly the same thing all over again and that’s the approach Tregillis has taken here. After all, why fix things if they’re not broken… right?
Well, we can all see the logic behind that I’m sure but the upshot for me was that I sometimes felt like I was reading ‘Bitter Seeds’ all over again with most of the same characters facing the same kind of questions and situations that they faced before (with occasional diversions to be fair). The concluding chapters promise a whole new direction for the next book but that’s not a lot of help here where familiar ground is very much trodden. The impact that the last book had is lessened, to a degree, here and it’s also made it very difficult to write this review without repeating myself too much... ;o)

The good news though is that Tregillis very clearly knows what he is doing and treads that familiar ground with an assured stride. The sense of urgency and intensity are still very much there and reflect very well what is at stake for everyone playing this shadowy game.
Tregillis is still very much about exploring the price paid for waging occult/super powered warfare and although he doesn’t exactly break any new ground it’s still very interesting to see how choices made in the previous book have affected the main players here. Will is the most interesting character to follow in this respect; his actions don’t come as a surprise but make for some intense reading as they play out. You get a real feel for what was done to Will in the past when a certain revelation comes to light.
It also makes for some compelling reading seeing Marsh make his journey back into the murky world of the British Secret Service. It’s a journey that will make him plumb new depths, in the service of his country, but offers him a shot at some kind of redemption right at the end.

For me though, Gretel is the real star of the piece with her own special brand of psychosis highlighting just how tight Tregillis’ plot is (as well as making her an unnerving character that you find yourself having to keep an eye on). Gretel does nothing without a very good reason, she either knows that something is about to happen or she knows that she has to do something now so that something will happen in the future. As we get to know Gretel more, everything is slowly cast in an entirely new light (in ‘Bitter Seeds’ as well as here) and you have to admire a writer like Tregillis who has everything covered in such a tight plot like this.

And of course there’s a whole load of scenes where super powered Communists throw down on woefully underpowered Nazis and British agents. These are always worth the price of entry and offset the more thoughtful moments rather nicely. Tregillis also has a few surprises in store here that showcase just how much time has passed and what the Soviets have been able to do with the captured Nazi technology in the meantime. It’s the same playing field but the rules have changed…

The finale is nothing short of awesome, tying up a few things that were left hanging in ‘Bitter Seeds’ and promising a book to come where the stakes are raised even higher and the appearance of a super powered person will pale into insignificance compared to the true threat on display. ‘The Coldest War’ doesn’t really do anything new but what it does do is superb; while you’re reading this I’m sat here waiting impatiently to find out what happens next.

Nine and a Half out of Ten

‘Bitter Seeds’ – Ian Tregillis (Tor/Orbit)

I don’t know about you but my reading seems to be as much (if more) about catching up with last years books as it is about reading this years crop. I do aim to keep up with current releases but, what with one thing and another, this is an aim that often sadly falls short of being a reality. There’s only so much room in the day after all, what I wouldn’t give for more time to read. Oh well…

This review then very much falls into the category of ‘books that I really should have read last year’. ‘Bitter Seeds’ was a book where all the feedback and reviews were overwhelmingly positive, a book that I just knew I’d be reading sooner or later. However, in a twist of ‘publishing fate’, ‘Bitter Seeds’ also falls into the category of ‘books to be published in 2012’. Tor initially published the book in the US and Orbit will be doing the honours in the UK later on this year (and possibly a little earlier than we think, we’ll see). In one fell swoop then I get to catch up on last year’s reading and be a little ahead of the game in 2012. Having read ‘Bitter Seeds’ I can now say that I really should have read it last year, what the hell was I doing not picking it up sooner? If you’re in a similar position then don’t hang around, pick up a copy of ‘Bitter Seeds’ and get reading right away. Seriously…

It’s 1939 and war is about to break out in Europe, a war that Germany is all set to win with their ‘supermen’, field operatives that can carry out missions by walking through walls and setting their targets on fire (amongst other things). British agent Raybould Marsh has seen evidence of this new threat at first hand with a contact bursting into flames as he is about to pass on vital information. Marsh knows the full extent of this threat and knows that there might only be one way of stopping it… Will Beauclerk is not only a good friend of Marsh’s but is also a warlock with access to a network of similar men across Britain. Super powered Nazism is about to come face to face with British occultism allied with powers that not of this dimension. Victory is uncertain for either side with the only certainty being that sacrifices will be asked of everyone. Can Raybould, Will or even the Nazi supermen meet the demands that are made of them?

I seem to be saying this an awful lot just recently (and I’ll admit that not having to commute means that I’m not stuck with books that I don’t enjoy) but ‘Bitter Seeds’ was yet another book that I couldn’t put down. Housework wasn’t done, my wife was stuck with a lot more kitchen stuff than she normally has to do. Sorry about that, I was reading ‘Bitter Seeds’ and didn’t want to stop. If that wasn’t bad enough, an advance copy of ‘The Coldest War’ arrived and I really did have to finish ‘Bitter Seeds’ so I could start reading that as well (there’ll be a review here fairly soon).
‘Enthralling’, ‘engrossing’, ‘thrilling’… These were a few of the words going through my head as I read ‘Bitter Seeds’. Let me tell you just why…

First of all, we’re talking about a book where super powered Nazis (with wires sticking out of their heads) are going up against Lovecraftian beings doing the bidding of British Warlocks. Tell me you didn’t just read that sentence and think, ‘wow, cool…’ Sounds like the sort of thing that Hellboy would be involved in doesn’t it?
Well, there’s no Hellboy here but everything else is set in place for bone crunching confrontations between enhanced humans and extra-dimensional beings, all set against the backdrop of a Europe at war. Going off at a slight tangent, I particularly enjoyed the way that Tregillis not only weaves his story into the historical background (making it all sound very plausible and part of events) but uses it to send the path of history running in a slightly different direction at times. It’s ‘alternate history’ done so cleverly that you don’t even realise you’re running down a different track.

Back to the supermen and their otherworldly opponents. Tregillis shows that he has an eye for the spectacular, on more than one level, with scenes that show just what the clever use of a relatively minor ability can do to a tank, a group of enemy combatants and even the entire Maginot Line. The beauty of it all lies in the fact that powers like being able to walk through a wall aren’t really that spectacular are they? Not when compared to what you see in comic books every day. Well that’s where you’re wrong, Tregillis constantly surprises you with what the Nazis can do and it makes for gripping reading.
Same deal with the Eidolons (Britain’s otherworldly allies); they are perhaps not as awe inspiring but you can’t help but hold your breath when they enter the field.
It’s not just the fight scenes that make for compulsive reading. The use of these powers sends the plot in some very interesting directions with the march to victory switching between parties on a regular basis. Things move so quickly that you have to keep reading to follow it all, you don’t dare miss a word.

It would be doing the book a real disservice though to paint it as a straight fight between powers though, no matter how well it is done on the page. For me, the real strength of ‘Bitter Seeds’ (and maybe where this title was born) lies in it’s exploration of occult warfare and the price that must be paid for victory. The Eidolons demand blood sacrifice, for their assistance, and this places a great deal of stress on Beauclerk in particular as he goes to ever greater lengths to give what has been asked for. This brings Will into constant conflict with Raybould’s view that anything that helps the war effort is a good thing. It’s not going to end well but I want to see how this plays out.
Even the Nazis have to make sacrifices of one kind or another, namely their humanity in the face of the changes that they have undergone. They are above the rest of humanity but that comes at the price of their freedom and the machinations of the psychopath pre-cog Gretel. It doesn’t matter if you can set fire to a man with your mind, you’re still not safe and Tregillis does well to feed this into the air of insecurity that surrounds the plot. No-one is safe and it seems that could still be worse to come…

‘Bitter Seeds’ is nothing short of an awesome read as far as I’m concerned. It’s a testament to what Tregillis has done here that I’m already of the opinion that he keeps writing then I’ll keep reading his work. Can you tell I’m excited? Read ‘Bitter Seeds’ and you’ll see why.

Ten out of Ten

P.S. I'm using the US mass market cover art here, Orbit have yet to release the cover art for their edition (although I've seen it already and it does look rather fine).

‘Triumff: Her Majesty’s Hero’ – Dan Abnett (Angry Robot)

Whether it’s in a book or on TV, there’s nothing I like more than a good old fashioned swashbuckle. Dazzling sword fights, witty repartee, a chandelier to swing from and lots of confrontations with either pirates or the City Guard. It doesn’t get much better than that! Recently, I’ve been getting my ‘swashbuckling fix’ from Jonathan Green and his dashing character Ulysses Quicksilver; a set of books that you really should check out if you like the aforementioned dazzling sword fights etc. I’m always on the look out for more of these kind of books though so when Dan Abnett asked me if I’d like to try out ‘Triumff’ I jumped at the chance. I’ve read a couple of Dan’s books before and they’ve never failed to hit the spot.
As it turned out, ‘Triumff’ was completely the swashbuckler that I thought it would be and I couldn’t help but enjoy this one immensely. Any sequels will be more than welcome in my house!

It’s the year 2010 and her Divine Majesty Queen Elizabeth XXX rules over the Anglo-Hispanic Unity; an empire that is technologically stagnant but rules over the globe through it’s utilisation of the ‘arte’ (‘magic’ to the likes of you and I). While the general populace is content with this state of affairs, elements of the ruling class are anything but content and plot to relieve the Queen of her throne. Sir Rupert Triumff (renowned explorer and dashing swordsman) is more than happy for the Queen to stay right where she is but is in the middle of a plot of his own. Both Triumff’s plans and those of a shadowy cabal are about to collide in a series of events that are set to have the streets of London ringing with the sounds of combat and magic...

Once I got into it, ‘Triumff’ was an absolute pleasure to read. There is that ‘once I got into it...’ to bear in mind though... The interview, at the back of the book, tells the reader that the character of Sir Rupert Triumff is a favourite of Dan Abnett’s going back almost twenty years and this affection on the author’s part is clear in both positive and negative ways. Abnett comes across as being extremely happy to finally get the adventures of Triumff down on paper as is shown in his waxing at length about the background setting (and its history) that this drama plays against. This background information paints a bright and vivid picture, as well providing the reader with a constant flow of humorous asides (that were more ‘hit’ than ‘miss’ as far as I was concerned); the only problem I found was that there was a little too much of it...
At times I felt that I was reading more about the background setting than I was the story itself and that wasn’t what I came to the book to do. The same kind of thing happened with the jokes although this didn’t feel as bad somehow; the jokes come thick and fast but at least they are keeping things moving forwards at a fast rate of knots. I wasn’t expecting ‘Triumff’ to be as funny as it was and it was a more than pleasant surprise to find myself laughing as much as I was.

When the story does get going it does so in great style and once again you get the feeling that Dan Abnett had a great time writing this book. The descriptive padding serves to hide a plot that is tightly drawn and has plenty of twists and turns to keep the reader guessing the outcome and turning the pages to get there as soon as possible. Running gags, such as the ‘Swiss Army sword’, maintain the humorous tone whilst also adding a delicious hint of uncertainty to the proceedings. How can Triumff possibly hope to win through if he doesn’t know whether he’ll be fighting with a cutlass or a tin opener...? The real fun lies in the moments where everything kicks off with lashings of hot pursuit and swordplay. This is where Abnett really lets loose and has a great time; throwing friend and foe together with great gusto and shaking the mixture up to see what happens. As far as I was concerned Abnett carried it off almost perfectly. My eyes were pretty much glued to these pages the whole way through and Abnett still manages to find the time and space to throw more jokes in as well.

I got the feeling that Dan Abnett indulged himself a little too much in the scene setting but this was more than balanced out by the rest of ‘Triumff’; a book that never did anything less than be gripping and a thoroughly entertaining read. As I said earlier, any sequels will be very welcome!

Nine out of Ten

‘Evolution Expects’ – Jonathan Green (Abaddon)

For me, reading can sometimes be as much about the gap in between books as it is about reading the books themselves. You know what I mean, either choosing what to read next (sometimes trickier than you would think...) or that moment when you finish a book and realise that it will be anything up to a couple of years before the story will start again. It restores my faith in humanity (just a little bit) that in a world where everything is instantaneous there are people who are still prepared to wait for authors to release instalments in their favourite series.

I’m guilty of waiting for all the usual suspects to release books according to whatever schedule they keep. I’ve also got my own personal favourites where I finish up their latest offering and immediately start thinking about what the next book might hold. Brian Keene is one such favourite and Jonathan Green is another. I’ve been enjoying Green’s ‘Pax Britannia’ books (to varying degrees) for almost as long as I’ve been writing this blog. They may be lightweight pulp but they’re never anything less than damn good fun to read. The cover for ‘Evolution Expects’ has intrigued me for a while now and I finally got the chance to find out what it was all about...

When an empire has reigned supreme for over one hundred and fifty years, sometimes a breath of fresh air is needed to shake things up and maintain the forward momentum. This is particularly apt in Prime Minister Devlin Valentine’s case as his new ‘Jupiter Station’ weather machine is set to blow away the smog that covers the corrupt heart of the British Empire. Other parties have plans for the Jupiter Station, however, and these plans will not come to light until it is far too late. And what is the connection between these shadowy plans, a monster from Jewish myth that stalks the streets of Limehouse and the masked vigilante that is sworn to stop it? Only a fine mind like Ulysses Quicksilver stands any chance of unlocking the mystery and dragging London back from the brink of catastrophe...

As I said earlier, I never have anything less than a great time reading the adventures of Ulysses Quicksilver and this was still very much the case in ‘Evolution Expects’. You may have walked these foggy, dank streets of London Town (and met the villainous characters plying their trade there, the only thing that Ulysses’ foe is missing is a moustache to twirl) before, in other books or films, but the energy in the writing powers things along at such a pace that you won’t care, I didn’t.
Characters are larger than life; they need to be when facing perils such as Quicksilver must face here. Confrontations with evil leap off the page in a shower of spectacle and grip the reader’s attention; I could feel myself tensing up at all the appropriate moments (I hate mechanical spiders!) in anticipation of what was going to happen next. If a writer can get me to do this then he’s obviously doing something right! All credit to Green for completely involving me with what was happening on the page. A heady combination of mystery and action set against a gloomy and forbidding backdrop (along with just enough Batman references to make me chuckle, hopefully we’ll be seeing more of Spring Heeled Jack!)...

But...

As much as I enjoyed the book I was left with the feeling that Green wanted it to do a number of things that were at odds with each other and with the fact that it was a very short read. The accompanying short story, ‘Conqueror Worm’, was very good but I was left wishing that it had been left out in favour of giving the main story more of a sense of direction. ‘Evolution Expects’ is very much a ‘transitional novel’ where events are clearly designed to be ‘set up pieces’ for the next few books to work from. The thing is though; there isn’t enough room for the reader to get a sense of where things might proceed. I say ‘might’ because no-one wants the story laid on a plate for them but it would be good to have ideas and theories to chew over. An old enemy returns but we don’t really know why other than that he is there to be ‘The Evil Villain’. Another ‘Evil Villain’ lurks in the background but there isn’t enough time for us to really get a sense of what he’s about. It’s all stuff that we’ll find out in time but I didn’t feel that they were handled very well here...

Green also tries to use ‘Evolution Expects’ as a vehicle for new readers to jump on board with plenty of nods to past events. The problem is that the story isn’t large enough to accommodate these and get on with the plot at the same time. I was also left thinking that although a period of transition is a great time to take stock of past events, there wasn’t enough room here to do it effectively. Maybe Green should have stuck to one approach or the other...

I had a great time with ‘Evolution Expects’ but was left with the feeling that it could have been a lot more if it had been given room to breathe a little more. I’m looking forward to ‘Blood Royal’ (the next book) all the same and hope that this won’t be an issue by then...

Eight out of Ten

‘Human Nature’ – Jonathan Green (Abaddon Books)

Sometimes I like to read books that really challenge me and get me thinking. At other times, I prefer to read a book that gets me thinking but is the equivalent of sitting in a comfy sofa and watching a Sunday afternoon film on the TV. You know the ones that I mean... (I’m thinking ‘Zulu’ and ‘The Time Machine’ amongst others)
After finishing ‘We never talk about my brother’ I was in the mood for just such a book and as luck would have it Jonathan Green’s latest instalment in his ‘Ulysses Quicksilver’ series was perched at the top end of the reading pile. I’d very much enjoyed the last two ‘steampunk pulp’ exploits of the gentleman adventurer and was eager to pick up where ‘Leviathan Rising’ left off...

The Whitby Mermaid has been stolen from Cruickshank’s Cabinet of Curiosities and there’s only one man who can crack the case. No, not consulting detective Gabriel Wraith (although there’s more to him than meets the eye...) Whenever there’s a mystery to be solved you can be assured that Ulysses Quicksilver is never too far away! Who stole the mermaid? Does it have anything to do with the mysterious House of Monkeys? Who is the enigmatic master criminal known as the Magpie? The answers to these questions will lead Quicksilver to the town where the mermaid was found. On bleak moorland, haunted by a demonic hound, and in a reclusive industrialist’s mansion Quicksilver will find the ultimate truth behind the robbery and will find himself in the fight of his life...

‘Human Nature’ takes all that was good about ‘Unnatural History’ and ‘Leviathan Rising’ and combines this to form a book that all fans of the ‘Pax Britannia’ series will enjoy. There’s plenty of action to be had and it’s dealt out with break neck pace as our heroes dash across England in an attempt to solve a mystery that promises to be so much more than it’s humble beginnings. The background to the plot is worth mentioning here as Green does a fine job of portraying a grim and industrialised Britain that sits right at the centre of a mighty empire. Ulysses’ surroundings are bleak and smog ridden (while Green also does well to show the plight of the working class that keeps the empire running) which lends an oppressive weight to the plot itself.

It’s not just action that the reader gets as, with any ‘Ulysses Quicksilver’ tale, there is also a mystery to be solved. Actually there’s more than one mystery to be solved... It kept me guessing but only up to a point where it became obvious who the guilty party was, it then became a question of guessing the reasons behind his actions... The ‘Ulysses Quicksilver’ books are very much cast in a ‘boys own’ adventure vein and once you get your head round that then you can have a pretty good guess at how the plot will turn out, ‘Human Nature’ is no different in this respect. If you make a point of playing by the rules then there’s a danger that things will get predictable. To be fair though, the whole point of the book is that it makes a point of playing by these rules. It depends what you’re after I suppose. I for one was able to put the issue of predictability to one side and enjoy the book for what it was.

Ulysses Quicksilver himself is as dashing as ever, almost to the point of pastiche as Green seems to toy with the idea of turning our hero of the empire into a headline hungry fop! This doesn’t last long however as Ulysses is soon back to doing what he does best. I interviewed Jonathan Green a while ago (click on the ‘author interviews’ link and scroll down) and he described ‘Human Nature’ as one “that’s really going to put our hero through the wringer”. Having read the book I can see exactly what he means! There are some particularly tense moments for our hero (and one very horrifying moment) and it was good to see that Green isn’t afraid to send Ulysses down dark paths. He’s not invincible and it will be interesting to see how the ramifications play out in future novels.

‘Human Nature’ does veer towards becoming predictable but above all else it’s very much a fun read (dark though) that fans of the series will get a lot out of. There’s enough background filled in so that it can be read on it’s own as well. I’m very much looking forward to seeing what else Jonathan Green has to offer...

Eight and a Quarter out of Ten

‘Shambling towards Hiroshima’ – James Morrow (Tachyon Press)

Hands up who liked the 1998 ‘Godzilla’ movie? Anyone? Oh… it looks like it’s just me then…
Despite film-makers seemingly trying to undermine their own creations (men in dodgy rubber suits, a lack of plot, Matthew Broderick…) there is still something ultimately cool about a Godzilla movie. When it boils down it the bottom line is that the guy in the rubber suit (or set of expertly rendered CGI imagery) is doing exactly what the cinema goers want to do themselves. Namely to stride out of the sea and lay waste to an entire city. I wouldn’t mind doing it…
Laws being what they are, rampaging through a city isn’t a wise move so we’re left living vicariously through film and books. ‘Shambling towards Hiroshima’ gives us a chance to sit in the protagonist’s head as he indulges in wanton destruction but it also gives us sobering food for thought once it’s over…

It’s 1945 and although the war is over in Europe there is no end to the battle in the Pacific Rim, the deadlock between American and Japanese forces comes at a cost of thousands of lives. B-Movie Star Syms Morley is well out of it, concentrating on his roles as the Frankenstein-esque Corpuscula and Kha-Ton-Ra the Living Mummy. Syms doesn’t realise it though but his acting talents will signal the direction of the war. The US military have come up with the ultimate biological weapon to turn the tide in the Pacific, gigantic mutant fire-breathing mutant iguanas that will flatten cities on the Japanese mainland. Morley’s role is to step into a rubber suit and become Gorgantis, starring in a film that shows the simulated destruction of a Japanese city. If the demonstration succeeds, the Japanese will surrender and thousands of lives will be spared. If the demonstration fails then the mutant lizards will be unleashed… Syms Morley must give the performance of his life.

‘Shambling towards Hiroshima’ is only a hundred and fifty eight pages long but still manages to find the time to be a comedy of errors (lesson: sex with a man in a rubber monster suit will always lead to the police being called), a commentary on the arms race and an insight into the mind of a man who ultimately finds that trying his best just isn’t good enough. One man cannot stop the march of history (even an alternate history such as this one) but his actions will affect the lives of many people.

Morrow cleverly fits the events of Project Knickerbocker around what was going on with the Manhattan Project and the war in the Pacific. You know that there are really no such thing as giant fire breathing lizards but… the military can be pretty secretive about what they get up can’t they? It’s a testament to Morrow’s concept, and his skill at blending fictional and real life events, that I was left thinking that something like this could have actually taken place during the war. I certainly wouldn’t have put it past the military to have had a go…

Most of the action takes place on a film set and the nature of things involved in shooting a film means that the pace of the book can sometimes drag a little. Not a good thing in such a short book. However, Morrow still manages to find time to give his reader plenty to think about.
The concept of ‘Iguanas of Mass Destruction’ is aired and a fledgling ‘Lizard Arms Race’ is born but dies relatively quickly (apparently, Hitler’s forces had their own ‘Lizard Programme’ but failed to breed them in time…) The nuclear arms race is parodied in the birth of the lizards Dagwood, Blondie and Mr Dithers. Other countries are breeding giant lizards so we need to as well. They can’t be controlled after they’re let loose but there’s a war to be won so by God we’ll use them!
As I mentioned, a lot is riding on Syms’ shoulders and Morrow shows us in stark detail what happens when the weight of history hangs heavy on a man’s shoulders. Syms’ gradual decline is sad to see, especially when you consider that there was nothing more that he could do.

A ‘Godzilla story’ wouldn’t be complete without some serious city bashing and we get to see plenty of this with Syms letting loose and discovering his inner monster (with a little bit a help from a gloriously over the top director). Syms gets to do what we all want to do and, for a moment, we get to see exactly what that means…

It’s early in the year to be saying things like this but I can see ‘Shambling towards Hiroshima’ being one of those books that’s in my thoughts for a long time to come. It’s a short read but it packs one hell of a punch. Keep an eye for it's release next month.

Nine and a Half out of Ten

P.S. Click Here for the publicity video on Youtube

‘Victory of Eagles’ – Naomi Novik (Del Rey)

Ever since I picked up a copy of ‘His Majesty’s Dragon’ (pretty much on a whim, the best way to pick up books sometimes) I’ve been a big fan of Naomi Novik’s ‘Temeraire’ series and get all excited whenever it starts to get close to a new book being published.
However, upon finishing ‘Empire of Ivory’ I was a little concerned that there was the danger of things getting a little stale. I felt the storyline was becoming formulaic and, as such, you could tell what was going to happen next. The cliff-hanger (at the end of ‘Empire of Ivory’) was enough, however, to persuade me to keep on with the tale and I have to say that I’m glad that I did. It’s not without it’s faults but, for me, ‘Victory of Eagles’ was a real departure from what I had come to expect from this series and I’m eagerly awaiting whatever comes next…

At the end of ‘Empire of Ivory’, Captain William Laurence was jailed for treason and Temeraire sent into captivity in the breeding grounds of Wales. However, Napoleon’s long planned invasion of England finally takes place and fate conspires to set the two friends on their way towards a reunion and a chance to take the fight back to the French. Napoleon’s tactics mean that the British army (and the Dragon Corps) must adopt an entirely new approach to warfare if they are to keep the Royal Family out of French clutches and regain control of England…

‘Victory of Eagles’ is a tale of occupation and guerrilla warfare which means that Novik is unable to pursue the usual course of taking Temeraire and Laurence to a ‘country of the day’ and have them introduced to a new breed of dragon. What the reader gets instead is quite a dark tale where desperate times call for desperate measures and everyone has to question their conscience and honour. As such; ‘Victory of Eagles’ becomes a character study of various people (mostly Laurence and Temeraire) through their reactions and deeds which throws up some interesting points… Temeraire uses the outbreak of war to advance his own plans for the equal recognition of dragons in English society. He has some success but his naivety becomes apparent in the cost that Laurence has to bear. This makes for some really touching scenes where Temeraire realises that he has hurt Laurence but doesn’t know how he did it or what he can do to make things right again.
Laurence, on the other hand, must make decisions knowing that he is already damned as a traitor but still wants to do his duty for his country. The book really hammers home the fact that Laurence is vilified by everyone and it is a credit to Novik how she uses this to make Laurence and Temeraire’s friendship stronger than ever.
The supporting cast get their fair share of page time as well with my favourites being Laurence’s former second in command Granby and his dragon Iskierka.
Iskierka really got on my nerves with her constant disregard for orders but this did make for some entertaining passages…

‘Victory of Eagles’ isn’t just about its characters though. There are plenty of exciting plot elements that will keep fans (like me!) entertained ranging from pitched aerial combat to daring covert rescue missions. The climatic battle is worth the admission price as far as I’m concerned with the Chinese dragon Lien showing another use for the awesome power of the Celestial dragon…

That’s not to say everything is all rosy in the garden though. It’s not really spoiling anything to say that Laurence and Temeraire are reunited so I’ll have a bit of a moan about how this happens. In a nutshell I thought this happened far too early on in the book when there was plenty of scope for this to be stretched to incorporate situations that would ramp up the tension and make for an even more exciting read. Instead it felt like everyone knew a reunion was going to happen so it was dealt with as quickly as possible.
I’m not going to spoil the ending for anyone who hasn’t read it but the nature of it has me a little concerned that things are about to go back to the regular formula… I hope not and, to be fair, there’s every chance that this won’t be the case. We’ll have to wait and see…

‘Victory of Eagles’ should be a welcome arrival for fans of the series, it certainly was for me. I’m now settling down to wait for Book Six…

Eight and Three Quarters out of Ten

Click Here for my review of 'Empire of Ivory'.

Leviathan Rising - Jonathan Green (Abaddon Books)

Lets set the scene... I´ve gone on holiday but have somehow managed to bring the British weather along with me (how do I keep managing to do this?) What I´m after is a book that will keep me entertained while the weather is bad but that I can put down the second the sun comes out. It´s a good job then that I bought Abaddon´s latest Pax Britannia adventure along with me!
Ulysses Quicksilver is back and ready to do his duty for Queen and Country; this time it`s on board the Neptune, a luxury submarine that boasts an eighty day trip round the world... in style! The voyage is only a few days old though when disaster strikes and renders Ulysses´ mission pointless. A brutal murder is followed by an act of sabotage that sends the Neptune crashing to the bottom of the sea. Not only must Ulysses, and the other passengers, make their escape but they must also deal with what`s waiting for them outside...
´Leviathan Rising´is the ideal book for that rainy day in the hotel or if you´re stuck on the runway waiting to take off. There´s so much happening on every page along with a mystery that kept me gussing pretty much until the end. Everything is larger than life and that very much includes the monsters! The heroes are dashing, the villains are evil and everything else is pretty much as you would expect from either a nineteenth century penny dreadful or an Abaddon Book. It´s entertaining and good fun, a marvelous piece of escapism into a world that could almost be our own (if it wasnºt for the dinosaurs and a 160 year old Queen Elizabeth!)
Here´s the thing though, if you´re looking for something a bit more deep and meaningful then you may want to pick another book! This is fun for fun´s sake and nothing else. I lost count of all the ´pop culture´references, including Jaws and Doctor Who amongst others, and this may irritate those who are after something more original. ´Leviathan Rising´is also your stereotypical ´murder mystery whodunnit´ and if you´re a fan of these then you will guess the ending straight away... The whole point of these books though is that they´re not meant to be original, just good ´leave your brains at the door´fun. I loved ´Leviathan Rising´but you may want to bear this in mind before you pick it up yourself...

Eight out of Ten

‘Empire of Ivory’ – Naomi Novik (Del Rey Books)

I’m not really a fan of the ‘alternate history’ genre. I find it really hard to get interested in things like ‘what would have happened if the American Indians had been armed with machine guns’ or ‘what if Hitler had tried to invade Australia’, it just reminds me of a really dull history lesson. So a book that asks how aerial warfare would have influenced the outcome of the Napoleonic War didn’t get my heart racing, until I found out that dragons were involved. That was a year ago and Naomi Novik’s books have now reached ‘must have’ status for me. Novik had already written the first three ‘Temeraire’ books so they were all published within a short space of time, ‘Empire of Ivory’ is the first book that fans have had to wait any length of time for and I for one was eager to get reading as soon as I got my little hands on it! Which reminds me; thanks go to Aidan for popping a copy in the post. I owe you one!
‘Empire of Ivory’ picks up the action just as Captain William Laurence and Temeraire return to England following the events of ‘Black Powder War’. Laurence is informed that the dragon population, in England is being decimated by illness and the race is on to find a cure while at the same time holding back ever bolder sorties from Napoleon’s forces. A possible cure may be found in Africa but will Laurence and Temeraire survive the trip? And if they do, what will be waiting for them when they return?
‘Empire of Ivory’ is a welcome addition to the series but every now and then I got the feeling that Novik was coasting with this one and not really trying to do anything new. Okay, if the formula works then why change it but we’re now four books into a six book series and it would have been nice to see her take some risks in terms of plot structure. What we get is basically the same plot as the other books; ‘Laurence/Temeraire’ journey to a foreign country and we get to see how dragons live there’. To be fair, Novik ends the book on a real cliff-hanger (which I think is the real reason we don’t get a teaser of the next book) but for me this came far too late to redeem the rest of the book. Having said all that though, an argument could be made that by repeating the formula Novik is gradually building an impressive picture of a world full of different customs where dragons are concerned. If this is what she is doing then I for one would say it’s a success.
I don’t know about anyone else but the main reason I read these books is for the evolving relationship between Laurence and Temeraire. I’ve been there ever since Temeraire’s egg hatched and have seen their partnership evolve with a sensitivity and poignancy that I don’t think I’ve ever seen in any other ‘dragon’ book. There is a great deal of love between them and to see that grow gradually has been a real defining feature of the series so far. Laurence teaches Temeraire a lot about society but the dragon’s constant questioning of what he sees is starting to teach Laurence to do the same thing. I think Novik handles this well; she avoids the trap of projecting her opinions onto her characters but raises important questions at the same time.
Supporting characters don’t get the same kind of focus as Laurence/Temeraire but they’re not just cardboard cut-outs either, I’d say Novik treats them appropriately as the story demands. I’m also in awe of the research Novik has obviously done and the knowledge she displays about the Napoleonic era. If you took the dragons out of the picture you’d be left with a perfectly good historical novel. I’m glad Novik included dragons though!
Despite my own perceived shortcomings of the novel, ‘Empire of Ivory’ is a very good addition to the series as it stands. I’m hoping the cliff-hanger ending will mean a change in approach for the next book as this could really take the series onto another level.

Eight out of Ten

‘El Sombra’ – Al Ewing (Abaddon Books)

I’ve had a few books from Abaddon and my favourite so far has to be ‘Unnatural History’, the first in the ‘Pax Brittania’ series. I really enjoyed the darker take on Colonial Britain so was very pleased when ‘El Sombra’ popped through the letterbox (more of the same, hopefully)…
‘Magna Brittania’ is still the ultimate world power but Germany’s ‘Ultimate Reich’ is snapping at it’s heels and has it’s own designs on world domination. Nazi robots are far inferior to the British kind so the sleepy Mexican village of Pasito is overrun, by the steam driven wings of the Luftwaffe, and it’s inhabitants used as test subjects in a vile experiment. Not everyone is captured though… Out of agony and the darkest humiliation is born a hero who will take the fight back to the Nazis with a flashing sword and a laugh in the night, El Sombra!
Did you like the first Zorro film (the one with Antonio Banderas)? I’ll bet you watched the second one and thought, “not as good as the first one…” Read ‘El Sombra’ and have your faith restored in simple tales of swashbuckling heroism. We know how the story’s going to end but that’s not the point, it’s the journey that’s important and it’s a journey filled with brash heroes, evil villains and sultry women. Oh yes, and lots of sword fights! The action doesn’t let up for a minute and you could see this either being made into a movie or (in true ‘pulp’ style) becoming one of those Saturday serials like Flash Gordon or (funnily enough) Zorro. I liked the ‘pop culture’ reference to Marvel comics and the introduction of Hitler himself hints that there will be more ‘El Sombra’ stories to follow. I hope so anyway.
I would have liked to have seen some dates mentioned so I could see how it matched up with the tale of Ulysses Quicksilver. I also found it odd that the supporting cast of Nazi soldiers had more attention paid to their background stories than El Sombra did (how did he spend all that time in the desert?) The ‘enigmatic hero’ thing was handled well but didn’t quite feel right when compared to a detailed biography of every single faceless soldier.
On the whole though, ‘El Sombra’ was an entertaining read that kept my interest the whole time. It’s a definite ‘holiday read’ and while it won’t make you think weighty thoughts it will make you think “he took out six soldiers at once!?!” and “serves you right, you evil Nazi…”

Eight out of Ten

‘Unnatural History’ – Jonathan Green (Review and Give-away!)

The year is 1997 but all isn’t as you would expect. In two months time, the Great British Empire (on Earth, the Moon and Mars) will be celebrating 160 glorious years of Queen Victoria’s reign, a life support machine powered by quantum clockwork is a wonderful thing! All is not well in the Empire however. The death of a night watchman (in the Natural History Museum) may not seem like much in the scheme of things but when a train crash unleashes the dinosaurs of London Zoo it becomes clear that the events are connected and that foul play is at hand. Enter Ulysses Quicksilver; ladies man, patron of the arts and gentleman adventurer. Ulysses is employed by the government to investigate the case of the murdered watchman and is soon in a race against time to stop anarchists unleashing chaos on the streets of London. Or is he? It soon becomes apparent that the fate of the British Empire is at stake….
Take a little bit of Sherlock Holmes, sprinkle with a dash of James Bond (adding some Indiana Jones for spice) and you have Abaddon Book’s foray into the genre of alternate history, the good news is that there are two more sequels planned. This is an unashamed romp through a dark and brooding London populated with every pulp cliché you can think of. Dashing secret agents, evil anarchists, devious professors and beautiful women; they can all be found doing what they do best in an entertaining read that I think anyone will enjoy. References to historical figures (and cameo appearances) also lend the book an authentic, yet intentionally surreal, air.
The action and the intrigue never stop and the reader is swept along to a gripping conclusion that is slightly undone by the overindulgence of cliché. Things are signposted a little too clearly and the reader may work out what’s going on too early. For me though, the fun was definitely in the journey and not the destination, the future of the Empire is safe in the hands of Ulysses Quicksilver and I’m looking forward to seeing what evil schemes are thrown at him next…

Eight and a Half out of Ten


Who wants a copy of ‘Unnatural History’?

I reckon you do and I happen to have two copies to give away (thanks to Abaddon Books). Getting hold of one could not be easier. Email me at graemesfantasybookreview@(no-spam)yahoo.co.uk (remove the ‘no-spam’ bit) and tell me who you are, where you’re from and if you frequent any particular forums. I’ll let you know who won next Tuesday…
Good luck!

'The Execution Channel' - Ken Macleod

Thanks to George Walkley (Orbit Books) for sending me this book.
The world of (not too long after) tomorrow lurches from one crisis to another. War is rife in the Middle and Far East as the oil supplies run dry. America is covered with refugee camps as it suffers multiple climate-change disasters. Conspiracy theories abound, most of which are spread by government agencies of misinformation, and killings from around the world are broadcast twenty-four hours a day on the ‘Execution Channel’.
Roisin Travis is a protestor at a US Airbase in Scotland; she receives a coded message from her brother (serving in Afghanistan) to leave the area immediately. Minutes later, a mysterious object, on the airbase, detonates with the force of an atomic bomb. Her father, James Travis, has troubles of his own. His cover (as an agent working for the French Secret Service) has been blown; he also sees the coded message and makes for Scotland and Roisin. Events reach their conclusion as both Roisin and James Travis fight to stay free of various agencies trying to track them down for the information they carry. No one can be trusted and the price of failure is a guest slot on the Execution Channel…
There are speculative elements in this book but at heart it’s a good old-fashioned political thriller. I don’t read these very often (and have never read anything by Ken Macleod who’s more well known for his science fiction works) so was interested to see what it was like. On the whole this was an entertaining book to read and Macleod certainly ticked all the right boxes with regards making this a book that I wanted to finish. Macleod treats all his characters equally in that each one of them is as well rounded as the next. This effectively means that there are no supporting characters, each of them has something valid and important to add to the plot. The plot itself is also (for the most part) handled well in a book that is only 306 pages long. The scene is set and the plot progresses to its conclusion in a well-ordered fashion with no unnecessary meandering along the way.
However, for me, the shortness of the book is also its greatest downfall. Macleod packs a lot of information into a short space and sometimes this means that plot points which need expanding (in order to make sense in the context of the book) are cut short. Oblique references to Heim theory don’t really connect to the rest of the story and this robs the climax of some of its power. Perhaps Macleod’s attempts to play off conspiracy theories against each other merely result in the story itself being swamped.
A good premise that maybe needed another hundred pages to make a great book.

Five out of Ten