‘Foundling’ – D.M. Cornish (Penguin)

Last week I posted pictures of my ‘Reading Pile of Shame’ and invited readers to suggest what they thought I should read next. Larry had good things to say about D.M. Cornish’s ‘Foundling’, a book that I’d been meaning to read for a while now but never got round to (that actually applies to the whole reading pile, not enough hours in the day etc etc...) Larry said that ‘Foundling’ was a “Great, great book and very imaginative”, he’s a guy who knows what he’s talking about so I decided to make ‘Foundling’ the first book to read off the back of the post.
I’m glad I did, ‘Foundling’ was everything that Larry said plus some more...

The unfortunately named Rossamund Bookchild has spent a rather unfortunate childhood as an orphan at Madam Opera’s Estimable Maritime Society for Foundling Boys and Girls. He has been sheltered, thus far, from a world where monsters lurk outside walled cities (and prey on humankind) but this is about to change with his impending recruitment into the Lamplighters, soldiers who protect the Empire’s roads from all evil.
Before Rossamund can become a Lamplighter however, he must make his way across the Half Continent to their base of operations. This is a journey perilous enough for the hardiest of travellers but for a boy who has led a sheltered life and has a habit of getting himself into a lot of trouble...

This hasn’t been the case recently but I generally tend not to read ‘young adult’ books, not through any snobbishness but purely because there’s a whole load of fantasy/sci-fi/horror for adults out there that I want to read first. There’s only so much time to read after all... ‘Foundling’ is very much one of those books that straddles the line between ‘young adult’ and ‘adult’ fiction. Adults could certainly read ‘Foundling’ without having to worry about reading a ‘kids book’, some of the things that we come across in the book are anything but childish...

‘Foundling’ is a very dark and sinister read where the line between good and evil is initially marked clearly and then blurred so much as to be almost illegible. The fact that you get to see this blurring through the eyes of a rather naive child somehow makes it all the more unsettling. Nothing is as it seems, neither the tenets that the Empire is built upon nor the people that Rossamund meets in the course of his travels. Are monsters really that evil? Some might say that they are, why else would they be called monsters? ‘Foundling’ challenges this though by having Rossamund question what he sees happening around him. The only thing I would say here though is that perhaps the secret behind Rossamund’s birth is signposted a little too clearly for what is only the first book in a series. His reactions to certain sights and sounds gave the game away a little for me, although I could still be proved wrong...

The Half Continent is a gloriously grim early industrial age setting full of smugglers, adventurers and evil (looking) monsters all doing what they do best. As a result, ‘Foundling’ overcomes the occasional monotony of Rossamund’s journey (because journeys do get boring when not a lot is happening, a charge that can be levelled at the book from time to time) to become a tale full of strange encounters, fiendish foes and daring chases. This is just my kind of thing and large chunks of the book just flew by as I was so into it. The setting is appropriately gloomy, making certain explosive events come to life even more and also leaving the reader in no doubt that this is a land somehow deserving of the monsters that dwell there. ‘Foundling’ isn’t just a story, it’s also a highly detailed trip through an alien land (ably assisted by a comprehensive glossary and one of the nicer looking maps that I’ve seen in fantasy fiction).

Character wise, Rossamund is our main player and (fittingly) the book is all about him and how he develops as a person after leaving the Marine Society. The boy who reaches the end of the book is not the same boy who started out at the beginning. I’m looking forward to reading the next book ‘Lamplighter’ to see how he develops further.
It’s not just Rossamund who shines though. Every character you meet has a little something that endears you to them and makes you want to meet them again, whether it’s the affable Postman Fouracres or the villainous Captain Poundinch....

Despite its faults, ‘Foundling’ was an immensely enjoyable read. D.M. Cornish is an author where I will definitely be reading more of his works, sooner rather than later...

Eight and Three Quarters out of Ten

What should I read this weekend?

One of my Year's Resolutions is to work my way through as many hardbacks, that are sat in my 'to read pile', as I possibly can. I'm away this weekend (I've scheduled stuff to appear on the blog though!) and as we all know, a long train journey is just the right situation to get through big fat book! What do I read though? I'm hoping you can help me out here...



The original plan was to read Steven Erikson's 'Toll the Hounds', a book that has been sat on the pile for almost a year now. As a Malazan fan I really should have read this by now but its size makes an impractical read for the tube. Funnily enough, it was on a similar train journey last year that I attempted to tackle this book the first time. Could now be the time when I finally finish 'Toll the Hounds' (especially with 'Dust of Dreams' coming out in the not too distant future)? I was all set to pack the book until I thought...



What about 'Best Served Cold'? Joe Abercrombie hasn't let me down yet (something Erikson did, slightly, with 'Midnight Tides') with his books and my advance copy of 'Best Served Cold' turned up a couple of days ago... It has the 'good cover' as well :o) Should I pack this or 'Toll the Hounds'? I thought it was going to be a straight choice between two books until I thought...



What about 'Return of the Crimson Guard'? Another Malazan book that I shamefully haven't got around to reading yet. I gave it a bloody good go over Christmas but, it was Christmas and I ended up sleeping off all the drink that I'd had... It's another book that is awkward to read on the tube but it could be good for a longer train journey...

So, what do I take to read on the train? You tell me! Leave a comment, next to this post, telling me what you think I should take to read (you only get to choose one book...) The plan is for me to have read whatever book gets the most votes in time for a review on Monday...

Manga Monday!

It’s been far too long since I’ve done one of these posts but the plan is to make manga a more regular feature on the blog (not every Monday will be a ‘Manga Monday’ though, any day can be Manga day!) Thanks to the guys at Tokyopop for making this one possible.
So, without further ado...



‘Priest: Volume One’ – Min-Woo Hyung

There is evil brewing in the Old West. Servants of the fallen Archangel Temozarela are paving the way for his resurrection and the apocalypse is at hand. One man stands in their way; Ivan Isaacs, a fallen priest who has sold half his soul for the ability to fight evil. Cue zombies, Wild West style!
‘Priest’ raises a lot of questions (surely priests don’t need to sell their souls to fight evil and why would a devil give you the power to fight evil?) but it is the first volume so I’m guessing things will become more clear in time. I’ll certainly be around to see if these questions are answered as ‘Priest’ was a great read! The action is full on and non-stop (although a little confusing with jumps into the past when you least expect it) with hordes of zombies either causing carnage or being blown apart by Priest’s shotgun. Priest also looks like a character that I want to get to know more, plenty of ‘tortured anti-hero’ stuff going on here!
The artwork looks like its come straight from a film storyboard and really emphasises the grim brooding nature of the story itself. More please!

Nine out of Ten.



‘Phantom: Volume One’ – Ki Hoon Lee

Giant robots pounding the crap out of each other! Ruthless corporations running everything behind the scenes! Giant robots shooting each other! Just my kind of thing! Or it would be if Seung –Yup Cho’s art wasn’t quite so confusing, sometimes it’s difficult to work out just who is pounding on whom...
Other than that though, ‘Phantom’ is great fun to read. The clichés are out in full force (idealistic young cop, terrorists who are more than they seem, a cityscape recovering from the ravages of an extra-terrestrial event) but everything moves so fast that it all seems to flow together perfectly. While it’s no surprise to find out that the idealistic young cop throws his lot in with the terrorists the real joy is in finding out how it all comes about. Money talks but not necessarily in the language you would expect... I’m looking forward to seeing how this one develops.

Eight and a Half out of Ten



‘Star Trek: The Manga’ – Shinsei Shinsei

I’m probably not the person to review this as ‘Star Trek’ never really did it for me, in the same way that it does for others, but here goes...
‘Star Trek: The Manga’ is a collection of ten tales (from different writers and artists) from the original NCC-1701. The art varies in quality (as you would expect given the number of different artists in the book) but it was the stories themselves that failed to do it for me. Funnily enough, the opening tale ‘Side Effects’ promised good things for the rest of the book with its vision of how one of the Federation’s deadliest enemies came into being; tense, action packed and with that feeling you were seeing the birth of something big. It’s a shame then that the rest of the stories don’t live up to this initial promise. While they each offer a decent enough take on Star Trek, none of them stand up to ‘Side Effects’ in my opinion.
While I didn’t enjoy ‘Star Trek: The Manga’ as much as the other two books, there’s still enough there to make me want to give the next one a chance and see how it goes...

Seven and Three Quarters out of Ten

'Patient Zero' - Winners!

Thanks to everyone who entered but there could only be two winners this time round. They were...

Todd Butler, New Hampshire, USA
Kim Papke, Texas, USA

Well done guys, your books should be with you very soon...
Better luck next time everyone else!

The 'Oh The Agony...' Link-Up Bonanza!

You're not getting anything from me today I'm afraid, I spent most of this afternoon at the gym and now all my bits ache... :o(
What you do get though are links to all the great stuff that has been happening in other people's blogs over the last week or so, hopefully this will suffice ;o)

Tia has a Debut Graduate Review from Adrian Phoenix...

Ken has a Warm and Fuzzy Moment, I always wondered what happened to Calvin and Hobbes...

James has (what I think is) the first review of Nights of Villjamur, it might take me a while to get round to it but now I'm looking forward to this book more than ever!

Larry gives us a look at what he's been reading over the last week.

Robert tells us what graphic novels we should be looking out for in March...

Aidan points us in the direction of some Free Reading.

The Book Smugglers have seen 'Watchmen' and tell us what they think.

Adam also saw 'Watchmen' as well as posting a review of Joe Abercrombie's 'Best Served Cold'. He liked both of them.

Finally, Mark as a review of Dan Abnett's 'Doctor Who: The Story of Martha'...

What have I been reading? A little bit of Manga, a little bit of 'Dragonfly Falling'. Look for reviews of these in the next week...

Hope you all had a good weekend!

Giveaway! 'The City and The City' & 'Nights of Villjamur'

Two competitions for you today (UK entries only though, sorry about that)...
Here's a look at what's on offer (thanks to the generosity of Tor UK, blurb from Amazon)...



When the body of a murdered woman is found in the extraordinary, decaying city of Bes el, somewhere at the edge of Europe, it looks like a routine case for Inspector Tyador Borlu of the Extreme Crime Squad. But as he probes, the evidence begins to point to conspiracies far stranger, and more deadly, than anything he could have imagined. Soon his work puts him and those he cares for in danger. Borlu must travel to the only metropolis on Earth as strange as his own, across a border like no other. With shades of Kafka and Philip K. Dick, Raymond Chandler and 1984 , "The City & The City" is a murder mystery taken to dazzling metaphysical and artistic heights.



Political intrigue and dark violence converge in a superb new action series of enthralling fantasy. An ice age strikes a chain of islands, and thousands come to seek sanctuary at the gates of Villjamur: a city of ancient spires and bridges, a place where banshees wail the deceased, cultists use forgotten technology for their own gain and where, further out, the dead have been seen walking across the tundra.When the Emperor commits suicide, his elder daughter, Rika, is brought home to lead the Jamur Empire, but the sinister Chancellor plans to get rid of her and claim the throne for himself. Meanwhile a senior investigator in the city inquisition must solve the high-profile and savage murder of a city politician, whilst battling evils within his own life, and a handsome and serial womanizer manipulates his way into the imperial residence with a hidden agenda. When reports are received that tens of thousands of citizens are dying in a bizarre genocide on the northern islands of the Empire, members of the elite Night Guard are sent to investigate. It seems that, in this land under a red sun, the long winter is bringing more than just snow.

Look good don't they? I have three advance copies of 'Nights of Villjamur' and the last UK advance copy of 'The City and The City' (that's actually pretty damn exclusive!) to give away to four lucky winners.

If you want to be one of those lucky winners, all you need to do is drop me an email (address at the top right hand side of the screen) telling me who you are and what your mailing address is. Please make it clear which competition you are entering, you can enter both competitions but I would appreciate it loads if you sent separate emails for each one (helps me to keep track of who has entered for what...)

I'll let these giveaways run until the 15th of March and announce the winners on the 16th...

Good Luck!

‘The Da Da De Da Da Code’ – Robert Rankin (Gollancz)

‘Godmother’ was a great read but it left me in real need of some cheering up, read the book and you’ll know what I mean... With this in mind, it was back to my pile of books that I bought at the Gollancz author event for a book that I just knew would put a smile back on my face.
I used to be a big fan of Terry Pratchett’s ‘Discworld’ books (used to get the latest one every Christmas and not talk to anyone until I’d finished it) but stopped reading them once I started to feel that the humour was taking a real back seat to the plot and the messages in it. Plot is always good but if I’m reading a humorous book I want it to be funny dammit! Luckily Robert Rankin hasn’t let me down yet, as far as this goes, so I was sure that his book ‘The Da Da De Da Da Code’ would help me get over the ‘post Godmother blues’.
I was right, I finished the book this morning and I’m still chuckling to myself even now!

Jonny Hooker knows he is not a well man mentally. If it’s not the ghostly farmer’s market in the attic (that he can’t get to shut up) it’s his ongoing war of attrition with Mr Giggles the Monkey Boy, an imaginary friend who just won’t go away. Time spent in psychiatric institutions has meant that life has passed Jonny by. Until today that is...
Jonny is delivered a letter that promises him a grand prize but only if he can unlock the Da Da De Da Da code... Jonny’s after that cash prize but what he will find is a conspiracy theory wrapped up in a conspiracy theory served up with a side helping of invisibility suits, magnetism and the reason why talented musicians inevitably die at the age of twenty seven. Oh yes, and the end of the world...

‘The Da Da De Da Code’ is a book that had me laughing from the very first page right up until the end. Here’s the thing though; Rankin has been writing for an awfully long time and has gathered together a lot of long running ‘in jokes’ in the meantime, pretty much all of them are in this book (although the General Electric Minigun didn’t really get a look in this time round which was a shame). As a result there’s a lot in this book that might just go over the head of the first time reader. Long time fans will settle right in and pick up right from where they left off in the last book. If you’re thinking of picking up one of Robert Rankin’s ‘Brentford’ books (of which this is one, albeit loosely) then I’d recommend ‘The Anti-Pope’ as perhaps the best place to start.

There is a beginning, middle and end to the plot (which seem to flow well into one another) but the main point of it is really for Rankin to hang as many jokes off it as he can and he does this with great aplomb. Not only is Rankin’s humour better grasped if you’ve read other books of his but it comes at you in a scattergun approach that is definitely an acquired taste. Toilet humour, Monty Python style jokes and word play all hang out together on the same page. I’m a big fan of Rankin’s work but did find that some of the intended humour passed me right by. That was ok though, Rankin comes across in the book as having write extremely quickly just to get it all down on paper (before his head explodes) so if you don’t find a joke particularly funny then it’s fairly safe bet that the next one along will do the trick!

Like I said, I’m a fan of Robert Rankin and knew what to expect from ‘The Da Da De Da Da Code’. I had a great time with it but did come away with the feeling that it wouldn’t be one for first time readers of Rankin. Different people find different things funny as well, have a flick through the first couple of pages and see what you think...

Eight and a Half out of Ten

Happy World Book Day!

I hope you're enjoying whatever you're reading! Come to think of it, what are you reading today? Let me know in the comments section...
I've finished the 'Assault on Black Reach' tie-in, review below, and now I'm back into Robert Rankin's 'The da da de da da code'.

‘Assault on Black Reach: The Novel’ – Nick Kyme (Black Library)

War is coming to the blog... I’m a definite fan of Black Library books but have never tried out the games, that they’re based upon, as I’ve been scared off by talk of ‘turns’, ‘saving throws’ and other such things. Not any longer though, thanks to the generosity of Games Workshop I shall be road testing the Warhammer 40K start up game ‘Assault on Black Reach’ in the next couple of weeks. I just need to put all the little figures together, and paint them, first...
In the meantime, today sees me bring you the tie-in novel for the game and it's not too bad either...

In the universe of the fortieth millennium it is the space marines who are humanity’s main defence against the aliens who would render mankind extinct. Of all the space marine chapters it is the noble and courageous Ultramarines who best embody the warrior ideal.
The foul Orks have invaded the planet of Black Reach and threaten to spill out into a whole sector of Imperium held space; the Ultramarines must act fast to dislodge the enemy from the planet. One hundred marines may not sound a lot but a force this size is more than a match for most. When the enemy numbers fifty thousand strong though, well... things could get interesting.

‘Assault on Black Reach’ is only one hundred and twenty seven pages long, a book so short that if it turned sideways on you probably wouldn’t be able to see it at all! The price reflects this but I was left feeling that the page count (and the fact that it is all about the ‘Black Reach’ game itself) makes this a book particularly suited to those who have bought the game or those who are fans of the Warhammer 40K setting. It’s maybe not the best place for a casual reader to jump straight in...
The shortness of the book also hamstrings the plot, slightly, in that there isn’t much time for characters to be fully developed and for scenes to be expanded upon. ‘Assault’ basically tells the story of... well... a planetary assault. It’s very much a case of ‘get in, get the job done and get out’ which is all very well (because sometimes that’s the way a story goes) but there are hints of things that I would have loved to have seen explored further such as the divisions within the space marine force for example... I wouldn’t mind seeing ‘Assault’ adapted as part of a larger novel to address these issues.

At the same time though, ‘Assault on Black Reach’ is a fast paced affair full of all the things I love best about military sci-fi. The marines are tough and resourceful, they carry huge guns and the carnage that they wreak would fit comfortably in a novel three or even four times the size. It’s definitely a fun book to read once you get into it.

‘Assault on Black Reach’ is an ideal companion to the game and definitely one for Warhammer 40K fans but I’m not sure about everyone else. Still good fun though.

Seven and a Half out of Ten

'The Warded Man', US Release...

Just a quick reminder, if you haven't picked up the book already, that Peter V. Brett's rather splendid 'The Painted Man' will shortly be released in the US (as 'The Warded Man'). Look for it on the tenth of March, I liked it and I reckon you will too. Have a click Here for the review I posted last year...

‘Godmother’ – Carolyn Turgeon (Three Rivers Press)

The story of Cinderella is one that I’ve had read to me, as a child, and one of my favourite Disney cartoons (although now I’ve got the ‘Bippity Boppity Boo’ song going through my head, curse me and my extremely suggestible mind...) I’ve never read the story myself though, probably something to do with having heard/seen it so many times that there didn’t seem to be any point in reading it. A retelling of the Cinderella story though is a completely different deal. Carolyn Turgeon has given us her take on the story and a very good take it is too...

What occurs in the world of the faerie will become manifest in the world of men...

Lil is an old woman who spends her days working in a tiny Manhattan bookstore and her nights in a lonely apartment. Lil has a secret though; she was the fairy godmother responsible for getting Cinderella to the ball to meet with Prince Charming. Things went wrong though and Lil’s mistake saw her banished to the world of humans, far away from the magical underwater world of her fairy sisters. Or is this all a lie created by Lil to cover up the trauma of a catastrophic breakdown and mental illness? Either way, a chance meeting with the beautiful Veronica offers Lil a chance at redemption; if Lil can find a soul mate for Veronica then she might just be able to return to the fairy world she so deeply longs for...

‘Godmother’ is a magical read that is slightly hampered by the fact that not an awful lot actually happens. There is a lot going on in Lil’s head (more on that in a bit) but all the things racing through her mind don’t really gel with the fact that she is an old lady who is starting to slow down and find it difficult to get around. This contrast jarred things for me (along with the many conversations that take place between characters) and really slowed things down. The flip side of this however is that the slow pace of the story means that the reader is forced to slow down and really appreciate the magic of what Turgeon has done...

Turgeon does not discriminate between the magical world of Faerie and the mundane human world, as far as she is concerned there is magic to be found no matter where you are and she sets out to prove this with great aplomb in ‘Godmother’. The world of Faerie is a bewitching place where magic is found under the water and in flowers, humans must tread carefully here or suffer the consequences... Manhattan doesn’t have fairies (or does it?) but is still a magical place full of light and colour. Fate lies round a corner (or in a diner) and help comes when you least expect it. The most ordinary looking of doors can lead to surprises that you wouldn’t even imagine. Lil isn’t truly a part of either world and her role as an observer makes both worlds seem even more magical. She cannot touch the world of Faerie and cannot truly interact with the human world either, what is more magical than the one thing that you cannot have?

Lil’s character is a delight to read and get into, especially as things click into place further along the line and work towards a conclusion. It’s a conclusion that’s as vague, or as clear cut, as you want it to be and that works well considering the nature of the plot. How clear cut was it for me? I’m not telling... ;o)
While it’s saddening to see Lil stumble through Manhattan life (not quite connecting and thrown into panics by the promise of life changing events on the horizon) it’s also uplifting to see how she sticks to her purpose and won’t let anything get in her way. The flashbacks to her previous life show the reader just exactly what Lil must atone for, or do they? ‘Godmother’ is certainly a novel that leaves you asking questions once you have finished reading.

Turgeon’s take on the Cinderella story (the part of ‘Godmother’ that concentrates on Lil as the Fairy Godmother) has that dark edge to it that all good fairytales should have. People may get what they want but it may not mean living happily ever after, Cinderella herself is a good case in point... I also like the way that Turgeon’s version of events ties in so well with the original story.

‘Godmother’ is a slow read at times but it’s a full of a whole world of magic that you will easily get lost in and is a book that will stay in my head for a long time to come.

Eight and Three Quarters out of Ten

Book Signing! Mike Carey & Kate Griffin...

A signing session for two of my favourite books, could anything be more cool than that? In a strange twist of fate I may be on holiday then but if my passport doesn't turn up on time I will be sure to be there. Here's the blurb that the friendly little automated email, from Forbidden Planet, sent over...

Join Mike Carey and Kate Griffin at the Forbidden Planet Megastore, 179 Shaftesbury Avenue, London, WC2H 8JR, on Thursday 26th March 6 – 7pm.

Mike Carey is an extremely popular and well-respected author who has written on several top comics titles such as Lucifer as well as the adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere. Thicker Than Water returns us to the life of Felix Castor, where memories thought left in Liverpool resurface in London. Childhood memories, family traumas, sins old and new come back to torment the city’s favourite freelance Exorcist. Things go from bad to worse until the only question left is – just how much will Fix have to pay..?

Kate Griffin is the name under which Carnegie Medal-nominated author, Catherine Webb, writes fantasy novels for adults. A Madness of Angels is a book about the power of London, Urban Magic, ebbing and flowing with the rhythms of the city, amking runes from the alignments of ancient streets and humming with the rhythms of trains and buses. This is the London of Matthew Swift, where rival sorcerers do battle for the soul of the city.

If you happen to find yourself in London on the 26th then this will be worth checking out... ;o)

‘The Walking Dead Volume 8: Made to Suffer’ – Robert Kirkman.

This is the volume where things get really intense...
The thing is, there’s only so much story a writer can be expected to easily come up with when all the characters are safely tucked up in a prison and making a new life for themselves. The zombies can’t get in but Rick and his friends can’t get out either. What do you do with a situation like this? You could have them all settle down and live happily ever after (with occasional zombie escapades) or, if you’re Robert Kirkman, you could just blow the whole thing straight to zombie hell and leave the survivors to pick up the pieces...

‘Made to Suffer’ makes for some uncomfortable reading that is truly compelling at the same time. We get to see the Governor trap a whole town in a web of lies and send them after the people at the prison so he can take revenge. You can’t really blame him for this though after the mess Michonne made of him... These are desperate times and people are looking for a strong leader to follow. The Governor may be completely insane but he does get things done!

There are also bittersweet moments made all the more poignant in the face of what we know is to come. People find love (or at the very least, physical comfort) in the most unlikely places, others make their farewells and leave before things get too hot to handle. There is also heroism when it’s least expected and hard choices have to be made...

When the end comes it’s swift, brutal and reminiscent of the ending of the original ‘Dawn of the Dead’ movie. ‘Might makes right’ and consequences be damned... ‘Made to Suffer’ is a hard lesson in not getting attached to any of the characters as less than half of the people living in the prison are alive by the end of the book. Death comes when you least expect it and to those that you’ve really made a connection with. As is always the way, the zombies are almost incidental in all this. It is humanity’s capacity for evil that trips everyone up and the fate of the surviving Woodsbury citizens shows the ultimate futility of this.

If you’ve read ‘The Walking Dead’ then you will know whose death takes centre stage in this book. If you haven’t then you’re in for a bit of a shock. I didn’t think Kirkman would take it that far but he definitely did! It’s a brave move but one that definitely pays off as it shows beyond any doubt what a cruel place this new world is. Things will never be the same again...

I know that I’ve said it before but I’ve got to say it again, if you enjoy reading comics then I’d surprised if you’re not reading ‘The Walking Dead’ already. Comics don’t get much better this.

Ten out of Ten

‘Coraline’ – Neil Gaiman (Bloomsbury)

When I bought a copy of ‘Coraline’ back in 2002 this is what the cover looked like...



A few years on, and one forthcoming film later, ‘Coraline’ now looks like this...



Quite cool I think, I’m notoriously bad at getting round to going to the cinema but I can see myself checking this one out (but then I always say that...) It’s been a long time since I last read ‘Coraline’ and when this edition arrived in the post I found myself really looking forward to the re-read. My anticipation proved well founded as I enjoyed ‘Coraline’ just as much as I did last time round...

When Coraline decides to explore her new home she finds that her wandering takes her further afield than she intended. A mysterious door leads her into another house just like her own (but different) with parents just like hers (but very different...) Her ‘parents’ want Coraline to stay with them for ever, Coraline will find that getting home is easy, going back again is more difficult and getting home for the final time could well be impossible...

My copy of ‘Coraline’ weighs in at a mere one hundred and eighty four pages long and this is obviously a large part of why it is such a quick read. However, the plot, setting and the constant sense of danger all play their part to make ‘Coraline’ a compelling read that I just had to finish. The plot is clearly laid out with very definite milestones for the reader to work towards before they can find out what happens next. As soon as you meet Coraline’s ‘other mother’ it’s also very clear how high the stakes are and this level of tension is maintained throughout the book, even when you think the danger has passed...

It could be said that the plot is a little bit too simplistic (certainly for my tastes) but even though the outcome is never in doubt, Gaiman still manages to throw a few surprises our way, the encounter in the cellar still makes me jump! It’s Gamain’s characterisation and settings that really made the book work for me though.

Although ‘Coraline’ does have a message that it wants to get across (your parents do love you, appreciate them) Gaiman puts a clever spin on it by making Coraline a little girl unlike any other you’re likely to meet in a children’s book. You see, Coraline knows that her parents love her and that she wants to be with them. This way we get to skip the almost obligatory ‘revelation piece’ and get on to what’s really important, Coraline getting back to her real parents. Coraline is a very brave little girl.
Coraline’s ‘other mother’ is also deliciously scary, no more so than in this passage (which still makes me shiver)...

“How do I know you’ll keep your word?” asked Coraline.
“I swear it,” said the other mother. “I swear it on my own mother’s grave.”
“Does she have a grave?” asked Coraline.
“Oh yes,” said the other mother. “I put her in there myself. And when I found her trying to crawl out, I put her back.”

The setting, against which everything plays out, is haunting to the extent where the real world is almost as spooky as the world through the door. It’s in the other mother’s world though that Gaiman really allows his imagination to run wild in a riot of colour and weirdness that sits on top of the evil underneath. And what is it that lives in the tunnel between the worlds? There’s another story there, I’m sure of it.

I had some pretty cool books when I was a kid but my shelves really missed out by ‘Coraline’ not being on them. I’ll be making up for this though by reading ‘Coraline’ again and again in the future...

Nine out of Ten

'Thicker Than Water' - Winners!

Thanks to everyone who entered this competition. The winners are going to get their hands on a tasty slice of Felix Castor goodness; the losers... well, they're going to have to fork out for their own copy but it will be money well spent! ;o)
The lucky winners are...

Stacey Whittle, Newcastle, UK
Richard Hayden, East Sussex, UK
Lee Millington, Devon, UK

Well done guys! Your books will be on their way very soon...

The Reading Pile of Shame... (A Sunday Confessional)

This is a cross between Aidan's Pile of Shame and Adam's Reading Pile Post because... well... the other day I realised that my reading pile was also a 'Pile of Shame' at the same time...



As you can see in this picture, even Cybermen throw their hands in the air with frustration at how long some of these books have been languishing in the pile. I don't need to point out the ones that I should have read long before now but I will hang my head in shame (as a Malazan fan) and say that I should have read 'Toll the Hounds' and 'Return of the Crimson Guard' long before now. There are two books by Glen Cook that are also giving me reproachful looks...
Here are some more books that I couldn't fit into the first picture...



So, what's going on here? The main reason is that commuting to work in London makes it very difficult to read one of the big fat hardbacks on the tube. Not only is it difficult to make space to read a hardback but I would also be tempted to beat annoying commuters to death with my books! ('The Temporal Void' is a good size for this...)

The plan, this year, is to significantly reduce the size of the reading pile by reading some of the hardbacks that have spent the last year (or two) holding the rest of the pile up. Which one(s) should I read first? Why don't you leave a comment telling me what you think? ;o)

P.S I took these pictures on my (not very good) camera phone so apologies for the quality...

Giveaway! 'Patient Zero' - Jonathan Maberry

It was way back in October, last year, that I Reviewed this tale of zombie terrorism for the twenty first century. To mark the US release of 'Patient Zero', St. Martin's Press have very kindly agreed to offer two books as prizes for two lucky winners (US entries only though I'm afraid...)

Entering this competition is as simple as... well... entering all the other competitions here! ;o) All you need to do is drop me an email (address at the top right hand side of the screen) telling me who you are and what your mailing address is. I'll do the rest...

I'll let this one run until the eighth of March and announce winners on the ninth.

Good Luck!

Author Interview! Kate Griffin

It wasn't so long ago that I read and Reviewed Kate Griffin's 'A Madness of Angels' which turned out to be a very early contender for my favourite urban fantasy novel of 2009. I'm weighing it up against Mike Carey's 'Thicker than Water' right now to see which one wins...
Having read the book, I had some questions for Kate and she was kind enough to answer. Here's what Kate had to say...

Hi Kate. Thanks for agreeing to answer some questions, I really appreciate it.

Before we even talk about the book lets clear up a little mystery. The cover of ‘A Madness of Angels’ says that you’re Kate Griffin but Amazon tells me that you are in fact Catherine Webb, author of the ‘Horatio Lyle’ books. Are you more than one person?

I was born Catherine Webb; but since I started writing children's books as Catherine Webb back when the earth was young, and am now writing more adult fantasy, it turns out that I am also, simultaneously, Kate Griffin, my more mature incarnation! Honestly, it freaks me out a bit too. I am waiting with baited breath for the day I am thrown out of my own lecture for impersonating Kate Griffin when I clearly lack appropriate identification.

What was it like to make the transition from writing ‘Young Adult’ literature to ‘Adult’ literature? Was there a transition at all?

Well, sadly, I've been getting old. The council tax bill has flopped onto my doorstep, my Dad bought a bonsai tree when I moved out, and I have been informed that the age of responsibility is upon me. Which, plus side, made transitioning from writing young adult to adult much more easy, since I was kinda headed that way anyway! I still love writing young adult stuff, as it's hugely entertaining and fun to do, but adult writing was always kinda going to be on the cards.

If you had to pick one audience to write for exclusively would it be ‘Young Adult’ or Adult’ literature?

Argh! Um. I don't know. Um. I guess thinking long term it'd probably have to be adult, just because I'm not getting any younger. On the other hand, writing just for adult might keep me from getting any younger, so maybe I should head for young adult just to keep in the practice of youthful glee... um... can I have notice of that question?

London appears to have had a great influence on your work so far, was there anything else that formed the inspiration for ‘A Madness of Angels’?

Tonnes of stuff! I'm not entirely sure what, but I have the definite sneaky feeling that amazing things have been slowly sneaking into my field of vision and being quietly filed at the back of my brain for a rainy day. Tom Lehrer once said 'plagiarise! But always be sure to call it 'research'....' Which isn't just sound academic advice, but it's probably fair to say that every writer, if not everyone just generally, is constantly seeing stuff and not consciously making a note of it, but which will later come back to bite you. Reading a lot of books, watching a lot of films and so on have been major influences I guess, without really meaning it, but otherwise, I'm not sure where to begin...

I was asked to explain the concept of ‘Urban Magic’ to one of my readers. I didn’t do so well and I know that you’ll do a lot better! So, what is ‘Urban Magic’?

Ever since the days of Tolkein, there has been the assumption in fantasy writing that magic is about ancient mysteries, spells recited in Latin-esque derivatives, lost artefacts, unlocked secrets and unspeakable evils locked away by... my favourite word... 'ancients'. These mysterious, long-lost, dead forces from which all mystic power flows. Attached to this, there's also another assumption that magic is somehow a natural thing, invoked by druids and wizards with a thing for the alignment of the stars overhead.

Urban magic takes all this and turns it on its head. Magic isn't about an ancient lost mystery; it's a thing derived from life and the way life is lived. Since these days, 80% of the UK lives in a city, it is therefore logical that magic itself begins to reflect the environment around it. An urban Gandalf when he summons his magic light, will not summon a light the colour of moonlight; rather it is sodium-orange, the colour seen far more in the city than the moon ever is. An urban vampire will chose their supper very carefully from medically certified, Type-O blood, and be very sure to have a good NHS dentist. No longer do you summon ivy from the earth to tangle your enemies; you summon wires from concrete. No longer to you recite spells in mystic dead languages, the magic words of power are the words on the back of a travelcard, or the language used to send a text message.

This is a long explanation, I apologise. If I had to be succinct, I guess I would say that urban magic works on the premise that magic is created by life. And life, these days, is about the underground, the buses, the street lamps, the smell of Chinese take away and the footsteps you half-thought you could hear behind you in the empty car park, but which are gone when you look again.

For the benefit of readers who haven’t read the reviews yet, tell us what ‘A Madness of Angels’ is all about and why we should be reading it. Bonus points are on offer if you can do it in ten words or less...

Sorcery, vengeance, telephones, the London Underground and blue electric angels...

For me, life in London currently consists of the daily commute and eight hours in front of a desk. Tell me three places that I can visit, in London, which capture the spirit of ‘A Madness of Angels’ for you...

The River Thames, seen from Waterloo Bridge at night.

The alleys and streets between Liverpool Street to Guildhall on a dead, dead Sunday afternoon in the heart of the city, when no one else is moving and you can walk down the middle of the roads.

Canary Wharf on a Saturday when the sun is going down.

My review of ‘A Madness of Angels’ had only been up for day before someone mentioned a sequel due in September. What can you tell us about ‘The Midnight Mayor’?

The Midnight Mayor continues the story of Matthew Swift... without wanting to spoil too much, it involves a telephone call that he really shouldn't have answered and which will change his life forever, a pair of missing shoes, some very angry spectres with a penchant for heavy metal, the oldest and nastiest protectors that the city has and what they do when the sun goes down, and the unforeseen and unwise consequences of stealing the wrong women's hat.

Matthew Swift’s travels took him all over London but he always seemed to manage to avoid Lewisham. As a resident of Lewisham I can understand why he never visited (it’s not a particularly magical place) but I was a little sad that we got left out... Is there any chance that you can write in a quick Lewisham visit in a future book?

I should say in Swift's defence that he was violently sick in Streatham! But yes, as a north Londoner, South of the river is a strange and foreign place... however, now that I have actually visited Lewisham I will admit that it has its own magic... it's just not necessarily a very nice one...

That's a good point, I know exactly what you mean!

And finally, as the writer of an urban fantasy set in a major world city what would you say is the golden rule to follow for anyone who wants to do the same thing?

Walk EVERYWHERE.

Thanks Kate!

‘Mechanicum’ – Graham McNeill (Black Library)

In the universe of the fortieth millennium there is only war, brutal and unrelenting, and this makes it the perfect scenario for Games Workshop’s ‘Warhammer 40,000’ war games. After all, the slogan “In the far future there is some war but, on the whole, people tend to get on really well with each other and hang out at barbecues instead” doesn’t have the same ring to it (although I could see ‘Warhammer Barbecue’ becoming a cult favourite in time...)
In all the wars documented in Warhammer history, none have been bloodier than when the Imperium of Mankind turned on itself in civil war. Under the influence of the forces of Chaos, Warmaster Horus took humanity to the brink of destruction in the final battle for Earth itself...
‘The Horus Heresy’ series documents the most important events of these tragic times and ‘Mechanicum’ tells the tale of how the civil war touched the weapons factories and forges of Mars...

Oldest of the Forge Worlds, Mars is home to the Adeptus Mechanicus; an organization dedicated to the rediscovery of ancient technology and its use in furthering the aims of the Imperium. It is also the main source of weapons and munitions for the Great Crusade to reunite Mankind.
All is not well on Mars however. Disagreements over doctrine threaten to split the hierarchy of the Mechanicum whilst mutterings grow against the Emperor and his plans for Mars. Centuries of rivalry between the Titan Legions (think huge robots bristling with weaponry and towering over all) are danger of becoming open warfare.
Just the kind of conditions for the cunning Warmaster Horus to exploit and gain a valuable ally in his war against the Emperor...

The biggest problem I had with ‘Mechanicum’ (and with the other ‘Horus Heresy’ books that I have read so far) is the fact that these aren’t so much stories as they are accounts of the history of the Warhammer 40,000 universe. If you know anything about this history at all (and I do, a little...) then you will know how it all ends. This lends a certain inevitability to the tale that robs proceedings of more than a little spontaneity and tension. If you don’t know your Warhammer history then this won’t be a problem at all, if you’re a hardcore fan then I reckon you’ll love digging into the minutiae of the conflict and not worry too much about the ending. There is plenty of minutiae to be found...

Mars is a simmering pot of feuds and hostility at the best of times and, over the course of the book, we get to see how this ultimately ends in bloodshed on an epic scale. There is also a real sense of tragedy that unfolds as we see people’s dreams of securing technology for the good of the Imperium crushed by those with less wholesome ambitions. With the emphasis on all out warfare, ‘crushing’ means just that. ‘Mechanicum’ has a death toll of billions...

There is some politicking but the book moves so quickly that you don’t really get much of a chance to find out what it’s all about. The bottom line is that sides are being formed and there is no neutral ground. When civil war arrives on Mars, the pace is picked up even more and battle is joined in a cacophony of explosions, Titans, traitors and death.
The action itself is very intense and I was left feeling that perhaps the book was aimed too obviously at its war gaming audience to appeal to the casual reader. There’s a lot of referring to ordinance only really familiar to regular gamers and, like I said, this is a ‘history’ that fans will get the most out of.

At the same time though there is something incredibly stirring about the images of gigantic Titans striding to war across the Martian landscape and facing down their enemies in ruined reactors and silos. The Knights of Taranis are much smaller in scale but their chivalrous approach is equally stirring and their final charge is well worth the price of admission.

‘Mechanicum’ is definitely one for the fans but it is a very entertaining read that anyone with a little ‘Warhammer History’ will get something out of. I’m already eager for ‘Tales of Heresy’, the next book in the series...

Eight out of Ten.

‘Thicker Than Water’ – Mike Carey (Orbit)

When I first started out with the blog I tried to be really good and disciplined with the reading pile; switching between publishers/genre, making sure everyone got a fair turn, you know the kind of thing. As time went on however, all my good intentions went south in the worst way possible as I found myself reverting to the tried and tested method of ‘that looks good, I’ll try that next’... Even now I try to read books in the order that they’re sent (a hard enough task when you consider how long certain books have been in the pile, I might have to do a post about that...) but every so often a book comes along that blows my reading order right out of the water. Mike Carey’s latest instalment in his ‘Felix Castor’ series is one of those books and featured prominently in my mental list of ‘Books I’m looking forward to in 2009’.
Having read ‘Thicker Than Water’, I can tell you that it was well worth the wait. Fans of the series are really going to enjoy this one...

When the police knock on Felix Castor’s door his first thought is that his sins have finally caught up with him, one sin in particular... One trip to a South London housing estate later and Felix finds out that life still holds a few surprises for him. After all, it’s not every day that you find your own name painted in blood at a crime scene...
This is only the beginning though, the housing estate in the grip of an epidemic of violence too brutal to be anything other than supernaturally caused. Felix knows it and the Anathemata (exorcised militant wing of the Catholic Church) know it too. And what is Felix’ brother doing lurking in the shadows? Felix has some work to do before hell breaks loose. And then he finds that it already has...

I’ll be straight with you all; I’m a big fan of the ‘Felix Castor’ series so you may just want to have a pinch of salt handy to take with everything I say. The bottom line though is that I thoroughly enjoyed ‘Thicker Than Water’ and if you’re a fan then I reckon you will too. If you’re a fan of intelligently written urban fantasy and haven’t picked this series up yet then do yourself a favour, get yourself a copy of ‘The Devil You Know’ and get reading.

Right from the very opening paragraph, Mike Carey takes us on a dark journey through the seamier sides of London, Felix Castor’s head and Hell itself. While I can’t vouch for the descriptions of Hell (tantalisingly few), I’ve worked in the Elephant & Castle area of London and Carey’s description of it is spot on. It’s not somewhere you want to be at all, let alone live there...

The story itself is one hell of a ride, just not the one that you might expect. Given Castor’s line of business and his attitude towards it (freelance exorcist who likes to get all the facts before he takes any action) the plot inevitably throws up lots of questions that are answered over the course of the book. Think carefully before congratulating yourself on having worked it all out, everything fits together perfectly but nothing is quite as it seems... All credit to Carey for tying everything together in a conclusion that is explosive on more than one level. I was left shaking my head, in awe, by the end of it all.
Carey also starts to let some pretty big hints drop about the plot arc that has been running for four books now. It’s hard to say too much about it without giving it all away but what I can say is that it will shift everything into a whole new perspective and give Castor some real food for thought.

Castor himself doesn’t really change as a character (from the last three books) and I’m not sure if this is a good or bad thing. In a sense he doesn’t really need to change at all. The series, so far, has been more about the dangers he faces rather than how he develops as a character and that’s not a bad thing in itself. Castor is a well rounded character, with plenty going on already, and this frees up time to concentrate on threats posed by the plot. There’s also the promise of things to come, in the next book, which will force Castor to change his outlook. The promise of momentous things to come balances out the fact that Castor hasn’t really changed at all and yet, at the same time, there is a hint of stagnation that dragged things down ever so slightly for me. Having said that though, if you’re reading an ‘urban fantasy noir’ tale though, you should expect certain rules to be adhered to...

This is only a very small niggle though. ‘Thicker Than Water’ more than meets the standards set by its predecessors and promises great things to come. I’m going to be around to see them happen!

Nine and a Half out of Ten