Jan-Andrew Henderson

A friend lent me this book shortly after I moved to Edinburgh. It’s a quick, fairly superficial history of the subterranean parts of the Old City, with a series of ghost stories at the end. The latter were all quite familiar, as I heard them when I went on one of the underground ghost tours last year. The vaults are certainly well worth a visit, although I didn’t experience anything supernatural and was far more interested in the social history of the place. As for the book, it was show more interesting to learn when and how the massive bridges that imperceptibly underpin so much of the city were built. And always nice to hear more about William Topaz McGonagall, perhaps the worst poet that ever lived. (I remember him from [b:Curing Hiccups with Small Fires: A Delightful Miscellany of Great British Eccentrics|7145385|Curing Hiccups with Small Fires A Delightful Miscellany of Great British Eccentrics|Karl Shaw|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1328820022s/7145385.jpg|7409927].) This isn’t a particularly systematic history of Edinburgh as a city, but was clearly written with love, is easy to read, and includes a good selection of illustrations. show less

There's an increasing trend in children's fiction at the moment to find the next big thing. Dragons - Done. Boy Spies - Done. Horror - Done. Bunker 10 plays both the spy thriller and creeping doom genre, mixing them into a tale that feels fresh and smacks of more than a little originality. A group of genius teenagers plan a Christmas breakout from the government facility where they work. All well and good, but less than halfway in you're hit with a massive plot twist which turns everything show more on its head. It's an impressive feat, and despite a general overuse of technical jargon there's something hugely attractive about this fast-paced modern teenage novel. I await his next book eagerly. show less

In 48 short sharp chapters Henderson weaves a complex web around quite a simple plot. Mixing conspiracy, psychology, and catastrophe with gypsy romance, nautical adventure, coming of age, and more than a hint of the supernatural is interesting but confusing. This may be a very clever technique but the abrupt phrasing did not reassure me that I was in the hands of a competent narrator. By the end of the book I admired his skill but as my first encounter with the author I found this unsettling show more reading. So, gentle reader, I advise you to go with the flow and trust that the book is worth your time. show less

This story is carefully constructed and elegantly written. It felt good to be in the hands of such an accomplished author. The characters, plot and pace were orchestrated into a magnificent symphony. The ideas and setting were stimulating.