Wolfy's wanderings with the written word (2018 edition)

Just because I haven’t finished a book yet this year doesn’t mean I can’t start a new thread. Work is still not giving me much reading time unfortunately and even eating into my own personal time due to the travel involved. I’ll need to move again soon at some point in the near future as they’ll stop paying for me to travel and stay in hotels while I’m on shift. All that, plus the football (soccer) schedule providing many hours of viewing pleasure has taken its toll on my reading. I’ll try and do better as I was quite disappointed in my final total for last year. That tbr pile is not shrinking in fact it’s going the other way.

Due to the above I have again decided not to participate in this year's Category Challenge so this will be my only reading journal for 2018.

Quick links to previous year's reading adventures just in case I (or anyone else) want to look back.
2011 Edition
2012 Edition
2013 Edition
2014 Edition
2015 Edition
2016 Edition
2017 Edition

As usual, comments, discussion, recommendations and general ramblings all welcomed.

Happy New Year! I hope the job situation settles down so that you get a bit more time for reading and can reduce the tbr pile.

>1 AHS-Wolfy: I’m happy to see your 2018 thread and will be keeping an eye on it! :) I know what it’s like to have those years where it just seems impossible to find time for reading. I hope the schedule gets better.

Glad to see your thread. Hope you find a great new place to live.

>1 AHS-Wolfy: I am pulling up a seat to spectate.

I have also been slow with reading thus far this year.

I hope you have a great year!

Wishing you a great new year, and hoping things settle down for you soon.

Welcome to 2018! ;0)

You don't have to read books at super-speed (thankfully for me); just enjoy them.

Thanks all. As always it's a pleasure to be here. Finally got around to finishing the first book of the year:

The Locked Room by Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö

This is the 8th (of 10) in the Martin Beck series by the husband and wife writing duo and has Beck returning to work after a long layoff due to the culminating events in the preceding book. Most of his squad have been re-assigned to deal with the ever increasing number of bank robberies while Beck himself has been given a strange case by way of gradually getting him back in the swing of things. A body was discovered in an apartment which had multiple locks on the front door, windows closed and latched and no other way in or out. It was initially logged as a suicide but as there was no gun found in the apartment then how could it have been? The hunt is on to find out who killed this man and how did they accomplish it?

I found this instalment a little less to my liking than the previous entries though I can't figure out the exact reason why. Maybe it was the bungling antics of the district attorney, Bulldozer Olsson, or that his squad was auditioning for the next Keystone Cops movie, or that Beck was on his own to investigate his assigned case and there was less interaction with the other regulars, or maybe the combination of the twin narratives just didn't gel with me this time around. There was still the usual digs into Swedish politics of the time and how the decline of the state had a marked effect on the police and how they do their job. Not a terrible book, just not as good as the previous ones in the series for me. 3★'s.

>9 AHS-Wolfy: I read the whole Martin Beck series some years ago and seem to recall that the later volumes are bleaker than the earlier ones, with more officious and incompetent officials as the political situation changes. (Still love the series and am looking forward to reading your thoughts on the last two volumes.)

*waves*
Hey, Wolfy. Hope you get to read more than you think you will.

Actually finished this book more than a week ago but forgot to post a review so here goes...

Automated Alice by Jeff Noon

This is an homage to Lewis Carroll but with Noon's added weirdness thrown in for good measure. It ties in with the former's Alice books and the latter's Vurt books. Alice is living with her Great Aunt Ermintrude and while awaiting a writing lesson follows a parrot inside a grandfather clock and ends up in a very strange place indeed: Manchester in 1998! (though I don't remember it being quite this strange). It appears Alice has become chief suspect in the jigsaw murders as the bodies involved just happen to have one of the missing pieces of a jigsaw she's been doing back home located on their rearranged bodies when found. With the help of a few friends, can Alice avoid the clutches of the local constabulary and of the wannabe head of the Civil Serpents, find her parrot and retrieve the missing jigsaw pieces and make it back home in time for her lesson?

Puns and other word play abound and the author does a good job of keeping this within acceptable parameters for the intended audience. Only one instance should be noted to sway away from the very young and that is the description of the rearrangement of the body parts for one of the victims. Otherwise it stays fairly true to the original Carroll tone. It's a fast, action-packed story but that's to the detriment of any character and world-building and I found myself not really caring about any of the characters we meet along the way. There was however enough interest there for me to keep reading until the end to find out what transpires. Definitely not my favourite of the author's works but it hasn't put me off from picking up any of those unread ones I haven't got around to yet. 3★'s.

Fated by Benedict Jacka

Alex Verus runs a magic shop and also happens to be a diviner which means he's able to see all possible future's for any action he takes. So when an acquaintance, Luna, brings him a crystal she has recently acquired Alex knows he's in for a rough time. He is then immediately accosted by a a Dark mage looking to employ his services. Having already turned down the Light mages after a meeting with the council's representative Alex doesn't feel like working for the other side either. But when Luna's fate is put at stake then he doesn't have much choice in getting involved after all. Can he manage to see a path that will keep Luna safe and not entangled with some very nasty people on both sides of the equation?

While there are very easy comparisons to be made with the likes of the Dresden series that will do no favours to this one. That series had been running for over a decade prior to the arrival of this book and so has cemented it's place at (or very near) the pinnacle of the urban fantasy genre for many people. It's very much a starter book with main character introduced along with a few potential recurring characters also brought in to play. A back-story is also provided and will no doubt play a significant role in future instalments. The plot for this one is fairly straightforward and is ideal to express the powers of the protagonist and how they stack up against potential adversaries. While there's nothing wholly original here, the use of the powers are what could define this series. I'll be more than happy to check out at least the next book to see how things progress. 3½★'s.

>13 AHS-Wolfy: was already on my wishlist. It sounds fun. Diviner is a tricky skillset to work plausibly though.

>14 reading_fox: It's not much more than a decent opening book to a series which now encompasses 9 books so I have hopes that it will improve the further along it goes (as with the Dresden series (mostly)). There's a lot more room to explore how the powers work and how the user manipulates events because of them. There's also room for the characters to be given a bit more depth as well so hopefully that will happen too. I'd probably rate it somewhere around how I felt for the first of the Nightside books that I seem to recall you read recently.

Hello. Just popped in to say hi and that I've been enjoying reading your reviews from last year - I've starred this topic so I can follow your reviews this year as well. Happy reading!

>16 iftyzaidi: Thank you. I hope not to disappoint although it's looking like another slow reading year for me again this time around.

I can relate as I have had a fair few of those (slow reading years) in the last couple of years. Sometimes life in general decides to get in the way. But this year I've been determined to get my own reading back on track and am taking part in the 100 Books in 2018 reading challenge (link to the thread here). Good luck with your own reading! Hopefully things will pick up soon.

Exile by Denise Mina

Ann Harris has gone missing from the shelter run by Leslie and while someone disappearing is not unusual Leslie seems to think the manner of her going is a bit suspicious and so enlists the help of her friend Maureen O’Donnell to investigate. When Maureen visits Ann’s husband Jimmy she gets the impression that he wasn’t the one who beat her up. Struggling to bring up the four kids that Ann left behind he is such a pitiful creature that Maureen is convinced that he’s innocent. When Ann’s body subsequently turns up dumped in the river in London and Jimmy remains the prime suspect, Maureen jumps at the chance to investigate further. Especially as it means leaving Glasgow behind for a while what with the return to the area of her father and the police still trying to pin something on her for what happened in the previous book then it will be good to leave it all behind even if she doesn’t know what she’s getting herself mixed up in.

This is a darkly compelling tale which also gets quite bleak at times. With the protagonist not that particularly concerned with her own welfare she is content to put herself in harm’s way even if that results in her own demise so this book is not going to be for everyone. Personally, I don’t mind spending time visiting the darker edges of fiction as long as the plot is consistent and the characters are well written and their actions match the situations they find themselves in. There is no problem with either of those here with another excellently written story. While the mystery element of the plot is fully contained within this book there are elements that carry throughout the series so while you can read this as a stand-alone I would suggest that you read Garnethill, the first in the series, prior to picking this one up. 4★'s.

Want You Gone* by Chris Brookmyre

Jack Parlabane's star is back on the rise. With the Black Widow case still fresh in the mind he has been invited for an interview with a leading edge magazine who want to expand their repertoire with more in depth investigative reporting and while this didn't go quite as well as expected Jack still has a chance to prove himself. So it's a good job that he might have an inside track into a cyber crime story that's hitting the headlines. Someone has hacked the website of a major bank and while they haven't stolen anything, their actions are certainly having an effect on the share price. Sam Morpeth has a secret. By day she's just an unremarkable student who has just had to give up her further education plans to look after her younger sister who suffers from down's syndrome when their mother is locked up in prison. She's quiet, shy and often finds herself on the wrong end of the bullies from school. Give her online access though and she is transformed into somebody totally different hiding behind the alias "Buzzkill". Her secret and involvement in recent events is threatened with exposure and if she doesn't do what someone wants then she might very well find herself locked up with her mother (that's if she's lucky) and where would that leave her sister? This blackmailer wants her to steal a prototype device along with any plans for it and leave it so there's no chance for it to be re-engineered. While Sam could handle the online part of the job she'll need someone to do the physical so it's a good job she knows someone who owes her a favour that is not averse to a little breaking and entering to get what he needs.

This is the 8th book in the series and although it's a stand-alone story there are a few references to Jack's past and follows the more recent entries into Brookmyre's more serious books though some of the snappy dialogue still manages to raise a smile. The action is fast-paced and thrilling but that's not done at the expense of character building. The secondary lead of Sam is well developed and her duality is quite believable. It's also quite an eye-opener for the social engineering aspects of the hacker activities and how easy it could be for someone to gain access to sensitive information in a few simple steps. This is another quality entry into what's mostly been an excellent series. 4★'s.

*AKA The Last Hack

A couple of quick mini reviews from me for what else I've been reading this month:

I've been munching on some Lovely Biscuits , a collection of short stories and a couple of scripts for plays written by Grant Morrison someone more famed for his comic book output. It definitely fits in with the Weird movement. Starts off with a couple of erotic (filthy) horror stories before the first of the plays (Alice talking to Lewis Carroll) before another short story involving Lovecraft. A 2nd play revolving around Aleister Crowley and an acolyte follows before completing the collection with what is supposed to be a companion piece to his Invisibles comics but not having read any of those I can't tell how it fits in. Enjoyable overall and makes me want to check out his more familiar output even more. 4★'s

I also finished Cop Killer, the 9th instalment of the Martin Beck books by Maj Sjöwall & Per Wahlöö. Another fine addition to the series which I enjoyed more than I did the 8th. Though I still don't know why the head of the homicide division along with another high ranking member of the team were originally tasked with investigating what was initially just a missing persons case. 3½★'s.

Abaddon's Gate by James S. A. Corey

With the threat of the seizure of the Rocinante by Mars who've begun legal action to reclaim it, Jim Holden and his crew are forced to accept the only mission that will release their prized asset from impound. Unfortunately this will put them on a heading exactly to the one place they didn't want to go. Right where the Earth, Mars & OPA forces are converging to study the artefact that looks to be a gate to another part of space. It seems like the ghost of Miller also wants Holden there. Meanwhile Clarissa Mao has plans of her own for Holden. Julie's sister wants to firstly destroy his reputation and then kill him so as to possibly discredit what he has done to ruin her family and perhaps free her father from the prison cell he currently occupies. A couple of other viewpoints are also supplied in the shape of Annushka (Anna) Volovodov, who's a pastor within the humanitarian committee for the United Nations, and Carlos (Bull) de Baca, personally selected by Fred Johnson to be security officer on the Behemoth, the OPA representation at the gate. With this many potential flashpoints gathered in one spot then things are not going to go smoothly are they?

This third instalment in the Expanse series like its predecessors is a very easy to read exciting story with the action kicking off almost immediately after the introduction of the new viewpoint and secondary characters. Quick alternating chapters between the four viewpoints keep the pace of the story rattling by and makes the 500+ pages fly by. It's been nice to see the development of Holden's character and he is much more rounded now after the experiences of his previous adventures and the introduction of new people for the other storylines and perspectives keep tale fresh. Another very good entry into what is proving to be a very good space opera series that I will be looking forward to continuing with. 4★'s

Just checking in to say I'm still stalking your thread. I just have nothing of value to contribute. :o)

>23 clamairy: Don't worry, neither have I. ;)

Maybe when I have more time after the beginning of July unless I find another job by then.

Farewell My Lovely by Raymond Chandler

The 2nd of Chandler's books to feature hard-boiled detective Philip Marlowe has him involved in not just one but two murders. The first was a night club owner killed by a giant of a man aptly called Moose Malloy. It seems Moose was looking for the girl he left behind when he was put away for armed robbery 8 years ago and the owner didn't give him the answers he was looking for. As Moose had quite literally dragged Marlowe into the club he feels compelled to do a little digging of his own while Moose goes on the lam. The second killing was of a man who hired Marlowe as a bodyguard of sorts while he paid a ransom to get some rare jewellery back that had been boosted from a lady friend. Seeing as he didn't do such a good job at protecting his client Marlowe feels compelled to investigate that too even though the cops warn him off.

It's been a few years since I read The Big Sleep and I'd forgotten how much I enjoyed the main character and the pulp-noir feeling of this series. It was a welcome return as I really enjoyed how the story unfolded. Chandler has a way with words and draws the reader in to the seedy underbelly of big city life. There may be a proliferation of similes but when they're this good you don't really mind. As it was written in 1940 then there is the offensive racial terminology and views of the time to consider but if you can get past that then you're in for a treat. Equally as good, if not better, than its predecessor this comes thoroughly recommended. 4½★'s.

>25 AHS-Wolfy: Pulp-noir; never heard of that as a genre before but it makes sense.

The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud

Nathaniel is a 12 year old boy apprenticed to a magician who holds a post in the government of England. Not an unusual occurrence as all ministerial positions are filled by magicians in this version of reality. Unfortunately for Nathaniel, his master, Arthur Underwood, didn't really want an apprentice and doesn't really care for having "the boy", as he calls him, around. To Nathaniel's way of thinking this means his training is not going as fast as he wants it to and he bears no feelings of affection for the man. This feeling is further exacerbated when his master fails to intercede when another magician publicly humiliates him during a gathering of his master's acquaintances. Nathaniel does have a voracious appetite for knowledge and he puts what he's learned to good use when he concocts a plan of revenge against his tormentor, Simon Lovelace, which will also include his master. He summons the djinni, Bartimaeus, to steal an artefact that Lovelace has just acquired in nefarious circumstances and hide it in Underwood's study. But as is the tendency of many revenge plots this one also goes awry and with Lovelace desperate to recover the artefact to enact a scheme of his own and prepared to do anything within his considerable power to retrieve it then Nathaniel and Bartimaeus will have to be at their best to avoid being revealed as the perpetrators.

The story is related via alternating chapters from the viewpoints of Nathaniel and Bartimaeus. While the former is a fairly typical young boy frustrated at what he feels to be slow progress careering from one crisis to another when events cascade beyond his control the latter is a snarky, aggrandizing demon who's not afraid to meddle if it will benefit him and provides amusing anecdotes in the form of footnotes to describe other beings or past events in which he, of course, played a pivotal role. It's a fast paced tale and quite cinematic in its telling and I wouldn't be surprised to see a movie adaptation springing up at some time. While the main plot of this book is fully wrapped up there is one strand left open to continue into the next instalment of the trilogy and there was enough here for me to want to pick that up at some point. A decent, though not spectacular, opener to a young adult fantasy series. 3½★'s.

>27 AHS-Wolfy: I thoroughly enjoyed that one, but just haven't gone back to finish the series. I really have to do that one of these years.

>27 AHS-Wolfy: I reacquired the series and intend to read it at some point - I don't think I read the whole series last time round and can't remember much at all, so hopefully that will help it feel fresh and fast paced when I do get to it.

Florida Roadkill by Tim Dorsey

It's the first in the Serge Storms series of books and features two unsuspecting guys heading off through Florida on a fishing trip. What they don't realise is that some loot has been stashed in the boot of their car and Serge is just one of a bunch of crazies that want to get their hands on it. The hunters include a renowned dentist (the victim of the insurance scam and beneficiary of the loot in question), an insurance mogul (didn't want to pay out the money as it was meant to pay off a drug cartel that he launders money for), members of said cartel who want their money and Serge (criminally insane along with many other dysfunctions and disorders), Coleman (his former cellmate) and Sharon (a career black widow and current lap-dancer). Serge is a Florida historian and will often regale his partners or just about anyone in listening distance about the sights or past events of the places he's at.

This a a darkly humorous crime caper story that features some interesting ways of getting rid of the competition and is the first time I've read a space shuttle launch being used to facilitate a murder. Often compared to Carl Hiaasen books though it's a bit darker in tone frm the ones I've read. It's a fun, inventive and fast paced story which is somewhat slightly let down with none of the characters being particularly likeable. Often in these types of stories you'll get a charming rogue or a down on his luck generally good guy that's doing something bad but for the right reasons. Here you'll only find generally not very nice folks out to make a few dollars so tey can have a good time so if you need someone to root for in your crime capers then this might not be the book for you. I tend to enjoy the darker edged stories though so for me it was okay. I'm not going to rush out and buy the next in the series but I'd be willing to pick it up if I came across it in a used bookstore. 3½★'s.

Lucifer Book One by Mike Carey

With the announcement of the cancellation of the TV show (which I quite enjoy) I thought I'd finally get around to checking out the source material. Adapted from characters originally featuring in Neil Gaiman's Sandman graphic novels this book collects the first 13 volumes along with the 3 volumes forming the sandman presents: Lucifer featuring the fallen angel and titular character, Lucifer Morningstar himself. Having retired from running Hell as its lord and master he's now living in LA and running a piano bar called Lux with the demon Mazikeen for company. It is here that he receives a visit from Amenadiel with a job offer and the opportunity to name his price. With such a tempting proposal then how can the Lightbringer refuse and so he sets off to find who is granting human wishes before things get too out of hand. It will prove a test of all of Lucifer's skills and cunning if he is to succeed. Does he still have the edge now that he's retired?

There is a good and varied collection of stories in this book that showcase the character of Lucifer to its fullest extent. Overall in this collection there are two 3-volume arcs, one of 4 volumes, one of 5 and a one-shot. There's also a foreword by Gaiman and an introduction by Carey himself to set the scene. Both of these are spoiler free so can actually be read prior to the rest of the contents of the book without giving away what is still to come (a rare thing for intro's these days). Other than a few characters and Lucifer's base of operation there is little correlation between this book and the TV show and while the latter deals with more earthly concerns with a charismatic devil living amongst humans this graphic novel touches more upon the metaphysical and supernatural world and its entities. A very good start to what promises to be an excellent series. 4★'s.

>31 AHS-Wolfy: awww. I didn't know the show was getting cancelled. I guess that isn't a big surprise - I enjoy it but it seemed like the plotline had run it's course.

I have only read the first of these GNs, but hope to get to more of them one day...

>27 AHS-Wolfy: >28 clamairy: Pretty much agree, though I did read it a while ago.

>31 AHS-Wolfy: I’ve only just been introduced to the TV series this week. The guy has a weird accent - but then, I don’t know what they sound like down there.

>32 Darth-Heather: There's still a lttle hope that it will get picked up by another network like The Expanse did. Like you say it had pretty much done what it could with the story but it would've been nice to see Chloe's reaction to finding out Lucifer really was who he said he was.

>33 humouress: Happy viewing. I hope you never have to find out.

The Ghost Rider by Ismail Kadare

Based around an Albanian folk tale of Constantin and Doruntine but told from the perspective of Stres, the investigating officer. It appears Doruntine has been brought back to her family home to visit her mother by her brother, Kostandin, but both women now lie dying from apparent shock of learning what made Doruntine’s trip so strange. Kostandin, along with his eight brothers, had been dead for three years. So did Kostandin really rise from the grave to fulfil a promise to his mother or did someone perpetrate this act of falsehood that is leading to the death of two women and if so, who would do such an ungodly act? It's up to Stres to find out what really happened before either the Prince or the Archbishop permanently removes him from his office.

This is an interesting take on a Middle Ages mystery story that includes political and religious overtones with the Catholic & Orthodox churches vying for supremacy within Albania at the time of the story. This tale has gone through a few revisions since its original release. Translated into French and from there into English with a revised and updated edition being released when Kadare was freer to express his true vision. This edition uses the original English translation plus the later additions along with a couple of authorised minor alterations to aid the coherence of the story. I’m glad to have read it but not over fond of the ending and doubt it’s one I’ll ever go back to. 3★'s.

>34 AHS-Wolfy: Um.... thanks?

>34 AHS-Wolfy: RE: your spoiler - yeah. Because they've been dancing around that since the first episode. It's always been the elephant in the room, and I guess if they had known about the cancellation sooner they might have worked that in, for closure. sigh.

>37 AHS-Wolfy: It's definitely come as a surprise to the showrunners. They've since revealed little tidbits about what was to come from season 4. As well as dealing with what happened there was also due to be “an exciting character from Lucifer’s past who was going to come in and mix everything up. A very personal, intimate figure who we won’t reveal the identity of yet until we find out if we get the chance to tell the tale on a new network.” - Ildy Modrovich

Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer

A twelfth team has been selected to explore and try and find answers to the mysteries of Area X. The previous eleven have, at best, met with abject failure some even ending in catastrophe. Any survivors that returned were certainly different people than went in. The new team consists of four women, each a specialist in their fields. The designated leader is a psychologist and together with an anthropologist, a surveyor and a biologist. our narrator for this expedition. Events quickly turn sour and any preconceptions the women had are promptly disavowed with the discovery of a structure descending into the earth that isn't included on the maps they've been given. This is quite strange considering its proximity to their base camp and how long its obviously been there for. Are they meant to find and explore this without any prior knowledge or is there something more sinister afoot?

Told from the perspective of the biologist via a journal that each of the team is supposed to keep we get to learn of her character as the effects of what transpires within Area X takes place as well as at least some of who she was prior to volunteering for this expedition and the ulterior motive behind that choice. I really enjoyed the building of this character but not everyone will connect with her and those that don't will probably dislike this book. As it's her tale then we don't get to learn much of the other three women at all but that's okay as the story is about her and the environment anyway. A creepy, atmospheric novel that sets the scene more for what's to come with the rest of the trilogy than providing any answers that lie behind what Area X actually is. I'm not sure we'll get all the answers in the next two books but I'll definitely be continuing to find out. 4★'s.

>38 AHS-Wolfy: I’ve been planning to try this series in July, so I’m happy to see you enjoyed this!

For those who still haven't heard the news, Lucifer got picked up by Netflix for an initial 10 episode run so I guess we will get to see what happens next after all.

The Boy on the Bridge by M. R. Carey

This is a prequel/companion piece to The Girl With All the Gifts that takes place for the most part some 20 years or so prior to Melanie's story and focuses on the journey undertaken from Beacon in the Rosalind Franklin. A crew of 12 people man the vehicle as it follows its predecessor in order to collect the samples they should have left behind. Hoping there will be something to point them in the direction of finding a cure or at least a way to prevent the hungry plague from spreading further and wiping out the last remnants of humanity. Travelling and living in such a confined environment presents its problems especially when not everyone is on the same agenda. Human politics even manages to survive the end of te world.

While I didn't think this book matched its predecessor for either thrills, excitement or character development, which I think was down to there not being a character as compelling as Melanie, it was still a very enjoyable read. While it starts off a little slowly the tension soon mounts and there are some great action sequences to get the blood pumping. Not all of the 12 people in the crew are fully fleshed out so you don't really care too much about them when they are in peril or if it goes past that point. Only two get the full Carey treatment but neither matched up to Melanie from Girl. It would have had to have been exceptional to match the previous book but it still proved to be worth the read. 4★'s.

The Blonde on the Street Corner by David Goodis

Life isn't easy in big city America when you have no job and no prospects. Ralph and his three friends spend most of their evenings hanging around on street corners watching time pass them by and dreaming of a better life. Jobs aren't easy to come by and even less so when you don't really want one. A man has to have at least some principles left so when the wife of one of his friend's brother seeks his attention he initially refuses her advances but life has a way of beating up on you when you're down and it's not long before Lenore is after Ralph once again. Can he stay true to his morals or will he succumb to temptation?

This is written in very much a hardboiled, noir style but without a crime or mystery to solve. Not much in the way of a plot, it's just a slice-of-life tale centering on Ralph, an unemployed young man living at home with his parents and two sisters, and his interactions with his three friends. Easy to read if you like the style and weighing in at just over 150 pages it's also a quick one to get through. Gets a bit violent at times but as that comes readily with the hardboiled genre then it's to be expected I suppose. I first heard of this author when he was recommended in one of the Jack Taylor books by Ken Bruen and while I don't think this title is generally regarded as one of his best I'd certainly be interested n picking up another. 3.5★'s.

>40 AHS-Wolfy: I’m a bit confused; was ‘Boy’ set before or after ‘Girl’?

>41 humouress: The story in Boy takes place before that of Girl but the epilogue which is set some 20 years after the main story ends does feature some familiar characters. If you haven't read either but are planning to do so then I'd still suggest starting with Girl.

Halting State by Charles Stross

Detective Sergeant Sam Smith is tasked with a bank robbery investigation but when she arrives at the scene of the crime realises that it won't be your typical bank robbery case. First off is the fact that the robbery was carried out by a bunch of orcs assisted by a dragon. Secondly it's not a real bank at all but a virtual one for an online game and the owners of the company that runs the bank don't really want the local police involved and believe it should have gone to SOCA (the Scottish Organised Crime Agency). With the company just having been floated on the stock market a calamity like this could wipe €30m off the share price. Elaine Barnaby is a forensic accountant for an insurance company and her employers have also set her to work on an investigation into this case but as her gaming expertise is limited to live-action real-time role-play she's going to need some help. Enter Jack Reed, recently out of work programmer, who when told the nature of the contract he's just signed up for realises the heist has consequences far more wide ranging than first imagined.

This is a near-future thriller with technology playing a key role both in its everyday use and for plot purposes and while there is a certain amount of technobabble and geekdom references it's easy enough to follow what's going on. That's good, as the pace of the story is relentless and this is aided by the three person viewpoint so you're always in the thick of the action. Being written in the second person also helped with setting the scene as with being set around the online gaming world and other immersive technologies it puts the reader into an adventuring type of mindset. It's also quite a fun story to read and the use of corporate politics is spot-on. My first Stross book will definitely not be my last. 4★'s.

>43 AHS-Wolfy: I might have taken a bullet here. I tried one of Stross's big-idea SF novels a long time ago and was underwhelmed, but this sounds promising. Thanks, I think ;-)

>43 AHS-Wolfy: >44 Jim53: Maybe me, too.

I’ve got some of his Hidden Family series.

Seems I've Been remiss on my reviews. Finished 3 books since my last update. I'll try and catch up.

The Terrorists by Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö

While working on the case of the murder of an erotic film producer, Martin Beck is selected to lead an anti-terrorism task force. A controversial US senator is due for a state visit to Sweden and seems a ripe candidate for a recent organisation by the name of ULAG. Not much is known about this group other than they've been very successful in their missions to date. They utilise different methods and don't care about collateral damage as long as they eliminate their target in the process. Can Beck and his team find his murderer while ensuring the diplomatic visit goes off without a bang as well as continuing to build a relationship with Rhea Nielsen?

This is the tenth and final volume of the series that not only looks at the life and career of a senior policeman but also of the Swedish welfare state and the effects this has on the country as a whole. The authors depict a decline in almost every area they document. Drugs and sex are rife throughout the cities and the police force is heading towards a more militaristic approach to dealing with crimes. So it's not just the obvious aspects of terrorism that is written about here. This provides a fitting conclusion to what's been a very good police procedural series. 4★'s.

The Golem's Eye by Jonathan Stroud

Nathaniel, now using the alias John Mandrake, with his exploits in the previous book and diligence in his studies and work has earned himself the government post of assistant to the head of internal affairs. What he hasn't earned himself though are any friends. His colleagues at work eye him with a certain amount of distrust and often unfriendly rivalry and more than a little envy. Those below him in the pecking order are waiting for him to fail so they can advance their own careers and those above are watching anxiously over their shoulders hoping Mandrake doesn't take their job next. To the relief of those around him though John Mandrake's career might be in for a halt to his prominent rise as he's been tasked with rooting out the resistance and putting an end to their actions and everything he's tried so far has been without success. That doesn't bode well when the resistance seem to be increasing their activities and causing some considerable damage at some famous city landmarks. So Mandrake has little choice and despite saying he would never call him again he reluctantly summons the djinn Bartimaeus. Can the duo discover what's behind this new chaos and destruction in London and if it's connected to the resistance before Mandrake is no longer flavour of the month? We also get to learn more of Kitty, the young girl who stole Nathaniel's scrying glass and left him for dead, as she becomes a viewpoint character showcasing her activities with the resistance.

Nathaniel/Mandrake has become a more obnoxious young man since last we met him but that fits the development of the character well. It's been a year and a half since the conclusion of events from the first book and he's thoroughly enmeshed in the rivalry of his fellow magicians where any weakness is pounced upon with alacrity. It's hard to remember he's still only a 14 year-old boy who's had very little love in his life. So it's a good job the other two POV characters are more likable and help carry the reader through the story. We get Kitty's back story and how she came to be a member of the resistance and also more snippet's from Bartimaeus' past. Overall it's a decent sequel that is once again a fully formed story that leaves enough room for a follow-on book which I'll pick up at some point. 3½★'s.

>43 AHS-Wolfy: - I do find Stross a bit hit and miss, but enjoyed this one.

Places in the Darkness by Chris Brookmyre

Ciudad de Cielo (CdC) is supposed to represent the future of mankind. It's a space station that is primarily set up to produce a colony ship that will take humanity to the stars as well as developing technologies that will aid in this quest. It's supposed to be a paragon of virtue where the best and best and brightest will lead mankind into the future. At least that's the story they feed you back on Earth but as Alice Blake is about to find out it couldn't be further from reality. We join Alice on her arrival at the station as she's due to take charge of the security oversight for the Federation of National Governments. The other POV character comes in the shape of Nikki Fixx (aka Sgt. Nicola Freeman of the Seguridad).. Not only does Nikki turn a blind eye to all the illegal activity on the station but she is also an active enabler for most of it. Using her position in the private security force that passes for law enforcement on the station to assist in her racketeering and protection schemes. So when a particularly gruesome murder is discovered shortly after her arrival, Alice uses the opportunity to tag along with Nikki on the investigation to see for herself just how bad things really are. When the body count starts rising and it’s not just their careers on the line can the two women learn to work together to solve the case or could it be that one of the two is actually behind it all?

This is not just a murder mystery in a science fiction setting as there’s some real hard science on show here along with many of the philosophical questions of identity, memory and what it means to be human that are associated with the genre. While there may be a few missteps with the science part that a few people will no doubt catch it doesn’t make the story any less enjoyable. The setup may take a little longer than the norm for Brookmyre but once the action starts it doesn’t let up. The two strong female leads are great characters to get to know with two very different personalities and backgrounds. So all in all a good trip into the science fiction genre while still retaining some of the author’s usual fare. 4★'s.

License Invoked by Robert Asprin & Jody Lynn Nye

Elizabeth Mayfield works for a branch of the British government named OOPSI (Office of Occult and Paranormal Sightings Investigation) and has just been sent on her first big mission. She needs to find out who or what is attacking Fionna Kenmare, lead singer for an Irish acid-rock band called Green Fire who are just about to embark on their breakthrough American tour which is about to commence in (pre Katrina) New Orleans at the Superdome. Of course the Americans can't have a British agent left to her own devices on American soil so she is to be accompanied on this protection detail by Beauray "Boo-Boo" Boudreau the current specialist that department BBB has on retainer in that area of the country. Can Liz overcome her shock discovery of Fionna being an old scool chum or that one of her musical idols is also a member of the band in time for her and Boo-Boo to discover what's going on and prevent a catastrophe from occurring in front of 80,000 people?

All the ingredients are there for what should be a fun romp in an urban fantasy setting. Unfortunately the cardboard and clichéd characters offer very little to care about without any of the humorous banter I've come to associate with Asprin's usual fare. Only the New Orleans setting offers up any enchantment and that's far too under utilised to mitigate a fairly dour effort. I've come away from this book thinking I should remove the humour tag from my library entry as the only smile it garnered was one of relief when I finally finished it. 2★'s.

>49 AHS-Wolfy: - sounds fun!

Looking at the author lists this seems to be a rare venture into an SF setting. Do you recommend his more conventional writing too?

>50 AHS-Wolfy: 2* sounds generous!

>51 reading_fox: Brookmyre is definitely a favourite author of mine having read all 21 of his books so far. Mostly he writes very much within the crime genre but has ventured away from this on a couple of previous excursions. He's decided to release under two versions of his name: His more serious crime books are being released under the Chris Brookmyre tag and those that concentrate towards a more humorous (albeit mostly of the dark variety) will have the full Christopher Brookmyre name.

>50 AHS-Wolfy: Oof!

>52 AHS-Wolfy: Sounds confusing.

>53 humouress: Wasn't my intent to be so. I'll try and explain a little more clearly.

The early books released by Christopher Brookmyre were based around an investigative journalist, Jack Parlabane, and while they sit heavily within the crime/thriller genre were just as renowned for their black humour as they were for the story. The humour falling in both situational aspects as well as the dialogue. In more recent releases, starting with Where the Bodies are Buried there is much less of a comedy element to proceedings but still some banter between the characters though this is also toned down a little. This type of book will be distinguished from the others by releasing under the name of Chris Brookmyre. He will still continue to use both versions of his name with the more serious releases using the diminutive of his christian name and those with full-on comedic effect will use the longer version.

>54 AHS-Wolfy: Oh, thanks. No, I didn’t mean you were confusing; I understood what you said the first time. I just thought (if I ever run into his books) that I’d never remember the difference between Chris and Christopher. I have a terrible head for names.

ETA: But I do like it that he’s sticking with his own name. It’s a little disorienting when you find out that authors with completely different names are actually one person.

A Red Herring Without Mustard by Alan Bradley

Flavia, the precocious 11=year-old sleuth, feels she has to make amends to an old gypsy fortune teller when an accident burns down her tent at the nearby fete. Offering up the use of the Palings, a grove by the river on the family estate, which might not have been such a good idea when the gypsy reveals a past visit when she and her husband were thrown off the property when Flavia's mother died. When Flavia returns to see if the gypsy has settled in okay she finds her almost beaten to death it sets her off on another of her investigations. Her discoveries include secret passageways, old-time religion and, of course, a dead body. Can Flavia uncover the truth of the matter while also administering justice to her sisters who are still behaving beastly to her?

This 3rd instalment of the series continues to enchant. While Flavia may not be a lovable character, her exploits continue to provide more than sufficient entertainment for the reader tp enjoy. A little more family history is revealed and the current state of the family fortune, or more likely the lack thereof, finally hits home with Flavia but told with cute reminiscences with the family silver. Most of the regular characters make an appearance at some stage as well as a few more local residents to meet. With an emphasis more on field work than in the laboratory I found this book to be a quicker read than the previous two and that might just make it my favourite of the series so far. 4★'s.

Authority by Jeff VanderMeer

A new director has been appointed to the Southern Reach to get to grips with the current state of the investigation into Area X but faces resistance to his appointment by the former director's assistant and second in charge. There's also the debriefing of the returning members of the last expedition to conduct also so Control, as he likes to be called, has his hands full. Getting straight answers from the staff that still remain at the outpost is challenging at best and Control doesn't know whether that's the characters themselves or if being at the Southern Reach has infected everyone with an obfuscation disease. There also seem to be factions back at headquarters and this makes Control wonder just how much control he actually has.

This follow-up to Annihilation sets quite a different tone to its predecessor. While that is not necessarily a bad thing, I didn't enjoy the direction this one took quite as much. More focus on the bureaucracy element of the organisation investigating the phenomenon behind Area X than what it actually is. As I predicted after completing the first volume in the trilogy I wasn’t expecting too much in the way of answers to the mysteries of Area X and I was correct in that summation. I’m not entirely sure all the answers will be forthcoming in the next one either but I’m willing to venture forth in hope of at least some. Especially as I quite liked the ending to this one, even if it did finish with a bit of a cliff-hanger. 3½★'s.

>57 AHS-Wolfy: I think the main thing I liked about that book was finally getting some more tangible info about the Area X situation and how things were run. Not that there was much of that, but in the first book the narrator was so unreliable that I didn’t know if I could believe even what little info we were given.

I hope you enjoy the last book! I liked that one a little less than the first two.

>57 AHS-Wolfy: and >58 YouKneeK: I have to say my enjoyment of the series diminished with each book which was a real shame. I liked the set up to the first, the questions and strangeness had really drawn me in to wanting to know more, and was keen to see where it was going.

Getting behind on filling in on what I've been reading so some quick mini-reviews to catch up:

Acceptance by Jeff VanderMeer

3rd of the Southern Reach trilogy. Liked it more than book 3 but not as much as the first. 3½★'s.

Three Days and a Life by Pierre Lemaitre

Psychological thriller with much less outright violence than the other books I've read from the author (not sure what that says about me). I also liked it least of all of the 5 books I've read of his. Reminded me somewhat of the feel of I'm Not Scared by Niccolò Ammaniti. 3½★'s.

The Moon of Gomrath by Alan Garner

Sequel to The Weirdstone of Brisingamen (which I credit for my love of fantasy) and continuing the adventures of youngsters Colin and Susan as they once again get mixed up in the fight of good and evil in Alderley Edge with a bit of the Wild Hunt thrown in for good measure. 3★'s.

Boneland by Alan Garner

Written 40 years after the sequel this completes the trilogy. Colin is now a renowned professor working at Jodrell Bank. Although he has an eidetic memory he can recall nothing before the age of 13. He's using the telescope to search for his missing sister. He's also suffering from a form of mental illness and as previous attempts at treatment have produced no results he's recommended to a psychiatrist who's a little off-beat herself. Much more of a book for adults than the previous two books in the trillogy. 3★'s

>60 AHS-Wolfy: Weirdstone and Gomrath were definitely formative reads for me too! The underground scenes in the first book are still absolutely gripping to read even as an adult.

Forgive me GD for I have sinned, it's been 17 books since my last review.

The first 10 of those though were re-reads so I'm not going to review them again. I decided to get around to catching up with Ken Bruen's Jack Taylor series as there were 3 entries that I hadn't picked up until recently. Jack is not a likeable character but he is a fascinating one. He’s cynical, sarcastic, foul-mouthed, booze and drug fuelled and often on a downward spiral ruining any chance of friendship be it romantic or platonic. If that doesn’t appeal then you can miss out the next 3 reviews and rest of this paragraph. Starting with The Guards and ploughing right through to Purgatory took me just 11 days for those 10 books (exceptionally easy to read if you don't mind the hardboiled and sparse writing style) before moving on to the first of the new ones.

Green Hell by Ken Bruen

Boru Kennedy, an American student is in Galway doing research for a treatise on Samuel Becket, is set upon by a couple of thugs and while in the process of receiving a serious beating is rescued by Jack Taylor. Striking up an unlikely friendship and spending a bit of time together, Kennedy thinks he may have found someone more interesting to write about. So he learns of Jack’s intention to put a permanent end to a professor’s extra curricular activities of raping young women.. Also into Jack’s life comes a clever, young, mixed-up girl who has a thing for the vengeful act herself and she wants Jack to come out and play in her latest performance. Jack also acquires a puppy. Oh dear!

A slightly different format than the previous entries in the series, this one is split into two parts. The first is from the young American’s point-of-view along with some notes he’s written for the intended biography. The second returns to the more usual Jack Taylor affair. It only remains to see who gets out of this one alive or with all their body parts intact. 4★'s.

The Emerald Lie by Ken Bruen

Jack Taylor is enlisted to get a feel for a man a grieving father feels is responsible for the brutal murder of his daughter. The father, along with a few friends, want to exact revenge as the Guards can’t get the evidence required to arrest any suspect. There’s also a killer on the loose who selects victim’s on the basis of bad grammar and this prompts the return of Emerald to cause more chaos and disruption into Jack’s life.

As usual with this series it’s not about the crime and there’s no real mystery over who’s responsible for what but it’s more of the latest adventures of Jack Taylor. An ex-Guard (Irish police force) and occasional ex private investigator, though his sense of justice (warped it may be) won’t let him ignore the people that, despite everything, still come to him for help. Still has plenty of book references along with film and TV shows and this time there’s also the odd grammatical anecdote or rule thrown in for good measure. This one does end on a cliffhanger ending (though knowing there’s still more in the series to come it isn’t that much of one). 4★'s.

The Ghosts of Galway by Ken Bruen

Jack has taken a job as a security guard and his Ukrainian boss with the unlikely name of Alexander Knox-Keaton wants to see him. He wants Jack to find a legendary book for him. The Red Book is a blasphemous text that has been stolen from the Vatican archives by a priest purported to be hiding out in Galway. Jack is not the only one after the book as there’s a new gang in town known as Ghosts who are trying to get noticed and it seems like they’re interested as well. The enmity between Ridge and Emerald finally comes to a head and you know that’s not going to end well for at least one of them.

The latest three books in the series seem to have more socio & political comment than previous with the Irish government’s introduction of the water tax receiving particularly harsh treatment but there’s also an eye cast across the Atlantic as well. All the usual hallmarks of the series are contained in this volume and it continues to be a joy to read. 4★'s.

Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill

A ghost would be the perfect addition to his collection of the macabre so when his assistant tells him of one for sale on the Internet, Judas Coyne can’t resist buying it. It also fits in quite nicely with his image as a death-metal icon and will no doubt go down quite well with his fans when they find out. Unfortunately for Jude this ghost is not benign and has an agenda all its own. Can he find out the reason it wants to cause harm to him and those closest to him and stop it before anyone gets seriously hurt or worse?

Judas is a flawed main character and along with his two dogs and his latest goth groupie love interest named after the state she comes from, as was her predecessor, sets off in pursuit of answers after things get out of hand back home. He will have to visit things from his past that he thought he’d left behind for good. The book is split into three parts: The initial haunting, the search for answers and concludes with a final confrontation. I’m not particularly well-read in the horror genre so can’t comment on how this fares against the norm but I found it to be a thrilling read with well drawn characters and an exciting, fast paced story. Not surprising considering his heritage and other writing efforts but this is an accomplished debut novel, 4★'s.

War for the Oaks by Emma Bull

Eddi McCandry is in a band that’s going nowhere and in a relationship with the band’s leader that’s heading the same way when after their latest gig ends badly is accosted on her way home after quitting from both. There’s a war brewing between the Seelie and Unseelie courts of Faerie that would lack meaning without a mortal’s involvement and it appears Eddi has just been drafted. Until the conflict begins in earnest she is assigned a protector in the shape of a phouka and despite Eddi’s best efforts won’t leave her side. Needing something to occupy her time and take her mind off upcoming events Eddi, at the urging of Carla (best friend and drummer from the band she just quit), starts a new band and sets about recruiting members. The phouka will act as roadie. Can she live to see the end of the conflict and even make a success of both sides of her new life?

This accomplished debut novel is regarded as a forerunner for the urban fantasy genre that blends the world of magic with the one we know as real. It also deals heavily with the life of a musician and all that that entails with occasional song lyrics being inserted into the story. It’s very firmly set within the time period it was written with the culture, music and fashion all being late 80’s. There’s a good sense of place with the Minneapolis backdrop to the story featuring prominently. My copy of the book includes a couple of scenes from a screenplay written by the author and her husband and a few notes about why and how they wrote it. An enjoyable early work of the genre. 3½★'s.

Patriot Games by Tom Clancy

While in London on holiday with his wife and young daughter, Jack Ryan manages to foil a terrorist attack on the Prince of Wales and his family. Killing one of the attackers and subduing another does not endear Jack to the terrorists and he and his family become a potential target. Having dome some work previously with the CIA, which was well received, Jack requests to research the group that may be after him. As they are eager to recruit him on a full-time basis the CIA acquiesce to Jack’s wishes to see if he can find anything worthwhile in the scant information that they have accumulated so far.

On the back of watching the recent TV series I remembered that I still had this book on my tbr shelves. I’d also enjoyed the movie adaptation of this story and as it had been some time since I’d read other works in the series I thought I’d dip my toe back in the water. Right from the outset this is a thrilling, action-packed, roller coaster of a story. Of course there are some quiet moments along the way for the reader to catch their breath but the 600+ pages actually flew by. As the world has moved on from when the IRA was the major terrorist concern the book has now become a little dated but it doesn’t detract from the action or story, 4★'s.

Casino Royale by Ian Fleming

James Bond is given an opportunity to remove a Russian agent from the board by taking him on in a high-stakes game of baccarat at a French resort casino. It seems Le Chiffre, as the agent is known, has been using money that’s not his own in a failed business venture and is looking to recoup the lost money before his paymasters find out. SMERSH are not renowned for their forgiveness of failure and it’s up to Bond to make things worse for his opponent. Bond is to be assisted on this mission by fellow agent Vesper Lynd. CIA agent Felix Leiter is also on hand to offer American assistance if required. Right from the outset things start to go wrong with his cover being blown almost immediately and a failed assassination attempt occurs just outside his hotel. Will Bond even survive to reach the gaming tables never mind complete his mission?

To be even able to read this book then you must be able to make allowances for the time period in which it was written. Rampant sexism and misogyny abound from the outset though I haven’t done the research to distinguish between the author’s views or those of his characters. Vesper is regarded as an intelligent, capable female agent after all. If you can’t get past this in your own reading then it’s best to avoid this series of books altogether. The book itself follows Bond in the lead up to and then the actual game itself and then moves on to the aftermath of this match-up including an horrific torture scene (especially for the male readers) followed by a recovery and romantic interlude and the final twist of the plot. It’s a fairly typical spy story that despite its faults reads quite well and flows quickly between the events that make up the story. It’s not going to be a series that I actively seek out but would be willing to read more if they find me. 3★'s.

I shall endeavour to do better and review my reads i a more timely fashion in future.

>62 AHS-Wolfy: Wow, LOL. :) I think what’s most impressive is that you still remembered enough about all the books to write reviews about them!

The only one from that list I’ve read is War for the Oaks. I read it quite a few years ago and really enjoyed it. Heart-Shaped Box sounds interesting. I might have to consider that one if/when I decide to give Hill another try. I did like his N0S4A2 pretty well.

>62 AHS-Wolfy: I too am impressed you wrote such detailed reviews. If too much time has gone by I just want to list them and be done with it!

I've only dipped my toe into one Joe Hill (Horns) and it wasn't working for me. Glad to hear you liked this one. I did buy N0S4A2 for my Kindle though.

The last three really are products of their times, WftO being I think by far the best, and least far from today's understanding, helped by having a female lead. The next few Clancy's are all quite fun in a similar vein but somewhere mid-series it all gets even more incredibly unbelievable and ridiculous.

Has anyone else read Joe Hills graphic novel series - Locke and Key? I got the first one through Kindle Unlimited, but it was a little hard to read on my tablet. I'm wondering if the continuing issues are worth getting in paper copies?

>63 YouKneeK: & >64 clamairy:, I did have to refer back to some of the back covers to assist the old memory. I've done some mini-reviews for some books in the past and thought seriously about doing them here but as the newer books in the Jack Taylor series didn't have too many reviews I felt like I needed to add a proper one for those and then I just carried on from there.

>65 reading_fox: I've read a few of the Jack Ryan books when I was younger but still have the odd gap here and there and pretty much agree with your sentiments completely.

>66 Darth-Heather: I loved Locke & Key and that's what led me to picking up one of his novels. I don't tend to read much in the way of horror so probably wouldn't have otherwise. I also read them in tablet form and didn't have an issue with them that I remember.

Well, so much for keeping up with my reviews. Can't believe I've let this lapse for so long again. It's not that I haven't been reading as you'll see with the rest of this post. Just not felt much like reviewing. Guess it's time for a quick catch-up post on what I've read since the last time.

Empire State by Adam Christopher
Alternate history set in a mirror image prohibition era New York with added superheroes and steampunk elements. Pretty decent debut novel and would definitely read more by the author. 3½★'s.

The end of October and most of November passed by with a re-read of Jim Butcher's The Dresden Files. From Storm Front to Skin Game including the first short story collection Side Jobs. Still waiting on the paperback release of Brief Cases.

The Girl Who Takes an Eye for an Eye by David Lagercrantz
The 2nd continuation book of Stieg Larsson's Millennium trilogy following the further adventures of Lisbeth Salander and Mikael Blomqvist. Still not up to the quality of the original books but quite readable nonetheless. 3½★'s.

Another nostalgia trip kicked in as I felt like going back to the original source and ploughed through those 3 books to see out November.

Batman: The Killing Joke (Deluxe Edition) by Alan Moore and Brian Bolland
Quite short graphic novel pitting the caped crusader against The Joker for perhaps the final time. Includes an origin story for the villain of the piece and also the event that leads to Barbara Gordon becoming Oracle. There's an introduction by Tim Sale, an 8-page short called An Innocent Guy, an afterword and original sketches all by Brian Bolland and short biographies of the writer and artist also included. I do like the joke that ends the story. 3★'s.

Kick-Ass by Mark Millar and John Romita Jr.
I'd read the digital incarnation of this work a few years ago but have had the print edition in my tbr pile for a while so decided to enjoy this piece of violent fun again while prevaricating on which book to pick up next. 3½★'s.

Armor by John Steakley
Very good military sci-fi split into several sections. The first two parts of which don't seem to be the same story until the next couple of parts fill in the missing pieces but it all ties up in the end. 4★'s.

Homeland by Cory Doctorow
Sequel to Little Brother continues the story of Marcus as he once again comes to the attention of some not very nice people. Good job I'm not too paranoid about the technology I use. My version of this book comes with a couple of extras: Afterwords by both Jacob Appelbaum and Aaron Swartz a bibliography and also a short story about Marcus and Ange help out after a quake levels Oakland. 4★'s.

The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
Children's fantasy that, while a nice and pleasant diversion, for me didn't reach the author's usual heights. 3★'s.

For those counting that was 26 books since my last update! But only 6 of those were new to me.

Wow! A timely review and only a couple of days after finishing reading too!

Pixel Juice by Jeff Noon

A collection of short stories set mainly in the Manchester universe the author used for previous books if at various timelines and some cameo appearances by characters you may recognise if you've read some of Noon's other work. Ranging in length from barely a page to almost 30 pages long but some of these get revisited as you progress through the book. Topics range from a shopping expedition, sex dolls, fighting DJ's and lots more weird and wonderful snippets abound.

Ususally with short story collections I read them in chunks maybe around another novel or three but I felt this one benefited from a straight through read as some of the later selections do tie in with some of the previous ones and so if read piecemeal then that connection might be diminished or forgotten entirely. Sometimes short stories are a good setting off point for an author that you haven't tried before but I wouldn't recommend that here. A read of Vurt at least would certainly benefit any reader tackling this one. 4★'s.

>70 AHS-Wolfy: I've always found his novels a bit too weird but I quite enjoyed pixel juice.

>71 reading_fox: Not sure what it says about me that I like the weirdness of the novels.

A couple of more reads to finish of the year.

The Great Swindle by Pierre Lemaitre

With the great war coming to an end and the chances for further quick advancement in rank dwindling, Lieutenant Henri d'Aulnay-Pradelle arranges for one last offensive to take a strategically important position. To accomplish this though requires nefarious means and when two soldiers stumble across the remains of Pradelle's doings then he may have to orchestrate something further. When one of the two gets buried alive and the other is badly wounded trying to come to his rescue perhaps he'll get away with it after all. When the war finally comes to an end the three men's paths will cross again but who'll come out on top this time?

Very different to what I've read from the author previously, those being brutal crime thrillers, this is more a literary post-war historical fiction that looks at what life means in the aftermath of conflict. It does take some time to set things in motion with scene setting and characterisation prominent early on but once the story is firmly back in Paris then it really takes off. While bleak in nature the tale is still dotted with plenty of humorous moments and situations and does keep the reader wondering who is going to get away with what so far as the swindles of the title are concerned. 3½★'s.

Adventures in Capitalism by Toby Litt

Collection of short stories that vary considerably in both length and quality. The better ones were the longer ones such as Launderama (author sees ghost in a launderette) and When I Met Michel Foucault (extended dream sequence involving the French philosopher). The rest of the 18 stories were mostly forgettable albeit well written. As this was his first release (releasing title in an alphabetical order) and having read a couple more by the author I'm still looking forward to sampling more of his works (which is a good job as I still have a couple more sat on the tbr shelves). 3★'s.

Year end stats and summary:

Total books read: 73

Primary Tag:
Crime/Thriller 29
Urban Fantasy 19
Science Fiction 11
Fantasy 6
Graphic Novel 3
Historical Fiction 2
Horror 1
Weird Fiction 1
Short Stories 1

Original Language:
English 63
Swedish 7
French 2
Albanian 1

Author Gender:
Male 67
Female 2
Both 4

Ratings:
4½★'s 1
4★'s 19
3½★'s 14
3★'s 9
2½★'s 0
2★'s 1
Unrated 29 (rereads)