RATING: THREE STARS
When a mysterious sea creature appears and begins terrorising shipping routes, the world renown marine biologist Dr. Pierre Aronnax joins an expedition to find and slay the beast. Yet Pierre's ship meets the same fate as so many before it and he finds himself aboard the Nautilus in the custody of the strange and elusive Captain Nemo. Along with his friends - his faithful manservant, Conseil, and Ned Land, the famous Canadian whaler - Pierre embarks on a journey of discovery that shows just how little he actually knows about the ocean and the wonders within it.
The Good
One of the best things about Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea was how Jules Verne managed to instil such an air of mystery over something so simple as a submarine journey. Submarines had yet to take to the seas when the book was written (and might not even have been conceived of!) and the idea of men travelling around under water was a novelty in itself. But Verne improved on this by making the world unaware of Captain Nemo's visionary breakthrough and never let slip what Nemo planned or what would happen next. This makes the book a remarkable story of adventure that few authors have matched since.
The Bad
One of the biggest surprises Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea had for me was in how little actually happens! Considering it's a science fiction classic, I was expecting it to be much more exciting than it was and the book is filled with pages upon pages of Verne describing marine creatures and their taxonomy. This could have been interesting if it was in smaller doses, but was pretty boring and bulked out a book that should really have been written as a novella.
I complain about this, but Verne's description of the ocean world might have been much more impressive when the book was first published. Obviously, many people were not educated as we are now and they didn't have the documentaries, textbooks and photographs that we have today, allowing free access to information about these creatures. Maybe this was the worth of the book, rather than its plot and excitement; maybe Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea allowed people to glimpse a world they would never know or see . . .
My Thoughts
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea was much longer than it needed to be, which did make it a bit boring in places and it certainly wasn't a page turner (and I actually took quite a while to finish it). That being said, it was a story ahead of its time and really captures Verne's remarkable imagination.
Monday, 10 November 2014
Monday, 20 October 2014
Series Review: The Left Hand of God - Paul Hoffman
OVERALL RATING: THREE STARS
The Church of the Hanged Redeemer bought Thomas Cale when he was just a boy. They treated him cruelly, punished him and moulded his young mind for the brutality of war. He was little more than a slave and they turned him into a weapon, into one of the greatest soldiers alive. Thomas is as lethal with his hands as he is with blades and crossbows. His mind plans tactics and strategies that even the most experienced generals cannot see. He has been trained to perfection and will lead the Hanged Redeemers in their jihad to purify the world.
Yet for all their planning and training, the Hanged Redeemers failed to understand that Thomas also has plans for the course of his life. Setting out with Vague Henry and Kleist, his most trusted friends, Thomas flees the Sanctuary and sets his eyes on a life of freedom, away from the Redeemers brutal religion. His adventures take him to Memphis, where he quickly finds himself in political crossfire. The Redeemers are eager to reclaim the 'incarnation of God's Wrath' and hunt him zealously. Thomas is literally caught between a cross and a hard place and turns to the only thing he truly knows to save him: his great prowess in violence.
Book 1: The Left Hand of God
Book 2: The Last Four Things
Book 3: The Beating Of His Wings
The Good
The Left Hand of God is a remarkable series and Paul Hoffman has really let his imagination run lose, developing a sinister religion (which is essentially a very dark form of Christianity), a complex host of characters and a world with its own society and problems.
The series is written in a strange, slightly quirky style and I haven't read another Dystopia quite like it. It's certainly unique, and is full of danger and battles that will keep you captivated throughout its three instalments. Hoffman address the problems with religion well and how it can be used to justify terrible acts of evil, epically wrapping up Thomas Cale's terrible story at the series end.
The Bad
I really enjoyed The Left Hand of God (series), but it did have a few problems that were never resolved and ruined my enjoyment of the books slightly. The main one of these was the fact that Hoffman doesn't include a map of this world and never bothers to establish its geography. The fact that he uses real place names, such as Memphis and Cyprus, only makes this worse and it's difficult to get a feel for the story's setting. For example, Hoffman may be talking about an army that's approaching one city from another, but it didn't mean much to me because the cities could be 50 miles apart or 500. This made it hard for Hoffman to build tension in places and I think it's a real shame because he could have rectified it so easily!
My Thoughts
Despite a few little things that make it hard to follow, The Left Hand of God series is an excellent read. It's a strange mix of fantasy and Dystopia, being dark and brutal in a way that few books are. Hoffman's world is developed and complex, and his characters are fun to read about. It's one of the most unique fantasies I've read in a long time and I highly recommend it for your reading list!
The Church of the Hanged Redeemer bought Thomas Cale when he was just a boy. They treated him cruelly, punished him and moulded his young mind for the brutality of war. He was little more than a slave and they turned him into a weapon, into one of the greatest soldiers alive. Thomas is as lethal with his hands as he is with blades and crossbows. His mind plans tactics and strategies that even the most experienced generals cannot see. He has been trained to perfection and will lead the Hanged Redeemers in their jihad to purify the world.
Yet for all their planning and training, the Hanged Redeemers failed to understand that Thomas also has plans for the course of his life. Setting out with Vague Henry and Kleist, his most trusted friends, Thomas flees the Sanctuary and sets his eyes on a life of freedom, away from the Redeemers brutal religion. His adventures take him to Memphis, where he quickly finds himself in political crossfire. The Redeemers are eager to reclaim the 'incarnation of God's Wrath' and hunt him zealously. Thomas is literally caught between a cross and a hard place and turns to the only thing he truly knows to save him: his great prowess in violence.
Book 1: The Left Hand of God
Book 2: The Last Four Things
Book 3: The Beating Of His Wings
The Good
The Left Hand of God is a remarkable series and Paul Hoffman has really let his imagination run lose, developing a sinister religion (which is essentially a very dark form of Christianity), a complex host of characters and a world with its own society and problems.
The series is written in a strange, slightly quirky style and I haven't read another Dystopia quite like it. It's certainly unique, and is full of danger and battles that will keep you captivated throughout its three instalments. Hoffman address the problems with religion well and how it can be used to justify terrible acts of evil, epically wrapping up Thomas Cale's terrible story at the series end.
The Bad
I really enjoyed The Left Hand of God (series), but it did have a few problems that were never resolved and ruined my enjoyment of the books slightly. The main one of these was the fact that Hoffman doesn't include a map of this world and never bothers to establish its geography. The fact that he uses real place names, such as Memphis and Cyprus, only makes this worse and it's difficult to get a feel for the story's setting. For example, Hoffman may be talking about an army that's approaching one city from another, but it didn't mean much to me because the cities could be 50 miles apart or 500. This made it hard for Hoffman to build tension in places and I think it's a real shame because he could have rectified it so easily!
My Thoughts
Despite a few little things that make it hard to follow, The Left Hand of God series is an excellent read. It's a strange mix of fantasy and Dystopia, being dark and brutal in a way that few books are. Hoffman's world is developed and complex, and his characters are fun to read about. It's one of the most unique fantasies I've read in a long time and I highly recommend it for your reading list!
Wednesday, 8 October 2014
The First Men In The Moon - H. G. Wells
RATING: FOUR STARS
Mr Bedford's life isn't going as he planned and, after losing the majority of his money in ill-advised investments and ventures, he moves to the quiet village of Lympne so he can work on writing a play in peace. His productivity is short lived and Bedford soon meets an eccentric inventor called Mr Carvor. The two become fast friends and Bedford is quickly caught up in Cavor's research to create a substance that negates the pull of gravity!
Cavorite, as it is called, is not only possible, but can be produced! The two form a plan to use the substance on a ship and set their sights on exploring the most isolated place mankind is able to reach - the Moon. Expecting the satellite to be barren and desolate, the two are unprepared for what they find there. The Moon is teeming with life and is controlled utterly by the Selenites! Their race is strange and polymorphic; inventive and efficient. The Selenites are as amazed at finding Bedford and Cavor as the pair are at finding an alien race, and are loath to let them travel the Moon's surface freely . . .
The Good
The First Men in the Moon was on of my favourite stories when I was growing up and rereading the book was very nostalgic! It was as imaginative and gripping as I remembered and I found the book extremely difficult to put down! It's a fast read, being full of twists, turns and unlikely events that made it very hard to predict.
Wells has also managed to capture a very sincere look at British gentility and I thought the book read almost like a period piece for the early 1900's. British culture and politeness was in full swing and I really enjoyed reading about how the characters employed this in their thought processes and as justifications for their actions.
The descriptions of the Moon itself is also extremely interesting and fun to read about, being completely novel. Wells' concept of a completely hollow world is something that not many authors have explored so thoroughly and he has really gone all out in explaining how such a world can function and support life.
The Bad
I have very little to fault with The First Men in the Moon, and found it to be aptly paced and gripping!
My Thoughts
Many people consider the The First Men in the Moon as classic work of science fiction and I'm inclined to agree. It's extremely imaginative, enjoyable to read and will stay with you for a long time after you've finished it and put it to one side. What's also good about the book is it's age and it's now in the public domain. This means that there are dozens of free (or extremely cheap) versions of the novel available on retailers like Amazon so there's absolutely no excuse to neglect reading it!
Mr Bedford's life isn't going as he planned and, after losing the majority of his money in ill-advised investments and ventures, he moves to the quiet village of Lympne so he can work on writing a play in peace. His productivity is short lived and Bedford soon meets an eccentric inventor called Mr Carvor. The two become fast friends and Bedford is quickly caught up in Cavor's research to create a substance that negates the pull of gravity!
Cavorite, as it is called, is not only possible, but can be produced! The two form a plan to use the substance on a ship and set their sights on exploring the most isolated place mankind is able to reach - the Moon. Expecting the satellite to be barren and desolate, the two are unprepared for what they find there. The Moon is teeming with life and is controlled utterly by the Selenites! Their race is strange and polymorphic; inventive and efficient. The Selenites are as amazed at finding Bedford and Cavor as the pair are at finding an alien race, and are loath to let them travel the Moon's surface freely . . .
The Good
The First Men in the Moon was on of my favourite stories when I was growing up and rereading the book was very nostalgic! It was as imaginative and gripping as I remembered and I found the book extremely difficult to put down! It's a fast read, being full of twists, turns and unlikely events that made it very hard to predict.
Wells has also managed to capture a very sincere look at British gentility and I thought the book read almost like a period piece for the early 1900's. British culture and politeness was in full swing and I really enjoyed reading about how the characters employed this in their thought processes and as justifications for their actions.
The descriptions of the Moon itself is also extremely interesting and fun to read about, being completely novel. Wells' concept of a completely hollow world is something that not many authors have explored so thoroughly and he has really gone all out in explaining how such a world can function and support life.
The Bad
I have very little to fault with The First Men in the Moon, and found it to be aptly paced and gripping!
My Thoughts
Many people consider the The First Men in the Moon as classic work of science fiction and I'm inclined to agree. It's extremely imaginative, enjoyable to read and will stay with you for a long time after you've finished it and put it to one side. What's also good about the book is it's age and it's now in the public domain. This means that there are dozens of free (or extremely cheap) versions of the novel available on retailers like Amazon so there's absolutely no excuse to neglect reading it!
Saturday, 13 September 2014
The Time Machine - H. G. Wells
RATING: FIVE STARS
When a mysterious and brilliant scientist creates a machine capable of travelling straight through time, he desires nothing more than to shoot into the distant future and see the wonders mankind creates as our science grows ever more sophisticated. He heads tens of thousands of years forward through time and can’t believe what he found: humans have degenerated into simple-minded animals of pleasure and apathy; our once great cities have long since crumbled in ruins.
Yet the world he found is even stranger than it first seemed and, after his time machine is stolen, the Time Traveller quickly realises it's not the paradise he had thought it was! The Morlocks, another division of humans, dwell in the old sewers and caverns beneath our cities. They are predatory and dangerous, true predators with an animal’s intelligent cunning. He must find and retrieve his time machine if he ever hopes to return home, but knows that this will be far from easy . . .
The Good
The Time Machine is certainly worthy of its fame and is one of the best science fiction books I've ever read! H. G. Wells has written it masterfully, with a true flair of imaginative talent and the story kept me gripped even though I was more than familiar with from watching various cinematic adaptations.
I also really enjoyed reading Wells' explanations of the science behind the book, even though it's wrong more often than not! Obliviously, Wells is from a more cultured, less knowledgeable time so it's easy to forgive this and the theories scientists once held are fascinating. My favourite of these is Wells' description of the lifecycle of the sun, which is apparently cooling down with every passing second. Over tens of millions of years, Wells believed that it would go out like a candle if not for the fact that all of the planets eventually drifted back to where they came from and provided an extra mass of fuel (which extends its life)!
It was nice to read about the quiet, privileged life gentlemen once enjoyed in England and Wells gives a real sense of what this was like. It really highlighted how many of the social problems we have now weren't an issue back then and it’s a shame we haven’t stuck to the values that the British were once famous for!
The Bad
I have little to fault with The Time Machine aside from one scene where the mysterious Time Traveller finds that Weena, his friend and companion in the future Earth, had been taken by the Morlocks. He simply assumes that she has been killed or left in the forest by the Morlocks and makes absolutely no effort to find out what happened or rescue her! This was a disappointing hole in the story for me and I considered the protagonist to be rather heartless ever since, which meant that I couldn't really warm to him. I like to imagine him going back to the future to rescue Weena (with it actually being the Time Travellers who snatches her in the forest so he can take her to safety), but Wells never develops this and what the Time Traveller does next is not part of the story!
My Thoughts
The Time Machine is definitely one of the great works of science fiction and it's essential in the education of anyone who enjoys the genre. It's imaginative, full of the Time Travellers curiosity and I've no doubt that people will still be reading it long after other famous book of our time have been forgotten and lost.
Monday, 8 September 2014
Blood of Dragons - Robin Hobb
RATING: THREE STARS
The Kelsingra expedition has found the ancient, lost city they seek but the river is as high as it was when they first found it and is as inaccessible as ever. The warm waters the dragons seek are tauntingly close - water that will heal their deformities and strengthen their bodies if they could only reach them! The keepers to are desperate to reach the city, seeking the secrets it holds about their past and the fabled Silver wells which are the source of the magic they they need for their future.
The dragons are determined to learn how to fly and reach the city, but their need is more urgent then they know. The Duke of Chalced is growing more fervent for his desire for the medicines that can only be made from dragon parts and using Sedric, his captive Elderling, is no longer enough! Tingalia has been attacked and is dying, flying back to Kelsingra so she can heal and wreak her vengeance on the city that has dared to harm her . . .
The Good
Blood of Dragons provides a satisfying conclusion to Robin Hobb's Rain Wilds Chronicles and she ties up the various story arcs and loose ends nicely. Her characterisation is as good as ever and she has managed to create a convincing ensemble of people that seem real. Their hopes, ambitions and motivations are explored and not all of these are for an honest purpose!
The Bad
I’ll admit that I was slightly disappointed with Blood of Dragons and it did have a few problems that detracted from my enjoyment of it. The main issue I had with is was Thymara's continuous whining! Thankfully, she has moved on about whinging about losing her virginity, but Hobb has simply replaced this with which man Thymera wants to go out with! The whining went on and on throughout the entire book and got extremely irritating by the end!
Another problem with the book is Hobb didn't focus on the battles and main events of the book, describing them only briefly and explaining what happened at the end ad hock! This was a shame because the story could have been very exciting, but the way it was told diminished the action and the scenes didn't really stand out from the rest of the book.
Another problem with the book is Hobb didn't focus on the battles and main events of the book, describing them only briefly and explaining what happened at the end ad hock! This was a shame because the story could have been very exciting, but the way it was told diminished the action and the scenes didn't really stand out from the rest of the book.
My Thoughts
Blood of Dragons was pretty good overall and the series is certainly very imaginative and provides a novel view of the abilities of dragons. That being said, it's not a must-read and isn't a series you will lose sleep over if you skip it.
Saturday, 6 September 2014
The Demon Cycle Book 4 release date is announced!
Peter V. Brett's Demon Cycle is one the best fantasy series being written at the moment and the release date of the forth book in the series has just been announced! The book is called The Skull Throne and is due to be released 24th March 2015!
Unfortunately, there's very little information about the book available online at this stage, but its cover has been released and can be viewed on Goodreads here.
Unfortunately, there's very little information about the book available online at this stage, but its cover has been released and can be viewed on Goodreads here.
Friday, 5 September 2014
Wolves of the Calla - Stephen King
RATING: THREE STARS
Lying in a sheltered valley on the outer edge of Mid-World is Calla Bryn Sturgis, a quiet farming town that was forgotten by civilisation even when Gilead still stood and gunslingers policed the world in force. The valley is beautiful and serene, but it's overshadowed by Thunderclap - a towering mountain that is forever under storm and serves as the home for terrible evil.
Once every few generations, the Wolves ride forth from Thunderclap and sweep through the valley. Clad in green and riding grey horses, they are child snatchers and take one from each pair of prepubescent twins (which are the normal method of giving birth for the folken). The children are taken to the mountain and are changed there, returning months later as adults with simple minds and youthful natures.
When Andy, a robotic relic from the world before it moved on, foretells another coming of the Wolves, the denizens of Calla Bryn Sturgis decide that they've finally had enough and will not so willingly allow their children to be taken. But what can simple farmers do to resist such evil when their hands have only ever held hoes and churned soil? They can look to the ka-tet of gunslingers that have wandered into their lands for aid . . . but will Roland turn aside from his path to the Dark Tower?
The Good
Wolves of the Calla is as well written as any of the books in The Dark Tower and Stephen King has gone all out in creating a rich town and developing the lives and cultures of the farmers that live there. Calla Bryn Sturgis is like something plucked straight out of the historical Wild West as it was in real life and King has really managed to capture airs of anger and sadness about the evil of their children being stolen.
The book is also in 'real time' again and actively continues the series, which I really enjoyed. I did like Wizard and Glass, but the story of Roland's past went on for a bit too long and the quest for the Dark Tower barely advanced through the entire book! I think this would have been better as a companion to the series (like The Wind Through the Keyhole is) and it was nice to have the story moving forward again!
The Bad
Simply put, Wolves of the Calla started to get a bit weird and I feel that King is starting to over do the references to real life. I'm not going to give any examples since they would be spoilers, but you'll know what I mean when (and if) you read the book. King has begun to try too hard in his efforts to link the series with everything and his references to our world are becoming forced and over exaggerated now and are losing the subtly he had in the earlier books.
Other parts of the book began to get a little strange as well, with Susannah's storyline being the main culprit. I always felt that Susannah was one of the best characters of the series, but her scenes were a little cringing and convenient. Sadly, I think this trend is going to continue into the next book and I just hope King tones it down a bit!
My Thoughts
Without giving away spoilers, I can only say that Wolves of the Calla was a little strange and was slightly below the standard of the other books in The Dark Tower series. King has tried too hard to link events and characters to real life and the story does have a slightly 'cheap' feel to it in places. That being said, I still enjoyed the book and I'm looking forward to reading Song of Susannah.
Lying in a sheltered valley on the outer edge of Mid-World is Calla Bryn Sturgis, a quiet farming town that was forgotten by civilisation even when Gilead still stood and gunslingers policed the world in force. The valley is beautiful and serene, but it's overshadowed by Thunderclap - a towering mountain that is forever under storm and serves as the home for terrible evil.
Once every few generations, the Wolves ride forth from Thunderclap and sweep through the valley. Clad in green and riding grey horses, they are child snatchers and take one from each pair of prepubescent twins (which are the normal method of giving birth for the folken). The children are taken to the mountain and are changed there, returning months later as adults with simple minds and youthful natures.
When Andy, a robotic relic from the world before it moved on, foretells another coming of the Wolves, the denizens of Calla Bryn Sturgis decide that they've finally had enough and will not so willingly allow their children to be taken. But what can simple farmers do to resist such evil when their hands have only ever held hoes and churned soil? They can look to the ka-tet of gunslingers that have wandered into their lands for aid . . . but will Roland turn aside from his path to the Dark Tower?
The Good
Wolves of the Calla is as well written as any of the books in The Dark Tower and Stephen King has gone all out in creating a rich town and developing the lives and cultures of the farmers that live there. Calla Bryn Sturgis is like something plucked straight out of the historical Wild West as it was in real life and King has really managed to capture airs of anger and sadness about the evil of their children being stolen.
The book is also in 'real time' again and actively continues the series, which I really enjoyed. I did like Wizard and Glass, but the story of Roland's past went on for a bit too long and the quest for the Dark Tower barely advanced through the entire book! I think this would have been better as a companion to the series (like The Wind Through the Keyhole is) and it was nice to have the story moving forward again!
The Bad
Simply put, Wolves of the Calla started to get a bit weird and I feel that King is starting to over do the references to real life. I'm not going to give any examples since they would be spoilers, but you'll know what I mean when (and if) you read the book. King has begun to try too hard in his efforts to link the series with everything and his references to our world are becoming forced and over exaggerated now and are losing the subtly he had in the earlier books.
Other parts of the book began to get a little strange as well, with Susannah's storyline being the main culprit. I always felt that Susannah was one of the best characters of the series, but her scenes were a little cringing and convenient. Sadly, I think this trend is going to continue into the next book and I just hope King tones it down a bit!
My Thoughts
Without giving away spoilers, I can only say that Wolves of the Calla was a little strange and was slightly below the standard of the other books in The Dark Tower series. King has tried too hard to link events and characters to real life and the story does have a slightly 'cheap' feel to it in places. That being said, I still enjoyed the book and I'm looking forward to reading Song of Susannah.
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