Review Category: Books

Despite enjoying an (almost) four-decade-long career, Prince has remained an enigma. Perhaps that’s fitting, considering that the he not only transformed the musical landscape, he also made an indelible impact on fashion and pop culture. As author Mobeen Azhar states at the beginning of his book “ name transcends race, gender and the confines of the music industry itself. It’s as if one little man from Minneapolis is just too big for definition.“

But Prince: Stories from the Purple Underground is not a biography. It is snatches of conversation with the people who worked alongside Prince and knew him best, vignettes of a man that are both fascinating and frustrating because – although there is some attempt at maintaining a timeline (the book starts with his debut release and then touches on each subsequent album, all the way up to his death) – there isn’t really a natural flow to the material. On one page, sound engineer Susan Rogers will talk about how she became obsessed with building an archive of Prince’s recordings, while on the opposite page she’ll remember how he recorded a song for Sheila E’s birthday party. On another page, drummer Michael Bland will recall how Prince backed out of writing the soundtrack for I’ll Do Anything because he didn’t want to write songs for Marge Simpson (Julie Kavner – the voice of Marge – starred alongside Nick Nolte in that film) while, on the next, Hans-Martin Buff (another sound engineer) recalls bonding with Prince’s future wife in a bid to save the track Strange but True. Yes, these are all beguiling glimpses into Prince’s working-and-thinking process but the voices change too rapidly and it’s all too bitty to be satisfying.

Still, most fans will already know so much about their idol that they’ll want this book purely for the beautiful photographs that illustrate the text. On that score, this book is gorgeous – it’s a large format coffee-table volume with some amazing pictures between its covers. And, don’t get us wrong, Azhar has amassed an astonishing array of contributors from throughout Prince’s life and the text is scattered with fantastic details. It’s just a shame that the depth behind the words couldn’t quite match the power of the imagery.

PRINCE 1958-2016: STORIES FROM THE PURPLE UNDERGROUND / AUTOR: MOBEEN AZHAR / PUBLISHER: CARLTON BOOKS / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

Cyberpunk is a genre that isn’t going away any time soon. In fact, as technology grows and improves, it has become more relevant today than ever before. As our use of communications technology becomes more and more every day, it seems that the genre of cyberpunk has become more about social commentary than science fiction.

Monitor is a powerful novella-length story about the consequences of allowing the media machine to have too much control over your life. The main protagonist, Lana, is a young woman just trying to make a difference in the world. She works a soulless job as a customer services-type at MegaBuy; a megalithic online retailer that everyone uses as it’s so easy. The only things that are keeping her sane in such a tedious role are her slightly idealistic colleagues and her trusty mascot toy, a creepy little thing called Diversity Otter which just happens to have an AI and camera stuffed inside it.

Her life is changed when she decides to tag along to an anti-corporation protest and triggers a sequence of events that puts her front-and-centre in the middle of a reality TV show and media-powered witch hunt. The author and journalist, Leigh Alexander, is no stranger to the power of information technology and harassment. Alexander was one of the voices of reason during a recent Twitter-based online harassment campaign that focused principally on trying to bully women out of the gaming industry. This experience has clearly been used to lend weight and power to this tightly-written fable about how mobs and monsters can use technology to ruin lives.

Alexander’s storytelling is solid, well-paced and rather addictive. Another interesting element to this book is that Monitor is set in the Fantasy Flight Games world of Android. This world is perhaps best known to fans of the world famous card game Netrunner, a game which lends itself to social commentary as well. It’s rather heartening to see this book form a corner stone of what is essentially a tie-in series, and bodes well for the future of the franchise.

Monitor is a solid story and a worthwhile read. Essential for all Netrunner and cyberpunk fans out there.

MONITOR / AUTHOR: LEIGH ALEXANDER / PUBLISHER: FANTASY FLIGHT GAMES / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

It is pretty hard to deny that Clarke Award-winning author Adrian Tchaikovsky is fond of spiders.  His work Shadows of The Apt and Children of Time both feature our eight-legged friends pretty heavily, and this new book puts them front and centre.

Spiderlight, however, is a bit different from Adrian’s other books. For a start, it’s a far lighter read and much shorter than his usual epic work. The world is simply drawn, but the devil is in the details. The Church of Armes of The Light battles the Darkness. The Light side, of course, is made up of humans. The Darkness is led by a Dark Lord called Darvezian and is composed of all sorts of horrible creatures, including giant spiders. There is a prophecy, and it says that the only way to defeat the Dark Lord is via spider’s fang and spider’s path.

This leads a typical bunch of heroic adventurers to raid the lair of a Spider Queen. The party, made up of a Priest of the Light, a wizard, a thief, a ranger, and a knight succeed in their task. But in order to know the spider’s path, the Spider Queen cuts the party a deal. They have to take one of her kin with them, in order to follow the route they need to complete their quest. This hapless giant spider becomes known as Enth. The party’s wizard transforms the poor creature into something that will pass for human, and thus the real adventure begins.

What Tchaikovsky has done here is take a typical ‘heroes on a quest’ story and has transformed it into a heroic journey into the very nature of heroic journeys. Through the eyes of Enth, we see the stereotypical battle between Light and Darkness in a very different way. The novel also takes on some of the more problematic tropes of the genre; the way the love-sick knight Harathes is handled is particularly memorable. The book works on lots of different levels; on the surface it’s a fun fantasy novel with some clever twists. Digging a little deeper, and it’s a meditation on prejudice and privilege, though without being at all preachy or overly clever about it.

Spiderlight is a great fantasy read from one of the UK’s growing creators of world-class genre storytelling. Worth your time.

SPIDERLIGHT / AUTHOR: ADRIAN TCHAIKOVSKY / PUBLISHER: TOR / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

‘The
Arab of the Future 2: A Childhood in the Middle East, 1984-1985’  is a
graphic memoir, and is part of a series of novels which tell the story of Riad
Suttouf, a cartoonist who grew up in Syria during the 1980s. This particular
graphic novel, the second in the series, tells us about Riad’s life as a
six-year-old – as he starts school, makes friends, meets bullies and goes
through other experiences.

The style of
Suttouf’s drawings really draws you into the novel itself – a simplistic style
that warmly conveys his childhood in a breathtaking way. But at the same time
his artistic style can be so detailed and stark at times, that even one pane of
the story can make you gasp aloud, as what Riad is conveying in such a simple
yet harrowing is so heartbreaking. Suttouf also expertly and carefully
lays out his story in such a way that you feel almost as if you’re watching a
short film unfold in front of you, in the guise of stills. Even when the darker
elements start to unfold, you can’t help but be drawn in as you’re so invested
in the story, partly through the way it’s told through the drawings themselves,
and because of how Suttouf has chosen to carefully tell it – so that the
shocking moments really have an impact, but then, so do the happier, joyful
moments – and they both blend together to create a really affecting graphic
memoir that you struggle to forget.

While the flow of the story can be a
little slow at times, it’s very true to real life – how can you expect constant
twists and turns, especially in the life of a child? And yet, even in the
slower moments of the novel, Suttouf still manages to weave in the same
beautiful artwork, and some incredible moments that become even more emotional
after you’ve finished reading the whole novel. As well as being a great book,
and piece of art, ‘The Arab of the Future 2: A
Childhood in the Middle East, 1984-1985’ is also an incredible insight into another time and entire culture – so no
matter the pacing, you never get tired of the story, and often can’t put the
book down, it really draws you in.

One thing’s for sure
– ‘The Arab of the Future 2: A Childhood in the
Middle East, 1984-1985’ is both incredible and absolutely unforgettable. If
you’re a fan of graphic novels, memoirs, or a captivating true life story, then
this is definitely the book for you, as is the rest of Suttouf’s ‘The Arab of
the Future’ series. 

THE ARAB OF THE FUTURE 2: A CHILDHOOD IN THE MIDDLE EAST, 1984-1985 / AUTHOR:  RIAD SATTOUF / PUBLISHER: TWO ROADS / RELEASE DATE: SEPTEMBER 22ND
 

‘The Art of Kubo and the Two Strings’ published
by Chronicle Books, is a window inside the latest film from LAIKA Animation
studios, ‘Kubo and the Two Strings’. It guides you through every artistic
decision made throughout the film – such as why certain effects, settings,
colours and lighting were used in the film and why, and every little detail is
laid out in such a way that once you open it up, you won’t want to look away.

This book
is incredibly, lovingly detailed in its explanation as to why a particular
element of the film exists, even if it is minute in the massive scale of the
stop-motion film. It’s a testament to the work of LAIKA themselves – a company
who have produced other films such as ‘Coraline’, ‘ParaNorman’ and ‘The
Boxtrolls’, each taking years to create due to the hard work and dedication
that each LAIKA team member takes to help bring the films to life through a
mixture of blood, sweat, tears, stop-motion and CGI animation. Through ‘The Art
of Kubo and the Two Strings’ it is clear that their latest film is absolutely
no exception – and that they continued to put incredible care and love in its
creation.  

It’s clear
from just the foreword of the book itself, written by CEO of LAIKA, Travis
Knight. In it, Knight tells the story of his childhood and how that inspired
the story for ‘Kubo’. This really sets the stage for the intricacy of the book
itself, which is beautifully presented so that you only need to land on a
random page to be blown away by any piece of the art or design that’s included
– it’s so intricately, eye-catchingly laid out. Filled with lush character
designs, film stills, graphics and photographs of every stage of the film’s
creation to the finished motion picture, we are truly privy to see the inner
workings of not just great filmmakers, but of a great film through this
similarly great book.

Thanks to
the detail of the art-book, we know that every set, every character, even the
film plot itself has been carefully crafted. Including everything from details
of the research that the LAIKA team went through to accurately create the
historical Japanese time-period that the film is set in, or the different
designs of everything from background characters to costumes, as well as an
outline of the film itself – it’s clear that ‘Kubo and the Two Strings’ is a
labour of love, as is ‘The Art of Kubo and the Two Strings’, which so
beautifully shows us all this through its outstanding attention to detail.

A
breath-taking book, perfect for any fan of animation and film.

THE ART OF
KUBO AND THE TWO STRINGS / AUTHOR: EMILY HAYNES / PUBLISHER: CHRONICLE BOOKS /
RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

Roger
Casement’s tale is well known throughout history with many biographies based
around him. However, his story is now told through this new graphic novel by
Fionnuala Doran, which charts the rise and fall of this powerful and historic
character.

At first, the graphic novel can be
difficult to follow as the set up changes from different time periods to try
and provide the reader with the sufficient information required to enjoy the
story. This adaption of his life follows Roger Casement from his many successes
from being honoured for the ‘Casement Report’ on the situation in the Congo and
his eventual knighthood following his efforts in Peru. However, the story many
follows the eventual downfall of this famous humanitarian. Although Roger
Casements many humanitarian and reports earned him a reputation as a kind
hearted man, but his move for German backing to secure and independent Ireland
and his eventual return home saw him eventually arrested. This adaption really
focuses on his arrest, incarceration, and trial. It also shows the ‘Black
Diaries’ and how they contributed to Roger Casements fate.

This story is very much
politically focused, but also contains some very moving character elements. In
particular, the court room scenes are emotionally engaging and tragic. However,
a brief introduction to Roger Casements life may be needed for people not
familiar with his life, as the story may be difficult to follow. Luckily, the
author has provided a brief timeline of Roger Casements life at the back of the
book, which provides some background context to the story.

There is some uncertainty
surrounding the case of Roger Casement, and elements of potential forgery of
the Black Diaries have pointed towards the British authorities ensuring Roger
Casements trial is swiftly settled. The graphic novel does great justice of
Roger Casements life whilst trying to put forward an engaging story. Fionnuala
Doran has done a splendid job of interpreting a historical figures life into a
work of art. The graphic novel is told through black and white drawings which
truly capture the tone of the story. This adaption will allow many readers to
discover a historical figure for the first time. A hauntingly true tale of
belief and tragedy.

THE TRIAL OF ROGER CASEMENT /
AUTHOR: FIONNUALA DORAN / PUBLISHER: SELFMADEHERO / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

Steampunk
is a funny sort of sub-genre. The mash up of science fiction and Victorian-era
pulp fiction makes for a heady mix. Despite its traditional pulp roots, books
in the genre quite often dive into darker and headier territory, trying to make
simple and fun things into something more adult and engaging. More often than
not, this fails to hit the mark, making for an immature mess of tropes and boredom.
Gaie Sebold’s Sparrow series, however, seems to get the balance spot on
every-time, mixing the miserable reality of Victorian life with high fantasy
elements such as fairy kingdoms, air-ships and clockwork gizmos that make the
sub-genre so compelling.

Sparrow Falling is another book in Sebold’s Eveline Sparrow series. Don’t worry
if you’ve not read the previous books; they’re good pulpy fun but having some
background really isn’t required. This book begins with Eveline running an
all-girls school called the Sparrow School. In addition to Reading, Writing and
Arithmetic, the Sparrow School teaches youngster useful life skills such as
security, burglary, fakery and a spot of Bartitsu. Everything a young girl
needs to survive in a Steampunk world.

Of course, the course of quality education doesn’t run smoothly, and Sparrow
has to take on some extra-curricular activities in order to keep the school
running. Add to this the fact that her close friends (who happen to be involved
with the Fairy Court) are having their own problems, and what we get is a solid
(and fun) bit of steampunk adventure.

Sebold embraces the ugly side of the Victorian era, and use this to contrast
the more amazing elements of her world. 
This is the steampunk genre as it should be; light and dark forged into
a weird mix of horrors and silliness that somehow simply works.  It’s so much fun that you want to strap on a
pair of goggles (they do nothing) whilst dressing up as a refugee from an
explosion in a cog factory. Fans of the likes of Robert Rankin and Gail
Carriger will find a lot to love in the Sparrow series, and Sparrow Falling
proves that there is plenty of life in Steampunk. We’re looking forward to the
next one.

SPARROW FALLING / AUTHOR: GAIE SEBOLD /
PUBLISHER: SOLARIS / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

Blake Crouch is best known as the author of
the Wayward Pines Trilogy, the book series that launched the TV show of the
same name. Wayward Pines has been compared favourably to Twin Peaks, and as
such Crouch has a reputation for creating creepy and absorbing worlds that mix
our expectations of the everyday with the creepy and strange. Crouch’s new
novel, Dark Matter, is a departure from his previously established world whilst
cementing his reputation as a master of the strange.

Dark Matter opens with a day in the life of Jason Dessen. Just a normal chap
whose life is pretty unremarkable. Dessen has taken the well-trodden path
throughout most of his days. He has a remarkable mind and happens to be a
brilliant physicist, but his life choices have given him a loving wife, a
healthy son and a stable job as an ordinary college physics professor. Until, of course, he’s abducted, knock
unconscious, strapped to a gurney and then awoken to find himself in a life he
did not plan. One in which he has no family, but success as a scientist. He has
everything he thought he wanted; except the things he wants the most. His wife
and family, in this brave new world, have never happened.

As openings go, it’s a strong one and it sets the mood brilliantly. What we
have here is a science based thriller that deals with that most human of
concepts; regret. Everyone who has ever lived has wondered what their live
would be like if they had made different choices, and Dark Matter thrusts the
consequences of this front and centre.  This is a journey into the self more than it
is anything else, but peppered with a tightly written and well-paced adventure
thriller. The core ideas aren’t anything new and the twists and turns may not
surprise those who read a lot of strange thrillers, but the journey is a lot of fun.

Crouch’s writing is tight and engaging; it’s his most accomplished work to date
and is a genuine page turner. The story format and the prose is both compelling
and engaging. It’s one of those books that you find yourself planning when
you’ll have the time to read it next and makes for near perfect holiday
reading; store this one away for a rainy day or a long journey. Recommended.

DARK MATTER / AUTHOR: BLAKE CROUCH / PUBLISHER:
CROWN / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
 

All
too often the Steampunk genre is judged by its bare basics. Add in an airship,
monocle and some contemporary items with gears, and to some people you’re set
to go. However, the charm of the genre comes from other aspects – Archaic
societal norms given futuristic technology, the Empire at a height it never
truly knew, and concepts from other genres put into a new light. This is what
the Newbury and Hobbes series has
always excelled at, and this new outing offers to show that much more of the
world.

Having resolved a multitude of seemingly
impossible cases, Newbury’s star is on the rise. Held in high esteem and
venerated by the public, life has never been better, but his increasing
reliance upon opium is taking its toll. As such, his new case could not have
come at a worse time. A criminal is performing high risk crimes with astounding
success, despite having been confirmed dead for weeks. The police even have his
body in the morgue, and it is down to Newbury and Hobbes to solve this
mysterious riddle.

This time the steam-driven future-tech is
kept largely in the background. Instead, it focuses initially upon the
political and societal elements of the world, furthering the series’ world
building efforts. While the steampunk elements help drive the story forwards,
the focus is more upon the mystery and characters themselves. It’s used as a
catalyst, to help enhance the other elements of the tale rather than overwhelm
them, and this sparing approach to the story allows Mann to craft a far more
immersive world. When the more occult elements come into play, the mix of
body-horror and insanity gives the tale a sense of boundless energy; and there
is far more thought put into how these secret societies operate than you would
expect.

What sadly holds this book back more than
anything else is some surprising contradictions with real-world history. While
a few odd dates or even strangely paced figures would be fine, you end up with
everything from misjudging when the Empire was at the height of its power to
certain social norms. This makes it difficult to read even with the benefit of
suspension of disbelief, and paired up with some surprisingly clichéd turns for
the series, it proves to be a much weaker outing than the first two books.

The series is most definitely worth
exploring for its futuristic Victorian setting and steampunk elements, and The Immorality Engine does benefit from
some fascinating ideas. However, it’s definitely one best saved until after you
read The Affinity Bridge or a few of
the better outings.

THE IMMORALITY ENGINE / AUTHOR: GEORGE
MANN / PUBLISHER: SNOWBOOKS / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW