Review Category: Books

Anyone who’s ever owned a car would be familiar with the trusty Haynes manual. It’s your go-to tome when things go wrong. Whether it’s changing a fuse, adjusting the lights, or stripping down the engine, the company has kept people on the straight and narrow and helped them avoid costly garage bills for something that one can do on the drive with some affordable tools. Until you screw up, of course, then it’s back to the professionals with a sheepish look on your face.

Now the company (which started publishing these guides back in 1956) have given us what we want, and more importantly, what we need – a handy guide to servicing and maintaining our Enterprise. Well, to be fair, this edition covers all the Starfleet ships from 2151 onwards, so whether your NX-01 is in need of a warp speed overhaul or your shields are constantly down on your NCC-1701 because you’ve taken one too many photon hits, then you can save valuable credits and do it yourself.

Well, we jest, of course. This book is far from the dry and boring technical babble that drivers’ have to wade through. Instead, we get a fascinating history of each ship, illustrated with images from the various Star Trek shows and some brilliantly detailed diagrams.

There is even an easy-to-follow flow chart image helping the confused to understand parallel universes, and sections on warp propulsion and how transporter systems work. Little Timmy might not necessarily be able to build on in the garden shed, but at least he’ll have a grasp of it when it comes to re-watching the films and the TV episodes.

Where the Enterprise Owners’ Workshop Manual shines is it brings together a wealth of information that has been built up over fifty years of Star Trek’s history. All the references to each ship, shuttle and flight deck will begin to make more sense to those who haven’t already studied the subject in depth. And for those who have, they might even learn a few new titbits of information that’ll help them decipher all that babble that Scotty comes out with when he’s making excuses for why the Enterprise is letting the crew down and putting them in jeopardy. It’s very easy to dip into, and certainly a worthwhile read for new fans who would like to get up to (warp) speed with Starfleet tech before the upcoming series.

An essential purchase for Trek fans, although we have no doubt there are some who would have loved it to be a spec-heavy collection of mechanical data and a ‘how to’ guide to fixing the ships.

USS ENTERPRISE OWNERS’ WORKSHOP MANUAL / AUTHOR: BEN ROBINSON, MARCUS RILEY / PUBLISHER: J. H. HAYNES & CO LTD / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

As a highly trained mercenary with psychic powers, John Smith is a man whose skills are highly prized by those who can pay for them. Hired by a tech industrialist to prove a rival’s theft, he is paired with glamorous assistant Kelsey and quickly infiltrates his target. Of course, the job goes horribly wrong, forcing John and Kelsey to go on the run, while a madman’s personal army hounds them every step of the way.

Beginning as a low-stakes tale of corporate espionage, before long Kill File lurches directly into action thriller territory with sequences of urban survival thrown in for good measure, while interspersed along the way are numerous chapters detailing John’s history where he was trained as a psychic weapon for the CIA. Such is the power of his mental abilities he can never completely shut out the noise caused by the thoughts of those around him, and his supreme badassery is tempered by an apparent dependence of alcohol and pills to partially deaden his senses so he can remain functional.

While John effectively possesses an assortment of mental superpowers that wouldn’t be out of place in a comic book, his abilities operate with rules and imitations, preventing him from becoming too unstoppable. For example, for him to access information a person knows they must first be thinking of it, and his capacity to imprint enemies with debilitating memories comes with the downside of suffering a portion of the experience himself. Not just an audience surrogate or the hot chick along for the ride, Kelsey proves her worth on numerous occasions with her own talents at manipulating people, which, while far more everyday than John’s psychic powers, are at times more effective.

As a protagonist, John is fascinating to watch develop as the book progresses. His mental abilities and physical training combine to make him a formidable force, but he always operates with a degree of tact, spending time and resources undermining an opponent’s position before confronting them. In this regard he’s as much John Constantine as he is Jason Bourne, figuring out each opponent’s specific weaknesses and the most efficient way to defeat them, which often involves subtlety and misdirection instead of just wading into the fray with his fists swinging. His tactics also highlight a number of ways in which the high-tech security of our modern age can be circumvented by frighteningly low-fi and simplistic means.

A compelling introduction to a morally ambiguous hero, Kill File is a seamless blend of subgenres that moves fast, hits hard and leaves you wanting more.

KILL FILE / AUTHOR: CHRISTOPHER FARNSWORTH / PUBLISHER: ZAFFRE / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

The third book in
the Magisterium series sees Call, Aaron and Tamara return for another year at
the titular school of magic, along with further developments in the growing
influence of the remaining minions of deceased warmonger and master of chaos
magic the Enemy of Death.

Call
is still attempting to come to grips with the knowledge that he is effectively the
reincarnation of the Enemy, and while he regularly convinces himself he is his
own person, he also can’t deny certain similarities between them that begin to
arise, growing ever more concerned that he might actually become the villain
without even realising it. Even though the events of The Copper Gauntlet convinced
the adult mages that the Enemy was truly dead, Call’s perpetual fear that
someone might discover his secret still eats way at him.

The
themes of loyalty that have so far driven the series continue to hold
prominence, with the central trio’s steadfast belief in one another remaining a
core aspect of their bond. Although each has their own mind and ambitions
independent of the others, together they operate in constant harmony as a
single unit. They also deal with more typical problems of high school students,
such as jealously amongst peers, the pressure to succeed, and the emotional
tribulations of first crushes. Now in their third year of their education at
the Magisterium, their growth has reached a point where its gradual portrayal can
be properly appreciated when they are compared to the nervous children they
were when the series began. All children – and teenagers in particular – change
a lot from one year to the next, both physically and psychologically, and it’s
a testament to the writing that it sufficiently portrays the necessary shifts
in character without being blatant about it.

The
magical set pieces are as inventive as ever and showcase a wide range of
practical applications for elemental manipulation, allowing you some idea of
what exactly one might to with such powers after completing their education of
them. There is also a big jump in the development of the overarching plot;
although the book ends things at a point that feels unfinished and that it should
have continued further to draw things to a more natural conclusion. However, it
also leaves the reader with no doubts that the series is playing for keeps.

THE
BRONZE KEY / AUTHORS: HOLLY BLACK, CASSANDRA CLARE / PUBLISHER: CORGI / RELEASE
DATE: OUT NOW
 

There
is a particular style of Young Adult novel that doesn’t seem to be going away
any time soon. The set-up is as follows; a young woman lives in a dystopian
future. She comes from humble origins, but through no fault or ambition of her
own, she has greatness thrust upon her. Usually this is in the form of some
sort supernatural power.  At the same
time, the (always) heterosexual heroine finds themselves torn between at least
two powerful men. One will be broody and complex, the other less broody and
more straight forward. These books are almost always trilogies, and the second
book tends to expand on the world a little more.

Victoria Aveyard’s Glass Sword follows this formula in a pretty exacting way.
The first book in the series, The Red Queen, read like a greatest hits of Young
Adult tropes, but Aveyard’s skill kept it clever and engaging. The Glass Sword
is her difficult second book, and falls pretty short of the mark.

For a start, the prose has lost all its
sparkle. As the main character, Mare, finds herself thrust into the role of
freedom fighter, it seems that the author doesn’t really know where to go with
the characters or the story. The entire novel swerves from idea to idea, never
quite staying long enough to be satisfying.

Whereas the first book, Red Queen, focused
on a small band of people and their relationships,  Glass Sword introduces a whole new cast.
Alas, the story doesn’t hang around any of them for long enough for anything
interesting to happen. Aveyard attempts to inject drama into the narrative by
making here central hero dysfunctional and self-obsessed. This is quite jarring
and doesn’t line up with the same character from the previous novel.  Worse still, the character feels repetitive
and dull throughout.

Glass Sword feels like a cynical cash-in
sequel to a novel that was pretty much a remix of older, more interesting ideas
to begin with.  Unless the third book in
the series does something to make it remarkable, we suspect that this bland
bargain basement copy of The Hunger Games will sink without a trace in the
years to come.

GLASS SWORD / AUTHOR: VICTORIA AVEYARD /
PUBLISHER: HARPER TEEN / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
 

Science
Fiction is a genre which tends to encourage originality and weirdness in equal
measure. Space is very big, which means that creators have plenty of room to
try out the strangest of ideas. Yoon Ha Lee’s Nine Fox Gambit is an excellent
example of this; it is big in every possible way. It’s a space opera story with
ghosts, social commentary, epic battle, but it’s also much more than that.

One of the novel’s central ideas is that entire civilisations are run on an
calendrical systems. This means that the beliefs, calendar, and observances of
society create topologies that in turn alter the fundamental laws of reality
and allow the use of strange and exotic weapons.  The story centres on Kel Cheris, a brilliant
captain who happens to be down on their luck. The only mission they’re allowed to
embark upon is an insanely hard one; They must recapture the impregnable space station,
the Fortress of Scattered Needles. Her ally is tactician Shuos Jedao, the only
person to ever get into the station. This might sound like a standard sci-fi
trope, but Lee adds their own twist to it. For a start, Shuos is sort of dead.
And insane.

The writing is superb and clever. The ideas are strong and constantly
fascinating.  The pacing is a quite bumpy,
however. In order to cram in so much world building, something has to suffer
and in this case, it’s a consistent speed to the action. We go from space
battle to personal drama to really cool exposition pretty quickly at times, and
though all these elements are great on their own, they can be a little jarring
for those of us who like to read at more than a leisurely pace.

Though this is, at its core, a pulp sci-fi page turner, it’s also intelligently
written in a way that would appeal to fans of Hannu Rajaniemi and Ian M Banks.  That said, don’t be afraid of the complex
ideas here; the super science blurs into magic pretty quickly, lending to the
space opera stylings of the book.  Yoon
Ha Lee is a powerful talent, and one to watch out for.

NINEFOX GAMBIT / AUTHOR: YOON HA LEE /
PUBLISHER: SOLARIS / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
 

Tolkien
created a rich and detailed world designed to entertain and tax the brain. One
of the more famous scenes from his work involved Riddles in the Dark. This
sequence, from The Hobbit, had poor Bilbo Baggins doing his level best to
outwit Gollum through a series of riddles. It’s on this rather tenuous
inspiration that Carlton books have produced Middle Earth Puzzles.

Hardcore Tolkien scholars may be
disappointed here.  These are not puzzles
based on the lore of Middle Earth such as ‘How does one get to Valinor’ or ‘Why
are Hobbits always hungry’. Instead, they’re a sequence of increasing fiendish
logic puzzles with a passing nod to Lord of the Rings and the like. Many of
these are well known teasers, but it does avoid repeating some of the more
well- known problems.  No riddles in the
dark will be found here.

As such, the actual tie-in element varies wildly. Dedopulos does his best to
link his little brain teasers in with the lore. Mostly this involves naming one
of the Fellowship of the Ring. The premise is that all of these brain teasers
come from the ‘The Great Green Book of Buckland’, which sounds like the sort of
thing that Bilbo would have on his book shelf. 
The book itself is a pocket-sized thing, likely to slip easily into a
jacket to be pulled out at social gatherings. 
After all, the point of this thing is to stump yourself, then family and
friends. The whole thing has a nice ‘fantasy’ look to it and they are plenty of
Lord of the Rings style illustrations throughout.

Despite being a pretty standard book of riddles, enough thought and effort has
been made to give the thing an air of the incredible, and will likely be a
stocking filler of choice for fantasy fans looking for a light bit of winter
fun.

THE MIDDLE EARTH PUZZLES / AUTHOR: TIM
DEDOPULOS / PUBLISHER: CARLTON BOOKS LTD / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
 

Odd and
the Frost Giants by Neil Gaiman was originally published as part of World Book
Day in 2008. Now, eight years later, it is being given a hardcover release
which is lovingly illustrated by the UK Children’s Laureate Chris Riddell. This
deluxe hardcover edition is the perfect presentation of a children’s story that
is bound to become a classic.

The story centres on Norse mythology as well as
Vikings, and combines both of these into a tale about survival and courage. It
is a truly magical tale which is at times chilling as the reader sees the
hardship faced by the central character. The story starts with Odd, who is a
Viking child whose father was lost at sea following a tragic accident. Soon after
this he injures his leg and is then limited in capacity. However, a long winter
sets in, which leads Odd into a great adventure of discovery. Along the way,
Odd discovers a bear, a fox and an eagle who hold several secrets that will
allow odd to end the long winter.

Children stories can be very difficult to pull off,
with the correct balance of characterisation and plot needing to be just right
to ensure it is easily readable. Luckily Neil Gaiman does this effortlessly
whilst showing that friendship and teamwork can overcome any physical weakness.
It’s a truly moving tale. Chris Riddell has also done a terrific job with the
artwork which allows the reader to follow the story with intricate detail. It’s
clear that Chris took the artwork very seriously, and will allow many
children’s imaginations to run free.

Parents should immediately consider this novel to
be on the top of their children’s reading lists as it contains many themes
crucial to everyday life. This is one of the best children novels released and
will manage to capture imaginations just like Roald Dahl and the more recent
David Walliams have done in the past. A fresh and original tale of adventure.

ODD AND THE FROST GIANTS / AUTHOR: NEIL GAIMAN /
PUBLISHER: BLOOMSBURY CHILDRENS / RELEASE DATE: SEPTEMBER 8TH
 

There has been a rise in
the study of the Gothic over the last decade or so where horror is taken
seriously as a scholarly concern and themes and tropes are analysed.  In this new book edited by Xavier Aldana
Reyes, the literary history of horror spans from the first Gothic novel in 1764
right bang up to 2016 (while noting that themes of horror and the supernatural
were present before that timespan). In his introduction, Dr Reyes discusses the
parameters of the book (what is horror fiction, why is horror fiction, and when
is horror fiction). Reyes knows his stuff; he is senior lecturer in English
Literature and Film at Manchester Metropolitan University teaching widely in
the areas of Gothic and contemporary literature and, as well as other things, a
specialist in horror film and fiction. The book is lovingly edited with chapter
contributions from Professor Steffen Hantke (on the rise of popular horror),
Professor Roger Luckhurst (on Victorian and modern Gothic horror), Dr Royce
Mahawatte (on nineteenth century horror), Assistant Professor Bernice Murphy
(on horror fiction after world war two), Professor Agnieszka Monnet (on
American horror), Dr Dale Townshend (on gothic and cultural sources of horror)
and Xavier himself concluding the book with a chapter on post-millenial horror
(spoiler: may contain zombies). Horror fiction and films are enjoyed, and
endured, by millions and this tome adds to a bit of a gap in the literature
concerning the history and development of horror particularly in the West. In
the closing chapter, Reyes notes that while it is difficult for those not
working in the English language to find success outside of their home countries
he does tip a nod to works such as the influential Ringu (Koji Susuki) and Let the Right One In (John Ajvide
Lindqvist). He also has a fantastic
rant about the overuse of zombies!

George
Mann’s Sherlock Holmes anthologies for Titan Books have done a terrific job of
finding new ways to approach the Great Detective – which is no easy task,
considering he’s probably the most written about fictional character of all
time. First, The Encounters of Sherlock
Holmes and The Further Encounters of
Sherlock Holmes mashed him together with other literary characters and
stories. Now, Mann’s latest anthology sports another novel approach. Why not
turn the focus away from Holmes and Watson and highlight the many colourful
characters elsewhere in Conan Doyle’s writing?