Review Category: Books

Following on from
Virtues of War and its tale of Earth’s brief war with its Centauri colonies,
Ghosts of War deals with the realities for those returning home, along with the
machinations of those who want to use the conflict’s aftermath for their own
agendas, and those who just want to be left alone. Just because the fighting
has stopped, for some of them it doesn’t mean the war is truly over.

While
Virtues was a fast-paced and action-heavy story driven largely by intense and
brutal combat sequences, Ghosts is a different beast entirely. Almost entirely
devoid of fighting, it places far greater focus on its central characters and
offers a different view of them with how they act in peacetime. Although it
becomes apparent there are some Coles actually likes more than others, each is
further fleshed out by their actions and reactions, while also emphasising the
vast spectrum of how people can be affected by combat, something that as a
military veteran himself would be well aware of.

To
gives things an alternative perspective is new character Kete, a Centauri spy
who offers a viewpoint of the war from the other side, his hatred of Earth an
all that it stands for becoming entirely understandable as his own story is
slowly revealed. In this regard the book builds on the stance of its
predecessor by not assuming that either side is wholly in the right, and just
as in any real-world conflict there are valid points to be made by each
antagonist.

A
problem with Virtues was that by the end its characters seemed largely
unchanged, despite the various ordeals each of them had survived. However, now
that everyone is back on Earth and the horrors they endured have truly sunk in,
it’s now that we see to what extent the conflict has affected each of them. Infantry
officer Katja in particular, having become emotionally crippled by PTSD and
suffering from nightmares and hallucinations, finds it most difficult
readjusting to civilian life, and with Kete’s thirst for vengeance targeting
her most of all, you start to wonder what chance she even has.

Both
an extended coda of Virtues of War and a set up for the doubtlessly
action-packed closing chapter of the trilogy, Ghosts of War deals with one of
the less considered realities of war. While the sci-fi trappings are all
present and correct – and built upon to further expand this future world – it’s
the people who drive it forwards, and they are each shown in their entirety, their
virtues and their flaws.

GHOSTS OF WAR / AUTHOR: BENNETT R COLES / PUBLISHER: TITAN / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW 
 

A former sheriff’s deputy, Chuck Zukowski, stars in this
based-on-fact story of how he became obsessed with investigating flying saucer
reports, visiting cattle mutilation sites and gathering evidence that there is
a huge government conspiracy to suppress the truth.

Through making weekend trips with his family to UFO
hotspots, interviewing witnesses and conducting research he came to the
conclusion that all these incidents are on, or close to the 37th degree 3,000
mile long latitude line, which he has nicknamed the Paranormal or UFO Freeway.

This is a tourist guide to US ufology that ticks all the
boxes, Roswell, Area 51, military UFO encounters, shadowy government agencies,
sacred Native American Indian sites, underground and underwater alien bases,
giant humanoid-like creatures all lumped together with astronomical connections
and magnetic anomalies that hang-out on Bukowski’s UFO Freeway.

It’s an entertaining story especially if you don’t know
much about ufology or never seen a UFO film, otherwise it doesn’t bring much new
to the table. Other ufologists have come up with UFO and ley line connections,
or produced grids and networks showing UFO patterns that ‘exist’ throughout the
world. I’m sure you could find any 3,000 mile lines or circles or triangles
that you could fill with amazing UFO and anomalistic connections. Putting
coloured pins on a map isn’t scientific research or evidence of any
inter-connectedness between all of this phenomena.

Zukowski is depicted as something of a maverick who
operates beyond the confines of organised UFO groups, but there are many other
UFO investigators who would make a better story. This has already been done in
the case of John Keel who was portrayed by Richard Gere in The Mothman
Prophecies, which at least stirs up some sinister doings in a small West
Virginia town.

There is a distinct possibility that The 37th Parallel
will be made into a film, but I fear it will not have enough power or
originality to get out of the shadow of the comedy movie Paul which featured
Simon Pegg and Nick Frost making a tour of US UFO hotspots in their RV.

THE 37TH PARALLEL / AUTHOR: BEN MEZRICH /
PUBLISHER:  ATRIA BOOKS / RELEASE DATE:
SEPTEMBER 2016

Some say you can build a city on rock and roll, but in
reality it takes an whole lot of science and engineering to cope with the
demands of a vast population concentrated in a relatively small area.

Laurie Winkless guides us through what materials we need
to create a city, how the components of a city work and the technology that has
shaped cities in the past and what might happen to them in the future.

Skyscrapers are a predominant feature of the city, and
they have grown higher and more sophisticated since the first elevator systems
and steel frameworks allowed them to tower over the landscape..

All these structures increasingly need electricity,
water and sewage services. Electricity generation is a continuing issue, since
fossil fuels are non-renewable and a major source of pollution, whilst wind and
solar power are more eco-friendly they are not so reliable. To cope with these
demands Laurie indicates that the current (pardon the pun) grid systems are
inadequate, and in the future more localised grids that can take power from
different sources is the way forward.

The availability of water is a major factor in the
growth of cities. Yet, even today a third of the world’s population doesn’t
have access to clean water. Allied with where we get water from is the problem
is where it and our waste products are flushed to.

From these basics, we move onto the roads and what is
needed to keep the flow of traffic running smoothly and the type of cars we
might use in the future. Another chapter looks at railway networks that also
transport the masses across the metropolis.

Besides the movement of people, Laurie also looks at how
communications and money, food and goods are linked into city-wide networks.
After putting together a city and bringing it to life, Laurie explores what
life there might be like in the future. Will it be as energy saving and
efficient as she hopes, or will, despite all our technological advances, cities
become even more congested and polluted?

Laurie packs in lots of facts, figures and forecasting
in an entertaining and engaging manner. Even though there are a few black and
white illustrations, it would be good to see a full-colour pictorial version of
this book or even a TV programme based on it. Key concepts are featured in
bold, which helps for an easy search through the book, and it also includes an
index and a further reading section. It’s not rock and roll but I like it.

SCIENCE AND THE CITY / AUTHOR: LAURIE WINKLESS /
PUBLISHER:  BLOOMSBURY / RELEASE DATE: 11
AUGUST 2016
 

Star
Wars gets in on the current trend for adult-orientated colouring books, with
this amazingly detailed collection of 98 drawings, courtesy of graphic artist Jérémy Mariez. 

Covering all seven films to date, the Star
Wars universe is brought to life in a series of beautifully detailed drawings,
covering each episode in roughly equal measure (we counted).  

Although there’s a few recreations of
famous scenes, such a Luke astride a Tauntaun (as well, as more notorious
moments, such as C-3PO’s head on a Battle Droid on Geonosis), most of the
emphasis is on portraits of characters, ships and locations. As you’d expect,
all the primary characters and ships all get their moment in the spotlight with
multiple impressive drawings, as do minor characters such as Greedo, Salacious
Crumb and Kit Fisto. And yes, if you were wondering, Jar Jar’s in there too, in
all his floppy-eared glory.

The nature of colouring by numbers books
means you’re supposed to have little clue as to what you’re colouring when you
start off, with the picture gradually revealing irself as you proceed. A lot of
the ships and characters of Star Wars are so iconic though, it’s impossible for
them not to leap off the page. It’s hard to see even a disguised version of the
Millennium Falcon and mistake it for anything else (hint: it’s one of the few
awarded a double-page spread) This by no means applies to all though and some
remain a pleasant surprise (I defy anyone to guess what number 67 is). And, if
you really can’t wait, there’s completed versions of each drawing at the back,
although it may well prove depressing comparing your inadequate effort to
Mariez’s far more professional versions.

As for the drawings themselves, they vary
greatly in complexity. Dooku’s hologram of the Death Star you could probably
polish off in under an hour. The likes of the Rancor on the other hand, you can
safely abandon any other plans you may have for the evening.

The complexity of some on the drawings may
well discourage some younger fans, but for older children and adults, you’ll
find plenty to entertain yourself. Providing you’re the patient type, the Star
Wars colouring book is great fun, and should provide hours of enjoyment for
fans both young and old.

STAR WARS – COLOURING BY NUMBERS / AUTHOR:
JÉRÉMY MARIEZ / PUBLISHER: EGMONT / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
 

The word “edgy” is bandied about so much in
reviews as to become almost cliché, however, Lauren Beukes’s recent collection
has stories that happen right at the edge. 
Beukes, the award-winning, South African writer, has authored novels,
graphic novels, plays. Her new collection
Slipping brings together over a decade’s worth of short stories, non-fiction,
essays and vignettes. 

The short stories in this book detail the sort
of thing that sometimes happens in the peripheral – from the lovelorn and
slightly creepy traffic warden (‘Parking’) to the survival tactics needed in
absolute poverty (‘Smileys’). ‘Ghost Girl’ occurs on the liminal edge of life
and death as an architect is haunted by a teenage girl. Beukes has a fine touch
for satire in the pop culture Selfie world of ‘Pop Tarts’ and the benefits of
corporate branding in ‘Branded’.

While it’s difficult to choose the stand-outs
from the collection, the titular piece ‘Slipping’ is astonishing: a tale
focussing in on South African runner Pearl Nitseko brutally damaged in an
accident and now biologically and bionically enhanced. The race that Pearl and other
young women (alive and dead) are forced to participate in is treated as a freak
show only of interest to rubber neckers, pharmaceutical companies and the
military. You’re left wondering about Pearl long after your eyes fall on the
final sentence.   

Slipping is a dizzying array of stories, a “greatest hits” from a prolific
and imaginative writer.  There’s a mash
of scenarios and genres from alternative histories to Manga, cyberpunk to
feminist fairy tale.  It’s kick-ass speculative
fiction with brains and heart.

While the short stories outbalance the
non-fiction pieces, Beukes’s journalism has a zippy, thoughtful, and compelling
style to it. Her passion for social justice shines through in her articles
about South Africa and women. (I defy you not to get all the feelings when you
read the letter to her five-year-old daughter.) This section also demonstrates
underlying themes that inform Moxyland,
Zoo City, The Shining Girls, and recent novel Broken Monsters. For budding writers this will give you a valuable
insight into the writing process; you can see how non-fiction seeps into
fiction and how short stories can be developed into longer pieces. (If you’re
inspired you should definitely slip on the muse-skin gloves from the opening story
and try typing!)

Beukes’ writing is incomparable, however, if you
haven’t read her work and love writers like Jeff Noon (Vurt, Automated Alice),
William Gibson (Neuromancer) mixed
with the unflinching ballsiness of writers like Emma Jane Unsworth (Animals) then you’ll absolutely love
Lauren Beukes.

SLIPPING: STORIES, ESSAYS & OTHER WRITING / AUTHOR: LAUREN BEUKES / PUBLISHER: TACHYON / RELEASE DATE: 29TH NOVEMBER 

The lightsabre is one of cinema’s most iconic bits of kit.
From the moment Luke pointed it at Ben Kenobi’s face, children and adults have
wanted to cut down their enemies with this unique weapon. It turns out that the
man who built that prop has led one hell of an interesting life himself. Roger
Christian has worked as a set decorator and director on some of the most
influential films of all time, such as Star Wars, Alien and The Life of Brian.
He also directed Battlefield Earth, but we won’t hold that against him if you
won’t.

The bulk of his autobiography covers a decade or so where
Christian was working on the biggest pictures going. It’s a fascinating
eye-witness look into the filmmaking world of the 1970s and 80s – though if we
hear the word ‘patina’ one more time we’ll scream the place down. Easily the
most interesting part of the book is where he’s talking about creating the
‘used world’ look of Star Wars – this alone will make the book required reading
for film students and historians.

While written in an engaging way, this autobiography is
certainly candid; it feels like he has scores to settle. Former colleagues are
painted in an unflattering light, and he will at times stop the book to correct
a bit of previous reporting. When he introduces a fact with a lead up like
“this has been misreported as…”, it feels petty. His stories also all seem to
involve him being the underdog or the lone voice of dissent. But if he’s always
right, that means we’re wrong about this. C’est la vie.

The issue described in the previous paragraph would be a
huge fault if the end result wasn’t absolutely absorbing. It might grate for
some, but it’s still a very interesting read. Christian can add this book to
his list of achievements.

It still doesn’t make up for Battlefield Earth, mind. 

CINEMA ALCHEMIST / AUTHOR: ROGER CHRISTIAN / PUBLISHER: TITAN BOOKS / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW 
 

Young People fear The Call, when they get transported, and must spend 3 minutes and 40 seconds in the nightmarish Grey Lands. Any second, they could wake up in the land alone, hunted by its infamous, terrifying inhabitants – all the while attempting to evade the world’s own horrors, and stay alive – with the knowledge that in all probability, there won’t even be enough of their body to bury when their time is up and they return home.

The Call by Peadar O’Guilin is a benchmark of outstanding, suspenseful fantasy in the young adult genre, and it simply demands to be read. Every new chapter weaves another intricate thread into the overall fantastical plot, which coupled with the great writing leads you to in the grips of a heart-stopping fear that literally any character you love can be ‘Called’ and face death at any time. In all honesty, even out of either fascination or horror, you will be not wanting to stop reading The Call until you reach the last page, the plot and writing is so enthralling. Nessa is without doubt the standout character, with her wit and survival instinct leading to you practically praying for her survival by the end of the first chapter. Having a girl with a disability being one the most courageous, talented, and fearless out of her peers – let alone the protagonist of the novel, was also very refreshing – as no one can now argue that people with disabilities would be unfit or unable to keep up with the intricacies of danger or a fantasy world! With The Call, O’Guilin manages to craft a book that introduces you to captivating Irish folklore, while simultaneously creating a diverse and realistic cast of teenage characters, and due to the depth and realism that O’Guilin gives them through his writing – you will definitely shed a tear when some of them don’t return from their Call alive. Not only that, but the world of The Call is incredibly real, that in some instances you feel almost as if you are living through your Call along with the characters, the bleak world just appears alive and pulsing, in front of your eyes. That, and O’Guilin seems to inject adrenaline into the very words on the page. This book will be like nothing you’ve ever read before, your heart will race, your hands will shake, but you will love every second. It feels as if The Call is a book that has lightning embedded in its pages – it’s absolutely electrifying.

THE CALL / AUTHOR: PEADAR O’GUILIN / PUBLISHER: DAVID FICKLING BOOKS / RELEASE DATE: SEPTEMBER 1ST

 

Invasion author Luke Rhinehart gave the world a true cult classic with his 1971 novel The Dice Man.  It told the story of a psychiatrist who made all of his life decisions based on the outcome of rolling a dice, and it contained an array of taboo themes for the time period. This resulted in it being banned in multiple countries, because some just weren’t ready for it. It was a forward-thinking, ground-breaking novel that’s since been acknowledged for its importance and was even named “one of the fifty most influential books of the last half of the twentieth century” by the BBC. With Invasion, Rhinehart has returned with another potential cult classic in-the-making; a story imbued with biting social commentary, intelligence, originality and a constant supply of entertainment on every page.

As the title would suggest, the story centres around an invasion of the extraterrestial kind. When a race of smart, playful and unexplainable shapeshifting aliens arrives on Earth, they seem quite adorable at first. Billy Morton and his family even adopt one called Louie, and they take a liking to his jolly nature. However, when Louie and his kin start hacking into government, corporate and banking networks in order to share the wealth, they incur the wrath of the powers that be. Now Billy and his family are on the FBI’s “Most Wanted List’’ and the creatures from space are deemed terrorists. Needless to say, chaos ensues.

To go into the details of Invasion would spoil its charms. Fans of Rhinehart’s work already will be pleased to know he’s back and operating on top form, whereas newcomers will be pleased to have come across a book many of them will find enthralling. However, it doesn’t shy away from veiling its political statements either, which might deter potential readers who don’t share Rhinehart’s ideology, especially in regards to American foreign policy and general perception of humanity. Though best read through a satirical lens, Rhinehart’s observations are at times, frighteningly on-point.

That being said, fans of science fiction oddities are destined to have a good time with Invasion. Should you choose to decipher its deeper meanings, you’ll find it an intellectually stimulating and wholly thought-provoking read. Invasion is a novel that fires on all cylinders and you owe it to yourself to pick it up.

INVASION / AUTHOR: LUKE RHINEHART / PUBLISHER: TITAN BOOKS / RELEASE DATE: SEPTEMBER 6TH

Following on from the glorious tome focused on the work of Emanuele Taglietti, we have a similarly gorgeous volume highlighting the work of the prolific Italian artist Alessandro Biffignandi. The name might not be as instantly recognisable to Anglo audiences as some, but his varied work throughout his career is certainly worth seeking out.

While many people are now familiar with some of the delights that have come out of Italian entertainment industry – giallo movies being one of the more popular and well-known – there are still some hidden subcultures just waiting to be discovered and appreciated by the uninitiated. ‘Sexy fumetti’, a term used to describe a particularly lurid and erotic range of comic books that became immensely popular in the ‘70s is one such thing. And Alessandro Biffignandi was a master of this illustrated art form, producing beautifully painted covers for many of the pulp comics. Out of the thousands of comics produced, only twenty were translated and released in the UK, going some way to explaining their relative obscurity over here. But Biffignandi is an artist who certainly deserves to be recognised, as this collection of his stunning covers and paintings attests.

With this collection of his work, we are presented with a unique look at not only Biffignandi’s style but even a glance at his process. We can compare the original reference photographs with the glorious final work, and marvel at the rather crafty way some iconic classic horror movie characters and existing artwork was incorporated into his beautiful covers. Although some purists may cry plagiarism, this appears more like loving reinterpretation.

Almost all the images are infused with sexuality. Nudity and the suggestion of sexual violence go hand-in-hand with the salacious nature of the comic books, but there’s a certain humour to the way Biffignandi portrays it. No, we’re not suggesting there’s anything funny about things like that, but certainly some of the artwork for titles such as Biancaneve (which had a Snow White character set in medieval times go on many sexual misadventures) will raise a smile or two. And some of the later work definitely turned the tables; a buxom woman getting the upper hand on the men is always a good thing to see in art.

Highly recommended to fans of pulp art, pop culture, and for anyone curious to see more of what we were missing in the Italian comic world…

SEX AND HORROR: THE ART OF ALESSANDRO BIFFIGNANDI / AUTHOR: ALESSANDRO BIFFIGNANDI / PUBLISHER: KORERO PRESS / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

 

Written
by Hiroshi Seko, one of the main scripters of the Attack On Titan anime series, Lost
Girls features a couple of novella-length side stories supplemental to the
main narrative, each spotlighting one of the series’ main female characters:
Mikasa, the stoic and seemingly unstoppable titan-slayer, and military police
officer Annie, whose cold and distant personality hides a revelatory secret.

Lost in the Cruel
World
is largely a flashback tale beginning when Mikasa and Eren first met as young
children, showing how their relationship grew over time until they became close
friends. The story weaves in and out of flashback events featured in the
series, showing them from Mikasa’s perspective rather than Eren’s and allows a
little insight into the mind of the aloof and taciturn girl. Mikasa’s supreme
badassery has made her one of the series’ most popular characters, but in spite
of this she has had little character development beyond her fierce loyalty to
Eren. The exploration into exactly what Eren means to her begins to fill this
hole, and also partly explains why she developed such an uncompromising drive
to protect him, often to the detriment of all other considerations.

Wall Sina, Goodbye takes
place on the eve of an important mission for Annie that ended up once again
altering how the Titans are perceived, in which she is cajoled into searching
for a missing girl and ends up delving into the seedy underworld of a ramshackle
nation on the brink of annihilation. Society outwith the military services has
gone largely unexplored in the main story, so the story grants a little
understanding of the lives of people living within the relative safely of the
walls who have never even seen a titan, and so find other problems with which
to occupy themselves. The short, staccato sentences of the prose reflects the
disconnected nature of Annie’s character, echoing her analytical mind and matter
of fact manner of thinking, and provides greater understanding of how she was
able to carry out the things she did later in the series.

A
third, titular tale is a far shorter story of a tense meeting between the girls
during the years of training, the brief interaction emphasising the ways in
which the two young women are complete opposites, yet at the same time tacitly
highlighting their similarities.

Intended
for exiting fans rather than newcomers, the stories of Lost Girls are brief and simple, but each gives a little development
of the sprawling world, and also to two of its more reticent characters.

ATTACK ON TITAN: LOST GIRLS / AUTHOR: HIROSHI SEKO / PUBLISHER: KODANSHA / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW