BLOOD ON SNOW

BOOK REVIEW: BLOOD ON SNOW / AUTHOR: JO NESBǾ / PUBLISHER: HARVILL SECKER / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

Olav has a problem. As a “fixer” for a 1970’s Oslo crime lord he has always been aware of his career limitations. When his boss then instructs him to kill the gangster’s unfaithful wife, these limitations come very much to the fore, making him question a potentially brief future that is further complicated by a sudden affection for the target.

Jo Nesbø’s latest novel, Blood on Snow, is an example of how to write crime fiction, exploring the complicated mind of mysterious hitman and unapologetic anti-hero Olav as he examines his own life amid unpredictable events he has so far done well to avoid. Despite his self-confessed educational shortcomings, this is a man with a lyrical, almost poetic view on what he does for a living, and does very well. There is no self-pity in Olav, only a darkly bleak understanding of who he really is, or at least thinks he is.

Nesbø’s prose is familiarly blunt, almost imperceptibly creating claustrophobic tension as Olav tries desperately to make the best of his spiralling situation. Moments of awkward and unaccustomed tenderness are interjected with unflinchingly brutal violence which will satisfy Nesbø’s existing fans, and the unavoidable ease with which you will lose yourself in Blood on Snow will surely attract many more. With a story that spans a concise 200 or so pages, coupled with a large typeface, this is a book that hooks you very early on and builds to a conclusion before you realise it; a session novel, if you will, that demands attentive completion in one breathless sitting.

If you have not read Nesbø’s work before then Blood on Snow is a perfect place to start. While perhaps not for the faint of heart, this is an addictively engaging novel that brilliantly explores the complicated psyche of a hitman. Impossible to put down, this is as stylish a thriller as your will read this year.

 

A FEW WORDS FOR THE DEAD

BOOK REVIEW: A FEW WORDS FOR THE DEAD / AUTHOR: GUY ADAMS / PUBLISHER: EBURY PRESS / RELEASE DATE: APRIL 9TH

For the third book in Guy Adams’ otherwise hilarious Clown Service series, there has been a major change in tone. The chirpy doom-mongering of the first two has been replaced by a darker tale (this was always intended to be the case, according to Adams), which takes the plotlines begun in those books and ties them all up for this possibly final outing (further books are a possibility but are by no means guaranteed; such is the way in the publishing world).

The change in tone doesn’t impact other aspects of the book, however. A Few Words for the Dead is excellently plotted; there is a key moment near the end that is set up so subtly throughout the rest of the book that when we made the connection, it was electrifying in a way that happens so rarely for us these days. One obvious plot point, which we were getting ready to mark the book down for when we were reading it, turned out to be a masterful piece of misdirection.

Those looking for more tales of Toby, Tamar and the wacky antics of Section 37 will find themselves out of luck; this is very much the August Shining Power Hour. Though the book does start with an elegant recap courtesy of Tamar, A Few Words is not a good jumping-on point for new readers, as it’s not indicative of the series as a whole. Most of the humour that was omnipresent in both the dialogue and narration of the first two books has been lost, which is perhaps a by-product of the change in protagonist and is certainly a result of the darkness that overshadows the novel.

If this is to be the final case for Shining and co, then at least they’re going out on a high. Lord knows there aren’t a lot of trilogies that are this consistently good. But by god, we hope it isn’t the last one.
 

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AN OWL’S TALE – FAIRYBLURBS

BOOK REVIEW: AN OWL’S TALE – FAIRYBLURBS / AUTHOR: KNEEL DOWNE / PUBLISHER: LULU.COM / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

After a flurry of activity that spawned last year’s The JackPort Killer (and its accompanying audio book) and the sublime Sporadic, it’s good finally to be back in the land of the VirluentBlurb. Although, as we have come to expect from the warped mind of Twitter-based author Downe, this isn’t as straightforward as that.

Acting as a bridge of sorts for the author’s earlier work, Amelia’s Song, and the upcoming (and previewed at the end of the book) Amelia’s Dance, we follow the flame-haired girl’s encounter with the Owl, who will become her guide. As the pair settle for the night, Owl regales the youngster with words of wisdom, comfort and caution. What we have is a series of bewitching short tales – told in the inimitable style we’ve become accustomed to – much like those of Aesop or the Brothers Grimm.

Some of the stories are pithy and moral while others are movingly poignant. There are plenty of flashes of Downe’s usual quirky and off-beat style, and several references to events in previous books and hints at things to come. Don’t let this put you off if you haven’t yet dipped into the bizarre mind-bending world he has created, as the collection of short tales can be enjoyed easily as a standalone text; the stories being as enchanting and moving as any that have come before.

Even in the shortest of the Owl’s stories, there’s a glorious rhythm to the words which is intelligent and yet easy to read. The style, unlike the earlier book’s flow of tweets, is more like free verse, but still keeping a very poetic flow. Unlike Downe’s books based on the tales of the wolf-spliced detective, Kurt Lobo, the bad language is absent, making this a delightful introduction to the unique world the author has concocted.

As the title suggests, the stories are all pure fairy tale, and as such are perfect if dark, sagas that can be enjoyed by anyone with an imagination. Each chapter is preceded by the simple, but starkly effective monochrome illustrations of regular Downe collaborator Susan Omand. As well as setting the scene for the following text, the artwork compliments the surreal quality of the prose.

With each successive release, Downe appears to be finding his voice in a much clearer fashion. This may well be the book in which the hard work pays off. If you like something out of the ordinary, whimsical but with a distinctive edge, you should give this FairyBlurb a go.

THE SCARLET GOSPELS

BOOK REVIEW: THE SCARLET GOSPELS / AUTHOR: CLIVE BARKER / PUBLISHER: MACMILLAN / RELEASE DATE: MAY 19TH

For many, Clive Barker is a true master of the horror novel, combining gore and whimsy in equal measure. Barker creates fantastical worlds with believable people in them, and then floods those worlds with blood and other bodily fluids. Others argue that Barker’s impact has waned over the years, falling prey to overly complex and wordy world building that neither excites nor entices.

The Scarlet Gospels has been keenly anticipated by both sides; long delayed and heavily promoted, it’s the book that pits Barker’s own occult detective Harry D’Amour against the demonic Cenobites; namely the monster Pinhead. Anyone who watched horror movies during the ’80s will be familiar with Pinhead, and the horrible creature is responsible for much of Barker’s fame.

The book opens with a version of Harry D’Amour, who is not the heavily tattooed monster killer that we learned to love in Everville, and we gain a horrifying understanding of what drives the man. We also learn more about Pinhead itself and what motivates it. This is not the eloquent wise-cracking creature from the movies, rather it’s a thug sent from Hell’s heart to punish mankind. The two swiftly meet, as it seems that the Cenobites want Harry to serve as a witness to their might. The first encounter is cleverly done, and the iconic puzzle box is cast in a new light here.

After an incredibly disturbing beginning, the narrative itself descends straight into hell. Literally. Barker combines his two main story telling skills; dreamlike narratives and a penchant for the absurdly vile to paint a picture of a glorious hell.

It benefits, greatly, from being the size of a normal novel. The work has clearly been heavily edited and though this does seem to have left a handful of plot threads un-resolved, the fact that The Scarlet Gospels is so accessible is very firmly in its favour. In many ways, this is the best of Barker; it combines the swift and to the point deftness of his Books of Blood with the elaborate and in-depth design of his later novels.

The Scarlet Gospels is very far from perfect, but it’s also very readable and highly entertaining. A word of warning though; don’t read this before going to bed; you’ll have nightmares for a week.
 

DARK TOUCH

BOOK REVIEW: DARK TOUCH / AUTHOR: DEBBIE JOHNSON / PUBLISHER: DEL RAY (PAPERBACK), EBURY DIGITAL (EBOOK) / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

Life isn’t easy for a new goddess. While being whisked off to New York to have her goddess status confirmed by the supernatural Council, Lily’s visions are haunted by a giant sinister eye searching for her, the herald of a long-dormant god of devastation seeking rebirth. And with Lily being a well of untapped power existing within the body of a barely-tested girl, she once again finds herself a target for those who want to use her for their own ends.

Dark Vision ended with Lily’s ascension to become Mabe the Mother of Mortals, a deific status that transcends cultural limitations. Each of the Council perceives her differently, most appearances being of a look and ethnicity that corresponds to their own. As Johnson herself observed, “It seems narrowminded to assume that the whole world is dominated by the choices of white Irish people,” and she conveys the coexistence of several mythological pantheons without any sense of paradox or contradiction, something infrequently achieved, and even more infrequently achieved well (Neil Gaiman comes to mind).

While Lily is now a goddess – sorry, The Goddess – she is also very much still a young woman who until a month previously was a newspaper music critic with no idea of the world-altering destiny about to be thrust upon her. As a result she’s still figuring out exactly who she is, and so her dual identities are occasionally at odds with each other before they are eventually reconciled. It’s not as clear cut as, say, in Kate Griffin’s books where pronouns switch to show who’s currently in control, but instead over time a gradual and subtle shift occurs as Lily slowly embraces the full extent of her new role as danger inexorably looms from the villainous Fergal Fitzgarry, who as well as having quite possibly the most Irish name in history also shows that even immortals and gods have someone to fear.

In keeping with its mythological inspiration, sex plays a significant part in the story. It was established at the end of Dark Vision that for Lily’s goddess powers to be fully realised she and the love-of-her-life-pain-in-the-arse Gabriel need to get it on, but their genuine affection for each other means that neither wants it to be an obligation, while Lily’s status as “Liverpool’s oldest virgin” adds a further necessity for the coupling to be meaningful. Lots of handsome, brawny and frequently shirtless men in tight jeans and leather certainly make a refreshing change from many fantasy stories where women are vacuous objects of relentless lust, and as well as her newfound soulmate, a band of muscular fae warriors and her indecently sexy and perpetually horny vampire minion Luca, Lily also manages to add to her entourage Katashi, a Japanese warrior and delightfully sculpted hunk of man-candy, his presence giving weight to Lily’s assessment that she is to be, “Forever surrounded by sarcastic bastards who made me feel a bit fuzzy in the knicker department.” It’s not just a sausage-fest either; there is also Carmel, Lily’s ass-kicking BFF and cohort in all things girly who remains a regular source of sanity preservation, and who as her Champion can go from zero to psycho in three seconds flat; and the Morrigan, the leather-clad, biker-booted Celtic goddess of war, a frankly terrifying woman of a size, strength and temperament each roughly equivalent to that of the She-Hulk.

Striking a varied but balanced tonal mix – and maintaining the previous book’s level of nerdy shout outs to the likes of Ghostbusters, The Fantastic Four, Superman, Star Wars, Father Ted and Doctor Who – the story manages to be romantic without being simpering, sexy without being sordid, funny without being flippant, and exciting without being histrionic. Although further adventures of Lily are planned they are sadly not yet guaranteed, and it will be a sad outcome indeed if the Mother of Mortals is given no chance so shine again.
 

HOW TO BE A SUPERHERO

BOOK REVIEW: HOW TO BE A SUPERHERO / AUTHOR: MARK EDLITZ / PUBLISHER: BEARMANOR MEDIA / RELEASE DATE: MAY 1ST

Sadly, not the instruction manual many of us would-be Kick-Asses might have hoped. Mark Edlitz’s How to be a Superhero is instead a collection of interviews with the actors and actresses who portrayed some of our favourite superheroes (plus villains) in TV and film. You’d be a tad optimistic to expect time with the likes of Christian Bale, any of the main Marvel Chrises (Evans, Hemsworth or Pratt) but the line-up does get surprisingly high-profile at times.

The jewels in Edlitz’s interview crown, then, would be two Batmen – Adam West and Kevin Conroy – Agent Phil Coulson, Loki and the late, great Mr Spock, Leonard Nimoy. Dean Cain, Michael Rosenbaum and Julie Newmar round up the slightly less famous, while there’s a good turnout from TV superheroes past, with several ex-Lois Lanes and Jimmy Olsen’s lending Edlitz some valuable expertise. Even that’s barely scratching the surface though, with Roger Moore (outshining poor George Lazenby yet again), Yvonne Craig, James Marsden and Stan Lee among the many, many others interviewed here. It’s not quite a who’s-who of TV and movie superheroics, but those who did answer Edlitz’s calls are definite somebodies.

Wonderfully, it’s often those one wouldn’t consider A-list who give some of the best titbits: Rosenbaum, for example, who gives a better case for Smallville and his Lex Luthor than I could ever have imagined possible. Reading him talk of Lex’s characterisation and his relationship with Clark left me with the most curious urge to watch Smallville – a feeling I haven’t experienced since the first series or so. His honesty regarding his decision to leave the show is pretty entertaining too. Certainly more so than most of Smallville, post-Luthor. A thoughtful Dean Cain makes for better reading than one might expect, while Newmar is a funny, kinky delight. On the basis of her form here, her return to Batman in the forthcoming Batman ‘66 animated feature should really be something to behold.

How to be a Superhero makes for great reading, Edlitz’s questioning smart and insightful. His subjects play along well, giving considered and equally insightful answers. If there’s a criticism, it’s that it could have been tightened up somewhat (compiled second-hand quotes from those unreachable for interview don’t quite fit with those he has captured), while the inclusion of some (James Bond, Mr Spock) doesn’t quite work within the superhero motif. That does get us a poignant interview with Leonard Nimoy though, so we can forgive the book its segue away from spandex in this case. The other exception being Roger Moore, who is always a fun exception to any rule.

A cracking read full of great personalities and personality, How to be a Superhero isn’t quite comprehensive, but it has a good go at trying. It’s, well, super.
 

OLD MAN’S GHOSTS

BOOK REVIEW: OLD MAN’S GHOSTS / AUTHOR: TOM LLOYD / PUBLISHER: GOLLANCZ / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

Old Man’s Ghosts is the second in Tom Lloyd’s Empire of a Hundred Houses series, but there’s a recap of previous book Moon’s Artifice so it doesn’t matter if you’re coming to the franchise blind.

The mark of modern fantasy fiction is a more stripped back approach to writing, and Lloyd embodies that doctrine to an impressive fine-tuned degree. The rich prose is precise and well calibrated, but it doesn’t do enough to differentiate itself from the crowd. Indeed, at times it feels like you’re reading fellow brit Joe Abercrombie. But the considered world-building more than makes up for it. Lloyd demonstrates a beautiful vocabulary he’s keen to show off and a forensic understanding of grammar that culminates in a tightly tuned, intelligent novel.

The constant reminders to characters’ black skin does disrupt the immersion and smacks of larger problem in describing characters without resorting to tired clichés to an audience that assumes every character is white. Nevertheless, the attention to clothing and the functionality of the world he’s weaved is impressive and it practically flies off the page.

A strong, confident effort from Lloyd, who is surely set to dominate the genre with an opulent, tangible world, captivating readers’ imaginations. It’s even worth reading for the wonderfully inventive exclamations and cuss words alone.
 

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HEXED: THE SISTERS OF WITCHDOWN

BOOK REVIEW: HEXED: THE SISTERS OF WITCHDOWN / AUTHOR: MICHAEL ALAN NELSON / PUBLISHER: AMAZON MEDIA (EBOOK), PROMETHEUS BOOKS (PAPERBACK) / RELEASE DATE: MAY 5TH (EBOOK), JUNE 5TH (PAPERBACK)

Lucifer is a thief who steals dangerous magical artefacts from bad people before they can use them to do bad things, and as a result is a skilled navigator of the supernatural underworld that lies hidden beneath everyday life. Hired by a police officer to locate his kidnapped daughter when she is abducted by inexplicable forces, Lucifer must face enemies even she might not walk away from if she wants to stand a chance of rescuing the girl.

Although The Sisters of Witchdown’s primary audience will be readers of the Hexed comics, it assumes no prior familiarity with them and can be understood without knowing their events. In fact, anyone who has read them will guess the direction the story is heading merely from the title alone, so it will actually be more of a mystery if approached with no background knowledge at all. It gives nods to the comics’ events, such as one tangential but amusing chapter illustrating Lucifer’s penchant for binding exorcised demons into stuffed toys, and maintains the same blend of supernatural horror and sarcastic humour.

Although comparisons to Buffy are abundant, if you want a similarity from the Whedonverse, Lucifer actually has more in common with future-Slayer Melaka Fray. As well as both being professional thieves, they are also snarky, cynical, isolated survivors hardened by a tough childhood without parental guidance or protection. Lucifer’s talent for wrangling the supernatural makes it easy to forget just how young she is (while not even sure herself, she’s somewhere in the vicinity of seventeen), and with her sidekick for much of the story being a handsome and charming young man (who is inconveniently also the boyfriend of the girl she’s trying to save) she frequently becomes distracted by her increasing attraction to him and her jealously over the simple and carefree lives led by the teenagers she encounters.

The events of the book take place before the Hexed comics – both the four-issue miniseries from 2009 and the ongoing series revived in August last year – and acts as a prequel to them, partially bridging the gap left between the climax of Nelson’s magnificent apocalypse horror saga Fall of Cthulhu – where Lucifer originated – and the point the series started. It details how Lucifer originally met her future benefactor Val Brisendine and features her first encounter with Graeae Tower, the home of the sinister company presided over by recurring antagonist Madame Cymbaline. There is also some recapped history of how Lucifer became the heir to the pseudo-demonic demigoddess the Harlot, who knows all of humanity’s darkness as the Keeper of Secrets, which is a destiny Lucifer constantly searches for a way to free herself of. Additionally, some of Lucifer’s backstory is explored, such the origin of her lengthy real name Luci Jenifer Inacio das Neves, along with her youth in a Brazilian favela explaining both her indomitable attitude and her occasional outburst of Portuguese.

The Sisters of Witchdown is less one of the cash-in tie-in novels that take up a portion of the sci-fi section of your local Waterstones, and more an expansion of the world of Hexed through a different medium. Prose fiction allows for more detailed internal character thoughts and greater descriptions of what they’re feeling, and the third person narrative allows us to get a greater understanding of what exactly Lucifer is driven by. The book is structured a little like a comic, with each chapter not necessarily concluding at the end of a scene, but at a suitably dramatic juncture or wham line timed to make readers immediately want more. It’s a straightforward and untaxing read, but no less entertaining because of it

 

A COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES

BOOK REVIEW: A COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES / AUTHOR: SARAH J. MAAS / PUBLISHER: AMAZON MEDIA / RELEASE DATE: MAY 7TH

As punishment for mistakenly killing a faerie in animal form, teenage hunter Feyre is taken to the Spring Court of the High Fae to spend the remainder of her days as their prisoner. However, the faeries she encounters turn out to be far from the vicious killers she grew up believing them to be (and oddly all have their faces hidden by masks they cannot remove), while her feelings for her captor slowly grow from contempt to attraction. But this is not her only problem; a growing blight is slowly consuming the realms of the faeries, and unless it is stopped, the world of humans will be next.

So, a young woman is spirited away to a magical estate ruled over by a reclusive noble cursed along with his entire entourage, and despite the best efforts of both they begin to fall for each other. As you may have already surmised, there’s a heavy Beauty and the Beast vibe to proceedings (Feyre even has two elder sisters who treat her dismissively and a father who was formerly a wealthy merchant but lost his fortune at sea), but the story is ultimately far more than a mere iteration of the classic tale.

The Beast aspect of Feyre’s abductor Tamlin’s nature is both physical (shapeshifting into a nightmarish animal hybrid for hunting) and from his temperament (an uncompromising and occasionally violent fighter). He remains something of an enigma for much of the story, his insular personality creating a wall around his true thoughts and feelings that make him difficult to relate to. While it’s certainly plausible that a man raised to be warrior rather than a ruler would fall for the rough pragmatism of a huntress far more easily than some pretty primped princess, Tamlin’s taciturn nature prevents any insight into what precisely it is about Feyre that has so enchanted him, and thus his attraction to her is difficult to get a proper read on. Feyre’s desire for him comes from his treatment of her as a worthwhile person, as well as more than a little raw animalistic lust, and the change in her attitude towards him is gradual enough to never feel forced.

However, the romance is only one aspect of the story; also significant is the slow revelation of the truth behind the mysterious blight plaguing the fae lands. The story is shrouded in such mystery that the history of what is actually going remains largely hidden, and as a result the villains of the tale remain somewhat nebulous up until the last third of the book or so. When they do arrive, things lurch forward in an entirely new and far less meandering direction, and the latter part of Feyre’s role of romantic heroine comes into the fore.

A typical pitfall of stories featuring the Fair Folk sees authors unable to stop banging on about the otherworldly beauty of the fae, often to the detriment of any accompanying imagery relating to anything else. However, while Maas certainly takes the opportunity to revel in descriptions of just what finely sculpted specimens of the male form Tamlin and his second-in-command Lucian are, she never does it to excess, and the mix of physical beauty and formidable intimidation of the fae is matched only by those very same aspects forming the world they inhabit.

While A Court of Thorns and Roses is the first in a trilogy, it’s also a complete story concluding with a genuine resolution. The way is left open for further plots to be generated by doubtlessly recurring characters – dark and seductive, the lot of them – meaning Feyre has many adventures and temptations ahead of her.
 

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THE ART OF HOME

BOOK REVIEW: THE ART OF HOME / AUTHOR: RAMIN ZAHED / PUBLISHER: TITAN BOOKS / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

The Art of Home is yet another gorgeous coffee table book detailing the wonderful creativity that has been put into building the world of Dreamworks’ latest animation Home. From publishers Titan Books, who are rather adept at these comprehensive looks into the crafting of computer generated imagery, this latest is written by Ramin Zahed and features contributions from key talent, including a foreword by voice actor Jim Parsons and a preface by director Tim Johnson.

As usual, the art is superb from the sketches and storyboards right up to the finished animations. Revelling in its bright colours and lavishing beautiful image after beautiful image on the reader, The Art of Home could work just as an awe-inspiring picture book. As is often the way with these trawls through the archives of pre-production material, the initial sketches are frequently far more exciting than the final animation. The early stages of character design and world building reveal the excitement and imagination before something becomes inevitably lost when it all gets cleaned up in the final perfect rendering of computer generated images.

Home features some wonderful design elements from its pair of alien races, the Boov and the Gorg, to its reimagining of Earth after the takeover of the Boov. Working with the idea of bubbles being central to Boov technology, the imagination on display is often wondrous, but at other times a little flat. It’s always a treat to see how designs evolve, and to then read about the thought behind these weird and wonderful creations. While the film itself (reviewed here) has a bit of a lacklustre story and depends heavily on its voice talent (particularly The Big Bang Theory’s Jim Parsons), the visuals still manage to impress when collected here.

The contributions of key talent are invaluable to the text, but occasionally there is a tendency towards repetition as some of these designers and supervisors cover very similar ground. However, the foreword and preface gets things off to a very fine start, with Parsons displaying a winning sense of humour and passion for the project and director Tim Johnson kicking things off with an excellent little poem.

The Art of Home isn’t an essential companion for fans of the film but it is a generally well written and insightful look at the huge amount of hard work that goes into creating the world of an animation like Home. With its luscious artwork making the most of the archive material on offer, it would make a worthy addition to any home.
 

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