Review Category: Books

Review: Wolves / Author: Simon Ings / Publisher: Gollancz / Release Date: January 16th

The unfortunate truth about Wolves is that, quite simply, the book is a literary disaster; poorly structured, insultingly juvenile, incoherent and incapable of letting any of its vague ideas flourish. You can easily end up well over halfway through the book without understanding anything.

The blurb on the back explains, “At school, Connie and Micky cooked up all the ways the world could end. Years later, will their reunion reveal who killed Conrad’s mother? Will it make them a lot of money? Or, just maybe, bring about the collapse of Western civilisation?” However, the pages within barely make any of this clear. The novel fails to set up even basic introduction to the characters; their backstories, traits and relationships all remaining sketchy and unconvincing. The dialogue is also bafflingly cryptic. It’s as if the objective here was to avoid every single writing tool ever formed.

And then there’s the sex and swearing. Multiple characters spend their time dropping f-bombs and engaging in various orgasmic acts. As well as crippling any serious potential for drama, the latter prove to be extremely unimaginative and more unintentionally amusing than anything else. Jammed into the book from as early as the third chapter, they never fail to emerge completely out of leftfield with no actual connection to events, making it look as if the author added them purely out of prurient interest.

Ings notches up the occasional halfway decent description of environments or emotional scenes, but not enough to redeem what is almost a guide to how not to write a novel.

Review: The Return of Sherlock Holmes + His Last Bow / Author: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle / Publisher: BBC Books / Release Date: Out Now

At first glance, these two volumes could be spin-offs from TV’s Sherlock, instead of the other way round. The BBC’s 21st century incarnations of Holmes and Watson are plastered over the front covers, and the name of the series, as well as its creators Steven Moffat and Mark Gattis, all feature prominently.

It’s a typically cheeky Holmesian piece of misdirection though as, inside, there’s not a glimpse of Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman’s incarnations of the characters. Instead, the two volumes contain 21 of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s 56 short stories. And they’re glorious.

These two volumes, released to coincide with the third series of the BBC’s Sherlock, comprise the third and fourth volumes of short stories written by the author. Two of the other collections, along with three of the four novels have also previously been released with a 21st century makeover.

For fans of the series new to the source material, there’s much to enjoy here. Besides passionate, heartfelt introductions by Holmes devotees Moffat and Gattis, three of the stories – The Empty House, Charles Augustus Milverton and The Last Bow – provide inspiration for episodes in the new series. Substantial portions of The Dancing Men and The Bruce-Partington Plans have previously been appropriated for their modern counterparts, as well as elements of several other stories.

The first volume, The Return of Sherlock Holmes, is the strongest of the two. The Final Problem (the last story of Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes) ended, as did series two of Sherlock, with the detective’s apparent death. Unlike his TV counterpart however, Holmes’ death in that story was originally meant to be definitive until Conan Doyle, largely due to public demand, resurrected the character here. These 13 stories, published in 1903/4, represented his first Holmes short stories in a decade, and the break obviously did the writer good, as Return contains many of his best adventures.

Besides the two stories here which provide inspiration for series three, other classics include The Dancing Men, The Priory School and The Second Stain, although, of the 13, there’s not a weak story among them.

His Last Bow, comprising eight stories originally published over a five year period, is more of a mixed bag. Although there are no bad stories here (Conan Doyle never wrote a poor Holmes story), it’s more inconsistent than earlier collections. Two stories though, The Bruce-Partington Plans and The Devil’s Foot, rank among the author’s best work. Also worth noting is the title story, probably the most atypical of all Holmes stories. Set on the eve of the First World War, it provides a beautiful footnote to the great detective’s career. Unusually, this collection includes The Adventure of the Cardboard Box. Controversial when written in 1892 due to its subject matter of adultery, the story is usually included in UK versions of Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes. Its inclusion here is more in keeping with the American editions, where it ended up after being removed from Memoirs.

For aficionados, these volumes provide a chance to revisit old friends. Fans who only know the TV series, who are presumably the target audience of these repackaged editions, will also find much to enjoy. Besides inspiration for one of the best shows currently on TV, they serve as a superb introduction for a new generation to literature’s greatest detective.

Review: Grimm – Aunt Marie’s Book of Lore / Author: Various / Publisher: Titan / Release Date: Out Now

It’s a safe bet to say anyone who’s watched the Grimm TV series will be familiar with Aunt Marie’s Book of Lore, Nick Burkhardt’s go-to bestiary and all-round monster manual. It’s a tome that’s been written through the ages, in various languages, its yellowed papers bound in leather, handed down through generations of Grimms.

This version, published by Titan Books, is a glossy facsimile of what viewers have seen in the series, complete with its sketchy drawings, translations and notes in the margin. There are even bloodstains and photographs of props, made to look like they’ve been placed upon these open pages. It ties in seamlessly with the TV show, adding in some of Detective Burkhardt’s notes and police files (which, being recent additions, are in white paper and look like they’ve been taped in).

Much care has obviously been taken in the design of this book, and it’s the attention to detail that makes it stand out from standard tie-in fare. It’s beautifully presented and, despite the pages being glossy, the colour of them gives a genuine illusion of age; there are even ‘rips’ and ‘claw-marks’ that show the next page through them, just as if the book itself were torn.

Fans of Grimm will no doubt enjoy flicking through these pages, finding them in keeping with the tone of the series (there’s a weapons section that is darkly humorous), although newcomers should be warned that many of the creatures are covered in a detail that could spoil any would-be surprises. Other than that, this book is a great accompaniment, one that’s been created with care and affection.

Review: Grimm – The Icy Touch / Author: John Shirley / Publisher: Titan / Release Date: Out Now

Tie-in novels can be a double-edged sword. It’s great to read about favourite characters while waiting for the next series or film to be made, but those characters rarely change too much from how they’re portrayed on screen. The events of a novel tend not to have repercussions upon what we see on TV or the cinema, thus limiting what can happen to those involved; you know they won’t die on the page, so any sense of jeopardy is therefore lessened.

Fortunately, Grimm: The Icy Touch is a gripping enough tale for none of this to matter. The writing is as strong as expected from noted sci-fi author John Shirley, who has captured the tone and atmosphere of the series perfectly. He’s created a new villain for the novel – a more than suitable adversary for Detective Burkhardt and his friends – who provides genuine threat and concern for all those who oppose him. While the story doesn’t expand the Grimm mythology too much, any creatures and objects are explained in an unobtrusive manner that won’t infuriate die-hard fans, while also appealing to those who are new to this created world.

No one who’s watched an episode of Grimm will be surprised by what they find here – it’s the usual style of investigation complete with strange killings and red herrings – but the book has a greater sense of the strange than the TV show; there’s no budgetary limitations in a novel, so the author is allowed free rein with the type of creatures he can involve in the story. Sometimes, though, it can feel like everything has been thrown in for the sake of it, almost to the point where the reader wonders if there are more Wesen than normal humans. The familiar banter is there, too – especially with Monroe – with conversations sounding just like a script from an episode; all that’s missing is the voices of the actors.

Above all, it’s great fun, a book you can read in a couple of long sittings, each chapter hooking you into continuing with the next. It’s refreshing, exciting, and bodes well for the series.

Review: Resonance (Ragnarok Vol 3) / Author: John Meaney / Publisher: Gollancz / Release Date: Out Now

The final instalment of the Ragnarok trilogy, Resonance sees the conclusion to the titanic conflict previous books have been building towards. Scattered throughout history, individuals from feudal, industrial and future ages singled out for their specialities are preparing for war, to combat darkness only they can see and the threat lurking in the universe’s core. With an invasion waiting in the wings, humanity and the Ragnarok Council may well be all that stands in its path…

Featuring a narrative scattered throughout time and space and a threat set on a truly monumental scale, Resonance is a book driven by big ambitions. Meaney has penned a story that aims to be epic beyond even the level of Dune or similarly famed series. Furthermore, the amount of research that has gone into the book adds a surprising degree of credibility to certain events.

Unfortunately, while the book manages to keep its multitude of timelines and plot threads coherent, the writing disappoints in several regards. The big ideas on display work well and are what carry the book, but the human element is somewhat lacking. The prose is thin and overly given to telling rather than showing, even in the climactic set-pieces, which as a result simply don’t have the punch which they deserve after all the build-up. Consequently some sections prove to be surprisingly dull and remote despite the obvious weight of events behind them.

At the end of the day Resonance is a good read and a decent conclusion to the trilogy, but like the prior two books its main drive is its ideas. You will likely enjoy the subjects discussed and the ideas brought up more than what the novel does to explore them or the characters in question. Buy it if you’re a fan of stories on a massive scale such as Iain M. Banks’ Culture series or the aforementioned Dune, but otherwise approach with some caution.

Review: Who Is Who? – The Philosophy of Doctor Who / Author: Kevin S. Decker / Publisher: I.B. Tauris / Release Date: Out Now

Given the fact that there are numerous episode guides, behind the scenes exposés, original fiction, comics and tie-in novels already in existence and that every single last molecule of Doctor Who trivia and minutiae is known inside-out to a global community of ardent Whovians, is there anything new that can possibly be presented that we haven’t seen before?

Of course there is, and philosophy professor Kevin S. Decker has just the thing for you in his latest offering, Who Is Who?: The Philosophy of Doctor Who.

The search for truth in fiction is certainly nothing new, we’ve all learned life lessons while watching our heroes go about their heroic business on screens both large and small. We all take something insightful from these wondrous stories we watch, but Professor Decker raises the concept to a whole new level. He has already explored the philosophical significance of Star Wars, Star Trek and (incredibly) The Terminator in earlier books and now turns his attention to the last surviving Gallifreyan.

The book shifts between two gears. The easier of them to read looks back at the character’s rich history in a way that is informative and that inspires the reader to re-explore some past episodes. And then you get the extremely involved academic examination of what it all means. This latter is the book’s USP and it’s also a very real stumbling block to the casual reader because it assumes a near expert level of understanding of some pretty weighty theories which are likely to be beyond the scope of your average man in the street.

Professor Decker takes us on an intellectual voyage, exploring the theories of philosophers such as Pierre-Simon LaPlance (who was an advisor to Napoleon Bonaparte) and Descartes in terms of the light they might shed on what Doctor Who really means. Needless to say, it gets very heavy, very quickly. For example, when discussing the Doctor’s homesickness in 2007’s Gridlock, Professor Decker explains: “While the Doctor exhibits melancholia for an actual place, existential phenomenology posits an analogous metaphysical homelessness that has the potential to affect anyone, even those of us who haven’t locked the last members of our species in a time loop for eternity.” And while reeling from that, we’re then treated to a quote from Simone de Beauvoir about how “one may falsely assert oneself as being or assert oneself as nothingness”. Anyone?

For anyone still trying to get their head around the Daleks and what they’re all really about, it’s a lot to take in. Great book for academics and philosophers, but for the average fan, not so entertaining.

Review: The Unremembered Empire / Author: Dan Abnett / Publisher: Black Library / Release Date: February 18th

The science fiction civil war space opera known as The Horus Heresy series is, at this point, long and unwieldy. With at least fifty books planned (plus seemingly endless audio dramas, limited edition novellas and other extras being produced) you can hardly blame many fans for simply declaring that they will only follow two or three select authors. Dan Abnett is typically top on that list; he did begin the series and is one of the most popular and talented writers producing books for the Black Library.

The Unremembered Empire is Abnett’s latest novel for the series, and it handily consolidates a whole bunch of plot lines and story ideas from the previous twenty plus books. At its heart, The Horus Heresy saga is one of demi-gods and gods waging a civil war across the galaxy, and to do a story like that justice, you need to make it pretty epic. The Unremembered Empire concentrates on one of these demi-godlike beings, the Primarch Gulliman. Stranded from the greater war by the cunning of his enemies, he has to attend to his own power base and the people he is responsible for, whilst a war rages on and his enemies come for him. As you might expect, gathering all the story strands from a big and complex series means that this book is a dense read, and very, very full.

Characterisation is excellently done and though the book is very action-packed, the main focus is on what’s going on in the minds of the major players. Given that the story features some of the main stars of the series, this is extremely well handled. The narrative feels a little rushed in places; as the pace increases the details become much less focused and though this change of pace is necessary, it does lend a slightly incomplete feel to the book. It generates almost as many questions as it answers, but as this is part of an ongoing series, that is entirely fine.

The Unremembered Empire feels like it should be in the middle of the Horus Heresy; after all, Abnett started it all and it feels right that the middle (and hopefully in future, the end) belong to him. If you’re currently wading your way through the previous novels in the series and wondering if it gets better, this novel is where some of the build up finally pays off and we can only hope the series quickens in pace and plot development after this.

Review: Mort (Discworld Hardback Library) / Author: Terry Pratchett / Publisher: Gollancz / Release Date: Out Now

The Discworld novels are slowly being re-released in a smart new format; illustrated, dust cover-free hardbacks of the sort often used for books saddled with the name ‘classic’. They’re well produced and clearly the sort of thing that will survive being dragged around endlessly in a school bag or over-sized coat pocket. These re-releases also happen to be a good excuse to take another look at one of Terry Pratchett’s most fondly regarded books, even though it first came out in 1987.

Mort is the fourth book in the Discworld series, and arguably the first one where the series really starts to take shape. The previous three books all revolved around the world of wizards in some way or another, whereas Mort begins in the broader world. The rough plot follows the exploits of the titular Mort, a young boy looking for a good trade. Unfortunately, he becomes an apprentice to the anthropomorphic personification of Death itself.

Though Death had appeared in the earlier books, Mort is the first time we meet him in the flesh, or rather, lack thereof. Death, of course, has an agenda of his own, and is motivated mostly by curiosity and a desire to do the right thing. As you may expect, things do not go at all to plan, and it all gets a little bit sticky for the apprentice. Pratchett defines the character of Death here and lays the groundwork for some of the finer moments that appear later on in the series.

Pratchett’s unique brand of sardonic humour mixed with a down-to-earth sort of philosophy shines through, and it’s interesting to note that though the author has grown in skill and strength over the decades, his core appeal has not changed since the early years. Nevertheless, Mort is the book in which this now great author moved from being simply a witty writer to one of the premier fantasy writers of our age, and if you have not read it, perhaps now is the time to find out what all the fuss is about whilst enjoying a spiffy new cover.

Review: We Will Destroy Your Planet – An Alien’s Guide to Conquering the Earth / Author: David McIntee / Publisher: Osprey / Release Date: Out Now

We don’t know what it is about poor old planet Earth. Here it is, pillaged by its own inhabitants and yet still desirable invasion fodder to just about any alien race who happen to spot it. And they’ve all tried it. They’ve wanted our water, they’ve felt threatened by our growing nuclear capabilities, they’ve been unnerved by our curiosity in exploring the neighbourhood, our planet has been in the way of a galactic freeway, or they’ve tried to mine out the core so that the entire planet can be navigated. We’ve always been lucky, well, to date anyway. We’ve used options that include but are not limited to red dust, military might, bacteria, helpful time lords and unlikely inventions by scientists to ward off the threat.

Yes, well – our luck might well have run out as David McIntee has, in an act of possible treason, provided our potential galactic overlords with an exhaustively researched feasibility study that can be used against us.

We Will Destroy Your Planet is an intriguing multi-layered book that kicks off with a fun and fact filled look at the planet Earth, as it might be seen by an invading force. It’s actually educational in its way, describing the Earth’s orbit and giving the statistics of its circumference and diameter, its orbit around the sun and various other facts and figures. Amid the factual/educational content there are a few film references here and there to remind the reader that this isn’t a textbook to be taken seriously, but of course if you can have fun learning some basic science and astronomy, all the better.

The book looks at our military capability as a planet and makes the point that as we’re not a unified society we should be a pushover to conquer – and that’s a point that, chillingly, can’t be argued.

Post-invasion logistics such as moving around on Earth, and hand to hand combat are also covered, along with a section on feeding and caring for your humans, which will be reduced to slaves or pets after the dust has settled.

Even though it’s disturbingly convincing in its conviction that conquest would be swift and decisive, given the assumed superior alien technology, it’s also an entertaining look at how we might succumb to a conquering extraterrestrial force and not to be taken seriously, of course. The tone seems to borrow from Orson Wells’ infamous War of the Worlds radio drama of 1938, and we can think of no finer compliment.

The reassurance that this is only a work of fiction is in the final section which gives a quick, though informative, whistle stop tour of invasion films and TV series.

All in all, it’s an ideal and unusual stocking filler that’s practically guaranteed to intrigue and delight science fiction fans while they wait for the Doctor Who Christmas Special.

Review: 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die / Author: Tony Mott / Publisher: Octopus Books / Release Date: Out Now

Recently re-released in an updated edition, 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die sums up everything you need to know in the title. Spanning several decades all the way back to the early ’70s, the book covers a mass of noteworthy titles outlined and explained by a multitude of media experts.

What needs to be made clear from the outside is that this is not a countdown list. Everything starting with Oregon Trail onwards is there for breaking new ground or being a testament to solid genre gameplay.

There is no obvious lean towards favouring PC over console or vice versa, with many exclusives on either side being part of this listing. Furthermore, while many classics and prominent titles are namechecked, others which have fallen by the wayside or faded from memory get recognition too. For every Quake, StarCraft and BioShock there is a Jet Force Gemini, Cannon Fodder or Cybernator.

Barring a few exceptions, the passages defending and promoting each game do a good job of outlining what it was that made them stand out, with the odd hint of personal connection on the author’s part here and there. Sometimes it’s even enough to make you consider going back to try and find these titles, which makes the book worth thumbing through more than a few times just for curiosity.

Sadly, there are two obvious flaws with the title. It’s distinctly weaker when it comes to covering handheld gaming and some titles are definitely under-represented. Vagrant Story and Kingdom Hearts only merit a few paragraphs, while Mega Man Zero is missing entirely.

Chances are you won’t see everything you want here and might disagree with some of the choices. Nonetheless, if you’re an avid gamer interested in exploring past generations of titles, then this is a good guide. At the very least its pages will provide a satisfying jolt of nostalgia.