Review Category: Books

Review: The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror 24 / Author: Stephen Jones (Editor) / Publisher: Robinson / Release Date: Out Now

‘Mammoth’ is certainly the right word for it. A chunky tome, The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror #24 takes in twenty-one short stories, a poem (by Neil Gaiman) and a wealth of additional material. And with names such as Gaiman, Kim Newman and Joe R. Lansdale among the gathered authors, it’s pretty substantial too.

The book opens with its introduction: Horror in 2012. This is an extensive, fairly comprehensive look at the major (and less so) horror releases across movies, television, literature and video games in 2012. Organised by subgenre, it’s helpful, illuminating and left this writer’s ‘to do’ list a whole lot longer by the time he’d finished reading it. Gaiman kicks off the creative writing with the short but spooky poem Witch Work. One suspects that he wrote it in a spare half hour in-between The Sandman and a Doctor Who episode, but it’s an interesting read, nonetheless. The rest of the stories are split between genre stalwarts, such as Lansdale and Ramsey Campbell, and relative newcomers. As with all collections, it can be hit and miss at times, but the standard is generally very high.

Wrapping things up is the morbid but informative Necrology: 2012 by Kim Newman and Stephen Jones – a summary of the great horror writers, filmmakers and creators (as well as a few non-genre persons) who are no longer with us, as of last year. Finally, there’s a collection of useful addresses where you can find further reading, should you be so inclined.

Now in its twenty-fourth year, The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror makes for great reading. Its stories are just the right length, never outstaying their welcome, while frequently clever, creepy, funny and scary. It’s a great collection, even if it does feel like a bit of a hodgepodge of styles and themes. Best New Horror? Well, maybe not quite the ‘best’, but it is very good.

Review: Middle-earth Envisioned – The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings – On Screen, On Stage and Beyond / Author: Paul Simpson, Brian J. Robb / Publisher: Race Point Publishing / Release Date: Out Now

Countless artists, writers and directors have attempted to capture the rich and varied beauty of Middle-earth and its peoples since J.R.R. Tolkien first introduced them in prose so many years ago. While the work of Peter Jackson has been endlessly explored in lush coffee table books and abundant DVD special features, Middle-earth Envisioned is thankfully not solely in thrall to the work of the Kiwi director on his two epic film trilogies.

It’s a huge, heavy book stuffed full of pictures, paintings, sketches, stills, concept art, comic book interpretations and more. The work of old favourites Alan Lee and John Howe sit side by side with previously unreleased art created by English schoolteacher Mary Fairburn, whose work Tolkien praised highly. The pages are positively seething with pictures that Tolkien fans will take great pleasure in pouring over.

Middle-earth Envisioned starts slowly with a prologue about Tolkien’s life (nothing you couldn’t find on Wikipedia) and then a recap of the stories of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings (like you don’t know that already). Where it comes to life is in its delving into radio, television and stage adaptations of Tolkien’s source novels, from BBC adaptations to Finnish and Russian adaptations to Tolkien’s own recitals of his stories. It is a real shame that the book does not come with an audio accompaniment. It will have you reaching for your computer at the end of almost every page, desperately seeking out footage of these (often thought lost) audio recordings or YouTube clips from obscure operatic stage productions.

Given the amount of criticism of Peter Jackson’s extension of The Hobbit into three films, it is interesting to hear of a similar approach in early BBC radio adaptations also. What are perhaps harder to swallow are the numerous Tolkien-inspired ballets and operas, and even a Russian television adaptation made with a laughably low budget. The pictures from some of these are occasionally hilarious, but also very often impressive. The work of those responsible for the Finnish stage and television adaptations is justifiably highlighted and is well worth a look.

The text also notes the influence of Tolkien’s stories on Babylon 5 and other shows and carefully constructs a history of all the comics and video game adaptations of both The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. It’s a fascinating tour from the Sinclair ZX Spectrum right up to the modern MMORPG’s that immerse players ever more deeply in the worlds created by Tolkien.

With so much other material to cover, it isn’t until chapter 9 that we finally get to early attempts to adapt the books for the silver screen. Here there is a wealth of information that that will probably leave you amazed that film versions ever actually got made. From Tolkien’s disillusionment with early adaptors to a thankfully quickly nixed Beatles-starring version of The Lord of the Rings (John Lennon as Gollum?), the book details the long and painful process through countless aborted to attempts to get Tolkien’s work up on screen.

That said, there is a good 40 (out of just over 200) pages dedicated to Peter Jackson’s work on both trilogies with plenty of lush stills, marketing pictures and behind-the-scenes photos thrown in for good measure. While The Hobbit trilogy is not complete, Middle-earth Envisioned does cover a lot of ground including not only many of the criticisms of An Unexpected Journey and its higher frame rate but also the success it has had at the box office. It all ends with a final chapter on the cultural legacy of Tolkien’s books from artwork and music to some fantastic examples of fan-created films and art.

Middle-earth Envisioned is not for readers who are only interested in Peter Jackson’s films or casual Tolkien fans. It is an exhaustive illustrated history of all those who have attempted to bring Tolkien’s writing to life. Unless you are already a Tolkien know-it-all who speaks Elvish, you are bound to find plenty here that will leave you inspired to search the internet for further evidence of the weird and the wonderful adaptations of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.

Review: Star Wars – Kenobi / Author: John Jackson Miller / Publisher: Del Rey / Release Date: Out Now

As John Jackson Miller describes it himself, Kenobi takes the familiar Obi-Wan Kenobi character and drops him into the middle of an old-fashioned Western tale. All that old Ben is missing is some tobacco and a spit bucket. Yeehaw.

From the moment you read the prelude, this book firmly grabs your attention. As soon as Obi-Wan seeks directions from a barkeep at a rowdy establishment, Kenobi takes the reader on a character-driven, evolving and unique path. Picking up after the events of Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, we see the Jedi Master on his mission to deliver a baby called Luke (you may have heard of him) to his future home on Tatooine with the Lars family. The delivery of Luke to Owen Lars is not the only promise that Obi-Wan keeps, as he also regularly does his best to contact his old Master, Qui-Gon Jinn.

After the initial ‘bang’ with which Obi-Wan arrives into the story, the book then takes a different route, holding back for a while before our hero returns to the fray. In the meantime, we’re given a large slab of Tusken Raiders on our plate, as the Sand People are running amok on Tatooine. Going up against them, we also have various other parties, all seemingly out for land, power or pride. Battling families, feuds that have ran for generations, and reveals and revelations are just part of the fun in Kenobi. Of course, they’re the chips that accompany the steak that is Obi-Wan himself.

With this book, Miller has given us a unique look into the character of Obi-Wan Kenobi, as he makes the choice to go underground and become plain ol’ Ben Kenobi, having to keep the lightsaber and magic tricks firmly under wraps for the most part. It’s a very raw, basic, and novel approach to the character, and an approach that hasn’t been touched upon too much in any previous Star Wars works. Added to that, given that it follows on from Episode III, there are also glimpses into the titular character’s struggle with what happened to Anakin Skywalker. You really feel Obi-Wan’s pain at essentially having to slay his ‘brother.’ Similarly, we’re treated to Kenobi coming across small clues and unheeded warnings of Anakin’s descent towards the ‘Dark Side’ and what he would become.

Kenobi captures a lot of what’s great about the lead character. It’s humorous, playful, yet serious, thorough and impactful too. Hell, Obi-Wan even gets some attention from the ladies. Can’t be bad, no? And he didn’t even have to get his lightsaber out.

Review: The Legend of Adam Caine / Author: John Charles Scott / Publisher: Self-published / Release Date: Out Now

It’s hard to know what exactly to make of The Legend of Adam Caine. While hardly bad, it seems to almost work in spite of itself. Beginning in mid-2006, a group of travellers on-board a tube service are flung out of their time by an inhuman stranger lurking in their midst. The reason for their abduction lurks in the ambitions of a race far ahead of their time, and it does not bode well for any of them…

The plot itself contains plenty of points people will be familiar with. An alien abduction, time travel, a race bent upon subjugation and extermination, but a big part of the book’s charm is that it displays an awareness of these traits. It reminds us why such ideas were originally enjoyed, while throwing in esoteric references which will please major fans of this genre and putting a new spin on others. While some of these are laid on a bit too heavily, especially one Gaunt’s Ghosts reference early on, they are rarely so intrusive they will confuse those not familiar with what is being referenced.

Much of the actual meat of the story originates from the battle scenes, which emphasise the confusion and chaos of battle. Thanks in large part to the fast pacing of these scenes and the graphic descriptions, the book holds your attention and rarely feels as if it is dragging, despite being over 700 pages long

The titular Adam Caine is often at the heart of things, and it’s his delineation which will ultimately split audiences. Pushing the super-soldier angle a little too hard without initial reasoning, Caine seems to repeatedly survive things which should kill him. While a likeable enough character, and hardly the only protagonist to show remarkable recuperative abilities, he would have benefited from a stronger backstory. The same might be said of the other characters in the book, few of whom are as well-established as one might wish.

A good, solid book then, but its flaws are apparent for all to see. Buy it if you like the concept, but don’t expect a masterpiece.

Review: Adventures with the Wife in Space – Living with Doctor Who / Author: Neil Perryman / Publisher: Faber / Release Date: Out Now

Many of you will no doubt be familiar with the online blog Adventures with the Wife in Space (in which uber-fan Neil Perryman subjects his wife Sue to every episode of Doctor Who from An Unearthly Child to the TV movie), so how does the book of the same name fare in comparison? Well, rather than just being some sort of printed blog compilation, this book is a life story marked by Doctor Who milestones (for example, he can remember when he met his future stepdaughter by knowing what episode was on UK Gold at the time) and occasionally interrupted by the titular wife.

There are of course extracts from the successful blog but this only adds to a narrative that zips along faster than a Weeping Angel. And the book does a good job of being educational to fans who might not know every term or production code (for instance, not every fan will know what CSO means).

More than anything else, the book is funny. The snippet that had us laughing the most was the bit about his brother-in-law Gary and how awful the fans thought he was. But let’s not forget the creepy and yet somehow hilarious song that one fan wrote about his attraction to Sue.

However, the book is also a love story and when reading Sue’s chapter and The Experiment Ends: Assessing The Results, one really gets a sense of just how much these two love each other. It’s so ridiculously heart-warming, it’s almost as if the two core aspects of the book have no business being near each other; a book this touching shouldn’t be this funny. But it works. This is one of the best Doctor Who books on shelves for the 50th and is absolutely essential reading for even the Not-We.

Review: Moon’s Artifice / Author: Tom Lloyd / Publisher: Gollancz / Release Date: Out Now

Civil war looms in the Empire of a Hundred Houses, each of its noble factions poised for a conflict that threatens the rule of the warrior caste. Investigator Narin finds himself dragged into a plot of intrigue and betrayal, as he and his small group discover a conspiracy that has the potential to bring the Empire to its knees. Add to this mix the presence of gods and demons, each with their own agendas, and it quickly becomes clear there’s a lot more going on than Narin initially suspects.

Moon’s Artifice kicks off a new series by Twilight Reign author Tom Lloyd, who drops the reader straight into the thick of it, setting his stall early so we can know what to expect. When a god appears barely a dozen pages into the book, alarm bells begin to ring, but thankfully it’s the human characters who take centre stage, able to perform without too much of a divine guiding hand. Of these characters, it’s the most down to earth – not the assassin or the magically-gifted warrior, but the woman seeking justice for a family member – who comes across as the most heroic and, as such, the most well-realised of the bunch. That’s not to say the others fall flat; each has their distinctive personalities and the flaws that go with them, and it’s pleasing to see that Narin is still learning his job – and therefore out of his depth – rather than being the best investigator in the city who can take it all in his stride.

Tom Lloyd has created a rich and multi-layered society, one that is revealed slowly to the reader, never dumped onto the page in huge chunks; in fact, we’re still learning new things close to the end of the novel. The mythology of the world is well-crafted, too – the gods are humans whose perfection has enabled them to ascend to the stars, while the demons are fittingly bestial and scheming. Each page oozes plot, so much so that at times this can be daunting and confusing, with too much going on. Similarly, conversations sometimes feel like little more than exposition, the characters who are speaking made to sound somewhat soulless.

Moon’s Artifice is a book that demands the full attention of the reader, which isn’t a bad thing. It’s sometimes frustrating, can be a challenging read, but is ultimately rewarding, working well as a standalone story, while leaving anyone who has invested their time looking forward eagerly to the next volume of what promises to be a fascinating series.

Review: Eidolon/ Author: Libby McGugan / Publisher: Solaris Books / Release Date: Out Now

The Large Hadron Collider at CERN is a bit of a gift to contemporary science fiction writers. The massive science project is, in essence, trying to discover the secrets of the universe, which makes it perfect fodder for fantastic thrillers that have a touch of the cosmic and mystic about them. Eidolon follows the trials and troubles of physicist Robert Strong, who, following a spooky near-death encounter in Tibet, finds himself with unexpected powers and a mysterious job offer to work at CERN as a double agent of sorts.

Eidolon is an interesting mix of science and mysticism; the main character is a practical man as well as a physicist who has spent his life dedicated to uncovering the secrets of the universe through cold, hard reason. Initially, the growing supernatural elements are engaging, and the central character’s scepticism is entertaining. This mix is jarring in places, but that’s the point; it’s one man’s journey into mystery, starting from a fixed point of rationality and rapidly dipping into the strange and mystical, without ever completely losing the plot. Those of a profound spiritual bent, or those who demand an absolute doctrine of reason from anything that associates itself with physics, will dislike the way this book flips from science fact to utter fantasy, but for the rest of us, that’s part of the fun.

Author Libby McGugan is one to watch; this is a cracking debut and an entertaining thriller. Though the concepts behind the story seem deep, the core story is a light and frothy thriller which uses the lure of science as gloss rather than substance. This fits the writer’s style, but it would be very interesting to see these ideas explored in more depth by this canny and cunning writer.

Review: The Rainbow Man / Author: P.B. Kane / Publisher: Rocket Ride Books / Release Date: Out Now

The Rainbow Man is an emotionally charged novella detailing an ancient horror that falls upon the quiet island of Shorepoint. The morning after a ferocious storm, Daniel and his friends explore the island’s beaches looking for treasures when they stumble across a man seemingly washed up by the tide.

Taken to the local hospital, the stranger – John – survives his experience and becomes regarded as something of a good luck charm by the island’s inhabitants when a series of fortuitous events soon follow. People come into money, terminal diseases go into remission, fishermen catch the haul of a lifetime. The world starts smelling of roses. But Daniel is not convinced. Although not sure why, he’s the only one who sees John as something different – someone to be feared. Just what is John doing when he visits the island’s inhabitants? And surely Shorepoint’s good luck will one day run out. What happens then?

Paul Kane writes with confidence and skill, crafting a gripping YA novel that once started can not easily be put down. The great thing about this story is that it can be enjoyed on different levels: the emotional context of Daniel’s family life, the awful gap left by the death of his father, the horror of the Rainbow Man and the social commentary of how, sometimes, we often fail to see what is right under our noses. And like all good YA books it doesn’t really matter what age you are, the story is strong enough to carry the reader through to the final page.

P.B. Kane is an award-winning writer and editor with a host of books and comic books to his name. What he doesn’t know about horror isn’t worth writing down. Well worth a read.

Review: Doctor Who – 11 Doctors, 11 Stories / Author: Various / Publisher: Puffin / Release Date: November 21st

Although the BBC have been reviving the past Doctors with novels like Harvest of Time and The Wheel of Ice, certain Doctors have not seen print in new stories for many years. That is why it’s good that Puffin decided to launch a range of eBooks (one story per Doctor from January to November) to celebrate the Doctor’s half-century. These have been collected into one hefty tome that won’t fit through your letterbox.

The stories themselves make for rather light reading, though this is due to pace rather than length (as all total around 40-60 pages). The style of the stories does make them enjoyable for kids and adults alike, however, which is a good thing when you consider Who’s cross-generational appeal.

Nothing’s perfect (least of all Doctor Who), so there are a few niggles with certain parts of the stories. The Third Doctor story The Spear of Destiny contains some rather unwieldy infodumps about the UNIT years. It’s probably a necessary evil due to the fact that a lot of their target audience won’t be familiar with the Third Doctor’s tenure but we can’t help but feel that there must have been a smoother way to integrate them into the story. And we nearly hurled the book across the room when we read that Eoin Colfer put his Gnommish swear word “D’Arvit” in the mouth of the First Doctor. We cannot imagine such a word coming from Hartnell’s Doctor, not least because he would probably flub it. As Adrian Mole once said of ‘eleventy’, it feels like an invented word too far.

Bearing that in mind, this collection has something for everyone, and a few of the stories feature the villain most associated with that tenure. For example, The Ripple Effect (Malorie Blackman) gives us the Daleks, although not quite as we’re used to seeing them. On the other hand, our favourite story is Derek Landy’s Tenth Doctor story, The Mystery of the Haunted Cottage which only has traces of previous villains. The story is a character assassination of a certain breed of ‘children go on adventures’ schlock that we all read as kids. It’s hugely entertaining and arguably worth the price of admission alone.

However unlikely it is that it will be someone’s treasured childhood book, this will no doubt be quite an appreciated gift at Christmas time, and quite a good way of celebrating the anniversary to boot. We can’t help but wonder what would have happened if this had been explicitly aimed at adults, though. What wonders we might have seen.

 

Review: The Woman in Black – Angel of Death / Author: Martyn Waites / Publisher: Hammer / Release Date: Out Now

Susan Hill’s novel, The Woman in Black, has spawned stage and radio adaptations and, as you will surely know, a film starring Daniel Radcliffe that became the biggest grossing UK horror movie for many years. With a follow-up to the movie due in 2014, Hammer have now released a sequel to the book too, one that sees author Martyn Waites daring to follow in Hill’s footsteps.

The central plot is strong – it is World War 2 and children are being evacuated from the horror of the Blitz. Eel Marsh House has been renovated (though not well) and is to be used as a school. Cue the arrival of hordes of children. This is clever in that the Woman in Black focusses her attention on children, on and through whom she wreaks her evil revenge.

The story wastes no time in introducing us to new characters (two women teachers) and a love interest in the form of the inevitable young officer. We then get in quick, storyboard succession strange shadows, eerie voices, mould, rocking chairs, Victorian toys and an attempt to build to a conclusion. Sadly the effect on the reader is to be continually looking out for mentions of the Radcliffe movie and the experience becomes one of ticking off relics of that movie rather than developing a new story. We also didn’t enjoy the rapid sequence of very short scenes and never felt engaged with the development of characters.

Waites can clearly write, but the book never seems to shake off the shadow of the original or find its own way, which is a disappointment given the potential of the subject matter.