Review

Review: PRINCE LESTAT by Anne Rice (Chatto & Windus/Knopf)

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RiceA-PrinceLestatUK2The Vampires Return…

The vampire world is in crisis – their kind have been proliferating out of control and, thanks to technologies undreamed of in previous centuries, they can communicate as never before. Roused from their earth-bound slumber, ancient ones are in thrall to the Voice: which commands that they burn fledgling vampires in cities from Paris to Mumbai, Hong Kong to Kyoto and San Francisco. Immolations, huge massacres, have commenced all over the world.

Who – or what – is the Voice? What does it desire, and why?

There is only one vampire, only one blood drinker, truly known to the entire world of the Undead. Will the dazzling hero-wanderer, the dangerous rebel-outlaw Lestat heed the call to unite the Children of Darkness as they face this new twilight?

Few novels have had as much of a lasting impression on me as Anne Rice’s The Vampire Lestat and Queen of the Damned. I have read them so many times, now. I have, of course, also read the other novels in the Vampire Chronicles. It was with considerable anticipation, then, that I started this long-awaited new novel. It did not disappoint. An ambitious expansion of the existing mythology, and an engrossing update to the lives of Lestat and the undead tribe. Continue reading →

Review: THE WORLD ACCORDING TO BATMAN and THE JOKER (Bantam/Transworld)

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WorldAccordingToBatman&Joker

… BATMAN

Written by Daniel Wallace | Illustrated by Joel Gomez & Beth Sotelo

Experience the world through the eyes of the Dark Knight, as Batman shares the secrets of his relentless battle against the villains of Gotham City.

Filled with insight on everything from his tragic origin story to invaluable crime-fighting tips, this fully illustrated book sees the World’s Greatest Detective give budding heroes all the advice they need to take on villainy wherever they find it.

… THE JOKER

Written by Matthew K. Manning | Illustrated by Joel Gomez & Beth Sotelo

Enter the Joker’s twisted world as the Clown Prince of Crime shares his deranged worldview, revealing his skewed perspective on everything from life in Arkham Asylum to battling Batman.

This series of short, heavily-illustrated guides to the worlds of comic heroes and villains is a lot of fun. They’re very quick reads, and serve as excellent introductions, one-stop reference books and curios for fans new and old. Each of the books has a number of extra inserts and removable items — such as Arkham Asylum note cards (the Joker’s is amusing), Robin’s facemask, Post-It Note annotations from Dr. Arkham in the Joker’s book. In the Batman book, you’ll read about his equipment and world (include explanations of the most notable/stranger items in the Batcave), very brief descriptions of the key villains in the Rogues Gallery. The Joker’s book is appropriately zanier and more twisted, with riotous colours and scribblings from the mind of the demented clown. It’s a fun pair of books. I think they’d work as great stocking-stuffers for the Batman fan in your family. Readers already familiar with the characters may prefer one of the graphic novels or collections, though.

***

Bantam Press/Transworld have also published The World According To Spider-Man (review) and Wolverine (review).

Audio Review: AS YOU WISH by Cary Elwes & Joe Layden (Audible/Touchstone)

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ElwesC-AsYouWishAn inconceivably good memoir

From actor Cary Elwes, who played the iconic role of Westley in The Princess Bride, comes a first-person account and behind-the-scenes look at the making of the cult classic film filled with never-before-told stories, exclusive photographs, and interviews with costars Robin Wright, Wallace Shawn, Billy Crystal, Christopher Guest, and Mandy Patinkin, as well as author and screenwriter William Goldman, producer Norman Lear, and director Rob Reiner.

The Princess Bride has been a family favorite for close to three decades. Ranked by the American Film Institute as one of the top 100 Greatest Love Stories and by the Writers Guild of America as one of the top 100 screenplays of all time, The Princess Bride will continue to resonate with audiences for years to come.

Cary Elwes was inspired to share his memories and give fans an unprecedented look into the creation of the film while participating in the twenty-fifth anniversary cast reunion. In As You Wish he has created an enchanting experience; in addition to never-before seen photos and interviews with his fellow cast mates, there are plenty of set secrets and backstage stories.

The Princess Bride is one of my favourite movies. Therefore it was with great anticipation that I awaited the publication of Elwes’s memoir of the making of the movie. Elwes, who played Westley, delivers here a superb book. It is witty, humble, and excellently performed. Elwes is joined on occasion by other members of the cast and crew, who contribute their own stories and favourite memories of the production. What struck me most was how clearly they all enjoyed the whole process — even when things became tough, painful (literally — there were a few injuries during filming). Elwes talks of the disappointment that the movie was original met with scratching of heads by many, and the amazement and gratitude that it went on to become a massive hit on video, not to mention a passed-down-the-generations classic. Elwes’s delivery is perfect, as one can expect, and the narration is welcoming and crystal clear. There are also many moving memories of Andre the Giant, who played Fezzik and sadly passed away in 1993.

Every fan of the movie should read or listen to this. Or probably both. This was thoroughly enjoyable, engaging and very difficult to stop listening to. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go watch the movie for the hundredth time. And order a copy of the book for everyone I know (including one for my own library)…

***

As You Wish is published by Touchstone/Simon & Schuster. It is available in audio via Audible, who provided the review copy. Here’s a video clip of The Princess Bride cast being interviewed on Good Morning America (2011):

Quick Review: THE RELIC GUILD by Edward Cox (Gollancz)

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CoxE-RG1-RelicGuild2014The first part in an exciting new fantasy trilogy

In the sealed Labyrinth, a young woman must find a way to control her magic and escape her prison in this remarkable debut fantasy.

Magic caused the war. Magic is forbidden. Magic will save us.

It was said the Labyrinth had once been the great meeting place, a sprawling city at the heart of an endless maze where a million humans hosted the Houses of the Aelfir. The Aelfir who had brought trade and riches, and a future full of promise. But when the Thaumaturgists, overlords of human and Aelfir alike, went to war, everything was ruined and the Labyrinth became an abandoned forbidden zone, where humans were trapped behind boundary walls 100 feet high.

Now the Aelfir are a distant memory and the Thaumaturgists have faded into myth. Young Clara struggles to survive in a dangerous and dysfunctional city, where eyes are keen, nights are long, and the use of magic is punishable by death. She hides in the shadows, fearful that someone will discover she is touched by magic. She knows her days are numbered. But when a strange man named Fabian Moor returns to the Labyrinth, Clara learns that magic serves a higher purpose and that some myths are much more deadly in the flesh.

The only people Clara can trust are the Relic Guild, a secret band of magickers sworn to protect the Labyrinth. But the Relic Guild are now too few. To truly defeat their old nemesis Moor, mightier help will be required. To save the Labyrinth – and the lives of one million humans – Clara and the Relic Guild must find a way to contact the worlds beyond their walls.

This is a fantastic debut, and one that worked for me on pretty much every level. I’ve now read two different versions of The Relic Guild. The first was an early draft, back in 2012. I don’t say this to brag.* But rather, because it was interesting to be able to see some of the process – issues were ironed out, and the novel improved considerably between the two versions. I really enjoyed this, and definitely think Cox is an author to watch. This is a great first installment, and a must-read of 2014. Continue reading →

Audio Review: NEIL PATRICK HARRIS by Neil Patrick Harris (Audible/Crown)

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HarrisNP-NeilPatrickHarrisAutobiographyA very good autobiography

You’ve already made a great choice by picking up the audio edition of Neil Patrick Harris’ Choose Your Own Autobiography. This hilarious book has been adapted especially for the audiobook edition so you’ll hear all of the same fun and humor from the printed version but you don’t have to make any decisions or jump around – just kick back, relax, and listen. Plus, it features exclusive bonus audio of young Neil delivering an adorable speech! That’s audio you won’t hear in any version of this book other than the audiobook!

I only recently finished watching How I Met Your Mother, which I thoroughly enjoyed (save for the… disappointing ending). Naturally, I found Barney to be a stand-out element of the show (he and Marshall were my favourites). So, when I was able to get this for review from Audible, I was very much looking forward to diving right in. Unlike the book, which is a Choose Your Own Autobiography, for the audio edition NPH narrates in a far more linear style. He offers a few alternate options, which were amusing, but for the main he sticks to the story. Continue reading →

Review: RIVERS OF LONDON by Ben Aaronovitch (Gollancz)

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Aaronovitch-PG1-RiversOfLondonUKThe first Peter Grant novel…

My name is Peter Grant and until January I was just probationary constable in that mighty army for justice known to all right-thinking people as the Metropolitan Police Service (as the Filth to everybody else). My only concerns in life were how to avoid a transfer to the Case Progression Unit – we do paperwork so real coppers don’t have to – and finding a way to climb into the panties of the outrageously perky WPC Leslie May. Then one night, in pursuance of a murder inquiry, I tried to take a witness statement from someone who was dead but disturbingly voluable, and that brought me to the attention of Inspector Nightingale, the last wizard in England.

Now I’m a Detective Constable and a trainee wizard, the first apprentice in fifty years, and my world has become somewhat more complicated: nests of vampires in Purley, negotiating a truce between the warring god and goddess of the Thames, and digging up graves in Covent Garden . . . and there’s something festering at the heart of the city I love, a malicious vengeful spirit that takes ordinary Londoners and twists them into grotesque mannequins to act out its drama of violence and despair.

The spirit of riot and rebellion has awakened in the city, and it’s falling to me to bring order out of chaos – or die trying.

I finally got around to reading it! I actually pre-ordered this before it came out, and promptly… didn’t read it. (And somehow lost my first edition hardcover, which is most annoying…) I was going through a phase when I didn’t want to read anything set in London and then got distracted by myriad other things. As I am wont to do. Anyway. I’ve now begun the series, and I will certainly be reading the rest of it. This was a lot of fun, and a must-read for all fans of urban fantasy. Continue reading →

Short Fiction Reviews: CHILD OF NIGHT and DAEMONOLOGY (Black Library)

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Two great new Horus Heresy short stories

French-HH-ChildOfNightCHILD OF NIGHT by John French

In the dark hive sumps beneath Terra, Chief Librarian Fel Zharost of the Night Lords Legion is being hunted. Having abandoned his insane primarch and brothers many years ago, he doesn’t know what he’s done wrong, but he’s sure he doesn’t want to be captured. What will happen when he discovers that his Legion has fallen into heresy? And where will his loyalties lie?

Learn the fate of the Chief Librarian of the VIII Legion, former servant of Konrad Curze. The first Horus Heresy Night Lords story from John French is both an insight into changes that have taken place within the VIII Legion over the course of the Great Crusade, and a fascinating glimpse into the underworld slums of ancient Terra itself.

Ever since I read Aaron Dembski-Bowden’s Night Lords trilogy, I have developed a fascination with this traitor legion: designed very much to be the Imperium’s terror-troops, even during the Horus Heresy their tactics were considered extreme and horrific. In this story, John French tells us the story of a Terran-born Night Lords psyker. Exiled by the Legion, he has been eking out an existence back on Terra, in the perpetually dark underhive. Tracked down by a hunter, he shares some of his story. French does a great job of realising a number of different scenarios from Zharost’s life before and after his induction into the Legion. It’s very well written. The atmospherics are well-done and by no means over-written (it being the Night Lords, this is an essential element to get right). The ending opens up some interesting possibilities, too. As with many Heresy titles, I do wish it had been a bit longer. (More on this, below.)

*

Wraight-HH-DaemonologyDAEMONOLOGY by Chris Wraight

Chagrined by his defeat at the hands of Jaghatai Khan, Mortarion abandons the pursuit of the White Scars and instead leads the Death Guard in a spiteful, punitive rampage across the systems of the Prosperine empire. World after world has fallen to this horrific onslaught, and yet the insular and secretive primarch seems preoccupied by some other, unspoken goal. Finally, on Terathalion, the truth of Mortarion’s sinister heritage will be exposed, and the future of the XIV Legion will be written…

The Death Guard have already embraced treachery, but this story follows their Primarch as he continues upon the road that will eventually doom his Legion to a plague-wracked damnation.

Wraight’s short stories have been superb, of late. Always one of BL’s best writers, he’s really upped his game. Best of all, this short story focuses on Mortarion, the Primarch of the Death Guard. He featured somewhat prominently in Graham McNeill’s latest Heresy novel, Vengeful Spirit, but has remained rather enigmatic. In Daemonology, we learn of the primarch’s quest for greater understanding of what is happening around him: as vehemently anti-psyker and distrustful of anything that whiffs of sorcery, he is struggling with many of his fellow primarchs’ embrace of Chaos and daemons. His research has been somewhat rudimentary, and after tracking down a daemonhost, he realises just how much he doesn’t understand. Will he adopt the tools he distrusts in order to achieve his goals?

I really enjoyed this story. Mortarion is realised well on the page, and we get some great hints of things to come. The Death Guard’s fall to Nurgle remains somewhat vague and incomplete in the fiction series, so anything that adds to our understanding of the legion’s fall is welcome. Wraight proves very much up to the challenge, and I wish this had been much longer.

Both of these stories are very highly recommended.

***

On BL’s Heresy short stories: I wish there were more novella-length stories, rather than just short stories. There have been some, true, but mostly they are limited editions. For me the greatest value of writing even-just-a-bit-longer stories would have one immediate, welcome benefit: there’d be more story. Rather simple, really. The short stories are fantastic, and not every event or development needs to be presented in full-length novel form. I welcome every new nugget of Heresy story that comes out. But, you know, maybe a few that are a bit longer? Mix it up a bit?

Review: THE SLOW REGARD OF SILENT THINGS by Patrick Rothfuss (DAW/Gollancz)

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Rothfuss-SlowRegardOfSilentThingsUSA novella set in the Kingkiller world

The University, a renowned bastion of knowledge, attracts the brightest minds to unravel the mysteries of enlightened sciences like artificing and alchemy. Yet deep below its bustling halls lies a complex and cavernous maze of abandoned rooms and ancient passageways – and in the heart of it all lives Auri.

Formerly a student at the University, now Auri spends her days tending the world around her. She has learned that some mysteries are best left settled and safe. No longer fooled by the sharp rationality so treasured by the University, Auri sees beyond the surface of things, into subtle dangers and hidden names.

I’m going to keep this review short. Ultimately, this novella did not work for me. I get what Rothfuss was trying to do — and not only because of the author’s introduction and notes after. While interesting, I really struggled to stay interested. Continue reading →

Review: THIRD WAR OF ARMAGGEDON (Black Library)

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Various-Armageddon-ThirdWarSome connected WH40k short stories

Armageddon is a world engulfed by war. As the Third War for the planet rages on, the Imperial defenders sell their lives dearly to hold back the near-endless green tide of orks. On this world of battle, legends are forged and heroes made – but against the might of the greatest ork invasion in history, even the Imperium’s greatest warriors may not be enough to triumph.

This is a series of short stories that Black Library released over a single week (one a day) not so long ago. They are all connected to the “Third War of Armageddon”, a major conflict and world in the Warhammer 40,000 sci-fi setting. Black Library have a history of releasing great short fiction, and there were certainly a couple of very good stories in this collection. Continue reading →

Review: THE FIRST FIFTEEN LIVES OF HARRY AUGUST by Claire North (Orbit)

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NorthC-FirstFifteenLivesOfHarryAugustUKA superb timey-wimey novel

Harry August is on his deathbed. Again.

No matter what he does or the decisions he makes, when death comes, Harry always returns to where he began, a child with all the knowledge of a life he has already lived a dozen times before. Nothing ever changes.

Until now.

As Harry nears the end of his eleventh life, a little girl appears at his bedside. ‘I nearly missed you, Doctor August,’ she says. ‘I need to send a message.’

This is the story of what Harry does next, and what he did before, and how he tries to save a past he cannot change and a future he cannot allow.

It took me a long time to get around to reading this novel. I really don’t know why. Nevertheless, having now finished it, all I can say is: Wow. This novel is brilliant, and is an absolute must-read. Continue reading →