Will Storr Vs. The Supernatural....things that go bump in the night

An irresistible purchase, believe me you can't go too far wrong for 99p and it piqued my curiosity, who isn't tempted by the musings of a guy that has immersed himself in the world of ghostly goings on?  Well, uber sceptics wouldn't read this I must admit, but I loved the idea of it and have previously heard good things about it from colleagues at work.  I will admit I have absolutely no idea who Will Storr is and this is his only book, but, anyone who is willing to sit in a supposedly haunted house for hours on end has my respect.  Because, whether you believe in this stuff or not, that's some scary shit right there.

This is a journalistic foray into the world of spirits and ghosts as Storr interviews a plethora of different types of people involved with the exploration, or debunking, of ghostly goings on.  Storr also goes into the history of ghostly experiences, the different types of hauntings and some notable events.  It is as much an expose as it is a journey for Storr as he battles with his own experiences and opinions over the course of the book.  He spends nights in famous haunted houses, holds seances, experiences EVP (electronic voice phenomena) and gets exorcised by a high ranking Vatican exorcist, along with some other decidedly random experiences.

First of all, Will Storr sets out as a sceptic in these endeavours, however, he is quite possibly one of the most unconvincing sceptics I have ever encountered.  Storr seems incredibly ready to believe in the things that happen around him in his first vigil with a demonologist in the States, he doesn't just dismiss everything that happens around him with rational explanations.  So as far as his stance is concerned I was rather unconvinced, other than that this is a fantastic book.  Storr's level of belief peaks and troughs throughout the book as he experiences the truly unexplained and also experiences the frauds, the believers that believe wholeheartedly in their abilities, yet they are clearly leading themselves along a strange and unconvincing path.

The best thing about this piece of work is that is doesn't answer any questions, it just raises further ones.  I love this because it inspires you to delve deeper, to ask questions yourself.  It certainly has raised some interesting discussions in my household and I think that is what makes a good piece of journalism, it creates a thirst for knowledge and understanding. Storr's extensive research into philosophy, mental illness and science add new levels to the subject of ghosts and the afterlife.  I was particularly interested in his basic summary of string theory, how the frontier sciences may end up revealing more about our world than we have ever really known.  You can't fault Storr for his thirst for knowledge and his commitment to the research of this work.

Storr is very careful throughout not to ridicule any of his interviewees openly and, to be honest, the real kooks end up ridiculing themselves far too easily.  Storr's encounter with a group of mediums is really just laughable as they talk utter rubbish to him, guessing at the identity of a spirit that apparently wishes to communicate with him.  The best part was his revelation about the set of Most Haunted, it was an episode I have actually watched, the scripted nature of Derek Acorah's happenings and the utter bullshit they claim to have seen off camera.

Not everything in the book verges on the ridiculous.  Storr does encounter some very odd goings on that make you shiver when you read his accounts, and as he himself points out, some of the people he encounters are incredibly rational.  It will have you looking for ominous black shadows every night before you go to sleep, it is very, very creepy in places.  I even went so far to check out some of the references made to haunted places and exorcisms online, and the details of these cases did not help me sleep at night.  I don't recommend you Google EVP, it's doesn't make for a pleasant listening experience, real or not.

Although this book does not answer any of the big questions about ghosts it is still a fantastic read, perfect for anyone who has any level of interest in the subject.  It is made all the easier to read due to Storr's delightful humour and wit throughout, and the level of personal interest he bestows to his work.  It is hilarious in places and terrifying in others. Expect to spend a lot of time thinking about the subject long after you have finished the book, and it is a piece of work you will find yourself revisiting.

Casino Royale......Bond, James Bond

Completely outside of my comfort zone and my first real foray into the espionage genre, and what a place to begin.  No one can deny that this is one of Britain's more famous fictional characters and thanks to a massive fan base I am pretty sure there are very few people you will encounter that have not heard of James Bond.  I fancied something a bit different and I certainly got that.  I have obviously seen a lot of the rather cheesy Bond movies and I have also watched Casino Royale, which was by far my favourite of the franchise (and not just because of Daniel Craig being cast into the lead role).  I loved the raw, somewhat harsher Bond that Royale brought to the table, and as it turns out, this is a Bond we see in the novel as well.

As I am sure most of you are aware, this is the first of Fleming's novels about the famous James Bond.  Our introduction to Bond thrusts us into his world of indulgence and risk as he takes on the sinister Russian operative known as 'Le Chiffre'.  Bond's mission is to drive him to ruin at the baccarat table, forcing his employers to retire him for his lack of funding.  But of course, no one really plays fair and Bond must face his own confusing emotions over a dangerous female agent alongside the terrifying consequences of pushing 'Le Chiffre' too far.  We learn about what it takes to become a double 'O' as well and we get our first glimpses of 'M' Bond's elusive boss.

Now, we all know Bond from the films as a charming, ruthless spy with some cringe worthy one-liners and a penchant for martini (shaken not stirred).  The Bond in this novel is not what you would expect if you have only seen the films.  He is a cruel, cold man that drinks to excess, smokes far too much and has a huge love of gambling, not to mention of course his misogynistic thoughts about women.  Yep, that's right folks, the guy hates women and he cannot cope with the idea of having to work with one as his thoughts drift to unprofessional behaviour and weakness.  In spite of this Bond is of course a brilliantly drawn character that you can't help wanting to follow through the novel, his drive to focus on the job at hand coupled with his vices gives us a more believable characterisation of a human being, this is not someone who is perfect, and I liked this.  I also can't fault him for his love of vodka, a good choice in my opinion.

As for the narrative, just brilliant.  It's easy to follow whilst somehow remaining complex, as I am sure all good spy novels need to be.  It is also surprising, it's unpredictable, I was open mouthed when the two guys with bombs end up blowing themselves up in a botch job on Bond's life.  Flemming's description of said explosion is harrowing, even down to the detail of "an obscene smell of high explosive, of burning wood, and of, yes, that was it-roast mutton."  Gory stuff and a definite extreme of attention to detail.  I did not expect this from the novel at all so was still in a state of surprise when Bond gets tortured to the brink of insanity or death, whichever got to him first.  Incredibly gripping writing.

Perhaps the most dangerous part of the novel was Flemming's description of the game at hand, baccarat.  It is not the boring, tiresome explanation I was expecting (I had been forewarned).  Let's just say I now want to high tail it off to some fancy casino and play baccarat until I pass out from sleep deprivation or alcohol consumption, whichever hits me first.  The description is looped into Bond's playing of the game itself, and it's just brilliant.

It is said that Flemming wrote much of his own personality into Bond's character, and having browsed over his biography online I can well believe that.  Flemming was a talented writer but must have been a formidable man and it is sad that he only lived long enough to see two of his novels adapted for the silver screen.  It is safe to say he managed to create one of the most talked about and loved franchises of both British cinema and literature.  You can now add me to the list of fans, I thought this novel was a fantastic read and will be recommending it to anyone that has not yet picked up one of Flemming's novels (and 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang' does not count).  I have already picked up a copy of Moonraker to delve further into the world of James Bond.

It is worth pointing out that if you are expecting the novel to be 'exactly' like the film, well, it ain't.  Both formats are highly worth indulging in for their own merits, so go get your Bond on.

Wyrmeweald: Returner's Wealth......there be dragons, many, many dragons

If a book turns up in the post with a dragon on it there is a very likely chance I am going to read it.  Not only did Wyrmeweald boast a rather beautifully drawn white dragon on the front cover but it is also shiny, impossible to resist in other words.  Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell are a duo that are not to be trifled with, they have shared a great deal of success with past ventures in the kid's market and it is rather nice to see them venturing forth into the Teenage market with a darker, more adult, fantasy novel.  Now let's be honest here, there was absolutely no chance that I was going to dislike this novel and this was obviously the case, I loved every second of it.

BEWARE, I have included some spoilers in this review.

Wyrmeweald sets the scene in a fantasy world rife with dragons, travellers and epic, unforgiving landscapes.  Micah leaves home to search for his own helping of Returner's Wealth, said to be abundant in the Wyrmeweald, a dangerous and barren place filled with cut throat pioneers and a whole host of dragons just waiting to make the most out of another lost and naive adventurer.  As expected Micah's time in the weald is nothing but dangerous, exciting and a steep learning curve as he encounters a whole host of wonderfully drawn characters.  After a rather unfortunate incident on the wrong end of a Wyrmekin's lance Micah is introduced to Eli, a man who will become his guide and who is full of surprises about the Weald.  Eli is a man of secrets and honour, a rare find.  An troubling incident with a dragon's egg results in another addition to this unlikely pair of travellers in the form of Thrace, a Wyrmekin.  The trio must work together to overcome their obvious differences and act out a revenge most foul on those that have wronged them and the careful balance of the world of the Weald.  Micah must make his own decisions about the influences that surround him  and whether or not to respect the dragons of the Weald or to exploit them to earn his wealth.

This is such a wonderful novel about overcoming difference, and is essentially a coming of age novel for Micah (if you can say that about a fantasy novel).  Micah's character is so gentle yet strong of spirit that you can't help but be drawn to him and empathise with the losses and gains that he endures in the novel.  The budding romance between himself and Thrace is enticing and complicated, and one that you want so badly to bloom in spite of their obvious differences.  It is not only Micah's characterisation that is strong, all of the characters you encounter are so intricately woven that they seem real, there are multiple levels to each of them.  You will find no one dimensional characters in this novel.

There are just dragons absolutely everywhere in the book, in the landscapes, in the skies, in gatherer's luggage.  The people of the Weald live off of hunting or scavenging from dragons, this is how they obtain the coveted Returner's Wealth which is the element that drives Micah into the wilds in the first place.  The notion of this is so interesting, and of course indulgent of you are as much of a fan of dragons as I am.  The creative genius of these two is utterly overwhelming, and I love it, right down to the stunted blind Wyrme on a rope.

It is not just the story that will grip you, it's the style in which the novel is written.  At the beginning the location and time changes from chapter to chapter to build the foundations of the story, and this is done incredibly well.  These individual stories gradually merge as all of the parties involved encounter one another within the narrative, every little detail is important, there is no padding whatsoever in the telling.  For example, Micah's encounter in a cave as he begins his journey becomes all the more relevant at the conclusion of the novel, the danger he initially faced becoming all the more clear.  There are characters like this too, not just locations, Ichabod the Preacher's harsh madness is explained by the time you finish reading and it invokes a great sadness as you realise he is as much a victim as those he tricks on his travels.

This is yet another wonderful addition to the legacy that is Stewart and Riddell and works well as a standalone although it is the first of a series.  If you have never read anything by them this is as good a place as any to start and there might be a chance you won't be able to stop.  It is brilliant to read something a bit darker, a bit more vicious and all the more tender for it in places, I can't wait for the next one in the series.  Maybe they will take a step further after this and explode onto the adult fantasy market as Wyrmeweald really isn't too far off in my opinion.  This is a great read for anyone who enjoys a good fantasy, especially if you are after a lighter, quicker read than something as epic as George R. R. Martin or Stephen Donaldson.  This is a fantasy world you will love.

Wyrmeweald: Returner's Wealth is out now in paperback with the follow up Bloodhoney just out in hardback.

John Dies at the End.......or does he?

STOP.

YOU SHOULD NOT HAVE TOUCHED THIS BOOK WITH YOUR BARE HANDS

NO, DON'T PUT IT DOWN.  IT'S TOO LATE

THEY'RE WATCHING YOU

Unsurprisingly this rather caught my attention and I thought I had some sort of work of creative genius on my hands.  It would seem I was rather sadly mistaken.

This is a novel primarily about Dave, our narrator, and John the rather random namesake of the book.  These two different yet inseparable friends attend a raucous, drink fuelled party and the aftermath sets us up for the rest of the novel.  John wanders off with a group of people, some of which are never found again, all of which took a substance referred to throughout the novel as "Soy Sauce" (imagine if Satan created his own brand of LSD and you have it nailed).  "Soy Sauce" opens up a world of madness to it's imbibers as they begin to see some rather nasty critters and attract the attention of some even nastier foes.  Dave and John seem to attract the bulk of this attention and the rest of the novel explores that, albeit a bit non-cohesive in parts.

So......

The novel started well, it really did.  It grips you right from the first page through equal measures of mystery and outright weirdness, both of which egg you on to read further.  The wit in it is sharp and peculiar with a very cult like feel to it and the brief visions of what I can only say are of some sort of Hell are retina burning.

But.....

The novel does not really go anywhere, it starts but it doesn't gather pace beyond the first 200 pages, and when it racks up nearly 470 pages that is a bit worrying.  It feels like a collection of three novellas rather than one novel as there are three very distinct stories in the book which are held together by the notion of Dave telling a reporter about his exploits in the world of the paranormal.  I just found stories 2 and 3 repetitive and dull, not quite so well formed as the first and I was left feeling disappointed by this.  It feels as through the sharp witty writing style got tossed out of the window.  But I persevered through the terrible penis jokes and wandering narrative to the end of the novel, and thankfully I was surprised.

At last....

The ending has it's own twist as the story really comes together, I loved the ending of the third of Dave's tales and it led well into the conclusion of the novel.  The cleverness reappeared, thank goodness.  It is just such a shame that the beginning and end of this novel was marred by an awful middle.  At least I am glad to say I finished this, but I doubt many others would persevere unless they were getting a lot out of the lucid and disturbing imagery Wong shares with us.

This novel is perfect fodder for the cult market and already seems to have it's own following online.  Maybe not one for everyone's bookshelf (including mine) but this Internet sensation surely has it's fans and I hope they love the sequel.  I, however, will not be reading it.