The Age of Miracles....a warning to us all!

This is one of the much heralded titles on the Waterstones 11 list this year.  This is a list of, yes, 11 debuts that are set to be the next big thing, this is the only title so far that has appealed to me.  I would not have even picked the novel up unless one of my colleagues thrust the proof into my hands telling me that it was my sort of book, they weren't wrong.  It seems I am getting far too predictable in my tastes, makes life easy I suppose.

The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker really is not what you would expect.  It is somewhat of a cautionary tale of humanity and has inklings of a coming apocalypse, something out of our control and totally unexpected.  Walker renders the a scene of American suburbia in crisis, the knock on effect of a worldwide catastrophe.  The spinning of the Earth on it's axis is slowing and scientists can neither explain nor prevent the phenomena.  Walker goes on to describe the ascending progression of this catastrophe, starting with the lengthening of daytime and nighttime by minutes and moving on to the deaths of birds and crops.  The reader has this story explained to them by the young, revealing narrator Julia.  This wonderful character describes the world around her as everything that we take for granted starts to fall apart, friendships, families and natural ways of life.  The story seems all the more harrowing told through the eyes of a teenager struggling to deal with the effect this global occurrence has on the world around her.


I would love to know more about the science of this novel, the details were very interesting and thought provoking.  The author must have put some really hard work into researching the effects of prolonged sunlight and prolonged nighttime as you never doubt the knowledge you are presented with.  It is weird to think of days and days of sunlight and how this would effect our world, and how dangerous it really would be, I would not recommend sunbathing at all!!  This is set off by the long nights and the effect of these on plant and animal life, how ecosystems are just completely destroyed.

I was moved throughout this book, Walker cleverly combines science with moving passages about the people of this story.  She reveals a human resilience, our need to carry on with routine, to follow a clock that no longer reflects night and day.  Alongside this resilience we see rebellion as well, as individuals decide to live their lives by the sun rather than by the 24 hour clock.  It is all very saddening as you can't help but feel for the people that are trying so hard to live how they want, yet become discriminated against by people that used to be their allies, their friends and neighbours.

The dramatic altering of day and night is obviously a very clear and important part of this novel, however, Julia's story is just as important.  It is this story that leads us through the novel and Julia's perception of others that make it such an engrossing read.  There is romance, heartbreak, loss and persistent challenges to face as Julia has to continue being a part of a world that is crumbling around her, literally and metaphorically.  Her family life becomes one of secrets, and we are encouraged to understand that sometimes secrets are what saves people from harm.  It is a very interesting and difficult view to digest, but one that Walker expresses with tenderness and tact.

The most moving part of the novel for me was a scene set upon a beach as Julia acts impulsively to join her crush, Seth, to look at the beached whales.  It is so sad to think of these beautiful creatures driven to confusion over the changing of tides and times, dying helplessly in the blazing sunshine and there is just nothing that can be done to help.

From moving to haunting, the message of the book is very clear on the notion that there are just some things we cannot prepare for or reverse.  Global warming and nuclear holocausts are things that can be affected by human behaviour and in some cases controlled, the looming apocalypse in this tale is completely out of human control and it is terrifying.

I would recommend this to anyone that enjoys a good old fashioned end of the world sci fi.  This novel is more subtle, it is more gentle, but you wont be able to put it down because it is never a heavy read.  Also good for folks that want a thought provoking read, you really don't need to be a sci fi fan, there is no fancy gadgets or futuristic spaceships in sight.  Maybe I am just saying that anyone could enjoy this, it is just a clever, brilliant read.

Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker is due out 21/06/2012

The Lies of Locke Lamora......lots and lots of lies and some sparkles too!

Having not read a big, chunky fantasy in some time the urge to get stuck in for hours caught up with me and I just had to indulge.  A friend at work recommended "The Lies of Locke Lamora" to me, a debut from the up and coming Scott Lynch.  This rather long, and vicious novel fit the bill perfectly, and I loved it.  A good old fashioned fantasy with a rather blue approach to language, these characters all need their mouths washing out with soap!  It's this rather more realistic take on language that makes this stand out from the rest, and for some reason, it works.


Locke is a rather clever, somewhat proud, thief, whose band of merry men have earned a reputation for stealing from the rich, an act that breaches an unwritten rule of thievery in the city of Camorr.  This reputation is hidden from the team's peers by their rather unusual approach to the art of thieving, the whole team are an ingenious bunch of con artists with a whole manner of tricks up their sleeves.  Life is pretty straight forward until a gentleman calling himself "The Grey King" appears and sets his sights on taking out the biggest gang leaders in the city.  Locke is drawn into the killing and the double crossing and his life gets thrown to the sharks.

Locke is an easy character to fall in love with, as is his closest comrade Jean.  It is these two that really engage with the reader and make the story such a tough one to put down.  I would certainly not mess with the two of them, I would either end up penniless or dead!

This is one of the best fantasy novels I have ever laid my grubby little paws on.  The narrative is crafted with the utmost skill, balancing past with present and using some very sharp wit to get across the dark humour that saturates this pacey read.  Don't worry, you can't have a fantasy without magic of course, it's not all thieving and killing.  Lynch scripts the Bondsmagi as a vicious bunch of guild based magicians whose magic dominates others and protects their chosen clients from harm.  They are a particularly nasty bunch and the one the Locke crosses paths with is a cruel, focused and vindictive fellow.  If the mage himself was not enough, he is referred to as the Falconer, due to the Scorpion Hawk that accompanies him, think falcon with a scorpion sting instead of one of it's claws, a pretty nasty feathered fiend.

The world in which the novel is based is so rich in detail and culture it becomes hard to forget that this is not a part of the world we live in.  Lynch takes great pleasure in describing the succulent dishes that his characters eat and just as much detail is given to the traditions and the culture of the city and the world in which these characters roam.  One of the most interesting traditions I found was the somewhat gladiatorial shark fighting, watched by the nobles of Camorr for light entertainment.  This takes a whole new approach to the ring fighting of the Roman Gladiators as sharks launch out of the water with frenzied blood lust to tackle maidens of battle armed with spears.

I found I wanted to know more about the creators of this fantasy world, the races that crafted the Elder Glass that litters Camorr with beauty and intrigue.  At one point in the novel we are introduced to a garden of roses made entirely from this Elder Glass, all so sharp that the lightest of touches would result in blood shed and rumours imply that the roses will suck the blood out of anyone careless enough to brush past or fall upon them.  I suspect that Lynch will take us further into the history of this world in later novels, and I can't wait to see where he will lead us.

A novel full of corruption, friendship, grand schemes and deadly magic, what more do you need?  An absolute blinder for a debut novel, it is worth knowing that this is the first in a series too, so be prepared to want to read more.  Perfect for fans of just about any fantasy in my opinion, but a particularly awesome read if you enjoyed Brent Weeks' "Night Angel" trilogy.

Oh, and did I mention it was brutal?  Some of the violence and gore in this is a bit strong, not one for the faint of heart......you have been warned!  There is a particularly unpleasant scene involving a bag of smashed glass and someones face, nasty business.

Drive: Heroism at it's most brutal

Having watched what has now become one of my favourite films of all time last year, Drive, I thought it would be rude not to indulge myself in the novel that forms the basis for this stylish, slick and unforgettable film.  Yes, I know you should always read the book before you see the film, I failed with this one, in my ignorance I had no idea that the film was based upon James Sallis' neo noir novel of the same name until the credits rolled at the end.      Needless to say I sat open mouthed and made damn sure I got my hands on the novel as soon as I got back into work the next day.  It's only now, with the release of the DVD that I have read Sallis' masterpiece, as I thought it only right to read the novel before I rushed out to buy the film to watch it again.

It is very easy to see where the style of the film comes from when you read through the pages of Drive, it's rawness, it's unsung and violent hero and it's glorious representation of driving in the extreme.  In many ways the novel fills a few gaps that surround the mystery of the main character, Driver, whose identity in the film is very much a mystery.  Sallis tells us a little of the man's past, how he was to become this cold, calculated criminal with a heart of gold and a strong willingness to act upon his vengeful feelings.

The novel itself is about Driver, a character with no other name.  He is a successful Hollywood stunt driver and a car for hire on the side.  It is in his car for hire role that he meets the scum of suburbia, of the inner city as he transports them from heists with no questions asked.  It's because of this side job that he spirals into despair, a heist gone wrong, essentially a set up, he see's those that he cares for fall down around him.  Driver goes on what can only be described as a rampage, he becomes a monster to serve out his own form of justice to a group of hardy gangsters.  It is at this point we begin to really adore Driver in spite of the violence, he becomes a hero with a cause and a hero without conscience.  His duty to revenge becomes his strongest motivation.

What I loved most about this novel was learning about Driver's past, about his family and how he really became the calm monster that he is in the novel's present.  The violence in his past is clearly a strong influence to his character, a father in a life of crime and a mother driven so mad by it that she commit's a final and damning act of violence in front of Driver.  This is really brutal and engaging stuff.  In spite of it's raw and straightforward style  the emotion of the novel is never understated and never lost in the sometimes rather casual violence.


The most difficult thing to explain, and that which I struggle with the most, is our love of Driver.  We shouldn't respect him, we shouldn't be cheering him on, yet we do.  This man is a criminal, and he kills, yet he certainly became a saviour in my eyes, as I am sure he does in anyone's that read the novel.  It's this ambiguity that really embodies the noiresque feel of this novel and what makes the novel so darn cool.