Storm Front: A Review

How Jim Butcher's writings of wizard for hire, Harry Dresden, have never before graced my reading interests I will never know, this is exactly my type of novel, urban fantasy, witty, gruesome and written well (unlike a lot of urban fantasies that are mediocre and easy to forget). I haven't yet seen any episodes of the TV adaptation of Butcher's series, and would now like to see how the world of silicon has captured a very engaging, slightly silly character and his many mad cap exploits.  

Storm Front introduces us to Harry Dresden, a wizard for hire and occasional police consultant for anything weird and unexplained. He is in need of money, can't be too close to electrical equipment and his car is constantly getting the better of him by breaking down. On top of that, he is also on his last chance with the White Council, who will execute him if he makes even one tiny magical mistake. Harry is in desperate need of a break. He is called into a case to look at a double homicide, one that will result in him being threatened by mobsters, hungry toad demons and an unhinged black magician. Seemingly all in a day's work for Harry Dresden. 

First and foremost, I devoured this in a couple of sittings. Storm Front is ridiculously fast paced and almost impossible to put down, I always wanted to know what came next. Jim Butcher never dawdles with the telling of the tale and for this sort of novel, that's just perfect.

As for Harry, named after a few famous magicians (Harry Houdini being one of them, NOT Harry Potter), he is a brilliant character and reminded me in places of a bumbling, socially adept academic and in others of a wisecracking detective. Harry is a varied and well formed fellow and it is hard not to feel some sort of empathy for him, he receives far more beatings than is normal for someone outside of a boxing ring. He is not Prince Charming however, he doesn't respect women particularly well and every woman in this narrative becomes a victim in some way or another. This becomes more noticeable the more you think about it and is my only niggle with Butcher's storytelling. I am hoping that in a later novel a magic wielding, vengeful woman comes in and kicks Harry's ass. Fingers crossed. 

Harry is of course only one of many characters, and you invest enough thought into all of them to have concern over their well being, or in the black magician's case, their demise or capture. I loved Murphy, the detective who calls Harry in to consult on a visually disturbing homicide. She is bossy and slightly scary, perfect for her role and happy to give Harry what for when he is being a bit of a wally. Bob, a talking skull, was hilarious, he is excessively pervy and indulges in sexual voyeurism whenever he is allowed time outside of the skull (he is a caged air spirit, not technically a 'talking skull', but near enough).

Butcher's imagery is compelling enough to make the reader feel quite unwell at the beginning, the double homicide is somewhat savage, even Harry vomits into a thoughtfully provided bucket. The narrative drive is that an evil practitioner of magic is making people's hearts pop out of their chest cavity, leaving a bloody mess at the crime scene. Storm Front is very much a magical whodunit. A whole host of creatures make their way into the telling, they are imaginatively rendered and leave a lasting image. Toot was adorable, a small, forgetful, yet informative fairy who loves pizza. The toad demon was vile and terrifying and I still can't quite shake the scene in which Harry is stark naked with his staff pointed at the electrical storm above (not a euphemism) with his other arm stretched in the direction of the demon, hoping to smite it with the power of the storm, brilliant. 

Storm Front is by no means a literary breakthrough but it is a novel that stands out from the rest of those categorised as urban fantasy, this is obvious in the series' success alone. The storytelling is sharp and events tie up neatly, and the style reminded me of Laurel K. Hamilton's 'Anita Blake' novels and also the work of Ben Aaronovitch. There is no doubt that I will be hunting down more of Butcher's Dresden novels, and I hope to enjoy them just as much as I did this one. Overall, a super sharp magical roller coaster and an enjoyable introduction to the series. 

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern: A Review

This much talked about novel has sat idle on my bookshelf for a fair amount of time, the beautiful design on its cover has finally drawn me to it as has the reading of a number of conflicting reviews online. I felt it was time to form my own opinion of a novel that continues to sell well from the shelves at work without even having to push it into the hands of customers. It seems it is indeed hard to resist the pull and the mystery of Erin Morgenstern's 'The Night Circus'. 

The title itself refers to a circus, one that appears unbidden and as if by magic. The tents and performers draped in black and white, the only real colours coming from the curious guests that pour through the circus gates. Little are these happy, wowed consumers aware that beneath the jovial, fun exterior of the circus there lies a secret, one that threatens to pull the circus apart along with everyone within it. 

First and foremost, this novel is just great fun. It never sways too far into the world of surrealism and magic to make it confounding and tricky yet doesn't brush too lightly across it's surface as to make the wonders of the tale seem trivial and unimportant. Morgenstern has created a tangible balance between realism and the world of magic that deserves a gargantuan pat on the back. I was completely and utterly drawn into this beautiful world and grumbled audibly whenever it needed to be put down for some reason or another. 

The narrative is written in chapters headed by dates and geographical locations, and it soon becomes clear that there is some time lapses going on. We are brought in towards the story's end as well as its beginning. I was expecting this to be aggravating as it has to be done well in order to allow for a tale to run smoothly. However, I was gladly proved wrong as the seemingly separate narratives reach a natural and unobtrusive convergence in a timely manner before the novel's grand finale is reached. The two stories that appear separate at the start feature characters that differ immensely from one another. One narrative string follows the awestruck Bailey and his obvious love of the mysterious Le Cirque des Reves, from his sneaking in during the daytime to his forming of a close friendship with the circus' only pair of children. The other takes us through the inception of the circus, created by an elite group of midnight diners and tells the intriguing love story of Celia and Marco, arguably the most important characters of the narrative.

It is tricky to write a review of this novel without giving too much away, because this is a book best read without really knowing too much about the direction of the story itself. So all I will say about the story is that the magic within the circus is as a result of a tortuous duel, one which even it's participants fail to understand the implications of. It is this duel that results in the creation of the circus itself as a stage, a place to show off one's skills, an extremely public stage nonetheless. The descriptions of the various attractions within the circus are intoxicating, each tent holds its own sort of magic. I was particularly fond of the ice garden, a beautiful display made from what appears to be a flowering garden hewn from ice. Even as the ice sculptures are accidentally broken, they reform to restore the beauty of the exhibition.

It is worth mentioning that the descriptions in the novel are more fleeting than padded, Morgenstern clearly does not feel the need to add too much and it is a tactic that works. Descriptions of time, place and magic are handled beautifully and well enough to conjure up dazzling images that stick with you and don't bore you slightly to death (ahem, Salem's Lot). 

I have drivelled on enough about the magic and intents of the circus, obviously the characters are important too. Morgenstern creates very believable personalities, none are all knowing and each of them has their flaws. Celia is a delight, a mistreated child grown to become a beautiful yet haunted illusionist, one who forms friendships somewhat easily yet suffers her losses greatly. Marco I found to be a bit of an enigma, his love is obvious but there is a cruelty to him that put me off of him a bit, but not in a disappointing way, it merely adds more depth. I fell in love with the clockmaker Friedrick Thiessen in much the same way as he falls in love with the circus, a kindly, pro active gent undeserving of his eventual fate. The only character I did not feel a particular affinity with was Bailey, he just felt a little under formed and in need of some vibrancy. 

All in all a fantastic well rounded and well paced read. It's style reminded me in parts of Audrey Niffenegger's writing and as such I am sure that if you have enjoyed her books then this will spark your interest as well. Be warned, once you start reading this the real world will lose its sparkle as you get drawn further into the enchantment that is 'The Night Circus'. 

Breakfast at Tiffany's a Review

I have had this recommended to me time and time again by close friends and customers and after reading The Great Gatsby I felt in the mood for picking up another short, modern great to leaf through. I feel it's important to note here that I knew nothing of the plot or the back story of this novel and neither have seen the film starring the charming Audrey Hepburn. I came to this novel a clean slate and left it wanting to know more about Truman Capote's inspiration and what other people thought about the rambunctious Holly Golightly. 

The story itself is a simple one, our helpful narrator sets the scene as he returns to an old local bar to reminisce about an unforgettable woman whose very presence affected those around her in number of ways. We are then transported back to his times as a writer struggling to be published living in a small flat in New York, this is when he met Holly and hence the tale really begins. The two become friends as Holly continuously forgets or loses her keys, forcing the narrator to have to let her into the building on any number of occasions. This is an unusual and passing friendship that feels almost voyeuristic to a point as he observes Holly's life from within, a whirlwind passing through New York. Parties, men, madness and tantrums ensue as we are given a brief peek at the tour de force that is Holly Golightly. 

This novel is absolutely brilliant, I enjoyed it immensely and fell head over heels in love with the exceptionally unusual Holly Golightly. It is this character and her brazenness that really makes this novella tick. At the time in which this story was written the open references to numerous sexual partners and homosexuality would have shocked Capote's audience and this is why Holly is so alluring, she doesn't give a rats arse what people think of her. The metaphors hidden in plain view about wild birds and cages allow us to understand the nature of Holly all the more, a wild bird that should always fly free. Obviously not quite so shocking now, Holly is still a character that should please and amuse a modern audience. 

Holly isn't the only character Capote exposes to the reader, yet each character has some sort of tie to Holly. There is the long lost husband, the smitten barman, her unpleasant model acquaintance and her eventual undoing, the gangster Sally Tomato. Each and every character seeks a bond with Holly in a manner of ways. All of these people give us a brief glimpse into a New York that has vanished with time. It's decadent, exciting and, to some degree, an age of innocence.

Perhaps the most interesting accompaniment to Holly is 'cat' an unnamed stray feline she houses in her flat. Unnamed because Holly does not wish to seek ownership over an independent being, yet by the time we reach the novel's conclusion 'cat' has found itself a home, somewhere to belong. Perhaps this is an implication that even the wildest of creatures can be tamed, maybe even Holly herself however we are never privy to this development. Holly's fate remains a mystery.

It is not all glitz, glamour and gaiety, Capote writes of a darkness hidden beneath the surface. Holly completely loses the plot when stricken with grief and her eventual arrest is as a result her involvement with her imprisoned gangster friend. It is this darkness that brings the reader back to reality, not everything in life is peachy. 

Written with grace and style this is a novel that will no doubt continue to stand the test of time effortlessly. It is a quick read, easily achieved in one sitting should you set aside the time for it. This novel is an enormously enjoyable and I would implore anyone to give it a go. As it stands I am currently planning a Breakfast at Tiffany's film evening with a few friends, fake pearls and party dresses in tow, all because this novel is unforgettable and deserves exploring even further. It also makes for the perfect gift, this is a story that demands to be shared with friends!

'Salem's Lot by Stephen King: A Review

I suppose it's natural in being a fan of various types of vampire fiction that I turn to one of the masters of horror, Stephen King, to get stuck into how he writes of these pesky monsters that chomp on their victims throats and drain them of their life giving blood. 'Salem's Lot has been evading me at the library for months, popping in every now and again to see if it's there and not ordering it in because I do quite enjoy the thrill of the chase (and it costs money, I am cheap). So I made squeaking noise when it finally appeared on the shelf, looking inconspicuous and like it had been there all along.

'Salem's Lot is a small town in New England, a town abandoned and one firmly set as a place of evil and myth. King begins his tale at it's end as two of the survivors of the 'Lot have hit the road and are trying to come to terms with the horrible past behind them. We are then yanked back in time to learn about the terrible tragedy that befell the town, one which evokes whispers and suspicions from the surrounding towns and folk. Ben, a novelist has returned to 'Salem's Lot to write, instead he falls in love, causes a stir and becomes an unlikely vampire hunter. It all starts to go horribly wrong when someone buys the long abandoned and supposedly cursed Marsten House set atop the hill overlooking the 'Lot. With the arrival of it's occupants comes chaos, blood and many, many sacrifices.

First of all, I did love this. I do enjoy a good story that speaks of nasty, hissing grotesque vampires whose only desire is blood. King is one hell of a visual author and these creatures conjure up terrifying images as you read of their vile exploits. The thing that hit me the most was the parasitic spread of the vampires, a small town disappearing into the grip of a harrowing, unstoppable death. He hid them everywhere, in cupboards, food stores, cellars, under buildings and in any hole the nasty things could fit into. By the novel's grisly conclusion the vampires were literally everywhere in town.

As for the writing style, this is something that King is celebrated for. He has an exceptional attention to detail and in 'Salem's Lot he brings a whole town to life, you feel as though you have, at the very least, brushed past every occupant of the town and could give directions to anyone visiting. It wasn't only his thoroughness that grabbed me, this novel has a timeless quality to it in spite of the dates given. It would still work effortlessly if you said it was set in 2012, an impressive skill in light of his descriptive writing.

There was one thing that disappointed me, I never felt particularly engaged with the protagonists. King goes into so much detail about so many places and people that the focus which needed to be applied to the lead characters was lost in this jumble of small town folk. I must say this does improve as you hit the end of the novel, but only because most of the town have become the blood sucking undead. I did wince when one of the main characters fell down a pit onto a booby trap of knife blades, that affected me massively. So there are moments when you feel an affinity with these people, just not enough of them.

This is much more clever than your average vampire novel, and offers far more than constant action and gore. I can really see why Stephen King has a massive fan base and I know there are other novels by him that I would like to read. I just think 'Salem's Lot could have been a shorter novel, I was starting to struggle by the end and could tell that the novel would not have lost it's intensity if you were to cut out a few chunks.

Dreams and Shadows by C. Robert Cargill: A Review

A kindly colleague at work secured an early reading copy of Dreams and Shadows for me to read, thinking that it looked like something I would enjoy. I have already told him that he was spot on, this is one hell of a book and I can't stop nattering about it's weird and wonderful creatures to my friends (soon they will be buying earplugs). Due out in February 2013 this is the debut novel from director C. Robert Cargill, known most recently for horror flick Sinister.

Dreams and Shadows is about a world that exists just out of our reach, a world where fairy-tales are real and they come armed with sharp teeth and pole-arms  The novel begins with a couple falling deeply in love, love at first sight, and they have a baby. A creature crawls down the bedroom wall of their love nest and promptly replaces the beautiful gurgling child with a changeling and then, all hell breaks loose. This all happens in the first few pages and the novel then descends into a world of darkness, where fairies hunt humans, the Wild Hunt decimates fairies and a small boy named Colby has his seemingly innocent wishes granted by a genie. Little does Colby know, but his wishes are set to change his life, and the lives of many others (fae and human alike) forever.

Love, fear, jealousy, innocence and vengeance permeate the pages of this amazing tale. I will be honest and admit that I was not too certain at the start. The tale seemed disjointed, jumping from one storyline to the next, integrated with fictional scripture on the world of fairies. However, it becomes apparent that this is deliberate as Cargill deftly merges each of these threads as the novel progresses. I found myself exclaiming aloud, "ahhhh I see", as I was leafing through the novels pages in my comfy chair at home. His style becomes addictive, you begin to love the insights of the mysterious Dr. Thaddeus Ray as he explains the pitfalls and nature of this magical world just beyond the grasp of us mere mortals.

The characters are explosive, Colby develops into a fascinating chap, trying so desperately to protect his friends, yet in spite of his wisdom he still has his wild mistakes to answer for. Ewan is a bit dippy, but this is to be expected of a child stolen by fairies, and his finale is suitably epic. Knocks, a disgusting changeling modelled on the form of Ewan, is a terrifying figure, his jealousy and vengeance oozing from the pages of the book. There are many more characters, but if I were to go on this would become a novel in itself. Needless to say, they are all memorable and leave remarkable visuals as an after-burn in the brain.

Moving on from characters, of course there is a host of weird and wonderful grotesques walking through Cargill's world. Most of these are explained by the rather helpful Dr. Thaddeus Ray as the narrative brings more and more weird and wonderful creatures to the fore. I was equally fond of and terrified of the 'red caps' a particularly nasty bunch of small chaps that survive only though keeping their rep hats dripping with the blood of their slain victims, lovely.

Speaking of visuals, the scenes are well written, the right amount of realism mixed with fantasy to create a world easily imagined and equally terrifying. There is a scene set atop a roof with a half cut angel and Colby that is impossible to forget as they pass a bottle of booze between them whilst watching the Wild Hunt from hell career through the streets below. Where would you be in an urban fantasy without some gore? Well there is a balanced amount of no nonsense blood splattering to be had, all of it relevant and none of it gratuitous which suited me just fine. Again Cargill writes enough into the descriptions to conjure up some savage visuals. This would certainly work as a film, crossing my fingers for that eventuality as I would love to see this world come to life again.

Hopefully this is not the last we will see from Cargill as an author, he has gifted to us an urban fantasy filled with action and enough of a social commentary centred on the back streets of America to keep it's feet firmly in the grounds of a good read. In my opinion a great read if you love Neil Gaiman, or like a great many of us, enjoy a journey into the more sinister world of fairies.

The Natural History of Unicorns by Chris Lavers, a review.

Who doesn't enjoy a good myth? Especially one filled with magical beasties that capture the imagination and never leave your memory. Unicorns have filled our tales with whimsy and beauty for centuries, and I am just as excited about the notion of their reality as anyone else, wishing deep down that a creature of such elegance and beauty once existed. Chris Lavers sets out to explore the origins of the unicorn myth in his book, The Natural History of Unicorns, and even promises to reveal to us some real unicorns along the way. Understandably I was completely sucked into this rather beautiful little piece of nature writing, hoping for an insightful journey into how the unicorn became.

I feel it is safe to say that this is a piece of non fiction written for a specific, rather learned audience and I can appreciate the fabulous effort that has gone into the research of such an interesting, much debated subject. The archive images are brilliant and well spaced throughout, these are well worth a little nose through alone. "A One Horned Ass" launches us into the world of unicorn hunting as Levers' first chapter, I felt drawn around in circles by it's references and had difficultly remembering one avid scientists name from the next, constantly having to back track to figure out whether names had been mentioned before. This repetitiveness and circling seems to dissipate as you progress, yet it still didn't grab me.

I was sadly a little disappointed by this book, not because of it's vast, exceptional research or because of its subject matter. I felt let down by the writing, lo and behold we are dealing with a magical creature here, yet the writing is rather dry, prescriptive and altogether lacking in sparkle. I can only assume this is aimed at a far more academic audience than the title implies. I cannot feel the passion of the writer behind the words and neither could I read too much in one sitting without my eyes beginning to droop and my mind beginning to wander. This is a fair old shame and resulted in me not finishing the book, half way through I had just had enough.

Not one for me, but I can appreciate its value in the world of natural history myth hunting. Stick with it and you might love it, or nod off, just like me. Back to the library for you mon cherie!

Lace by Shirley Conran, a review

After a prolonged absence from the world of blogging I have decided to return with a review of a scandalous classic. The past couple of months has seen me ploughing though about 40 books classified as children's titles, from picture books right through to teenage, so I felt it time to shrug off all the kid's literature and get my nose firmly inserted into Lace by Shirley Conran. What a blinder of a decision. This novel has consumed my life for the past fortnight and quite rightly so. This has just seen a big re-release after a few years out of print, having first been published in the 1980s. I have not doubt we are seeing this adorning our shelves due to the massive success of ladies smut as per the sales of the E.L. James Fifty Shades trilogy, but don't think this is the same sort of novel, you would be very, very wrong.

We are thrown into the tumultuous world of five very rich and very powerful women, sharing an unexpected and awkward reunion in a room in the centre of New York for one very important reason. Four of these women share a secret and the other is determined to discover an answer to a question that has plagued her life since childhood. Known worldwide as a film star, Lili wants to know "which one of you Bitches is my mother?" Conran takes us back in time to an affluent school in Switzerland to begin a tale of four young girls and their journey into adulthood. This story spans several decades and takes us from the charming streets of Paris to the war torn countries of the Middle East, from the fashion industry to the film industry, to the magazine industry. Most poignantly it reveals the lives of five very different women and the importance of their friendships above and beyond the glamour, the men and the money.

Wow, this was guilty pleasure central. A pulse beating, addictive narrative, impossible to put down. This is no flimsy tome either, at a staggering 750 pages, don't expect to finish it in a day.  In spite of the hefty page count, it never feels like a chore, this is a gossip columnist's dream, no story really goes on for too long and the novel is effortlessly split into manageable parts and chapters to allow the tale to move along quickly and offer very different stories within the main body of the narrative. We are drawn into the personal lives of all of these fabulous women, to see their strengths, their flaws and, not forgetting, their deepest desires. This is the sort of novel that leaves its mark, not in a deeply philosophical manner you understand, but in the manner of friendship, you feel as though each woman in the book has become your best friend over the course of the novel. It becomes effortless to empathise with Kate's attraction to awful, controlling men and with Lili's alluring innocence, exploited time and time again.

Let's face it, there is smatterings of sex throughout the novel, used to expose the characters in a multitude of ways and to reveal some very old fashioned ideas about sex and where women fit into the world. This adds an interesting insight into a time I never lived through, and am grateful for having avoided. These ideas are of course rather old fashioned now, but it is clear how much of an impact this novel will have had upon its release. People talk at great length about 'that goldfish scene', which to be honest loses it's shock factor in this day and age. I was more shocked by the revelation at the end, kept as a coveted secret throughout the telling of the story. Conran gives nothing away of Lili's parentage, whilst tossing red herrings here and there to keep us guessing. Crafty writing that will bring a smile, a tear or a grimace to every readers face this is certainly worthy of a cult classic status and I will be throwing this novel at every woman I know. It is true what India Knight says on the back of the new edition, "There was life before Lace and life after Lace, and nothing was ever the same again".

If you were ever tempted by the Fifty Shades trilogy, don't bother, read this instead and you wont be sorry!