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1 ) Luna : New Moon by Ian McDonald
I was really looking forward to reading this one. A sci fi epic that was the start of a trilogy. I had all 3 books ready to be read! This is supposed to be a sci fi version of Game of Thrones and is meant to be being made for TV.
It is set on the moon in the future where 5 corporations or families are vying for control of the industry of the moon. I went in knowing that I would love this but sadly I did not. The whole thing just didn't make any sense to me. I kept on thinking that I just needed to read more but gradually I realised that I just didn't like it.
it turned out to be really bad. A world set in the future where nothing at all made sense. Everything just seemed silly and I couldn't get into it no matter how much I tried. There is no police on the moon and the society wasn't explained at all. You wouldn't even realise it was on the moon sometimes as it doesn't seem to effect the inhabitants in the slightest.
Then there are families that seem to have all awful people in them. They all had different names but nothing else that really separated each character. The whole thing just didn't work for me at all.
I had to give up on this half way through and abort my planned reading of the whole series. I felt much happier after I gave up!
I don't recommend this at all.
The only plus? 3 books that I could get rid of!
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2 ) In Order to Live : A North Korean Girl's journey to Freedom by Yeonmi Park
I saw an interview on TV with this woman, Yeonm Park, and I was blown away. It was only a snippet but I was immediately saying I have to read her book. This is a non-fiction account of her life growing up in North Korea. It is a real eye opening account as little is known about life there. A truly frightening story about how they think the leader can even read their minds so they think positive thoughts about him all the time. There are actual tiers of society there and basically everyone has nothing but the tier up above has just that little bit extra such as grain for a few days of food. Yeonmi was at one of the lowest tiers just surviving week to week. Her dad got caught making a bit of money on the side and then the family ended up on a lower tier branded as criminals and shunned by former friends. Then they only wished they had grain for the week as they had to beg for scraps etc.
I felt really sad reading this about how people have to live in this day and age but its also a really heroic story about how she escaped to China which is like a paradise compared to North Korea. When China was helping North Korea, and I mean just giving them supplies cheaply, North Korea was a great place but as soon as China said times are tough you are on your own, North Korea crashed. From the outside, I wondered will they ever rise up but kids are brainwashed and everyone is scrambling to barely survive. Everything is so tightly controlled.
This is a remarkable story about human spirit and felt like a thriller as I was really invested in Yeonmi and her story. I felt really good at the end as she comes out the other side as she never gave up. A lot of people would have. I have nothing but admiration for her.
So this book is highly recommended !!
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3 ) The Man who Fell to Earth by Walter Tevis
If you follow this log at all, then you will know that I am a huge fan of Walter Tevis and I really like his works. Here we have his famous sci fi novel that was also made into a movie. Thomas Newton is an alien who comes to Earth. He is from a race that are highly intelligent but his planet has a terrible drought so he needs to make a spaceship from scratch here on Earth that can help bring more of hos people here.
He arrives in Kentucky USA, uses his technology to get Patents and makes millions in money. He meets a woman called Betty Jo and a technician called Nathan Bryce. They become his friends and he learns about Earth such as fashion, religion and alcohol. Unfortunately Newton really likes alcohol and this amplifies his loneliness here on Earth.
This is an excellent novel that is way more than just as simple sci fi tale. It is more psychological as it is about how Newton enters a downward spiral as he develops a dependence on alcohol, starts to experience major depressive symptoms like loneliness, emotional and social alienation, demotivation, self-doubt, and self-pity. It is incredibly well written by Tevis and one of those books that will stay with you after you have finished.
Needless to say, I loved this and highly recommend it!
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4 ) Pimp: The Story of My Life by Iceberg Slim
Iceberg Slim was a pimp back in the late 1930s and for a lot of his life until he started a career as a writer. This is meant to be n honest account of his life as a pimp and I thought it was going to be really interesting. Irvine Welsh did the introduction and really talks him up as an unbelievable writer that is under appreciated. Welsh goes over the top in his praise of a few pages so I was already thinking hang on a minute! He compares him to great writers and my eyebrows were raised in disbelief already. But maybe he is and off I went reading it.
The book details his life as a pimp but to me a lot of important stuff was left out. It just seemed he went down the local street and found some local prostitutes and he was a pimp. The book just trends to deal with him beating them up or verbally controlling or abusing them. He talks it up like it was some kind of art form but really he was just a thug beating them up with wire hangers etc. The stories are so detailed that it felt made up if you understand me. No doubt some were true but a lot seemed exaggerated. He does a good prison escape which was fun to read but the while pimp thing was get a few down on their luck women, threaten them, they give him a cut and he just relaxes away counting the money. The women eventually run away and he does the same thing with some more women. Its not rocket science. I was expecting mind games as he kept them in control but it is all just don't look weak in front of them kind of thing and beat them up if they don't give enough money.
I found reading the same thing over and over boring as he beats up women non stop. It would make you sick reading it and then some stuff had me rolling my eyes as I just didn't believe it all happened. Then he just gives up pimping as he is old and now the younger guys can beat him up. He wasn't as strong as he once was so then its all over. I couldn't help but chuckle as he is the one now afraid of getting beaten up like his women or "whores" as he constantly calls them. He has a real hatred of women throughout the book as well.
I thought this was going to be way better than it was. It turned out just sad and I was glad I finished it in the end. Irvine Welsh and his hero worship of Slim was really silly!!
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5 ) The Steps of the Sun by Walter Tevis
This was the last Science Fiction novel that Tevis wrote and as I have said earlier here, I really like his writing. It was published in 1983 after Tevis was working as a Creative Writing teacher in Ohio University. I can tell you right now that I would have loved to have taken the course that he was teaching!!!!
As usual for Tevis, this deals with more the sociological side of Science Fiction rather than the technology side. It is set in 2063 and the energy resources of Earth are almost all used up. China is now the powerhouse of the world and the USA has really gone backwards. Everything on the USA is run on wood and coal and they cost a lot for the average person to buy. The USA is almost run by the mafia as everything is on the black market. Buildings like skyscrapers are not used anymore as the elevators are too costly to run. We had gone into space searching for other life and resources but found nothing. Now its illegal to fly off into space and use up precious resources. I really liked this idea because this could happen. If it costs so much to go off into space for years and finding no one and nothing valuable, what's the point of wasting money and fuel like Uranium etc? An interesting take on the future that I had not seen before!
Ben Belson is a coal tycoon who is incredibly rich and decides that if he can find uranium deep in space, he would be a hero to the world and the USA will be back on top. He builds a spaceship and gets a crew and off he goes. He knows that he will be in trouble when he gets back to earth but hopes to find Uranium and that he will have a new supply source for the world. When he finds some, his troubles seem to be just beginning.....
This novel reads like a 50s style science fiction. The kind where a guy is in a spaceship and then landing on a planet. This is nothing like the realism of Arthur C Clarke so bear that in mind. Belson is a guy obsessed with sex also! He suffers from impotence though so he has to deal with this. This novel has a bit of everything. Space stuff, sex, political intrigue and a horny old guy!
I didn't love this novel but didn't hate it. It is really well written like all Tevis books but the story kind of goes everywhere. Starts on Earth, then spaceship, then alien planets and then back on Earth again. It has a bit of all kinds of things from sci fi to sex! It is one of those books that is not riveting but I wanted to read until the end. The themes are all over the place too from loneliness to an identity crisis to politics. Felt like a bit of a mish mash and almost like Tevis wrote a bit then stopped for a while then wrote again and stopped etc It is like he wasn't sure what part to focus on.
If you want to read Tevis, I would read his other books first as this would probably be the weakest I have read. Still OK but not a patch on his other stuff.
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6 ) Far From Home by Walter Tevis
This is a short story collection from Tevis and after this I will have read everything that he ever he wrote. This is the only collection that he put out and was published in 1981. As I loved most of his novels, I was really looking forward to reading this.
Tevis has the usual really well written stuff and by that I mean its put together really well. This collection is a real mixed bag though in terms of entertainment. Some stories are bizarre and surreal while others a regular story. It is choc full of the usual Tevis themes such as chess, disease and loneliness etc. There are also incest themes which was really weird to read.
Some stories felt like instant classics while others are complete rubbish to put it bluntly. One called "The Other End of the Line" was probably my favourite. A man receives a phone call from himself from the future and uses the information he gets to become rich but what will happen in two months time if he fails to call himself back? Another story called "Rent Control" is about a couple who can stop time when they are physically touching in a certain place in their apartment. Then "The Apotheosis of Myra" is about a guy on another planet who murders his wife but ends up worse off than before! "The Big Bounce" is about a ball that won't stop bouncing and keeps getting faster.
The rest are poor though. "A Visit From Mother" is about a guys dead mother visiting him again. "Daddy" is another story but now just his father visiting him. These stories really seem autobiographical as Tevis was left in a convalescent hospital on his own for a year when he was young. He eventually left and traveled on his own to his home. I found the stories boring though. Then there are even weirder stories about a gold brick and the fifth dimension.
Other than the first few ones that I mentioned, there isn't much else to recommend. The good thing is that the stories are very short and makes for a very quick read. I would have liked more quality stuff as half of these were very boring and too weird. The few that are good are very good though so its the real mixed bag that I said earlier.
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7 ) The Gutter Prayer (Black Iron Legacy #1) by Gareth Hanrahan
I return here to fantasy epics and here is the first one in a trilogy. Hanrahan is actually from Cork like I am but I had never heard of him before. Haven't seem many people online talk about him either but I said I would give it a try.
The Gutter Prayer reminded me of Perdido Street Station that I have read. It is not exactly like it but it might give you a frame of reference. This is fantasy but it really focuses on Religion and politics. There are loads of gods and they can appear and give powers to their Saints. Saints are regular humans who can channel their gods powers. Then there are alchemists and Sorcerers. Then there are monsters such as Ghouls who eat the dead. There are undead called Vigilants also. Hanrahan comes from a games designing background and you can really see it.
The problem with all this stuff is that you are thrown into the deep end from the start. It is set in a city called Guerdon where there are all these factions. There is a war elsewhere in this world called the Godswar but Guerdon is kept neutral as it makes weapons for both sides. For the first 200 pages there seemed to be a load of exposition and information dumps about the world and yet I was still struggling to make sense of everything.
There is a Thieves Guild in the city too (as if there were not enough groups!) and in all this chaos we meet 3 different characters. An orphan, a ghoul, and a cursed man are betrayed by the Guild and this sets off a chain of events as they try to find out what happened. The Cursed man has an illness that turns him slowly into Stone and he has to take a herb to keep it at bay. Eventually he will turn fully to stone as this is an illness well known to the city and a lot of people have it.
There are so many ideas in this book that it is incredibly creative but I was mostly confused for a lot of this book. Something in it kept me going though as there is a lot of good here. It needed a better editor though as it is too long. The end of the book is very exciting and this is what redeemed things for me. To go through the plot here would be very hard so I am not even going to try. Basically a lot of intrigue type stuff.
Hanrahan is a very good writer but the middle of the book really dragged and I nearly gave up. Just managed to plow on. He does too many information dumps where I still was confused to whats going on. I ended the book only understanding the main stuff. So in the end, I enjoyed it but it felt like a tightrope in places where I nearly fell off and gave up!!
If you really like different fantasy then give this a try. This is the first in a trilogy called the Black Iron Trilogy.
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8 ) The Shadow Saint (Black Iron Legacy #2) by Gareth Hanrahan
This book continues on from the previous book and is set 6 months later. The events at the end of the first book has changed the city of Guerdon. It is now a haven for a lot of criminals and refugees from the Godswar. It is still struggling to stay neutral in that war and enemies are gathering at its border. There are rumours that buried in Guerdon is a weapon that can destroy a God so elements of the warring factions send agents to find it. What will happen when the weapon is found and the who will use it?
Probably as I was into the story by now, I found this book better than the first book. Both books are too long though as they are around 600 pages. 200 pages could have been cut from each and this dragged a bit in the middle like the first book. The constant need to make every book an epic is annoying and detracts from books such as this one.
It is very similar to the first book in that there are a good bit of exposition and not enough dialogue. Hanrahan has a habit of telling what happened rather than describing what happened in real time. What I mean is that at one stage a character has to do a speech to win others over. He is gearing up for it and then it cuts to us being told that he gave a great speech and it worked. Simple as that. The actual speech is not done at all and detracts from the book. This is done a lot and I found it very annoying.
I still enjoyed this book though as it is very different to other books. The world created is very unique but this trilogy is a very dense type of read. Everytime I read a bit, I had to really concentrate. Some bits even after finishing the book I still don't understand so it requires a lot of attention. It can be very frustrating to read as it feels like you are being bamboozled all the time but I just about made it through the book again. It did feel easier having read the first but this book has the same problems.
Both books having very entertaining finishes so that is a good thing. At least I ended on a high but the middle part was a bit boring again. If you are going to read this trilogy then read them back to back like I am doing. I found it hard enough and that was without a gap! Now I am onto the last book in the trilogy....
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9 ) The Broken God (Black Iron Legacy #3) by Gareth Hanrahan
This is the third in the trilogy and the city of Guerdon is now occupied by 3 powers in a fragile peace. It is like Berlin after WWII!!! They are all vying for full control and one faction has Dragons as it leader. There were no dragons in this trilogy until this book. Meanwhile one character is on a trek like Frodo in Lord of the Rings. She is going to a city that is meant to not allow anyone in.
This started off OK but then I gradually lost interest. There are a lot of new characters and the side story of the character on the journey was incredibly dull. This book just felt different to the first two and was just too depressing. The bad guys are really bad and there wasn't really anyone to cheer on.
Most annoying is Hanrahan's habit of switching point of views. He does this in each book but I think here I just had enough. This whole book just felt a book too far. Again it is too long and I wound up just wanting to get to the end. The series does have its merits though as it was unique. The first 2 books seemed way more enjoyable though. As usual there is a good climax and all 3 books have one.
If you like weird fantasy or stuff that is different then this series is for you. I am glad to be moving on from it now though!
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10 ) Batman : Dark Victory by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale
I didn't plan it this way, but exactly 2 years ago, I read Batman : The Long Halloween and click on the title to go to that review if you are interested. Batman : Dark Victory is it's sequel. It is criminal that it took me 2 years to get to the sequel but here we are! I loved the first one and I am happy to say that I loved this one as well. It takes up where the first finished and we have Two-Face causing mayhem in Gotham. It seems like the serial killer Holiday is back as there are numerous people being killed. They all seem connected to Harvey Dent in some way. Then there are Poison Ivy, the Penguin, Mr. Freeze, and the Joker all creating chaos too in Gotham. The city needs a hero to sort everything out!
Meanwhile Batman is as always troubled by his parents death and feels very alone in the world. He has to take everyone on alone and this is a recurring theme throughout the story. The crime families in Gotham are causing trouble too. One of the families kills a couple who works in the circus. The poor son is left an orphan and alone too. Maybe the two people who are alone might become a duo? Maybe even a Dynamic Duo of some sort?!!!
This comic has everything. Great storytelling and great drawings. I think this whole story could be taken as is and made into a movie right now. It is that good. I had no idea who the serial killer was until the reveal near the end! It is Batman exactly as it should be. If you are interested in him then read the first then this one too. Can't recommend these enough!!
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11 ) Batman : Haunted Knight by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale
This is actually the first one that was done by Loeb and Sale but it doesn't really matter that I am reading it now after the others above. This is different to the others in that there are 3 stories within this and I would call it a bit more "basic" than the others. As this was the first maybe it is to be expected!
The first story is about the Scarecrow and there is also a love interest for Bruce Wayne. Maybe he can find happiness at last?! The second story is about the Mad Hatter and there are numerous connections and references to the story Alice in Wonderland. The final story is like A Christmas Carol where Batman is visited by spirits. The Joker, the Penguin and Poison Ivy all show up in this.
As these stories are shorter, there is less mystery and more introspection as we get more about Batman's psyche and his place in Gotham. So its is kind of basic as I said but adds more to the relationships of Batman.
This is a really quick read too and perfect as a taster if you want to see what the series is like. Another one that is thoroughly recommended.
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12 ) The Beauty of Living Twice by Sharon Stone
I picked this book up on a whim. Not a huge fan but not a hater of her either! Didn't really know much about her other than the Basic Instinct movie as well as the Total Recall one. Here is a kind of autobiography/memoir of sorts. An interesting book but it really needed someone to put all the pieces together into a coherent flow. As it is, it a good memoir but full of time jumps and a few boring meanders down memory lane about when she was a kid. She goes from being young to old and back within a few lines on every page. It has a lot of interesting things but then even more interesting subjects are glossed over in a throwaway comment. I was left saying, hang on, I need to know more about that!!
It is a fun read but there isn't much that Stone says she did wrong. It just seemed to be I was somewhat a child prodigy, got into acting, I got sick, came through it, championed rights for homeless and aids and women. There was nothing at all that she made a mistake in so I wondered if she was being totally honest.
That said, it is still and enjoyable read and I didn't know anything about her health issues before reading this. If it had went in a linear fashion this book would have been far better.
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13 ) Trojan War by Roy Thomas and Miguel Angel Sepulveda
Picked this up as it seemed short but could be fun. It is a graphic novel/comic condensing the tales of Troy. The panels are beautifully drawn and really catch the eye but the story is just a complete mash up of stories. It focuses on stuff like the trojan horse, siege of Troy and Helen of Troy and etc.
This just doesn't make and sense as there is so much stuff being crammed into this comic. One panel is one thing then it cuts to another and then another non stop. There isn't any real story as everything is thrown together. I found it boring as all you are getting is a quick snapshot of everything and then it moves on each time.
The drawings are very nice but it doesn't hold together as a story. It felt like such a missed opportunity for this comic. I would not recommend this at all sadly.
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14 ) Catwoman: When In Rome by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale
This graphic novel chronicles Catwoman's mysterious trip to Italy and her dealings with the deadly Falcone crime family. Catwoman leaving was highlighted in the other stories that I reviewed above so this details how she got on with Batman. Selina Kyle is holidaying in Rome and is looking for answers about her father. Who was he?
She has the Riddler with her while she is in Rome and she ends up in a load of chaos and mystery. This takes place during Batman :Dark Victory that I reviewed previously. Riddler is some great comic relief and may even wind up providing an answer to an important riddle of Catwomans...
This is great fun and I love the story and the artwork just like all the others of Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale. It is shorter than the others but very much recommended.
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15 ) The Eternaut by Héctor Germán Oesterheld and drawn by Francisco Lopez
I picked this up and had no idea what it was. I thought it was a book with a cartoon cover! Turns out it is a really, really famous comic from Argentina! I had never heard of it before so its great to find something like this. Felt like finding a hidden gem! It actually is a great comic written in 1957 to 1959.
Juan Salvo is playing cards at his house with friends in Buenos Aires. His wife and daughter are in the house also when suddenly it starts snowing outside. The snow is really heavy and then they notice that people are dying from it! They seal up the house as contact with the snow means they die. One of Juans friends, Favalli, is very resourceful and builds suits to enable them leave the house to get supplies. Then other people are fighting them over dwindling resources. Then they learn that the snowfall is the precursor to an alien invasion!!! Can humanity fight back? Juan Salvo and his friends certainly will!
This is a comic that had me gripped throughout and I have read up on it that it is very famous in Argentina. It uses a load of famous places from there and Juan Salvo in the suit is a famous figure there. You can see him on the cover above. It is a symbol of fighting back and was used against the military dictatorships of Argentina. The author, Héctor Germán Oesterheld, was kidnapped and disappeared by the regime so he was presumed killed along with members of his family.
It is meant to be being made into a Netflix series and I was surprised it hasn't been made already. This is due to the Authors estate wanting any thing made, has to be based in Argentina as the story is critically based there.
This is a great comic and I was just annoyed that I never heard anything about it before! You really have to go out and get this now if you have never read it. Highly recommended!
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16 ) The North Water by Ian McGuire
There was a mini series on RTE recently and it was based on this book. I didn't watch the show but thought I would like it when I flicked it on one day. Looked it up and saw it was based on this book so then I got the book! I want to read the book before seeing the tv Show always if I can help it.
This is set in the last days of 19th century whaling and is set on a ship called the "Volunteer" that sets sail for the Arctic Circle that is full of whales. On board is the usual mix of people and one of them is Henry Drax. He is a bloodthirsty fella and a harpooner. He likes to get drunk a lot. Joining the boat for the first time, is Patrick Sumner. An ex army surgeon who had his reputation ruined. Sumner joins as the ships medic but both men seem to be destined for a deadly collision when good meets evil.
I really enjoyed this book as you really feel that you are on board in that time period. McGuire has done his research about life in that time and it all feels very authentic. It is just over 325 pages so it isn't too long. It felt just about right in length. I would definitely recommend this book.
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17 ) Harrow The Boys by Paul Whyte
This is a short Sci Fi novel from an Irish writer that I thought I would take a chance on. It is set here in the mid west of Ireland in the future where there is numerous flooding. At the start this feels like some environmental tale that I was thinking may be boring but then I was pleasantly surprised!
Ram and his buddies spend their time looking for scrap metal that they can sell. They go to areas formerly lived in looking for anything they can salvage to sell. They are going through flooded farmland one day when they find an old estate that seems to be a goldmine for them! They cannot believe their luck as it seems like a huge pay day when all of a sudden a group of highly armed men appear and it seems that this estate holds a few secrets. The armed men are not going to leave Ram get out alive with them. What's going on and will Ram and his friends survive?
This has a slow start setting up the world that Ram and his friends live in. Sea levels have risen so the world is entirely different now in Ireland. Then the group of men arrive and things really get going! I really loved this Sci Fi actioner and you can really see this being made into a short movie or a full movie here. I really liked the way it was done when the lads are inside the estate looking around and then armed guys appear outside saying kill everyone inside. All the action was really good and made sense and I loved the use of drones which is what would happen nowadays and of course in the future. A really exciting climax too.
Its not a very long book and its more like a novella type but you should definitely buy this and support a new Irish author. The only gripe is that I have no idea what Harrow the boys means. The boys probably mean Ram and his friends but no idea what Harrow means. I would have picked a better title but that's just my opinion. This book is highly recommended if you like an action story set in the future
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18 ) Leviathan Wakes (The Expanse #1) by James S. A. Corey
I bought this new when it came out new 10 years ago and only reading it now! It is a sci fi book set in the future where mankind has colonised most of the solar system. This book is the first in a series called The Expanse. An ice hauling ship called The Canterbury and its crew come across a ship that is now empty and while there, take a beacon with them in a shuttle. As they are returning to the Canterbury they see an unknown ship arrive and destroy the Canterbury. What will they do and where will they go now? This sets off a chain of events that could affect all the inhabitants of our Solar System......
There is a lot to love about this book as I loved the world created. There is a feel of mystery about things as we don't know the full picture and there are parts horror and adventure also. It has a load of good things packed into it. Sadly there are also a few things that are bad. it really lags in the middle where nothing much is happening and some of the characters seem like cardboard cutouts. Especially some in the crew of the good guys ship. We have engineer guy, medic guy and sassy female chief engineer. We really don't learn much about them and there seems to be a minor love story thrown in too that doesn't seem to go anywhere.
When things get back on track near the end, there is a great finish thankfully! Always leave the reader wanting more and this does not disappoint. Whereas in the middle, I was wondering should I continue but the last third made me glad I did. All in all, a fun read if a bit too long!
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19 ) Caliban's War (The Expanse #2) by James S. A. Corey
Caliban's War continues on from Leviathan Wakes and is the second book in the Expanse series. James Holden and his crew agree to help a scientist find his daughter as a politician struggles to prevent an interplanetary war. Meanwhile the alien protomolecule has overrun Venus and threatens to spread out.
This book followed the same pattern as the first. Starts off well, setting things up but then grinds to an almost stop where nothing much is happening. Then the book gets going at the end again for the finish. So its not great but still enjoyable enough.
These books need to be edited down as out of around 600 pages, about 200 could be snipped out to make it more interesting in the middle. Not every book written needs to be an epic!
Still though, there is enough here to be enjoyed so I would recommend for fans of Sci Fi
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20 ) Abaddon's Gate (The Expanse #3) by James S. A. Corey
The Expanse continues on in this third book.
The Alien molecule has worked away and has now made a Gate near Uranus. James Holden and the crew of the Rocinante are on the way out to examine it along with a big flotilla of ships. Everyone has their own agenda though and what they want to do with the Gate....
This went the same exact pattern as the first 2 books, Starts off well, slows to boring speed and then picks up for the ending. I found this to be a bit more engaging than the last book so that was a good thing. The first 3 books all have the same issues. As well as starting well, dipping and getting going again, they suffer when Holden isn't the character being followed by the book. When it switches perspectives to other characters, I realised that not much happens and it won't majorly effect things if Holden is not central.
I enjoyed this book but there are a good few issues that I had to fight through. One characters arc from bad to good is almost laughable and makes no sense at all. Its like they suddenly decide to be good at one stage. Then the "bad guy" makes no sense either as they want to destroy the gate. The reason they want this to happen is very flimsy and made no sense. I just went with it and found myself enjoying it anyway.
The other issue with these books is the naming of them. I have no idea what Leviathan Wakes, Caliban's War and Abaddons Gate mean. I just looked it up and they are references to Shakespeare and old legends etc. It is like the authors thought of the name first and wrote the story.
I started this series so I shall plough on though!
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21 ) Cibola Burn (The Expanse #4) by James S. A. Corey
No, I did not read this in a day. I am actually ahead of the reviews that I put up here but I like to do one at a time.
Cibola Burn is the 4th in the Expanse series and takes place after the events of the last book. Humanity has used the gate to colonise new worlds beyond the gate. On one such planet, there are colonists on the planet who went there straight away but now there is a corporate scientific survey mission to the planet that is technically the property of some corporation. Tensions arise as the colonists view the planet as theirs but the Corporation wants them off it. James Holden and his crew are chosen as mediators to try to sort out this dispute.
So this tale begins in what looks like a story of immigration, evil corporations and land rights. Then it changes to natural disasters but then later changes to killer slugs making people blind. Yes, I am not kidding. To put it bluntly, this book was terrible. It threatens to deal with how the alien race that built the gates existed or died because some of their buildings exist on the planet but it doesn't really get into any detail.
This book made me want to give up this series as it was so bad but I just about limped through it. The evil character is a cardboard cutout company man that would do anything for the "evil" company. Like Paul Reiser's character in the movie Aliens but that was fun. This book is not fun. Killer slugs that burrow into your eyes made me roll mine reading it. It just felt a mess. After reading it, I have no idea what Cibola burn means and I can't be bothered googling it. No doubt some obscure meaning that the authors thought sounded cool and then wrote the book.
I would advise you to skip this one and just know that the gate can now be used for far away travel. Save yourself time and don't bother reading it.
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22 ) Nemesis Games (The Expanse #5) by James S. A. Corey
After what happens in Cibola Burn above, James Holden and his crew all break up and do their own thing while their ship is getting maintenance while a militant group forms called the "Free Navy". This group starts to cause havoc in the system....
I keep saying it but here we are again. The same pattern has developed in this book as the fourth book. A good start. Very boring middle section and things liven up for the ending.
All these books are too long. About 200 pages could be cut out and it would be far tighter. When the focus goes away from James Holden, the books drag every time.
This has a lot of stuff that was very tedious as the crew all go their separate ways. But we know that they are just spinning their wheels until they get back together to save the universe yet again.
Another dull read that was hard to keep my interest in. I just barely get going. With each book things seem to get a bit more boring. Unfortunately I am determined to finish this series out!!
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23 ) Babylon's Ashes (The Expanse #6) by James S. A. Corey
So here I am, plodding on gamely through this series that I don't really love but don't hate either. In this book we find James Holden and the gang in the middle of the action as they are sent to Medina Station as the Free Navy have been causing havoc doing essentially piracy on any ships around the Gate. Can Holden bring about a peace in the area?
With each book, this series has got a little bit worse each time and this book tops it off. It is the worst I have read. The story was very boring and didn't engage me at all. Usually these start out well and then dip but this never gets going at all. Then the end of the book is one of the biggest anticlimaxes I have ever read. It makes we want to atop reading these but as I have them all already, I will go on!!
Massive dip in quality in this book. The first book feels like a long way away at the moment.
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24 ) Persepolis Rising (The Expanse #7) by James S. A. Corey
Following on from the events of the previous book, there is a peace in the system with the new Transport Union managing ships going through the gate. Almost 30 years have passed with our merry crew led by James Holden doing contracts for the Union. In an earlier book, a rogue Admiral went through the gate to the Laconia system with a fleet but they have not been heard from since then. Now he is back, using technology from the Protomolecule and he has a huge armada. He is back to do food runs for everyone! No, he is not! He is here to establish a new order and basically take over everything. His navy take over Medina station and begin to attack our Solar System.
After the previous book, I felt like giving up this series as it was so bad. Thankfully, I did not as this book was really good. It has a great story and for once in this series, there was no filler. Like all good books, I am left wanting to read on more after finishing it. It is amazing that this is so good while the last was so bad. This is highly recommended!
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25 ) Tiamat's Wrath (The Expanse #8) by James S. A. Corey
So the Rogue admiral has now taken over everywhere and his name is Duarte. The resistance is fractured and called The Underground while James Holden is now a "guest" of the admiral. Meaning he is really a prisoner! Duarte has a daughter called Teresa that he is grooming to take over from him in time. The crew of the Rocinante are all split up but fighting as best they can...
After the great #7 reviewed above, I was really looking forward to this one. Sadly it is back to the snails pace of the story where nothing much happens and there are no answers in the main plot. James Holden is barely mentioned and as I have said when he is not involved the story really drags. Teresa is talking to someone who is later revealed to be someone else. This "reveal" was so basic it could have been in Scooby Doo. It was that laughingly obvious! To me this was really bad.
The story is so slow with nothing happening again. This was really poor again and I felt like giving up throughout it but just barely kept going. Another filler book that you can skip.
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26 ) Leviathan Falls (The Expanse #9) by James S. A. Corey
Here I am! At the end of the Expanse finally!
The Laconian Empire has been decimated and just is a small power now. Colonel Tanaka is searching for Duartes daughter Teresa who is with James Holden and the crew. Can Tanaka find her and Duarte himself and bring back the full empire? James Holden and the crew are trying to make sure humanity will have a future as a friendly laconian scientist learns more about the secrets of the gate builders.
After reading all the books before this one, I was really ready for the secrets to be revealed and a big ending to all the threads. The finish that would make it all great and tie everything up. Maybe a few heartbreaks with characters dying but hopefully a thrilling climax......
But sadly.....no.
This book was the worst ending to a series that I have ever read. It is like it was written by different people. Loads of questions built up by the other books are not even addressed and some glossed over. It was like the authors did not know how to end it so just ignored things. It is really boring with loads of talking that doesn't lead anywhere and things only happen at the very end of the book. Even then, not much gets explained
Main characters that we know get little time as the focus shifts to Tanaka. In a final book? It is like the authors wanted to do a few more books. There is kind of a resolution that just left me saying "is that it?" and meh.
Most of the book is very dull and way too much yapping and pontificating by the authors. I would definitely have quit this book only that I knew it was the last book and worried that there may be a huge windup to bring it back but it never came.
What a waste after the early promise of the first book. If you want advice just avoid the rest and just read the first book or maybe first 3. The rest go nowhere and they are all too long.
I'm glad to be free of these books now and the blurb on the front says "Interplanetary adventure the way it ought to be written" - George R.R. Martin. I've never read his books but that's a real red flag to not read them. These books are definitely not the way interplanetary adventure should be written!! One of these authors worked for him so that's why it has the blurb.
A great start to the Expanse but with each book its like the authors did not know how to keep the good start going. If you think you are the same as me and like the same stuff, just avoid the rest after the first 3. It now fells like I wasted my time.
Now I can finally read other stuff!!
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27 ) Billy Summers by Stephen King
I had this ready to go and was really looking forward to it as I love Kings books usually. It is a bit of a departure for him as there is no horror or anything weird in it! Billy Summers is a hitman for hire as he is an expert sniper with experience of the war in Iraq. He is hired for one last job before he retires...What will happen?!
This starts off well as Billy is hired but the implausibilities begin to mount up and the whole books takes off in an entirely different direction that it started. He heads down to the area waiting for the target to show up and settles down to "normal" life with a cover as a writer. Meets the neighbours and gets friendly with everyone as well as the kids. Emmmm Ok. Why do this ? He is there to shoot someone but meets and greets everybody around while waiting. I can let slide him waiting in the area as its unknown when the target will show up. But why meet everyone and have witnesses all over to what he looks like? Ok I went with it still as Billy says he has a foolproof plan to escape and it doesn't matter. Emmm ok I will let this go even though a hitman would just come in, shoot and leave.
Of course this is the last-job-before-he-retires trope as well. Emmm ok. After what happens with the job, he is lying low in a house. Then he sees a woman being dumped nearby outside. What do you do when you are an on the run hitman? You go out and help her of course. You see, Billy is a nice guy hitman. I forgot to tell you that he will only kill "bad" people. Come on! Jeez!
So he helps her and she is after being gang raped by a bunch of guys. Imagine if you are her for a min. Horrific what happened to her but you wake up after being raped and are in a strange house. The guy there with you, is the guy you saw on the news that the police are looking for and he says he didn't rape you. Would you believe him? She does and then eventually Billy says he will make the people pay who did this to her. Remember, he is the Mother Teresa of hitmen!
Added to this is the fact that he didn't get paid his full money from the hit that he was hired to do and was double crossed. So Billy has to sort that out too!
This book was so bad that I was amazed. Within the book, Billy writes a book based on his experiences so we have to read this too. The book within the book is clearly padding and this is really boring. We also have to sit through plentiful Donald Trump references non stop as King obviously hates him. Covid references too even though this is set before covid. The characters all feel very two dimensional and to be honest this just felt very bland and dull.
Avoid this at all costs. I usually love Kings books but we have to be honest in calling this book out for being one of his worst ever. They can't all be great!!
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28 ) Through the Keyhole by Louis Theroux
I am a huge fan of Louis Theroux and if you do not know who he is, he is a documentary filmmaker. All of his docs are very interesting and he is really good at asking the right questions at the right time. This book was bought by me without even reading about what is was about! I has a book voucher and I had to use it up! I assumed it was talking about the people he has met in the course of making his documentaries....
Sadly, I could not have been more wrong. This is basically just a diary of his life during lockdown when Covid was rampant. I read as much as I could but then had to call a halt to it! We all lived through the lockdown and I don't really want to read about his family life and his following workout videos online. Louis is basically a rich guy so the whole book feels a bit tone deaf as he laments how hard he has it with his kids and boozing a lot.
This book felt like a simple online blog that someone would write not a an actual book. I could not finish this book as it just didn't feel very interesting. I would not recommend this to anyone unless you love reading about mundane family life and his kids.
Onto the next book quickly!!
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29 ) A Bright Ray of Darkness by Ethan Hawke
I have been reading away and just kept meaning to log them in here but forgot. So I will start catching up in the next few days. This is another book by the actor Ethan Hawke. I have read one of his before and didn't really love it but here I am again.
This is about an actor about to debut on Broadway and his marriage is breaking down as he cheated. Is it somewhat autobiographical? Who knows!!
This is a well written novel but one of those that goes nowhere and becomes tedious and boring the more you read. I should have learned after reading his other book as this one went the exact same way. He is a good writer but the story is boring so it negates the whole book. I finished it barely and only because it is only around 250 pages.
Avoid at all costs!
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30 ) Ordinary Men by Christopher F. Browning
This is a book that I have wanted to read for a long time, It is subtitled Reserve Police Battalion 101 and the Final Solution. It is about an ordinary bunch of men who were too old to fight in the war and were used to kill and manage the Jews found in the newly conquered areas. The question the author poses, is how they were ordinary men but ended up gleefully carrying out the duties such as gassing or shooting Jews.
I really enjoyed this book as it deals with how we as humans have an unbelievable capacity to do things even when we know its wrong. I enjoyed the way the author tempers things by saying the battalion members were interviewed but would always not want to make themselves look bad. We all would do this too as its human nature so I felt Browning was realistic in his analysis etc.
This is an important book that you should read for insights into the Holocaust.
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31 ) Since we fell by Dennis Lehane
I normally like Dennis Lehane and this is a psychological thriller about a woman who goes through a breakdown. I am not even going to bother talking more about the plot as it felt like just one thing after each other and doesn't really go anywhere interesting.
This was fairly boring and I felt like giving up on it until the last 100 pages where suddenly things livened up. It was then enjoyable for the last part but a case of too little too late! I would avoid this book as it just isn't worth reading. Disappointing.
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32 ) The Ninja (Linnear #1)by Eric Van Lustbader
This series has been on my bucket list for years. I had started this book years ago but lost track as I left a long time in between reads so I had moved on. Always wanted to come back and tackle it properly.
It is about Nicholas Linnear who is half Caucasian and half Asian and he knows both worlds. It deals with his upbringing in Japan after World War II. He learns the art of being a Ninja while there. Later he moves to America and is brought in by the police as he is an expert and there is a murder with a ninja weapon.
This book is fairly long but overall interesting enough. It is a slow burner and to be honest I expected a bit more action. Lots of intrigue until the climax where the action breaks out!
A fun read. The middle drags a little bit though.
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33 ) The Miko (Linnear #2) by Eric Van Lustbader
This continues on from The Ninja above with Nicholas Linnear. Basically there is someone new out to get him.....The Miko! The Miko is a female who is almost like a female ninja and she can use the dark arts!! This was first published in 1984 and there are are a lot of outdated political intrigue involving Japan and especially the Soviet Union. Lustbader does the intrigue really well if you like that kind of thing but I prefer a bit more action rather than constant talking.
It is 700 pages and far too long for my liking. The template is the same as the first book. Starts off strong then gets tedious in the middle and then a strong climax. I came close to giving up but as I owned the series already, I ploughed on!!
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34 ) White Ninja (Linnear #3) by Eric Van Lustbader
Nicholas Linnear is back again once more! Here he gets a tumour removed and wouldn't you know it? He loses all his Ninja powers! Hate when that happens! But there may be a more nefarious reason as yet again, there is someone out to get him!
I should have said that in this series, Lustbader really loves his sex scenes! He goes into details and there are long passages as well as long.....well you get the idea! But in seriousness, even I found it a bit much as it seems they were put in a lot. So just in case you hate that kind of thing, be aware of it.
This is around 500 pages but still again we have the same pattern. Strong start, tedious middle and good ending. But in this one there is a good clomax and then the book keeps going! It should have ended but kept going for another boring bit. Again intrigue is the order of the day so if you like it you will love this series. I would rather a bit more happening.
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35 ) The Kaisho (Linnear #4) by Eric Van Lustbader
Nicholas Linnear is back in the 4th in the series and here he owes a debt of honour to his fathers old friend. What he doesn't know is that the old friend is the Kaisho. The Kaisho is the Boss of Bosses of the Japanese underworld. The American Mafia has targeted him for execution though!
This one is almost 600 pages in length and goes the exact same way as the other books. Great start and then gets bogged down with a lot of characters and gets complex.Then a good finish if you can stay the course!
Well written but they could do with being shorter in length.
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36 ) Floating City (Linnear #5) by Eric Van Lustbader
So here is Linnear again, back for the 5th time around. Of course, he has another enemy wanting to take him down as usual. Not going to give this a long review as its the same pattern as the above books. Here he goes to Vietnam
Its about 400 pages so not as long as the previous books.
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37 ) Second Skin (Linnear #6) by Eric Van Lustbader
The final book in this series that I am at this stage just wanting to be over! After the events of Floating City, Linnear's enemies are regrouping for one attack to get rid of Linnear. Linnear and his allies will need to be ready to face off!
This is about 450 pages so not too bad in length. All these books have the same pattern and it felt great on the first book but by now, I was a bit numbed to it all. As I have said previously, I prefer a bit more action and less talking in circles. The books are just about enjoyable enough though so I don't want it to look like I was bored reading them. Its more like I just wasn't thrilled all the time reading them!
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38 ) Falling by T.J. Newman
I picked this up on a whim for a few reasons. It was a first time author, didn't seem very long and most of all the premise seemed interesting. TJ Newman is a female author who was a flight attendant as well. By the way female authors tend to use first initials as people tend to buy more from male authors which is a bit sad to see but the way life is.
On a flight to New York, the pilot gets contacted saying his family has been kidnapped and if he doesn't crash the flight then his family will be killed.....
So the premise had me hooked and I was thinking of a Die Hard type story! The writing was fairly ok and Newman does have some talent but sadly the numerous clichés and plot holes began to pile up early. The bad guys can get stuff on the plane no problem but didn't seem to think of just putting a bomb on the plane. Newman does try to address it and give reasons but they just didn't cut it. I was reading it thinking "Come on....!"
As she was a flight attendant, the ones in the book are very heroic but cliché ridden. We have plucky flight attendants turning the tables on the bad guys in a moment that made me laugh out loud as it was so stupid. There is the big huge male flight attendant that is meek as a mouse but you know his size will come in very handy! The bad guys are brain dead and the cops are complete bunglers. Of course there is that one cop who realises what is going on and very handy too that he will break every law and not follow orders!
This felt like a bad TV movie and what is amazing is this is being made into a movie! It has been bought by Universal Pictures. Honestly, I feel like I could write a better story than this. Avoid this book unless you want a laugh !!
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39 ) Death of the Black Haired Girl by Robert Stone
Another thriller that is only around 300 pages so I said here we go again!
In an elite New England college, Professor Steven Brookman embarks upon a careless affair with a brilliant but reckless student, Maud Stack....
This is advertised as a Psychological Thriller as you can see on the cover above so I expected something tense and exciting. Sadly this is incredibly boring. The Professor decides to end his relationship with the student and soon after she is found dead. I thought it was going to be a whodunnit type book or did he or didn't he kill her. However, this book heads off into morality/ spirituality. It focuses on other characters a lot too later on and by the end I didn't care who killed her. I wanted to just finish the book and move on. Came close to giving up but it is short enough.
Another one to avoid!!
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40 ) Dark Matter by Blake Crouch
After the last two poor books I decided to go for a sci fi thriller. Have you ever thought about that path you didn't take? That big fork in the road where you made a decision and went off in life in one direction? What would have happened if you took it? Well this book is about that other path. And all the infinite others!
Jason Dessen is a former quantum mechanics physicist and now just a college professor. He lives in Chicago with his wife and son. One day he is kidnapped, drugged and wakes up in an alternate Chicago. He doesn't have a wife and son anymore. What is going on??
I don't want to say too much about the story as it will spoil things but it is a sci fi book about alternate realities. This has a blurb on the book from Andy Weir who wrote The Martian. Dark Matter reminds me of that in that it is very easy to read and the story flies along. Characterisation is minimal as we focus on the story. It felt like Crouch came up with the concept first and added on the rest later. I really enjoyed this book but you do have to park your brain a bit and go with the flow. The writing isn't the best but its all on the story and things fly along.
It is just over 300 pages so not too long and a very easy read. If you like Sci Fi then you should definitely check it out.
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41 ) Recursion by Blake Crouch
As I had bought both these books from Crouch when they came out, I went straight from Dark Matter above to this one called Recursion. Finally reading them!
In 2018, meaning present day, an NYPD Detective Barry Sutton tries to talk a suicide jumper out of jumping. The jumper says she is suffering from False Memory Syndrome. It is an illness that is spreading among the population where people have vivid memories of a life they have not lived. Sadly the jumper does jump and Barry begins to look deeper into this mystery illness. Then we flash back to 2007 where Scientist Helena Smith is approached by the worlds richest man and he offers to fully fund her research into memory care and Alzheimer's. The man takes her to an Island where he promises to her that they will change the world. They go on to definitely change the world but if I was to tell you how, it would give away plot details!
Maybe reading this book straight after Dark Matter wasn't a great idea as it felt like Crouch had an idea left over from it and used it here. It is quite similar to the concept of Dark Matter in alternate realities type of deal. Now, it definitely is different but reading it straight after meant it felt like a rethread even though it is not.
It is very clever and Crouch does explain the "rules" of this world he created but the main idea felt like a gimmick. I feel like in both books Crouch thinks of the idea and writes around it type of thing. It is a very easy read and is almost too easy as Crouch does a load of one word paragraphs that in this second book, I found very irritating. Again it could be because I "overdosed" on him!!
With all the trouble Crouch does to explain the "rules", I still felt there were a few plot holes in the whole idea and I still don't think Crouch is a great writer but it is still entertaining if you just go with the flow. Again if you like Sci Fi, its worth checking out only its not a classic by any means. It is all idea and a bit of substance if you understand me!!
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42 ) Ronan O'Gara : My Autobiography by Ronan O'Gara
As a change of pace, I switched to non fiction and an autobiography. I like rugby but am no expert on it but wanted to read O'Gara's story. He was such a great player that nearly everyone admired!
Unfortunately though, this book isn't great. It felt like more of a log of matches.
"On this day we played such and such. I played well scoring xyz points. Then we went to the next game"
It felt very dry and there wasn't much personality coming through at all. I didn't really learn anything about him. He briefly touches on rumours that he was cheating on his girlfriend/wife and how hurtful it was. Other than that there was not much interesting stuff. I'm not saying to talk about nasty stuff but the book felt very matter of fact.
Only read this book if you are a real hardcore fan. Otherwise there isn't any need to read it really.
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