Is there Death after Death?

If you haven't read any Terry Pratchett, then I don't know what is holding you back. In Reaper Man, which I read in print, Pratchett is on form as we follow Death - a character we have experienced in other Discworld books - given the sack! The skeletal figure who had thought he would be there both at the beginning and end of time is suddenly faced with something that he has only been the witness to - mortality. In the time that he has left before the new DEATH is in place, he starts to work on a farm - using his scythe to harvest corn instead of people. Meanwhile, with the absence of death in the world, strange things start to happen, where inanimate objects become animate - look out for those shopping trolleys. Only those who aren't "traditionally" alive - zombies, vampires, werewolves - seem to have the tools to deal with this. On the farm, Death is a big hit with the locals, especially when he saves a little girl from a fire. He realises that he doesn't want "to end" and takes the fight to the gods who had decided his fate ... great book, lots of chuckles, and deep themes wrapped up in humour and sheer silliness. I love Terry Pratchett and know it won't be long 'til I grab another volume from his very special world!

My STAR rating: FOUR.
Price I paid: FREE (borrowed from my local library).
Formats available: print; abridged audio CD; unabridged audio download; Ebook.

Nothing left to lose ... but my time!

I have mixed feelings about Nothing left to lose, by Stuart Allison, which I read as an ebook. By no means the best of books, but it was, nevertheless, a page turner. I was irritated by the poor quality of the text of the ebook edition which had both typo's and the odd sentence which didn't quite make sense. This thriller started with middle-aged Ian West contemplating wrapping his car around a tree, but thinking better of it. His life is a mess following the breakdown of his marriage and the resulting depression causes him to be sent home from his work as a history teacher. When an old student - the beautiful Lisa Mann - contacts him to ask for help with some research for a documentary, he decides that this distraction might be just what he needs. They embark on a journey to uncover the story of William Miller, an enigmatic Englishman who helped Hitler’s rise to power. As Ian and Lisa pick away at the story, it takes them from the atrocities of the Spanish Civil War to the gates of Auschwitz and the Holocaust. But when barriers to their research, and threats to their person start to materialise, it becomes clear that someone does not want them to uncover Miller’s story. Ian is determined to discover why and whilst he feels he has nothing left to lose, he is determined to protect both Lisa and his own family. There is a lot crammed into this book - it's almost a potted history of fascism in Europe - and it is hard to credit that one man (Miller) would have had such a journey. Unbelievable situations, together with characters that are not fully rounded made for a few tuts from me along the way. Yet, for all its faults, I really wanted to keep reading to find out what happened in the end. I think this book had great potential, and maybe with a bit more editing it could have been a triumph. As it is, it's a romp that won't tax the brain too much - so I can recommend it as an easy read with some thrills and spills along the way - high literature it is not.

My STAR rating: TWO

Length:260 print pages.
Price I paid: £2.44.
Formats available: Print; Ebook.

A re-awakening of political consciousness in Portugal

Pereira Maintains, by Antonio Tabucchi is an unusual book. It's written as if it is the report of a third party who has been interrogating the central character - Doctor Pereira - about his life. This brings a certain menace from the very beginning. Set in a sweltering summer of 1930's Portugal during the Spanish Civil War and the early days of the fascist regime in Germany, we find Doctor Pereira, editor of the cultural page of The Lisboa newspaper, just getting on with life. He talks to the photograph of his dead wife, eats omelettes almost exclusively and drinks lemonade, in between translating French stories into Portugese for the paper. That's pretty much it. Morbidly obese and with a heart problem, he is drifting along in his own little world until he meets a young couple who slowly but surely turn his life upside-down. They open his eyes to what is starting to happen in his own country and wake him up to  the insidious march of fascism - and that he can no longer turn a blind eye to it! I read this in audio with Derek Jacobi narrating, which was an absolute pleasure. He brought all the poetry of the text to life (this is translated from a Italian novel) and it slowly sucks you in and is an absolute pleasure to read. I will definitely seek out more books by this author who sadly died earlier this year.

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 208 print pages.
Price I paid: £7.99.
Formats available: print; ebook; unabridged audio download.

Death of Kings ... a treat from the master of historical fiction

Ahhhh, Bernard Cornwell, you are an absolute hero. There are some writers that never seem to put a foot wrong. And Mr Cornwell is one of them ... at least in my eyes anyway. I have just finished Death of Kings, which I read in print. It is part of his Saxon series, which has Uhtred of Bebbanberg as it's main character. Uhtred is Saxon, but was brought up by Vikings and is still very much a Viking warrior at heart, despite him becoming embroiled in Alfred the Great's attempts to unite all the people of  England under one Saxon kingdom. In this book, we are at the end of Alfred's life - a man who Uhtred dislikes, but admires in equal measure - and the fear is that the Danes are going to exploit this event and take over Wessex and Mercia in the anticipated void that his death will leave. Uhtred is known and feared by the Danes, and hated by many of the men who Alfred had surrounded himself with - particularly the clergy. Uhtred readies himself for battle, but it doesn't come, despite the Danes not hiding the fact that they are amassing their forces around Chester. After surviving an ambush, and fighting for his place in the new King's court, the inevitable happens. Will Uhtred prevent disaster to the fledgling kingdom and be able to keep the hordes at bay? Fantastic writing brings the dirty, smelly and dangerous world of Uhtred and his contemporaries to life. I laughed and winced, and my heart rate went up in the heat of the battles. It's visceral stuff, and I simply can't get enough of it. I raced through this book and am gutted to have finished it so quickly. Come on Bernard, writing one book a year is just not enough!

My STAR rating: FIVE

Length: 335 print pages.
Price I paid: Free - borrowed from my local library.
Other formats available: Ebook; audio CD; audio download.

Bleak House shuts its doors at last

Yes, I have finally finished Bleak House, by Charles Dickens which I read as an Ebook. It has felt like a bit of an epic I have to admit. Don't get me wrong, it's not that I didn't enjoy it, but it just seemed to go on and on and on. This is the story of Esther Summerson, an orphan who finds herself the unwitting participant in the madness that is the Chancery case of Jarndyce v Jarndyce - basically, a dispute over which of several wills written by the same person is the one that should be followed. This case has been going on for years and years and years - with the lawyers being the only people gaining from it. Almost everyone who is in any way connected with this case, and therefore, might be in for a bit of the inheritance when it's finally settled, gets sucked in and tend to lose their marbles in the process. Esther becomes the companion of two young potential inheritors (Ada and Nicholas), who are taken under the wing of John Jarndyce - an entirely sensible soul who has virtually ignored the legal case. She becomes his housekeeper, and the confidant of Ada and Nicholas, who have fallen in love with each other. Her goodness shines out from the pages and she cannot but help empathise and assist anyone she comes into contact with. I like Esther because when she starts to feel a bit down she gives herself a good talking to! When the cold and formidable Lady Dedlock comes into her sphere, she feels like she has met her before, but thinks she is imagining it. She is not ... and we soon find out about their joint past. There is tragedy, silliness, murder, obstinacy, loyalty and love to be found within this book. Practically the kitchen sink has been thrown on it ... including a case of spontaneous combustion! For my taste, there is a little too much going on - often stuff that distracts you from the main feature and we could have lived without. There are passages that are just fabulous to read, but I found with this book that there was just too many of, what I felt were totally unnecessary passages that detracted from the whole. Still a good read, but one that I would recommend that you give yourself time to have good run at. Five minutes here and there just won't do, otherwise you risk getting lost and confused with the myriad of different characters and sub-plots.



My STAR rating: THREE.

Length: 1088 print pages (told you it was long!)
Price I paid: FREE on Kindle.
Other formats: print, audio CD, audio cassette, audio download.

The Last Four Things... right up my street

If you thought this would be a blog about me finishing Bleak House ... think again! The end of the other book I've been reading came upon me quite suddenly yesterday, leaving lots of unanswered questions and a few cliffhangers.The Last Four Things, by Paul Hoffman, which I read on audio picks up where its predecessor - The Left Hand of God - left off. Our anti-hero, Thomas Cale, is back in the hands of the much-hated Redeemers, and in particular, one named Bosco - a heavyweight in this perverted religious order, whose interpretation of how best to serve God leaves much to be desired. Thomas is now persuaded that he is indeed "The Left Hand of God" - in other words, he doles out retribution among the enemies of The Redeemers at any given opportunity. This is all part of Bosco's plan to become Pope so that he can enforce his own partcular brand of Redeemerism on the masses. Much bloodshed and violence ensues, but Thomas breaks away and escapes to a place called Spanish Leeds, thinking he might get some sanctuary there. It is not to be. He discovers his old enemies are also there, plus he bumps into the now heavily pregnant Arbel" swan neck", who was the love of his life, but who, in the previous book, handed him over to the Redeemers. I felt we were building up for a mighty bust up, but then the book ended. I have to admit, I was not expecting such a suden ending and I am now eagerly anticipating the third book in the series whenever it comes out. An atmospheric book with some of the baddest baddies I've ever come across, plus a central character that is hard to love, but you can't quite help root for him. There are also lighter moments and the odd chuckle did break forth at times. A special mention must go to Sean Barrett for another great narration - his interpretation of Kitty the Hare (or is it Hair? - hard to tell with an audio edition) gives me the willies! A rampaging tale set in a world not wholly disimilar to our own ...maybe a "what if" kind of a world, this book will keep you guessing and wondering and keen to keep turning those pages.



My STAR rating: FOUR

Length: 448 print pages
Price I paid: £7.99 (Audible monthly subscription)
Formats: print; Ebook ; audio CD; audio download.