Storm Front - a new wizard in town

As a member of Audible, I get frequent emails promoting a massive range of books. A particular series periodically popped up from time to time under a "recommended for you" kind of heading due my previous purchases of fantasy and crime novels. That series was The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher and Storm Front is the first of these books which feature the life and times of a crime-fighting wizard called Harry Dresden. Now, I know that sounds similar to the Rivers of London series, which readers of this blog will now be familiar with - but these are very, VERY different books. Much, much darker (if this first outing is anything to go by), the main character is a wizard for hire - specialising in locating missing objects. However, he also does a bit of consultancy work for the Chicago PD - well, one local officer really (Lieutenant Karrin Murphy) - everyone else thinks he's a complete fraud! When a timid lady calls him to ask for his help, he arranges an appointment with her - which he then almost misses as he is asked to consult on the gruesome deaths of a couple, who, in the act of love-making, have had their hearts ripped out of their chests ... but from the inside. Dark magic is the cause, and Dresden is tasked to come up with a solution by the police ... but then on the way back to his office, he is bundled into a car by a local mobster who offers to double his money if he DOES NOT investigate the deaths. Intrigued and disturbed, Dresden gets back to his office just in time for his appointment with the fearful Monica who asks him to find her spouse. Harry needs the money, so takes on both cases - the one for the police and the missing husband. Little did he realise that there would be a link between the two, with deadly consequences ... I enjoyed this book, which was brought to life by James Marsters (who played Spike in Buffy the Vampire Slayer many moons ago), who has a laid back sarcastic style of narration that really suits the style of writing. The action is messy and magical, and as Harry's back story begins to unfold, we find out that among the magical community, he is a bit of an outcast. Well, no surprise there. Our hero has to have the odds stacked against him - and his own strict ethical code never seems to really help him either. No punches are pulled and if you are happy to get deep down and dirty along with the characters, you will not be disappointed.

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 336 print pages.
Price I paid: £7.99.
Formats available: print; unabridged audio download; MP3 audio CD; ebook.

Sharpe's Enemy - blood and gore aplenty!

If you don't know by now, I am a HUGE fan of Bernard Cornwell. I have read many of his books and have had no regrets thus far. In this, the 15th book in the Richard Sharpe series, our hero finds himself newly promoted to Major and is given the task of rescuing two high-born ladies from the clutches of a band of French and British deserters - one of whom is Sharpe's mortal enemy, the toothless, twitching Obadiah Hakeswill. Sharpe secures the ladies, but when, with the help of his wife Teresa, one of the most feared partisan fighters, he realises that the truce that had been holding during the rescue is about to come to an end and the French are planning a massive movement of troops which would jeopardise Wellington's campaign, he sets out to thwart them. It's Christmas 1812, but that matters not one jot. Against overwhelming odds, he plans to outsmart the enemy using the only soldiers he has at his disposal - the dodgy and untested new Rocket Troop and a small band of riflemen and various scrappers that are now under his command. By sheer force of will, he brings them together into a cohesive fighting machine ready to defend the small scrap of land required by the French to pass through to the one place that would give them an advantage over Wellington's forces. Will Sharpe manage to pull off the impossible and hold out until reinforcements arrive? Well, as this isn't the last in the series I think we all know the answer to that. Once again, Mr Cornwell pulls off an exciting adventure full of blood, gore and downright nastiness smattered with enough historical facts that it feels very real. Great action, great characters and a great read. I just wish Sharpe would have as much luck in his personal life as he does his battles ... maybe next time! Oh, and it never pays to turn your back on Obadiah - you have been warned. A book that is well worth a punt.

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 350 print pages.
Price I paid: £1.80.
Formats available: print; unabridged audio CD; unabridged audio download; ebook.

The Lewis Man - secrets buried in the peat

I have just raced through the second in the Lewis Trilogy, by Peter May. This was in part due to being away on a short break where the weather was a bit miserable to say the least, but still wouldn't have happened if the story wasn't one that I was interested in. The action starts with the finding of a body in the peat bog on the island of Lewis. Due to the preservative qualities of a peat bog, it is hard to say, initially, how long the body of the young man had been there ... until clues start emerging such as a tattoo of Elvis Presley. It soon becomes obvious that this person had been brutally murdered sometime in the late 1950's. DNA results then show that he is related to someone still living on the island - the father of Marsaili, the first love of Fin McLeod, the central character in the first book. With his divorce finalised, and having quit the police force in Edinburgh, Fin is now living on Lewis once again, determined to renovate his childhood home and live a simpler life. However, with Marsaili's father becoming a suspect, Fin steps in with the help of the local constabulary to try and disprove this theory in order to protect the family who have meant so much to him. This is not going to be easy, with Marsaili's father now suffering from dementia. The Lewis Man brings the harsh life of the Outer Hebrides both in the past and today into focus, and is a great page turner. The subject matter is dealt with sensitively, with the inward workings of the damaged mind of Marsaili's father especially handled with care. The story of what happened all those years ago slowly unravels and collides with the present. It just goes to show that we never really know anyone. We get to spend more time with characters we met in the first book and relationships develop at a pace in line with the action. Not all scenes quite ring true, but maybe they are there to help set things up for the finale in book three, which I will definitely be seeking out.

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 384 print pages.
Price I paid: £0.20.
Formats available: print; unabridged audio download; unabridged audio CD; ebook.

Broken Homes - Could these books get any better?

I fear I might be becoming obsessed with this Rivers of London series by Ben Aaronovitch ... but there are many, many worse things I can think of that could take up a person's time. Broken Homes is the fourth outing for PC Peter Grant, apprentice wizard and one of three members of the specialist squad who investigate crimes involving unexplained and magical phenomenon within London. Things are hotting up in the search for the "Faceless Man" - who is leaving a trail of bodies behind him, without any apparent rhyme or reason, but which eventually lead to a London high rise estate which the council want to demolish despite it being a listed building. Peter and his colleague Lesley (who lost her face at the end of book one), are getting stronger in the craft, ably taught by their boss, Nightingale. However, he is still quite protective of them, and when a Russian night witch appears on the scene, it is Nightingale who takes centre stage after his two protegees almost come a cropper. The action pulls no punches and the dialogue is as sparkling and witty as ever - I snorted in laughter many times. This is in no small measure due to the continuing excellence of the narration in the audio editions of the books, which I've been reading - hats off once again to Kobna Holdbrook-Smith on that score. Characters who appeared in earlier books reappear here - both friend and foe. I found myself cheering for Lesley as she finds a bit of intimacy with one of them ... an experience she thought she would never have again. Peter can't help be a bit jealous, but is happy for her nonetheless, despite his love life being on a bit of a sabbatical! When our hero finally works out what is going on, it leads to an almighty confrontation. There is a cracking twist at the end, and we are now set up nicely for episode five ... I can't wait ... it's supposed to be out this month and I am waiting impatiently on my tenterhooks!

My STAR rating: FIVE.

Length: 368 print pages.
Price I paid: £7.99.
Formats available: print; unabridged audio download; unabridged audio CD; ebook.

Soul Music - Who knew death could be so much fun?

I do love it when Terry Pratchett gets it right, and with Soul Music he definitely strikes the right chord. With this book, the third in the Discworld "Death" series, we find Susan - an odd girl who doesn't really engage with her classmates or teachers, and has the unusual ability to make people not see her when she wants to. Susan is the "grand-daughter" of Death - he of the long black shroud and scythe. But, she doesn't know this until he turns his back on his duties and sets out to "try and forget" - and suddenly, Susan finds that she has, somehow, taken on his role for the Discworld. Despite people mistaking her for the Tooth Fairy, she gets to work, and soon realises that she can save people from their fate - people she doesn't think deserve to die at that exact time. One of these is a musician, who comes across a strange guitar that kind of possesses him. This guitar pretty much plays itself - and boy, how it plays. There unfolds a skit on the story of rock and roll and how it influenced an unsuspecting public as well as other musicians - let alone the managers who then proceed to make a whole lot of money out of the venture at the expense of the talent! There are some really clever moments and the story is jam-packed with humour. One of the lines that made me laugh out loud is to do with the standard counting in of a song, which, at one point, is performed by the troll member of the band - and due to his limited numbering system, the count goes "One, two, many, lots." Will Susan realise that she should not interfere with the destiny of the individual, even though it may not seem "fair"? And will Death pull himself together and get back to work? This book is well worth the few hours it takes to read - full of wit and wisdom and lots of rock and roll references (all with the Discworld spin of course). Enjoy!

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 378 print pages.
Price I paid: £1.99.
Formats available: print; abridged audio CD; unabridged audio download; ebook.

The Black House - a tale as rugged as the landscape

The Black House, by Peter May is the first of the Lewis Trilogy. I had heard great things about this series, and read plenty of good reviews, and I have to say, I was not displeased to have the excuse of this year's blog theme of "series and sequels" to get going with this set of books. The actions starts in Edinburgh, with our main character, DS Fin Macleod, reluctantly heading back to work after four weeks compassionate leave following the death of his young son. He is a broken man in many ways and is not impressed by the assignment his boss hands over to him - a murder investigation on the Isle of Lewis ... the place where he grew up and couldn't wait to get away from when he was 18 years old. The murder victim is known to Fin - a bully who victimised him and his friend Artair when he was at school. As the investigation takes shape, memories that have been locked away start to resurface as Fin meets the people who helped shape his life ... including his first love, Marsaili whose heart he broke. Events start to become more and more personal, with Fin slowly realising that he has more of a part to play in this tragedy than just doing his job. This is a dark and sometimes uncomfortable read. The switches between childhood and current events were smooth and there was always a point to each passage. The action matches the harsh reality of life on weather-beaten Lewis, an island off the north-west coast of Scotland. It's tough to make a living, and even tougher to find true happiness. This is a really good read, and is not as bleak as you might think, despite the subject matter. The characters are well-drawn and you cannot help but care about them. Maybe I was being a bit thick, but I didn't guess the big reveal towards the end of the book, which makes me very happy. All too often, things are sign-posted from an early point in a story which mean that genuine surprises are few and far between. I can definitely recommend this book and am really looking forward to getting stuck into book two! I cannot believe that this book was turned down by UK publishers and was first published in France. Whether you read the printed word or go for the audio edition, which I did, you are in for a treat ... a book that actually lives up to the hype!

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 502 print pages.
Price I paid: £5.99.
Formats available: print; abridged audio CD; unabridged audio download; ebook.

Crossroads of Twilight - just get on with it!!!

Crossroads of Twilight is book ten of the Wheel of Time Series by Robert Jordan. I have persisted with this series even though the last couple of books have been a bit mediocre, with much preamble before anything significant actually happening. I was hoping that this title would have got the series back on track. But no! 700 pages and almost nothing happened. It almost feels like you are reading something in real time, following the characters minute by minute as they mull over events and feelings. And, as usual, there are an immense amount of characters. It is so easy to lose yourself (and not in a good way) trying to get your head around who is who, as well as how and where they relate to each other in the story. The first few books had the main characters together in the thick of events, but now that they have all split up, it's as if you are reading six different books all at the same time. Of course there are still links, but they feel very weak. I am becoming increasingly frustrated by this series. I have invested a heck of an amount of time to it, and am being short-changed in the story-telling department. The plot, such as it is, was around what was happening just after Rand al'Thor - the Dragon Reborn - "cleansed" the male half of the True Source (magic to you and me). This power eventually kills men who use it - but only after it has sent them mad - but has Rand now prevented this from happening? The other characters don't know that this is what has happened as yet, just that a massive use of "the power" took place. Egwene is trying to keep all her Aes Sedai together and plans to take back the White Tower and bring all the Sisters back together as a cohesive group. Mat remains in hiding within the travelling circus, but is drawn to his captive - Tuon - who he is pretty sure he is destined to marry - even though he's not sure he actually likes her. Perrin is on the trail of his wife, and is determined to rescue her from the clutches of her kidnappers. Yes, that's two kidnap plots in the same book! Meanwhile, Elayne, who is pregnant by Rand al'Thor is still manoeuvring to ensure her ascendancy to the throne at Caemlyn. There are hints of intrigues and lots of talking and meaningful looks, but almost no action. Seriously, how long can this be strung out for? I'm begging for the story to reach the heights of the first few books, but doubt as to whether this will actually happen has set in big time. Will my plea of JUST GET ON WITH IT be heeded in book eleven? Fingers crossed all round!

My STAR rating: THREE.

Length: 700 print pages.
Price I paid: £3.00 (at a fantastic second-hand bookshop in Whitstable).
Formats available: print; unabridged audio CD; unabridged audio download; ebook.