Warriors of the Storm - bring on the shield wall

The deeply flawed Lord Uhtred of Bebbanberg is back in Warriors of the Storm, the 9th book in The Last Kingdom series. My favourite pagan warrior may be starting to feel his age as his body aches and he is definitely getting slower, but his cunning mind and burning ambition remain undiminished. The book opens with Uhtred still holding Mercia on behalf of his former lover, and daughter of King Alfred, Aethelflaed. However, a formidable opponent gets the jump on him in the form of Ragnall Ivarson, a fierce Northman who has joined forces with the Irish and is making a bid for the kingdom. Despite the threat, neither Aethelflaed, nor her brother Edward (ruler of Wessex) seem to want to take their forces north to confront him. Uhtred grows increasingly frustrated, and decides to take action when he hears that his daughter, who is married to Ragnall's brother, is in peril. And we all know by now that when Uhtred gets the bit between his teeth there is going to be a shield wall and plenty of blood ... This was the first of this series that I have read in audio format, and I was a little worried that the voices of the characters I already had in my head might not match the narrators interpretation of them, but my fears were unfounded. Excellent work by Matt Bates brought the story to life and in no way interfered with "my" characters .... which is just as it should be. This latest instalment is a superb addition to the series. Bernard Cornwell is a writer who deserves all the plaudits he receives. Great characters. Breakneck action sequences. Entertaining dialogue. Oh, and a bit of history too. Highly recommended to anyone who likes their heroes fierce, loyal, and a little bit bonkers too! It should come as no great surprise to anyone who has been reading this blog that Warriors of the Storm was a winner for me! Roll on the next adventure, which is titled The Flame Bearer and is due to be published in October 2016.

My STAR rating: FIVE.

Length: 368 print pages.
Price I paid: zero, borrowed from library via OneClickAudio.
Formats available: print; unabridged audio CD; unabridged audio download; preloaded digital audio player; ebook.

Company of Liars - when the plague is not the biggest threat!

It is 1348 and panic hits the people of England when the first victims of the plague are reported to have arrived on its shores. In a bid to get ahead of the killer disease, our narrator, Camelot heads north. He is a seller of "relics" of the saints to those willing to part with ready cash to ward off evil with their power. As he travels, he unwillingly seems to pick up an unlikely group of companions who find themselves travelling together for mutual protection. There are Venetian musicians Rodrigo and Jofre, Cygnus, a one-armed storyteller, the painter Osmond and his wife Adela who is with child, Zophiel the conjuror, and the midwife Pleasance who is accompanied by the strange, white-haired child, Narigorm. The action moves along with great pace and there are many twists and turns that keep the reader both gripped and guessing. When the company's numbers start to dwindle, relentlessly pursued by a lone wolf, everyone starts to get a bit jumpy, and suspicions and accusations start to break the company apart. Will anyone make it out alive, and will anyone be able to keep their deepest, darkest secret to themselves? I really, really enjoyed this book, assisted by the fine narration of David Thorpe in the audio edition. Company of Liars is a book that you want to keep reading even though you really know you should get some sleep! The author, Karen Maitland, brings to life the desperation of the Middle Ages where life was short and often miserable, and populates it with fascinating and sympathetic characters. There is so much going on, but all of the characters and action is woven together with such exceptional skill that the epic nature of the story still feels very human and personal. Superb storytelling, and I will certainly be seeking out other work by this author.

My STAR rating: FIVE.

Length: 592 print pages.
Price I paid: £2.92.
Formats available: print; unabridged audio download; ebook.

Case Histories - why has it taken me so long to read this?

Case Histories features Jackson Brodie, ex army, ex policeman and ex husband, who is a private detective in Cambridge, England. It's been an unusually hot summer and lethargy has set in ... though that may have something to do with the infected root canal inhabiting his mouth! As if from nowhere, three cold cases fall into his lap - a missing child, an unsolved murder and the tracing of a long lost niece. Jackson tries to tackle all three inbetween trips to the dentist, time spent with his daughter, fights with his ex-wife and avoiding premature death at the hands of an unknown assassin. The central character created by author Kate Atkinson is multi-layered, and as we follow his work, we find out more and more about him and cannot help but start to care about what happens to him. There is such a lot going on both in the present and in the past with both the cases and his personal life that you have to keep on your toes and concentrate. It's a book that really benefits from having the tme to have a good run at, if you know what I mean. However, it is SO worth the effort. The different cases are woven together with great skill and a lightness of touch which makes the book ebb and flow with pleasing results. To say I enjoyed it is an understatement, and I feel ridiculously stupid for not venturing into Jackson Brodie's world much, much sooner.

My STAR rating: FIVE.

Length: 432 print pages
Price I paid: Free, borrowed as an ebook from the library.
Formats available: print; unabridged audio CD; ebook.

The Long Funeral of Mr White - sweet novella

I spied this novella through BookBub, a service I subscribe to that sends you a daily email with offers on ebooks. The Long Funeral of Mr White was free but had got great reviews so I thought ... hey, a nice bit of holday reading for me at no cost ... bargain! And WHAT a bargain. This is the thoroughly enjoyable story of Mr White, who, upon reaching his 70th birthday feels the hand of the Grim Reaper resting on his shoulder. A wealthy man, he lives by himself in a grand old house. He has pretty much always had his own way and, as in life, he does not want to leave anything to chance in his death. Thus, he plans all the arrangements for his funeral, making a list of everything he requires in great detail. But what about his final words ... who will record them ... such a man as he should have his last ever words recorded for posterity! He advertises for someone to do that very job, which would involve following him around wherever he goes with a notebook. With too many applicants to choose from, he picks three people completely at random. And so we follow Mr White as he tries to find his perfect companion for the rest of his life. This is a touching and sweet tale with a lot of heart, taking the reader on a journey to discover what's really important in a man's life. I really enjoyed this book by an author new to me. I will definitely be looking out for more by author, Eugenio Prados. Well worth a read, with the added bonus that it won't take up too much of your time, but will nevertheless linger in the memory.

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: very short.
Price I paid: Free.
Formats available: ebook only.

Sharpe's Revenge - peace looms, but is Sharpe ready?

It is 1814, and the many battles between the British/Spanish armies and the French have definitely taken their toll on troops and citizens alike. Napoleon is rumoured to have surrendered, but without confirmation, Major Richard Sharpe heads into one final and bloody battle at Toulouse. With each battle, Sharpe has become more nervous and superstitious. As if this wasn't bad enough, all is not well in the love department as his new wife Jane has gone back to Britain on bad terms, disgusted that Sharpe's pride and lust for revenge has resulted in him becoming engaged in a duel. Needless to say he comes through both the duel and the battle, only to find that he is up on charges for stealing a vast amount of gold ... charges trumped up by his old adversary, Pierre Ducos. He sets out to clear his name by trying to find Henri Lassan, a Frenchman who knows the truth - but when he is killed, guess who is blamed! Sharpe is determined to bring Ducos to justice, one way or the other, and clear his name and get back home ... but by that time, is there anything to go back home for ...? Once again, Bernard Cornwell has produced a great read, with big themes - life, love, death, honour - and huge action set pieces. It's all there and it's exceptionally enjoyable. The author has had time to fill out his main characters and there are some great scenes between Sharpe, Harper and Frederickson that are so touching that they are lovely to behold. I know this series is drawing to an end (this is book 19), but I really don't want it to. I can heartily recommend Sharpe's Revenge to anyone seeking adventure, great characters and a bit of history thrown in for good measure.

My STAR rating: FIVE.

Length: 348 print pages.
Price I paid: £2.50.
Formats available: print; audio CD; abridged audio download; unabridged audio download; ebook.

The Mystery of Edwin Drood - a bit odd!

The Mystery of Edwin Drood, is the last book written by the prolific and well loved author, Charles Dickens. Unfortunately, he died before he had finished it. I'd heard great things about it nonetheless and was ready to give it a go. Edwin Drood is a young man who lives in the Cathedral City of Cloisterham, under the guidance of his Uncle, John Jasper. He seems destined to marry the twittering Rosa until the Landless siblings come on the scene. They bring a certain mystery and spice to the locale. Edwin and Rosa come to the conclusion that whilst they are the very best of friends, they shouldn't marry. Happy with their decision, they head off to tell people. Soon after, on Christmas Eve, Edwin disappears. When some of his belongings turn up, the assumption is that he has been murdered. Suspicion falls on Neville Landless, but he is cleared of any wrongdoing. So far, so good. However, what then followed in the book left me completely cold and a tad bewildered. John Jasper declares his love for Rosa, and she flees Cloisterham. There is much toing and froing to London and back, and we find out that Jasper is an opium addict. When his supplier follows him back to Cloisterham, we can only assume that she is up to no good ... but at this point, the book finishes. It could have been the narration of the audio edition that I read, but I was much confused by who was who and what they were doing and whether they were really relevant to the story, or just an aside. The story didn't flow for me and I was left feeling confused, frustrated and disappointed. I wasn't even that bothered that it was left "unfinished", because by the time it did, I couldn't care less! I have enjoyed previous works by Mr Dickens and I will not be put off by this unsatisfying work.

My STAR rating: THREE.

Length: 400 print pages.
Price I paid: £3.86.
Formats available: print; unabridged audio download; ebook.

A Funeral For An Owl - touching tale of friendship

A Funeral For An Owl opens with the unexpected and shocking stabbing of a teacher in the school playground on the last day of the summer term. As Jim Stevens lies bleeding, fellow teacher Ayisha comes to his aid along with one of the pupils, a boy called Shamayal, who seems to be treating Mr Stevens more as a friend than a teacher. After the initial shock, and with Jim in hospital, Ayisha discovers that the strict rules of conduct that apply to teacher/pupil relationships have been broken by Jim, who, we learn in flashback, has taken Shamayal under his wing. Ayisha likes Jim, and doesn't want to get him into trouble so sits on this information, but when Jim asks her to look out for Shamayal, she is torn between her friend and colleague and The Rules. Into this, we also find out about Jim's difficult upbringing, and how he found solace by becoming a serious bird watcher - something that led him into a traumatic experience when he happens upon the troubled Aimee, a girl who becomes a firm friend over a few weeks, only to suddenly disappear amidst rumour and scandal. The story is teased out in a very satisfactory way and the characters are likeable, if not always believable. There are touching moments and a dash of humour too. I found myself rooting for the main protagonists through all their troubles and the fact that I cared what happened to them speaks volumes. This is a story about how intensely you feel about things when young, and how some of us can overcome the troubles of our past and others cannot. I would recommend this book to you, and I will definitely look out for more books by the author, Jane Davis, who has produced a story that lingers in your subconscious long after you have finished it.

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 384 print pages.
Price I paid: Free (it was on offer at the time)
Formats available: print; ebook.