Last Book That You Read- Fiction

Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter The Long Earth

Rather poorly written, really, considering it's by two established authors. Lots of 'he said,' 'she said'. Very little exposition. Doesn't go anywhere. Story lines that just seem to peter out. And a sudden ending, as though "Ooo - we've reached the right number of words so stop now."

Not utterly terrible, but not good.

Bomber, Len Deighton

up there with Winter and SS-GB as favoured Deighton novels. Detailing in absolute detail fictional bombers preparing and carrying out a raid against a fictional German town and all the rest. The fact that it's fictional lends itself well to Deighton's documentary style. Indeed so is the fact that Deighton sets this on a day that never existed, June 31st. The fate of the characters to those it visits is often horrifying and that's the case for both the British and German characters.

Our Kind of Traitor by John Le Carre, (2010)

The latest from the veteran spymaster. Good read. Plenty of spy intrigue. He uses the French Open Tennis Men's Final featuring Roger Federer as a backdrop. Very well drawn characters as usual. I get a satisfied feeling when I finish a Le Carre thriller. Like I've read something that matters. But it doesnt' cause me to immediately rush out and dive into his back catalogue for another. Le Carre is best savoured. I'll pick up another one in the New Year.

Meantime, two more Preston/Child thrillers to finish before I've got all 17 consumed. Now reading The Ice Limit to be followed by the 3rd Pendergast, The Cabinet of Curiosities.

SPYCATCHER (Matthew Dunne) :2*:

I didn't think it was all that great. I saw that Elektra King/Talia Al Ghul's moment coming a mile away, so the story basically had no twists or turns for me that I hadn't already anticipated.

THE ISLAND OF THE DAY BEFORE by Umberto Eco.

Peculiar in a good way.

THE DESCENT (Jeff Long)




A disparate group of researchers, religious scholars, and people of questionable and mysterious backgrounds, all funded by a global conglomerate called Hellios, descend futher into the earth's inner core that ever before to track down a hither-to-unknown race of humanoids, who may or may not be the basis for the legends of hell and Satan.

I like the way Jeff Long incorporates religious beliefs with a dash of science fiction to keep the stories moving. They're neither purely religious books, nor are they totally science fiction either. Of the two books I've read of his, they've both been winners!

saint mark wrote:

Gravity's Silhouette wrote:

GIRL WHO KICKED THE HORNET'S NEST, THE :4*:

Well, that's that. I've read the entire trilogy. I thought the book started off slowly, but then built to a frenetic pace; the proverbial page-turner. Once the trial began I didn't want to put it down.

Now I would like to see stand alone adventures with Lisbeth Salander....solving crimes; not stories that probe into who she is or how she got that way. She's a unique character and I'd like to see her inhabiting other people's worlds and solving their crimes. But I don't know whether that's in the cards or not with the publisher.

There are apperently notes and part of a manuscript for a fourth book when the writer died. His girlfriend who lived with him wanted to finish the story as she did know what way he wanted to go with his story. But his kids from a previous relationship and inheritants do dislike her and have decided that they will not use her knowledge.

So if a 4th book arrives know that it will be something different from what he actually wanted to achieve.

best to let sleeping dogs lie
you can read the fourth book when you arrive in Valhalla (where all great Swedish authors go when they die)
8)

THE NEGOTIATOR (Forsyth) -- I might need to re-read this one at some point before I can offer my opinions.

EPITAPH FOR A SPY (Ambler) :5*: -- One of the Ambler novels I always return to. Fine storytelling. I'm waiting for this to be adapted properly for a film.

A PERFECT SPY (Le Carre) :5*: -- Excellent. Ranks up there with TINKER TAILOR, SMILEY'S PEOPLE, and CALL FOR THE DEAD. Makes me happy that I dove into Le Carre's bibliography.

DIRECTING ACTORS (Weston) :1*: -- One of those books you read in high school and think you've learned a lot. A decade later, you realize it's bottom-of-the-barrel information. She references some shit films, too.

Desolation Island & The Fortune of War -Patrick O'Brian. Odd to picture Bettany always for Maturin but not always Crowe for Aubrey.

x

here goes nothing

Executive Orders (Tom Clancy)

recently, for reasons known only to those scientists at CERN, I dug out my Jack Ryan's and then brought the latest one (well, Jack Ryan Jnr II). So, Clear and Present Danger, Debt of Honour and this. Longer by each book (818, 900 & 1272). Executive Orders has some farflung moments not least the big one of Jack-boy becoming POTUS. Admittedly Clancy covers all the angles and even Ryan questions how he got there. The manner of the 747 crashing into Capitol Hill wiping out the majority of the Senate, House of Reps, and so forth hands Clancy a blank canvas. Supposedly when he wrote Debt of Honour he asked how easy would it be to get a jet that far into Washington airspace and the Pentagon said, pretty easy.
What's good is that he at least keeps tabs on what happened before -Red October, the KGB chief defecting, Colombia and the nearness of WWIII (and Fowler's resignation after). Also taking into account Japan after the events of the last book. I say all this as in Bear and the Dragon (one of the many animal entitled novels) then the first and horrendous Jack Ryan Junior book past events like this don't count for much. It's almost like in a new universe. Jack was president, Robby's dead (what!?) but September 11th happened.

To my mind Ryanverse happened in some alternate mid-80's to present. Debt of Honour would've been about 1997 (Durling is near re-election) but as the series progressed current events and presidents are mentioned. So despite Saddam being whacked in this novel and a Second Gulf War happening, the events repeat with 'our' timeline in "Teeth of the Tiger". Teeth of the Tiger happens in 2006 (stated as such) yet this means September 11th happened to President Kealty (the Teddy Kennedyesque character).

But it's Clancy. In the space of 1272 pages there is Jack's gripping of the presidency, the Ebola attack, assassination attempts, Saddam's death and a Second Gulf War. The lattermost happens in 200 pages...considering the Japan-USA war in Debt of Honour worked over 500 pages it's rushed to say the least.

From here on in, the slope planes away downwards.

For the record I tend to visualise Harrison Ford or some cross between him and Alec Baldwin as Jack. Even a current day Baldwin could play President Ryan. As for Cathy, I tended to picture her as writ -average height, body with blonde hair and all the rest. Weirdly, seeing a picture of Amy Adams (maybe if she were older by a few years) would've helped my idea of Cathy.
Defo not Keira Knightley.

you may wake up now.

Alan Moore's LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN, VOLUME III: CENTURY 2009. Almost unreadable.

Rereading THE CHINA LOVER by Ian Buruma. Terrific stuff.

Also reading AFFLUENZA by Oliver James. A bit preachy in places, perhaps, but undeniably thought-provoking fare.

Past two or so weeks: The Bear and the Dragon, Dead or Alive, Locked On and Red Storm Rising

the first three mentioned just get worse by the page really. Clancy's republican nature to the fore by each book, perhaps a response to September 11 (which seems to have happened to President Kealty -supposedly modelled on Teddy Kennedy) and the foreign adventures after. Maybe it's something as simple as the font change (seems bigger and less compact than that of the first six Ryan's) but it feels disjointed and lacking what the earlier lot had. Likely the focus on Ryan Junior doesn't help (probably should focus on Junior for the Chris Pine movie than some idiot effort at young Ryan as a stockbreaker-cum-CIA analyst). Quelle surprise Ryan Snr is re-elected and is gunning for America's enemies.

As for RSR, bewildering really. Hardly surprising the Russians are trumped in all engagements or the British are written rarely without uttering 'old chap', 'bloody hell' or drinking tea.

Thank God for Fleming

Just finished Vince Flynn's EXTREME MEASURES :3*:

Moving on to Matthew Reilly's SCARECROW, whose back-cover reminds me a wee bit of the plot for NOBODY LIVES FOREVER.

Wonder Boys- Michael Chabon

The Plot Against America- Phillip Roth

the latter is quite something building up this America with an anti-Semetic President, riots, Jewish pogroms etc but the resolution post-Lindbergh ejection is all too neat. The book won the Alternate History award (Sidewise) yet somebody should've pointed how despite this time of upheaval in the US between 1940 and 1942 it seemingly leaves no lasting consequences like civil rights or Vietnam. Two months after Lindbergh leaves America (he's a Nazi agent you see) Pearl Harbour happens despite Lindbergh getting a deal with the Japanese in 1940...so in two months Japan suddenly goes to attack despite the attack being months if not years in the planning.

Bought the first 4 Rizzoli & Isles novels by Tess Gerritsen and must admit they make fun, easy & uncomplicated reading. Her books are very different from the tv-series, but they have Sacha Alexander & Angie Harmon (you may wake me in the middle of the night for her :oops: ) playing the parts.

Next up will be some more Robert B Parker books, mostly Spencer novels as I have read all Jesse Stone novels already (with the exception of the newer books written by somebody else, even if he does write the tv episodes with Tom Selleck)



Edit:Moved from non-fiction. TW

Agent 6 by Tom Rob Smith.

I found it at my local library and decided to read it because I knew Smith won the Ian Fleming Steel Dagger award for the first book featuring Leo Demidov, Child 44 (which I haven't read). I was a little put off by the way Smith uses italics in the place of dialogue, but I got used to it. In the end, though, I was disappointed by the story. It was mostly just cliches of the genre with a policeman trying to find a way to investigate his wife's murder and the authorities won't let him. The only difference is that Demidov works for the KGB, so I found him to be pretty reprehensible at times. And it's supposedly set over the course of thirty years, starting in the 1950s and ending in the 1980s, but all the dialogue is modern, 2000s language.

Just got the new Preston and Child, Two Graves. It's the latest Agent Pendergast and the third in the trilogy about his wife.

tiffanywint wrote:

Just got the new Preston and Child, Two Graves. It's the latest Agent Pendergast and the third in the trilogy about his wife.

You lucky person, my copy was pre-ordered and has yet to be send as this so-called bookstore has not received any copies themselves yet, so much for their claim to deliver it in sync with the rest of the world.

So I stick to the Mickey Haller books by Michael Connelly.

Sandman Slim. If you like John Constantine, you should like Sandman Slim. He's Constantine without the trenchcoat and Scouse accent, relocated to LA. A really anti-hero who spits in the eye of the Morningstar if he thinks he can get away with it. Excellent new series.

saint mark wrote:

tiffanywint wrote:

Just got the new Preston and Child, Two Graves. It's the latest Agent Pendergast and the third in the trilogy about his wife.

You lucky person, my copy was pre-ordered and has yet to be send as this so-called bookstore has not received any copies themselves yet, so much for their claim to deliver it in sync with the rest of the world.

So I stick to the Mickey Haller books by Michael Connelly.

I'm looking forward to this read. Looks like a fascinating conclusion to the whole saga of what went down with the wife.

" But all this turns out to be mere prologue to a far larger plot: one that unleashes a chillingly - almost supernaturally - adept serial killer on New York City. And Helen has one more surprise in store for Pendergast: a piece of their shared past that makes him the one man most suited to hunting down the killer." :shock:

"Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves" :shock:

Didn't Bond offer that admonition to Melina as well in FYEO?

Agent Pendergast is awesome!

tiffanywint wrote:

Just got the new Preston and Child, Two Graves. It's the latest Agent Pendergast and the third in the trilogy about his wife.

I went and borrowed a trio of Preston and Childon novels - Cemetary Dance, Fever Dream and Cold Vengeance - today, based on your recommendation (you wouldn't have gotten the third in the trilogy if the first two were duds).

These had better be good, tiff.

Prisoner Monkeys wrote:

tiffanywint wrote:

Just got the new Preston and Child, Two Graves. It's the latest Agent Pendergast and the third in the trilogy about his wife.

I went and borrowed a trio of Preston and Childon novels - Cemetary Dance, Fever Dream and Cold Vengeance - today, based on your recommendation (you wouldn't have gotten the third in the trilogy if the first two were duds).

These had better be good, tiff.

St Mark and I both swear by these books. Agent Pendergast is a Sherlock Holmes like detective. He's a bit of an odd duck but like Holmes he's both brilliant and very physically capable, but not in a real tough guy manner, but more in a manner of simply understanding the physical arts. A New York police detective assist as his Watson like helper.

Pendergast comes from a long line of wealthy New Orleans gentry. He's uber wealthy. He's an FBI agent, but he seems to work freelance. He does what he wants but with the full weight of the bureau behind him. There is almost never any mention of supervision.

Big problem for Pendergast though is his family. He comes from not only wealth but also a bloodline of madness and criminal geniuses, most notably his evil brother.

Two Graves is the 12th Pendergast novel. You've picked up #s 9-11 including the first two of the "Helen" trilogy.

The other really good trilogy is the Diogenes (his psycho brother) saga --Pendergast books #'s 5-7, Brimstone, Dance of Death and The Book of the Dead.

The authors keep an up to date websit too. http://www.prestonchild.com/

I read Brimstone first and was hooked. I've since read the entire back catalogue and everything since.

Cemetary Dance is solid. It's kind of an interlude book along with Wheel of Darkness, following the intensity and resolution of The Diogenes trilogy. Fever Dream though IMO is top notch. It really sets up the Helen trilogy nicely.

Enjoy!

Well, I finished Cemetary Dance. It wasn't bad, though I was a little disappointed that everything was solved rationally, and that Pendergast had to explain everything to everyone in the aftermath. I feel that the best mysteries as the ones where the readers can work out the answer before the characters do - but only a page or two ahead of the characters. That said, I did like the way they littered a few clues throughout the story, so I could at least work out who it was ahead of Pendergast, even if the motives were a little obscure. The pacing of the finale was a bit off, too, as it tried to split between half a dozen characters, and it sometimes cut back to someone I didn't care for much (like the incompetent police chief directing the barricade).

I did get the feeling that Cemetary Dance was an interlude, even before I was aware that it came immediately after a trilogy. I deliberately chose it for thsi very reason - I didn't want to get into the "Helen" trilogy without being familiar with the characters, lest I find the style of prose off-putting and giving up on what might otherwise be a good book.