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Sun, 04 Jan 2009
My Swordhand is Singing
By Marcus Sedgwick
A YA medieval vampire thriller, set in Transyvannia itself! Well researched and enjoyably historical book.
Posted at: [/books] permanent link
Sat, 20 Dec 2008
Territory
By Emma Bull
Oh, this was just wonderfull. Bull writes the book like a perfect novelisation of Deadlands, but with wit and characters beyond your average RPG.
I enjoyed this so much I ended up browsing wikipedia's articles on Tombstone and Wyatt Earp just to see how much was real and how much she'd made up!
I wasn't sure what to expect, and was wondering if I should have paid the hardback price, when I did a book run from The Book Depository last month, but like everything else I've read of hers, it takes a genre and twists it imaginatively, in a similar, but different, way to Gaiman. A pleasure to read, and I just wish she'd written more books. I'll have to hunt out her back catalog also, which appears to be criminalls hard to get hold of. Well, post Xmas, I know what books I'll be adding to my shopping cart!
Posted at: [/books] permanent link
Fri, 19 Dec 2008
Hammered
By Elizabeth Bear
I've started the process of reading the entire Bear back catalog, and Hammered was the first I could find. I didn' realise until later that its the first in a trilogy, and this only became apparent as the book went on, and there was too much plot left to resolve!
Its recognisably her style, and good cyberpunk, but lacks some of the subtelty and craft that marks her later works. Its still about redemption, though, a theme that runs through all of Bear's works I read.
I wouldn't have read more based on this book, but I will read the rest of the series and keep reading her back catalog, but I might interleave this with the later works she's releasing.
Posted at: [/books] permanent link
Sat, 22 Nov 2008
The Graveyard Book
By Neil Gaiman
This being his latest young adult book, featuring Nobody 'Bod' Owens, and growing up in a graveyard, after his parents were murdered by a serial killer, this is in no way a morbid book!
Capsule Review: Wow.
Probably his best book to date - wonderfully written, incorporating all kinds of legends and fantasies and real world facts that combine beautifully. I bought it in hardback as part of a recent book splurge (I was getting low, OK?), and I'm very glad I did. Looking forward to rereading it!
Posted at: [/books] permanent link
Thu, 13 Nov 2008
Arabesk
By Jon Courtenay Grimwood
A three volume book made up of Pashazade, Effendi and Felaheen.
Madhatter loaned me this. Combining the three books into one makes for a joined up narrative, but I suspect I'd have enjoyed it more if I had read it as three separate books. Nothing to stop me doing that, but once I've started...
The books were very evocative of the Arab world I've holidayed in - Grimwood has done a good job of bringing the culture and experience to life, as far as I can tell, anyway. This would be a great series to read while in Tunisia, or Marrakech, or even one of the Gulf states. The story weaves near future sci-fi believably, with genetic technology being an underlying theme, as well, as the use and abuse of power and how people adapt to the future. The protagonist is a little *too* competent for me - genetically engineered or not, he was just a little too capable. Grimwood did a good job of making him believably, but there were still points in the book where the only reason he failed was to further the narrative. He did a good job of weaving most of the threads together, however.
I think I've figured out the ending, but I'm not sure!
Posted at: [/books] permanent link
Mon, 08 Sep 2008
The Kings Gold
By Arturo Perez-Reverte
The latest in the Captain Alatriste series. This one started slow, and I found my attention wandering. I persevered, and it really cranks up the pace in the last third. While I enjoyed it, I got the feeling he wasn't really making an effort. Inigo, on the other hand, continues to develop, while Alatriste become slight more cardboard, or a caricature of himself.
Talking to a spanish salesman at work, I was gratified to find that dropping the authors name got me some respect and a decent car conversation as I dropped him off at his hotel.
Books, what can't they do..
Posted at: [/books] permanent link
Sun, 24 Aug 2008
The Edge Of Reason
By Melinda Snodgrass
Bought in hardback, amoung much fanfare by the likes of Walter Jon Williams and Tor books, in time to go on holiday, I read this on the last day and on the plane back. Frankly, a bit nonplussed. Many people have said that this will poke the atheist and diest alike. Well, maybe, if they're easily offended and stupid. The plot is basic, and the characters only just two dimensional. The ideas floated in the book are simply nonsense, and wouldn't offend any person of faith with more than two brain cells, IMHO.
A moderm world with magic book, it has has the cental concept that Magic is the tool of the Old ones, and reason, the tool of those fighting them. All well and good so far, interesting start with the police officer and the sorceress, but fails to carry it off. Every time I read something like this, it reminds me how well Jim Butcher does the same genre.
Snodgrass (you'd change your name, surely? I mean..) is part of the same writing circle as Williams, which I fear, has something to explain moth books medoicre impact on me.
Posted at: [/books] permanent link
The Yiddish Policemen's Union
By Michael Chabon
Now this is Literature, with a capital L! By far the best book I read on holiday, the use of language is just wonderful - up there with Tolstoy, Susanna Clarke and Gibson in the ranks of authors who use language so cleverly it delights, amazes and amuses. The book is in turns witty, poignant, insightful and suspenseful - I didn't see several of the plot twists coming.
Thw world that Chabon has created is believable and enthralling, as are his characters - not one rings anything but true, and one of them especially, Zimbalist, the boundary maven, is something that Gibson could have created - a character, and role, so believable and yet fantastic that it could only exist in fiction. As Gibson said, 'the street finds its own uses for things'. Although, I have a suspicion that the role may actually exist - I may have to ask my Jewish friends..
Simply fantastic. I'm looking forward to reading more of his work. If not for Tolstoy, by Book Of The Year so far.
Posted at: [/books] permanent link
Sat, 23 Aug 2008
Implied Spaces
By Walter Jon Williams
Billed by the author, as a follow on, in spirit to 'Voice Of The Whirlwind', I was hugely looking forward to this. It didn't live up to my expectations, but I think thats as much my expectations as the author's writing. I was expecting a martial arts book, and yes, it features one, but, in no way is this reflected in the plot or affects the actions of the protagonist.
Williams has loads of good ideas - wormhole worlds created as live action rpg's, as fuel sources, as places to put spare populations, massive benign AI's, one of which accompanies the protagonist in avatar form as a cat, a wormhole sword, biomimetic plagues, and so on, it all goes rather space opera towards the end, and blows what little suspension of belief I had..
The author is part of a writing circle, and while the work has no glaring complaints, its not standing out in anyway. Williams fails to being to life the main protagonist, who is damn near immortal, has some funky superpowers, and responsible in part, for the creation of the world as they know it. Frankly, Williams did elements of this better in his 'Aristoi', and Zelany did MUCH better in 'Lord Of Light'.
Posted at: [/books] permanent link
New Amsterdam
By Elizabeth Bear
The second of the lady's works I've read, not counting her short stories, and another worthy title. More polished than 'Dust', I was initiall distracted by the format, finding it a little disjointed, as its a series of stories. Its only when A read it and remarked how authentic it was to the style of the period - think the novellettes of Conan Doyle, that I realised how well it had been put together.
A lot more to be bought by Eizabeth Bear, I think.
Posted at: [/books] permanent link
Google Maps Hacks
By Rich Gibson & Schuyler Erle
I actually bought this by mistake, hurredly, before the start of our holiday, thinking it was 'Mapping Hacks', intending to get more to grips with the Garmin eTrex I'd been bought. It was an interesting set of read anyway, although my lack of knowledge of Javascript means I'll get less use our of it than I might otherwise.. I'll be revisiting bits, hopefully soon to integrate the photot's I took with the GPS track I was recording at the same time. You never know, I may have a location based travelogue up at some point!
Posted at: [/books] permanent link
The Last Days of Old Beijing
By Michael Meyer
I bought this because, for some reason, it came up n the new books list on
the book depository, and I remembered his name from the TV tour of China that Paul Merton did..
The book is a documentation of the author's time spent living in the old neighborhoods of Beijing, before they were razed for the Olympics. Its part travel guide, part urban and rural planning, part cultural treatise, part history, part exposition on modern living.
Meyer definitely has an agenda, but you can't fault him - he's lived in the area for years, in the communities, speaking and living the culture. A very interesting read. I bought it as an 'intelligent' even worthy, book to read on holiday, but it never felt like I was slogging through, and it never seemed repetitive - there's always the danger that the description of the third hutong will be the same as the second, but Meyer does a good job avoiding this, and discussion how the communities provide social communities, and showing the benefits without shying away from the detractions. Thought provoking stuff.
Posted at: [/books] permanent link
Sun, 03 Aug 2008
The Blade Itself
By Joe Abercrombie
Another recommendation from Whatever's 'Big Idea', this is non-heroic fantasy, quite the antidote to the optimistic highjinks of 'The Name Of The Wind'. Its a nasty, cynical book full of anti-heroes. The main characters are a vain dandy, a psychopath and a torturer. Well written - its 515 pages, but cracks along. I found myself really getting under the skin of the protagonists, and just when you are getting used to how shallow, or amoral they are, the author develops them, and changes your view slightly.
Obviously part of a series, I'm looking forward to the sequels. Some great understated magic, and some potentially fine villains - a ruthless power mad norse style king, a mad wizard who is teaching his followers to eat human flesh to gain magical power, and others. Is the First Of The Magi as benevolent as he appears? Who is The Maker, and why did the Magi have to destroy him?
The second book, "Before They are Hanged : Book Two of the First Law" is already out in paperback, and the third is coming out soon. I'll have to interleave them with other books, because the cynicism and bloodshed can be a little wearing, but some good reading set for the future, I feel!
Posted at: [/books] permanent link
Sat, 26 Jul 2008
The Name of The Wind
by Patrick Rotherfus
Hmm. This is the third time I've tried to write this before the Mac has wiped it in creative ways - seems like it doesn't want this review written. Well, the truth must be told!
The Truth is that this is one of the best fantasy books I've read in a long while. Patrick has a plot, characters, and a believable world. The magic system is constructed along sympathetic magic and scientific lines, and the only niggle I'd have is that the hero, Kvothe, is just TOO damn good at everything, and that for a kid, he's pretty bloody precocious and worldly wise. The author works this into the plot, and does a good job, but it does stretch credibility at times. The way he most does this is by reminding the reader that he, Kvothe, knows nothing about women, but let me tell you, I was never that smooth at 15. Hormonal, yes, smooth, not so much.
Another slight niggle is that with the scientific understanding they seem to have, along with the interworking of magic, would imply to me that they'd have a greater technological basis than they do. There may be reasons for this revealed later, and its not enough of a niggle to interrupt the verisimilitude.
Patrick has some genuine laugh out loud conversations in the book, and generally writes dialogue well. Its a big book, and at times I felt it could have been trimmed, but never enough that I felt it suffered overmuch from it.
I'll definitely be buying the next volume when it comes out - had it been possible, I'd have bought it right now, but it looks like I have to wait a few months.
If memory serves, I found this in Waterstones, on one of those pleasurable browsing sessions that turn up a load of books you'd like to read - increasingly rare in the mainstream bookshops, I'm finding.
Posted at: [/books] permanent link
Sun, 13 Jul 2008
Dust
By Elizabeth Bear
A. bought this, via an amazon wishlist she'd had success with in the past, unaware that I'd been considering picking up some of her work after reading
Shadow Unit, the collaborative (and excellent x-files like short fiction, nto to mention the two wonderful short stories by her read out on Escape Pod and (I think) Starship Sofa. "And the deep blue sea" is one of my all-time favorite short fiction podcasts..
Dust is a hard science fiction novel, in that it takes binary stars, colony ships, nanotechnology, genetic (and social) engineering, and extrapolates a 'what if'. I'm not usually a fan of such fiction - the last one I read (Blindsight by Peter Watts), was technically good but had no soul or decent characterisation. Dust doesn't have this problem - its definately character driven, with mostly-believable protagonists. Some of the sexual politics in the book were just odd - Bear doesn't seem to have made up her mind how she wants to portray certain characters - or perhaps thats her way of conveying the confusion within them. I liked the way that the background and such of the world were not laid out, but enough hinted that you could work some out, and wonder about others. It carries, like all of her work, an underlying theme of redemption (English Lit essay; all of Bear's work address redemption in some form or other, discuss.). Overall, it wasn't as engrossing as some of her other work - A thinks its an earlier work, and later work (Like "New Amsterdam", which I'm keen on getting) would be more polished. Well, it was published first in 2007, so maybe - she certainly seems a more prolific author than I thought.
I'll be purchasing more of her work, for certain.
Posted at: [/books] permanent link
Sat, 05 Jul 2008
I Am Legend
by Richard Matheson
The book that inspired both 'The Omega Man' and the film of the same name, but don't hold that against it. Matheson is allegedly an early influence on Stephen King and it shows. The book is a gripping post apocalyptic tale about...well, I'll leave you to read it and find out. I've not seen the Will Smith film, but I can assure you the book's nothing like the Charlton Heston flick.
The book shows its sixties roots, but not in a bad way. A combination of Horror and Sci-Fi, its good plot, characterisation and a cracking pace. I read it in one day. I'll have to check out more work by him. But I might leave it a bit. I might also leave the light on. Is that movement outside..?
Posted at: [/books] permanent link
Riddle Of The Seven Realms
By Lyndon Hardy
I finally found a copy of the last of Hardy's books in the Amnesty International bookshop on mill road. I probably could have bought it via the internet before hand, if I'd tried, but had never really thought to look.
Hardy's style is applying psuedo-scientific principles and method to fantasy magic. His characters are never particular developed, and the plot revolves around the macguffin, but they're intriguing takes on the fantasy magic angle.
Not the best of his works - the 'Master Of The Five Magics' is by the far his best book, as the style is new to the reader, and there is a semblance of charcterisation.
I enjoyed it somewhat anyway, good nostalgia for the fantasy & sci-fi of my youth, when all the books I read came from second hand stores!
Posted at: [/books] permanent link
Tue, 01 Jul 2008
An Utterly Impartial History of Britain
By John O'Farrel
I borrowed this from A - I'm not much of a history buff, but the Temeraire books and 'In Our Time' program have whetted my interest somewhat, so I thought he'd be an entertaining narrator. As indeed he is! Its a thick book - 551 pages, but I read it fairly quickly and feel I've retained some. its got O'Farrel's trademark laconic wit, which makes what could be dry reading quite enjoyable. the middle ages gets a little slow going, but then, its not the dark ages for nothing, I guess..
Posted at: [/books] permanent link
The Intruders
By Michael Marshal
I bought this cheap in Asda - I thought it was the next in his horror/thriller series, but in truth its more of a blend of the more outre of the thriller, and the weirder of his speculative fantasy. I found it a little too immersed in conspiracy theory and so forth - more the ramblings of an internet nutter as a backdrop, but Marshal does take that and weave it into a story. Not sure about the ending though - he hints at it throughout the book, true, but it still feels wrong as it happens. Anyway, I'll be looking to get his next book in paperback when its out for sure.
Posted at: [/books] permanent link
Sat, 14 Jun 2008
Empire Of Ivory
By Naomi Novik
The fourth book in the Temeraire series, I thought this was one of her best yet - the plot cracks along, and there are several developments I didn't foresee. Novik handles the slave trade rather well, I thought, highlighting the effect (and the prevailing British attitudes of the time) well, without bludging you over the head with the moral message (like, say, Pratchet would do), but achieving a more thoughtful effect.
I genuinely don't know where the books will go after this one - several developments are left hanging in best cliffhanger style. Bravo, madam!
Posted at: [/books] permanent link
Sun, 25 May 2008
Little Brother
By Cory Doctorow
Being firmly embedded into Doctorows promotional stream via BoingBoing and his podcasts, I'd been anticipating this for a while, and got it via
I enjoyed the book - its probably his best work (although I still say "After The Siege" is his best, at least in my memory), as it ties together his interests, activism and even has an ending that doesn't feel like an afterthought! The word on the street is that he's writing a sequel - "Big Brother", but it probably won't be released until 2010.
The books been on my mind for a bit, which shows that its got under my skin more than his other works (again "After the Siege" not withstanding). I can't decide if its a
In that vein, the book did inspire me to check out assorted things. I'm tempted, yet again, to get equipment to play with RFID tags via the excellent
As with all of Doctorow's work, its available from his website;
here.
Also, since he's made it available, the widget for buying the mp3 version of the book below.
Warning! the link to buy the book appears to be http, which if I'm right is a pretty bloody stupid slipup given the books focus on privacy! When I was thinking of buying it, I hunted around for an https link to enter card details, but couldn't find it. Just as well - its $20 - more than the hardback. I know that audiobooks cost more, but even so.. I guess I've been spoiled by all the high quality fiction podcasts I've been downloading for free (yes, legally), via Doctorow's podcast, Escape Pod, Starship Sofa, Podcastle and so on..
Posted at: [/books] permanent link
Sun, 18 May 2008
The Ladybird Book of The Policeman
Ah, I remember
these
from my youth. Well, maybe not exactly like these...
Posted at: [/books] permanent link
Mon, 05 May 2008
Black Powder War
By Niomi Novak
Madhatter gave me this and the follow on (the latest book? I think there may be another in hardback). I confess that when I started it, I wasn't quite in the mood, and it took me some time to get into it. However, the book builds the plot, and by the end I was making time to read it as fast as I could. Novak has a good alternative history going, and describes the (partly set in the desert) environment evocatively. She continues to develop the characters, and introduces one that I suspect will be a major player in the future. What I found interesting was that the book was partly set in the timeframe of the first half of 'War and Peace', and seeing the war from the French and Prussian angle, as well as interspersed with Dragons and thier effects on battle strategy helped my understanding of that book - or should I say they both fed into the other!
Novak is developing more of the draconic world, and how they interact, and using this an an excellent way of addressing some of the areas in the first two you might have thought 'but what about..'. She also continues her excellent treatment of the fight scenes - descriptive, but short, yet evocative.
The more I think about it, the more I enjoy her work, and I'm looking forward to the next one, which Madhatter also bought me. I'm pacing myself first, though - I expect the new Walter John Williams book "Implied Spaces" to be released any day soon, and its kind of a follow on, at least in spirit, to "Voice Of The Whirlwind", one of my favorite books. Also, Cory Doctorow's YA book "Little Brother" has been released, and is on order from The Book Depository - my new replacement for Amazon after their appalling screw up of the 'Small Favor' pre-order, so I'm looking forward to starting that. I'm trying to resist buying the audiobook version (released on drm free MP3, of course), as not only is it really expensive ($20! the print book is cheaper than that!). We'll see - it all depends if the book arrives before I run out of podcasts... In the meantime, I'm working my way through the 'to read' section of my bookshelf..
Posted at: [/books] permanent link
Sat, 26 Apr 2008
The Chinese Lake Murders
By Robert Van Gulik
Once again the Judge is on the case - this time, hints of the supernatural - both spirits and the possibility of the Dreaded White Lotus Cult! Will the Judge fail his imperial masters? Is the spirit of the drowned girl really going to take her vengeance? Find out here!
Posted at: [/books] permanent link
Sun, 13 Apr 2008
Small Favour
By Jim Butcher
The next in the Dresden Files series. I'm revising my assessment of Butcher as a guilty pleasure - after having ready some execrable stuff recently, I really appreciated this. It cracks along, with plot, characterisation and action. His writing skills have definitely improved, as I'm fully involved with the characters and on the edge of my seat as I read. I will have to go back and re-read fairly soon, as I just gulped this down, and as a result probably missed something. If you haven't read any of his series before, don't start here, but its definitely with continuing with.
Now I have to wait a year for the next one!
Posted at: [/books] permanent link
Tue, 08 Apr 2008
The Privilege Of The Sword
By Ellen Kushner
I was recommended this, if memory serves, from Scalzi's 'Big Idea' Blog posts featuring Kushner. I bought this hoping for more Dumas style swashblucking in the mode of Perez-Reverte's Captain Alatriste. Unfortunately, Kushner is no Perez Reverte. I was expecting something of a feminist book, co-opting the usualy masculine tradition of the swashbuckler, and she makes a stab (ah ha. see what I did there?) at this, along with a stab at being edgy (yes, the predictable way - everyone's bisexual), and a stab at a plot. The plot does OK, up to a point, and that point is the ending - it got the feeling of the author reaching her word count and simply deciding to use her last thousand words to wrap up. One of the least dramatic endings, with little internal consistency I've read in a while.
Still, Jim Butcher's 'Small Favor' arrived to day, no thanks to Amazon, so I have something to look forward to.
Posted at: [/books] permanent link
Sun, 30 Mar 2008
Bad Luck and Trouble
By Lee Child
The next installment (paperback) of the Reacher franchise. In this Reacher meets up with his old unit to avenge a comrade's death. Unlike the previous Reacher book, Child is back to good solid thriller fare, and the book is an enjoyable testosterone romp. The twists are enough that I didn't guess them - in fact my basic premise of whodunnit was wrong all the way through. I nearly gave up on Lee Child after the last book, and a cheap offer at WSmiths persuaded me to give him a try - glad I did!
Posted at: [/books] permanent link
Sat, 29 Mar 2008
Odd and the Frost Giants
By Neil Gaiman
Gaiman's entry for
World Book Day.
I bought it with a £1 voucher I had left over from Christmas -it felt appropriate and read it this morning. Its about Odd, who runs away from his Viking village, and why the winter hasn't ended, and its just perfect.
Posted at: [/books] permanent link
Sun, 23 Mar 2008
Murder In Canton
By Robert Van Gulik
In this edition; what hapened to Ma-Jong once he married the twins, Is Tao Gan as much of a misogenist as has been let on, and does he have reason? Will the Judge find the missing Censor in time to sort ot the problems in the capital, of which he is now Chief Justice?
The world of Judge Dee will never be the same again!
Posted at: [/books] permanent link
Blood Engines
By T.A. Pratt
I think I bought this from an Amazon 'people who bought also bought' recommendation. If thats the case, other people are morons. This was terrible. I mean, really, really, bad - so bad I couldn't even get half way through. Having done NaNoWriMo a couple of years ago, I know I could write as well or better than than - and I've only written the one thing and never gone back and revised it!
Cardboard characterisations, wish fulfillment characters, pitiable morality and bad plot. Euurgh.
Bloody Tolstoy, ruining my enjoyment of trash.
Posted at: [/books] permanent link
Throne Of Jade
By Naomi Novak
A. bought this after reading my copy of Temeraire, and I read it as soon as she'd finished. I've been reading fairly intermittently recently - a few pages here, a few pages there, and I think this deserved slightly more concentration, as I found it a little disjointed. More my problem than the authors, I feel.
In tis book, the problem of Temeraire being a effectively royal chinese dragon is addressed, as the Chinese want him back. She's obviously done her research, and its written from the western perspective, which left me hungry for more chinese detail but again, thats just me.
Not as strong as her first novel, but I think she's done a good job moving the book into a series, and adding more subplots while simultaneously fleshing out more detail.
One of her strengths in the first book was the way she handled the fights, and I found the fight scenes longer here, but perhaps that was just perception. All in all, a good installment in what looks to be a multi book series (at least four that I know of right now).
Posted at: [/books] permanent link
Mon, 17 Mar 2008
BSFA Best Short Story of 2007
I'm currently working my way through the entries for the British Science Fiction Association's short story awards for 2007, via the
Starship Sofa
podcast, which I came to via
Escapepod.
I've been completely blown away by
Ted Chiang's story
'The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate'.
Its an excellent fantasy/science fiction story written in the style of 'A thousand and one nights' and similar Arabic fantasies, performed superbly by
James Campanella. I have no idea if Campanella is Arabic, but he sounded just like I would imagine an Arabic storyteller would sound - having seen (but not understood!) them in the square at Marrakech.
This has all the elements of sci-fi at its best, for all that its fantasy - it takes a scientific idea (limited time travel through fixed point wormholes), and explores it with believable characters and plots that interweave and complement.
Ted Chiang. A man to watch, you mark my words.
Interestingly, he has a book of short stories out (and a hardback limited edition of this story, currently going for nearly sixty quid), and the Synopsis of the book does a very good job of describing the short story I just heard - it sounds like all his stories are like this!
Here are eight astonishing science-fiction stories that explore the boundaries between science and religion, between determinism and our ability to choose, between words and the entities they describe.
Posted at: [/books] permanent link
Sun, 24 Feb 2008
The Hippopotamus
By Steven Fry
I asked for one of his fiction books for Xmas, after my overwhelmingly positive encounter with his classical music guide. Unfortunately, I didn't get on with it - competently written, but none of the characters appealed to me, or even spoke to me. I don't think he writes straight men well (or didn't here), and while the plot redeemed itself at the end, it wasn't something I'll be looking to repeat. As always, though, glad I read it.
Posted at: [/books] permanent link
Thu, 14 Feb 2008
Poets and Murder
By Robert Van Gulik
Another Judge Dee adventure. In this, lesbians (again?), fox spirits, a new strand of buddhism. This time the venerable Judge has to manage without his trusty retinue as the Prefect summons him for a meeting with his 'little brother' Lo.
Great stuff.
Posted at: [/books] permanent link
Tue, 12 Feb 2008
War and Peace
Br Tolstoy
Yes, that War and Peace.. I asked for this for Xmas as one of my 'self improvement' reads, as a new translation had just been released that generated much favorable comment in the press and spawned an episode of 'In Our Time' on Radio 4, if I remember correctly. I started it in the new year and yesterday, I finished it, all 1200+ pages of it.
The word masterpiece is bandied around a lot these days, but Tolstoy shows what it means. This book has everything; action, noble characters, flawed characters, love, family, intrigue, philosophy, and not unsurprisingly, war and peace. The use of language is superb - its a real delight to read. Unlike some of Neal Stephenson's magnum opus's, I only found the book dragging in the last few pages of the Epilogue, where Tolstoy expounds his philosophy on Historical Literary and motivational analysis of so-called great leaders (my summary, he's not nearly so concise.. ;-).
The blurb on the front of the gorgeous hardback has some worthy person I didn't recognise saying that he didn't beleive this translation could be bettered. Given that I've not read any other translation, I'd have to agree, simply because it was such a joy to read - the highest compliment a translator can get, in my opinion, especially for as mammoth a work as this. There are pages of footnotes and annotations at the the end to explain the historical and personal references Tolstoy makes, without which it would have been a great deal more impenetrable.
So, I'm very glad I read it, but would I read it again? Probably not, at least not for many years, but I might go back and read some sections again. I read in the essay at the end by Tolstoy written after the work was released, that the book had been released originally in five parts, and I'd have to say this would make the consumption of it even more palatable, but the presentation of the copy I had certainly added to my enjoyment of the read - it was a lovely hardback. It has given me an appreciation of Russian literature that I didn't have before, and a greater interest in consuming some of the other great works of Literature.
Posted at: [/books] permanent link
Fri, 11 Jan 2008
The (in)Complete and Utter History of Classical Music
By Steven Fry
I asked for this book for Christmas as I wanted to start getting my head round classical music, what with the violin practice and all, and this looked like a non-threatening introduction to the subject.
In addition, if I'm honest, the BBC Reith lectures from 2007 by the musician and conductor Daniel Barenboim was also a motivator - while he may be a controversial figure (he re-introduced Wagner into Israel, and ran performances of orchestras made up of mixed Israeli and Palestinian performers), he was a powerful and thought provoking speaker.
One of the things that has always put me off classical music is the whole range of it - I mean, what people call 'classical' is about four hundred years of composers! I didn't understand the time periods that the composers were in, why one's music was different from another, and how they relate. Also, what is with with 'Symphony in G Major', followed with 'Symphony in A minor'? What's difference (yes, apart from the key, smart arse)? When you add to the fact that I hadn't consciously listened to much classical music (but its amazing how much you know, without being able to identify it to a composer), and the fact that the term 'classical' also extends to Opera, there so much to choose from.
I started to try and get my head round it last year, by tuning into as many performances of the Proms as I could. I've found that classical music is much more appealing when you've seen it performed live - especially if you're actually in the audience, and was hoping that the TV would help provide a little of that immersive experience. While it did, somewhat, I didn't get any further understanding of the composers, and the music's place within that, hence this book. Its all very well if you're education (as 'better' schools and indeed, it turns out from conversations with colleagues, Eastern European education systems, do) or upbringing exposed you to the music, so you get a sense of the shape of it, as it were, but mine didn't.
The book is very entertaining and whimsical, as you might expect from Steven Fry, but its also packed with detail and anecdotes, along with mentions of pieces that stand out by that composer. Its a short book, but it still took me several days of holiday reading to finish it, as I was constantly making notes of recordings I intended to get and listen to. Does it introduce classical music? Absolutely? Does it provide references where you can go further and explore it? Unfortunately not. Does it have an index? Unfortunately not (I mean, for heavens sake - why not!) Also, my god, but that man's smart. The book is based on a series of conversations that Steven Fry had with Tim Lihoreau on Classical Fm, and I got the impression that not only was this booked 'knocked out' after that, but it was to sell to the kind of people who might already have an idea of what they might like and might not, which is strange, given the subject matter..
So, armed with a miniscule knowledge of the composers and a list of one or two pieces by each that I thought sounded interesting, I've set myself to buying a couple of the best recordings a month and listening to them. The idea is that by the time I've finished, I'd have an idea of what I like and can start listening around that composer or era. The idea of buying the best recordings is a mixed one, though. I'm taking the advice of Heffers Music (or madhatter, when I remember to ask - or even Ed (for those of you who know him)!), as apparently the recordings differ, even of the same composer. I can't hear it myself yet, but I'm hoping my ear will attune more (as it has in orders of magnitude after a couple of years of Violin), and I'll start to see what people see in this. I'm hoping it doesn't turn out to be like the audiophiles desire for £10,000 cables to connect their stereos, and mere mortals like me won't notice the difference or, indeed, that the emperor does indeed not have new clothes, as the better recording are slightly more expensive.. As the very helpful person in the shop said, some recent studios (if thats the right word) are releasing recordings much cheaper these days, which is driving others to compete and lower their prices as well, so you can get very good performances now for about a tenner, whereas before they might be three times that. I've heard this from other sources, so he wasn't just stringing me along. I have to say, that despite the reputation, the staff at Heffers Music have been unfailingly helpful and useful, and not at all elitist and 'stuck up' as is so often the reputation. So I try and patronise their shop, despite the fact that I could get the recordings cheaper online. Not much cheaper, though, and I'd have to buy and understand a copy of the 'bible' of classical recordings - "The Penguin Guide to Recorded Classical Music 2008". Which, actually, as I read the Amazon write up that I checked in order to get the title right, I might just do anyway - its a lot cheaper than I had presumed..So, to start, Handel's Water Music performed by 'The English Concert' and conducted by Trevor Pinnock, and "Six Concertos for the Margrave of Brandenburg" (often shortened to "The Brandenburgh Concertos"), composed by Bach, performed by the 'European Brandenburg Ensemble" and conducted, again, by Trevor Pinnock. Wish me luck! If there is demand, I might blog my thoughts on these, and other recordings as I buy them..
Interestingly, in researching Pinnock on Wikipedia, I found out that;
"Trevor Pinnock and Maxim Vengerov toured together in 2000, with Vengerov taking up the baroque violin for the first time and Pinnock taking up the modern grand piano. These concerts consisted of a first half of harpsichord and baroque violin, followed by a 2nd half of piano and modern violin."
Why is that intersting, you may ask? Well, Vengorov is the artist I have a recording of performing Ysaye's Sonata No 2, which I bought after witnessing Charlie Siem's virtuoso performance of it - its a staggeringly demanding piece of solo Violin work, and it turns out there are only a couple of performances recorded of it that Heffers could find, and the one I have is the reccommended version ("Vengerov Plays Bach, Schedrin and Ysaye", EMI Classics), hence my interest in his work. No recordings of this, I can find though.Posted at: [/books] permanent link
Mon, 31 Dec 2007
Best of 2007: Books
In my annual 'Best of' awards, its a usual tricky situation. I'll start with the non-fiction, as thats easiest (I didn't read much non-fiction this year);
Non Fiction Best of 2007
Managing Humans
Fiction Best of 2007
It turns out that most of my selections weren't published this year, but thats when I read them, so it counts as far as I'm concerned..
No 1: War for the Oaks
No 2: Temeraire
Tied for No 3: The Fencing Master
&
The Vesuvius Club
Posted at: [/books] permanent link
Sun, 30 Dec 2007
Yet Another Social Networking Site
This time, I've signed up with
Goodreads
a book review/reading social networking site. 5 mins with a csv export from
Delicious Library,
and all the books I'd imported into that are now in my bookshelf there. Interested?
Posted at: [/books] permanent link
Wed, 26 Dec 2007
Temeraire
By Naomi Novik
Bit of a win, this one. I was browsing Borders a few weeks ago, and happened to come across a whole selection of works that looked interesting, which has been so rarely the case that these days I get my recommendations from friends or online (mostly Gaiman or Scalzi's blogs). This one had passed me by, though, and was out in paperback, as was three sequels. As I was waiting for Xmas with some hope (my list was mostly of books), I decided to get this in my last amazon purchase of gifts for others. The problem was, I got in on about thursday of last week, and then had to spend the next few days forcing myself not to just gulp it all down. Simply splendid. Where to start...
The book features Captain Lawrence, a seagoing captain, of His Majesty's Navy. The worked-his-way-up-from cabin boy kind, as his father expected him to go into the church. In a successful engagement against a French vessel, he captures a Dragon egg. Now, the British arial forces can do with all the shoring up they can get, so naturally, when it becomes obvious the the egg is about to hatch - and therefore must bond with someone immediately, or become Feral, he organises al his officers to attend, to ensure the Crown does not lose a valuable Dragon. Needless to say, the Dragon chooses him.
What follows is a wonderfully crafted mix of high seas adventure, alternate history, fantasy (hello, Dragons!), and general derring-do. Novik manages a great verisimilitude, along with believable characters and a plot that cracks along, revealing the world of the Aerial corps as through the eyes of an experienced Sea Captain. She gets the pacing just right, as well - in one scene, where French and English Dragons clash over the channel (yes, she gets elements of Battle of Britain in there, too), Temeraire is 'boarded' by the crew from a hostile dragon. In other works, and by other authors, a long fight scene would be written, but here, she simply puts 'It was then frantic sword-work' and still manages to convey the battle.
I've now got a lot of reading to catch up on, but I will be buying the next installment of Novik's work with great anticipation.
Posted at: [/books] permanent link
Sun, 25 Nov 2007
Making Money
By Terry Pratchett
I was lent this rather than bought it, which is just as well - I gave up buying Pratchett in hardback a while back. Its a good read, romping along in its own amusing fasion. Its not changed my intention to buy in hardback, but was a great tonic after 'Black Man'!
Posted at: [/books] permanent link