This is not a bad book (although, at times it could have been better written) with a really interesting premise. In an alternate America never conquerThis is not a bad book (although, at times it could have been better written) with a really interesting premise. In an alternate America never conquered by the Europeans, a native American policeman attempts to find a close friend's killer. I had a good idea of who the villain was from quite early on and this was confirmed as the story went on. I think the novelty of the storyline was what held me throughout. Not bad....more
I love the Fractured Europe series and this is no exception. The real difficulty, for me, was that it had been so long since I read the last one, the I love the Fractured Europe series and this is no exception. The real difficulty, for me, was that it had been so long since I read the last one, the third in the series, so it takes a little time to remember characters (and I'm blessed with a good memory despite my age). I wasn't sure about the ending... but, hey, that's him and this is me....more
Well, this is certainly better than "Farthing" but that's as far as I'm willing to go. The plot is naive, the characters are cardboard cut-outs and theWell, this is certainly better than "Farthing" but that's as far as I'm willing to go. The plot is naive, the characters are cardboard cut-outs and the writing style only occasionally addresses adults. I shall not read the last in the series....more
There is a point in this book when it seems to go horribly wrong. I sat there and thought, "Oh no! She's ruined it!" and I have to admit that part of There is a point in this book when it seems to go horribly wrong. I sat there and thought, "Oh no! She's ruined it!" and I have to admit that part of me still thinks that. And then it dawned on me... this is an opera! I don't know what type of opera it is (I've only ever seen one, the Ring Cycle when it was shown on the telly over a three-week period); is it an Italian comic-opera? In parts it feels like it. Is it ... no, no, it isn't Wagnerian and here my ignorance must draw a line. It IS an opera. It has drama and over-the-top theatricals... it even gets a bit silly at one point (for me) which is an ironic thing to say when you consider that it is set in a world where music, particularly sung music, can act actually make miracles happen, and the central plot is based on the attempt of our (Wagnerian or Beethoven-like?) hero to write an opera that will act as a counter to the plots of an evil secret society planning to create volcanic destruction through their own "Black Opera". this IS an opera. It is amusing and deadly serious. It has its almost flippant moments (you can almost hear the music) and its dramatic moments which lead upto a grand theatrical moment... and then more. ...more
I have to admit that this book began to annoy almost from the start. A body is found with blood on it's chest. The victim is a leading figure in the iI have to admit that this book began to annoy almost from the start. A body is found with blood on it's chest. The victim is a leading figure in the influential "Farthing Group" and there are constant references to the red breast as on the breast of the robin which is depicted on the Farthing coin... except, as anyone who did their research (I actually handled the coins in my distant past) would know THE BIRD ON THE FARTHING IS A WREN you muppet! And this laziness runs through the book. Poor research and poor writing. This so-called nightmare depiction of a country's slide into fascism reads more like a young adult novel which tries to hide reality. In most right-wing states, for example, one wouldn't play guessing games as to who is homosexual or not... (did Jo Walton never hear about what happened to Alan Turing, for God's sake?!). And the cardboard cutout characters! This book is over hyped by a long way....more
And so, after a decade, it ends. Woe is me! Taylor Anderson is a great storyteller, even if, occasionally, he forgets that not all his readers are AmeriAnd so, after a decade, it ends. Woe is me! Taylor Anderson is a great storyteller, even if, occasionally, he forgets that not all his readers are American, or served in the US Navy. This fabulous series, full of excitement, dragging us to the edge of the cliff, keeping us hanging there wondering what else can be thrown into this deadly mix... There are plenty of excellent reviews in existence out there... Yes, this does feel like Mr Anderson decided to, or was told to, tidy it all up and finish it. It isn't long before the chapters get shorter, as if he has taken his outlines and just beefed them up a bit... yet, it works. I didn't feel cheated, and the deaths of so many who we have accompanied on the journey... well, to be honest, I'm not surprised when we see the first real battles between two modern navies. I shall miss it, yet I am so pleased that I experienced it... a decade of pure adventure!...more
There were times I wanted to abandon this book, there were other times it showed real potential. I do not understand what it is about Americans but thThere were times I wanted to abandon this book, there were other times it showed real potential. I do not understand what it is about Americans but they almost have an orgasmic relationship with their politicians and sub-committees and so-called personal liberties, and religious experiences... and that seemed to play a big role in this neo-"The Chrysalids" tale. Lots of lost potential....more
Brilliant, absolutely brilliant. A wander through ... well it's not the afterlife but some sort of ethereal universe linked to the Kabbala and the TaroBrilliant, absolutely brilliant. A wander through ... well it's not the afterlife but some sort of ethereal universe linked to the Kabbala and the Tarot and a whole range of myths and... Brilliant... And each chapter is superbly illustrated in pastiches ... brilliant. ...more
This book has a serious problem, suspension of disbelief. The basic premise behind the novel is that Christ was able to create a unified and peaceful rThis book has a serious problem, suspension of disbelief. The basic premise behind the novel is that Christ was able to create a unified and peaceful religion that took over the world and created a society that, when the forces of evil arose, did not know how to defend itself and was easily subdued. The fact that the book totally ignores evolution and the history of human behaviour is, apparently, unimportant. An accompanying premise is that somehow, without wars and strife, technology has been able to advance at the same pace as our own world, including weapons technology. Now it's getting a bit silly. The greatest advances in technology take place in times of war and conflict. Without them we would still be living in the Middle Ages and Latin would be the lingua franca. But the really ridiculous premise is that the evil force that conquers the world is Fascism, and especially, Nazism (with all its trappings of swastika, SS symbols and uniforms and the like); that this evil creed arose in (surprise, surprise) Germany, Spain, Italy and Japan; and that its evil leader was non other than Adolf Hitler. From the ridiculous to the plain stupid is but a silly walk and a slap in the face with a fish. The rise of fascism was a Nationalistic response, certainly in Germany and Italy, due to their experiences during World War One and not due to the impact of nature or any innate tendency by, for example, the Germans, to be that way inclined. The rise of militarism and fascism in Germany has its roots in Prussia, and her roots lie in the militaristic crusading order of the Teutonic Knights. As for Adolf Hitler... Words really do fail me. Mr Andrew, do you know anything about history? Can you really be so racist (for your assumptions about the Germans, the Italians, the Spanish and the Japanese are certainly racist!). So, there is problem number one. If we put that to one side, no matter how grudgingly, what we then have is a potentially interesting blend of alternative history and science fiction which moves along reasonably well. It is sometimes written in a very simplistic manner but at other times can be quite gripping (if not a little cliche). The meat of the matter is interesting. But then we come to the final part of the sandwich. Oh dear! I'm not going to spoil it for anyone who has a masochistic desire to read this book but the final part... oh God! Oh how I despair. Do I recommend that you should read it? No. Don't waste your time. You have better stuff to read, and don't you need to drill that hole in your head? How I regret that I put that off in order to read this ... drivel!...more
I really wanted to like this a lot more but, to be honest, I had serious problems with the occasional naivety of the story, the lack of factual elemenI really wanted to like this a lot more but, to be honest, I had serious problems with the occasional naivety of the story, the lack of factual elements (our heroes and heroines can travel very easily in Nazi-occupied Britain - no need for travel passes or ID Cards, and you can get hold of guns like buying ice cream!), and, perhaps most important, the occasionally rather dated writing style. Had this been written by Robert Louis Stevenson it would have seemed less fanciful. Which is a real shame, because there is a really strong centre to the concept... Real shame....more
I love the "Fractured Europe" series. They are impregnated with wonder and humour. Dave Hutchinson had me from the start when he set his first tome inI love the "Fractured Europe" series. They are impregnated with wonder and humour. Dave Hutchinson had me from the start when he set his first tome in Krakow, and his second, set somewhere in the vicinity of Nottingham, was just as fascinating. This third outing is also fascinating but also, at times, confusing. In fact, I'm not totally clear that I've understood fully what happened in the end... but the journey was fun, and my companions wouldn't look out of place on a pirate ship... rascals, the lot of them....more
I personally believe that "Watchmen" is one of the great works of the Twentieth Century. Yes, I know some people will look at me aghast when I say thaI personally believe that "Watchmen" is one of the great works of the Twentieth Century. Yes, I know some people will look at me aghast when I say that but that's because so many people think of graphic novels, comics, as some sort of juvenile thing that adults should grow up out of. For me they are a sort of halfway house, somewhere between literature and film. "Watchmen" wasn't afraid of asking serious questions about the world and humanity; the almost god-like Dr Manhattan questioning the nature of existence itself, the strange anti-hero Rorschach observing the nastiness and reality of humanity. So I obviously had to read "Doomsday Clock", the almost sequel. The world has realised the evil of Veidt's act and is collapsing into chaos as a result. Veidt travels into another, a parallel, universe, Earth... similar yet different, in search of the missing Dr Manhattan in an attempt to undo the chaos that has erupted. I was very pleased at the way the story unfolds and the elements of contemplative "analysis" that comes with it, and I really enjoyed the story... and the artwork. So why only four stars? The whole depended too much on the DC Universe and, certainly towards the end, relied too much on our understanding the Multiverse etc of that universe. At times it almost went over my head and lost a lost of cohesion.... almost nerdy, the way idiots complain about faults in the Star trek continuity, or the Terminator continuity. Despite this, it's good and is a worthy, if not just slightly flawed sucessor to that masterpiece, "Watchmen". Oh! And it has Rorschach in it... I love him!...more
Dave Hutchinson has created a fascinating alternative universe, a fragmented Europe with added extras. In Europe at Midnight, the second in the seriesDave Hutchinson has created a fascinating alternative universe, a fragmented Europe with added extras. In Europe at Midnight, the second in the series, it is the extras that play a major role. We start on a University Campus, itself a mini-state. There's just been a revolution and everything has that grey quality when things are hard and the old regime has to be sanitised. Grave crimes are being exposed as the soil is turned. But then it develops, and before long we're in Nottingham and then London and recruited by MI5... and things start to get really interesting....more
I was slightly disappointed by this follow-up to "The End of the World Running Club. Bit cliche... all the way...I was slightly disappointed by this follow-up to "The End of the World Running Club. Bit cliche... all the way......more
I don't know how Charles Stross manages to do it but he never lets me down. Every book of his that I've read is full of originality and lip-smacking vI don't know how Charles Stross manages to do it but he never lets me down. Every book of his that I've read is full of originality and lip-smacking verve. This particular novel deals with alternate universes or, more precisely, Earths which are potentially at war with each other. It doesn't help that both "antagonists" in the two key parallel Earths have nuclear capability and the skills to cross into their neighbours. I enjoyed it, could hardly put it down. And there's a series! Oh goody!!...more
Taylor Anderson continues to thrill and entertain in this series which, somehow, maintains its quality of storytelling and ability to hold our interesTaylor Anderson continues to thrill and entertain in this series which, somehow, maintains its quality of storytelling and ability to hold our interest. Our poor Destroyermen and their allies are being thrown from one perilous situation to the next, sometimes with tragic results (because he doesn't pull his punches). If you haven't started the series and you like a bit of boy's own (with naval technical jargon) then this is for you....more
Mieczyslaw
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