Published in 2014, probably inspired by the SARS epidemic, Mandel gives us a vision of north America where the world's population is decimated by a flPublished in 2014, probably inspired by the SARS epidemic, Mandel gives us a vision of north America where the world's population is decimated by a flu virus. She begins with the death from a heart attack of an actor, Arthur Leander on stage as King Lear. We follow various characters and their interconnections from before the outbreak to about 20 years in the future. It was hard to work out who the main character of the story is. You can make a case for Arthur, his ex wife, Miranda or Kirsten, who we see first as a young girl in the production of King Lear. Later she is with a travelling troop of actors known as the Symphony. The title of the novel comes from a graphic novel Miranda writes, Station 11 where a group of humans are striving to stay alive in outer space. Although this is a very small part of the book, it's enough for some to give the novel a science fiction tag. My favourite parts are when we start to realise all the connections, some I couldn't see coming. A book where people are in a grim fight to survive, but at least the author gives some hope towards the conclusion....more
Basically a quest set in a video game. The creator of Oasis a world wide immersive video game dies and leaves his fast fortune in the form of an EasteBasically a quest set in a video game. The creator of Oasis a world wide immersive video game dies and leaves his fast fortune in the form of an Easter egg within the virtual world he has created. This was my first problem with the book, what was his motivation? It didn't make sense. A lot of the book is tell not show as Cline builds the back story to the Oasis empire and the real world that the main protagonist, Wade inhabits. Full of eighties references it feels like a nostalgic look at pop culture for 40- 50 year olds. Although the book has tension and things are at stake, in the virtual world there is no real underlying danger in that world because if your avatar dies you aren't dead yourself. Not the greatest in terms of writing quality there is enough in the book to want Wade to succeed and he does in part due to being able to memorise complete dialogues to War Games and Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Something I couldn't believe. Throughout Cline reminds us what we observe in the virtual world isn't always true and people can and will hide their identities as towards the end of the book he reveals characteristics of two of the players that help Wade in his quest. An okay book that neither truly awful or magnificently brilliant....more
A continuation from Before and After and how Ben and his dog, Brown survive in a zombie filled Manchester. This time Shanahan introduces a new charactA continuation from Before and After and how Ben and his dog, Brown survive in a zombie filled Manchester. This time Shanahan introduces a new character, Natalie who is pregnant so the author doesn't make things easy and continually puts them in increasingly difficult circumstances. This alternates between Natalie's and Ben's points of view and at some moments it can take a few pages to know whose point of view we are in. Like the first book it is cleverly plotted and full of amazing coincidences although there isn't a full explanation as to how some things work, nine months after the start of the zombie apocalypse. This time there is a lot more comic graphic violence as thousands of the zombie creatures Ben calls wraths are slaughtered. Again as in the first book the dog survives and there is scope for the series to continue, but for how long?...more
Rain and Bad weather in biblical proportions and not one character cares about anything, result this is a boring mess, at least the dialogue was shortRain and Bad weather in biblical proportions and not one character cares about anything, result this is a boring mess, at least the dialogue was short....more
A retelling of the Joan of Arc Story, set in some part on a space station orbiting a war torn earth. Some very good ideas of how the world has changedA retelling of the Joan of Arc Story, set in some part on a space station orbiting a war torn earth. Some very good ideas of how the world has changed in a very near future. However I was confused how the author used the word devolution, her meaning being the human race is regressing backwards so much so both sexes have no sexual organs to reproduce. I couldn't see this happening in such a short time scale. So why have a society which culls its inhabitants when they reach 50? This didn't make sense. A novel with several messages about feminism, the exploitation of children in war and the environment. A very graphic book that doesn't hold back in its descriptions of violence and bodily mutilation....more
This book is Amazing, if you'd asked me if I would like a book about a twenty something super obese man who lives alone with his dog and can hardly moThis book is Amazing, if you'd asked me if I would like a book about a twenty something super obese man who lives alone with his dog and can hardly move. I would not believe it. He has to then survive in his fourth floor flat whilst in a dystopian north Manchester and probably the rest of the world is infested by marauding zombies. Going back and forth in time the author reveals how the likeable Ben Stone gets into the situation he is in. Through careful plotting everything makes perfect sense, except for the possibility of not enough rain in Manchester. Like all good writers Shanahan makes things increasingly difficult for Ben and this is certainly a page turner. At just under 200 pages this isn't a long book but everything is to the point, there is no flowery language, the author just gets on with a story. There is no surplus fat and an ending that leaves room for a sequel. After re-readinng the book I realised there was more dark humour than I first envisaged....more
The population of the world has shrunk enormously, Griz and their family live in near isolation on a Scottish Island. They are visited by Brand who stThe population of the world has shrunk enormously, Griz and their family live in near isolation on a Scottish Island. They are visited by Brand who steals Griz's dog and so Griz sets off to find the dog. An amazing book which explores the relationships people have with each other and nature when the world has changed dramatically. Griz's Journey is full of suspense and surprises which makes you want to find out what happens next. The interactions between Griz and Brand make you realise they don't always tell the truth and there is enough to make a sequel between them. Told from the point of view of Griz who is writing in a journal to a photograph from the past so it seems he his talking to us, the reader directly. Although I thought the book was slow at the beginning, everything makes perfect sense as we come to the conclusion and we even get to know the fate of one particular character, John Dark, something I was grateful for....more
I shouldn't have re-read this during a pandemic. However it is an engaging book which follows Bill Masen and the brilliantly named Josella Playton as I shouldn't have re-read this during a pandemic. However it is an engaging book which follows Bill Masen and the brilliantly named Josella Playton as they escape a world wide blindness in a quest for their survival. Wyndham does the classic writer thing my making it more difficult for his characters by introducing flesh eating walking plants, the triffids. The book is a commentary of human behaviour in various unsavory situations, the plot takes us across several years although some segments of the story may be only a few hours or days. There is no happy endings although Wyndham leaves us with hope and there is a possible way of continuing the story....more
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