Book Review: The Strain by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan

The Strain by Guillermo del Toro
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I found out about The Strain a while ago and as a fan of Guillermo del Toro's directed works and a lover of all (Twilight and True Blood excluded) things vampire I thought it would be an interesting read.
For me, the best part of the book was probably the first third. I always knew where the book was going, but the tension and the mystery as Flight 753 lands at JFK airport and the events that follow, were exciting and thrilling at the same time.
The main protagonist is Dr. Ephraim Goodweather. For some reason, in my head I imagined him as Denzel Washington, this 'strong' character. He and his co-worked Nora Martinez work for the CDC and are the first inside the mysterious plane. They are both likeable, although I feel that Nora has less of a personality than Eph and later on in the book is made to stay behind and look after Zack, Eph's son, rather than go and fight, which I think is a little sexist. In fact, this book does not have strong female characters. Nora and Kelly (Eph's ex-wife) both play small parts and are subject to the decisions of the men around them.
The other lead is Abraham Setrakian, described as an aged Holocaust survivor. He is by far the more interesting character of the two, with a story and a personal vendetta against The Master, the head of all vampires.
It may seem that I am being negative but I did thoroughly enjoy this book. As I said, the initial discovery of the plane kept me on the edge of my seat and the study of the victim's as they attempted to work out what had happened was exciting. It's a different approach to the vampire story, they are a virus rather than a monster.
The vampires themselves are not your 'run of the mill' either. Their transformation is not pretty, neither is the end result. It's refreshing to read a different take on the genre, especially as it's been done to death lately for a primarily teenage and young adult audience.
For me, New York City was an integral part of the story. There was focus on the World Trade Centre (although events of 9/11 were not dwelled on) and the subway systems. I particularly enjoyed a section where the characters entered the subway system, del Toro certainly wracked the scary factor up there!
I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the books in this series, and watching the TV series that is soon to be our screens.

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Book Review: Nineteen Eighty Three (Red Riding Quartet) by David Peace

Nineteen Eighty Three by David Peace
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Nineteen Eighty Three is the final book in the Red Riding Quartet and there's only one word to describe it. Sublime.
David Peace is a phenomenal writer. His writing style is quick, slick and draws you in. I find myself sucked into the hazy world of corrupt cops, earnest lawyers and journalists fighting for the truth.
The characters he writes are all flawed, there are no Hollywood heroes here, which makes more for the interesting read.
The narrative is led by three individuals, policeman Maurice Jobson, lawyer John Pigott and young prostitute BJ. All three of them are tangled up in the web of conspiracy and cover ups around the disappearances of young girls in the Yorkshire area.
Jobson is the lead investigator, but also the reluctant heir of Bill 'Badger' Molloy's scheme to get rich quick. Pigott is representing Michael Myshkin, who was arrested and charged for the murder of one of the girls and BJ is on the run from everyone and everything.
None of the Red Riding Quartet stands alone, they all form one large story told by different characters, but I think reading them one after the other would be too much, too intense. Having said that, I think it was too long since I read Nineteen Eighty and some of the details were a little dulled in my head. I'd seen the incredible Channel 4 adaptation (well worth a watch for any fan) and I think that helped certain characters cement into my mind. For me, Jobson was David Morrisey, Pigott was Mark Addy and BJ was Robert Sheehan. For me this was a help rather than a hindrance.
As the narrative changes between these three characters it can be initially confusing as to whose point of view it is with the start of each chapter. That's the only reason I marked it 4 stars instead of 5. Otherwise, it's a series like no other. If you can hold your stomach (it's certainly not pretty and described with graphic detail) and you can put up with the bad language then jump into this world. David Peace's heady world of violence and corruption is a world like no other and I can't wait to read more of his.

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Book Review: The Long Earth by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter

The Long Earth by Terry Pratchett
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This book was recommended to me by my Aunt, who is an avid fan of Terry Pratchett. I have only ever read one more of his works, that being Good Omens, which I enjoyed but didn't fall in love with as many have.
The concept behind The Long Earth is certainly interesting and original. The idea that individuals can 'step' East or West to parallel worlds is brilliant and isn't something I come across very often. But I didn't feel that Pratchett really told a story, it was more of an experiment.
Our two main characters are Joshua, who was born on one of the parallel worlds and is a natural stepper, and Lobsang, who is essentially a computer. Together they travel through the worlds on a dirigible called Mark Twain, to explore and discover new worlds.
I found Joshua quite a weak character with not much personality. He was brought up by several nuns and all of them appear funny and quirky but none of this has rubbed off on him. Lobsang on the other hand is great. He can be irritating, but is interesting and unlike any other character I've read before.
There are quite a few smaller characters whose stories run alongside, like a police officer in Madison, Wisconsin, a family who leave their son behind to start a better like and Private Percy, who accidentally 'steps' during the First World War. In fact, I would have liked to read more about Private Percy, but we're given a snippet and then it's forgotten about.
All the ideas on their own are brilliant, but it just seems quite aimless and I was surprised to find that not only is there a sequel out, a third is due out next year and both authors have signed a contract to write three more. I don't think I'll give up on Terry Pratchett, but I think I'll head towards his Discworld series.

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Book Review: Amazonia by James Rollins

Amazonia by James Rollins
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

It was the blurb of Amazonia that got me hooked.
'A government agent stumbles out of the world's most inhospitable jungle... he went in with one arm missing and emerged with both intact.'
I was in immediately, jungles, government agents, the regrowth of limbs, what more could a girl ask for?
Our journey into the wilderness is headed by Nathan Rand and a team of doctors, experts and of course, several CIA agents as they track Agent Clark's (formerly of one arms, now of two) route through the jungle in the hope of ascertaining how his limb grew back. On their way they encounter all sorts of mutated animals, deserted villages and signs of a mysterious tribe feared by all. And don't even get me started on the evil Dr. Favre and his girlfriend who has a penchant for making shriveled heads.
I don't want to give too much away of this book, but the best way to describe it (and I mean this as a compliment), is that it's a blue print for an action adventure movie. It's full of cliches and often quite predictable but it's fun, it's an adventure!
The characters are all interesting, if a little stereotypical and none of them are safe as they fall to the mercy of the jungle. One of them even has a pet jaguar (brilliant!).
I would love to see this in a cinema, sometime in the future. In the meantime, enjoy it for what it is, a romp in the Amazon, not a fine piece of literature.

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Book Review: Safe House by Chris Ewan

Safe House by Chris Ewan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Safe House was available on Kindle, for little to no cost so it was a book I picked on a bit of a whim.
We meet plumber, Rob, who is called to a remote house to fix the boiler. Things seem a little 'off' when he arrives but he soon befriends the blonde girl who is currently living there and agrees to take her out on his motorcycle. That's when things go from bad to worse. The motorcycle crashes and the girl vanishes. In fact, the police are claiming she never existed. Rob decides to take matters into his own hands.
It's refreshing to read a mystery-thriller that isn't lead by a police officer, or a member of the government etc. It being set on the Isle of Man also gives it a close-knit style and that feeling that everyone knows everyone else.
As well as following Rob and private investigator Rebecca as they attempt to track down the girl, we follow the girl and the events that take place surrounding her and her reason for being at the house in the first place.
In this book I liked the clue solving element, cracking passwords, working out where a bag is stashed or where things are hidden. However, this book did take me nearly a month to read. I'm not sure whether that's because it's on the Kindle (books always seem to take longer on there), or whether it was because the story dragged, but overall, I may venture into the world of Chris Ewan again.

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Book Review: Skin (Jack Caffery #4) by Mo Hayder

Skin by Mo Hayder
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The first Mo Hayder book I read was Birdman and I was hooked instantly, and can still remember parts of it in my head as clear as day
Skin although not the second in the series, was the next one I read. This time as well as DI Jack Caffery, we are joined by diver, Flea Marley.
The strength of Hayder's writing is what kept me going in this book. She writes suspense and excitement brilliantly and the twists and turns come thick and fast. The situation that Flea finds herself in was an unusual one and it was interesting seeing how she coped with the situation. I must admit, I found her relatives infuriatingly annoying (in a good way!), which shows how well written the characters and events were.
I think the reason I gave this a three, rather than a four, or a five, was the superstition element of the book. I didn't particularly enjoy it and would have been quite happy with the police procedural with Flea and Caffery. But I will definitely be reading more of Mo Hayder. She's a brilliant writer and if you want to raise your blood pressure a little, get stuck in.

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Book review: Joyland by Stephen King

Joyland by Stephen King
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Stephen King is one of the best storytellers that has ever existed. Ever. That's the only way to describe him, the only way to explain how wonderful this book is. I personally prefer his simpler stories, like Carrie, or Misery. Not too much going on, but the characters pop out of the pages and you instantly feel for them, their situation, their surroundings.
Joyland is one of these books. We follow Dev, as he is employed at Joyland in the summer of 1973. From the first few lines I was hooked into the story. Dev is likeable, and the story is told in his voice, which makes him easy to sympathise with.
Along the way we meet a menagerie of interesting characters from Rozzie, the eccentric fortune teller, his friends Erin and Tom, handyman Lane, to Mike, his mother and their Jack Russell. Yet despite their eccentricities, none of them seem out of place. Joyland itself is described vividly, and the essence of the seventies seeps through too.
The main story is more about the murder of several young women, notably Linda Grey at Joyland, over the years and Dev and Erin's work into solving it. It is captivating, as King's work normally is and your breath is held as he peels back each layer, revealing more clues. But unfortunately for me, I guessed who the perpetrator was, which was disappointing, but there's always that pleasant feeling of being right.
The tale of Mike, his mother Annie and their dog Milo runs alongside this one. The characters are portrayed brilliantly and I was hooked on every word spoken. I didn't feel like I was rushing through their parts to get back to the murder either, which I have done is some other books.
So overall, more books like this please Mr King! Stories and characters with heart that let your imagination run wild.

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