Yep… couple of new reads courtesy of Netgalley in desperate need of reviewing. And quite frankly, I’ve been on a high, having for once read two consecutive books which I rate very highly. So… without further delay:

The Water Knife – Paolo Bacigalupi

A few years back I read Paolo Bacigalupi’s award-winning “The Wind-Up Girl”. Highly recommended… read it. What stood out for me was the astonishing world he created… a future without natural food, set in a Thailand so alien it could’ve been a completely fantastical world, yet so realistic (and frightful), it blew me away. When it comes to “world-building” there’s little competition out there.

So, for his next act, Bacigalupi brought it a bit closer to home, a future America where climate change has brought on major water scarcity, leaving the Western States fighting out for “water rights” to use what’s left of rivers and lakes. And you can’t help but feel how pain-stakingly realistic Bacigalupi paints this dismal future. From the little things (assuming a Google NY Times merger), to the role of China in future America, to the potential fall-out of state independence and close to all-out civil war over water rights, it’s a sight to behold. Add in a riveting plot that reads like a good old-fashioned mystery thriller, and you are in for quite a ride.

5 out of 5. Go read it.

Boo – Neil Smith

A very sweet, touching novel about growing up, owning up to your actions, and learning to forgive, told in an extremely original setting. When “Boo” dies and goes to heaven, he wakes up in a homogeneous society of 13 year old American kids. It is here he discovers that he didn’t die from a heart defect, but was victim of a murder. And so begins the search for his killer, and Boo takes us along on his incredible journey towards spirituality, bullying, prejudices, forgiveness and acceptance. Boo’s unique voice and views on life had me laughing at some points, and deeply moved at others. Half Lord of the Flies, half old-fashioned mystery thriller, one could easily imagine this book becoming ingrained in American culture in the future. Definitely worth a read.

It’s been ages since I’ve last posted anything in my blog, what with work, baby, etc… Little time to read and review. But I’ve been reading, and here are a couple of recent reads to comment on:

Love Sex & Other Foreign Policy Goals

I really wanted to enjoy this book. Looking for a break from all the recent fantasy novels that have dominated my reading, I was looking for a funny, quirky and light story. Receiving an advanced copy from Netgalley, I dove head first into the story of these 20-something guys (mainly from Britain) driving to Bosnia on a peace mission. The author is a celebrated British comedy TV writer, so expectations where high… and yet, to be honest, I barely managed to finish it. The main character and narrator, Andrew, is built as this anti-hero, capturing the nature of a person who tags along on an unselfish peace drive only to selfishly get the girl. And I found him insufferable. It seems the author went too out of his way to capture the British idiosyncrasy, the constantly awkward and ambiguous attitude to life… the end just comes and goes and quite frankly, you just feel relieved that the story is over and you don’t have to put up with him anymore.

And here’s something I find unforgivable. The author clearly did a lot of research on Bosnia and the conflict in 1994. Yet, somehow, there’s a character called Baltimore Ravens (because he’s wearing the NFL team’s cap). Yet, the Ravens were only established in 1996! Not enough research after all…. not impressed.

2 out of 5

Tower Lord

The second book / film in a trilogy can be a mixed bag. While the first book is more an origin story, setting up the pieces, it’s the second book where all goes full-speed ahead and takes for you for the proper ride. It’s no coincidence that Empire Strikes Back or The Dark Knight are hands down the best films of their respective trilogy. Tower Lord is a strong Book 2, but it doesn’t fully deliver… and it pales in comparison to how good the first book, Blood Song, was.

Tower Lord just takes too long to take off, and it seems to disregard the setup of Blood Song. A lot of time has passed since the first book, and there’s very little continuity in the characters or stories. The world and characters remains the same, but rather than a continuation of the story, it feels more like a completely new and disconnected chapter. It’s only towards the second half of the book that you feel once again truly engaged. The author does amazing work in describing the battle scenes, keeping you at the edge of the page.

Tower Lord was a good book, but not nearly as strong as Blood Song. Queen of Fire (the conclusion) comes out later this year. Let’s see if it does a nice job of tying up the story together and making for a satisfying end…

4 out of 5

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

I’m trying to improve and diversify my reading selection, and was intrigued with the premise of this Pulitzer winning novel. And I really enjoyed it. It was a great book, with unforgettable characters, told through the backdrop of Dominican history and life of Latin immigrants in the US. Really enjoyed the book, and strongly recommend it.

4.5 out of 5

So… new year, more books to read! Got a chance during the Xmas  break to catch up with some overdue reading, and now find myself with some overdue reviews. So, here are some quick and short thoughts on a couple of recent reads:

The Martian

By far one of the best Sci Fi novel’s I’ve ever read. I was aware of the hype surrounding this novel, billed as Apollo 13 in Mars, but still didn’t know what really to expect. Quite frankly, it was an amazing story. I found myself completely gripped with an amazing story of human spirit, laughing out loud at some points, hooked in suspense at others, Hands down, an amazing read, and very strongly recommended. 5 stars!

The Great Zoo of China

It’s a very fine line between homage and rip-off. Very early on in “The Great Zoo of China”, one of the characters asks “Have they not seen Jurassic Park?” Perhaps Mr Reilly thought it was sufficient to acknowledge the existence of Jurassic Park, and people wouldn’t judge his book as a copycat (here’s a clue: it’s dragons instead of dinosaurs). As such, he goes to different lengths to show how the stories are different… However, what you end up is with a vastly inferior book with way too much action and not enough substance. Bit disappointing really… wished the author had spent more developing the character, less creating implausible action pieces and constantly attacking the Chinese culture. Oh well… 1.5 stars

Station Eleven

I finally got around reading Station Eleven… Had been on my reading list since early in the summer, and just seemed to keep getting dropped back. Well, I’m quite glad I finally did. Station Eleven has popped up in countless Best of the Year lists, and with good reason. The writing is exquisite, the plot ingenious and refreshing, the story leaves you with a warm sense of hope for mankind. In an age where dystopian fiction is so commonplace, this book definitely stands out as one to read. My only gripe with the book is perhaps the length of it… one feels there could’ve been more to he story, the ending more developed. In any case, 4.5 stars.

2014 was a big year… For starters, this happened:

Yep, Nico joined our family in October, and we are both over the moon with him. It’s quite an amazing experience to see a little person grow every day, watch him learn and act differently by the hour… We can spend hours and hours just staring at him.

Now, as you may have guessed, this has had a major impact in my reading, viewing, playing time. But as this blog is focused mainly on books, movies and games, I guess if you are here, that’s what you want to see. So here goes my year in review:

What I read

This year I read 27 books. A very disappointing tally to be frank… I continue to target over 40 books, but, as mentioned, this happened!

So, yes, I blame my child for not reading enough. Clearly, this will impact my reading amounts for the next 18 years or so. But that won’t stop me from trying to read as much as possible when possible. In any case, I did read 27 books, so that gives me something to talk about. From all the books, only one really stands out: The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August (2014). An amazing cross-genre story, unlike all others. I couldn’t recommend it more. Other top reads for me where Blood Song (2013) and The Magician’s Land (2014), two top fantasy novels. I also got around to reading some Pulitzer winning novels this year, The Goldfinch (2013) and The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay (2004), both excellent pieces of work which fully deserved their accolades. Beyond that, not many books really did it for me. I’m still working through an insane large to-read shelf, so there might be some great reads in there. Here’s hoping 2015 will be a much better reading year for me.

What I saw

I was averaging close to 100 new movies per year! This year… I barely managed 43, and that number will probably continue to drop. Why? you may ask. Well, this happened:

(Yes, get used to pics of my baby in this blog!!)

Haven’t been to the movies in months, and not sure when I’ll be going again (have you seen the cost of a babysitter?). So, no Interstellar, Hunger Games or Hobbit film for me this year… waiting for the DVD.

But, of what I managed to see this year… The Edge of Tomorrow was my stand-out film. It had been ages since I had walked out of a cinema with such a giddy feeling, having seen a truly amazing film. Tom Cruise get’s way too much stick, and his personal life aside, there’s few actors out there who can make a movie work as well as he can. The movie got everything right,m the tone, the action, the comedy, the cast. If you haven’t seen it, very very strongly recommended.

The other films I really enjoyed where mostly superhero related (what a surprise): X-men: Days of Future Past, really enjoyable. Much better than the previous entries in the franchise since X-2, effectively rebooting the series nicely and setting up a nice future for the X-men films. Also, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, much much better than the first, more of a sequel to Avengers, and more of a spy thriller than a superhero movie. Impressive. Other worthy movies include Guardians of the Galaxy (great fun, albeit overhyped), Bad Neighbours and 22 Jump Street (was not expecting to laugh so much on both films).A special mention to The Lego Movie. The first time I saw it, thought it was brilliant. Second time, not so much… nonetheless, kudos to the makers for creating a great film out of lego blocks.

2015 is shaping like an amazing year for movies, with the new Star Wars due in December, Jurassic World and Avengers 2 in the summer. Hopefully, we will be able to afford babysitters!!

What I played

This year I got the PS4, but truth be told, haven’t played it much. Can’t blame the baby on this one, because quite frankly, there has not been any games that have had me really crazy for. Having said that, I still have Destiny fully wrapped as haven’t been able to find the time to play it! But of those that I did manage, truth be told, very few have impressed, and most have disappointed (Thief, Infamous, Killzone… just not good enough). So, only two games really stand out for me this year:

The Last of Us – not having a PS3 before, I never got to play it. But, with the remastered edition, got the chance to play what has been an amazing story, and truly deserving of all the praise this game has received.

Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor – this has been a truly great game. The much talked about Nemesis system (where each fight against even the lowliest minion has a story) has been an incredible experience, and I’m sure we will see this replicated in many more games in the future. Add that to the gameplay, beautiful graphics, and a good story, and you get what has been a truly great game.

I still want to play a few games from 2014 (Destiny, Dragon Age) and I’m looking forward to many more games this year (the new Batman, the new Witcher, the new Tomb Raider, The Order 1886, to name a few). So, high hopes for 2015 in gaming!

**

So that was my year. Quite a few more things happened. Won my Fantasy Football League (Ha!), moved south of the river (Thames) for the first time (and hopefully last move?), and again… this happened:

Here’s for an even better 2015! Wishing you all the best for the new year as well.

“The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August” has been by far my favourite read of the year. As such, when I got the chance via Netgalley to review a draft of Claire North’s follow-up “Touch”, I was all over it! And the beginning of the book did not disappoint. It literally started with a bang, an incredible story, with a strong lead very similar to Harry August (in fact, the narrating style is so similar, you could hardly tell if this was not just a continuation of Harry’s story).

However, the expression started with a bang, ended with a whimper could not fit this book more. Truth be told, the second half of the book is highly disappointing… the story feels like it lost its way around the middle, and when the ending comes along you really struggle to care enough about what happens. Shame, was really looking forward to the same feeling of elation I felt once Harry August was over. Nonetheless, I will continue to look out for North’s future works.

3.5 out of 5 stars.

A while back, I put together a list of great epic fantasy books for those waiting for George R. R. Martin to finally publish the next Game of Thrones installment (I know it’s the A Song of Ice and Fire series, but thanks to the power of HBO, no point calling it something else).

That got me thinking of putting together another list of recommended fantasy reads, less epic, less Tolkien, but  more magic / Harrypotteresque.

No point including the Harry Potter books here (if you haven’t read them (or at least seen the films) you’re probably in the wrong blog. But maybe these books will interest you:

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell – Sussanna Clarke

Readers of this blog will surely recognise this book as one of my top reads of all time. And if you still haven’t gotten around to reading it, I strongly recommend you to do so. Set during Napoleonic times, a tale of two rival magicians (the real kind, not illusionists) in a time when magic had long disappeared and is slowly coming back. A wonderful read. What I wouldn’t give for a sequel?!

The Rook – Daniel O’malley

Man, was this fun to read. There are countless books of hidden magic set in modern times, with a “Ministry of Magic” type organization overseeing it. And The Rook could’ve easily fallen into the generic wasteland if not for the extremely clever mystery plot and incredible character building. The sequel Stilleto is out next year, and it’s already been pre-ordered. Highly recommended!

The Night Circus – Erin Morgenstern

Similar to Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, a wonderful magical romance played out in the backdrop of a traveling circus. Outstanding work. Loved every word of it. I’m not one for love stories, but this one was one for the ages.

The Magicians – Lev Grossman

I recently reviewed the Lev Grossman’s latest (and final) entry to his The Magicians trilogy. Won’t repeat it here, but the fact that’s in this select list should make you sit up and notice. You should buy them. Now.

The Golem and the Jinni – Helen Wecker

An incredible tale of magical creatures from very different cultures, colliding in turn of 20th century New York and forming a remarkable friendship. Well worth a read.

Bartimaeus Trilogy – Jonathan Stroud

A bit more for younger generations, but still an amazing read. In a parallel time where magic is commonplace through the control of magical demons, its the remarkable tale of the Djinni Bartimaeus and his young master. I loved the entire series, and I think if you haven’t come across them, you would love them too.

His Dark Materials – Philip Pullman

Set in a parallel world (like so many), this series stands out for its amazing use of religion, mythologies, parallel universes. Having gone to Oxford myself, I was able to trace Lyra’s footsteps in this magical world. If you haven’t read the books, I suggest you put them quite high on your to-read list.

Beyond the above, be sure to include anything Neil Gaiman has written in this genre. (way too many to list here, but amongst others. make sure to read Neverwhere, American Gods, The Graveyard Book).

It has been quite a while since I last posted on the blog… loads of things happening at the moment, amidst work and getting ready to receive a new member to our little family (baby due at any moment!!!!)

However, since I really can’t afford to neglect my quick reviews (and lose my Netgalley feedback ratio), here are a couple of quick notes on a few recent reads for your perusal.

The Magician’s Land – Lev Grossman

Rarely have I come across such polarising books as The Magicians trilogy. For those not familiar with the story, think of Hogwarts as an American university rather than an English boarding school. And as such, a common reaction is to consider it a pure and blatant Harry Potter / Narnia rip-off? As derivative as a book can be? Others would say its an homage to the fantasy genre, while adding an adult, gritty spin to the fantasy genre, showing what actually happens when we grow out of magic. Truth be told, I enjoyed the first two books, but did felt put-off by its derivative nature. But then I read The Magician’s Land. It’s rare to come across such a satisfying end to a story, everything wrapped up so nicely, such a fitting conclusion. And now, when I see the whole story of Quentin and his adventures, I can only say, what a treat. Definitely a fan, and extremely recommended. Read it. Now. 5 / 5

Half Bad – Sally Green

I actually quite enjoyed Ms Green’s debut novel. Again, like above, the Harry Potter theme is quite present, but with an interesting edge, tone, voice. I loved the writing style, the short sentences resonating the main character Nathan’s sense of silence, brevity, anguish. Not a perfect book, but clearly hooked enough to be looking out for the sequel next year. Let’s give it a 4 / 5.

Lock in – John Scalzi

Having thoroughly enjoyed Scalzi’s previous effort Redshirts, I was really looking forward to this one. Went with high hopes… and nope! Just not good enough. Premise was interesting, clearly setting up a future franchise, but whether it was the tone (not real enough), the lack of character building (not good enough), it just didn’t do it for me. Poor execution. “M’eh” is the word that comes to mind. Feel free to give it a pass. 2 / 5.

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay – Michael Chabon

Friends that share my taste in books were always shocked when I told them I actually had never read Kavalier and Clay, a Pulitzer winning novel set in the Golden Age of comics. I finally managed to get around to it. Suffice to say, all of its accolades are richly and truly deserved. If you consider the first two-thirds of the book, in my opinion, this is a masterpiece in every literary sense: the writing, the characters, the stories, the intertwining of real and fiction. You feel like you are reading a non-fiction about the history of comic books, yet you are completely captured in the moment, rooting for these two young comic artists trying to make it. Everything feels truly amazing. If only the last third worked better… the story winds down very quickly without much sense of resolution… and it just doesn’t do the story justice. I understand rumours abound about a sequel, but who knows. I still give it 5 stars, and will consider it amongst one of the best reads of the year. But I just wished I could give it more.