HISTORICAL FICTION REVIEW: The Devil's Beat - Robert Edric

Release Date: 01/03/12

SYNOPSIS:

'We must prise opinion from fact, belief from supposition and guesswork from whatever evidence must exist...'

It is surely a simple case of hysteria. Four young women allegedly witness a terrifying apparition while walking in the woods. Has the devil really revealed himself to them? Are they genuine victims of demonic possession? Or, as most suspect, is their purpose in claiming all of this considerably more prosaic?

The eyes of the country turn to a small Nottinghamshire town, where an inquiry is to be held. Everyone there is living through hard, uncertain times. The king is recently dead. It is a new century - a new world looking to the future. But here, in the ancient heart of England, an old beast stirs...

Four men must examine the substance of the girls' tales and decide their fate: a minister, a doctor, a magistrate, and Merritt, an investigator - a seemingly perfect blend of the rational, the sacred and the judicial. And yet, as the feverish excitement all around them grows ever more widespread and infectious, there is both doubt and conflict among the members of this panel.

The Devil's Beat explores the unforeseeable and unstoppable outcome of this inquiry during an alarming and unsettling time, when the whole of that small world seems in turmoil as, one after another, hitherto dependable natural checks and balances, beliefs and superstitions are challenged and then shattered.


REVIEW:

Originally when the book arrived I was really looking forward to it as it had a hook that really appealed to me, the meeting of old and new ideal’s as the Victorian factual way of life was challenged by a medieval spiritual belief. It was fascinating and with such an interesting premise how could it go wrong?

Sadly for me that’s exactly what happened as I found that way too much time was spent on chatter that really felt more like padding than anything else. Add to this clichéd characters, some poorly concealed plot devices and overall I found this title a real struggle to make my way through. Sadly this is one of those books where the blurb reads better than the title.

CRIME REVIEW: The Quarry - Johan Theorin

Release Date: 23/06/11

SYNOPSIS:

As the last snow melts on the Swedish island of Öland, Per Morner is preparing for his children’s Easter visit. But his plans are disrupted when he receives a phone call from his estranged father, Jerry, begging for help.

Per finds Jerry close to death in his blazing woodland studio. He’s been stabbed, and two dead bodies are later discovered in the burnt-out building.

The only suspect, Jerry’s work partner, is confirmed as one of the dead. But why does Jerry insist his colleague is still alive? And why does he think he’s still a threat to his life?

When Jerry dies in hospital a few days later, Per becomes determined to find out what really happened. But the closer he gets to the truth, the more danger he finds himself in.

And nowhere is more dangerous than the nearby quarry...


REVIEW:

I love a good crime story and whilst it’s the exotic and unusual that attract the majority of readers, its refreshing to get one that goes back to good old fashioned basics to present the reader with a story motivated mystery that can have echo’s with true crime.

What makes the genre particularly exciting for me currently is the influx of Scandinavian authors who not only devote the time to crafting meticulous stories but also present the reader with a whole landscape to envisage that is as hard as those decended from the original inhabitants. What works very well with this title by Johan is the characters who endear themselves to the reader, in this case, I had a particular affinity to Gerlof Davidson, who whilst he wasn’t the story linchpin was a cast member to helped make this story more than memorable.

Add to this a wonderfully flowing translation from the original language, a great plot line alongside a whole host of characters that I’d like to meet and it’s a story that really will create something special for the reader. Back that up with a wonderful sense of prose alongside decent dialogue and it’s easy to see why, in crime circles, the ancient warning again echoes throughout the land “The Scandinavians are coming…”

CRIME REVIEW: Between Summer's Longing and Winter's End - Leif GW Perrson

Release Date: 03/02/11

SYNOPSIS:

The death of an unknown American in Stockholm, though tragic, should be an open-and-shut case, a simple suicide. But when Superintendent Lars Martin Johansson begins to delve beneath the layers of corruption, incompetence and violence currently strangling the Stockholm police department, he uncovers a complex web of treachery, politics and espionage. Johansson quickly realises that there is nothing routine about this little death as it quickly catapults him from mere domestic drama straight to the rotten heart of Sweden's government.


REVIEW:

One of the bright sides to getting European Crime Fiction is that they can tap into events that a lot of the English speaking world know very little about, even when its within living memory. What Leif has achieved in this novel is a fictionalised offering that looks at the assassination of Prime Minister Olof Palme back in 1986. It’s definitely got a huge number of points to give it some real clout and when backed with believable explanation’s as well as characters that you can associate with, makes this perhaps one of this year’s hottest Crime novels from Doubleday.

Finally mix that in with a solid understanding of the criminal mind backed up with a great sense of pace and this title is one that will thrill, chill and fascinate many a reader for years to come.

URBAN FANTASY REVIEW: On the Third Day - Rhys Thomas

BOOK BLURB:

Society is on the brink of collapse. The Old World is vanishing, the New World is taking over. There are no rules. Not now that a deadly disease is spreading that causes its victims to turn violent. Previously loving people become murderous. No-one can tell who will turn and who will not. This is a work of force and dark brilliance - the perfect expression of the terrors of the 21st Century.


REVIEW:

To be honest this offering is pretty similar to David Moody’s Haters (or rather it’s similar in outline) as urban fantasy meets Science Fiction in a world gone to hell in a handbasket. What the author does well in this offering is guide the reader by the hand through the eyes of Miriam as she learns about the way the world has turned. It’s got good characterisation, solid descriptiveness but concentrates on the emotional aspect of the events that make this tale worth reading. It’s creative and where Moody slips up, this author really keeps the title together creating a more cohesive end product. Very well done and one that I will be recommending to friends and fans of the whole Romeroesque/Survivor’s type world.

YOUNG ADULT REVIEW: Z-Rex - Steve Cole

BOOK BLURB:

Adam Adlar wakes one morning - his scientist father has been missing for two weeks and Adam prepares himself to spend another day alone. But this will be the most terrifying day of Adam's life. Some strange men are snooping around and before he knows what's happening his flat is savagely attacked by an enormous monster. Adam knows he has to find his father ...Z Rex is a living, breathing, man-eating dinosaur who has been brought to life by Adam's dad. He can talk, think - and kill. And, he has no idea why he's here. Zed wants answers, and Adam's dad has them ...In an daring trip across the world, boy and dinosaur set out to find Mr Adlar. But there are people desperate to stop them and they seem to be going to extreme lengths to do so.


REVIEW:

Whilst I’m usually enamoured with a tale featuring dinosaurs and prepared to take a tale at face value for pure entertainment on the YA market, this one took my trust, smashed it up and really took the tale too far. The characters were more a 2d model than fully rounded, the concept of an evolutionary dinosaur pushed too far ahead of time and to be honest made the whole tale simply to ridiculous to have any real pleasure from. Add to the mix certain chase sequences that were silly and an author who really didn’t want to let down the pace to give readers a breather and it was sadly a tale that I was quite pleased to finish. I will keep an eye out for Steve as some of the idea’s were quite cunning but if a lot of these problems aren’t rectified then I fear a short career as an author.

FANTASY REVIEW: The Other Lands - David Anthony Durham

BOOK BLURB:

"The Other Lands" begins a few years after Acacia, and Queen Corinn Akaran is firmly in control of the Known World. Her primary goal is to topple the Lothan Aklun and so she sends her brother Daniel, disguised as a slave, on an exploratory expedition to the Other Lands. Daniel soon discovers a mainland that is a more lush, exotic, and expansive than the Known World; and the ruling tribe, the Auldek, are more numerous and powerful than the Numrek. But unbeknownst to the Corinn and her siblings, the Numrek and Auldek are ancient ancestors and their inevitable alliance could mean the downfall of Acacia. In this bold and imaginative sequel to Acacia, Queen Corinn must unite the battered and abused people of the Acacia Empire against the powerful tribes of the Other Lands.


REVIEW:

What I love about David’s work is not only his careful character creation but also his efforts on world building including cracking magic systems, careful political scenarios and also looking at everything from religion to the creature inhabitants. So it was a bit of a shock that I felt a little let down with this book.

Don’t get me wrong its still a strong offering but when you compare it against his previous outings. especially after Accacia: The War with the Mein it really didn’t hit the spot. What perhaps was my key gripe was the characters, I just didn’t like them as much as I had the originals which made this novel a bit of a stretch to stick with at some points. Add to the mix a story that felt like it over complicated itself and didn’t devote as much time to the main arc as it should have done and I wonder if he’s tried to squeeze too much into this one book.

It’s a shame and had this been a new authors offering it would definitely bode well for their future as it is a good offering and allows the reader to explore new lands and peoples within. But for an author with the reputation that he has perhaps David would have been better re-examining the tale and then split it into separate components allowing for two books instead of just the one. It may all come good in the next book and explain why it needed to feel so rushed but for now, I was a little disappointed.

NEWS: LAUREN KATE FEATURES

Hail Mighty Readers,
Our "Fallen" friends at Random House wanted us to let you know about this feature in regard to the hotly anticipated YA release by Lauren Kate.

First of all if you join the Facebook Group Fiercebook, you can see the book trailer which will give you a cracking sneaky peak at this beautiful title.

Secondly, and keep this between us, if you're one of the first 50 people to sign up to FierceBook you will receive a finished copy of FALLEN. Yup you read that right, for the first 50 a free copy of the book.

And finally Lauren is doing a live chat on December 3rd. So get the details now and stumble for one of the Fallen.

We're reviewing it on its release date (17th December) so remember to return for our POV of what we think is going to be a Christmas Gem.

FANTASY BOOK REVIEW: Unseen Academicals - Terry Pratchett

BOOK BLURB:

Football has come to the ancient city of Ankh-Morpork - not the old fashioned, grubby pushing and shoving, but the new, fast football with pointy hats for goalposts and balls that go gloing when you drop them. And now, the wizards of Unseen University must win a football match, without using magic, so they're in the mood for trying everything else. The prospect of the Big Match draws in a street urchin with a wonderful talent for kicking a tin can, a maker of jolly good pies, a dim but beautiful young woman, who might just turn out to be the greatest fashion model there has ever been, and the mysterious Mr Nutt (and no one knows anything much about Mr Nutt, not even Mr Nutt, which worries him, too). As the match approaches, four lives are entangled and changed for ever. Because the thing about football - the important thing about football - is that it is not just about football. Here we go! Here we go! Here we go!


REVIEW:

As a firm fan of the Discworld series its always something of a joy when the latest offering arrives, be it on the back of a certain Turtle (as it feels like it takes forever sometimes) or via the good ol Posty (when they’re not on strike.)

So when this title landed I pretty much grabbed it, ran like hell and got comfy to enjoy the offering. So what did I get? A tale of football and modelling told in Terry’s unparalleled style. That said however, it didn’t feel as good as it could have been, whether that was due to deadlines or more to do with my neutrality to the sport to start off with remains to be seen, but the characters were crisp and a new race comes to the Discworld which many would argue is long over due.

It is well written, the humour present and above all a tale that goes to show that Terry still has that magical touch. Add to the mix the return of old friends and a certain Simean being used as a goalie and you’ve got a lot to look forward to. Perhaps in the future we’ll see other teams making appearances in The Times such as a match with the Nac Mac Feegles as the opposition (although I wouldn’t want to bet on that being a friendly to be honest LOL.) Where Terry will tread next we’ll have to wait with baited breath to find out but I get the feeling when Nutt returns its going to be as dark as Monstrous Regiment.

CRIME FICTION: The Darkest Room - Johan Theorin

BOOK BLURB:

'For several hours I believed that my daughter had drowned and my wife as alive, when in fact the reverse was true'. It is bitter mid-winter when Katrine and Joakim Westin move with their children into the old manor house at Eel Point on the Swedish island of Oland. But their new home is no remote idyll. Just days later, Katrine is found drowned off the rocks nearby. While Joakim struggles to keep his sanity, Tilda Davidsson - a young policewoman fresh out of college- becomes convinced that Katrine was murdered. Then, on Christmas Eve, a blizzard hits Eel Point. Isolated by the snow, Joakim does not know that visitors - as unwelcome as they are terrifying - are making their way towards him. For this is the darkest night of the year, and the night when the living meet the dead.


REVIEW:

With publishers looking further afield than their native lands to discover new talent its probably comes as no surprise to many that the Scandinavians are being picked up by the Crime publishers over in the UK. Here in Johan’s second novel is a tale of intrigue told almost from an Urban Fantasy point of view rather than the pure crime angle which gives this a new flavour within the genre as well as steadily building to a conclusion that leaves the reader wondering which way its going to go. A definite author to watch and with this being Johan’s second novel will definitely make him a force to reckon with in future releases. Cracking.

FICTION REVIEW: Bryant and May: On the Loose, Victoria Vanishes - Christopher Fowler

BOOK BLURB:

Long regarded an anachronism and a thorn in the side of its superiors, the Peculiar Crimes Unit is to be disbanded. For octogenarian detectives Arthur Bryant and John May, it seems retirement is now the only option. But then a headless body is found in a freezer, and on the perimeter of a massive construction site near King's Cross, a gigantic figure has been spotted - dressed in deerskin and sporting antlers made of knives and suddenly, with limited resources and very little time, the PCU are back in business. In the panoply of great fictional detective duos, Bryant & May rank alongside (and somewhere in between) Holmes & Watson and Mulder & Scully.


REVIEW:

The latest release in the ever popular Bryant and May takes the detective duo into a strange new world after the shocking conclusion in the last novel. Brought back to investigate a strange and barbarous new case the tale centres around area’s of unseen London that keeps the readers fascinated with Fowlers twist of humour adding to the sheer enjoyment of the series. Its definitely one I’d recommend to people, however, what I will say is please read the rest of the novels before delving into this one. After all you’ll miss a lot of the fun, a lot of the twists and above all a series that will find its way under your skin making it a must own on day of purchase.



BOOK BLURB:

One night, Arthur Bryant witnesses a drunk middle-aged lady coming out of a pub in a London backstreet. The next morning, she is found dead at the exact spot where their paths crossed. Even more disturbing, the pub has vanished. Bryant is convinced that he saw them as they were over a century before, but the elderly detective has already lost the funeral urn of an old friend. Could he be losing his mind as well? Then it becomes clear that a number of women have met their ends in London pubs. It seems a silent, secret killer is at work, striking in full view...and yet nobody has a clue how, or why - or where he'll attack next. The likeliest suspect seems to be a mental patient with a reason for killing. But knowing who the killer is and catching him are two very different propositions. As their new team at the Peculiar Crimes Unit goes in search of a madman, the octogenarian detectives ready themselves for the pub crawl of a lifetime, and come face to face with their own mortality


REVIEW:

As a long term fan of the series I really couldn’t wait for this novel, however, for the uninitiated I’d say that you won’t get the full charm or even comprehension if you start the series on this, book six. Its well written and with the duo investigating bizarre crimes set within established watering holes (or pubs to you and me), it really does lead the reader on a twisted plot that will keep you guessing to the last page and to great anguish at the conclusion. Add to this concoction some unusual yet interesting facts about London along with the authors own unique voice and its really something that once tried its never forgotten.

HISTORICAL FICTION: Claudius - Douglas Jackson

BOOK BLURB:
The year is 43AD ...In Southern England, Caratacus, war chief of the Britons, watches from a hilltop as the scarlet cloaks of the Roman legions spread across his lands like blood. In Rome, Emperor Claudius, newly risen to the imperial throne, dreams of taking his place in history alongside his illustrious forebears Caesar and Augustus. Among the legions marches Rufus, keeper of the Emperor's elephant. War is coming and the united tribes of Britain will make a desperate stand against the might of Rome. The Emperor has a very special place for Rufus and his elephant in the midst of the battle - as a secret weapon to cow the Britons with the visible manifestation of Rome's power. "Claudius" is a masterful telling of one of the greatest stories from Roman history, the conquest of Britain. It is an epic story of ambition, courage, conspiracy, battle and bloodshed, and confirms Douglas Jackson as one of the best historical novelists writing today.


REVIEW:
Whilst a secondary novel to the original (Caligula) this offering does look back on the previous novel as we’re told about the events by the slave, Rufus. As with the first offering, its well written, the character pretty likable and with the odd look in from the title character to share points of view it’s a tale that pretty much wends its own way through history. Good fun, action packed and with an elephant, who could ask for more?