The Strange Affair of Spring-Heeled Jack

The Strange Affair of Spring-Heeled Jack by Mark Hodder is a great book. Richard Burton (the explorer not the actor) has had his destiny change by a time-traveller who comes to change the actions of one of his ancestors and ends up doing a lot more. This is the first in the series (previously I reviewed the second book http://scott-turner.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/curious-case-of-clockwork-man.html ).Richard Burton the explorer as a Sherlock Holmes-style private detective is an great idea, giving the character a reason to be an action hero. What genre to put this book is curious steam-punk or alternative history (a time-traveller had previously changed history), with well-known scientific heroes revealing a potentially darker alternative side.

Read this book first. It helps with understanding some of the issues in the second book, but also a great read that is hard to put down which is not bad for a 479 page book.

To read other reviews:

The Fractal Prince

The Fractal Prince by Hannu Rajaniemi continues on from the earlier book Quantum Thief. Advance technology and post singularity humanity taking on god-like qualities and even people calling them gods and goddesses. War between the 'gods' is a central theme.

This is a good read, and enjoyed it but it is not an easy read the perspectives that the story is written from flips mid chapter and that can take some getting use to it. What exactly the thief Jean le Flambeur actually is, is not entirely clear. The war between the gods element is not some throw back to ancient Greece (though the temples are there) but a war of post-singularity entities.

Both this and Quantum Thief are really good hard sci-fi reads, that also works as a fast paced adventure. I look forward to the next Jean le Flambeur book the character is so good it would be a pity if more didn't follow.

To read other reviews:

Apache Dawn

Apache Dawn by Damien Lewis is concerned with the experience of four British Army Air Corp pilots during their time in Afganistan during 2007.

This a book, written by a skilled journalist, it shows as far a possible  the thoughts an experiences of four pilots in Ugly flight. The respect that the pilots have the ground crew and the importance they play comes out in the book. The Soldiers first philosophy, that the Army Air Corp are first and foremost soldiers is clear in the book. It is very positive book, with little criticism of anything other than Health and Safety officials and possibly public reaction in 2007 to returning soldiers.

The problem for this the book, is  Apache by Ed Macy came out at the same time and that was a more personal account, first account of what is takes to be an Apache pilot.

The Vanishing Act

The Vanishing Act by Mette Jakobsen starts with the body of a boy being found on an island, of four people (a fisherman, daughter (the only one named with a 'real' name), priest and a magician/circus performer/cabinet maker) and a dog. It sounds as if this a start of a thriller, but actually is a book that is about the people on the island and their secrets. Part philosophy book (the author has degrees in philosophy and creative writing so not really that surprising) and a search for a community to come to terms with their pasts and the loss (for whatever reason) on a member of that community, wife, mother, or lover. The dead boy strangely becomes the vehicle for a father and daughter to work through their loss.

A nice book and fairly short at 217 pages worth a look though.

A Blink of the Screen

A collection of short stories by Terry Pratchett containing both Discworld and non-Discworld stories. Stories included cover quite a range of time 1963 ( surprisingly well written one when he was 13  - The Hades Business) to 2010. Most of the non-Discworld pieces I had not read previously, except the very good 'Hollywood Chickens'.  

The star story is a Discworld one, the excellent 'The Sea and the Little Fishes' with the always 'good' Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg, I won't spoil the story by giving away the plot.The Josh Kirby illustrations further enhance the book.

I would recommend this book to any Pratchett fan (you probably have this book already have it or it is on your Christmas list) or just a fan of good short stories.

Double Cross

Double Cross by Ben Macintyre is a book I have been waiting for to come out in paperback after reading his earlier book Agent Zigzag. I wasn't disappointed.

The book is mainly about the British run double agents during the second world war and their role in deceiving the Germans. Deceptions including sowing confusion about where and when the D-Day landing would take place. It isn't quite 'warts and all' and does take quite an affection view of the spies and spymasters, but does point out some of the mistakes that the Allies made - including how everything could have been destroyed because of a refusal to circumvent the animal quarantine laws. Actually, one of the heroes of the book (and in some respects a surprise one) was an Anglophile German playboy Johnny Jebsen. Who initially comes across as an crook and chancer; but who may have actually protected the secret of the network of double agents even under skilled interrogation and until his death likely outside a concentration camp.

The book is well written book that is paced well and kept my attention. Agent Zigzag and Operation Mincemeat only got a brief mention in this book, and this pleased me because the author hadn't taken the easy way and rehashed his earlier books.

After reading this book and Agent Zigzag I am going to have to read Operation Mincemeat!

Zero point

Zero point by Neal Asher is the second book in The Owner series, see http://scott-turner.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/depature.html for a review of the first book.

The new villain Serene Galahad behaviour does reflected her name; this cross between Hilter, Stalin and Vlad the Impaler, who slaughters billions of people and than blames someone else for it. She see humans (if they are not useful to her) as a plague on the planet and aims to cure that particular problem.

The story really centres on Serene taking over the world, and her attempts to quash rebellion on a space station by Saul and on Mars by his sister Var. Saul is attacked, in effect dies but in some ways comes back stronger than before. Earth forces attack the space station and threaten Mars.

I was not disappointed in this sequel. A good book with themes such as committees holding up technological progress so they can maintain power; does technology dehumanise; environmental impact on humanity and the warped ideas that may occur if fixing these is taken to far.

The Hundred-Year-Old Man who Climbed Out of The Window and Disappeared

The Hundred-Year-Old Man who Climbed Out of The Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson; a strange title but  agreat book. 

A 100 year climbs out of his retirement home bedroom window in part to avoid his party and things just seem to happen to him. Forrest Gump (with a lot more intelligence) meets Douglas Adams, the main character does not have to do anything to find excitement it just seems to find him.

This book has a great twist in that the character you think is going to be this harmless very old man who is going to need to be protection is anything but. The way the book switches from the past to the present really works well and reveals the main character Allan Karlsson has been behind the scenes of many of the great events of the twentieth century (without really trying - Forrest Gump bit), as well as being probably one of the brightest people ever (speaks several languages, nuclear physics is not a problem, international diplomacy, etc) not bad for someone with only three years of formal education - this guy makes James Bond look incompetent. The switching between the past and present also does help develop the story.

The 'supporting' cast are also great in the present day story, including another character who is a polymath just because in the past he was getting money to be a student (but he did have to complete); but starts the story as a Hot-Dog seller. Who falls in love with a red-haired woman who is hiding an elephant on a Swedish farm. A crime boss whose lieutenants are in fact wiped out the others and has links I didn't expect. A quite lonely police officer. An ambitious prosecutor, who is looking for fame. A businessman who knows how to produce the best 'Swedish' chickens and 'Spanish' Watermelons.

This story is funny, good read that doesn't insult the reader, whilst still having a great feel-good factor.

Control Point

Control Point by Myke Cole is an interesting fantasy spin of a military adventure story. Oscar Britton, the main character is a lieutenant in the US Army who develops a prohibited magical ability - to open gates between any two points and goes on the run. He gets captured and is sent to a 'black ops' place where he is forced to join the army as a civilian contractor and learn to control his ability to become a weapon.

Some interesting questions are raised. Is it right to force people to join the military is they have a special ability? Is it right to persecute people because they have an ability that is not on an list of acceptable abilities? Should society have some controls built into to protect society from those with powerful abilities? In these contexts it reminds me a bit of Amped (expect the military bit).

The book is a fast paced adventure story with a fantasy twist. I think the book has a wide appeal. If you like fantasy stories set in the modern world; or military adventures of government agencies fighting secret/illegal wars; or stories about 'mutant' abilities appearing in a modern context this book might be for you.

Shine

Shine is an anthology of optimistic sci-fi edited by Jetse De Vries.

I admit I enjoyed the positive or hopeful endings of the stories. Don't be misled by the phrase optimistic sci-fi here the stories are optimistic (in some cases less clear than other) but not "saccharine sweet" there are some good thought-provoking sci-fi short stories here.

Confession, I hadn't come across all the writers in this book before, but I enjoyed all the stories. The range of stories was interesting, including:

• possibility of benign AI in "The Church of Accelerated Redemption" by Gareth L Powell and Aliette de Bodard;
• rise of a developing country "Solnet Ascendency" Lavie Tidhar;
• understanding humanity "Sarging Rasmussen: A Report (by Organic)" by Gord Stellar;

If you like sci-fi short stories, this book is worth a read.

Amped by Daniel H Wilson

Daniel H Wilson has done it again, following his previous book Robopocalyse,  Amped is another fast paced, sci-fi tale, that is both enjoyable and though-provoking.

Essentially, the story revolves around people have neural-implants for medical or just to make them smarter. It starts with the children with these implants being denied access to free education because they are smarter than non-implanted children, and therefore this not fair on the non-implanted children. Very quickly this moves to discrimination of the 'Amps' (implanted people), ghettos of Amps, and resistance movement. Political manipulation of the situation plays a central role in this, but there are other themes running through this. First, what is a definition of a person and what does it mean to be human? Is this form of technology 'right' or does it dehumanise people or does just enhance what is already there?

This book is a good, enjoyable read, with some though-provoking ideas.

Another recent book Departure by Neal Asher has elements of this story; in particular the effect of implanting technology within someone, though in that story there were only a small number of implanted people.

Program or Be Programmed

Program or Be Programmed by Douglas Rushkoff is a thought provoking book, arguing we should understand the tools (computers) we are using. Raising the point about only a minority can actually program a computer. The book essentially (or my take on it) talks about the need to understand the technology we are using and the internet is a social media.

Chapter X Purpose has a great line "If we don't learn to program, we risk being programmed ourselves", we need to understand the underlying technology to understand the in-built bias of the system. I agree with programming should be taught in school, and the point that basic programming is not that hard to learn; all of these ideas fits with the ideas such as Computational Thinking of Jeannette  Wing. It is not about people necessarily becoming professional programmers, but about the skills (e.g. problem-solving, logic) and knowledge (how the device is actually operates).

This book is an enjoyable and thought-provoking book, that raises questions about the technology in the 'West'.




Another that might be worth reading alongside this one is the Filter  Bubble by Eli Pariser which raises Again, we need to understand the technology we use.

The Left Hand of God

This book by Paul Hoffman is interesting and very dark book, Thomas Cale is the central character, a teenager raised by a violent and harsh religious sect the Redeemers, it appears to be a skilled killer. The story revolves around him and two other boys, plus a girl escaping their 'home' the Sanctuary, being chased, ending up in another city with Cale (no one calls him Thomas) falling in-love, killing quite a few people and... well I won't spoil the ending. What the Redeemers' plans for Cale are is not clear, but intriguing.

It is a good book that is a bit hard to categorise is it fantasy or alternative history? Some names of places are borrowed from real places and there is an Agincourt-style battle. I didn't think I was going to enjoy this book, but by the end I did and wanted to know what happens to Cale.

Three Unbroken

Three Unbroken by Chris Roberson

A war on Mars (or in his case Fire Star) seen through the eyes of three people in different services but the same side, set in an alternative history where China or Celestial Empire became the dominate world power but is at war with an Aztec-styled Mexican-like nation.

The book is presented in relatively short chapters (or hexagrams) with a little bit of wisdom underneath the title (I admit I didn't understand the meaning in all of these).

The pace is quick and the three main characters are likable and the short chapters help to keep this enjoyable book's pace going. I have enjoyed the Celestial Empire stories since reading some of the short stories in Interzone magazine (a podcast of one can be found at: http://transmissionsfrombeyond.com/2010/02/transmission26/ )

Another review on this book can be found at: http://www.sfsignal.com/archives/2009/02/review_three_unbroken_by_chris_roberson/

The Thousand Emperors

The Thousand Emperors by Gary Gibson, follows on from Final Days where the Earth and humanity was nearly destroyed by alien technology from the mysterious Founder's network. Now set hundreds of years after this incident and largely revolving around a group of worlds cut off from the rest of the worlds after they severed the link (via a stargate type device) to protect themselves from the spread of the alien technology. 


 Ok, as it is being posted on this blog, I think it was a worthwhile read. Power corrupts absolutely seems to a central theme, long with lies as a political tool and fanatism of elite troops. I enjoyed this book. The central character, Luc Gabion, eyes being open (literally at one point in the book) is not rushed, even though he is being used by largely everyone. If you enjoyed the Shoal series I think you will like this, but I would suggest reading Final Days first.

Seal Team Six

Seal Team Six by Howard E Wasdin and Stephen Templin.

I was surprised by this book, but not disappointed. I was expecting a fairly Gung-ho book about this elite team, and that was there in part, but it was largely an autobiography of a man's career in the SEAL, including how he got there and life after being a SEAL.


The early life of Howard Wasdin is discussed with the strict up-bringing suggested as helping him through the infamous Hell Week. His experiences in Desert Storm and Somalia are central as well to the book; including the relationships formed within the SEALs but also we DELTA force and Rangers he served with; as well as (again ) politicians not coming out of this smelling of roses. In some respects this point is fairly standard. What makes this book more interesting is the writing is good; being 'married' to the SEALs having an effect on his marriage and the remaining chapters on life after the SEALs make a well rounded and interesting book.

Micro

Micro - Michael Crichton and Richard Preston Jurassic Park meets incredible shrinking man (and in this case women). This is an enjoyable book from two authors who argo asters at writing science based thrillers (in fact I can't think of a better match). Is it believable? The shrinking bit I find hard to believe and the level of AI as well is also a bit of a struggle. The premise that the very positive benefits of shrunken robots could have, also comes with a nightmare other side that would be hard to resist is extremely believable (as well as little disturbing to think if you were the creator of these would you not develop the darker applications?). A good all round read if you like Jurrasic Park, Prey and Hot Zone I think you will like this as well. This is also Crichton last book.

The monk who sold his Ferrari

The monk who sold his Ferrai by Robin S Sharma is one of those inspirational book you are glad you read. It is a simple read in a lot of respects and the ideas are not original; but the book does not pretend that they are ( it clear says there ancient ideas) or suffer for it. The story revolves around a worldly lawyer changing his life and coming back to teach his protege the lessons learnt. It is very easy to pick holes in the story, but the story really is just a vehicle to get the concepts over and therefore perhaphs should be viewed in that light. If you like Paulo Coelho books you will like this. It is a self help/ spirituality book with a strong eastern philosophic bent, but also very accessible and enjoyable read.

The Curious Case of the Clockwork Man

The Curious Case of the Clockwork Man by Mark Hodder is an interesting book. Richard Burton the explorer as a Sherlock Holmes-style private detective is an great idea, giving the character a reason to be an action hero. What genre to put this book is curious steam-punk or alternative history (a time-traveller had previously changed history), with well-known scientific heroes revealing a darker side or alternative side.


Little touches are good here like good like the foul-mouthed parakeets who pass on messages but add their own insults to the message.I really enjoyed this book, but it is hard (so perhaps best not) to pigeon-hole this book. There are elements of steam-punk, detective story (I keep thinking Sherlock Holmes as this not helped by one of the characters being a Doyle); but also areas traditionally associated with fantasy such as jewels with power.


Well worth a look. I would be interest to know what others think.#

scarecrow and the army of thieves

Scarecrow and the Army of Thieves by Matthew Reilly is an action packed read that is hard to put down with the author's usual style of non-stop action. This is probably should be your first read of a Reilly book, may be one of his West books, but if you liked his other books you will like this one.

I am always surprised there are not more films made from Reilly's books, the fast pace would make good film topics.

Robopocalypse

Robopocalypse by Daniel H Wilson is a slightly chilling book (which I should have guessed with a quote by Stephen King) about a war between robots and humans. Ok, this is not an original idea but this book does not claim it is, in fact there are plenty of historic quotes to show this idea has been around a long time.


The book starts off at the end of what appears to be the end of a war between humans and robots; then looks back at how it all came about. There are many great characters in this book and not all the heroic characters are people who would probably want to know.


I enjoyed this book, it is well written and the different perspectives work well.


More details can be found at: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Robopocalypse-Daniel-H-Wilson/dp/0857204149/ref=tmm_pap_title_0

Starman

Starman by Jamie Doran and Piers Bizony is an affectionate tribute to Yuri Gagarin; the warts are there (adultery for one) but overall a very positive image come across. What I found interesting is the interviews they managed to get with family and other cosmonauts; the quite open views that were expressed and the criticism of the system fifty years ago. The space race is not that a strong element in this book compared to the consideration of the soviet system (the race to the moon gets relatively little mention). 

I know there are a lot of these space biographies around but this is well written and relatively short. There was not a lot of extra background (this is a feature I like about this book) about his childhood and his family, though there are some stories from his childhood under Nazi occupation. The issues surrounding his death, in my opinion, are handled well and not indulging in the all the conspiracy theories that surround Gagarin's death.

I enjoyed this book and Yuri Gagarin comes out of this book as a hero. It is worth reading and another book to accompany this I would also recommend is Two sides of the Moon by David Scott and Alexi Leonov.

Ready Player One

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline --- just read this book. This is an excellent book it has been described as "Enchanting, Willy Wonka meets the the Matrix" (USA Today) but if you were a teenager in the 80s and Geeky this book will probably please you with all the references to 80s computers, films, TV programmes and games. The character Wade Watts is a star, if this is Ernest Cline's first book then I look forward to seeing what follows!

The Departure

The Departure by Neal Asher

If you like Polity Series I think you will like this. New heroes including the rapidly developing post-human Saul and his Mars stranded sister are interesting. The title for the Trilogy - Owner is clever (I won't spoil where it comes from).

I am looking forward to the next book (or Kindle version) later this year.
 

The Defence of the Realm: The Authorized History of MI5

I recently finished this book The Defence of the Realm: The Authorized History of MI5 by Christopher Andrew. It is not a quick read but saying that it is a good read, well written and accessible without been 'dumbed down'. 

 It is a history book and it does portray the security service in a positive light but then it is an Authorised version. Say that there are some discuss some MI5's failures as well - Cambridge Five and the suggestion of over-rating the Soviet spying capability and success.    

connected

I have just finished the excellent book Connected by Nicholas Christakis and James Fowler. It looks into social networks, all types and in a very accessible way builds up an interesting argument. Strangely I found the discussion around social networks and money especially interested (perhaps I am more money orientated than I would like to admit).

I would be interest to hear from others on what they think?