Monday 26 November 2012

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.




Thursday 22 November 2012

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.


Saturday 10 November 2012

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!