Showing posts with label dystopian. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dystopian. Show all posts

Friday 14 June 2019

The Legacy of the Rhino: First Resistance by John Williamson

I see with horror that my last review was about 3 months ago. I kind of got stuck on a book that was so dreadful that I could not force myself to read on. I did not finish so I wont review it. I don't believe in leaving one or two star reviews as the writer must have put their soul into writing it.
Anyway, I had a few weeks holiday and it was beach weather, so the reviews will be coming thick and fast for a while. Here is the first, which I enjoyed and was happy to give 5 stars. Click on the picture to take you to Amazon.



This book taps nicely into the current mood and our concern for the environment. It also echo’s the radicalisation and fanaticism of certain groups in our society. Here a group called the returners have taken their concern about the environment to an extreme level and have plunged Britain back into the dark ages. In this first book of the series we learn how the village of Dockling is coping with this new world where machines are prohibited and any descent is harshly dealt with by the returners. We meet Charlie, a former bus mechanic and a gruff no-nonsense character who is not willing to give up on common sense and the greater good. His decision to build a grain mill secures their survival for the winter but also plunges the village in a heap of trouble. The villagers make a stand against the cruel Returners and the first seeds of rebellion are sown.
I liked the character of Eliza. She plays rather cruel games with the local village boys. She knows men and uses her charms as a weapon. But she is also very courageous and seems to have the greater good at heart. Greg is the young lad falling under her spell. But as he finds his own courage, she begins to see him as more than an innocent boy to be toyed with. I look forwards to finding out more about this young romance and how the village of Dockling will fare. Well written and exciting start to a series.

Monday 8 January 2018

A Stitch in Time by Senan Gil Senan

So I finished 2017 having read and reviewed 52 books. Soon as it is the 8th of January I'd better get a review posted! This writer I liked a lot but it took me a while to get back to his work. I enjoy short stories as I mostly read in my lunch break. This bundle was great; 5 stars.



I’ve read a full length novel by this author before; Beyond the Pale; A dystopian fantasy with some very well written characters, thrown in with a good dose of humour. When I saw this bundle of shorts I was hoping to find more of the same but in bite size pieces. There is a strong common thread binding these stories together; time.
I loved how the writer used a number of genres (Sci-Fi, Horror, dystopian) to play with time in the narrative. I’m not normally a fan of Sci-Fi but I loved ‘Hold the bridge’ and it claustrophobic and tense atmosphere, as a space travelling officer wakes up from stasis before her crewmates do. Disoriented and with just one other crewmember awake she sets to work finding out why. The development and conclusion of this story was one of my favourites.
‘Hello Friend’ was also excellent, a satire of our reliance on technology but taking it a little step further into the future. The last story I was less keen on. Like the others it is narrated in the first person, but this one was told by a more advanced alien. I think this muddied the waters a little as we first had to get our head around this being, before we could get into the real story. I found myself drifting off a bit midway, but I did like the ending.
Altogether a bundle of stories that had a strong voice and a coherent theme. I enjoyed it and would recommend.

Monday 16 October 2017

Sleeping Giants (The Future of London Book 4) by Mark Gillespie

Regular readers of this blog will know that I'm quite a fan of this writer, especially the future of London books. So when I saw book 4 was out I hot-footed it to Amazon. If you click on the picture, you can too. Again a 5 star read.



Discovering this Future of London series has been one of the reading highlights of the year. This is the fourth book in the series. And I’m delighted to report that book 4 continues to be a riveting read.
We have been on quite a journey with our hero Walker. We first met him when he was a rebellious young Scottish teenager and he started to fall in with ‘the wrong crowd’. Then in Mr Apocalypse we meet him again as a shell-shocked young man, living by himself and keeping out of harm’s way. In the Ghosts of London, he is forced to venture deeper into savage London and we see a bolder, harder Walker emerge. Here in The Sleeping Giants he is actively seeking danger.
There is quite a telling scene when Walker sees himself in the mirror; he too sees the changes in him. His eyes show a hardness that can only come with seeing things no-one should see. Even his physical appearance has changed, and gone is the ginger lad from Scotland and a dark haired battle hardened man takes his place. (Are we writing the film script Mr Gillespie? I think Hollywood should consider it.)
The Sleeping Giants could stand on its own as we meet a whole host of new characters with the Sleeping Giants gang, but it would help if you’ve read the other books. There is again some good cutting humour as the Londoners are given phones to chase Pokemons, erm sorry Magic Birds and we get the social media feedback from outside of the M25. If I had one quibble it would be the length of the book, with 203 pages it was over way too soon. The book has a very open ending so I’m sure Mr Gillespie is penning the fifth instalment. Even though I’m super eager to read it, I hope it will be a sizable book.

Wednesday 12 July 2017

Ghost of London (The Future of London book 3) by Mark Gillespie

You might have read my reviews of L2011 and Mr Apocalypse by Mark Gillespie and seen that they both got 5 stars. I really enjoy these books and when I saw that part 3 was coming out I immediately put my order in for a copy. The third instalment didn't disappoint and also gets 5 stars.
Click the picture to take you to Amazon.

Discovering this writer and the future of London series has been one of my reviewing highlights of this year. As soon as part 3 was released I hot footed it to amazon to get a copy. So is it on a par with the previous two books? I think so. As before there is plenty of action and some nail-biting moments when the ghosts come on the scene. A truly terrifying gang that once a year hunts for its human food, from the amazing front cover you get a good image of what they look like. What makes this series so much fun is that it has it satirical roots firmly in our times. Social media and sensationalist TV productions are all lampooned. If I had one quibble with this book would be that it was too short. But having checked, it has 229 pages about the same as book 2, I just managed to devour it in record time. The book ends on an open note, so I hope Mr Gillespie is busy penning number four in the series.

Monday 24 April 2017

Mr Apocalypse (Future of London Book 2) by Mark Gillespie

This is the follow up to a book I reviewed a few weeks back; L-2011. It received 5 stars from me and is one of my favourite books of 2017. That is until I read the follow up; Mr Apocalypse which I liked even more. I do like that the writer has set the book 9 years after the first book ended and Mack Walker's world has completely changed. However, outside of London things are pretty much as cynical as before. I give this 5 stars.
Mr Apocalypse (Future of London Book2) on Amazon.co.uk

It’s not often I enjoy a book that much that I immediately buy the follow up. L-2011 (Future of London Book 1) was one such book, so Mr Apocalypse had a lot to live up to. Book 1 was set in an alternative past this book is set nine years on in 2020. It is a future which will probably not happen, and that is not the point. This is a sharply written satire mocking the present. Social media and our insatiable lust for reality TV are all mocked. But at the core is a really well written story and a very likeable character in Mack Walker; our Scottish (anti)hero from the first book. Did Mr Apocalypse live up to the first book? I think it certainly does. Darker and at time quite gruesome, this is as good a dystopian adventure as it is a satire. I even liked it better than the first. (Mind you, put a cat in a story and you’re half way on the road to getting my vote!) Recommended.

 


Tuesday 13 September 2016

Losing Nuka (Litmus Book 1) by Kayla Howarth

One of the lovely things about being part of a writers group (IASD) is to share our experiences. Being it our highs or lows, other writers sharing help us connect better with the world. A few years ago I would not have considered blogging and engaging on other social media. Kayla Howarth is one of the success stories coming out of our group. She must be very hard working as I see her name popping up everywhere and her books are now getting the attention they deserve. She has taken the brave step to concentrate fully on her writing and I think it is paying off. Book 2 in the Litmus series has just been released and I thought it was high time to see what Kayla has been doing with her time. I enjoyed the Institute series so I knew it was not going to be a chore. I'm glad I found this a five star read too.
Losing Nuka (Litmus book 1) by kayla Howarth on Amazon.com

Losing Nuka is the spin off from the Institute series, of which I devoured the first 3 books. First the good news; Allira married Jayce and had a baby together (yeah!). The couple live happily together in the suburbs with Nuka, William and their daughter Illyana. Now the bad news; time has moved on from the end of the last book and the little six year old Nuka is now a stroppy 18 year old teenager. She knows Allira isn’t her real mother but when she starts digging into her back ground she discovers that a lot of things were hidden from her; including who her birth mother is. From here on the book could be carrying the tag line: Be careful what you wish for, lest it come true. Nuka blunders into the world as only stroppy teenagers can and starts looking for her biological mum. Her privileged back ground does not prepare her for the underground world of illegal fights (Litmus) and all other sorts of shenanigans her biological mother is involved in.
The style of this book will be familiar to Kyla’s fans. We see the world from the perspective of the main character; Nuka. We experience her love, pain and doubts first hand. We might not have great sympathy at the start for this girl but as we experience her growth as a woman so directly, we certainly have a few chapters in. The dialogue is again sharp and packed with humour. Especially when Nuka and her love interest Brett are sparring it out. There are some good characters here and the action comes thick and fast. I found myself rubbing my rib cage as I joined Nuka on her journey into the belly of Litmus and she had her ass handed to her after a rough fight. Great stuff Ms Howarth. It would be better to read the institute series first as this is a continuation of the story, but I think you would have no problem reading this book as a stand-alone. Most of the returning characters are explained just not in great detail. Looking forwards to Saving William, the next in the Litmus series.