Book Review: Resistance is Futile by Jenny Colgan

August 21, 2016August 21, 2016 Ali@abookishlife1 Comment

Resistance is Futile by Jenny Colgan

Funny, brilliant, weird, sad, quirky and cute.

Resistance is Futile is definitely Jenny Colgan at her best and I loved this book from almost the very first page to that incredible ending.

This is science fiction with a big dollop of romance thrown in. It’s one for nerdy girls everywhere who like math and science and are looking for a quirky and adorable story with lots of laughs.

Synopsis (from GoodReads)

Connie thinks she’s never met anyone quite like Luke Beith before.

She has no idea how right she is.

As a high-ranking mathematician in a male-dominated field – with bright red hair – Connie’s used to being considered a little unusual.

But she’s nowhere near as peculiar as Luke, who is recruited to work alongside her on a top-secret code breaking project.

Just what is this bizarre sequence they’re studying? It isn’t a solution to the global energy crisis. It isn’t a new wavelength to sell microwave ovens. The numbers are trying to tell them something . . . and it seems only Luke knows what.

The truth is out there. Will Connie dare to find it?

In this whirlwind adventure, Sunday Times bestselling author Jenny Colgan boldly goes where no author has gone before . . .

Thoughts

It’s described on the back of the book as “a charmingly quirky tale of love, friendship . . . and the possible obliteration of mankind” and I think that actually sums it up quite nicely.

I have to admit it was the title’s reference to Star Trek: TNG together with that description that initially drew me to this book when I spotted it in the library. I’ve always been a big fan of Jenny Colgan but this promised something a bit different from her recent food themed chick lit. I was always a pretty big Star Trek fan and love shows like the Big Bang Theory and Doctor Who and this has elements of all of those mixed in.

It’s pretty much impossible to say a lot about the plot without giving much away (hence the synopsis from GoodReads) but it’s mostly about a group of mathematicians brought together to try to solve some mysterious code (that’s probably nothing…honest) and the relationships between them. I absolutely loved the math and science theme that runs throughout this book and there are a lot of jokes about mathematicians, physicists and other scientists that had me laughing out loud (I’d recommend you don’t read this book in public).

The characters are probably the highlight of this book and Jenny has a fantastic ability to create unique ones that you really won’t forget. Luke was by far my favourite and I felt like I could almost see and hear him he was so real. His behaviour and statements definitely fall into the distinctly odd category (when he first appears he’s pushing a piano across a field) but there is something very endearing about him. I wanted to hug him or adopt him and could definitely understand why he fascinated Connie so much.

Main character Connie is also pretty great. It’s so good to see a brilliantly intelligent woman in a male dominated career like mathematics and there just aren’t enough books like this. She seems to be the most sensible and normal of the bunch despite being something of an anomaly. For the most part she’s the voice of reason in a group of the socially inept but she’s still totally out of her depth when it comes to Luke.

At their very first meeting he can’t look anywhere but at her bright red hair. He even takes to calling her Hair. He seems fascinated by her and she feels the same about him. She’s kind of used to mathematicians being a bit odd but he’s on another level.

The other characters are also great, from American Arthur who believes “the man” is out to get him, to Ranjit who gets far too excited and Evelyn the only other female mathematician who’s kind of like the mother to the group.

The story goes at a pretty good pace and there’s lots of action and excitement mixed in with mathematical theories. I do have a bit of a math brain but have to admit most of the maths and science stuff was beyond me so had no idea what they were talking about but it sounded convincing (and there isn’t too much of it). There was the odd bit I found myself skimming over (mostly told from the pov of another character) but other than that I thought the whole thing was a great read.

Definitely one I’d recommend if you like your chick lit a tiny big weird and quirky. I’ve actually just realised Jenny has written a Doctor Who book so I’m off to try to track that down.

Book Review: The Sign of One by Eugene Lambert

April 11, 2016 Ali@abookishlife4 Comments

The Sign Of One by Eugene Lambert

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

I had high hopes for this book but unfortunately it didn’t quite live up to them. As a YA dystopian, road trip type book it should have been perfect for me but despite being well written I felt like there just wasn’t anything new or original. It’s possible I just picked this up at the wrong point in time but it left me feeling a little bit “been there, read that”.

It is a first novel from this author and there is potential, it’s just not quite living up to it yet.

Synopsis (Goodreads)

ONE FOR SORROW, TWO MEANS DEATH.

In the Barrenlands of Wrath, no one dies of old age. Kyle is used to its harsh laws, but the cold-blooded separation of identical twins and execution of the ‘evil twists’ at the Annual Peace Fair shocks him.

When Kyle himself is betrayed, he flees for his life with the reluctant help of Sky, a rebel pilot with a hidden agenda. As the hunt intensifies, Kyle soon realises that he is no ordinary runaway, although he has no idea why. Fighting to learn the hideous truth, their reluctant, conflicted partnership will either save them – or kill them.

Thoughts

At the start it reminded me quite a lot of the Chaos Walking Trilogy by Patrick Ness as there are quite a few similarities in storyline. The main character Kyle is a teenage boy, growing up in a brutal land of settlers who feels like he doesn’t quite fit in. There is the fanatical religious belief, in this case that in every set of twins one is evil and must be executed, and secrets around Kyle’s past that make him unique. It even has Kyle going on the run and forced to team up with a girl his own age (Sky).

Where it differs though is that this is a much bigger book in terms of scale. The first book in Chaos Walking focused very much on one slow journey and the relationship that developed between the two main characters. This book also has a journey and a developing relationship at its core however it feels much wider and I’m not sure this is to its benefit as there is a heck of a lot going on.

It is the first book in a series so there is a lot of world building, possibly too much. The characters seem to travel around the whole planet and go from a fair in a mining town to barren wastelands, to a swamp, to a shanty town and a military base. As it is an alien land there are different plants, dangerous wildlife and advanced technology. That combined with a lot of characters, different factions and new terms and language make it a bit difficult to keep track of everything.

The writing is pretty good but I think it lacks a bit in terms of description, something which I very rarely say (I’m not a big fan of long winded descriptions of things). I found it difficult to picture the world and at times struggled to work out what certain things actually were (is it a plant? is it an animal?). I get the feeling that the author may have sacrificed some of the detail to keep up the fast paced action.

The story is definitely fast paced and a lot does happen in it but for me possibly too much. I think I would have preferred a slightly slower story with a bit more detail and character development.

The story is told from the perspective of Kyle who I have to admit I didn’t particularly like. Kyle was always playing the victim, “why is this happening to me”, “I don’t want this” etc and I think spent most of the story moaning. When he wasn’t moaning he was doing the most ridiculously stupid things ever. He does have some skills and knowledge but seems to lack common sense and a survival instinct. If anyone deserved what happened to them it was him (and personally I thought he got off quite lightly considering the fate of some of the other characters).

Unfortunately my feelings toward the female lead Sky weren’t much better. She is the tough girl, who has to put up with Kyle and spends most of her time teaching him about the world and keeping him alive. I do like a tough girl but she was maybe a little bit too unsympathetic and rude. She is passionate but has a bit of a tendency to over react which is a little annoying.

While there are a lot of other characters within the book I felt like they didn’t get enough development. They were introduced and then seemed to quickly disappear never to be heard from again. One particular, and very important, character towards the end literally just got a couple of pages. I think this is part of the reason that I couldn’t really connect with the story. I didn’t like the main characters and no one else was given enough time for me to get to know them.

This is the first in a series so I’m sure there will be a lot more development in subsequent books but I’m not sure I will be rushing out to get them. There just wasn’t enough in this book that was original and engaging to make me desperate to read on and find out what happens next. It’s too similar to a number of other books and is just suffering in comparison, or at least it is for me.

It’s not a bad book. In fact as a debut novel it’s a pretty good effort, I think I’ve just read too many great books recently that do it better.

I received a copy of this free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review: Golden Son by Pierce Brown

March 12, 2016March 11, 2016 Ali@abookishlifeLeave a comment

Golden Son by Pierce Brown

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

So it’s safe to say I was not a big fan of Red Rising, the first book in this trilogy. I think I possibly described it as a rip off of The Hunger Games and Harry Potter (sorry Pierce Brown). It did have it’s moments but I just didn’t think it lived up to all of the hype that surrounded it. As a result it was probably at least a year before I talked myself into reading Golden Son and giving the trilogy another shot. I’m so glad I did.

Synopsis (from GoodReads)

With shades of The Hunger Games, Ender’s Game, and Game of Thrones, debut author Pierce Brown’s genre-defying epic Red Rising hit the ground running and wasted no time becoming a sensation.

Golden Son continues the stunning saga of Darrow, a rebel forged by tragedy, battling to lead his oppressed people to freedom from the overlords of a brutal elitist future built on lies. Now fully embedded among the Gold ruling class, Darrow continues his work to bring down Society from within.

A life-or-death tale of vengeance with an unforgettable hero at its heart, Golden Son guarantees Pierce Brown’s continuing status as one of fiction’s most exciting new voices.

Thoughts

For me Golden Son is a vast improvement on Red Rising. It’s absolutely crammed full of action from the very first page and the writing is incredible. I will admit to struggling a little at the start but I think that was mostly due to waiting so long to read it. I’d forgotten a lot of what happened in the first book so despite the helpful character list at the start was a little bit lost in terms of who was who and what their relationship to each other was.

Once I got around a third of the way through however, and most of the characters from the first book were reunited, I was hooked. While the first book is a lot like the Hunger Games this one feels a lot more like Game of Thrones (which I’ve watched rather than read). Different families and factions are competing to rule and are completely ruthless in their attempts to seize power. Alliances are formed and broken, enemies are forced to work together and anyone could be stabbed in the back at any opportunity.

Main character Darrow, a Red masquerading as a Gold is trying to navigate his way through it all. He’s got to protect his secret but somehow manoeuvre himself into a position where he can destabilise society and create a civil war.

I have to admit I liked him a lot more in this book. He definitely develops a lot and starts to take responsibility for his destiny. This is the book where he learns he’ll need to make sacrifices and betray those he cares about to reach his ultimate goal. It’s fascinating to read him questioning himself and his decisions but pressing ahead and taking action even if it leads to guilt and the loss of friends.

My favourite character however shall forever remain Darrow’s BFF Sevro. He’s rude, violent and bent on destruction but is so loyal to his friends and so funny I just want to adopt him.

There are a lot of twists and turns in the story and more than a few shocks. There are also a lot of very violent scenes and all out war at one point leading to a lot of loss but those parts are probably my favourites. The action is well written and easy to follow despite a lot going on so you almost feel like you’re in among it all.

The one thing I struggle with, and this is a me thing, is some of the descriptions of places. I think I’m missing whatever it is you need to convert words on a page to pictures in my head of other planets, spaceships and technology. This results in me kind of skimming those bits which unfortunately there are quite a few of. I can appreciate the language and the world building, it’s incredible, I just can’t visualise it. I’m sure lovers of language, of which I know a few, will fare a lot better.

Overall therefore I’d definitely recommend this book even if like me you weren’t completely enamoured with Red Rising. The ending alone makes it worth it. Although be warned you will have to read the final book in the series too.

Book Review: The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman

December 19, 2015 Ali@abookishlife1 Comment

The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I kind of swithered between 3 and 4 stars but decided that I’d give it the benefit of the doubt as it’s Christmas and I suspect my enjoyment of it was reduced by the chaos around me at the moment.

This book is a mixture of different genres, fantasy, science fiction and steampunk with a bit of good old fashioned detective story thrown in for good measure so there is a lot going on. However the author balances all of these elements very well. It’s not perfect but it’s definitely got potential to be the start of a great series.

Synopsis

The story follows Irene, junior librarian at “The Library”. Her role is to travel to alternate worlds and seek out particular books to be added to the libraries collection.

Her latest mission, thrust upon her unexpectedly, is to seek out a copy of Grimm’s fairytales from an alternate which is very much like Victorian London. The main difference being that this world is infected with chaos (kind of like magic I suppose) which means the presence of Fae, Werewolves, Vampires and strange mechanical inventions.

It’s a world considered dangerous by the ordered and controlled librarians but Irene is assigned an assistant Kai to help her with her mission.

When they reach the world things are more complicated than they were expecting, the owner of the book has been murdered and the book stolen by an infamous thief. The race is on to track down the volume before anyone else can but there are other factions and societies who want the book and will go to any means to obtain it.

Thoughts

This book should have been right up my street. It’s about a librarian and books (what more do I need?) but for some reason it didn’t quite draw me in the way that I hoped it would.

The writing and characters are excellent. It did remind me a little of Jasper Fforde or Jodi Taylor in terms of style. It has that very British, formal, dry humour type feel to it which I do love.

The characters were very well described and well rounded. They all had their positives as well negative qualities. No one was perfect in anyway and there were chunks of good even in the villains.

I think where it lost me a little was the plot. It seemed at times like an awful lot of trouble to go to just for a book. I love my books and I understand that this is their vocation but I’m not sure I would be willing to do and put up with as much as they do. I found it difficult to be captivated by the hunt for a book.

The other thing which I thought made it a bit difficult to connect to was narrator Irene. As librarian she must be disciplined, in control and detached at all times. While I admire her dedication to her role it’s not easy to connect with someone so seemingly prim, proper and emotionless. My favourite moments of the story were probably those where she loses control or gets distracted and let’s her thoughts wander inappropriately, particularly in respect of her assistant.

Other characters were a bit more likeable and I have to admit to a soft spot for her apprentice Kai. I wasn’t too sure about him initially but loved him by the end. There is a lot of mystery around him which is fascinating and I can’t wait to see what happens with him next.

There was quite a lot of world building in this, the first in the series, which probably slowed things down a little but I think now that’s out of the way subsequent books will be better. I have the feeling that there is a lot more going on behind the scenes of the Library. There have been a few suggestions of a darker motive to it and some questions over the true motivations of the senior librarians so I will be interested to find out where the story goes next.

Thankfully I have the Masked City ready and waiting to start.

Book Review: Nirvana by J.R. Stewart

September 29, 2015September 29, 2015 Ali@abookishlifeLeave a comment

Nirvana by J.R. Stewart
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I’d never heard of this author or novel until I came across it on NetGalley and was drawn in by the cover and description. The cover is one of the best I’ve seen in a while and the story puts a very unique twist on the usual young adult dystopian. It’s a great idea but for me the execution lets it down.

The story is set in a Canada of the future with barren landscapes, little in the way of food or resources (unless you’re one of the select few) and the threat of imminent extinction (known as the Annihilation). Larissa Kenders is a soldier at the Barracks who has recently lost her husband Andrew in some very mysterious circumstances. Andrew was a genius scientist employed to try to prevent the Annihilation who went out on a mission and never returned. Despite numerous searches his body was never recovered and Kenders has her doubts about whether he is actually dead.

She dreams about him regularly and when she visits virtual reality (pretty much the only form of entertainment available) he keeps appearing, assuring her that he is always with her. After a couple of unexplainable events she begins to believe Andrew is alive and somehow trapped in virtual reality but could that really be possible or is she just refusing to admit the truth. There is a lot of pressure on her to sign a certificate confirming his death but do her superiors have an ulterior motive. She has a choice, sign the paper and move on or keep searching for him and possibly lose everything.

As I said, I thought this was an excellent idea for a story. The world created is similar in some ways to that in the Hunger Games and a number of other dystopian stories. The population are segregated by class and live separately. The poorest are essentially slaves producing food and other resources at “the Farm”. The military are based at “the Barracks” and, while they don’t have many resources, are relatively well off. The elite, those who have a special talent or money, live a life of luxury in “the Bubble”. The whole system is controlled by a large corporation who have the population living in fear of the Annihilation. The technology is far advanced from what we have now and almost everything from the air, to the view can be created and modified. This raises the huge and fascinating question of if anything you imagine can be created how do you know what’s real and what’s fake?

There are however two major flaws with this story. The first is the lack of dialogue. The narrative is told in the third person and jumps between characters but is mostly what people are thinking or remembering rather than saying. It feels at times like information is being flung at you. For me a good dystopian fantasy reveals the world and the characters slowly and naturally. This is too sudden, lacks depth and therefore doesn’t feel particularly natural or real.

The lack of dialogue also makes it difficult to get a feel for the characters. Kenders seems likeable enough. She is quite determined, intelligent and clearly grieving which leads to some rather questionable decisions. Her friend Serge could have been an interesting character as he’s pretty conflicted. He cares about her and wants the best for her but as he’s been in love with her for years helping her find her husband may not be his number one priority. What wastes it however is yet again that his feelings are completely spelled out and therefore too obvious.

The second issue I had was the description of the technology and virtual reality in particular. I don’t have a particularly great knowledge of technology. I can turn a computer on and use it but don’t ask me how it does what it does. I seriously can’t comprehend wi fi (and as far as I’m concerned it’s magic) so maybe it’s just me but I really couldn’t follow the virtual reality part. I always thought virtual reality was wearing a helmet or plugging into a computer and living in a kind of dream world while your body stays wherever it is. I’m thinking more or less of The Matrix. However, this doesn’t describe it like that. It seems more like the holo deck in Star Trek where you’re completely immersed in what’s happening around you. As the technology is a key element to the story not being able to follow it is a big problem.

I did have an advance reader copy so it’s possible some of these issues will be resolved however based on this I don’t think I will be rushing to read the next in the series. I’d still like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy. If you want to give it a try it will be released on the 10th November.