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Kraken - China Mieville
by nodbod1
Kraken by China Mieville is a superb book. I know it's a cliché, but I really couldn't put it down -which made everyday tasks like washing up quite tricky!
It is set in the present day in London. However, it is not the mundane London that you might know, rather it is a strange, fantastic, magical pseudo-religious London ... where nothing is as it seems or should be. This other London exists right alongside the everyday London that 'normal' people inhabit.
China Mieville strikes a marvellous balance between tacky, hackneyed ideas and novel invention. As each new character turns up, you find yourself trying to figure out what is the motivation behind it, and it never turns out to be what you had guessed.
If I had one criticism of this book, it is that as a non-Londonner, I felt a little as though China wants to marry London and take it to bed. He could just as easily have set the novel in a fictional city, but I suppose he might have had to work harder to draw out the contrast between the underworld described and the normal world we know.
In summary, it's a good book but China needs to realise that we don't all love London.
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Marked - Kristin Cast
by i3utterflies
What's it about?
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16 year old Zoe is at school, minding her own business when she spots a dead guy waiting for her by her locker. He's from the mysterious House of Night, a school for fledgling vampires to train and hopefully make it to being an actual vampire. Though not all make it through the dangerous ... Change.
From that moment, she is Marked and must join his school.
Quite quickly after joining The House of Night, Zoe realises she is no ordinary fledgling...she has a special connection with the Goddess, Nyx, and so with her new found responsibilities, she must take on the most popular fledgling at the school, who is seriously misusing her powers.
My thoughts on Marked
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Interesting take on the whole vampire thing. I read this very shortly after reading Twilight (naturally..) just before vampires had been done to death - for want of a better word!
I liked the school environment, it worked just like it worked for Harry Potter - there isn't really a better way to show a group of young people interacting every day and the struggles and strifes of growning up (even if you are set to be a vampire, the normal problems still arise!)
It was a bit saucy in places and from quite early on, so be aware if you're under 16 - parent's probably wouldn't be too keen on that sort of material being portrayed as so acceptable in a teen world.
As you'd expect from a Dark Fantasy YA series, there are numerous 'forbidden romance' themes throughout the book and actually, the series. Lots of suspence and twists and turns. Emotional at points too. I've had a giggle and held my breath so I can't complain that it's a bad book...
Whilst the writing itself is good and the plots are interesting and involving... the use of language and the interaction between the characters sometimes makes me cringe.
It seems like each of the main characters are complete sterotypes.
Sometimes it's very american teenager "omg, like, seriously"
The characters use of "oh I really *heart* that shirt/handbag/boy" makes me want to set fire to the book every time I read it. And yet, I carry on... I've read 7 out of a series of 10 so far, so that's got to count for something!
Is the rest of the series worth reading?
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You sort of have to! It's addictive, you know it's a bit trashy but you keep coming back for more.
They do get better, the writing get's tighter and the plots get a little more complex so it becomes more of a satisfying read.
The author has obviously researched into the Wiccan/Pagan religion (if she is not one herself?) and come up with some beautiful descriptions for magic and the rituals used at the school, so that's really nice and adds much needed depth to the books.
Would I recommend Marked?
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Yep :) I'd probably have given it 3 and a half stars if I could.
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Use of Weapons - Iain M. Banks
by bilbobaginz
Iain Banks science-fiction novels - The first: An epic tale introducing us to an alien culture in conflict with another over domination of a galaxy. From Mega-ships to Minds we were set alight by Banks' enthralling ideas from a perspective outside what we would later realise to be the main - The Culture. It was full marks on the off-set. ... Then, came the second: From inside the Culture we centred on an esteemed individual with a talent for games, and a growing boredom, a wonder of the significance of that talent. We learnt more about the ways of the hyper efficient, 'fair' Culture with its sentient drones and GCU's (amongst much, much more) - and I at least was well and truly captivated by both the gaining of this fictional knowledge and the progression of the main character through the great game of Azad.
Now, we come to the third novel in the series and the expectation is high for another page turning adventure. But will Iain Banks succeed in matching the previous? That was my thinking before reading.
Prologue: At the beginning we find our main character Cheradenine Zakalwe drunken, and in a room of a substantial house in the middle of what seems to be a war torn city. Zakalwe appears not to be a meaningful part. He and his friend Cullis argue over a indeterminate bet and the whole scene is left rather unknown to the reader. After a while bombs start to drop and the pair make their escape in a half-track military vehicle outside. I liked this aggressive introductory prologue despite you not finding out anything much about the main character (it was written well) -but what I liked most was the contrast between the prologue and the actual beginning which comes after...
We find Sma who is seemingly a women of un-Culture-like aristocratic power submerged deeply in the structure of a planetary society. She is a 'princess' carrying out her daily ceremonial doings and (for obvious reasons) the difference between the prologue and now couldn't be more different. It is written differently too, and the flow of speech and narration is smooth and settled as a pose to rough and... unsettled. It's when Skaffen-Amtiskaw the drone with the turbulent past is revealed to the story that you realise Sma's obvious Culture connection and that she is infact a poser - attempting to alter the path of one place to better suit the Culture's ways.
As the story unfolds you see the similarity between Zakalwe and Sma, for they are both Culture Special Circumstances operatives (one recruited by the other) with the occupation of swaying societies of every kind. The link between the two characters is made early on as to draw the reader into the action. It is revealed that Zakalwe is missing and required for a new mission involving one, Tsoldrin Beychae (the former president of a cluster [group of occupied solar systems] now in turmoil). Sma is tasked with finding Zakalwe and convincing him aboard the mission to turn the fait of the cluster, and this is where the adventure begins.
The book is all about the mission, involving Sma (and Skaffen-Amtiskaw), Zakalwe and Beychae. But the book is about much more than just this, it's about the past. Throughout, you read snippets (often whole chapters) transporting you into Zakalwe's past, his childhood, his completed missions, his joining with Special Circumstances, his relationships. Banks tries to connect you with the man's life by giving you a full view of it - so it seems.
At first I loved how Banks did this - and why he did this. It was different and the writing style fit with the overall novel layout. But then it became too much. It wasn't so much confusing as it was unnecessary to have so many individually planted segments trying to give you an overall picture which in its self doesn't appear to be all that interesting. Zakalwe is a messed up character and that much is clear, but there weren't enough logical connections between the segments and though I can't give it away, I found the big ending twist to be unsatisfactory.
Another irritation I had with the book was that it didn't give me as much Culture fuel as the last two. I didn't learn much new about the society (though Banks does dabble into gene-technology being used by the Culture, and the whole idea/argument over conciousness - such as, whether replacing every gene in your body anew but identically makes you the same person. And I love that area of philosophy).
Zakalwe is a good character to write about. He is a military minded intellectual with un-paralleled skill and cunning (for an organically minded being), and Banks clearly has fun with the character. Perhaps my favourite part was a segement in which Zakalwe is heading an army of a nation on the verge of defeat -Banks gives you a thrilling insight into Zakalwe's thoughts and his love for the challenge, and his love for the adrenaline of a fight. Yes I did enjoy the character(s) but...
Overall I just feel there wasn't enough build up of suspense. I didn't feel any real loyalty or willing feelings for any of the characters. The 'sketchy' feel to the overall story-line wasn't to my liking and the final twist wasn't great. I would still recommend reading this because the Culture is a fascinating setting and there are some fantastic bits in the book, it's just that overall I've read much better from Banks!
Rating: 3.5/5
Pages: 368 (paper back)
AVAILABLE: Amazon.co.uk
Thanks for reading!
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