Monday 21 December 2015

Star Trek: The Vulcan Academy Murders - Jean Lorrah



Title: The Vulcan Academy Murders
Author: Jean Lorrah
Genre: Science-Fiction
Published: 1984
Formats: Hardback/Paperback/Ebook

Available at:
Amazon
Amazon UK

Review:
“The Vulcan Academy Murders” by Jean Lorrah is a novel set in The Original Series period of Star Trek. The story takes place on the planet Vulcan as Kirk, McCoy and Spock have brought an injured crew member to the Vulcan Science Academy so that a revolutionary new form of treatment can be utilised to heal him. However, when one of the patients involved in the treatment dies, it soon become clear that there is a murderer on the loose. Kirk is therefore forced into becoming a detective and must catch the perpetrator before anyone else dies.

The book was well paced and there was quite a bit of action to keep me entertained from start to finish. There was also some interesting exploration undertaken in regards to Vulcan life which was eye opening and enjoyable to see. The only real weakness in the story itself is the actual mystery itself because it is far too easy to identify the culprit. I knew who the murdered was before passing the 50 page mark which does remove most of the intrigue and excitement from that element of the story as none of the reveals were surprising.

On the whole, the characters are nicely portrayed and I had no issue recognising Kirk, Spock & McCoy. In addition most of the new characters were interesting and varied although the antagonist of the story was a bit one-dimensional which meant it was easy for the reader to identify them as the murderer. Another strange character related issue was the relationship between Spock and Sarek. Whilst I appreciate that the two of them are closer than they had previous been due to the events of "Journey to Babel” they felt a little bit too reconciled. This was exacerbated by the fact that Sarek seemed to be a little bit more relaxed and open that I would have expected.

Overall this was a fun but predictable story that takes an interesting look at Vulcan society, ecology and culture. The weak mystery plot points were rather disappointing and I don’t think hard-core mystery readers may be rather disappointed although I suppose it might still appeal to regular Star Trek fans that only have a mild interest in the mystery genre.

Thursday 17 December 2015

Strange Circumstances - Marshall J. Stephens, Weston Kincade & David Chrisley



Title: Strange Circumstances
Author: Marshall J. Stephens, Weston Kincade & David Chrisley
Genre: Paranormal
Published: 2012
Formats: Paperback/Ebook

Available at:
Amazon
Amazon UK

Review:
“Strange Circumstances” is a collection of speculative fiction short stories written by Weston Kincade, Marshall J. Stephens and David Chrisley that take a look at fate and destiny. I was drawn to this collection because of Weston Kincaid’s involvement, a man who’s paranormal and fantasy books have kept me thoroughly entertained. However, it is obvious from reading the stories that both Marshall J. Stephens and David Chrisley are capable authors themselves and together all three of them have crafted some superbly entertaining stories.

What I enjoyed the most was that whilst there is an overall theme relating to fate and destiny, each of the stories vary substantially in subject matter although all of them have a speculative fiction feel. Each story is wonderfully well written and sucks the reader in before usually delivering an intriguing twist that left me wanting to read the next one. At times it felt like I was reading a collection of stories that would have worked in a TV series like The Twilight Zone, The Outer Limits or Black Book.

The only complaint I can level at the collection is that just as I am getting into the interesting worlds that have been created the story ends. A minor complaint for sure as there isn’t much you can do about this when you are using the short story form but it is still rather aggravating that none of the worlds explored here have been expanded upon.

Overall, this is a thoroughly entertaining and enjoyable collection of stories. There is pretty much a story in here for anyone who enjoys speculative fiction so no one should be disappointed.

Monday 14 December 2015

Star Trek 4 - James Blish



Title: Star Trek 4
Author: James Blish
Genre: Science-Fiction
Published: 1971
Formats: Hardback/Paperback

Available at:
Amazon
Amazon UK

Review:
“Star Trek 4” by James Blish is his fourth collection of Star Trek Original Series scripts adaptations. There are six adaptations included in this collection with two taken from each of Star Trek’s three seasons as follows:

All Our Yesterdays (Season 3)
The Devil in the Dark (Season 1)
Journey to Babel (Season 2)
The Menagerie (Season 1)
The Enterprise Incident (Season 3)
A Piece of the Action (Season 2)

The episodes in this collection are all rather enjoyable and fun, including the two stories taken from season 3 which were probably the best ones available from that season. It probably isn’t as enjoyable as “Star Trek 3” was but considering that book contained four episodes that were nominated for Hugo awards and this one only contained one it shouldn’t be that surprising.

In regards to the writing itself, Blish continues to do a competent job at converting the episodes into short story form although as always there is very little elaboration over what has been shown on TV. In fact, in regards to “The Megangerie”, Blish just removes the entire framing story and sticks with what is basically “The Cage”. He does at least explain why he does it, although as a modern reader used to reading many stories that include multiple viewpoints, different time periods and framing stories I can’t say I agree with his reasoning. Then again, as this was a short story, perhaps it was the right thing to have done.

Overall, this is another competent and enjoyable collection of Star Trek episode adaptations. It is probably only something a Trek fan would enjoy but I do like having the ability just to quickly delve into the stories of The Original Series without having to sit down and watch a full 40 minute episode.

Saturday 28 November 2015

Sirius Academy (Jezebel's Ladder Book 2) - Scott Rhine



Title: Sirius Academy (Jezebel's Ladder Book 2)
Author: Scott Rhine
Genre: Science-Fiction
Published: 2012
Formats: Paperback/Ebook

Available at:
Amazon
Amazon UK

Review:
“Sirius Academy” is the second book in Scott Rhine’s “Jezebel’s Ladder” series of science-fiction novels. The majority of the story is set sixteen years following the final events from the previous novel “Jezebel’s Ladder” and follows the development Jezebel’s daughter, Miracle Redemption Hollis as she attends an astronaut school on an island somewhere in the Pacific. Mira must overcome kidnappers, terrorists, meddling family members and her teachers as she attempts to persuade the Academy that she is the best choice to unlock multiple alien secrets.

As I have come to expect with a Scott Rhine novel, the reader is blasted with non-stop action throughout the story. The pacing therefore travels along at a blistering speed although if I am honest I think it is a fraction slower than the previous novel in the series, but I actually think this was a benefit as it did allow for Rhine to build up some tension in the story. There are some romance side-plots which seemed a little bit weak and unrefined to me but they may appeal to young readers who enjoy the militarily school drama elements of the novel.

In regards to the characters, I was a little bit in two minds about them. Unfortunately, there are few characters from the first book and those we do see aren’t given any large role. I had grown to like the previous characters so having to start with a whole new cast was a little disappointing. Luckily, the new characters are engaging and enjoyable in their own right. Rhine portrays them all in a manner which highlights their unique characteristics so that the reader is always aware of which character we are following. Mira herself is a little bit hard to like due to her self-centred outlook on life but I appreciated the fact that I could at least understand why she was like that.

Overall, this is another enjoyable, fast paced sci-fi adventure story in the “Jezebel’s Ladder” series although this book did feel a bit more YA than the previous one due to its school setting with associated romance sub-plots. It was a shame that we didn’t get to see a more complex insertion of characters from the previous novel but the new characters were interesting enough to make up for this.

Friday 20 November 2015

Star Trek: The Galactic Whirlpool - David Gerald



Title: The Galactic Whirlpool
Author: David Gerald
Genre: Science-Fiction
Published: 1980
Formats: Paperback

Available at:
Amazon
Amazon UK

Review:
“The Galactic Whirlpool” was the final Star Trek novel released by Bantam books before the licence was handed over to Pocket Books. What intrigued me the most about this novel was that it was written by David Gerrold, a writer who was involved quite deeply with Star Trek and who wrote the much loved Season 2 episode, “The Trouble with Tribbles”.

The story is based around a pre-FTL vessel known as the Wanderer which is found by the Enterprise to be heading towards the galactic whirlpool, two singularities spinning about each other that are traveling through the galaxy. The crew investigate the ship and find that the crew have lost much of their technology and have reverted to a rather primitive existence. It soon becomes obvious that the in inhabitants are now divided into two warring factions who are almost fanatical in their hatred of each other. Kirk and his crew must therefore work to end the civil war and restart the engines of the Wanderer before it is to late.

The story itself isn’t that remarkable and I have probably read this type of plot many times before. However, Gerrold still managed to keep me interested by providing lots of interesting details about both Federation protocol and characters history. He really uses this novel as a chance to explain and expand the Star Trek Universe that he obviously enjoys writing about. I particularly enjoyed seeing how Gerrold’s imagined pre-warp history of Earth differs from what is now accepted as canon. This difference is understandable as the novel was written back in 1980 before the real growth in developing Star Trek’s back story but if you are a stickler for the current continuity it may irritate you.

However, at times this attention to technical detail could actually bog the story down. At multiple times in the novel when there was an important plot point developing, he feels the need to slow it down with another information dump. Considering, the plot line isn’t the most original this could at times be a bit of a hindrance to really getting emerged in the story.

His love for the characters really shines through in this novel and I think he tries to give them a sense of realism. Yes, there may be slight variations from what we would have seen on the TV series itself but I actually found that this was an improvement. What really did impress me however was that as I read the book I could hear Shatner or Nimoy speaking, Gerrold has managed to catch the mannerism of the cast in his writing and I enjoyed seeing that.

Overall, this was an interesting enough novel although at times it felt more like a fictional description of the Trek Universe rather than an exciting and engaging story.

Friday 13 November 2015

Olives: A Violent Romance - Alexander McNabb



Title: Olives: A Violent Romance
Author: Alexander McNabb
Genre: Thriller
Published: 2011
Formats: Paperback/Ebook

Available at:
Amazon
Amazon UK

Review:
“Olives – A Violent Romance” by Alexander McNabb is a suspense novel with a hint of romance. It follows Paul Stokes, a British Journalist who moves to Amman, Jordan to produce a magazine for Jordan’s Ministry of Natural Resources. . First on the magazine’s agenda is an upcoming bid for a project addressing Jordan’s water scarcity. Two bidders, a Palestinian company and a British company are the final contenders to resolve Jordan’s water crisis. When Paul missteps with the Jordanian police, the British embassy step into help, but in exchange they want Paul to provide them with economic Intel on the Palestinian bid. However, when Paul enters into a close relationship with Aisha Dajani whose family is fronting the bid and has supposed ties to terrorist activists, he begins to wonder what the right thing to do is.

This was quite an entertaining story that paints an interesting and complex picture of life in Jordan. The little pieces of cultural flavour and geographical details that McNabb has embedded in the story really adds to the depth of the story and helps let me as a reader understand more about an area of the world that I have limited knowledge on.

In regards to the characters, I have to admit I was worried as I read through the book when it began to appear as if all the Palestinian characters were pretty much terrorism supporting caricatures. Therefore as the story progressed, I began to appreciate that this was just the obvious first impressions of the protagonist and that McNabb was willing to show the complexity and variation between them all. I loved how in the end, no one was really who they appeared to be which ensured the suspense levels of the novel were kept high.

The only down side for me was in regards to Paul himself. I understand why he was chosen to narrate the story as he is the central characters, but I was never able to fully understand him. At times, he came across as a serious middle aged guy who knew his stuff and then the next moment he came across as a rather naïve and impetuous twenty year old. It was quite frustrating and contrasted badly with some of the other characters who seemed so much more dynamic and interesting.

Overall, “Olives – A Violent Romance” is an enjoyable enough story that tries to highlight the many complex issues of Jordan, its people and the Middle East as a whole. If only the main character was a more interesting character then I may have enjoyed it even more.

Monday 9 November 2015

Star Trek: The Original Series: Crisis of Consciousness - Dave Galanter



Title: Crisis of Consciousness
Author: Dave Galanter
Genre: Sci-Fi
Published: 2015
Formats: Paperback/Ebook

Available at:
Amazon
The Book Depository
Amazon UK

Review:
"Crisis of Consciousness" by Dave Galanter is another Star Trek novel set during the time period of the Original Series. The story follows Captain Kirk and the Enterprise as they are dispatched to transfer the ambassador of the mildly xenophobic Maabas back to his home planet after signing a treaty with the Federation. Shortly after arriving, the Enterprise is then attacked by a mysterious race known as the Kenisians who claim that they are the original inhabitants of the planet and are now demanding it back. Kirk and his crew must therefore attempt to find a way in which an agreement can be reached before war breaks out and an entire sector of space is potentially destroyed.

Without doubt, this is one of the best Original Series novels I have had the pleasure to read with an enjoyable and intriguing plot. The fast-pacing and skilful writing also helped to keep me hooked from start to finish. Whilst at its core the story is an enjoyable look at how cultures respond to the wrongs perpetrated against them in the past, this doesn’t mean that the novel is lacking in action. There are some superb battle scenes that had me thoroughly entertained with the Enterprise taking a fair bit of damage. This is Trek at its best, fun and action supported by an engaging and thoughtful storyline.

In addition, the new races that have been introduced here are wonderfully well crafted. Both the Maabas and Kenisians are complex and thoroughly interesting species with the multividual personas of the Kenisians being a real highlight of the book.

Galanter also does a great job with the main characters; Kirk, Spock and McCoy are skilfully brought to life. But he also gives the supporting characters their moments as well with Uhura and Scotty both getting the chance to shine. The main focus though is without doubt on Spock and his treatment in this novel is quite simply sublime. He is the usual resourceful and brilliant Vulcan we are used to, but at the same time we get to see his own inner doubts and conflicts about what he must do to achieve his goals. It was wonderful realising that this was Galanter trying to show us a convincing reason for what would later lead Spock to his decision to follow the path of Kolinahr.

To sum up, if you enjoy the Original Series to any extent then I really have to recommend this book to you. It is thoroughly entertaining on many levels with an interesting plot, good writing and expertly captured characters. Personally, I can’t wait to read other novels in the Trek universe that have been penned by Galanter.

Friday 6 November 2015

War Dogs (War Dogs Book 1) - Greg Bear



Title: War Dogs (War Dogs Book 1)
Author: Greg Bear
Genre: Science-Fiction
Published: 2014
Formats: Paperback/Ebook

Available at:
Amazon
Amazon UK

Review:
“War Dogs” by Greg Bear is the first book in a promised Science Fiction trilogy. The story is set at a time after Earth has been visited by aliens called the Gurus who have offered humans access to new technology. However, the Gurus are being followed by another alien race known as the Antags and soon humans are being called upon to fight against these aggressors. Within this world is Michael Venn, a Skyrine (Space Based Marine) who is sent to Mars to fight the Antags and it is his story on his final drop that we follow.

The novel starts off very much as a standard war story with the reader witnessing a military drop that doesn’t go to plan. This rather unoriginal plot point is then supported by a cliché inner monologue that is full of references and thoughts that readers of this genre have probably seen a million times before. It was still interesting enough and I did like the fact that it had a very chaotic feeling which really highlighted the fact that the drop hadn’t gone to plan but it was just so lacking in originality.

In the 2nd half of the novel however, things take a bit of a curve ball with Venn and his comrades discovering a "Drifter", a sort of cave that contained various metals, water and even air. At this point the novel kind of morphs into a rather intriguing mystery as the exploration of the “Drifter” results in multiple surprises and unknowns being uncovered via a series or at times rather confusing flashbacks. The plot slows quite considerably here and whilst I understand why this happened, it did result in me taking almost double the time to read the second half than it took to read the first. This slowdown was accentuated by the fact that I found myself getting frustrated as we never seem to get any real answers to any of the mysteries. Then there is the ending itself which is quite abrupt and gives the reader no real closure on anything. In fact it screams to me that the publisher has pretty much just split a longish book into two or more to create this trilogy.

Overall, this isn’t a bad book exactly; it does have some interesting elements and the exploration of the drifter and its mysteries did have me thoroughly intrigued. However, the mixture of uninspired, clichéd plot points alongside a mystery that fails to deliver any rewards to the reader meant that it wasn’t as enjoyable as it probably could have been. I suspect I will still read the sequel as I would like to see some answers to the mysteries revealed; it is just that a standalone novel this one isn’t the most satisfying.

Tuesday 3 November 2015

Star Trek: The Original Series: The Folded World - Jeff Mariotte



Title: The Folded World
Author: Jeff Mariotte
Genre: Sci-Fi
Published: 2013
Formats: Paperback/Ebook

Available at:
Amazon
The Book Depository
Amazon UK

Review:
“The Folded World” by Jeff Mariotte is a Star Trek Original Series novel set during the Enterprise’s initial 5 year mission. The plot follows the crew of the Enterprise who intercept a distress call from the U.S.S. McRaven which was heading towards the same system as the Enterprise as part of a twofold diplomatic mission. Upon reaching the McRaven, they find that has become trapped in an anomaly unlike anything they’ve ever experienced before. Upon investigating the anomaly, the crew find themselves facing a world in which the usual rules of time and space do not apply.

I find myself in two minds about the plot of the book as the premise was quite interesting and I enjoyed seeing how the anomaly itself functioned and affected both the world and characters. It was fun to follow the crew as they became unable to tell the difference between reality and fantasy. There was also a few intriguing sub-plots such as the original diplomatic mission that the McRaven and Enterprise had been sent on that had did entertain me as I tried to work out how they all fit together.

However, there are some issues, firstly there is the fact that Mariotte seems to just utilise several un-original plot points seen in many other Trek stories. I honestly don’t know how many times I need to see Spock help save the day by mind melding with some disembodied creature or why we need to send the main characters into a deadly scenario time after time. Further to this, it was quite disappointing that there was no real attempt made to explain the anomaly in which the McRaven was trapped.

In regards to the characters, Kirk, Spock and McCoy’s are acceptable enough although at times they didn’t always feel exactly right. Simply put, I have read better, but I have also read worse so overall I could live with how Mariotte portrays them here. Mariotte does also try adding few original characters and whilst I applaud him for the attempt, the execution is rather lacking. Whilst Tikolo did have a reasonably interesting backstory, the two others, Vandella and O'Meara were one-dimensional and rather uninspiring. Then there was the “love triangle” between them all which was rather painful to read and the less said about it the better.

Overall, “The Folded World” is an average Original Series novel with a superb looking cover. It isn’t the best Original Series novel I have read this year but it also far from the worst.

Wednesday 28 October 2015

The Stainless Steel Rat Saves the World (The Stainless Steel Rat Book 3) - Harry Harrison



Title: The Stainless Steel Rat Saves the World (The Stainless Steel Rat Book 3)
Author: Harry Harrison
Genre: Science-Fiction
Published: 1971
Formats: Paperback/Ebook

Available at:
Amazon
Amazon UK

Review:
“The Stainless Steel Rat Saves The World” is the third instalment in Harry Harrison’s light hearted science-fiction series, “The Stainless Steel Rat”. In this novel, Slippery Jim diGriz finds his fellow members of the Special Corps suddenly disappearing around him. It soon becomes clear that somebody is changing the past to affect the future which is resulting in the disappearances. Luckily, there just happens to be a time machine available which Jim uses to travel into the past so that he can undo the damage done to the time line.

Without doubt this is the most ridiculous book to date in this series, with paradoxes all over the place and a convoluted story with multiple jumps in time. In a way this wackiness distracts a bit from the witty banter and humour that have been the real selling point to me of this series. At least this is the only reason I can think of as to why this book just didn’t grab me in the same manner as the previous two. Don’t get me wrong, it was still enjoyable with some quick pacing and plenty of humour evident throughout the novel but it just felt a little bit weaker. I suppose, another reason could be that this type of amusing time travel adventure has since been done better on the movie screen, with Back to The Future and Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure being the first two films that come to mind.

One thing I did enjoy seeing in the book, was Jim’s attempt to adjust to life in 1975 on the strange planet of Dirt (aka Earth). Harrison has done a reasonable job of trying to show us the funny side of things as a time traveller attempts to cope with and understand contemporary life or at least contemporary life as it was when the book was written. Unfortunately this section of the novel is over far too quickly before we can really get into it, Harrison has whisked Jim and the reader away to another period in time.

Overall, whilst this is the weakest novel so far in “The Stainless Steel Rat” series it is still an enjoyable and funny adventure that should appeal to those of you have who have already read the previous novels. Yes, this type of time travel adventure has been done better, but Slippery Jim diGriz is still probably the main selling point of the novel.

Monday 28 September 2015

Star Trek: Across The Universe - Pamela Sargent & George Zebrowski



Title: Across The Universe
Author: Pamela Sargent & George Zebrowski
Genre: Sci-Fi
Published: 1999
Formats: Paperback/Ebook

Available at:
Amazon
Amazon UK

Review:
“Across The Universe” is a Star Trek Original Series novel written by Pamela Sargent & George Zebrowski. The novel follows the discovery of a ship from the 21st Century which was on a pre-warp journey to a distant planet to start a new colony. The crew has only aged thirty years due to relativistic effects but two centuries have passed and Kirk has to inform them that their target planet now no longer exists. Starfleet do find them an alternative colony world that they can now head to, but upon arrival they find that something on the planet appears to be attacking the colony.

When I started reading the book I was curious to see if it would offer anything interesting or original in regards to the well-used premise of 21st Century humans trying to acclimatise themselves in the 23rd Century. Unfortunately, the two authors appear to have just entirely skipped over this opportunity and decided to just used the crew of the Hawking as an inefficient plot device to give the Enterprise an excuse to visit a colony world. Personally, I am sure this could have been accomplished much more efficiently with a simple emergency broadcast from the colony which would have then enabled the authors to cut this entire premise and concentrate on the core story and characters. This would probably have been a good thing to do as the core story and characters really do need some extra work. The plot is rather dull and there is really nothing that original, we have a ship from the past, a planet wide intelligence and Spock saving the day as he is able to detect, withstand, and reason with the intelligence. Honestly, I can’t remember how many times we have seen those plot points used throughout the Star Trek Universe.

Weak plots can sometimes be ignored if the characters work well but in this novel the characterisation is quite simply missing. The new characters aren’t developed in any meaningful way and the established characters just feel like cardboard cut outs. I do wonder if the authors had actually ever seen Star Trek. To me, the established characters and their interactions are a vital ingredient of what makes Star Trek work and it just doesn’t feel right when this is missing in such a glaringly obvious way.

Overall, it is probably one of the weakest Star Trek books I have ever read. The story isn’t terrible exactly; it is just that the lack of originality in the plot or good characterisation makes it all rather boring. This is then exacerbated by the inclusion of the 21st Century ship which doesn’t actually add anything worthwhile to the story. If you aren’t like me and on a missing to read every Star Trek novel then I would just skip this one.

Saturday 26 September 2015

The Stainless Steel Rat's Revenge (The Stainless Steel Rat Book 2) - Harry Harrison


Title: The Stainless Steel Rat's Revenge (The Stainless Steel Rat Book 2)
Author: Harry Harrison
Genre: Science-Fiction
Published: 1970
Formats: Paperback/Ebook

Available at:
Amazon
Amazon UK

Review:
“The Stainless Steel Rat's Revenge” is the second instalment in Harry Harrison’s light hearted science-fiction series, “The Stainless Steel Rat”. It follows on a few months after the end of the first book and continues the story of Slippery Jim diGriz. Jim is now married to Angelina, his nemesis from the first book now that the homicidal parts of her personality have been programmed out. Unfortunately, their holiday together is cut short when the Special Corps hunt them down and “offer” Jim the opportunity to investigate a secretive planet that has been invading other worlds even though interplanetary invasion was believed to be impossible due to the huge level of effort involved.

Once again Harrison gives us an enjoyable and humorous novel full of witty banter that kept me smiling from start to finish. Considering the pulpy feel of the novel it was also good to see that the writing is competent tight and the pace is quick without being too over the top. The only slight niggle is that overall the plot feels very similar to the previous novel and there isn’t really anything original added to the formula readers will be familiar with.

In regards to the characters, well the loveable rogue diGriz shines through again here and I couldn’t help but enjoy following his escapades. The other characters do tend to be skimmed over and most of the enjoyment there is in regards to seeing the various cameos and actions of people we were introduced to in the previous novel. This book is quite simply all about diGriz.

Overall, this was another humorous entry in “The Stainless Steel Rat” series. It follows the same mould as the previous novel so if you enjoy it then you should also enjoy this one as well. I do worry that in the long run the series could get a little bit too samey as the series progress but at this stage it is still entertaining enough.

Wednesday 16 September 2015

Gemini - Mike W. Barr


Title: Gemini
Author: Mike W. Barr
Genre: Sci-Fi
Published: 2003
Formats: Paperback/Ebook

Available at:
Amazon
Amazon UK

Review:
“Gemini” by Mike W. Barr is a pretty standard Star Trek story set during the original five year mission. The story follows the crew of the Enterprise as they are sent the planet Nador to assist in a vote that is being taken on whether the planet should join the Federation. The leaders of the planet, conjoined twins named Abon and Delor are advocates of joining the Federation but they are determined to let the people decide for themselves. However, a faction opposed to this are attempting to disrupt the vote and even threaten the lives of Abon and Delor resulting in Kirk and Co. stepping in to protect the twins and investigation the instigators.

To be honest, I can’t say it was the most enthralling of stories as the plot was quite basic and the twists and turns, whilst were reasonably interesting were quite obvious. The pacing and drama were adequate but the novel just seemed to be lacking a real feeling of excitement and tension. In addition there was a subplot involving Kirk’s nephew, Peter which seemed rather superfluous to the whole thing and I would rather have just seen it cut. I suspect it was added to try and further develop Kirk’s involvement in the story but it just didn’t really add anything to the storyline.

The best part of the novel is in regards to the treatment of Kirk, Spock and McCoy. Barr captures these main characters in competent manner that is reminiscent of how they appear during the original TV series. In addition, the camaraderie and engaging banter between them all shines through very well and these sections of the novel did have me smiling.

Overall, this is a standard Original Series novel that doesn’t try to be anything spectacular. I suppose, the best way I can describe it would be that it is simply average. So, if you are looking for something original within the Trek literary Universe then you will probably want to look at other offerings.

Saturday 12 September 2015

Trojan Odyssey (Dirk Pitt Book 17) - Clive Cussler



Title: Trojan Odyssey
Author: Clive Cussler
Genre: Adventure
Published: 2003
Formats: Hardback/Paperback/Ebook


Available at:
Amazon
The Book Depository
Amazon UK

Review:
"Trojan Odyssey" is one of Clive Cussler’s Dirk Pitt adventure novels, a series of books which kept me thoroughly entertained as a teenager. I have to admit that over the last 10 years I more or less stopped reading them, not because of a lack of enjoyment, but because I had begun to increase the range of books I was reading. However, when I saw this book in a local library I decided that I may as well try and re-ignite old pleasures.

The story starts with a Hurricane in the Caribbean threatening a floating super hotel in the Caribbean. Dirk Pitt and Al Giordino soon get involved to try and avert the potential tragedy that is brewing and in doing so unwittingly unlock the beginning of an adventure which results in them being pitted against a sinister corporation. I can’t really reveal much more than this without ruining the twists and turns of the story.

I actually found the plot to be a little bit too silly at times. It basically reminded me of some of the more outrageous aspects of the James Bond movies that starred Roger Moore. The comic elements of the Dirk Pitt novels do tend to help the reader to accept the ludicrous plot points but sometimes this novel went a bit too far into the absurd. None of this was helped by the fact that several of the side stories seemed to be very weakly related to each other and I think several of them could easily have been cut without affecting the story. However, one redeeming feature of the plot is that there are some interesting sections of the novel about Homer's Odyssey in which it is claimed that this story was actually set in Britain.

The writing itself is pure Cussler, it is fast paced, action packed and full of humour. The relationship between Pitt and Giordino continues to be thoroughly and I really enjoyed the signs that both of them were now beginning to get older, and that they were equally self-aware of this fact. I am not sure that Dirk’s son and daughter who are obviously being set up to replace the ageing pair are going to engage me in the same manner but I will need to wait and see.

Overall, this was an entertaining entry in the Dirk Pitt series of novels but it was probably one of the least enjoyable. Not because it wasn't engaging, funny or action packed, but because it was just missing the odd element of realism. I can forgive that in a fantasy book, but in a novel set in the real world, it just detracted from the story’s impact. There was still enough here however to ensure that I will likely return to the world of Dirk Pitt sooner rather than later.

Friday 4 September 2015

Star Trek 3 - James Blish



Title: Star Trek 3
Author: James Blish
Genre: Science-Fiction
Published: 1969
Formats: Hardback/Paperback


Available at:
Amazon
Amazon UK

Review:
“Star Trek 3” by James Blish is the third collection of short stories which includes seven adaptations of Star Trek Original Series scripts.

"The Trouble with Tribbles"
"The Last Gunfight" (an adaptation of "Spectre of the Gun")
"The Doomsday Machine"
"Assignment: Earth"
"Mirror, Mirror"
"Friday's Child”
"Amok Time"

I have to admit that it is getting quite hard for me to review these collections without sounding like I am just repeating what I have said before but in the end what is true for one appears to be true for others. Basically, the level to which they entertain a reader is proportionate to how enjoyable the original episodes were. Luckily this collection contains a few decent episodes which meant that reading it was an enjoyable enough diversion for an afternoon.

As always there are a few changes to the stories as Blish tended to work with earlier scripts that were different to the final product and trying to spot these differences can be quite an entertaining experience. They don’t tend to overly affect the impact of the episode but it was quite nice to see the stories being told in a different way.

A slight negative is that the dramatic impact and tension was lost in several of the stories. For example, “The Doomsday Machine” was put across in a rather stale manner and the dramatic impact Kirk’s death in “Amok Time” was lost a little as the story was told from his viewpoint. It wasn’t a major issue but as these were some of the more enjoyable episodes used in the collection it was a shame to see them put across in a manner which wasn’t as strong as it could be.

Overall, Blish continues to do a competent job at adapting the various episodes but outside of nostalgic Star Trek fans I doubt they are going to appeal to many people.

Saturday 8 August 2015

Star Trek: The Disinherited - Peter David, Michael Jan Friedman & Robert Greenberger


Title: The Disinherited
Author: Peter David, Michael Jan Friedman & Robert Greenberger
Genre: Science-Fiction
Published: 1992
Formats: Paperback

Available at:
Amazon
Amazon UK

Review:
“The Disinherited” is a Star Trek Original Series novel written by three authors, Peter David, Michael Jan Friedman & Robert Greenberger. It contains two parallel stories, the first of which follows Kirk and the Enterprise who are trying to pursue a group of raiders who have been viciously attacking Federation colonies. The second plotline is in relation to Uhura who has been temporarily assigned to another ship, the USS Lexington. Her role is to serve as an interpreter for the inhabitants of Rithra who have asked the Federation for assistance in protecting their procreation centre from a volcano.

The two plotlines enabled the novel to provide some entertainment on multiple levels. The Enterprise segments had plenty of entertaining action with Kirk taking centre stage, masterfully commanding the Enterprise through various incidents. Whereas the story on Rithra enabled the authors to really explore and develop Uhura’s character beyond just her expertise at linguistics. Basically, it enables readers to experience a story which tries to capture the feeling of series with some Kirk centric adventure, but also learn something new about one of the less developed characters which to me is an important part of Trek literature.

This interesting dual narrative is also supplemented by some great retcon work in regards to Chekov. We get to see the angst and nerves that he may have faced when he took on the role as Navigator and became a bridge officer. I really enjoyed getting a chance to see how he deals with his new more prominent position.

Whilst the action and adventure were fun to follow, it was the characters that really impressed me. As I have mentioned already, Uhura and Chekov get some great exposure here but what I also liked is that both of them and the others all felt true to the characters we know and love. The authors had a great grasp on the characters and it shines through here in this novel.

My only other comment on the book is to highlight that whilst the book is written by three different authors it didn’t feel like it. The writing flowed nicely between the chapters without any issue and at no point did it feel disjointed. I do not know how they did it but all I can say, is well done.

Overall, this was an enjoyable TOS novel that provides the reader with the best of both worlds. A fun Trek adventure in the standard mould supplemented by some great character work that really helps to enhance the overall Trek Universe. If you are one of those Trek fiction readers who only read a limited number of TOS novels then I recommend you consider this one.

Monday 20 July 2015

Light (Gone Book 6) - Michael Grant


Title: Light (Gone Book 6)
Author: Michael Grant
Genre: Science-Fiction
Published: 2013
Formats: Hardback/Paperback/Ebook

Available at:
Amazon
The Book Depository
Amazon UK

Review:
“Light” by Michael Grant is the 6th and final Book in the Gone series. As it is in the final book in the series, I suspect that if you have been read the other books you are going to read this book no matter what I say here. However, I will put down at least some of my thoughts as it may persuade the odd curious reader to give the series a try.

The story picks up from the enjoyable events the concluded the previous novel, “Fear”. The evil gaiaphage has been reborn into human form and is slowly doing all she can to destroy the children who are left inside the FAYZ. Her aim is to kill everyone there and then escape uncontested into the wider world which she can bring under her control. So, begins a final battle begins between her and the final few survivors who must stand together against her.

Closing a long series such as this is no easy task but I feel that Grant has done a great job with “Light”. The adrenaline packed adventure we have been following throughout the series doesn’t let up for one moment, the fast pacing grabs the reader from the first page right to the last. In addition, Grant uses the characters he has wonderfully crafted over the past few novels to expertly showcase a finale that is full of loss, horror, sacrifice, heroism and triumph.

The characters are something I do really want to go into with this book as it is the final one. I have thoroughly enjoyed following what is a very diverse and varied cast, many of whom have their own development arcs that were interesting and at times could be classed as quite risqué in what is essentially a YA novel. For example, he wasn’t scared to show two teenagers having sex as it fitted perfectly with the story he was telling and he wasn’t worried about delving into religious aspects with characters questioning their faith and begin to doubt things. All these type of things helped to ensure that characters actually felt real and were people that I wanted to know more about.

If I have to give you all one minor niggle it is that whilst Grant did a great job delving into quite a wide range of characters, a couple of them do seem to fall by the wayside such as Bug and Computer Jack who were developing along nicely before Grant just seemingly decided to abandon their arcs beyond the interactions needed in regards to the main plot. Not a major problem but it is disappointing when you see the side-lining of characters you were enjoying following.

A final thing I will also note is that this book and the others in the series as a whole do contain a fair amount of gore and violence which may not appeal to everyone. Grant is more than happy to try and shock the reader in a new and more extreme way for each book, so by the 6th book I am sure you can imagine how inventive the deaths and horror can be.

Overall, this was an excellent final chapter in an engrossing and enjoyable series. It is a credit to Grant’s work that I do believe this is one of the best YA series I have read in recent years and highly recommend it to anyone who may be looking for a dark, dystopian story with strong characters and thrills aplenty.

Friday 17 July 2015

Star Trek: The Centre Cannot Hold (Mere Anarchy Book 2) - Mike W. Barr


Title: The Centre Cannot Hold (Mere Anarchy Book 2)
Author: Mike W. Barr
Genre: Sci-Fi
Published: 2006
Formats: Ebook

Available at:
Amazon
Amazon UK

Review:
“The Centre Cannot Hold” by Mike W. Barr is the second book in a six part Star Trek mini-series entitled “Mere Anarchy”. It is set a few years after the disaster seen in the previous novel which badly affected the planet Mestiko. The Enterprise has returned with a plan to help restore the planet’s atmosphere but the Klingon Empire has also now taken an interest in the planet and has offered to help. Kirk soon finds himself once again pitted against Klingon commander Kor, with the future of Mestiko at stake.

This was another enjoyable but short novel in the “Mere Anarchy” series. To be honest, it is probably best described as a novella although the pricing doesn’t seem to acknowledge this. The price I paid for the ebook was rather obscene when you consider the length and I would therefore advise people to look at the various options available to them in regards to reading this series. In particular they should consider buying the book which combines all the individual stories together as this is much better value.

The style and feeling I got reading it was very similar to what I encountered in the previous novel in the series which is quite interesting considering they were written by different people. Simply put, it is well-written and does feel like it would fit in well as an episode in the original series. In addition, the short length means we don’t gain anything new in regards to our understanding of the Trek Universe and its characters but it is a fun read none the less.

Overall, the “Mere Anarchy” series continues to entertain me and if you have read the previous novella you really need to pick this one up as well or just buy the combined edition.

Wednesday 24 June 2015

Jezebel's Ladder (Jezebel's Ladder Book 1) - Scott Rhine


Title: Jezebel's Ladder (Jezebel's Ladder Book 1)
Author: Scott Rhine
Genre: Science-Fiction
Published: 2011
Formats: Paperback/Ebook

Available at:
Amazon
Amazon UK

Review:
“Jezebel's Ladder” is the first book in a sci-fi series written by Scott Rhine which spans a total of 5 novels. In this novel we are introduced to an ex-magician's assistant named Jezebel who reads an alien artefact, resulting in her being recruited into a corporation run by millionaire Elias Fortune who has been tracking down these artefacts. The artefacts seem to imbue those who read them with almost magical abilities which of course means that many governments and corporations are willing to kill to get their hands on them Therefore, working for Elias Fortune is full of risk but Jezebel is determined to stick it out and the novel charts her rise through the corporation whose final ambition is to head into space and meet the mysterious alien intelligence who seeded Earth with the artefacts.

This novel is pure Scott Rhine in that it is incredibly fast paced and doesn’t slow up at any point. It is like you have been strapped onto a rocket and blasted through a story full of twists, turns and action galore. If I had one issue with the style and structure of the book it would be that the pacing means it is easy to lose track of the details. There is so much going on at such a high pace, some people may quite simply struggle to keep up at times.

The plot itself is interesting, consistent and internally logical and was a fun journey from start to finish. A minor niggle would have to be that it did at times feel a little bit like an exercise in wish-fulfilment with Jezebel becoming almost superhuman in her ability to solve any problem without any real effort. Luckily Jezebel herself was a likeable character full of wit, loyalty and the odd flaw which meant most readers won’t begrudge her easy rise to becoming so powerful.

An interesting aspect of the novel is that the 2nd half is actually a re-working of Rhine’s novella “The Icarus Transformation”. I had actually already read the novella before but it was still interesting to see how he had managed to link this story with Jezebel’s. Unfortunately, to me the incorporation of this novella meant that the book felt like it was just two separate stories in Jezebel’s life which had been stuck together. It just don’t think it flowed very well and the movement between the two parts felt quite jarring.

Overall, this was an enjoyable, fast paced sci-fi adventure story which keeps you hooked right until the end. Most of the minor flaws probably all fallout from the break-neck pace that is utilised, but luckily you get carried along so quickly that you tend to forget any of the minor issues as quickly as you noticed them.

Monday 8 June 2015

Star Trek: Enterprise: Rise of the Federation: Uncertain Logic - Christopher L. Bennett


Title: Rise of the Federation: Uncertain Logic
Author: Christopher L. Bennett
Genre: Science-Fiction
Published: 2015
Formats: Paperback/Ebook

Available at:
Amazon
The Book Depository
Amazon UK

Review:
“Uncertain Logic” by Christopher L. Bennett is the third novel in the “Birth of the Federation” series which continues the adventures of the crew from Star Trek Enterprise. I have been thoroughly enjoying this series of novels and wasn’t surprised when I found myself appreciating this novel just as much as the others.

The story follows three simultaneous narratives, the first of which follows Archer and T’Pol as they work with the leaders of Vulcan after a shocking revelation is made about some of the planet’s new beliefs which could lead to a civil war. Then there is the crew of the USS Pioneer, captained by Malcolm Reed who are exploring an area of space dominated by some highly-advanced automated technology called the “Ware” which was first seen in the episode “Dead Stop.” The final story is that of the USS Essex (From TNG's "Power Play") which travels to the planet Delta IV where the locals turn out to be extremely hazardous to the ship’s crew

As I have come to expect with Bennett, the stories are all told exceedingly well and his skill at taking some rather disparate elements of continuity and moulding them into a cohesive story is nicely showcased again. My favourite storyline of the three had to be the Vulcan one which explores the Vulcan people and the rift that is forming in their civilisation. The way in which we see various Vulcan’s interpret and apply logic in their own unique ways made them feel like a real people, with individual ideas and opinions. The view that can sometimes be had of them being a rather homogeneous society when it comes to logic is well and truly shown up for the fallacy it is and I loved seeing that. Quite simply, I actually feel like I have a greater understanding of the common Vulcan citizen than I have before and I really appreciate this.

If I was going take any issue with the novel then it is probably that I think three storylines is maybe a little bit too much, especially when none of them are really connected with each other. The best way I can find to describe the book is that it felt more like an anthology of novella’s than a single novel. This was compounded by the fact that whilst I appreciated getting to see humanities first real contact with the Deltans and the introduction of the USS Essex, I honestly wasn’t that interested in what eventually turned into another Orion Pirate storyline. Compared to the incredibly engaging and interesting Vulcan storyline it just felt rather weak and un-needed.

Overall, this is another entertaining novel in the Rise of the Federation series. Bennett’s writing as always is top notch and I enjoy the way in which he manages to continue the story of Star Trek Enterprise and build on some of the smaller elements in Star Trek continuity. Yes it doesn’t feel like a single novel, but the Vulcan storyline alone is enough to mitigate this as I just treat the additional two stories as a bonus to be enjoyed beyond this core element.

Monday 25 May 2015

The Gisburn Witch (Witches of Pendle Book 1) - Sarah L King


Title: The Gisburn Witch
Author: Sarah L King
Genre: Historical Fiction
Published: 2015
Formats: Paperback/Ebook

Available at:
Amazon
Amazon UK
Smashwords
Kobo

Review:
"The Gisburn Witch" is a historical fiction novel written by debut author Sarah L King. In the interest of upfront honesty, I want to start by informing you all that the author is my wife and I was involved in some of the initial edits of the book. I am still trying to write a fair review but wanted to make sure everyone knows about the relationship I have with the book as I doubt I can keep it completely bias free.

Anyway, the novel itself is based around the events that led up to the infamous witch trials of Pendle in Lancashire, England during the early 17th Century. The specific story we follow in this book is that of Jennet Preston, a woman who was from the village of Gisburn which is in the neighbouring county of Yorkshire. Scandalised as a young woman after being accused of seducing Tom Lister, a gentleman’s son, her life is soon filled with shame and hardship. As an outcast in her own village she befriends the Device family in Blacko and is quickly embroiled in their world of folk magic, superstition, old family feuds and dangerous reputations. When fate intervenes to reunite her with Tom, Jennet risks everything for love and happiness, but when tragedy strikes Jennet finds that she is vulnerable to accusations for which she could pay the ultimate price.

So my first comment on the novel is in regards to the pacing, the novel does start off relatively slowly as King attempts to introduce the reader to Jennet herself and the society she lives within. However, as the story progresses the pace gradually increases until the final part of the novel more or less flies by as the tension builds and the drama unfolds. I pretty much read the final quarter of the novel in one sitting as I really wanted to know how this obvious tragedy was going to unfold. Other than that, the writing was very competent and it had a heavy descriptive element which really helped to bring out the obvious love felt by the author for the Lancashire countryside and climate.

In regards to the characters, I found myself quite split as there is basically nobody in this book who you could define as being a classical "good guy"; even Jennet herself acts and behaves in a manner which I didn't always like. I actually found myself moving from an initial feeling of pity for Jennet, to frustration with her, to mild anger and then back to feeling a sense of pity for her again. King has basically tried to create people with flaws and defects in an attempt at providing an element of realism within the novel which is commendable but at times it did lead to me wondering if I would end up caring about any of them by the end. Thankfully, as mentioned above, I did feel sorry again for Jennet by the end and I especially felt a sense of empathy for her husband, William who had suffered a lot throughout the novel.

Overall, I did really enjoy the book, it isn't a genre I read regularly but I think it was a well written, successful attempt at trying to bring to life a real historical tragedy with people full of their own hopes, weaknesses and flaws. As said, I am probably biased as my wife wrote it but during the editing process she altered parts of the story I had issues with so the final product was probably always going to please me. If you are interested in exploring a Historical Fiction novel that takes a look at some of the lives of the common people within English 16th/17th century society rather than royalty etc. then I think you should give this book a try.

Tuesday 12 May 2015

Fear (Gone Book 5) - Michael Grant


Title: Fear (Gone Book 5)
Author: Michael Grant
Genre: Science-Fiction
Published: 2012
Formats: Hardback/Paperback/Ebook

Available at:
Amazon
The Book Depository
Amazon UK

Review:
“Fear” by Michael Grant is the 5th and penultimate Book in the Gone series. I was looking forward to reading this book as the Gone series has been some of the best dark, dystopian novels I have encountered in recent years. The book follows on from the event of “Plague” with Sam now working with others to run a settlement out by the lake whilst Caine rules over his own settlement in Perdido Beach as a King. The tenuous peace that now endures is threatened when the dome around them begins to blacken cutting out all light which threatens to finally finish off everyone within the FAYZ.

As with the other novels in the series, the book is a wonderfully well written, adrenaline packed adventure that had me hooked from the first page to the last. The story structure is very similar to what we have seen before, with Sam being central to the plot and the teenagers having to face off against each other in addition to some form of enemy sent by the gaiaphage. However, the main driving force behind this novel to me was character development. Grant really begins to delve into the psyche of the surviving characters who all appear to be suffering from various forms of post-traumatic stress. As we move towards the final novel it appears that Grant is determined to ensure the reader really knows each character and understands who they are, even those without special powers.

A really interesting addition to this novel is that Grant decides to finally let the readers glimpse a view from outside the FAYZ. The reader gets to follow things from an adult’s viewpoint which is a nice counterpoint to that of the teenage centric story we have had so far. This adds an enjoyable and fresh feeling to the novel as we get to see how the various parents and the military have been responding to the situation as it has unfolded.

In summary, this is another enjoyable novel in this exciting series. With this novel I specifically appreciated that Grant has tried to give us something new with the view of outside in addition to the further development of the characters. There is not much more to say other that next up in the series is “Light” which is the finale and I really can’t wait!

Monday 20 April 2015

Star Trek: First Strike (Invasion! Book 1) - Diane Carey


Title: First Strike (Invasion! Book 1)
Author: Diane Carey
Genre:Science Fiction
Published:1996
Formats: Paperback/Ebook

Available at:
Amazon
Amazon UK

Review:
“First Strike" by Diane Carey is the first novel in a series of four novels which span the multiple different lines of Star Trek fiction from the Original Series to Voyager. The novel starts with a Klingon battlegroup encountering a ship full of creatures that appear to resemble the demons of Klingon folklore. So upset by what he sees, the Klingon General decides to contact Starfleet for help in addition to his own High Command. Starfleet sends Kirk who is determined to try and understand these visitors rather than just destroy them as the Klingons wish.

Whilst the book is part of a series it still works very well as a standalone novel. The ending does hint at the sequel to come but it still provides a satisfying enough conclusion that there is no need to read the next book unless you really want to. I particularly appreciated this as I am reading all the Star Trek books in Chronological order and therefore won’t get to the sequel for quite a while.

It is also a thoroughly enjoyable story with a structure and pace that keeps the reader entertained right until the end. In addition the plot explores several interesting points with a particular plus point for me being the premise that our myths are based on vaguely remembered facts that have left us with some ingrained prejudices. The attempt to overcome those prejudices then compliments the conflict between scientific thought and religious zeal that is also present within the novel.

The characters are all well-written with the main focus being on Kirk, McCoy and Spock. However, what we do see of the other characters is more than adequate and Carey has tried to develop the Furies beyond just being a token alien-of-the-week which was nice to see. One particular thing I noted was that Kirk is well portrayed, we get to see in all his glory as both a leader and a friend, but also as someone who is still in the end just a human with all the flaws and weaknesses that this can entail.

Overall, the plot is interesting, the characters come across in the manner we would expect and the pacing feels right. Basically, it is an enjoyable Star Trek story which works well as both a standalone novel and as an entry into the overall “Invasion!” series.

Friday 20 March 2015

The Stainless Steel Rat (The Stainless Steel Rat Book 1) - Harry Harrison


Title: The Stainless Steel Rat (The Stainless Steel Rat Book 1)
Author: Harry Harrison
Genre: Science-Fiction
Published: 1961
Formats: Paperback/Ebook

Available at:
Amazon
The Book Depository
Amazon UK

Review:
“The Stainless Steel Rat” by Harry Harrison is a pulpy sci-fi adventure which was first published in 1961. The story follows James Bolivar diGriz, a.k.a. "Slippery Jim", a rogue who moves between worlds committing various crimes that he believes are victimless. However, his antics have attracted the attention of the mysterious Special Corps who want to recruit him as an agent to catch other criminal. His first assignment for the Special Corps soon pits him against a criminal for whom human life has no value and perhaps someone who could even outsmart Jim diGriz.

The first thing I noted is that book probably hasn’t aged that well. It really does feel like a product of the sixties with a slight misogynistic feel being quite obvious in the society that Harrison has created. In addition some of the technology we see is rather dated by today’s standards, although I do suspect that some of this such as a coal powered robot was there to add some humour rather than being a real imagination of what the future could entail.

Despite the aging of the novel, it is still a very fun and entertaining story to read. It is packed full of humour and action with a quick pacing that ensured I kept on reading. The writing itself isn’t anything special but it is competent enough and much better than the standard in seen in various other pulpy science-fiction.

The characters themselves were enjoyable enough, they are probably rather stereotypical but they are fun enough to follow. DiGriz in particular actually being a likeable character despite his criminal tendencies. This is probably because of two elements, the first being that his morality is actually a complex and interesting thing to see. He only commits crimes that he feels are victimless and he goes out of his way to ensure that no one is killed or injured as part of his activities. Then there is the humour and wit that diGriz brings to the novel, his sarcasm and one liners left me smiling throughout the story which just enhanced my appreciation for him.

Overall, this was an entertaining first novel in Harrison’s “Stainless Steel Rat” series. It isn’t a complex or high-brow story but if you are just looking for some light-hearted, fun science-fiction then this book will easily fulfil that requirement. It does have quite a pulpy style which may not appeal to some fans of contemporary science fiction but personally I still enjoyed it and I will probably read more books in the series.

Thursday 26 February 2015

Star Trek: Ishmael - Barbara Hambly


Title: Ishmael
Author: Barbara Hambly
Genre:Science Fiction
Published:1985
Formats: Paperback/Ebook

Available at:
Amazon
Amazon UK

Review:
“Ishmael” by Barbara Hambly is a Star Trek novel that mainly follows the antics of Spock who is transported back to Earth in the 1800’s where he is found by a local of Seattle, Washington called Aaron Stemple. Unfortunately Spock has lost his memory and therefore Stemple, realising that this man is an alien decides to take him under his wing and introduces him to the community as his nephew, Ishmael. Spock is soon caught up in a rather peculiar scheme to find marriageable lads for a group of hopeful brides who were transported to the area from the Eastern United States.

One thing I didn’t realise when I first read this book is that the story about Aaron Stemple and the marriage scheme is actually taken from another TV series called “Here Comes the Brides”. Basically, this book is a crossover novel created to link these two distinct shows and I can only assume that Hambly must have been a fan of both. However, Hambly doesn’t stop with just this core crossover element, she also introduces characters from other TV series such as “Bonanza” and “Have Gun-Will Travel”. It is all a little bit silly but surprisingly enough, it was actually very entertaining to follow. This is mainly due to the fact that whilst it sounds like something you would normally see poorly written on a fan fiction website, it is actually an incredibly well written novel with all the right plotting elements and pacing to keep it an enjoyable and fund read.

In addition, I found the characters to be well-written and interesting to follow although outside of the Star Trek characters I wouldn’t know if they were portrayed in a manner similar to the way they were on their relevant TV shows. In regards to the Trek characters, well they did come across as I would expect and even Spock with his memory loss acted and behaved in a way I would expect as his core personality shone through.

Overall this is a fun story which I am sure would appeal hugely to fans who enjoyed both “Star Trek” and “Here Comes the Brides”. Most of the time it doesn’t feel much like a Trek novel as it is set in the 1800’s and Spock doesn’t know who he is but it was actually quite nice to read something which felt a little bit different. It isn’t something that I would probably want to read a lot of but it was still a fun little diversion from the norm that made me smile a lot.

Tuesday 17 February 2015

The Three - Sarah Lotz


Title: The Three
Author: Sarah Lotz
Genre: Horror
Published: 2014
Formats: Hardback/Paperback/Ebook

Available at:
Amazon
The Book Depository
Amazon UK

Review:
“The Three” by Sarah Lotz is mainly described around the internet as a horror novel although after reading it, I would say that it would be more apt to describe it as an interesting cocktail of multiple genres. It basically contains facets of mystery, horror, thriller and religious literature whilst also trying to maintain some semblance of realism.

The story starts with four plane crashes happening almost simultaneously across the globe. Three children are the only survivors and their very survival seems to be miraculous, resulting in some rather intriguing theories. So the plot follows the children, their families and some external forces who are very interested in how and why the children survived.

As I said earlier, the book does include a lot of elements from other genres but there is still an overall tone of horror present throughout. However, this isn’t the type of horror that includes gore or shocks; it is the type that provides the reader with a creepy undertone and a sense of unease about what may really be happening.

In regards to the style of the writing, well everything is told in the manner of a documentary with various books, newspaper articles, interviews and recordings being used to tell the story. It was an interesting style which helped to give the book a sense of realism and provide the reader with multiple points of view from which to understand the various events. However, this factual documentary style meant that emotional engagement with the characters was rather limited and I therefore didn’t really care much about any of them.

My main issue with the novel was probably the pacing. It started off wonderfully, with the plane crashes, the initial responses and the foreshadowing of tragedy that was going to unfold. The pace then changed and the plot slowed to a crawl with very little movement in the story and various plot lines that didn’t really add anything valuable to the story. It actually became a chore to read and then when you get to the ending it doesn’t even reward you properly for getting to it.

The ending was quite simply irritating in the extreme. After dragging on the story for so long the reader is then given an open and ambiguous ending. Was it terrorists, aliens, the four horsemen, plain happenstance or something completely different? I don’t know and because of this I feel incredibly cheated. I now know there is a sequel novel but I don’t know if I can face reading it as I worry that Lotz will follow the same method and continue to leave out some form of final pay-off!

Overall, it is an interesting enough story and I thoroughly enjoyed the initial portion of the book before it began to drag on. There is a lot of potential here but there was a fair bit of filler present which should have been cut by the editing team. If the novel had been a bit sharper and quicker I could probably have also forgiven the rather open ending but instead I slogged through the 2nd half of the novel and received little reward.

Tuesday 10 February 2015

Star Trek: Provenance Of Shadows (Crucible Book 1) - David R. George III


Title: Provenance Of Shadows (Crucible Book 1)
Author: David R. George III
Genre: Science Fiction
Published: 2008
Formats: Paperback/Ebook

Available at:
Amazon
Amazon UK

Review:
Provenance of Shadows by David R. George III is the 1st book in the Crucible trilogy of Star Trek novels which were written as part of the 40th anniversary celebrations. The story starts off after the events that occur in the Star Trek original series first season episode, The City on the Edge of Forever. From that point on we get to follow two stories from McCoy’s perspective. The first of these is where we see what happened to McCoy in the 1930’s on the assumption that Kirk and Spock didn’t manage to rescue him from the Guardian of Forever. The other story follows McCoy’s life after his rescue right up until his death.

This novel is without doubt a character piece, it tries to explore the reason why McCoy is the man he is. McCoy has always been a fascinating character and George has done a great job in bringing him to life in a manner that fits in with what we know of him. We do get to learn some interesting facts about him and whilst some of the psychological elements seem a bit melodramatic it was still thoroughly interesting.

However, there are a few issues with this characters driven approach. Basically, George has spent so much time exploring McCoy and padding out the story that the pacing is incredibly slow. Everything seems to be overly drawn out and because George decided to use the TV show as the basis for the overall plot points, most of what we see in the novel in terms of events is already known to us. This means, that there is no suspense or real excitement in the novel beyond what you may feel in regards to the exploration of McCoy’s psyche.

The 1930’s period does give George much more leeway and he has tried to add in some original events. However, even here the pacing seems rather slow and there is still a basic lack of surprise as we already know from the TV episode that the events around WWII are altered by McCoy’s presence. This part of the story however, really strives to explore the human condition via McCoy’s interaction with the other characters in this time period and I really enjoyed following this.

Overall, this is an interesting novel which tries to explore and explain McCoy the character. It does have some pacing issues and beyond the character exploration it doesn’t have the most exciting or entertaining of plot lines. However, if you are a fan of McCoy you would be mad to miss out on this novel which is almost a shrine to the man and his time within the Star Trek Universe.