House of Silence by Linda Gillard

Linda has three previously published books, and many loyal fans, and yet her agent was unable to find a publisher who would take on House of Silence. She has finally decided to release it as an ebook, and it has been very well received. I very much enjoyed her previous books, so Linda kindly sent me a copy of this one to take a look at.

As previously mentioned, the book starts with the building relationship between Gwen and Alfie, both of whom have difficult backgrounds. Gwen’s family all died when she was young, including her mother, and it becomes obvious to us, if not to Gwen, that this has caused it’s own damage. Alfie also has difficulties with his family – but they are still around, full of complications, and expecting him to visit at Christmas, as he always does.

Alfie seems very reluctant to let Gwen join him, but eventually he agrees, and so as they travel, he tells her a little more about the various people she will meet. It’s only once they arrive however, that we really get to see these wonderful characters. Like Alfie and Gwen, these character are worth reading about because they’re flawed and real. And for me, this is the strength of Linda’s writing, giving us real, interesting characters.

I don’t mind saying that this isn’t my favourite of Linda’s books, as I do like it when she pushes just a little further. Emotional Geology and A Lifetime Burning are my favourites, the latter being a much more controversial book. However, House of Silence still has a lot to offer, and the second half of the book kept me gripped, reading the twists and turns to find out where it would take me.

Linda’s books don’t fit tidily into one genre, and if that’s holding the publishers back, they really should think again, because it means that Linda’s books reach a wide audience. There’s a family drama, a growing mystery, glimpses of dealing with mental health issues, plus a touch of romance. Be careful though, you’ll probably want to go and get the rest of Linda’s books!

By the way, it’s worth pointing out that although House of Silence is published for the Kindle, it’s not restricted to just that. It’s possible to get a Kindle app for many platforms, including pc.

Buy Kindle version at amazon, just £1.90

Visit Linda’s official site, and read more about her decision to e-publish on the BCF blog.

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

A Discovery of Witches brings us a world where witches, vampires and daemons live amongst us. Diana is a historian, trying her best to live an ‘ordinary’ life, despite coming from a family of powerful witches. When she unwittingly uses her powers to call up an ancient manuscript, it draws the attention of many other creatures, including Matthew, a powerful vampire.

During the first half of the book, I found myself thinking that this was a ‘grown up Twilight’ – it’s a slow build up of these two characters, and their relationship. As someone who only got through a small section of Twilight before giving up, this did worry me. I found myself rolling my eyes at how wonderful Matthew was, and it seemed obvious that a romance would soon follow.

Despite this, something kept drawing me back to the book, and Matthew started to work his ‘magic’ on even me. The book still felt slow, but I was starting to forgive it, and wondering where it would go.

The second half of the work really picks up, for a couple of reasons. For one thing, the storyline itself picks up and becomes more complex, plus some excellent characters are introduced, including Matthew’s ‘mother’ and his housekeeper, both vampires, as well as Sarah, Diana’s aunt, and a powerful witch. Plus of course, the house which Sarah lives in, which not only has witches, but also a character of itself!

Reviews for this book are mixed, and looking at them, I think the pacing of the early book may be to blame. It’s slow and involved, and heavy on the building romance. The second half, however, is a great improvement, with more action, tension and characters which stay with you after putting the book down.

One thing I did like was the inclusion of history and science, adding some extra layers. There’s an interest in where the various powers etc come from, including studying DNA. This seems to add to the modern feel of the book, and somehow makes it more ‘grounded’.

There is a second book planned, and I will definitely be looking out for it. I’m hoping that the faster pace of the story will continue, and I also believe we’ll see a different side of Matthew.

Published by Headline – h/b Feb 2011 p/b Sept 2011

Official Site

Buy at amazon.co.uk

The Land of Painted Caves by Jean M Auel

The Land of Painted Caves is the final instalment in the Earth’s Children series, which started with Clan of the Cave Bear, one of my all time favourite books. In this, the sixth book, Ayla is trying to balance her family life with her training to become a spiritual leader.

For me, this was a typical Earth’s Children book, with the usual characters, and the descriptive passages. It felt like returning to old friends, and for the whole, it’s a comfortable book. It’s a long book, and some of it is repetition, but for those who enjoy the series, this is something to be expected. A large portion of the book is about Ayla’s travels to various caves, which is all part of her training – this is obviously well researched, but maybe went on a little too long.

Before writing this, I went onto amazon.co.uk to check reviews, and I’m surprised by the amount of angry sounding 1 star reviews. I wonder if many people had far too high expectations of this book, especially as it’s been advertised as the final book. I didn’t have any real expectations, and as such I was able to enjoy it for what it was.

There was one final story line with both Jondala and Ayla which didn’t ring true – although the author does explain some of the reactions, it didn’t seem true to their characters.

I also saw an early review which suggested that Ayla had much more to tell, and that there should be further books. For me though, it feels finished. If anything, it may be interesting to hear about their daughter’s story when she’s older, with the others as back characters, but in my opinion, The Land of Painted Caves should be the final word.