Of Bees and Mist by Erick Setiawan

Up in the house that sits on the hill, a strange spell is brewing…

To Meridia, growing up with her father Gabriel, who vanishes daily in clouds of mist, and her bewitching mother Ravenna, the outside world is a refuge. So when as a young woman her true love Daniel offers her marriage, it seems an escape to a more straightforward existence.

Yet behind the welcoming façade of her new home lies a life of drudgery and a story even stranger than that she left behind. Aged retainers lurk in the background; swarms of bees appear at will, and of course, there’s her indomitable mother-in-law, Eva, hiding secrets that it will take Meridia years to unravel. Surrounded by seemingly unfathomable mysteries, can Meridia unlock the intrigues of the past, and thus protect her own family’s future?

This book has been described as a modern fable, which is probably a good way to look at it. It also has the feeling of a adult fairy tale, complete with lots of villainous characters. There’s a feel of Gregory Maguire and Tim Burton to the book, and yet it’s not an exact copy of those styles.

The basis of this story is actually a tale of family, and of emotion, both good and bad. Relationships are explored, and often taken to their extreme limits. There is love, hatred, and jealousy, all wrapped up in some unusual characters.

These characters and emotions are all wrapped up in a rather unusual, somewhat magical, fantasy world. For me, this struggled at the beginning to sucessfully work. The first few chapters were great, but it soon felt a little too obvious.. almost as if it was trying to hard. However, this little bump was soon over, and the world managed to entrap me. Strangely enough, I did care about the various characters, and I loved the way some of the storylines turned out.

Many of these fantasy type books are suitable for teens as well, but there are a few scenes in this ones which probably make it unsuitable for the younger ones.

Published by Headline Review
Hardback Aug 09
Paperback Dec 09
Buy at Amazon.co.uk

The Gates by John Connolly

The Gates

A strange novel for strange young people.

Young Samuel Johnson and his dachshund Boswell are trying to show initiative by trick-or-treating a full three days before Hallowe’en. Which is how they come to witness strange goings-on at 666 Crowley Avenue.

The Abernathys don’t mean any harm by their flirtation with Satanism. But it just happens to coincide with a malfunction in the Large Hadron Collider that creates a gap in the universe. A gap in which there is a pair of enormous gates. The gates to Hell. And there are some pretty terrifying beings just itching to get out . . .

Can Samuel persuade anyone to take this seriously? Can he harness the power of science to save the world as we know it?

John Connolly is well known for his crime books, and probably even more well known for his fantasy novel, The Book Of Lost Things. In The Gates, John has stayed with fantasy, but this time he’s aiming his book at a younger audience. However, as with all the great YA books, this one will have the adults fighting to read it too.

The first thing to say about this book is that it’s very funny. It’s a fun book to read, which actually managed to make me laugh out loud at times – great escapism on dull days! There’s enough humour for the younger readers to enjoy, and yet it’s not overdone, and therefore off putting for adults.

The characters are fantastic – Samuel is a young lad dealing with his father leaving, whilst also dealing with the small matter of a town over run with demons, and the gates of hell opening. The demons themselves are sometimes scary, but often rather dim, and some even discover a taste for beer! The highlight for me was Nurd – a demon who deserves a book all of his own.

This is going to appeal to many fans of children’s fantasy, but especially those who enjoyed Jonathan Stroud’s Bartimaeus. The pace of the book is fast, and the length is probably perfect for younger readers. My only complaint, however, is that it was a little too short for me.. but then I could have kept reading for a very long time.

Highly recommended, this book is published on 1st Oct.

Buy at Amazon.co.uk

The Dangerous Book of Heroes by Conn Iggulden and David Iggulden

From the co-author of the bestselling ‘The Dangerous Book for Boys’, this is a book of heroes, new and old, known and sadly forgotten, now to be glorified as they ought to be. From Captain Scott to Joe Simpson, from Douglas Bader to Ernest Shackleton, from Gertrude Bell to Emily Pankhurst, Conn Iggulden brings our great heroes from history back to life. Filled with the British sense of fair play and decency that made ‘The Dangerous Book for Boys’ so popular, ‘The Dangerous Book of Heroes’ celebrates those who fought for what is right and good, those who made amazing discoveries, those who moved boundaries in their lifetimes.

There are a few non fiction books which I remember from my childhood – or at least I remember snippets of them. These are generally books which lived at my nan’s house, and got picked up whenever I stayed. It’s quite easy to imagine this book falling into the same category for future grown ups!

It’s split into nice chunks, with each hero (or group of heroes) having their own chapter. It’s a great way to get little snippets of history, especially as it’s presented in such a positive way. Hopefully it will even encourage the readers to go out and find out more about the events and the people.

Of course, it’s not only for the young – anyone interested in finding out a little more about the people behind our history, it’s a good book to dip into.

I haven’t read any of the other ‘Dangerous’ books, so I can’t tell how it fits – but I may well now take a look.

A Note From An Old Acquaintance by Bill Walker

Two years ago, Brian Weller’s son was killed in an accident, and his wife was left in a coma. As a well known writer, he is unable to produce his next book, and his life feels in despair.

One morning he receives an email from Joanna, a lover from his past. As their past is hinted at, he arranges to meet her during a book tour.

We are then taken back to their past, and the majority of the book tells their story, how they fell in love, and how he had to leave her. Then, there is a jump back to the present, when they meet up, and rekindle their affair.

I enjoyed Bill’s characters, including the rather unpleasant Erik, Joanna’s husband. It’s actually easy to understand how he felt, with the threat of losing his wife for the second time. However, I felt that there was more potential in his character, and I was expecting the ending to be more suspenseful.

This is quite a gentle love story, but it feels as if there is more to tell – Brian’s wife plays a much smaller part in the story than I expected, and I would have liked to have known more about their relationship. I also sensed a missed opportunity for the suspense angle. However, the characters do manage to make this a very readable book.

Through A Glass, Darkly by Bill Hussey

Through A Glass, Darkly

The Demons have woken, the Dreaming has begun…

When a young man goes missing from the Fen village of Crow Haven, Inspector Jack Trent is sent to investigate. He finds an isolated, insular community which harbours a shocking secret. A secret he has already glimpsed in his dreams. Now, in a race against time, Jack must piece together the mystery surrounding Dr Elijah Mendicant and the ancient Darkness of Crow Haven. He must save the life of an innocent child and stop an ageless evil from rising once more.

But doubt remains. Can Jack overcome the demons from his past? And what will he make of the Doctor’s final, devastating revelation?

The Doctor will see you now…

On the surface, there is a detective story. Jack is an Inspector, investigating a disappearance of a young man. Layered underneath this, however, there is so much more to discover.

Jack himself is plagued by demons which have taken up residence inside him. He has managed some control, but they still have their effects over him, making him into a rather complex and intriguing character. This idea of having demons able to live inside was a fascinating idea, something I hadn’t really come across before, and the author tells it in a way that makes it believeable.

The tale of evil in the book is an epic one, going back over many years. The various strands of the tale allow us to explore this evil in it’s various guises, from folklore to modern time. It’s an evil which can be gruesome and gory, but also subtle and convincing.

The setting for the book is a all well described, and it all creeps into your imagination. There are classic scenes such as moving scarecrows, disgusting bug scenes, and also new ideas, such as The Library, where old stories can be told..

Quite simply, this book has managed to restore my faith in the horror genre.. although it provides it’s share of gruesome scary scenes, there is also a lot of depth to explore. The characters are complex and well written, instead of being there simply to prop up the general story, and I found myself invested in them.

For those not used to horror, this isn’t the place to start. For those who do, however, it’s an absolute must read!

The Baby by James Briggs

The Baby

“Today of all days, right here in my mother’s kitchen,she gave me the news. ‘I think I might be pregnant,’ she said, as I tried to butter a piece of underdone toast. Six little words. Nothing to worry about. She just thinks she may be pregnant, that’s all. It’s not even as if she’s sure. That was the first thing I checked when consciousness returned to me on the cold stone tiles.”

Hence begins a journey through pregnancy.. but not told from the woman’s point of view, but rather the man’s. The male protagonist of this book isn’t sure he’s ready to face father-hood, in the same way that he’s not quite ready for marriage, a job, or even life without alcohol!

Over the course of roughly 9 months, the unnamed male faces up to various addictions, attempts to find a job, and generally tries to deal with life in a different country to the one he was born in. We discover how he met his girlfriend and moved from London to France, and are given an insight to life there, both good and bad. We meet various friends and family, and learn about their affects on his lifestyle.

Most importantly though, the book is a very honest journey into his thoughts and feelings, from birth to death, with just about everything inbetween. Despite his faults, the protagonist is actually a likeable man, and it’s easy to get caught up in his journey, hoping that he’ll make it in the end.

I think most of this likeability comes from both the openess, but also the humour.. there is a wit within the writing which makes the book a joy to read, and rather addictive itself.

I won’t tell you how the book or the journey ends, but the last few pages are incredibly touching.

This was a surprisingly good read, and is highly recommended.

Published by BeautifulBooks
Sept 2008 £7.99

Buy ‘The Baby’ at Amazon

Love Begins in Winter by Simon van Booy

Love Begins in Winter

Until recently, my only experience of the short story format was within the horror genre, with authors such as Stephen King. I’m glad to say, however, that thanks to fantastic writers such as Sarah Salway and Patrick Chapman, this has now changed.

Simon van Booy is an author to now add to this list. This was my first experience of his writing, but I shall certainly be searching out more.

To me, there is a real art to sucessfully writing this format. It lacks the luxery of time, to develop both characters and storyline. Obviously short stories within the horror section are plot driven, but once you move into general fiction, there is scope for both.

The five stories within this book do have storylines, but the emphasis is on the characters. Within very few words, Simon throws you straight into the character’s personalities, making you feel that you know and understand them.

The writing has a wonderful poetic feel to it – the stories all make for fairly quick reading, but they would definitely benefit from a slower re-read. There is an impression that there is more waiting to be discovered the second time round.

Published by Beautiful Books June 2009
paperback £7.99

1st July 2009
Van Booy shortlisted for Frank O’Connor Award

The shortlist for the 2009 Cork-City Frank O’Connor Short Story Award has been decided by an international jury. The award at 35,000 euro is the richest prize in the world for the short story form and is given annually to an original collection of stories judged to be the best. Previous winners have included Haruki Murakami, Miranda July, Jhumpa Lahiri and Yiyun Li. The award is organised by the Munster Literature Centre with generous funding from Cork City Council. The winner will be announced in Cork on September 20th at the closing ceremony of the tenth Frank O’Connor International Short Story Festival which is the oldest annual short story festival in the world.

The Absence by Bill Hussey

The Absence

Joe Nightingale is a young man haunted by the car accident which killed his mother. It was an accident, but he was the one driving, and he watched his mother die before him. Bobby Nightingale is racked by guilt when he turns his back on a friend, who goes on to commit suicide. He’s also battling a drug addiction, and a rather nasty pusher. Richard Nightingale is their father, the one person who should helping them both.. but Richard is an alcoholic, tormented by his own problems.

Hence the stage is set for Bill’s second book, The Absence. There are many layers of horror laid out here for the reader in this one. The family discover that they have inherited a mill house, and the reader is quickly shown some of it’s history, which makes for some rather gruesome and gory scenes.

It is this ‘over-description’ which has put me off reading most horror books during recent years, so I was glad to find that the book doesn’t depend on them. There is just enough to please most fans of the genre, but Bill also offers so much more. He draws on existing  folk lore, and twists it into the tale, making it into something much more.

Of course, the horror in the book extends to the individuals within the family, and their battles to deal with their own issues, and with each other. None are particularly likeable, although Joe is the easiest to understand, but that doesn’t stop you being involved. I was just as interested in the resolutions to their problems as I was in the dealings with the horror aspects.

The only thing I wasn’t sure about was the Epilogue – for those of you who have read, without giving anything away, do you think it was needed?

Overall, this is a book which has more depth to it than some other horror writers manage. I hope to pick up Bill’s earlier book, Through a Glass, Darkly, as well as any future offerings.

Published by Bloody Books Apr 09
paperback £7.99

The Silver Eagle by Ben Kane

The Silver Eagle

The Silver Eagle is the 2nd book in The Forgotten Legion Chronicles, which started with The Forgotten Legion. This initial book spends a lot of time introducing the main characters, and weaving together their lives, whilst at the same time describing everyday life for the different classes at the time.

For me, the strength of The Forgotten Legion was within the characters and their lives, and so I was keen to see where they would go next. It can often be difficult when picking up the second book in a series – I want to be reminded of the storylines which have gone before, but I don’t want too much time wasted on this. In this book, Ben Kane seems to get this just right – my memory was nudged just enough.

In the previous books, there are quite a few descriptions of fighting. This continues in The Silver Eagle, but the emphasis is more on the politics, and the war as a whole, rather than individual battles. The various characters continue their journeys, both physical and personal, and it continues to be a series which keeps your attention.

I have to admit that I was a little disappointed with the increasing mystical powers of various characters. Tarquinus is a soothsayer, and so his abilities suit him, but it was not something I expected to see in other characters. I do hope that this isn’t relied on too much in the 3rd book.

I understand that this is to be a trilogy, which I believe will feel about right.. I fear it could weaken from being a long series. As it stands, I am very much looking forward to the final part of this chronicle.

Published by Preface June 09
Hardback £12.99

Pictures of You by Jane Elmor

Pictures of You tells the story of three different women, two with an obvious link, and one that doesn’t fit until the final few pages.

The book actually starts with a mysterious prologue that makes little sense at this point, but which is referred back at the end. We are then introduced to Luna, in 2003, strangely enough having sex in a cupboard, during her father’s funeral! It does sound a little odd, but it does start to make sense as the book progresses.

Luna lives in London with her boyfriend, and they are both artists. They have always been happy, until Luna attends the funeral of her estranged father. It stirs a yearning to find out more, about her past and her family, and also about her future. Through some photos that her father took when younger, she starts to wonder more about the life her mother led when younger.

We are then taken back to 1970, where we learn about Angie’s past – Angie being Luna’s mother. These chapters are cleverly interspaced, exposing Luna’s incorrect assumptions about her mother and her past, and what actually happened. Angie’s story tells a fascinating tale of life in a commune, and a changing view of the world.

Between these two stories is the tale of Nat, a teenage mum living in the 90s. There appears to be no connection with the other two women, and it gives a bleak and frightening insight into her life.

Luna and Angie’s stories slowly come together, as they both take their very separate journeys. The older Angie becomes more interesting as you discover what she has been through, and Luna shows that not everything is black and white.

Towards the end we discover Nat’s link into the overall story. It does feel a little out of place, but her story does add to the book – I think views will be divided on that aspect.

Overall, this is a rather clever book, as the stories come together. It can be confusing at the beginning, and the content, especially during Angie’s stay at the commune, may not suit everyone. It has, however, stayed with me, and I am now  interested in the author’s previous books. It’s one you may just have to try for yourself.

Pictures of You is published by panmacmillan 3/7/09 £7.99