Happy Hour in Hell and Russian Roulette

   This one's going to be brief, folks. I've got a new job in a lovely bookshop where I am the new victim staff member presiding over the children's and young adult (YA) sections. I joke, of course. You may have gathered that I love children's and YA literature from previous posts here, here, here, here, here... You get the idea. I'm finding reading time, and reviewing time, to be rare commodities these days. Anyway, I have been doing some appropriate reading - the brand new Alex Rider prequel, 'Russian Roulette', and my current read, 'Tinder' by Sally Gardner, due November 7th (more about that one closer to the time!). 

   'Russian Roulette' tells the story of the origins of the sinister assassin Yassen Gregorovich, a recurring foe of Alex Rider's throughout the series. The story unfolds as Yassen reads through his diary - one of his most prized possessions - as he prepares for his opportunity to kill Alex. The diary recounts his childhood in a small industrial town 600 miles from Moscow. His parents work in the local chemical plant, and young Yasha passes time either in school or playing with his friends. One day, soon after hearing some loud and strange noises from the direction of the chemical factory, Yasha's parents arrive home unexpectedly in a strange car. They confess to Yasha that, rather than manufacturing detergents or pharmaceuticals, they have been involved in highly classified government research into chemical weapons. An accident at the plant has resulted in the release of the strain of anthrax on which they were working into the air. Yasha's parents have stolen a dose of the antidote, broken out of the factory, and made their way home in a stolen car to give Yasha the antidote and tell him to run. So begins a terrifying journey to Moscow, where he knows nobody, and sets him on his path towards working for SCORPIA, one of the most infamous criminal organisations in the world, which is where we have seen him throughout the Alex Rider series. 

    'Russian Roulette' is a thrilling and cleverly-plotted exploration of the making of a ruthless assassin. Yasha (who becomes Yassen through being too scared to correct someone), begins the novel as an immensely sympathetic character, having just lost both his parents. It's fascinating to see how far this sympathy takes us along his journey towards becoming that killer (I never completely lost it, and I'm certain a re-read of any of the Alex Rider series in which he appears would now be a vastly different experience to my first reading), and to notice how rational, sensitive, intelligent, and sensible he seems. Yassen was always one of the most interesting characters in the Alex Rider series, and the series' many fans will be queuing up to read this extra excellent installment. 

   The other book I've read this week is the forthcoming second installment in Tad Williams' new urban fantasy series featuring angel Bobby Dollar - 'Happy Hour in Hell'. My thoughts on the first in the series, 'The Dark Streets of Heaven', are here. In case any of you haven't yet read that first book, I'll be as spoiler-free as possible here. Bobby Dollar is an angelic advocate, speaking on behalf of the souls of the recently deceased and arguing for their admission into Heaven, a duty in which he daily comes up against a Hellish counterpart. For this second book, suffice it to say that, for reasons you will have to read 'Dirty Streets' to understand, Bobby Dollar spends a lot of time in Hell. 

   Hell turns out to be, as you might have expected, a pretty horrible place. Williams describes dozens of levels, each uniquely disturbing and disgusting. In one area, 'many of the brackish ponds... were surrounded by the bodies of the damned, purple and bloated but still twitching. Poison didn't kill you in Hell, it just made you suffer and suffer and suffer.' This horror continues throughout most of the novel, with awful demons, payments in blood, slavery, mutation, and torture. It's all so unrelenting that it makes Bobby start to really doubt the justice of the whole system. Whatever horrible things some of these beings did in life, surely it couldn't justify eternity in pain. A couple of hundred years maybe, but eternity? Anyway, as Bobby is having his qualms, so was I - reading through this litany of horror became more of a means to an end (finding out what happens to the character) than a pleasure in itself. It's undeniably well-written and, in a strange way, entertaining, but just really not something I enjoyed reading. I'll certainly be more careful to judge the tastes of a reader before recommending this one, but for anyone who's ok with gruesome horror, this would be a great read!

  

Angelmaker

   This week I've read three excellent novels: 'Angelmaker' by Nick Harkaway, 'The Carpet People' by Terry Pratchett, and 'The

Quercus, £6.99

Dragons of Ordinary Farm' by Tad Williams and Deborah Beale.
   'The Dragons of Ordinary Farm' is a really fun fantasy adventure, suitable for ages ten and up. The story opens as siblings Tyler and Lucinda are sent away to their Uncle Gideon's farm for the summer. They've never met him, but are dubious about the possibilities for fun for two urban kids in such a rural setting. Of course, they soon discover that things are not all as they seem at the farm as dragons, a flying monkey, and a herd of unicorns are joined by some very mysterious farm workers. There's a brilliant plot point which promises so many possibilities for many more great adventures to follow. I can't wait to pass this one on to my young sister!
   At the moment, I'm keeping my eye out for the second novel in the series 'The Secrets of Ordinary Farm', and one of the co-authors, Deborah Beale (wife of fantasy writer Tad Williams, the other author) tells me: "Soon I will be putting my head back into the world of Ordinary Farm, and I'll be there for an extended period of time." I'm glad to hear it, because I'm looking forward to further adventures there!

Random House Children's, £6.99

   A few weeks ago I picked up a novel from my 'Books About Tiny People' list, and it was also a major item ticked off another list - the first time I've ever read Terry Pratchett! I know, I know.. How can I call myself a fantasy fan when I've never read any of his many novels (especially since my cousins have loads, so I wouldn't even have to pay for them) - anyway it's a pleasure I've finally experienced. Pratchett wrote 'The Carpet People' while still in his teens, and it was first published in 1971 when he was 23. He has since re-written it, and it was re-released in 1992. It's suitable for ages eight and up.
   'The Carpet People' describes the adventures of a tribe called the Munrungs as they voyage across their world, the carpet, after their village is destroyed by a mysterious force known as Fray. My favourite aspect of books about Tiny People - recognising everyday objects as they are described from the perspective of someone millimetres tall - is one of the aspects of this novel which I found the most fun. The only source of metal in the world of the carpet is a mysterious round plateau, which fell from the sky in the distant past. Explorers have reported that the letters 'ON EPEN NY' are inscribed around the plateau. The Munrungs mission takes them to the big cities of the carpet, they meet many fascinating characters, and they get wrapped up in a leadership battle. It's a really fun adventure, a definite recommendation for any fantasy fan. 
   I've been dragging my feet when it comes to reviewing 'Angelmaker' - Nick Harkaway's brilliant second novel. It presents a couple of

Cornerstone, £7.99

problems for me: first, I listened to it as an audiobook rather than reading a conventional paperback; second, it is just defying any description in my mind. Just to be clear: unlike my other two reviews above, this one is definitely for grown-ups! Here's the blurb:
  
  "Joe Spork, son of the infamous criminal Mathew 'Tommy Gun' Spork, just wants a quiet life, repairing clockwork in a wet, unknown bit of London. Edie Banister, former superspy, lives quietly and wishes she didn't. She's nearly ninety and the things she fought to save don't seem to exist anymore. She's beginning to wonder if they ever did"
  
   'Angelmaker' is a riotous whirlwind of a story, with old-fashioned London gangsters, a clockwork doomsday device, hooded monks, an ancient brotherhood of undertakers (the Waiting Men), colonial espionage, and a pet bulldog with one tooth and two glass eyes. Joshua Joseph Spork is an intriguingly unlikely hero for such a sprawling end-of-the-world scenario, and his journey (and his decisions later in the novel) are vastly satisfying. He is accompanied on his adventures by a host of supporting characters with fantastical names: Billy Friend, Rodney Titwhistle, Mercer Cradle, and an eastern supervillain called Shem-Shem Tsien. An intricate clockwork doomsday device called the 'Apprehension Engine' is accidentally set off by Joe, and the consequent threat to the future of life on Earth starts him on a perilous journey overrun by these, and many other manic characters. How much more terrifying is this clockwork device, which demands enormous skill to alter or stop, than a humdrum modern digital-age bomb with an on-off switch. I also wouldn't recommend that you read about the Brotherhood of Waiting Men's final test for membership while you're waiting for your dinner. 

Harkaway with his Red Tentacle. Photo: Sarah McIntyre

   'Angelmaker' has been understandably very well-received, and has won a number of awards and accolades to date. On April 8th it was announced as being shortlisted for this year's Arthur C. Clarke award, one of the most prestigious in the science-fiction/fantasy community. It won the 'Red Tentacle' award for Best Novel in February at the Kitschies, awards held to honour speculative fiction which is 'intelligent, progressive, and entertaining'. It was named as one of the Wall Street Journal's Best Mysteries of 2012, and one of The Guardian's Best Science Fiction of 2012. 
 The problem with listening to something like this as an audiobook (for me) is that it makes it so much more of an ordeal to pause every time a particularly juicy quote, funny phrase, or brilliant character shows up. I've been listening to bits again to try to recapture some of these moments. It's even more amazing second time around.

Recent Reading

   Let me tell you about a few other books I've read recently. I've decided I'd rather tell you a bit about a lot of books than either get stressed about being so late with proper reviews or just not writing about them at all.

Hodder & Stoughton, £18.99

   I had never read any Tad Williams until a few weeks ago. I realise this is a ridiculous state of affairs for someone who identifies as a fantasy fan, but there you go. I had the very lucky chance to read an advance digital edition of his newest book 'The Dirty Streets of Heaven' and really enjoyed it. Bobby Dollar is an angel who's putting in his time on Earth trying to get the souls of the departed into Heaven. He's a very small part of a huge bureaucratic machine, operating his little beat in California, having little idea who his ultimate boss is or what the point of the whole thing is. He's an intriguing character - a heavenly being who enjoys his booze, fast cars, and is fascinated by a sexy demonic opponent. His story is a cool cross between classic crime noir and modern urban fantasy - a winning mix, it would seem!

Penguin, £5.99

   I finally read a book I'd been meaning to read for a long time - 'The Moonstone' by Wilkie Collins. I got the gorgeous new Penguin English Library edition - if you haven't seen these, they really are beautifully designed, and the inside print has been redone, which is often a quibble of mine when the classics are rejacketed. An image which frequently popped into my head as I was reading was of Agatha Christie reading the book and thinking "I could do this, and probably in a quarter of the space". Which is to some extent a criticism, but I did enjoy the read. Collins' characters are exceptionally well-drawn, from Betteredge the epitome of a perfect servant to Miss Clack, an infuriating evangelist. Ill-fated couple Rachel Verinder and Franklin Blake are divided when a magnificent Indian diamond (the Moonstone) is stolen on her birthday. What is the meaning of the rumour of a curse on the diamond? Who were the mysterious Indian jugglers seen near the house on the night in question? What part do the sinister 'shivering sands' play? It was the original detective mystery, so if you're a fan of that genre, off you go!

Vintage, £16.99

   I haven't been reading much non-fiction lately, but one unusual book I found really piqued my interest - Frank Westerman's 'Brother Mendel's Perfect Horse'. This is a fascinating discussion of the 20th century history of the Lipizzaner horse in the context of world wars, upheaval all over Europe, and in particular a general obsession (brought to its height by Hitler and other prominent Nazis) with race and purity. "For a Lipizzaner to be recognised as such, Austria applies a set of obligatory physical standards... Inadvertently, these... resemble the Nazis 'Aryan tables'." Westerman explores the movement of Lipizzaners all over the continent, as scientists struggled towards a perfect horse, discusses the rise and fall of opposing trains of thought on genetics, and all in a very accessible, personal but objective, journalistic style. If you're at all interested in the social history of the last century on the continent, or indeed a fan of the Spanish Riding School in Vienna, this book is a great new perspective - a mix of history, science, travel writing, and memoir... and a great read. 
   What's next on my pile? Well, depending on mood and opportunity, I'll be tackling Mary Elizabeth Braddon's 'Lady Audley's Secret', Philip Reeve's 'Mothstorm' and 'Mortal Engines', James Smythe's 'The Explorer', Alexandre Dumas' 'The Queen's Necklace', H.G. Wells' 'The War of the Worlds', Mette Jakobsen's 'The Vanishing Act', Laurence O' Bryan's 'The Istanbul Puzzle', and Silvana De Mari's 'The Last Elf'. And that's just to start with!