Publisher: Gollancz Pages: 392 Format: Paperback Rating: Fantasy genre and magic often go along, almost hand in hand. I think there can be two kinds of fantasy writings; the first involves knights and dragons, witches and princesses, medieval setting and fantastic living beings – the astonishing world Tolkien created in “The Lord of the Rings” is the best example.
The second typology recalls the amazing adventures of clever and gifted young magicians who attended famous wizardry schools – J.K. Rowling, obviously, but I can’t help to mention Ursula LeGuin (Earthsea series) and Eoin Colfer (Artemis Fowler series). It’s unlikely that, when we think about fantasy and magic, detective stories pop out of our mind. Magical powers and crime are not such an obvious connection, although magic may get something in illegal ways. Ben Aaronovitch, instead, thought these things might have something in common and masterly created Peter Grant series. “Rivers of London” is the first book of his urban fantasy series, focused on the supernatural adventures of the junior detective Peter Grant. After finding out he can do magic – actual magic – he joins a special police unit which deals with unusual cases. The department is run by Thomas Nightingale, inspector and, obviously, wizard. London. Junior constables Peter Grant ad Lesley May are patrolling Covent Garden. When Officer May decides to get some drinks for them, Peter meets a strange character, Nicholas Walpenny. The sudden disappearance of Walpenny as soon as Lesley gets back baffles Peter, but a police officer is used to strange encounters. After the finding of a dead body whose face fell off, Peter sees Walpenny again, but this time his appearance is on a CCTV footage. Grant has now to find this man as he supposed to be a key witness of the murder. Instantly, Peter realises he has to deal with a supernatural creature. The force assigns him to the Special Operation Unit. The SOU is a special unit designed for supernatural investigations, and it is run by Inspector Thomas Nightingale. Commander Nightingale is also a wizard – Peter apprehends that magic is real – and offers to teach the detective the magical art. Grant accepts and gets moved to the Folly – the HQ of the unit – in which the commander lives with Molly, a peculiar housemaid. Crime and magic together deliver Peter Grant. The detective initially is shocked – magic is an authentic thing as well as magical creatures. Magic is also a special gift, and Grant has it. Although the abilities, Peter has an incredible talent to put himself in trouble – endless are the situations in which he could just bite his tongue and be silent instead of angering Gods and Goddesses of London’s rivers. During these inconveniences, Peter has always to sort things out, and he meets Beverly Brook, daughter of Mama Thames - since the first encounter, it has been hinted that she may be more than a mere friend. The world in which Peter plunges is tricky and dangerous; rituals, traditions, and hierarchies have to be respected and followed, and, if somebody doesn’t strictly mind them, undesirable things may certainly happen. Aaronovitch combines the crime story and magical element with a good amount of sarcasm and humour, rendering dramatic situations extremely hilarious. The surreal situations Peter gets into are so well-elaborated and structured that they nearly seem normality, and the good-humoured narration often brings the reader to personify Peter and sympathise with. Twists are cleverly constructed and systematically stupefy the readers. “Rivers of London” is the explosive and intriguing beginning of the Urban Fantasy series that gained and has been gaining many fans around the fantasy-passionate world.
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Publisher: Del Rey Pages: 513 Format: Epub Rating: The adventures of Evelina Cooper return with a huge load of unexpected surprises. The sequel Emma Jane Holloway elaborated gets richer and richer of details, suspense, and unpredictable twists page after page. This time, Evelina has difficult and sentimentally painful decisions to make and, for her and her uncle Sherlock Holmes safety, her worse enemies become her best allies.
Months have gone by after the events that led to Dr Symeon Magnus’s death. Evelina has been living with her uncle since, and Nick, her friend from the circus, has become a pirate. Tobias Bancroft, the man Evelina has loved and still loves, is about to marry Alice Keating, daughter of the Gold King, one of the most powerful and dangerous Steam Barons - a planned wedding to stabilise the financial situation of the Bancroft’s family. When a letter from Imogen anxiously asks Evelina whether she will take part at the party for Tobias’s wedding, she struggles; her instinct wants her to go, but her feelings for the man are still too hurt to meet Tobias face to face. Willing to help Sherlock Holmes to find out who tried to kill him, Evelina agrees to go to Bancroft’s countryside residence and stealthily gather information for him. Things don’t exactly go as he planned, and, at the first opportunity Evelina meets the young Bancroft, a furtive kiss betray them. Caught, Evelina has to deal with Lord Bancroft’s fury. The Steam Baron knows who wants Holmes dead, but, to help Evelina, he wants her to cooperate in his rise to power. Evelina moves to East London, following Lord Bancroft’s orders, and finds out that Dr Magnus surprisingly is still alive. Her mission and the safety of her uncle Sherlock are fundamental, but the temptation to improve her magic knowledge by Magnus’s teachings is even more tempting. The alliance is only temporary, but necessary to discover who wants to get rid of Uncle Holmes. The second novel of the Baskerville Affair series is a pleasant story with a gripping plot and unexpected events. Contrary to the first book, Evelina partially loses her usual rationality; she is tormented – Tobias’s wedding and Uncle Sherlock safety – and this huge trouble seems to bring her to the edge of irrational instinct. Nick is the perfect partner-in-crime; driven by the deep sentiment he still feels for Evelina, his help often soothes the girl’s anxiety and guides her in the right – or what it looks like – direction. Despite the problems and agitation for the mission, Evelina is still a strong woman, a girl who has no fears, but has a huge moral strength. Despite shocked by Dr Magnus’s fake death, she rapidly decides that collaborating with her enemy might be dangerous, but definitely necessary to find out the truth. This alliance is temporary and learning about Black Magic is a risk Evelina is more than willing to take for saving the people she loves. Greatly planned and formidably narrated, the story is entertaining and runs smoothly. Holloway has unravelled some details and cleverly prepared the readers for the last part of the intriguing Baskerville Affair series. Publisher: Esquire Pages: 62 Format: Epub Rating: When two brilliant writers join their incredible genius and creativity, the outcome cannot be anything else than a terrifying and superb work. Stephen King and Joe Hill’s novella “In the tall grass” undoubtedly shows what this union of brilliant novelists can produce.
The atmosphere is as dark and psychotic as a horror story has to be, and the principal characters are perfectly designed. Cal and Beck are siblings – their relationship is very solid. Despite the strength of their brotherhood, Beck is pregnant, and she has never told her brother who fathered the child. During their journey towards Kansas, they hear a voice coming from a field of green grass. Initially, the siblings can’t realise where the cry comes from, but, when they hear the voice of a child asking for help again, Cal pulls off the car, and they enter the field to rescue the kid. Cal and Beck soon find out that something is not right in that place; the mission to retrieve the crying child turns out to be a struggle to maintain themselves physically safe and mentally sane. The troubled lives and psychological conditions of the protagonists are the central feature in the entire novella. Protecting his sister literally obsesses Cal – this obsession comes out in the field where Cal’s absolute task is to save Beck. Beck appears to be stronger than her brother, but her strength is only a thin mask; Beck gets worried and worried about her pregnancy – obviously – but she’s also feeling guilty, because she has never disclosed her brother who got her pregnant. The feeling of guilty slowly erodes Beck’s mental stability, leading her straight to the edge of insanity. The novella is enjoyable and, at the same time, scary. Perhaps, the brevity of the novella leaves the readers with a few unanswered questions – for example, we don’t know the origin of this horrific field and why it attracts passers-by, bringing up their hidden doubts and fears. It’s undeniable that the unanswered questions are a huge stimulus to push the reader to imagine and create their own explanation about this little frightening place. Publisher: Orbit Pages: 374 Format: Epub Rating: The second book of Wormwood trilogy is another amazing journey in that surprising Nigerian future that Tade Thompson has been able to create. “Rosewater,” the first novel, had gained numerous praises and astonishing reviews, and the author got awarded with the prestigious Arthur C. Clarke Award 2019. After the celebrations for the deserved success, Rosewater’s world is, once again, under our attention.
Subsequently the situation Kaaro went through, the S45, a national agency dealing with security matters, decided to let him rest for a while. Rosewater is going through a lot of changes; the alien entity is slowly fading and in need of a new host. When the alien finds in Alysia, Amirat – an S45 agent and Kaaro’s girlfriend – has the task to discover where she is, and the true intention of the entity. In the meantime, Jean Jacque, Mayor of the city, survives a terrorist attack and declares Rosewater independent from the central government. A new era of cooperation between the alien and the city is finally about to begin. Perhaps this new coexistence is actually not the beginning of a new era, but the beginning of a terrible and unexpected end. The novel is an exciting mix of alien conspiracy, sensitive intervention, political intrigue, cunning protagonists, and surprising twists. Tade Thompson is unstoppable; if, in the first book, we learnt that the alien invader established a telepathic relation with some people and then got rid of them, saving only Kaaro, now we learn that the real purpose of the entity is something else, more subtle, more hidden, more – so far – unclear. “The Rosewater Insurrection” just creates the perfect scenario to intrigue the readers; many things still remain without answers. Kaaro appears in the end of the novel, and his appearance is fundamental to the accomplishment of S45’s mission. What we don’t know – and we will be waiting for – is what the alien’s purpose is and what Kaaro really has to do with it. Publisher: Chicken House Pages: 371 Format: Paperback Rating: In the last years, the dystopian genre has been popular. A quiet good deal of authors have successfully taken this path, creating very enthralling stories – for example, Suzanne Collins with her “Hunger Games”. Quite satisfied by the developments of these novels, I decided to take in another quiet known novel, and James Dashner’s “The maze runner” was exactly what it had interested me.
Thomas wakes up in the Glades – a huge clearing. He doesn’t remember how he got there; he doesn’t remember his name. He doesn’t even remember his past. A community of guys lives in the glade, and, soon, Thomas befriends with Chuck who explains how the life works in that place. The Glade is the centre of a vast labyrinth which the community has tried to escape from for almost two years. None of them has any memory regarding their past and know how they ended up there. Everybody has a role in this group, and the most important members are the Maze Runners who regularly go to explore the intricate labyrinth to find out an exit. Thomas feels he could be very helpful in accomplishing this task if terrible nightmares and incomprehensible flash back wouldn’t torture him. When a girl appears in the glade, the balance of the community drastically changes. Every member reckons that something is quickly changing, and Thomas figures out he is part of the change. The novel has definitely brilliant ideas, and it turns to be quite entertaining and gripping, although the development in some parts was pretty slow. Cleverly, Dashner unravels Thomas’s past in small bites, creating an engaging atmosphere that hypes up the reader until the conclusion. Despite the hyping up, unfortunately the story hints too predictably that the primary character is our hero; Thomas is clearly the chosen one to sort the situation out. Along with the predictability of the plot, the structure shows a few repetitive elements that work at the beginning, but then they do nothing else than make the narration monotonous – the unexpected revelations regarding Thomas’s past are regularly part of the end of every single chapter; as I said, this strategy may work at the beginning but then it becomes too much redundant. The first book of the Maze Runner series, however, is an entertaining novel which deserves to be given a go. Although I wasn’t able to immerse in the full atmosphere of this dystopian world, I’ll be soon going for the remaining two titles to see if Dashner’s world thrills me more. Publisher: Simon & Schuster Pages: 448 Format: Epub Rating: Joe Goldberg, the apparently shy and introvert bookseller from New York, comes back once again. Despite his quiet and sweet appearance, the charming psycho – the brilliant mind of Caroline Kepnes created – can’t help of bringing up his real possessive and obsessive behaviour. He may have learnt from his past and his mistakes, but, in the name of love – in Joe’s definition of the sentiment – the bookseller is prepared to do what he thinks it’s necessary to conquer the woman whom he is interested in.
Weeks have gone by since Joe murdered Beck. The police are investigating, making no considerable progress. Joe can’t be bothered to follow their job as he’s enjoying his time with Amy, his new girlfriend. Things are going great, and happiness has never been so enjoyable for Joe, but all the splendid things eventually end. Amy disappears with some precious books. Rage invades Joe who quickly reckons Amy – who her hugest desire was to become an actress – may have headed to only a city: Los Angeles. The bookseller desires revenge. So, he swears to kill Amy once he finds her, but the euphoric and can-do-attitude of the Californian city influences Joe. He unexpectedly falls in love for Love – what a coincidence – and starts a fresh life. The new Joe is sweet, lovely, and less jealous than before. But everything doesn’t go as simply and smoothly as Joe predicted. An unpleasant opponent suddenly comes out, ruining all the good he had done. The challenge is on, and Joe knows that winning the challenge requires any possible means. Killing is one. Kepnes’s second book is another shocking and thrilling journey into Joe’s psychotic mind; his obsession for the person whom he allegedly loves brings him to commit terrible actions and obnoxious cheating. He is never wrong; any reaction he has is always caused by an action which was meant against him. Joe always justifies, although what he does is definitely unorthodox. The style of the novel is gripping and runs smoothly, while the unpredictable turns of events that torment the main character entertain and keep the reader focused on the story until the last page. “Hidden bodies” is an amazing second part of the Joe Goldberg’s series. Publisher: Otbebopublishing Pages: 100 Format: Epub Rating: There are endless ways an author gets inspired by; the view of something weird during the commute to the office or meeting an unusual person on the train. The inspiration can unexpectedly hit you while you’re going shopping. Every episode of our life can be turned into a story.
Aldous Huxley got inspired by an article and turned it into a book – “The doors of perception”. The famous author of “New Brave World” had read many papers on the use of a powerful hallucinogen – mescaline – and, after having perused the academic article written by the British psychiatric Humphrey Osmond about the possibility of treating schizophrenia by using this substance, he experimented the effects on himself. On Sunday 3rd of May, under the strict control of Dr Osmond and Marie, Huxley’s wife, the author took four-tenths of a gram of mescaline. The drug’s effect slowly started, distorting and changing the perception of time and reality of the writer. The experiment became a deep and intense metaphysic experience that allowed Huxley to feel the “real essence” of things and pondering on the real meaning of life. The book which Huxley wrote listening to the record of his unrealistic dialogues with the doctor and Marie, reproduces faithfully his extreme sensations – they also brought Huxley to think about the sense of the material world, religion, and aspects of our existence. The book is quite short – roughly sixty pages – but it contains a profound and clear analysis of human beings, nature and reality surrounding us, and the necessity of sometimes stopping and pondering the intrinsic qualities of what is around us. Publisher: Titan Books Pages: 322 Format: Epub Rating: The clash between extra-terrestrial species and humanity has always been a usual theme in sci-fi literature as it’s quite fascinating to imagine the two civilisations’ reactions and their unpredictable outcomes.
Fiction writers usually portray the visitors as bad invaders whose only purpose is to annihilate human beings. Humans become victims and, in the end, winners of the terrible conflict. “The Predator” series goes far beyond this stereotype; the alien invader does hunt human beings, but it’s not either for subduing humanity or possessing their resources, it’s for the mere hunting spirit. Predator is a hunter, and, like every hunter, it chases his prey: people. The more difficult they are to capture, the funnier the game is. Reapers are special-trained, hyper-technological, and super-specialised soldiers whose purpose is to trace a ferocious and lethal alien species. Authorities created the squad after the first appearance of the extra-terrestrial beings, and they have been dealing with them emergency since. Although their dangerous and secret work, when some politicians start wondering if it’s worth to continue financing this expensive project, the military command gets involved in a political clash. During this political diatribe, a Predator suddenly appears in Florida. The Reapers get called to action; a thrilling and bloody hunt starts, leaving the survival of humanity into Reapers’ hands. James A. Moore’s work is an unstoppable run against time; the plot engages the readers and grabs their attention. The style mixes detailed action scenes with cruel descriptions and unexpected twists. Political intrigues are never predictable, and the author develops the story smoothly, without ever making it boring or too slow. This chapter of the novelisation of one of the most famous aliens in the cinematographic world deserves a very positive mark; the story satisfies the requests of the most hard-core fan and the curiosity of the readers who comes across Predator for the first time. Publisher: Crown Pages: 342 Format: Epub Rating: During the entire span of our life, we always have to choose what we want to do; any singular small decision influences what we are and, especially, what we are becoming. We sometimes can change our choices and start over again, but, in the hugest number of situations, the substitution is pretty difficult, if not impossible. In this novel, Blake Crouch takes us to the “what if” world – or, I should say, the endless parallel dimensions we may create when we follow a determinate path. This “what if” comes back to bite Jason, the protagonist, and forces him to travel through these different worlds to retrieve his life and his family.
Jason Dessen is a physicist happily married to Daniela and father of Charlie, a lively fifteen-year-old teenager. Daniela and Jason, in the past, renounced their successful careers – the first as an artist, the second as a researcher in atomic quantum physics – to form their family. One evening, Jason goes out to celebrate the academic success of Ryan, his previous university mate. On his way back home, Jason gets kidnapped and, subsequently, he wakes up in a scientific laboratory in Chicago. This is not his world and, Chicago doesn’t even look like the city he has lived for decades. Soon Jason finds out that his dimensional alter-ego didn’t give his physics career and built a special box – a sort of Schrodinger’s box – which allows travelling through different dimensions. Jason escapes the scientific laboratory, starting his long journey, dimension by dimension, to catch his alter-ego and repossess his own life. The novel is very entertaining and fast-paced; the richness of twists and unexpected events keep readers’ attention focused on the unpredictability of Jason’s choices. Anytime he steps out of the box, the protagonist doesn’t know what he would deal with and which sort of reality he would pick up. Every jump into the parallel world is a jump in the dark, Jason doesn’t know whether that world is the world he got kidnapped from or it is only a version of what it might have been. The story brings the reader to think about the significance of choosing and the importance of the consequences; deciding determines consequences which we are responsible for. The responsibility for who we are and what we become is totally on our shoulders. Blake Crouch’s novel perfectly incarnates the essence of life as a continuous winding path from one decision to another decision which we don’t know – and we can predict – the possible output of. Publisher: Head of Zeus Pages: 352 Format: Paperback Rating: Adrian Tchaikovsky created another delightful, astonishing, and cleverly entertaining novel. Rex – the main character – is a seven-foot-tall genetically engineered dog, used for military purposes. He obeys orders, but he shortly starts questioning them as often they don’t seem to be the correct thing to do. His Master carries on saying Rex is a good dog, but, although Rex is happy for the appreciation, something has begun changing in his mind.
Mexico. Rex is a soldier involved in a dirty and cruel war – as any soldier, he receives and obeys orders without questioning or complaining – and he is the leader of his squad, composed of Honey (a huge bear), Dragon (a snake), and Bees (a multi-form entity formed by bees). They’re all Bioform – genetically modified animals used for military tasks. When something unexpectedly goes wrong and Rex loses contact with his Master, they find themselves free of taking the decisions they feel correct. The existence without somebody telling them what to do turns to be more difficult and intricate than what they expected. Rex has to learn what it is right and what it is wrong by himself, and, at the same time, they struggle to integrate in human society. The intensity of the novel and catching style of the writing quickly drag the readers into the main characters’ dilemma – what it is right and what it is wrong. The path towards developing their own consciousness is difficult and uneven – the Master comes back, trying to impose his will over Rex, who is more and more baffled and confused. Rex’s mind independence evolves and puts the dog before actions to take and consequences to deal with. Rex’s development is the only way for him to survive in a world he doesn’t know, and he’s not used to. Tchaikovsky provides an astounding story in which the mental state of the main characters is deeply examined and unravelled. Rex so becomes an example of maturity and independence from an owner who selfishly used him as a tool to accomplish his desires. “Dogs of War” is a masterpiece, celebrating autonomous will and struggle for freedom. |
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