Werewolves written by Paul Jessup illustrated by Allyson Haller pub:Chronicle Books
Werewolves is presented as an illustrated journal written by Alice Carr and started after she and her brother are attacked by a pack of wild dogs. Then the changes start. It's a slightly Blair Witchy premise in that the journal was found by hikers along with some of Alice's possesions but no sign of Alice was found.
The first thing you notice is how utterly gorgeous the simple illustrations are. Doodles of people, random colourful scribblings, the sorts of thing someone might well sketch in their journal. Seriously, how utterly beautiful are these!! The journal entries themselves have the right feel. Sometimes Alice is focussed, needing to record certain facts, sometimes more general distracted ramblings and Alice thinks things thorugh to herself.
They build up the story as well as giving us a sense of the main characters without losing the sense of personal scribblings. It's effective and nicely done, the art and writing complimenting each other beautifully to build an extremely enjoyable experience.
Alice struggles to separate fact from fiction as she tries to understand what she is becoming, she is also faced with trying to uncover who is telling the truth when the hunters tell her a different story from the one she gets from Thomas.
A quick read and a joy for werewolf fans, I shall revisit this one when I need quick fur and fangs fix.
A confession: despite being only 600 or so pages, it took me almost a month to finish Vernor Vinge's Hugo winning novel A Fire Upon the Deep. Now some of this I attribute to my short attention span, another part (as is usual) is due to family and work obligations, and a larger part than normal stems from outside media influences, specifically Starcraft II and a TBR comic pile so high it's not only toppling, but grinning maniacally as it sways back and forth.
But if I'm going to come to the truth of it, if I'm going to be honest with myself and you, the Un:Bound audience, the fact of the matter is there are just some books that, no matter how hard you try, refuse to be read quickly, no matter how much you enjoy it. Sometimes the reason can like in a plethora of ideas and concepts that force you to take your time, other times the fault can lie in byzantine plots and motivations that keep you sweeping back and forth, folding so many corners of pages it looks more like a textbook than something you're reading for pleasure.
A Fire Upon the Deep sits squarely in the former camp, examining space as zones of Thought, where technology rises or fails depending on where you are in the universe. Civilizations reach up and out from their position in the Beyond to the Transcend in the hopes of acquiring new and amazing technologies they may not be prepared for, and the result can sometimes be the creation of a new Power, whose motivations, like it's technology, cannot always be comprehended. The novel tells the story of one Power called the Blight, intent on total control of the universe. Created by a small group of humans experimenting in the Upper Beyond which borders the Transcend, the Blight kills everyone except for one small ship that escapes with a central piece of its make-up, a Countermeasure that can end the Blight's existence. The ship crashes on a planet in the Slowness, where civilization is medieval at best, and the survivors: a young girl and her brother, are swept up in a war between opposing factions of the primary race: a type of wolves whose consciousness, instead of residing in a single individual, is housed in a pack, ranging anywhere from 4 to upwards of 8 members. As the war plays out a small band of aliens and humans who figure out about the Countermeasure, race to the lupine planet in the hope of stopping the Blight. But as they dive deeper and deeper into the Slowness, the technology they're used to becomes less and less reliable, and an army of things that may or may not be controlled by the Blight is hot on their trail...
This is your grand Space Opera, mixed with a healthy dose of hard science fiction. It took a while to get my bearings and understand how the universe operated and how technologies and the different Powers live in Vinge's architecture, but once set the novel moves at a nice pace, diving deeply into each of the major storylines and taking the time to really explore the diverse ideas encompassed in the novel. Knowing that hundreds of pages about the consciousness of the universe might put even the most steadfast SF reader to sleep, there enough action, aliens and laser cannons to maintain an exhilarating pace, even as you're learning.
A Fire Upon the Deep is the first part of what will probably be Vernor Vinge's grand opus: a prequel novel called A Deepness in the Sky also won the Hugo for Best Novel, and the sequel to A Fire Upon the Deep, The Children of the Sky, is due to be published in February 2011. Lots of ideas, lots of action...each book will probably take me a year at this rate.
Well as always it's been a busy couple of months on Un:bound, so to make sure you catch the highlights, here are some of the things that have gone up over hte last two months.
The Un:Covered posts spoofed Touched by an Alien by Gini Koch The Girl and the Detective by Chas E Blaney & J Searle Dawley Say it with Bullets by Richard Powell well worth checking out and yes I now find myself scouring bookshops for spoofable covers as much as good books.
Writers Reading has seen visits from Andrew Newbound author of Demon Strike Stephanie Burges author of A Most Improper Magick and Paul Jessup who wrote Werewolves (a journal with art style book which I shall be reviewing in September)
Events wise Keith shared his comments on the Justin Cronin Signing and the Theakstons Old Peculiar Crime Festival For our thoughts on events and a round up of other comments check out the connections page
Other articles of particular interest included new reviewer Chris Winterton's Universes in Review, pts 1, 2 and 3 covering the warhammer universes. (a full list of ravenous wednesdays, vince's posts and other articles is available on the articles page).
Cassell is the only non worker in his family, which is difficult enough but working curses is illegal so, like most workers, his family are involved with an organised crime family. His dad is dead and his mother in jail and he is trying to pass for normal and keep his secrets in a private school. When a white cat begins haunting his dreams it's no longer possible to maintain the greatest con of his life, that he is just like everybody else.
One of the best things about Holly Black as a writer is her refusal to deal in black and white, good and evil. Cassell and his family are not nice people, he's likeable definitely but he's not a moral hero. The reader is rooting for a con artist whose family do far worse than just cons and although Cassell tries to be a reasonably decent person, he never takes issue with his grandfather working death curses.
There are some wonderful personal dilemmas and strong fascinating characters. Cassell's flatmate and ex girlfriend are probably the only really pleasant people in the whole book but they are all interesting and keep you hooked.
Cassell's world is typically vivid and well imagined for Black, our world with a twist that holds easily, feels real and her plotting is as tight as ever. I love this author and I love this book.
The latest in Kelley Armstrong's Otherworld series (which started with Bitten) is another that is probably readable as a stand alone. The series is told from a number of character's POV's varying from one to three per book and moving between the main characters so we get stories from each perspective and can really get to know the characters. There are books in the series that would be difficult for newcomers as a result, but over all it has meant it's possible to dip in at any point. Certainly this book is sufficiently seperate from the rest of events that there is no need to be familiar with the rest of events to this point.
It's an excellent adventure, Savannah has her first solo case and there are murders to solve, a number of possible suspect, a twist or two and a cult leader. It's hugely entertaining, somewhat dark, Armstrong was not misplaced in Horror really, certainly more appropriate there than mixed with Paranormal Romance on the Dark Fantasy shelves.
Savannah is smart and strong and delivers what we have come to expect from her. Not one to back away from a fight and with less fixed morals than her guardians she is determined to cope with everything on her own, in spite of knowing really she needs a friend at times. There is plenty of action, well balanced with investigation and Armstrong ends by setting things up for Savannah's next novel which has a promising premise.
The werewolf novels remain my favourites of this particular series but I do enjoy the variety and they are always excellent. Also, for those with a preference for her single narrator novels, Savannah is an excellent narrator.
The Joe Pitt Case Books Already Dead, No Dominion, Half The Blood In Brooklyn, Every Last Drop, My Dead Body. By Charlie Huston Pub: Orbit
Joe Pitt is a vampire. Infected with the Vyrus (The spelling annoyed me, but if you can get over that and the lack of speech marks you're in for a treat) Joe is no longer able to go out in the sun, and requires human blood to survive. Initiated into the vampire community Joe falls in with various clans, before turning freelance private-eye and playing all the sides, which is roughly where we join him in the first book.
Falling out of favour with the largest and oldest clan (The Coalition) Joe is required to take on work in order to make things right and stay living in the manner to which he has become accustomed. Joe is asked to find the missing daughter of one of the major New York families, with ties of The Coalition. Of course nothing is as simple as it sounds.
The books mix fantasy, pulp, and noir exceedingly well. The book takes the vampire myths and runs with them. The next four in the series only expand on this. The books and densely plotted, following the Clans as they scheme against each other, each side using Joe as a pawn, as he fights for his own survival.
The books touch on kidnapping, drugs, territory disputes, new groups, secret blood factories, and civil war, mixed together with violence and love. I really want to go into it all more, but that'd ruin the fun of actually picking the books up and finding out yourself.
Much like Henry Thompson (see here) Joe Pitt is a damaged character as well as being somewhat of an arsehole, a thug, and a smartarse. And it’s not just his personality that’s a bit damaged. By the start of the fifth book in the series Joe is something of a mess, having lost, fingers, toes, a kneecap and an eye, he still keeps on ploughing (limping) on.
There is violence aplenty on all sides, as the Vampyres go to whatever lengths needed to protect their own interests. At time the brutality is almost comedic, but this is balanced against a sense of how powerful the vampyres are. Talking of comedy there is a strong line of dark humour in the book, intermingled with Joe’s self deprecating comments.
Over the course of the pentalogy we are introduced to some brilliantly realised characters. Terry Bird, the hippy leader of The Society and Hurley, his massive enforcer are two that particularly stand out, as do the Enclave, a clan of vampyres dedicated to starving themselves of blood and transcending the mortal world, before annihilating the human race. The Count stands out, as well, but only for being massively annoying (as he is meant to be as a character, not in a Jar Jar Binks sort of way) Everyone occupies some degree of grey and their are no obvious good or bad guys, which makes things all the more interesting.
One of the nicest touches is how much is left as lose ends. The books are never tidy and quite a bit is left unexplained, which is somewhat refreshing, rather than having everything explained and wrapped up with a bow.
When I finally got hold of the last book in the series I read it in a night, which is all the recommendation you should need.
Crime, horror, noir and pulp fans should be lapping this up. Along with anyone who is fed up of Twilight vampires.
The Henry Thompson Trilogy Caught Stealing, Six Bad Things, A Dangerous Man. By Charlie Huston Pub Ballantine Books
First of all, a confession. I got these books for free off Stanza, the iPod app thingmy. All perfectly legal and above boarded. I’m not sure about ebooks, and much prefer a paper copy all things being equal. I have, however, been stuck on a tractor for quite some weeks now (hence a lack of updates) and managed to work through the three books by snatching a page or two at a time. But that’s an aside, on with the review.
Henry Thompson makes the first of many mistakes when he agrees to look after his neighbour's cat. But, to be fair, what happens next isn't the cat's fault. Henry finds himself being followed by Russian mobsters, bent cops and criminal gangs. We enter the story shortly after Henry has been given a, supposedly random, beating so sever that it ruptures one of his kidneys. Further beating and torture follow, handed out on all sides as those involved scramble for possession of a key left in the cat's carry basket. Henry makes hard choices and bad decisions as he moves further and further from an already bleak world into one of death and violence. Henry transitions from victim and unwitting participant to an active and dangerous character, trying to do the right thing. As the trail of bodies begins to grow, Henry becomes a wanted man, blamed for the death of both friends and enemies alike. And that's just book one.
Let’s get this out the way. I really like Charlie Huston books. The trilogy is unabashedly hard boiled noir of the darkest sort. In Chandler someone will come trough the door with a gun. In Charlie Huston books they’re probably lying in wait for you with a shotgun to your best friends head as their mates beat down the back door. It's that kind of world. The protagonist is also going to have to take some very hard knocks during the story line. Not that they are doing well before we meet them. As already mentioned Henry has been knocked around hard enough to need surgery even before we met him. And this is only his latest problem.
The writing is fantastic, sticking to a relentless first person narrative, and letting the reading experience every punch and blow, given or received. All three books have fantastic chase sequences, whether on foot or in vehicles. There's a real sense of motion and tension. Even when Henry is lying low it is the nature of the book that it can only be so long before something goes wrong. There’s a vein of pitch black humour, which made me laugh once or twice, but didn’t interfere with the tension and menace the books build.
Violence is delta with well. There's a sense of horror mixed with an almost practical view on the situation. This ties in nicely to Henry’s hardening to the situation as he become more desperate, and jaded.
Henry is a man beset by addictions. In Caught Stealing it’s booze, a problem exasperated by having only one kidney. In book two it’s cigarettes, as part of a doctor’s advice. And by A Dangerous Man, Henry is very much addicted to pills.
Sport matches addiction as a constant theme. The books are even broken down into seasons for this purpose. We get baseball, American football and grudgingly back to baseball again.
The locations used add to the story. Caught Stealing is set entirely within New York, and captures the city well. The other books move further a field, but remain cohesive and solid with their geography.
Go and find the books online or in a shop and read them. Consider this warning that the last book doesn’t end well for anyone, but did you really expect it to?
The Folding Knife K. J. Parker pub: Orbit 501 pages
Basso is the First Citizen of Vesani Republic. Controlling the governments and the Republic’s largest bank he becomes almost a power unto himself. He is a shrewd businessman, and while mainly working for his own profit, also benefits the citizens of the Republic. He is not a man without problems however. Blessed with incredible luck he none the less pushes himself and the country to far, and makes a mistake.
Right. Yes. Ah. I am really not sure about the book. I dislike books that feel like they’re making an allegory of present situations and once that thoughts occurred it’s difficult not to see the book as a message about bankers, government and war. Then again it might be bad timing of current situation and the books release date, or just me forcing the idea on the book.
The prologue and the cover (“Even great men make mistakes”) sets up an expectation of failure, which stays with the reader throughout the book, and there’s a constant feeling of waiting for something to go wrong. The ending when it comes is quite depressing, as to be expected when the end result is known to be failure.
Now I’ve mentioned the cover, a quick word about the title. The titular folding knife turns up early in the book, and is mentioned quite a few times at the start of the story. It then seemingly disappears. It’s seems an odd object to have hung the title on.
Another point I’m going to get out of my system is K. J. Parker’s obsession with the pitchfork as a weapon. I have read The Engineer’s Trilogy, The Company, and Shadow, and each one mentions the pitchfork as a dangerous implement of warfare. While their may be a point, the repetition is wearing.
The writing is very good, and there is a smattering of humour throughout. The story holds together well, and Basso is easy to get behind, despite being a bastard. It’s a good read, but starts to unravel once you take a step back. There is a nagging sense that the book holds a story that would have sat better in a series rather than in a single volume.
The world the story is set in is well visualized, but presented in such a way that at times it seems solely created to act as a playground for the main character. Little touches make it seem as thought the world here ought to tie in with those in other K. J. Parker books, but it’s not obvious if that’s the case.
In and of itself I liked the book, but against a background of K. J. Parker’s other work it feels shallow. And I think there is lies the problem. It lacks the sprawl and depth of the Engineer trilogy, and the punch of The Company. If you’ve read K. J. Parker, and want more, go out and get it (despite what I’ve said above it is still a good book, and better than a lot of other things you might pick up.). If you haven’t read K. J. Parker, and want an introduction to his style and work, give it a go.
Going to be interesting to see the comments on this one. Can someone at least back me up on the pitchfork thing.
Writers Reading is our semi regular feature for fridays where we get to poke around writers shelves and see what get's them reading. Our guest this week is Paul Jessup who has written a number of books including the totally gorgeous Werewolves which I will be reviewing here shortly.
I've got so many books I can't fit all of them on my bookshelves. I've got so many books that I have over 100 boxes filled with books in my attic. More in my basement. When I first bought my house I dreamed of turning my dinning room into a mini library. Four or five bookshelves later, and I've got no more room, and it's spread. Into the living room, the bedrooms and the second floor hallway. Books are planning to devour my house, and I wouldn't have it any other way. I don't have any pictures for these rooms right now (they are far messier than I'd like to reveal), but I'm so happy that I've got all these books.
For today, I'm going to cover my five favorite werewolf books. I've got three that are fiction, and I've got two here that are non-fiction. The non-fiction is not tied to werewolves exactly, but contain a lot of cool stuff that I used as a spring board for my Werewolves book.
Fiction-
Moon Called, Blood Bound-
The first two books in Patricia Brigg's Mercy Thompson series and my favorite of the lot. The prose is rich and detailed, and the characters are cool and unforgettable. I like her take on the werewolves- they don't seem out of control, not when they're in the pack. Instead, they feel more like a metaphor for men in power, and the how they keep each other in check. With Mercy on the outside of this, rebelling against the natural instincts of the pack.
Wolf Age-
World Fantasy Award nominee's James Enge's werewolf in sword and sorcery style story. A cool take that's not quite Urban Fantasy, but more gritty and violent than other books. If you want to see a werewolf story in a more classic, epic fantasy setting, this is probably the best take on it. I had a lot of fun reading this.
Kitty Norville Books-
These are my favorite werewolf books out there currently. The werewolves are brutal, and pack politics are violent and rough. It goes closer to the real world wolf style pack politics, and in doing so makes them more feral and insane. I loved her take on the genre, and the way her wolves acted compared to most other modern Urban Fantasy werewolves (who seemed to have had their edges removed entirely, and are more like the werewolf version of Louis from Interview with a Vampire- Oh woe is me! I'm cursed! Cursed!).
Non-Fiction-
Man, Myth and Magic Encyclopedias
These are great, large illustrated books that go into every single occult aspect you could think of for any culture you can think of. These books are priceless when it comes to researching Urban Fantasy and all it entails. You could spend months going through, reading book after book, and come out with a million ideas and topics. I visit the section on werewolves frequently, and find something new almost every time I read it.
Encyclopedia of 5,000 Spells
This is a mammoth tome, and if you can get past a lot of the misinformation in a few chapters, it has a ton of great little tidbits that I found very useful and interesting for all sorts of different story ideas. There is a section on banishing and summoning spirits, talking to faeries, getting rid of vampires and werewolves, how to raise the dead (by painting bones red). All great stuff that works great in fiction as an added dose of cool authenticity. Even includes a lot of Haitian rituals, and talks about different variations and types of werewolves.
There we go. Just a small peek behind the door to my massively insane book collection. I don't think I've ever thrown out a book since I started reading and buying them, and I don't think I ever will. Well, except for those old books on how to use DOS or Windows 3.1. Or on upgrading to Netscape Navigator Gold.
Is it just me or does our Succubus mascot here kind of look like Kate Winslet? Why I only now just noticed this is one of life's little mysteries and one that does not need to be solved. For we have far more important things to discuss today, the first being welcoming the lovely C. Margery Kempe back to Un:Bound!
First we had to get her and her evil twin, Kate, back from England where they gallivanted around the pub scene with our own Adele. For those of you who think I'm just a LITTLE jealous about this gallivanting ... you're totally right. :-)
For those of you who've visited us here before, or, who are Ravenous Romance readers or writers, you will remember Margery as the author of one of my fave RR books, CHASTITY FLAME. Hopefully we'll see a sequel to that in the near future! In the meantime, Margery and her evil twin (or is Margery the evil twin? I get so confused...) have been busily writing and publishing other stuff (see below for a list and links!). But luckily not so busy that she was unwilling to write a post for us today and stop by for drinks! Vodka martini, Margery?
Today's post is about the lure of fairy tales. And may I just say I grew up reading the original Grimms Fairy Tales and was mightily disappointed at the lack of bloodshed in the Disney retreads.
Anyway, onto Margery's post!
The Timeless Lure of Fairy Tales
My latest story for Noble RomanceLove Me Like a Reptile is another fairy tale narrative. This time it's set in the modern world, unlike my last one, Spinning Gold, an M/M tale set in the Middle Ages. Madeley, a young woman who works in a pub Thameside, wonders why it is that she always seems to be kissing frogs instead of princes—and then she meets a talking frog who promises he's something more. Should she believe him?
Setting aside the Motörhead song that did inspire the title (no, not a big fan of Lemmy, it just got stuck in my head and ended up a story, as so often happens J), the real inspiration is of course the fairy tale of the Frog Prince.Spinning Gold grew out of Rumpelstiltskin. I'm already working on a Cinderella story, too.
That's not all: under my real name, I have a fairy tale novel Pelzmantelout as well, based on All-Fur (also known as Thousand Fur) and my previous short story collection, Unikirja/Dreambook was also based on myths and fairy tales from Finland. But I'm not alone: my colleagues at Ravenous Romance and Noble Romance also write an awful lot of fairy tale stories, too, like Bednobs and Beanstalks and Rapunzel's Release.
Why do fairy tales eternally return? We never seem to get tired of them. While most people know the Disney versions best (shudder), surprisingly few have read the Grimm versions upon which they were based, in turn based upon oral retellings of German and Alsatian women which were then shaped by the brothers to form a "national" heritage.The Kinder- undHausmärchen had a political intent as well as a literary and linguistic one. The idea of a German nation (as well as many other European nations) did not exist until the 19th century. Just as a Neapolitan wouldn't consider herself that same "nation" as a Sicilian at that time, the various republics had a local outlook, which the Grimms and many others thought should be united.The stories were a rhetorical device for forging that identity through a shared heritage of stories.
If you read the actual tales, you may find yourself surprised at all the clever servants who outwit their masters, parents who kill their children and siblings who actively fight against one another to the death. We forget how harsh life was in fairly recent times. In our time of relative comfort where children are coddled and made the center of their parents' existence, it's hard to imagine a time when parents might have to choose between children and survival.
But these are the stories that have sunk into our bones: tales of survival and magic. Across the world versions of these stories are told and re-told with different names and different details, but they have the same power. These narratives explore how we cope with danger, with grief and with opportunity—how we make choices at those pivotal moments. And that's why they'll never go out of style.
Excerpt from Love Me Like a Reptile:
Why do I always get the frogs?Madeley wondered for the umpteenth time as she wiped down the bar. They come on as such charmers, but once they move in—ah, well, it was the same old story. For the first few days after he left, the extra expanse of mattress was luxury enough, but the lack of sex was taking its toll. While she'd gotten rather creative with her sex toys of late, she had to admit there was no substitute for the real thing.
Marshall had lasted in her flat as long as he did only because he lasted so long in bed each night, bringing her to several exquisite peaks before coming himself. Of course, the way he always screamed, "Rock and roll!" when he came got up her nose, but compromise was part of life, or so her mum always advised. Good sex outweighed an annoying tick or two.
She sighed. It had been really good sex.
"Madeley, can you take the rubbish out to the tip?"
Mr. Dudek poked his head out from the kitchen, his bland face looking concerned.
Madeley grinned. She was the only one who knew his secret—her boss was afraid of the dark. This strapping guy with the barrel chest, whose very presence could discourage the most belligerent drunk, trembled at the thought of facing the dark passage behind the pub.
"Yeah, all right."
Madeley heaved the two bags into the skip and stretched her tired arms over her head, looking up at the sky. Not even a star to wish upon. Damn light pollution. She turned to head back into the pub when something caught her eye. Bending, Madeley squinted to see what had caught the thin beam of the security light.
It was a frog.
The pub lay so close to the river that it wasn't a bit unusual to see all kinds of skittery creatures hanging around the bins. A salamander even appeared in the gents one night, but Noel swore someone had smuggled it in. Was there a large international ring of salamander smugglers, she'd asked him.
This creature, however, was no ordinary frog. For one thing, it was enormous. Madeley couldn't be certain, but she would easily guess it to be more than twenty centimeters long. Gold streaks along its back glistened in the weak light, but the rest of its skin was a kind of olive green like fatigues. Most startlingly, its yellow-gold eyes appeared to be following her every movement.
Don’t be daft; it's just scared. Madeley put her fists on her hips and took a step forward."Shoo," she said, her voice too loud in the darkness. The frog picked up its forefeet and adjusted its position slightly to follow her movements. She could almost hear the wet sound of those little green feet on the tarmac. A shudder of revulsion passed through her. Disgusting creature!
"Love me like a reptile," Madeley said the words out loud to assuage her sudden discomfort. "Don't make me laugh."
"Frogs aren't reptiles, you know."
Madeley's heart jumped into her mouth. She jerked her head right then left, but there was no one to be seen. Her eyes narrowed as she leaned toward the creature. "Who's doing this?"
"I am," the frog said, its mouth snapping with finality on the second word.
"Pull the other one," Madeley said with a snort. "Noel?" It would suit his sick sense of humor, but as she cocked her head to listen, there was only the rush of the river out of sight, the gabble of passing crowds, and the cars whizzing by on the Embankment.
"Seriously," the frog continued, its voice as reasonable as if the two of them had been chatting about the weather. "Frogs are amphibians, not reptiles."
"Well, I guess you have your category for Mastermind." Madeley shook her head, but it didn't get any clearer. And the frog was there still, blinking its giant golden eyes at her.
"Will it help to tell you I'm enchanted?"
C. Margery Kempe writes sexy stories for people who appreciate alittle humour with their steamy romance. Visit her website(http://www.cmkempe.com) or stop by Sundays at Nights of Passion(http://nightsofpassion.wordpress.com) for more.
Who is Conrad Hirst? by Kevin Wignall Pub: Simon & Schuster 227 pages
Conrad Hirst is a killer, utterly remorseless and disconnected from the world, working for a crime boss with ruthless efficiency. Until his last job. For some reason, the old man Conrad was sent to kill affected him. Unsure why Hirst none the less decides it is time to get out of the business and start rediscovering his humanity. If he's right, then it's just the matter of four more deaths.
Of course it was never going to be that simple and nothing in Conrad's life is what he thought it was as he slowly begins to discover. It doens't help that his decision either coincides with or set in motion a whole set of events that are now becoming focussed around him.
The detachment Hirst feels is translated to the reader as a calm acceptance. Yes he wants to survive, to get out, but he's unnaccustomed to anxiety, fear, empathy, so the reader is also slightly at arms length from those things, feeling a little more tension only when Conrad begins to experience more emotionally. Interestingly this is every bit as effective in drawing you in, making you want to know what happens as the more obvious manipulation of tying you emotionally to the lead.
There's a compelling fascination to this character, to his coldness and his niavity, to the strange morality he later displays. He's still young so his life may be salvagable and the letters that are scattered between some of the chapters, to Annekke offer a glimpse at an alternate future, who he could have been had events not gone as they did.
There are no other leads as such in the book, it's very much Conrad's story, although some of the characters play significant roles in Conrad's attempts to reconnect with himself.
I loved this book, there is something wonderfully refreshing about Conrad's practicality, his choices and his unapologetic view of killing, all beautifully reflected in the writing. Really excellent book in the spy genre.
Greetings to the Harbinger fan club, (of which I am the Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer.....and Member). Sorry I have not been around for a while, I had a resurgence of my wrist troubles (now thankfully abated) and was preoccupied with my application for a Masters. Which was accepted, that's right all bow down before the History King!!. *Ahem* apologies for that outburst.
Any one heard of Cold War? It was a big thing in the 20th Century. Well the book I am reviewing is a satire (and a fantastic one at that) of the Cold War. It is one of the funniest books I have ever read. Dare I say funnier than Terry Pratchett (who I adore by the way)?
The Duchy of Grand Fenwick, the world's smallest nation, nestled in the Alps is a throw back to pre-industrial medieval Europe. Their obscure claim to fame, is as the makers of a brilliant wine. However the Duchy suffers financial melt down when a Californian company makes a rip-off of their wine. Young Duchess Gloriana XII and her Prime Minister (Count Mountjoy) decide their only alternative is to declare war on the USA. Counting on the fact that they will be defeated resoundingly and receive, the post war rebuilding schemes that the US gave to Germany and Japan after WWII. Unfortunately the Americans are completely unaware of this declaration (the not was lost in the Bureaucracy), and the unthinkable happens. The Duchy's 20 Longbow men win, capturing the doomsday weapon, the Q (quadium) bomb and the scientist who built it.
This leads to hilarious repercussions as the US, USSR, UK, and France contend to 'protect' the Duchy and Q-Bomb from the other powers.
This was eventually made into a Film staring the late great Peter Sellers. However, I feel that as is often the case the book is far better than the film. As usual the few cosmetic alterations and reductions harm it a little. This book is special because it was published in 1959, really at a time when fear of the bomb was prevalent. LeonardWibberly shows that the best way to conquer fear is to make light of what scares you. Even though bits of it may seem a bit dated now it is still riotously funny and I don't do this often, but I would recommend it, along with its sequels Beware of the Mouse, The Mouse on the Moon, The Mouse on Wall Street, The Mouse that Saved the West.
Sleepy Head by Mark Billingham pub: Sphere design: Duncan Spilling 405 pages
Alison Wiletts is a killers success story, the only one of his victims to survive the comlex procedure that leaves her trapped inside her own body.
DI Thorne is convinced he knows who the killer is and determined to prove it while his colleagues strugle to maintain their faith in his impartiality.
Billingham holds tension throughout, throwing a moments doubt in the readers mind just often enough to make Thorne's pursuit a genuinely anxious one. Alison's inner monologue adds humour and humanity to the murders in a way that many books over look, focussing on the killer and the pursuit. Every so often between chapters we get a coule of pages of Alison talking in her head, 'They clone sheep, for Christ's sake, which is the most pointles thing ever since how the bloody hell are you supposed to tell when every sheep looks like every other sodding sheep and THERE'S NOTHING REALLY WRONG WITH ME!'. It also adds a level of frustration, the feeling that if only she could comunicate at all Alison could resolve everything.
Thorne is likeable, indulging in some petty harrassment, attracted to the victims Doctor, a little self absorbed and determined to get justice for the victims, who he pop up in his head to keep him focussed 'Are you going to let him get away with this shit, Tommy?'.
The reader also gets the killers thoughts from time to time, the deliberate manipulation of Thorne, the game. The attempts to get the procedure right and the anger that some of the girls just don't fight hard enough. Never quite enough to be sure of his identity, but it makes the novel more interesting, seeing both sides of the dance.
I'd heard a lot of good things about Billingham, been assured I would love him and want to read the rest. Dead right. Sleepy Head is a fantastic crime novel and I am looking foward to reading more from the Tom Thorne series.
One of the books I got signed at Theakstons Old Peculiar Crime Writing Festival in Harrogate, Still Bleeding is only the second piece of crime fiction I've ever read. (The Famous Five series doesn't count in this, I think) The first being a Japanese novel called Grotesque about prostitutes.
Still Bleeding opens with the narrator's description of the last time he saw his wife, before she committed suicide. Unable to cope with the feelings of loss and guilt, Alex Connor leaves the UK and his old life behind with the intention of losing himself.
A few years later he finds himself in an Italian cafe watching the international news, learning that his best friend Sarah has been murdered by his older brother. Finally spurred to confront his demons, he heads back to the UK to find out more.
But Sarah's body isn't where James left it. Someone has taken it, and Alex finds out there's a whole lot more to lose than your life nowadays. There's also Paul Kearney, a policeman on the hunt for a serial killer. When he discovers that more than one person is involved, and the latest victim may be still alive somewhere...
Alternating POVs and narrative voices, both men begin to unearth evidence of an underground business that deals in the dead, and as the story unfolds, it becomes horrifyingly clear just what people are willing to pay for.
This book is awesome :D I read it over the weekend each night before bed and that maybe wasn't a great idea (it's pretty scary in parts) but I totally enjoyed everything about it. I spent the first half of the book trying to figure out how the two main characters were connected, then the rest of the book trying to figure out how everything came together. I was dead proud of myself when I figured out the connection between Kearney and Banyard relatively quickly, but the rest of it kept catching me by surprise, and I fricking loved it!
Steve Mosby really does write this from a very human point of view; Alex's way of going through things is completely understandable, and increasingly so as the plot unfolds, and Kearney is such a complex and fascinating character that just as he tries to understand the mind of a killer, I found myself wanting to understand him more- his motives are mostly unclear, and his drive seems at first to be too much for someone like himself.
Some of the characters (bad guys) did sicken me; the way bidders at a (certain kind of) auction acted and enjoyed themselves seemed grotesque, and leering. It's been a while since I've read a book in which the characters are so well thought out, and so well described (but at the same time drip fed to the reader) that I literally couldn't stop thinking about them.
The ending too, is just short of a cliffhanger; the story has ended, but everyone involved is left suspended, unsure what to think or how to continue, and in a way I felt the same. There's a few twists, and a few surprises, and you're pretty much left guessing til the very end. It's definitely a book I'd recommend (already passed it on to my mum and mentioned it to a couple of friends) because it's very raw, and you can really understand pretty much everybody there. Even the bad guys! (Except Banyard... ughhhh)
For those who like being scared, this is definitely a must have for your shelves. The book explores just how far people go to indulge their fantasies and darker interests. I am of course, a little worried that Mosby watches snuff films in his spare time though... it is written pretty thoroughly... ;P (I am joking... mostly)
(You can read Adele's interview with Steve alongside Sean Cregan here)
If anyone is here looking for our usual alternate wednesday silliness from Vincent then i'm afraid this week he's focussing on his own writing. Rather than let this slide by without comment I have decided that what it means is that we get to tell him what to do for the next column.
What I need from you guys is the following:
First line Last line Significant plot twist Genre
You have until next weeks Ravenous Wednesday to offer up your suggestions in the comments to this post and then we will have to make a selection and send Vince his instructions.
I will be demanding he write a short story (does 1000 words sound reasonable? for us, not him) especially for Un:Bound, using the selected options, to entertain us after this weeks neglect.
Also if anyone has any other good ideas for things we can dictate for the story include that in your comments too. Cruel and unusual are entirely acceptable.
Dark Matter By Michelle Paver Published by Orion Release date 21st October 2010 212 pages
Dark Matter is an arctic ghost story, set among the snow and isolation, the dark of an arctic winter.
A small team of British gentleman set out to monitor weather in the uninhabited bay of Gruhuken. They take with them radio man Jack Miller. From the start there are issues with the trip and eventually jack is alone but for the sled dogs, in the middle of the arctic winter, with no relief from the endless dark and the fear that something is haunting him.
Paver successfully conjures the sense of beauty and isolation, the ease with which the mind could play tricks and the grim practicalities of this sort of expedition in 1937.
The book is presented as Jacks diary, which I was dubious about but it actually works extremely well and aids in maintaining tension, which is always hard in this sort of book and at times does drop away. The climax feels a little hurried and is not entirely unpredictable but is largely satisfying.
The characters are not especially relatable but are easy enough to read and not wholly unsympathetic. The strongest character in some ways is Gruhuken itself.
Over all an easy entertaining and at times spooky read that is unlikely to leave you avoiding dark windows but should give you a shudder or two reading it on a cold, dark, winters evening.
The Name of The Wind By Patrick Rothfuss Pub: Gollancz 662 pages
Kvothe was a living legend, until he disappeared. Then, of course, he became just a legend. And as with all stories the tales of his life are much exaggerated. Renowned wizard, dragon-slayer, master songsmith, are just some of accolades laid at his feet.
Kvothe, living incognito as an village innkeeper, is found by a wandering scribe, who, deducing his identity, wishes to take down a true account of his life. The scribe however is not the only one to find the wizard, and trouble is brewing in the lands surrounding Kvothe’s village .
The book moves between the tavern in the present, as Kvothe recounts his life to the scribe, and the recollections themselves.
As the story unfolds it is revealed that all of the stories told of Kvothe contain some truth, but only the smallest amount. In this book we a privy to Kvothe’s early life, as he grows up amongst a troubadour troupe before tragedy strikes and he is abandoned. We follow Kvothe to “university” and find the real story behind him killing a dragon. He is pitted against petty bullies and monstrous creatures and also gets a taste of love. Going into any more detail would rather spoil it, so I’m going to avoid that.
One of the nicer touches is that the story Kvothe relates does not have an immediate connection to the events of the present. This prevents the telegraphing of the plot present in some books that use a similar narrative style. Kvothe’s life story doesn’t distil down in the obvious way either, and is more engaging than the telling of his legend would have been.
As seems to be a habit for me it’s another book that doesn’t follow fantasy conventions, taking a sideswipe at much of the traditional clichés along the way. Kvothe may not be the hero the legends make him out to be, but he eclipses these expectations.
The first in a series, it is going to be a long wait to read the second of these fantastic books. Consider this another recommended read, but like Locke Lamora, be prepared to long for the next instalment.
Pashazade by Jon Courtenay Grimwood pub: Gollancz cover: Stewart, Sonar Graphics 354 pages
I was recommended Grimwood's books bysomeone who has a pretty good feel for my reading preferences and was told I'd be blown away. So I came into Pashazafe with high expectations and feeling demanding.
I was indeed blown away. The book starts by disorienting the reader, then grounds youfirmly in the reality of El Iskandryia, which is a fairly liberal muslim city. It's more speculative than outright fantasy, set in the real world and the nowish with some kinks to world history and a made up city allowing the author fuller freedom to play.
The lead characters of Raf, Zara and Hani are unusual and complex, all more than a little screwed up although Raf's fox stole the book rather for me. Drawn through the main story are threads of Raf's past which add to the sense of reality, give the character depth and help the reader connect with this unusual lead. The murder mystery is suitably complex and interesting, the rest of the characters and the city itself are completely immersive.
The story itself follows Raf trying to protect Hani and find out who murdered his aunt and why. There are added mysteries here, why Raf was contacted in the first place and who he really is. Zara has returned from a couple of years in America to deal with an arranged marraige that doesn't sit well with her independant nature and Hani has had an odd upbringing and has developed her own rebellious streak.
Pashazade feels effortlessly vivid and is deeply immersive, there is a joyous dark humour and the balance of action with character development is perfect to keep you entranced on both counts. Excellent story, wonderful characters, brilliant writing, happy me.
It's another Ravenous Wednesday and, like last week, our special guest author is not a Ravenous Romance writer ... at least not at this time. Who knows what the future holds? Heh heh heh... Yes, I'm on the Ravenous Romance Press Gang. :-)
Our guest today is Stephen Prosapio, author of the award winning novel Dream War, recently released as an E-book. I am in the middle of my copy and loving it! I was hoping to finish before today's post went up, but the Make Time for Reading Gods have not been kind to me unless a book is small and portable (most of my reading is on the Muni or while walking), which means one of these days (and soon!) I'm gonna have to suck it up and buy a Kindle. So apologies, Steve, for not having my review ready. May I offer you a tasty beverage of your choice to make up for it?
A little teaser from Dream War:
"Decades ago, the CIA developed the technology to enter our dreams and extract information. It was just a matter of time before they took things a little too far..."
There's more to the synopsis, but I think the above is one of the best loglines I've read. Let your imagination take over ... and then read the book!
Last week Lisa Brackmann discussed gender expectation on the part of reviewers and readers. In a continuation of this theme, Stephen has written a wonderful post on cross dressing.
Got your interest? Thought so...
Read on... and welcome Stephen Prosapio to Un:Bound! And if you need me... I'll be in the corner with a glass of wine and Dream War.
Cross Dressing: Writing Characters of the Opposite Sex
Aren’t you sick of reading Melvin Udall?
Okay, so you’ve probably never really read anything by Melvin, the lead character portrayed by Jack Nicholson in “As Good as it Gets” but I’m sure you’ve read authors who utilize his philosophy and method of how to write female characters: “I think of a man and take away reason and accountability.”
If you’re a man, you probably can’t help chuckling a bit at that line. If you’re a woman, you may or may not fight off a smile or laugh, but down deep you’re likely a bit repulsed by the comment. Either way, if that’s as far as we get with the analysis of that line, we’re missing the brilliance—our reaction to the line subconsciously mirrors our reactions to Melvin’s character: to men, he’s a joke. To women, he’s disgusting.
So what does this all have to do with cross dressing? Well figuratively speaking, “cross dressing” or writing opposite sex characters is a challenge for even the best writers. Of course bad writers don’t need sex as an excuse to write poor characters; they can write flat, one-dimensional characters of even their own sex. But when good writers struggle with something en mass, it’s an opportunity for us to examine it and grow. And I may just have a simple solution. I believe it boils down to asking questions and then (gasp) really listening!
“But I listen!” you shout. “I talk with members of the opposite sex all the time!”Here’s a “key” story that illustrates my point: At my office last week a female coworker told me that she and another female coworker got locked out of the office near the end of the day because they’d gone out for a smoking break. Later I’d hear men dismiss as silly that they’d leave without their keys—heck that was my first reaction. So I asked a question, and then listened.
“How did you leave your keys inside?” I asked patting my pants pocket where my keys are always safely with me.
“They were in our purses.”
At that moment the situation became so much more than “keys” and getting locked out. I got a glimpse into one of men and women’s differences. They don’t carry their wallets, money, keys etc on their person as men typically do. They carry them in their purses. Coins. Money. Things that I take for granted I have with me. Keys. Credit Cards. Etc. Etc. It became clear to me why a woman’s purse is so much more important than maybe most men would consider. Maybe that comes into play somewhere down the road in my writing.
I do have a story that already has helped my perspective of how a female feels/acts in a given situation. A close female in my life displayed a tendency to disappear for rather long periods of time. It baffled me because there would never be any ill feelings or reason for the “no contact” span. One day my coworker (the same one who’d gotten locked out of the office) made an offhanded comment about a friend who continued to call her.
“Why don’t you just call her back and see what she wants?” I asked with a true desire to relate it to the other female in my life.
“I want to talk to her,” my coworker said. “I’m just not ready to talk to her yet.”Men just don’t typically act that way with friends. It’s not a “right thing” or a “wrong thing” – it’s just a male/female thing. So armed with this knowledge and less defensive than I’d normally be, I broached the topic with the other lady. We had an in-depth discussion which helped me understand a bit of what she was feeling/experiencing. Years later when I writing a scene in my novel Dream War, I had a similar situation arise in my fiction. I couldn’t slow down the pacing, but I had to quickly and with some emotion, explain why a daughter hadn’t talked to her father in years. Here’s what I wrote:
Kat took a deep breath that didn’t fill her with much confidence. It had been a long time since she’d talked to her dad, and she wasn’t sure how to feel. She hadn’t intended to fall out of touch. Nothing had happened to make her not want him in her life. The first couple years, she had rationalized it as protecting him—then, as protecting the operation. But that was just an excuse; Lopez maintained contact with his son. In any case, months had turned into years, and, at some point, not calling had become the status quoPhone to ear, she heard the odd European ring and worried about his judgment of her. Honestly, that fear had held her back from calling more than anything else. Now he was to become involved
“Pronto?
“Dad, it’s me, Kat.
A few seconds of silence
“Hello, Katherine. How are you?
His voice was concerned rather than distant or resentful. It surprised her some, but the relief relaxed her stomach. It felt like a long time since she’d breathed
“I’m all right. You?”
Did I get it right? I don’t know. It’s not “Nicholas Sparks” good let alone “Sara Gruen” spectacular... but I believe I got it “more right” than had I not expanded my horizons and really listened to what females were telling me about their life experiences.
So hopefully this ability to ask questions and then listen will help us male writers to neither treat our female characters with kid gloves, or to brutalize them as mere objects. It will allow female writers avoid penning male characters so loving and sensitive that they’d never survive one day on a middle school playground—let alone an afternoon with Melvin Udall!
I’d love to hear stories of how to better understand & write the opposite sex!
Stephen Prosapio was born in Louisville Kentucky and grew up in the southwest suburbs of Chicago. He received his Bachelors of Arts degree in Political Science from DePaul University.
After reporting for one of the nation's largest fantasy football websites,footballguys.com, he wrote his first novel, Dream War. Competing against 2,676 other novels, Dream War won a Top Five Finalist award in Gather.com's 2007 First Chapters contest, and was released as an eBook in July of 2010. His paranormal suspense novel Ghosts of Rosewood Asylum is scheduled for print and digital release in 2011.
Stephen works as an executive recruiter and resides in Oceanside, California.
Being Part III of my yearly round-up of the Hugo-nominated works for Best Novel. You can find Boneshaker by Cherie Priestreviewed here and Paolo Bacigalupi'sThe Windup Girlreviewed here. Apologies for not posting in the last few weeks - vacation and other assignments have been taking up my time, and with so many great writers and articles here, I didn't think I'd be missed too much!
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The other day I was having a discussion with a friend over whether or not a particular book was considered "Young Adult" fiction* and what started out simply enough devolved into an argument over marketing categorization, authorial intent, and whether something written about young people automatically makes it a Young Adult book. And so rather than waste a lot of time crafting a boring essay explaining my particular views on the specific argument as well as my stance on Young Adult literature in general, I thought a review of the excellent Robert J. Sawyer novel WWW:Wake might serve in its stead.
Damn. I gave my opinion of the book away, didn't I?
WWW:Wake is the first of a planned trilogy of novels that deals with the realization of the World Wide Web as a conscious entity, as discovered literally through the eyes of young Caitlin Decter, a 15 year-old girl blind since birth who, after receiving an experimental implant in her eye, is able to see not just the physical world, but a visual representation of the Internet. At the same time, a massive genocide in China serves as the impetus for the Chinese government to temporarily shut down all Internet traffic in and out of the country, which has the added effect of shocking the 'Net into sentience.
On the surface I don't know how appealing the above sounds. In the wrong hands these elements could come together as just another SyFy Original Movie (possibly starring Antonio Sabato, jr.). But in Sawyer's deft hands the novel is a thoughtful, delicate examination of being a teenager growing up and struggling to understand your place in the world. Caitlin's blindness and her descriptions and rumination on being blind, based in part on Sawyer's own experience being blind when he was younger, are incredible - vibrant and touching and exacting in giving the reader a view into that world. Likewise the passages that deal with the "awakening" of the Web, called in the novel Webmind. In these passages we get a sense of the nature of consciousness, and Sawyer mixes equal does of scientific reasoning and imagination to postulate what it might be like for something that has awareness of itself to suddenly discover its own existence.
As far as plot is concerned, there's not a lot of action. WWW:Wake is more concerned with getting you firmly inside the head and on the side of Caitlin, and the novel becomes the journey of both her and Webmind's arrival into the world. It deals with real issues that teenagers go through, and handles those issues in as real a way as possible. But is it Young Adult fiction? Sawyer has his own answer to that question, and it nicely encapsulates my own thoughts on the matter.
The long and short of it is, WWW:Wake is an amazing intro into a world I am looking forward to exploring at length, and I would say that while it's not written as a Young Adult book, it should certainly be read by any young adult out there interesting in seeing from another perspective that turns out to be an astute reflection of ourselves. Three books in (four, actually, and my next entry will be up in a few days), this is my personal favorite for the Hugo.
* The book in question was Scott Pilgrim's Finest Hour, the sixth and final volume in the Scott Pilgrim series of graphic novels. If you've read the series, what do you think?
Hay Wired by Alex Keller pub: Mogzilla cover: Rachel de Ste. Croix
All is not well in Little Wainesford. Ludwig has been helping his father with his inventions his whole life, but after a nasty incident with a harvester and the rejection of his latest creation it becomes obvious that his father's obsession with the war may have gone too far.
Haywired is billed as 11+ and given some of the ideas are quite dark that's probably fair. Actually it' wonderfully dark, enough to keep most adult readers entertained too. It doesn't have quite enough depth to the plot or characters to transition fully for adult readers, but for something quick and fun it's a good bit of twisted silliness.
For the target audience, the characters are varied and interesting and the adventure contains lots of good fun stuff and plenty of peril. The HELOT's are creepy as hell but somehow Jack is even scarier. I loved the Captain and there is a neat little name play with 'the monster' that pleased me. It's intelligently written, with plenty of wry humour that adds to it's adult readability.
HayWired is a fun fantasy adventure full of family secrets, a circus, pirates, steampunk machinery, dark twists and some excellent grimness. I look forward to the next one.
Well I failed to post on Thursday (my bad... I forgot I have no internet in Worcester at the mo) so I'll make up for it by reviewing a manga for the first time since Harrogate, which reminded me how awesome book books are. Then I got the new copy of Fullmetal Alchemist in the post this morning and remembered how awesome manga books are... again.
I started reading Fairy Tail by Hiro Mashima because my sister is a bit of a fan and the first thing that struck me was how similar the characters (and indeed the plot) are to those in One Piece by Siichiro Oda which has been running now for well over 10 years. Once I got into it I enjoyed it but for a while I just kept thinking "How dare they rip off One Piece?!"
The basic set up is the same- a group of friends on a quest to become the best and make their team the greatest in the world, except instead of pirates it's magicians, and instead of a crew they're in what's called a Guild.
The Guild, called "Fairy Tail" is famous for being destructive and basically full of unruly mages with nowhere else to go, but it's Lucy Heartphilia's dream to join Fairy Tail and nothing's going to stop her, so when she meets a young man who claims to be the guild's famous Salamander (Fire Mage) she ignore's his strange personality and accepts his invitation to a party.
At the same time she meets pink-haired Natsu and his feline companion Happy, a strange pair travelling through the country. Natsu, who gets travel sick easily, befriends Lucy when he goes to meet the Salamander as well. Without spoiling too much, there's a big fight, a big discovery, and it turns out Natsu's actually from Fairy Tail. And he helps Lucy to get into the guild of weirdos and uncontrollably destructive magicians.
Taken with the atmosphere and friendliness of Fairy Tail, Lucy joins up with Natsu to work for the guild and quickly befriends him and the other guild members.
The art style of Fairy Tail is good-looking and clean, with good detail and attractive style. It's another one of those mangas that confuses me because although it's told from a girl's point of view, and has a lot of themes that would appeal to girls, the female leads are sexualised to the point of it being cringe-worthy. I have no problem with the occasional scantily clad character going around if it fits with the storyline and style, or even if it's just a bit of fun for the male readers, but the sheer number of times a that the girls in this series get chained up (in actually pretty innocent situations) or have their clothes ripped off in day to day life while squealing and being generally useless gets annoying.
The best female character (in my opinion) is probably armour-wearing Erza, who kicks magical ass with swords, and even she gets a lot of scenes that show her getting dressed. I've been told by some other manga friends online that this is called "fanservice", where there are often down-top shots and up-skirt shots to entertain the hormonal.
Anyway, my complaints about storyline, characters and anti-feminism aside, you'll probably be surprised to know that
I actually do like this series!
It's got a fairly simple, but entertaining storyline fleshed out with some brilliant visual humour and funny character interactions and traits. The back stories to each character seem boring at the start but eventually get more interesting and complex (though perhaps a bit too slowly to get you interested early on) and although I was annoyed when my sister was making me read it (I lost a bet) after the first 50 chapters or so (I'm also fairly stubborn) I really began enjoying myself.
It's maybe never going to be my favourite series (although I'd also like to point out that in recent manga popularity polls it came fourth behind One Piece, Naruto and Bleach and has a massive fan base) but it's fun and interesting, and has a nice underlying friendship theme (like One Piece... ok I'll stop moaning) which is at times lovely and heartwarming.
Although I wouldn't recommend it to those of you who though TWILIGHT had a simpering lead... because honey, you've seen nothing yet.
Although the bad-ass Erza does kind of make up for Lucy... :D Erza!
Werewolves
strations are. Doodles of people, random colourful scribblings, the sorts of thing someone might well sketch in their journal. Seriously, how utterly beautiful are these!! The journal entries themselves have the right feel. Sometimes Alice is focussed, needing to record certain facts, sometimes more general distracted ramblings and Alice thinks things thorugh to herself.
