25
October
2009

Books | 009 | Transition | Iain Banks

Way back when I can remember reading Bank's The Wasp Factory and being let down. The hype surrounding it was at fever pitch, and while it was good it didn't seem deserving of all the acclaim it was getting. Then I read The Bridge and that, I thought, was far superior. I've continued to read Banks' work, though not his science fiction, and since The Bridge I always felt he was holding himself back somewhat in terms of imagination.

Transition though is a blindingly terrific book, full of wonder and a sharp vision of the impossible made possible. Earth, all of them, are stumbling along greedily between the fall of the Berlin Wall and 9/11. Powers that we know of are wrestling for position, and powers we don't know are in control of events to a certain extent - though they too are finding betrayal and conspiracy in their ranks. These higher powers that strive to guide a correct path through troubled times are called The Concern, their agents transitioning between various Earths righting wrongs and try to keep things on an even keel. But who is ultimately in charge of deciding what path The Concern should take, and are they doing what they do for the good of all or for personal gain.

Transition is told from the point of view of a greedy hedge-fund trader, recruited by the Concern, an assassin, a mental patient in hiding on some version of Earth, and a torturer/philosopher. It is a dizzying tale, being swept from character to character, plot to plot and Earth to Earth. But it's also a wonderful showcase of imagination and wit, with conspiracy piled on conspiracy, ever shifting motives and allegiances, not to mention the Earth moving sex and cinematic scenes of alternate realities.


25
October
2009

Books | 008 | Hit List | Lawrence Block

I'm a big fan of Lawrence Block's Matt Scudder series having thoroughly enjoyed them all, not so much a fan of his other character series - Evan Tanner, Bernie Rhodenbarr, amongst others.

Hit List is a loaner from a friend and the second of four books about a hit man, Keller. Keller's a great character, droll, unflinching, methodical and quite a bit dull - he collects stamps. His job as a contract killer is just something he's particularly good at and not something he thinks to much about, that would complicate things. In Hit List Keller is going about his business, taking assignments and killing whoever needs to be killed when things start going a bit wrong. At first it seems he's merely being a bit superstitious, but then he starts thinking, worrying and that naturally starts complicating things. Looking for some insight he hooks up with an astrologist who tells him he has a murderer's thumb, which, although mentioned off-handedly, further spooks the already spooked Keller. Of course, he has every reason to be out of sorts, another killer is at work and Keller has to watch his back.

It can't be that easy to write stories where the main character is a mercenary murderer, but Block manages to do so while investing Keller with plenty of likable traits. The tale doesn't really revolve around the killings, it's more about the business of killing - the mundane things that have to be done, from billing to travel, accommodation and what to do when there's no work. That's where Block's strength lies, in creating believable characters that live and breath...and collect stamps to keep themselves occupied.



25
October
2009

Books | 007 | Vanish | Tess Gerritsen

Another enjoyable crime romp, and thankfully one that doesn't involve serial killers. Instead this one takes off when a victim wakes up in the coroner's office just before the post-mortem is about to start. Once she's brought to hospital to recover a couple of her friends turn up to 'rescue' her, but end up taking hostages in order to get their story out.

Ever since Dog Day Afternoon I've loved any kind of siege story, and this one is a good addition to the crime sub-genre. What we get is in addition to the siege is a tale of corruption, white-slave trading, conspiracy theory and, of course, murder. The story fairly rips along, being told from various viewpoints: the coroner, the pregnant cop hostage, her husband the FBI agent, and also from one of the hostage takers. Not all of the novel is set as a siege, after that phase it twists and turns in a hunt for a reluctant victim/witness and corroborative proof by the good guys and the bad guys. The bad guys are fairly typical, resourceful and well connected, and the good guys are just as relentless in pursuing any evidence of bad deeds done. Haven't read any Tess Gerritsen books before, but I'll be adding her to my list in future.


25
October
2009

Books | 006 | The Scarecrow | Michael Connolly

The Scarecrow is another one of those relentless page-turners from Michael Connolly, as pretty much all his books are. This is the third in the Jack McEvoy series of books, and this time Jack has to face not just a serial killer but also impending redundancy; newspapers are facing a torrid time and the story reflects that.

I'm growing increasingly tired of the 'serial killer' as a plot device, it's all too easy to have a bad guy that keeps on going till he eventually slips up and gets caught. Still, Connolly serves up the thrills and spills in rapid succession which always leaves you wanting to read just one more short chapter. There's nothing new here at all, a nod towards the internet and hackers is about as fresh as it gets, but what is there is extremely well told and enjoyable - even if any memory of it fades quickly after finishing.



11
October
2009

Books | 005 | The Tale Of Edgar Sawtelle | David Wroblewski

I can't think of any other book I've thoroughly enjoyed as much in recent years, except perhaps Life of Pi by Yann Martel. David Wroblewski weaves a magical story of love, deception, honour and revenge around a few main characters which is both simple and epic.

Edgar is the son of Gar and Trudy, they run a dog breeding business in rural Wisconsin which they inherited from Gar's father. Edgar doesn't speak and the sign language he uses is a non-standard mish mash that only he and his mother fully understand. It's a pretty idyllic life, not easy by any means but there's a sense of freedom to what they do. One of the dogs, Almondine, is Edgar's and there's an obvious lifelong bond between them, an understanding they use to good effect when Edgar is given his own set of pups to raise and train. This is Edgar's rite of passage, to be trusted with the responsibility of raising the pups to the high standard which all Sawtelle dogs have become renowned for.

Edgar's uncle, Claude, turns up and the relationships between all the characters are tested. Claude is the black sheep of the family, drawn to drink almost as much as he's drawn to trouble. What was once a gentle, hard-working existence becomes unsettled and fractious. When Gar dies Edgar is the only one on the farm to be with him during his last moments, and because he can't talk he can't call for help. Trudy catches pneumonia and Edgar decides to try to carry on the business on his own, calling on Claude for help is a last resort but it has to be done. Over time Claude and Trudy become romantically entangled and one night Edgar and Trudy confront each other in the barn where the dogs are kept. In a fit of rage Edgar lashes out and accidently kills the local vet, and as a result goes on the run taking three of his pups with him.

This sequence of events neatly leads to Edgar's true rite of passage, a real journey into the unknown when his mind is full of doubt and mistrust. Edgar's adventures lead him to question not only the motives and intentions of others, but also his own. It's this coming to terms with who he is, and what must be done to right the wrongs he's seen, that completes the book. It's an immensely satisfying book on a lot of levels: while similar is some ways to Hamlet it also evokes childhood memories of long summers full of imagination and wonder, unlikely friendships and unexpected betrayals, and the slow burning realisation that everything changes.