Picks of 2012 - The Mole

My selection of from 2012 is driven from the books that have made an impression with me and I remember. Rather more in my selection than in Maryom's - perhaps I'm just greedy?


Historical Novels
Empire Of The Moghul : The Tainted Throne by Alex Rutherford
This is the first historical novel I have read and it left me wondering why I hadn't tried them earlier. Definitely I will be reading more in 2013 - particularly if they are as good as this one was.

Fantasy
Shadow Blizzard by Alexey Pehov
Shadow Prowler by Alexey Pehov

This year saw me reading the second and third books in the Chronicles of Sala trilogy and, unusually, found each book better than the last - a series well worth a read.

Liberator's Ruin by P J Johns 
This book came as a bit of a surprise but Maryom described it as "Star Wars as it should have been written". Bear that in mind and you will see that justice is a relative thing.




 

Classics/Nostalgia/Sci-Fi
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
This is a book that disappeared from my own collection many years ago and when given the opportunity I jumped at it. It ages remarkably well.




Children's
Red, White and Black by Matt Cartney
Danny Lansing is a youngster who has caught my imagination and I'm sure he will catch many more. This is his second adventure and it's even better than his first.

Wolfie by Emma Barnes
A story to delight children from 1-101

Artemis Fowl and the Last Guardian by Eoin Colfer
The final adventure for Artemis Fowl - a truly memorable last adventure it is too.

Guinea Pigs Online by Jennifer Gray and Amanda Swift 
This is about memorable and enjoyable books and this one certainly is both.

Edwin Spencer: Shadow Magic by J D Irwin
 Edwin is a true reluctant hero - But he loves IT!









YA
Ramshackle by Elizabeth Reeder
Surprisingly, of all the YA I have read this year this is the one that truly stands out. Plenty of award nominations but not enough awards - it deserves far more




 
Thriller/Crime
Uncommon Enemy by Alan Judd
A story of a spy betrayed.



Midwinter Sacrifice by Mons Kallentoft
My first Nordic Noir - and I plan on more.





The House of Silk by Anthony Horowitz
A modern Sherlock Holmes - and thoroughly enjoyed.









Humour
Everything's Fine by Socrates Adams
I was warned it was a little eccentric and it was - but it was also great fun and you may never see your Sat Nav in the same light.


The Fart by Cynan Jones
During the year of the short story - here is a VERY short story that I found very amusing!



Non-fiction
Bridge of Spies by Giles Whittell 
An era that I knew less of than I thought and told with a cynicism that will amuse
 
Red Bull Racing F1 Car 2010 (RB6) Owner's Workshop Manual 
OK, it's not REALLY aimed at owners but it was a Christmas present and it was hugely informative.


How To Win Friends and Influence People
Something we all aspire to.









Short Stories

Unthology No. 3 edited by Stokes Ashley and Robin Jones 

And 2012 was the year of the short stories - well it would have been but that is actually explained in the forward to this collection that warmed me more to short stories that I have ever been. Perhaps all anthologies should be like this?

Eoin Colfer - Author event

Following the launch of Artemis Fowl And The Last Guardian on 10th July Eoin Colfer was at Broadway Cinema in Nottingham last night (12th July) giving a talk about the origins of the characters in the final book in the Artemis Fowl series.

The series was started in 2001 with "Artemis Fowl" and this is the eighth and final story.

When my youngest daughter was little, bedtime reading included Artemis Fowl and it was a time of day we both looked forward to - but while we read Artemis's adventures, Maryom sat off to one side - unmoved by it, clearly not a fan.

Shane Maxwell-Atkin introduced Eoin with some amazing facts about the series - it has been published in 44 countries and he challenged us to name 44 countries because he felt he would struggle.

Eoin's presentation, chat, performance - call it what you will - was funny and entertaining from the start and he set about explaining the inspirations for each character. Now this is where the non-fans could be left bored and kicking their heels but this was not the case as the stories related about each character were plot independent and each character was explained to the benefit of non-readers. Why would non-readers go though? Well, some of these events can feel like you are at a convention where every character really exists for the fans, but Artemis? Well the fans are children and the audience reflected this (I'm a big kid at heart anyway!) and kids seem to keep their feet on the ground more firmly than many adults. And the non-readers? They seemed to be the parents! They are missing out because Artemis is totally readable by all ages and bags of fun.

The end of the evening was a question and answer session and I was surprised and impressed by how many children asked questions - and questions about inspirations for characters and the order of creation (characters or worlds first). Eoin admitted to being surprised as well as he was used to children asking questions like 'What's your favourite colour?'.

I was delighted when I got the opportunity to review Artemis Fowl And The Last Guardian and while I have read and greatly enjoyed it, my daughter has now 'moved on' and shows no inclination to read it. But maybe in a few years time.

Another fantastic event organised by Waterstones so apart from book festivals around the country keep an eye out and you can get access to most every author at some time to ask questions of and/or get your copies of books signed.

Artemis Fowl and the Last Guardian by Eoin Colfer

Series Climax??
Review by The Mole

Opal Koboi has devised a plan to wipe man from the face of the universe and have the fairy world declare her empress - or better. The only thing between her and success is.... you guessed it - Artemis Fowl and Holly Short. But have they met their match this time as Butler's sister and Artemis's younger brothers are recruited by Opal as tools for her plan? Is it the end of everything? Will it all end happily anyway?

Billed as the final climatic episode for the series this adventure starts fast and only gains pace in a story that is as compelling as the rest of the series. By now all the characters know each other well and have respect for each other's strengths and weaknesses they bounce ideas and insults between them with no formality. This way the humour is as funny as ever, if not funnier. The old characters are also in there such as Butler and Foaly as well as dwarves and gnomes etc. Fans of Artemis will not be disappointed but new readers would be as well to start at the beginning because no time is wasted on introductions or explaining the back story - without which the reader will not understand the fuss of what makes this series of books so fantastic.

The Artemis Fowl stories are aimed at younger readers and are greatly enjoyed by them - but don't let that label put you off, they are also tremendous fun for older readers too.

As for the end of the series.... At least Eoin Colfer has started a new series of stories, due to be launched in 2013, so we won't be devoid of his humour and imagination.

Publisher - Penguin Books
Genre - Children's Fantasy

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