Alex McLean - Time Traveller by Morag Ramsey

Climbing back through Time
review by Maryom

Alex and his dad are both keen climbers but so far despite reaching Level 6 they've only climbed on the artificial climbing wall inside the nearby quarry. Alex dreams of being able to climb Edinburgh Castle Rock, but knows that it is banned - no matter how good you are. Then he finds himself contacted through his mobile phone by someone claiming to be from the future representing the Scientific Testing and Recording of Aggression Programme (STRAP) - and capable of sending him back in time! They want him to return to 1314, to join a small band of Scots attempting to climb the Castle Rock and liberate the Castle from the English. Could this be the way to achieve his dream?
An exciting adventure mixing history, science fiction and everyday life and problems, it could either be read as a fun story or as an insight into the past.
Part of a series of books involving children travelling in time to major historical events or to become part of everyday life in the past, but also with a story arc involving STRAP and its rival organisation SHARP - The Scientific History and Art Reclamation Programme. Aimed at the 8 - 12 age range with a blog - dannydoestimetravel.blogspot.com and competitions on the publishers web-site.

Maryom's review - 4 stars
Publisher - Seven Arches Publishing
Genre - childrens 8-12, historical, sci-fi

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City of Hope and Despair by Ian Whates

A Journey of Hope and Despair
review by Maryom

Thaiburley is an ancient multi-layered city - the poor live on the bottom rows and demons high above. Strange forces are threatening the city though and Tom, ex-street thief, is sent on a journey to find the goddess Thaiss, the mythical founder of the city. He's accompanied by the priestess Mildra, a one-eyed giant,Kohn and an assassin, Dewar. Together, they travel from the city, by barge and on foot, towards the source of the river Thair, where they hope to find the Goddess. It isn't as easy as that though as they soon discover someone is out to stop them.
Meanwhile in the City, a dreadful monster, known as the Soul Thief, is stalking the streets, hunting for prey....

This book is volume II of The City of a Hundred Rows and I think maybe it's suffered in the way that so many second books do in the transition stage from 'stand-alone' story to series. The book starts excellently and finishes well, although the plot isn't rounded off as there is obviously a third volume planned, but unfortunately in the middle the story rather gets lost in the doldrums. I must add though that the City is an amazing imaginary, yet totally believable, place with its various rows reaching up to the sky. I think it just might be better to wait till the whole series is written and read it in one long session.

Maryom's review - 3 stars
Publisher - Angry Robot
Genre - Adult, fantasy


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Absolute War by Chris Bellamy

Russia's Great Patriotic War
review by Maryom

I'm stepping outside my normal book reviewing habits here with a massive book- 814 pages, though that does include notes, references, index and bibliography - on Soviet Russia during the Second World War.

Two reasons why I'm reading this - I won it from Pan Macmillan but also the subject area, Russia and the Eastern Front, falls in a gap in my knowledge. A lot of WW2 history is picked up, accurately or not, through films - from Battle of the River Plate and the Dam Busters to Saving Private Ryan and Memphis Belle, via the Great Escape and the Dirty Dozen - but from the British/American point of view. Presumably the Russians made their versions of heroic war movies but they've not reached our TV screens. So what I knew about Russia's involvement in WW2 was vaguely remembered things from school history and how Jude Law saved Stalingrad in Enemy at the Gate.

This has taken a serious length of time to read - on and off since November 2009. I'd like to stress that there's been a lot of time when I've not been trying to read this but have been reading chick lit or something for a change! It was definitely something I needed to be in the mood to read - it takes a greater level of concentration, otherwise I reach the end of a page and realise I've not actually taken any information in. Having said that, the style was easy to read and at times funny - the family are getting fed up of amusing anecdotes being read out to them (I particularly liked Stalin sending one of his generals out of the room like a naughty child to think about what he'd said!)
Obviously it's a book full of diplomatic and military manoeuvres and engagements but there are many snippets to give a personal, human scope to these events - for example - retreating in front of the German advance, general Rokossovskiy seeks shelter with locals only to be berated for giving way by an old soldier who fought against the Germans in WW1; for 5 weeks of winter the besieged inhabitants of Leningrad had to survive on 125g (about 3 slices) of bread a day and wallpaper was removed and the paste eaten!; during the siege of Moscow, Stalin has a personal plywood shelter built in the Underground and dosses down there at nights like an "omnipotent tramp"; or did you know that women make better snipers? Apparently they can keep still for longer particularly in freezing weather.

It was most definitely a fascinating book. Obviously not one for everybody but I'd certainly recommend it to anyone with an interest in the period or people.

Maryom's review - 4 stars
Publisher - Pan Macmillan
Genre - Adult, non fiction, history

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

An Absorbing, Disturbing Read

review by Maryom

An unforgettable story of love, friendship and the fragility of life.

Kathy, Ruth and Tommy grew up together at Hailsham, a seemingly idyllic school deep in the English countryside with a dreadful secret at its heart. Now thirty-one, Kathy attempts to come to terms with her childhood at Hailsham and with the fate that has always awaited her and her closest friends in the wider world.

Unusually, I'm quoting the synopsis from the back of the book as I'm not sure how to write about this book without giving away all of the plot.

Warning - plot spoilers

The story is told from the point of view of Kathy, a carer for donors, helping them in their recovery and preparing them for the next one. It slowly becomes apparent that these people are not donors by choice but were bred ( via cloning) with this specific aim in view. Never Let Me Go is a moving all-too-human love triangle set against a backdrop of scientific manipulation and the chilling inevitability of what will happen when these young people have outlived their usefulness.

Set in an alternative England where cloning of people for harvesting bodyparts seems to have become a norm, it raises questions about what exactly makes us human, about the extremes that medical science can go to and where it should stop, what happens when cloning experiments move from the lab to the real world. With the cloning of sheep and the deliberate choosing of a child's sex for medical donation being high in the news these days, this book is a chilling warning of where such concepts could lead.

It seems rather a leap for the author probably best known for Remains Of The Day to take on something rather 'sci-fi' but it works. It reminded me very much, in my geeky way, of Blade Runner and the plight of the replicants, trying to achieve a 'human' status and outlive their termination dates. With the difference that replicants were brought to life fully grown with implanted memories but here embryos have been cloned and grown up 'normally' as children, maturing into teens and young adults - till their function of donating catches up with them.

An absorbing, disturbing read about what the future may hold.

Maryom's review - 5 stars
Publisher - Faber and Faber
Genre - Adult fiction, science fiction

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The Red Necklace by Sally Gardner

Treachery, Romance and a just a little Magic
review by Maryom

Paris 1789 - although everything still appears normal, revolution is brewing.
Yann Margoza was born with the gift of reading minds and along with his friend and mentor, Tetu the dwarf he assists with the theatrical performances of Topolain the magician. An invitation to perform at the chateau of the Marquis of Villeduval leads them to an old enemy now calling himself Count Kalliovski. When he becomes aware that he has been recognised, the Count vows to hunt them down and kill them. It also leads though to a meeting between Yann and the Marquis's neglected daughter, Sido. Although Yann is forced to flee to safety in England, he never forgets this beautiful, lonely girl and as murder and mayhem are loosened on the streets of Paris he knows he must risk his own safety to help her.
I think "A Story of the French Revolution" as a tag line makes this seem as if it could be quite dry and dull. Far from it! The Red Necklace is a wonderful historical adventure, full of period detail from the Marquis's parties to the rioting in the streets, with a young handsome hero, a girl kept almost prisoner in her own home and a dastardly villain intent on manipulating people for his own ends. It's breathlessly exciting as Yann and his friends desperately attempt to save Sido from both the villainous Count and the angry Paris mob. I absolutely loved it and once started, couldn't bear to put it down! I'd recommend it for anyone, though mainly teenagers, with a liking for historical fiction

Maryom's review - 5 stars
Publisher - Orion
Genre - Teen Fiction, Historical, Romance,

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Dragon Harper by Anne and Todd McCaffrey

First Trip to Pern
Review by The Mole


Kindan is an apprentice harper at the Harper Hall but he is finding the lessons very difficult and although he has his friends, Nonala, Kelsa and Verilan, he also has enemies, such as the bully Vaxoram. Things begin to improve for Kindan when he beats Vaxoram in a duel and Vaxoram becomes first his servant and then gradually his trusted friend. Then Kindan impresses a fire-lizard and becomes the proud owner of the magnicent Valla. At the hatching he meets Koriana, daughter of Lord Holder Bemin of Fort Hold. She also impresses and she and Kindan fall in love, but her parents disapprove and she has to return to Fort Hold. Then a plague begins to spread across Pern, killing nearly everyone infected. Kindan and his friends search the harper records to see if they can find a cure, but all they can find is mention of a similar plague over a hundred Turns past. As the plague gets worse Kindan and Vaxoram are sent to Fort Hold to help tend the sick. Kindan will be reunited with Koriana, but will she be free of the plague, and will he be able to find a cure before more people die?

Todd McCaffrey takes the reins of the dragonriders of Pern in a coming-of-age story

The precis above is from the Transworld website.

I decided to get involved in the Anne McCaffrey Reading Challenge. My family are familiar with some of McCaffrey's writings and I have to admit to never having read one and it was for this reason that I chose to get involved. Being almost devoid of McCaffrey's books in the house I checked the library catalogue and found them not a lot better off. However I chose one from their list and waited for it to become available. It turned out to be by both Anne and Todd.

I found some of the ideas of the world of Pern to be most intriguing, conceptually, and can fully understand how the Pern novels have earned their reputation. But.... I found this book to be very sadly lacking. The hero, Kindan, I couldn't identify with and, frankly, in the duel referred to above, I had hoped that Vaxoram would give him a beating! Not that I found Vaxoram that believable either. I have read fantasies where we don't stand still long enough to start to identify with the characters but unfortunately this one is not one of those.

One of the concepts of Pern is that women and men are treated as equals and throughout the book this sentiment is voiced. Yes, voiced, but if you read it you find that men don't treat them that way. It is an ideal that can be written as was the case in another fantasy that I recently read and reviewed.

I always try to look for the positive but with this book I struggled and come away with only the desire to read one of Anne's EARLY Pern novels to see what she did with the ideas.

Publisher: Transworld Books
Genre: Science Fantasy

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The Year of The Hare by Arto Paasilinna

Adventures in the Wilds of Finland
review by Maryom

A humorous little book about the adventures that befall Kaarlo Vatanen, a world-weary journalist, after he decides to rescue a hare injured by the car in which he was travelling. The colleague driving the car refuses to wait and heads home to the city, leaving Vatanen stranded. This monir incident sparks a major life-change. Vatanen leaves his wife, resigns from his job and sells his possessions to set out on a wandering journey of discovery around Finland.
On their way, Vatanen and the hare meet many strange, even bizarre, characters, run into forest fires, sleeping bears and military war games, and discover some very odd things about the country's President.
By turns whimsical, serious or totally absurd, I found it rather reminded me of the original Reggie Perrin's antics.

I'm reading this as part of my Round The World challenge - so that's Finland visited.

Maryom's review - 3 stars
Publisher - Peter Owen
Genre - humour, adult

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