Eat Your Carrots

Molly Carp, Glisters & Prill

Those are just a few of the strange aquatic life forms to be found in the latest Neal Asher book that I'm reading, "The Voyage Of The Sable Keech". As usual, the strange fauna form a major part of the background to his book, and as usual humans, if not for their technology, would be bottom of the food chain. In this book most of the creatures are familiar, having been featured in a previous work, and I predict one or two grisly ends at their hands, mouths & claws.
The book itself is proving to be a slow read, though the pace has accelerated lately. The problem has been that far from being a book that I cannot put down, it's proved to be a book I can barely be bothered to pick up. The reason for that is a very, very slow start that spends an eternity filling in bits for those who may have missed the prequel(s). If it could have gotten straight to the main plot it would have been so much better. Fortunately it is now at that point, though it's taken almost 120 pages to get there, and it's now becoming a really entertaining read.
It must be a difficult conundrum, how much to fill in your readers who may have missed previous books. Is it too much just to launch into the book and leave the reader a little curious as to what might have gone on before? Andy McNab, someone who writes sequel upon sequel, manages to just put in the briefest of references to characters and situations from previous books; enough for you to realise that "this character has a past" without boring the regular reader with too much irrelevant detail.
So anyway, I'm finally enjoying the book and because of that it now shouldn't be too long till I finish it.

A Very Strange Read

The Third Policeman is a very strange read. I can't remember what prompted me to buy it - I think I read about it somewhere and about how it was an inspiration for the TV series Lost (though I fail to see how just yet) and how the show had paid homage to it by having someone (probably Sawyer, I'd guess) reading it in one of the scenes.
Every review I read about the book said it was "the strangest book you'll ever read" and that just served to pique my interest even further.
Well, those reviewers were right - it's a very strange book indeed. I'm only a short way into it, so I'm not sure what's going to happen in it, but each new page has me thinking "Huh? You what?" The style of writing is similar to that in "The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night", simplistic and yet somehow complicated at the same time, and a little breathless.
I'm reading on with interest and curiosity. Anyone out there read this book yet?

Digital Fortress by Dan Brown

Utter rubbish. This has to rank as one of the worst two books I've ever read. The plot revolves around the creation of an "unbreakable" encryption algorithm which would allow computer users (towit criminals and terrorists) around the world to communicate with each other safe in the knowledge that America's NSA (National Security Agency)  couldn't eavesdrop what they're sending. Maybe it's just because I work with computers for a living, but I found almost all of the computing mumbo jumbo to be utter bollocks. Maybe it was dumbed down a lot so as not to just fly over the average reader's head, but having said that most of it was still over wife's head so he may as well have kept it more "real". I was constantly laughing out loud as yet another silly piece of techie-talk flew my way.
But not only was the techie talk plain stupid, the plot had a glaring hole in it too. At one point we're told that the whole world has already downloaded this encryption algorithm and are simply waiting for the unlock code for it. Later, we learn that the NSA bod's master plan is to replace the version on the Internet with his own version, into which he has a placed a "back door". What's the point? The whole world already has the algorithm, remember?
The character development is pretty poor too. For instance the frustrated sexual tensions between the NSA director's PA and a female colleague is a pointless distraction that leads nowhere and serves no good purpose.
As with even the worst of Dan Brown books there is still a decent plot twist that I never saw coming, so I won't spoil this one good point by saying what it is.
I hope his next book's better than this and Deception point, but having said that he's got enough hype going now that whatever twaddle he puts out will top the best sellers lists for months.

Deception Point by Matthew Reilly Dan Brown

You may think after reading The Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons that Dan Brown has created a nice little niche for himself with the religious based conspiracy theory type of book and that his other books might be of a similar style and standard.

Not a bit of it. Deception Point is nothing like those other books and it's hard to believe they're by the same author. This book reads more like a Matthew Reilly book, and has a plot to match. It's full of special forces with high-tech weaponry who (as always) get pasted by the good guys, even though they have no military background.

There are a lot of chases with narrow escapes for the heroes and some very, very, contrived location settings with even more contrived escapes. You can predict what's coming from most of the rather obvious setups. Sharks in the water? Someone's going to get eaten (or have a very lucky escape). A boat thethered in a strong current? It's going to break free. It really is preposterous nonsense.

There are three plus points though. Firstly there's one decent twist in the plot, one that I never saw coming. Second it's a quick and easy read and finally at least it's better than Digital Fortress!

Brass Man by Neal Asher

I was pestered into reading Brass Man by Neal himself (I can never resist a bit of name dropping) and I'm glad that he did. The best time to be reading a "can't put it down" type of book is when you've got loads of time to relax, as was the case on my recent holiday. I suppose the downside of it being such an addictive read was that it lasted me less than a week and so I was reduced to doing Sudoku puzzles for the rest of the time! It's an excellent book, to my mind probably his best yet, certainly his best "Polity" novel.
Brass Man pulls together characters and threads from two of Asher's previous books, Gridlinked and The Line Of Polity. One of those characters is a rogue android called Mr Crane who is resurrected by the bad guy to help him with his evil-doing. A series of flash-backs fill you in on what this android got up to in Gridlinked, as well as filling in some gaps as to his "life" before that time (explaining how he came to be in the service of the Pelter's, for instance). Ultimately though, Mr Crane's part descends to something of a bit part, an aside, as the main action begins to develop away from him.
That action involves the other main characters from those previous two books, most notably Earth Central Security agent Ian Cormack (and his associates) and the alien-enhanced villain Skellor. The plot boils down to a cat-and-mouse chase of the latter by the others. Skellor was thought to be dead, but now he's known to be alive he's far too dangerous to be allowed to escape, especially as he seems intent on making contact with the misuderstood alien superbeing Dragon, another recurring character.
As is now usual for Asher, the book takes place on a planet with the most wondrous flora and fauna - wondrous in a deadly way, as all of Asher's animal (and sometimes plant) life seems intent on making a meal of the hapless Earth colonists. The creatures that he dreams up make me wonder what he has for supper (too much cheese?), for he must surely have nightmares as he sleeps. Wild and wonderful creatures indeed.
The plot is interesting and engaging, compulsively so for me, and brisk paced - and there are one or two surprises in store. There are also one or two threads that are developed and left hanging (especially the one about Mr Crane), begging it seems for another sequel.

Brass Man by Neal Asher - 8.5/10

Change Of Reading

I was going to read Dead Man Running by Martin McGartland whilst in Tenerife but I've had a change of plan. A recent comment on by blog from Neal Asher, wondering why I haven't read his latest book yet, has shamed me into making this change. Never accuse me of sucking up to celebrity.
Unfortunately for me, such was my urgency to have Asher's book I got it in "enormous hardback" format rather than have to wait for the paperback to come out. As a result we're having to take an extra suitcase to Tenerife just to put the book into. And besides, I've waited so long to read it, the paperback is out now :-S

Roughly Speaking

What is it with Rough Guides? Sometimes they're so disparaging about a place it makes you wonder if you should even bother going there. I realise that an "informed travel guide" shouldn't try to paint a falsely glowing picture of a place, but I think Rough Guides often go to the other extreme and find fault in almost everything. This is most recently true of The Rough Guides to both Cyprus and Menorca. If I was going on those books, I wouldn't visit.

I think The Rough Guide still expects (in this modern age) that everywhere should be an unspoiled wilderness, and while there may still be a few places in the world that are, most places are not. I always buy The Rough Guide to wherever I'm going, for the very reason that I want to see what downsides a place may have, but I always take their views on advisement.

I'm tempted to buy The Rough Guide to The UK, I'd love to know how they describe this country of ours.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time

I'm reading this at the moment. I was given it by a friend at work simply because he'd mentioned something about Asperger's Syndrome and I didn't know what that was. The book is written as if by someone with Asperger's Syndrome, as well as being written as if by a child (i.e., a child with Asperger's Syndrome). This makes it an unusual read. For those who don't know and who didn't follow the link, Asperger's Syndrome is something akin to autism, but with less extreme effects. The child therefore likes routine, obsesses about strange things (the colours red (good) and yellow (bad) for instance) and is a whiz at maths, physics and "difficult" stuff like that, whilst struggling with relationships and affection etc.
As I said, it's an unusual read, and will be quite unlike any book that you've read, I imagine. It's certainly not like anything I've read before. It won "Whitbread book of the year", and maybe it deserves it just for being so very different, and for maybe opening the eyes of the readers to Asperger's Syndrome. "It does for Asperger's what "Rain Man" did for autism..."
I didn't finish it yet, but it won't be long now. I'm already up to chapter 193 out of 233, so only another 8 to go...

Alastair Reynolds - Century Rain

I've recently finished reading Alastair Reynolds' latest book Century Rain. I've waited a long time for the book, having had it on pre-order for almost a year, and read it in about a week, which is good going for me. I was so keen to get it read that I would pick it up at every possible moment, and had a few late nights as I crammed another couple of chapters in. It was a good read, in fact a very good read, or else I wouldn't have read it so quickly.
I was a little confused for a while by his mentioning of "the polity", a body that Neal Asher has previously mentioned in some of his books. Perhaps "the polity", or polities in general, are a common theme but for a while it had me thinking I was getting my authors confused.
The book is set far into the future and a little into the past. The past is Paris in 1959, but you know by reading it that something is wrong. It feels like Paris of the 1930's, and that's exactly how it is. That's part of Reynolds' great writing style. Without saying it (initially at least) or pointing out anything obvious, you can just feel that "this isn't right".
Suffice to say that the people of the future save the people of the past from obliteration by other people of the future. Ah, time travel, don't you just love it.
The book's not up there with his best works (Absolution Gap, Revelation Space, etc) but it's not too far behind. Whereas Richard Morgan had a great first two books in Altered Carbon and Broken angels but then totally lost the plot with (the totally dire) Market Forces and Woken Furies, Reynolds doesn't appear to have run out of steam (or ideas) yet.
Next I'm reading Brass Man from Neal Asher, another book I had on year long order from Amazon. Hopefully that will be up to Asher's usual high standards too.
Century Rain 7/10

History's Lessons Not Learned

I'm reading this book at the moment. It's perhaps the biggest book I've ever read - it's certainly the heaviest. I'm reading it because I want to better understand the modern history of the Middle-East, and plumped for this book after hearing the author on Radio 4.
It's interesting and enlightening, though I'm only a fraction of the way through it. One thing that is apparent though is how history repeats itself and how we don't seem to have learned from the mistakes of the past. Reading some passages of this book that relate to Iraq in 1920, you could be forgiven for thinking it relates to 2005. Example: A Times article in 1920 which states that (and I paraphrase) "the British public have been misled by the government as to the situation in Iraq. It has withheld and bent the truth at every turn. Unfortunately withdrawing now is no longer an option, lest the country fall into total anarchy, but how many more British lives must be lost in this fruitless campaign". Further articles go on to say how we are trying to deliver to Iraq (again in 1920) "a democracy which they neither want nor asked for". Needless to say there were constant insurgencies against the British despite the fact that we were there as a liberating army (from Turkish occupation) and had stated our will to "let Iraq govern itself and to flourish under its own mandate".
Another thing that stands out is the sheer two-facedness of politics. During the Iran-Iraq war, which ran from 1980 to 1988 Iraq was backed by the USA, despite the fact that:

• Iraq invaded Iran to begin the war
• Iraq was using chemical weapons
• Iraq was committing genocide amongst Iraqi Kurds
• Iraq began attacking shipping in the gulf in an attempt to weaken Iran's economy
• Iraq attacked the USS Stark, killing 37 US sailors

Ignoring all of the above, the USA:

• Provided intelligence, economic aid and arms (despite a supposed embargo) to Iraq
• Attacked Iranian oil platforms
• Attacked and sunk Iranian warships
• Shot down an Iranian airliner killing 290 passengers.
  As usual the USA claimed all sorts of cover stories before it eventually emerged that the offending warship (the USS Vincennes) was in Iranian waters and that the airliner was turning away and increasing altitude. The USA never apologised for the incident.

Fast forward to more recent times and see us fighting to "liberate" Iraqi people from someone who's war they supported so vehemently for 8 years whilst it suited their immediate political aims.
Yes, it's an informative book, and it's main point is actually to show that the mess in the Middle-East is a mess of our own making.

---

As a footnote it was interesting reading about TE Lawrence ("Of Arabia"). Romanticised on the big screen and in folklore he had a ruthless and bloodthirsty streak to him. He reported that "bombing villages was no way to inflict punishment as it rarely got to the women and children cowering in their houses. Better to use gas, and be sure of killing everyone"